Friday 8 August 2014

Things to think about next time you spin the reels

While not everyone knows how to play casino games like roulette or blackjack, there is one type of casino game that is so easy that anyone could play it. And they do, in their millions. Slots have always been the most popular games in land-based casinos and now that there are so many online casinos, slots have retained that number one position for many players.


The appeal of playing slots is obvious. Not only is it a simple game, but there’s also the fact that every time you play, you have the possibility of winning a huge amount of money, particularly if you pick a progressive jackpot game. If you’ve never played slots, you can start playing within a couple of minutes anywhere you have an online connection. All you need to do is choose a casino site to join and register on the site. Most sites will let people play for free in demo mode so that they can try out the games before they decide whether to put any real money down. Check out the selection of slots at http://www.32red.com/games/online-slots.html to see the range of games available. Of course, 32red is just one of many sites that offers its players hundreds of slots to choose from, there are plenty of other similar sites like Gala Casino and SkyVegas to try too.


For anyone who enjoys playing slots, you’ll know they don’t require much mental effort to play. So when you’re next playing, let you mind wander over these fascinating facts about one of the world’s simplest, but also most entertaining, games.


Big wins


Back in the old days, penny slots gave out penny prizes, but today it’s possible to win millions on a slot machine. Last year, a Scottish fisherman swapped his fishing reels for the reels on a slot machine and won an incredible £5.4 million while playing online with a stake of just 20 pence. The anonymous winner was playing Hall of Gods at BetVictor casino. He’s obviously got a strong work ethic though, because even though he’ll never need to work again, he plans to continue working as a fisherman.


That’s not the only mega-win that has come from a slot machine. Back in 2003, the biggest slot win ever took place when a young software engineer from Los Angeles won almost $40 million when playing with a $100 stake on a Megabucks machine in Vegas at the Excalibur Hotel. This record-breaking win has yet to be broken on a slots machine.


Slots nicknames


Although most people call them slot machines, there are other nicknames for these perennially popular games. In Australia, slots are known as ‘pokies’ – the reason behind this is that when the slot machine was originally invented it was devised on the basis of creating a game similar to poker that could be played by a single person. In Japan, meanwhile, slots are called ‘pachisuro’. Slots are relatively new to Japan and their name pays homage to a traditional Japanese game called ‘pachinko’. Americans often still refer to slots as ‘one-armed bandits’. This name came about because the original slot machine – the Liberty Bell – was set in motion by pulling a handle down on the side. The early machines were nicknamed one-armed bandits as it was believed that you were robbed every time you pulled the lever! In the early days of slots, UK laws prevented the adoption of pure slot machines so a variant was devised which featured picture strips of symbols that included fruit – hence they became known as ‘fruit machines’ and the name has stuck even though fruit machines are now a nod to the past.


A win is down to luck


There are lots of people who’ll swear that different systems will help you win playing slots. Many players won’t play on a physical slot machine if there’s just been a big win on it, thinking that it won’t be ‘due’ another pay out for a while. However, every spin is independent of the one before, which means that a pay out could come at any time. The same goes for online slots, which are controlled by random number generator software. There’s no reason to think that when you play will affect your chances of winning.


The fact that player input has nothing to do with the chances of winning doesn’t stop people having superstitions when playing slots. Some players keep a lucky charm or mascot to hand when they play, others have rituals that they follow to increase their luck when playing at a physical slot – like only playing when they’re standing up, or only feeding warm coins rather than cold ones into the machine. It’s all nonsense, of course, but if it makes them feel luckier, then why not?



Things to think about next time you spin the reels

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