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Surely when Charles Fey built his first slot machine in 1896 he never
could have envisioned where the contraption would travel and how it would
transmogrify. In fact, for a hundred years his innovation hardly changed
at all, except cosmetically. The external design, consisting of an ornate
metal box was wrapped around the mechanism and became fancier or plainer,
larger or smaller, in attempt to attract the eye. But as always, when
a player primed the machine with coins and pulled the handle, the reels
spun randomly and, governed by stoppers eventually came to a halt. Each
reel was decorated with a variety of symbols that, when matched according
to a pay schedule (printed somewhere on the face of the machine), the
player won; when no matching symbols appeared, the player lost.
Though Fey is given credit as the Father of the Slot Machine, prototypes
existed years before he came up with the idea of converting them into
gambling device--which he believed would enhance the profits on his sales
routes. These early "amusement devices" could be found in saloons where
polite society would not be exposed to them and where proprietors stood
on the edge of breaking the law.
These first apparatuses had a major drawback. They were designed in
such a way that after a certain number of coins were inserted the weight
of these coins would tip the scales and some of the stored coins from
previous play would spill out, thus providing a winner. It didn't take
long for street-smart players and wise guys to figure out that the coins
would come out automatically with a little pushing and shoving and slamming
the machine around. So it was back to the drawing board where clever
builders devised first a metal bar to help prevent "tilting," and then
came up with smaller devices that could be bolted to a counter top or
wall.
Meanwhile, in dignified establishments such as grocery stores and mercantiles,
a similar piece of equipment began popping up and being played by even
the snootiest of patrons. Called the trade simulator, this machine operated
much like other contemporary devices except that the winners produced
could be exchanged or traded for goods within the establishment--thus
the name "trade," perhaps a forerunner to the modern cents-off coupon.
Playing slots was (and is) both a tactile and sensory experience involving
the feel of the coins and the touch and pull of the handle. It involved
the sense of vision, the sense of hearing, and the innate sensation of
anticipation.
Winning and losing depended on a simple mechanism that included symbols
(usually fruit of some kind, perhaps bars and/or sevens, and of course
hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades, Fey's original choice) affixed to
the three reels and a shaft. With ten symbols per reel, the machine was
capable of a thousand possible combinations.
1¢ to
a maximum of $1.00. Your wager is placed on each line, up to
5 coins per line. Wins are recorded from the left side of the
machine to the right. Winning totals vary depending on the symbols
you have lined up. Also, if you receive 2 or more scatter symbols
anywhere on the screen, you win the corresponding prize form
2X to 500X your bet. Or get the BONUS BRAIN in one of the three
BONUS PATTERNS and win up to 100X your bet. The Mad Professor
symbol is wild and completes winning combinations with all reels.
Within the game, click on the PAY TABLE button to see the winning
combinations and paylines.
.
2. Verify that you have credits in the credit window.
3. Press "Bet1" "Bet2" "Bet3" "Bet4" or "Bet5" (5coins), depending on how many coins you want to bet, then "Spin", it will start spinning automatically.
GET STARTED:.
1. Whatever the number of lines you are playing, only the first three reels will be spinning.
2. When the reels have stopped, you have the possibility to keep 1, 2 or 3 symbols.
Click on "HOLD" to keep the symbol(s).
3. The symbol(s) you have kept will be duplicated on the other played lines (after the respin).
4. Click on "RESPIN" to finish the game.
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