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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.
Chief’s Fortune is a three reel, one payline,
and three coin slot machine. Chief’s Fortune
has a wild symbol and a Bonus Feature. To qualify
to play the Bonus Feature, you must bet three coins
per spin.
To qualify for the Bonus Feature, you
must bet three coins per spin.
If you bet three coins, and a Magic Arrow symbol
is displayed on the payline, one magic arrow is shot
into the target. Once you have collected five magic
arrows the Bonus Feature is activated. When you receive
a magic arrow it is stored until you have collected
all five arrows required to enter the bonus screen.
If you bet two coins, your magic arrow is stored until
you bet three coins again. You can then continue to
collect the arrows. You do not lose the magic arrows
you have collected when you exit the game.
You must bet three coins per spin to qualify to play
the Bonus Feature. If you bet one or two coins and
the Magic Arrow symbol is displayed on the payline,
you are not awarded a magic arrow.
Belissimo is a three reel, five payline, and five
coin slot machine. The multiple paylines increase
your chances of winning. It has a wild symbol and
the maximum payout is 5,000 coins. For every coin
that you bet, you enable another payline. You are
paid out for winning combinations on enabled paylines
only.
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