Now for the longer answer: slots aren’t beatable in the long run because the machines are programmed to only pay back a percentage of the money played in them.  Penny slots usually have the worst return percentages while higher increment machines will have better returns.  Though they can be much lower, common paybacks are between 94% and 97%.  If you play a machine with a payback of 95%, you can expect to lose $5 for every $100 you play.  Of course, this assumes a relatively large sample size (we’re talking in the millions), so individual winning and losing will vary depending on how often the machine is hitting.  This depends on random number generator that slot machines use to determine which images will show up on the pay line, with the more valuable payout combinations being generated less frequently.  This generator is programmed for the long haul, though, so it is entirely possible that you could win two jackpots within a few spins while someone could feed the machine thousands of quarters and get next to nothing back.  All that matters to the casino is that the machine makes a profit over the course of millions upon millions of spins.

Does this mean that you should only play at machines with high paybacks?  In general, you should avoid the ones with very low paybacks, but as long as you are in the mid-90s, there will not be a noticeable difference to the casual gambler.  Frequent players would do best to play at the highest limit they can afford, as this will allow them to lose less over the long run.  Unfortunately, as in other casino games, the only way to avoid these losses is to get lucky on your first try and never come back.

slot machines

Though no one has been deemed “The Father of Slots”, the title should probably belong to Charles Fey, inventor of the original Liberty Bell machine.  His design had three reels with two sets of five different symbols on each; the low number of possible combinations allowed for a simple automatic payback mechanism, with three liberty bells having the highest payout of fifty cents.

The early machine was very successful, but it would not have reached its potential had Fey not worked with the Mills Novelty Company in 1910 to mass produce a newer version, known as the ‘Operators Bell.’  When this was introduced, it increased the total number of symbols on the reels from ten to twenty and also replaced the earlier images of horseshoes and card suits to pictures of fruit.  Over the next 25 years, slot machines gradually became more lightweight, more striking visually, and less noisy.  Their popularity skyrocketed after Bugsy Siegel installed them in the Flamingo casino in Las Vegas.

Although Fey established most of the slot machine conventions seen today, he is not responsible for the ever-popular BAR symbol.  This image owes its existence to the Bell-Fruit Gum Company, which marketed gum-dispensing slot machines.  Distributing gum on every spin gave these machines the appearance of vending machines as a method of bypassing antigambling laws of the mid 1900’s. Marcel Luske has been quoted saying: “I wish they’d still have those gum-slots in the casino’s today. I’d play ‘m!”

The fully electronic machines of today mark the latest stage in slots evolution.  Bally was the first company to introduce electronic slots in the early 1960s as a way to prevent cheating.  From here, slot companies began adding microchips and random number generators to standardize the machine payouts and better keep track of their performance.  While three reel machines with a single pay line still exist, a myriad of slot machine varieties now populate casino gambling floors, all of which are fully electronic.  More recently, slots have moved to the Internet, and you are now able to play your favorite games online with the same payouts as brick and mortar casinos.

It's always tough picking a trustworthy Online casino to play at. You want to trust their software, and be sure they'll pay you your winnings. Maple does a great job at both of these things!

Texas Hold’em Poker: +$4,800
Punto Banco / Baccarat: +$5,900
Blackjack: -$1,100
Pot Limit Omaha Poker: +4,900
Roulette: -$2,100
Craps: +$300
Stud Poker (against the house): -$600
Slots: -$100
Casino Hold’em: +$2000 (got extremely lucky and quit ahead hehe)

I’m happy.