How slots work
Playing slots
MAKING THE REELS GO ROUND
Old slot machine
Originally intended as a source of pleasure-gambling for the average customer of a bar or club, slot machines eventually entered the big bad world of organised gambling.
The casinos. Even here, they were not taken too seriously by the casino operators, often tucked away from the card game tables, to act as a diversion for casual gamers.
After all, slot machines didn't require gambling knowledge, anyone could play them.
Just pop in a coin, pull on the lever, and you're off and running.
The machines, however, became a massive success, moved out of the shadows, and today row upon row provide more than 60% of annual gaming profits in the United States.
But what makes those brightly coloured reels go round?
Here we take a look inside the slot machine.
Early machines had a collection of cogs, gears and cams that put the reels in motion, whilst today, this technology has been replaced by computer control systems.
But the game has stayed, essentially, the same.
In the beginning the player inserted a coin, pulled the lever, and the picture reels rotated before being halted to reveal a winning or, more often than not, a losing line.
If each reel shows the same winning picture along the centre line, you win.
Certain machines pay out, albeit a small amount, on a single picture.
The value of the payout is dependant on which pictures line up on the pay line.
Common, lowest full line payouts, are three cherries, the highest BAR BAR BAR.
Classic slot machines work on an elaborate Heath Robinson like arrangement of gears and levers. The central part is a metal shaft on which the reels are supported, which in turn is connected to the handle. The handle is locked until a coin is inserted. Pulling the handle sets the reels in motion, and a braking mechanism brings the reels to a halt.
Now you win some, now you lose some.
Basic machines, and the most common, have three reels on the central shaft ( others five )
A second shaft below supports a 'kicker', three (or five) metal paddles which are lined up to push against notches on the reels.
This second shaft also has a series of connected stoppers - teeth that lock onto notches on to discs on the reels sides.
The kicker and stoppers are all connected to springs which hold them in a standby position. Kickers behind the reels lock them in place.
This is the gambling worlds' equivalent of the internal combustion engine.
One pull of the handle and a maelstrom of mechanical mayhem is set in motion.