Casino Gambling Guide

Slot machines

Slot history

The first three reel slot machine, the Liberty Bell, was created by Charles Fey in 1898. This machine consisted of three reels, each with ten symbols on it, including one Liberty Bell per wheel. A jackpot of ten nickels was awarded if three Liberty Bells showed up on the payline. Today all slot machines more or less still work according to the same principle of the original Liberty Bell slot machine, except for the fact that all mechanical functions are performed by a computer.

Slot jackpots and odds

The odds of a mechanical slot machine are completely determined by the number of reels and symbols on each reel. The odds against hitting the jackpot on the Liberty Bell are 1,000 to 1, because three reels each with ten symbols account for 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000 possible combinations. The number of possible combinations of a modern computerized slot machine, is programmed into the software and can be any *very large number* the manufacturer or the casino wants it to be. This reduces your chances of winning the jackpot considerably. However, if you *do* hit the jackpot, you may rest assured that it will be a *little* larger than the original ten nickels Liberty Bell jackpot. For example, many Microgaming casinos participate in Major Millions™, the largest progressive jackpot game on the Internet ever, with a jackpot starting value of $250,000 !

Tip: Except for Boss Media all casino software providers represented on our site offer many high quality slots. Microgaming has the largest selection of regular and progressive slots. Playtech and Cryptologic offer less games, but what they offer is pretty good too.

How to play a slot machine

A standard slot machine has three vertical reels of which three rows are shown horizontally. The row in the middle is usually the payline. When you pull the lever or press the "spin" button, the computer randomly chooses a combination of symbols from all available possibilities. The computer then starts the spinning of the reels and stops the reels in such a way that the randomly chosen combination of symbols is shown on the payline of the slot machine. In the long run the odds against receiving each combination are determined by the way the software is configured by the manufacturer and/or the casino. If the randomly chosen combination appears in the payout table of the slot machine, you will be paid accordingly. The payout is higher for less probable combinations of symbols and also depends on the number of coins you bet.

slot diagram   Slot diagram legend

A payline (middle row)
B payout table
C lever (arm)
D reels
E play buttons
F payout for 3 coins played

 

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