Slots Introduction and Basics
Hard to believe as it may seem today, slot machines were originally meant only as a diversion for casino goers. Table games constituted the biggest cash earners for casinos back then. With the introduction of slot machines, casino managers and owners soon had a new sensation in their hands.
Since any amount of gambling know-how isn't at all required to play slots, many casual casino patrons developed a liking for the "one armed bandit".
Unlike traditional table games which required players to at least get to know the basics of the game they're playing, to even have a moderate chance of winning anything big, slots simply require you to pull a handle (or push a button on modern slot machines) and the machine will do everything for you.
Also, because very small bets are the norm for most slot machines, almost anyone can play the game. These two simple ideas proved to be a godsend for the gambling masses, and for the casino owners. Slots would eventually surpass even the table games that ironically were the reason why slots was relegated to the side lines during its early years.
Slots took the lead and are now considered to be the most popular and most profitable game in casinos. Studies show that of the total yearly gaming profit in the United States, slot machines make up 60 percent of this total.
Since its birth, slot machines have changed dramatically and are now very much unlike what they were before. For one, the technology behind slots have been almost totally revamped and replaced by newer ones as time passed by. The vintage mechanical devices that powered the old slot machines have almost been entirely replaced by computer operated devices.
Most of these changes -- like the introduction of a button instead of the normal handles installed on old slot machines -- seem to serve a rather cosmetic purpose. They are implemented so that slot machine players will have a more convenient time playing the game. The game itself has remained essentially the same, despite all the changes that took place.
The basic principles in place back then are still implemented today. When the player pulls the handle on the slot machine, a set of reels rotate. These reels have printed pictures on them, and the resulting win or loss is dependent on how the pictures will match on the line in the center of the viewing window.
If comparable winning pictures land along the pay line, the player wins. The payout is determined by the pictures that stop along the pay line.
The ease on how slots is played is just one of the many reasons why a lot of people prefer to play this game, and also why it remains as popular as ever.
