Slot machines are a colorful part of America's history. One of the most popular machines are the ones using red, white, and blue 7's symbol which trade on American patriotism. The versions of slot machines we know today are using the same basics used in 1899 at the slot machine called Liberty Bell, invented by a German immigrant Charles Fey. The Liberty Bell machine was not any more bulky or any cruder than modern day examples. Fey's slot machine had three spinning reels, with diamonds, spades, hearts and one cracked Liberty Bell painted around each reel. It also had a bell that rung when you hit a winning combination. When the slots' lever (or arm) was pulled, the reels would spin and stop sequentially. If three of the same symbols lined up horizontally across the main window, then a prize (determined by the machine's pay table) would be awarded. The original concept, however, was not lost because now-a-days, modern slots have a bell which ring to signal that a player has hit the jackpot. Three bells in a row produced the biggest payoff, a grand total of fifty cents or ten nickels and also that's where the name Liberty Bell comes from.
Playing online slots machines
One of the great things of playing online is that you can find free slot machines where you can spend hours and hours and have fun without loosing money.
Slots 101
Five Reel Slots
These slots are actually similar to the Australian style slots commonly known as "Pokies" or "Pokie Machines". The odds on these five reel slots come more in the favor of the casinos than in the favor of the player, even these machines mean multiple pay lines. It's a proven fact that the lower the number of reels, the better your odds of winning; it's much easier to line up three symbols than it is to line five and get a winning combination. It's as simple as it gets!
So, now knowing these important things, you can get back and spend your bucks more wise with the three reel slot machines.
Electronic Slots
Nowadays, all modern electronic slot machines are controlled by a computer chip that's very similar to the one that might be in the computer that you are using to connect to the Internet and read this right now. Slot machines require a fairly sophisticated program to handle all of the functions and events that need to take place while a slot machine is being played. These programs are written and embedded on electronic slots' computer chip and act as the machine's detailed instructions.
Electronic slots typically have these components:
Algorithm - procedures and instructions that are written in the software program
Pay table - shows the various winning combinations
Reels - indicate the outcome of each spin
RNG (Random Number Generator) - another part of the software program. It generates random numbers that are used to determine the results of each spin.
