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True classic is always appealing, and the success experienced by slot machines confirms this trend. Although one-armed bandits were invented and introduced in the casinos and other gambling establishments over a hundred years ago, classic slot machines – despite their respectful age and the overwhelming simplicity – are still enjoying tremendous popularity all over the world.
History
A prototype of the modern slot machine was introduced at the end of the 19th century by Charles Fey, a talented German American mechanic. Working in his own workshop, he built a machine with spinning reels. After the reels stopped, the symbols displayed on them formed a winning combination if they fell on the payline in a certain order. Reel slot machines had been known in the US earlier, but it was the savvy mechanic’s gift and luck to make them so popular that his machine called Liberty Bell could soon be seen in almost every other gambling establishment.
General principles
Classic slot machines are the well known one-armed bandits that gained wide recognition in the beginning of the 20th century. They are easily identifiable: each has only three reels, with one symbol displayed on each of the reels. Any symbols can be used, but the oldest slot machines favoured a cherry, seven and a bar, where the latter represented nothing more nor less than a chewing gum bar. It might be difficult to imagine this today, but at some point in time the payout was in the form of chewing gum, candy and other goodies (the reason was that in many states of the US cash payouts were banned, so owners of the entertainment establishments had come up with various tricks to circumvent the law). Another indispensable part of the classic slot machine is a lever that activates the spinning mechanism. It resembles an arm, and that’s where the name of the invention came from.
In classic slot machines the number of steps necessary to play is minimal. All the player needs to do is to insert a coin into the slot, pull down the lever, spin the reels and then wait until they stop, hoping that a winning combination will be rolled. All the winning combinations and corresponding payouts are listed in the pay schedule displayed on the machine.
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Rules
The simplicity in use has brought slot machines numerous fans. Nowadays many casinos feature the classic three-reel one-armed bandits. True, some people have made a lot of money playing classic slot machines, but many others went bankrupt. To minimize the risks, it’s wise to follow certain rules:
- Attempts to expedite the process of play and pull down the lever every 10 seconds do not increase the odds of winning (beginners should remember this).
- The number of coins used in the game does not affect the odds of having a winning combination.
- Winning odds have nothing to do with how the reels have been activated – by pressing the button or by pulling down the lever. It’s for this reason that playing a modern slot machine as opposed to a classic one neither reduces nor decreases the probability of a win./li>
- If someone played the slot before you and received a big payout, do not think you have missed out on a chance to make a lot of money.
- Usually classic slot machines do not have a progressive jackpot. This serves as an additional benefit to the players since the chances to have a bigger win playing a machine without a progressive jackpot are considered to be way lower.
