How To Play Slot Machines And Win
A slot machine is a mechanical device employing three, four,
five or more circular reels of varying dimensions. Each of these
reels has several symbols either painted on or attached to it.
These symbols can be anything at all, although the most common
designs are cherries, bars, and - the jackpot symbol - the
number 7. Whatever the symbol on the machine, it makes
absolutely no difference to how the machine will play or what
and how much it will pay out. All these details are determined
by the computer program carried by a tiny chip inside the
machine's electronic brain. You could put pictures of your kids,
rocks, spaghetti, cheese, or anything there, and, if they lined
up on the pay liner you'd win the top jackpot. In case you have
never played a slot machine, or have not played some of the
newer slot machines lately, I shall begin by describing how you
start.
Players begin play by inserting a specified number of coins, or
gaming tokens, into a coin receptacle slot provided on the front
of the slot
machine, and then pulling the handle affixed to the right
side of the machine which sets the reels spinning, The reels
come to a stop in order left-to-right on the display screen. The
object is to line up matching symbols [matching winning
combinations] on the pay line, usually a center stripe painted
across the viewing screen. The schedule of winning combinations
is usually displayed on the front or just above the machine,
indicating the hierarchy of winning combinations and the amounts
that each one pays whenever it appears on the active payline.
Instead of a handle, some modern machines employ a button marked
"spin" which you press to start the reels turning, and, like the
handler pressing it will spin the reels after the coin, or
coins, are inserted. Most modern Slot Machines, like the Video
Poker machines, also have a button marked "credit". If the
player presses this button prior to inserting coins, instead of
paying winners off in coins, the machine will automatically
credit any winnings to a credit meter. The credited winnings
appear numerically on the machine's credit meter display, and,
as an option, the player then has a choice of playing these
credits, or cashing them out. To play the credits, the player
can press a button marked "play one credit", and for each time
this button is pressed the machine will deduct one credit from
the credit meter and register one corresponding coin as "coin
in". The player may press this "play one credit" button up to
the machine's maximum coin limit.
If, for instance, the machine you are playing takes three coins
as maximum, you can press this "play one coin" button three
times. These coins are then deducted from the player's credit
meter, and credited to the player's next pull. When this is
done, the machine will usually say "coin accepted" on the
display, or, in some cases, the pay-lines on the machine's
display will light up. The effect is the same as if you had put
three coins in the slot instead of using the credits you had
accumulated. Most of the modern machines also
have another button called "play maximum coins", sometime also
identified as "play three coins" if that machine's maximum is
three coins, or "play five coins" if that machine's maximum is
five, and so on. By pressing this button, the player will
automatically play the maximum coins which that machine takes.
The player may also cash out these credits by pressing a button
marked "collect". By pressing this button,
the machine will pay out in coins, or gaming tokens, all the
credits indicated on the credit meter. These coins then drop to
the tray mounted at the bottom of the machine. Believe it or
not, there are actually a few strategies that may be employed to
improve your odds of winning at slots. I've studied these
methods comprehensively, and have written an ebook on the
subject.
I hope this overview has given you a better understanding of the
game, and has piqued your interest in the wonderful world of
slot machines.