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Today the largest group of casino players are playing slots. It wasn't always this way, as late as the mid-seventies slots were not thought of serious games of chance. They were often played
by the female companions of male table players, husbands were often seen giving their wives money to play the slots with while they went off to play the more serious table games. In those
days a "respectable" table player wouldn't be caught playing the slots.
The original slot machines were mechanical devices and some cheats tried various ways to beat the house. People tried everything from the use of magnets to drilling a hole through the
side of the machines, all in an attempt to influence the mechanism. There was even a legal method discovered by a few that involved a style of pulling the handle that controlled the drop of
one or more of the reels. This increased the players odds greatly, and caused the casino operators some concern until a method was devised to remove this advantage. The manufacturers
have kept modifying and refining the machines to keep the games honest.
Today the vast majority of slot machines are electronic and computer controlled so that outside manipulating of the machines by cheaters is now just a part of slot machine history.
It was the introduction and rapid acceptance of video games that changed the slot machine forever, the casino operators developed a new line of electronic slot machines, ones that offered
vivid graphics and exciting sound effects. The casino operators also added further refinements such as connecting several machines together and taking a small percentage of every play and
adding it to a jackpot total. If no one hits the jackpot for some time it can grow into a huge amount, and although the odds are small it will payoff and one lucky player will win big. These
"jackpots" also helped to increase slot popularity to where it is today.
Today slots are the most popular form of casino gambling, with up to 40% of casino revenue originating from these "one armed bandits".
Slots machines have been around since the early 1800's and are as
varied as their numbers. The first machines had only three reels and 20
symbols. Today's slot machines have anywhere from 3 to 9 or more reels
and upwards of 100 symbols and take as little as a nickel to play or as
much as $100 a pull. Online casinos offer slots and have a tremendous
clientele or player base. Die-hard slot players can tell you which are
the best online casinos to play slots at, dependant on the casino
software, the payout schedule, the coin size and whether there is chat
capabilities available. Remember those are opinions and everyone's is
different and may or may not work for you. As a beginner you need to
develop your on insight into slots and this is where I come in. With the
information here, you will be able to play with the best of them, and
determine for yourselves which casinos and which games are best suited
to you.
Slots Basics.:
Determine your budget first, select a game that you feel comfortable
with, there are many many online slot games and each comes with it's own
theme and design so your choices are nearly unlimited. Some pick a
particular game because they like the name of the game, some choose a
new game thinking that the game is looser, the choice is entirely yours.
Always consider the payout and the coin amount in your decision.
Look at the payout table located on the top of the machine at about
eye level. Study the symbols and what each will pay you should you win
that combination. You have a choice of betting one, two or three coins
on most machines. Some have a two coin max. Whatever the coin max, bet
the max. You don't want to be sitting there stunned when you hit that
top winning combination only to realize you didn't get the jackpot
because you were one coin shy of the max bet required.
Next you want to begin your play by inserting your money. Slot
machines will accept coins or bills and payout in coins or a credit slip
that you take to the cashier to get paid. After your first spin glance
back up at the payout table to compare your spin to what is showing
there. You would have seen and heard the bells and whistles had you hit
a winning combination of a large size. But by keeping yourself familiar
with exactly what you are trying to achieve, you can start to play a bit
more relaxed and naturally and spin the reels with more confidence.
Slots Payouts.:
The payouts on slots can be very confusing to the novice. In general, a
good rule of thumb to remember is that the lower the bet such on nickel
slots, the lower the payout.
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