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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.
The
Booster. is a three-wheel, single-payline progressive slot machine game with
exciting features. Before spinning, you must place a bet. High rollers
who like the game of slots will like the Booster - you can bet from 1
up to 10 half dollar coins ($0.50 - $5.00) on the main payline per
single spin. There is only one payline at the Booster game. The payoff
for the payline is based on the coins bet.
The BOOST
symbol is wild and can substitute for another symbol in the payline.
Every time the BOOST symbol is going to appear, the game is
interrupted and you can select either to keep the current bet placed
or "boost" your bet 10 times (you "boost" your bet by clicking the
smaller lever). This allows amazing winnings per single spin. Also, no
bet is lost at the Booster game. Every bet which does not win is added
to the special Fund. The Fund can be cashed anytime for 10% of its
value or you may choose to try to recover ALL of your bets by risking
and attempting to win the entire amount during a special WIN/LOSE
spin.
Lion’s Share. is a three reel,
one payline, and three coin slot machine.
It has a wild, multiplier symbol and the maximum payout
is 8,000 coins.
The Lion’s Head symbol is wild and substitutes for
any other symbol to complete winning combinations.
A single Lion’s Head symbol doubles the payout of any
combination it completes.
Two Lion’s Head symbols quadruple the payout of any
combination they complete.
Jet-Set. is a three reel, one payline,
and two coin slot machine.
It has a wild, multiplier symbol and the maximum payout
is 1,600 coins.
The Jet-Set symbol is wild and substitutes for any other
symbol to complete winning combinations.
A single Jet-Set. symbol doubles the payout of any
combination it completes.
Two Jet-Set symbols quadruple the payout of any combination
they complete.
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