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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.
A single Blue Star symbol on the payline completes
the winning combination of a single Cherry symbol.
With 2 coins bet, a single Cherry symbol combination
pays out 4 coins. However, a Blue Star symbol is displayed,
so the payout is 4 x 2 = 8 coins.
Two Blue Star symbols and a 3-Bar symbol on the
payline, combine to produce a three 3-Bar symbols
combination. With 2 coins bet, a three 3-Bar symbols
combination pays out 100 coins. However, two Blue
Star symbols are showing, so the payout is 100 x 4
= 400 coins.
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There are 2 bonus features in this game. The
first one is the Volcano Bonus. To start this bonus game you
need 3,4, or 5 Volcano symbols on any payline you are playing.
The symbols must be next to each other and start on reel one.
In the bonus game you are supposed to choose a fruit offering
for the volcano. After you choose one the bonus win amount
will be displayed and you return to the main screen.
The
second bonus feature is the Pick a Mask. game. To start
this bonus game you need 3,4, or 5 Mask symbols next to each
other and the first one on the 1st reel. In the bonus game, 10
Tiki masks are displayed. Behind every mask is a bonus for you
or a Collect. Choose as many bonuses until you hit a collect.
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