Slot machines have come a long way since the introduction of the original slot around 1894. Charles Fey invented the first slot machine in San Francisco, California as a three reel slot. Initially players won drinks or cigars available over the bars of the saloon but Charles Fey was responsible for the first coin operated machine – find more casino slots games here.
Original Slot Games
Originally the game was simple, match any of the five symbols, usually a bell, a horseshoe, a diamond, a spade and a heart in the three reels and the machine paid out. Three bells in a row was the biggest payout and the first ever slot machine took its name from this symbol and is know as the Liberty Bell. Inventors then started copying the Liberty Bell and the slot machine and game became more sophisticated and more entertaining.
The three reel slot game still exists and are as popular as ever. They are simplistic in design and playing method but are still well liked and used. As well as a three reel slot there is a five reel and even a seven reel slot. The more reels the higher the win as the lower the odds.
Earlier Slot Machine Games
The early slot machines only had one pay line, however, now there are many slots that have multi pay line games, which gives the player more chances of landing a win. With multi pay lines players can make a winning pattern using two or three symbols but from several lines. A twenty pay line slot will be easier to land a win, however, will cost more too but the more pay lines the more options to win. The additional pay lines and patterns can be slightly overwhelming but for the experienced player keeping focused and patient will pay off.
Progressive Jackpot Slots to play
Progressive jackpot slots aren’t for the faint hearted. The winning amount increases every time a player plays the game and the jackpot is not won. The slot machines will showcase the potential winning amount so players know if the machine has paid out recently and if the jackpot has been claimed or if the jackpot is still up for grabs. Sometimes the progressive jackpot isn’t just linked to one machine; a number of machines could work together to make up the jackpot amount, therefore making the jackpot even bigger.
The opposite of a progressive slot game is, of course, a non progressive slot game. With a non progressive slot game the jackpot doesn’t accumulate at all and has a set amount that it will pay out when a player lands a win. It’s a more obtainable goal as the pay out’s are frequent but the pay out won’t be huge money.
‘243 ways to win’ is another slot game method of winning. As the name suggests this method allows 243 ways to win and allows the player to gamble on 243 pay lines in one spin.
Cluster Pays is also another method. NetEnt introduced this method in 2016 and now has many games working with this. In essence rather than the player having a straight line to win, Cluster Pays allows the player to ‘cluster’ the symbols in order to land a win.
