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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.
Here's some advice to play the slot machines,
1. Always load up a progressive machine. The progressives don't
pay as often or as many of the small winning combinations that simple
machines do, so you are actually playing for the jackpot only. In that
case, you have to load them up in order to get the jackpot. Read the
payout table!
2. Pay attention to the sound of the casino. Notice which slot
machines are hitting and which aren't. oftentimes there will seem to
be "hot" carousels and cold ones. Follow like sheep to the
hot ones.
3. Play the progressives with the highest jackpots. It makes
sense to seek the greatest reward if you're willing to take the progressive
risk. As the change person for help in locating top jackpots.
4. Stake out a seemingly hot carousel and spend an evening (between
dinner and second show time) watching how the machines do. Once
you've seen enough, go to sleep. Then come back in the very early hours
of the morning and hit the ones that have been played hard but haven't
hit yet!
5. Resist the temptation to move up the pay scale when you're losing.
Because slots have the worst odds, increasing your level of play can
be the worst bet in the house! If you must keep playing, get off the
progressives and find some simple nonprogressive (flat top) machines.
6. When you finally hit a jackpot¡ just sit there. Take a deep
breath. Don't mistakenly pull the handle again or touch a button. Most
jackpots, especially those that are $1,000 or more, are paid by an attendant
who will come over to verify your win and pay you off in cash.
There is one way to almost guarantee yourself a good time, satiate
your appetite for slots, and possibly even come out ahead , .
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