Slot
machines are a classic staple of American casino imagery. The mental
impression of what gambling is, is often dominated by the bright
lights, colors and sounds of casino slots. What makes this phenomenon
so attractive? The answer probably lies in the simplicities of the
American mind. We enjoy simple pleasures, and entertainment is embodied
within the chah-ching of the cash gods. It would seem that the noise
and colors exist to increase the level of excitement associated
with the potential of winning. Lots and lots of noise are associated
with big wins, less for less.
It
is often said that land based casinos make the most money off of
slots. This probably arises from a couple of combined factors. Slots
like the table games in a casino are psychologically addictive.
There is a difference between the two though. At a table game you
play with rolls, if your winning you keep playing. You stop playing
when you're in a streak of losing. To win at a table game usually
involves the slow accumulation of money over an extended time. Contrary
to this method are the casino slots. Slot machines are won after
a long spell of not winning. There is not time extension where you
are 'losing', and no streaks. A machine is known to be more likely
to win if it hasn't been won in a while. So while the table players
find stretches of loss enough to get up from the table and walk
away, no such indicator stops a slots player.
All modern casino slots are microcontroller or microprocessor based.
The former implies that the microchip inside the slot machine is
a specific purpose chip, and is designed specifically for the purpose
of being a slots game. The latter implies that the machine runs
a general purpose processor for which slots software has been written.
It's sadly not uncommon to see some video poker or video style slot
machines in a casino displaying a windows blue screen of death (the
solid blue color screen the Windows operating system displays when
it crashes).
Online slots are a very similar counterpart to their land
based cousins. As you now know both are based on the same computer
technology, so one is no more inherently biased than the other.
Online slots from home may be a better choice if you don't like
the smell of cigar smoke, and don't miss the cocktail waitresses.
Either way casino slots holds true to it's reputation of the defining
game of American gambling. It's popularity is strong and it's as
fun as ever. There are many instances of free slots on the Internet,
here are just a couple of links:
It
is often said that land based casinos make the most money off of
slots. This probably arises from a couple of combined factors. Slots
like the table games in a casino are psychologically addictive.
There is a difference between the two though. At a table game you
play with rolls, if your winning you keep playing. You stop playing
when you're in a streak of losing. To win at a table game usually
involves the slow accumulation of money over an extended time. Contrary
to this method are the casino slots. Slot machines are won after
a long spell of not winning. There is not time extension where you
are 'losing', and no streaks. A machine is known to be more likely
to win if it hasn't been won in a while. So while the table players
find stretches of loss enough to get up from the table and walk
away, no such indicator stops a slots player.