Las Vegas Slot Machines

Playing Slots in Las Vegas

Slot machines are the number one game in Las Vegas. No matter if it is a casino, a club, or the airport, you can always find a slot machine waiting for someone to sit down and play. Slot machines make up over 60% of a casino’s revenue. Why do Las Vegas slot machines make so much money? Because the average player consistently loses at slots. Las Vegas slot machines have a mesmerizing lure to them. Players react to the lights and sounds like a moth drawn to a flame. Of course, there is a lot to draw them in. With some potentially large jackpots available, playing the slots is a lot like playing the lottery. You know that most of the time you are going to lose but if you can just get lucky one time, you’ll win big. So how did slot machines become so popular in Las Vegas? When did slot machines first appear? The find that out you have to start with a man named Charles Fey.

History of Las Vegas Slot Machines

Las Vegas Slot Machines Charles Fey was a car mechanic who, in 1895, invented the first slot machine called the Liberty Bell. Fey rented his machines to saloons and bars for a 50/50 split of the profits. The Liberty Bell was a huge success and Fey had trouble meeting demand. The Liberty Bell and others like it acquired the nickname “the one-armed bandit” because of the lever arm that you pulled and players back then, just as today, seemed to lose more than they won. The invention of more gambling devices soon followed.

The game got its symbols of fruit on the reels because back in the early 1900’s slot machines were banned and manufacturers switched the gambling machines to vending machines that offered gum, drinks, and candy. The card suites on the reels were changed to fruit. In 1932, the first electric gambling machine was invented. The first slot machines to appear in Las Vegas was back in the late 1940’s when Bugsy Siegel added them to his Flamingo Hilton casino. However, it wasn’t until 1975 that the first all-electric slot machine was built by the Fortune Coin Company and introduced in Las Vegas. The casinos were only mildly impressed with these new machines and only purchased them as a novelty. The early Las Vegas slot machines were intended to entertain the wives and girlfriends of high-rollers. It wasn’t until the company Bally, a manufacturer of pinball machines, came out with a new slot machine that was both electric and mechanical. The new slot machine allowed a higher house advantage, a bigger jackpot, bigger reels, and could hold more coins. Bally’s slots became much more profitable for casinos and more floor space was devoted to them. Then in the 1980’s that the game changed with the invention of the random number generator, a small computer chip that simulates spinning reels. This invention brought about a revolution in how slot machines worked and mechanical reels became obsolete. This invention also brought about a nearly unlimited variety of slot games that were more attractive, more entertaining, and offered bigger jackpots.

Hints for Las Vegas Slots

When you walk into a casino in Las Vegas, you have to rely largely on luck to find a loose slot machine. Of course, all the casinos will advertise and boast that they have “the loosest slots in Las Vegas” but don’t fall for that. The casino may only have one machine that is set to give out a high payout percentage. Generally, a casino’s loosest Las Vegas slot games will be located in areas that are visible by the largest number of people such as near the front doors or front desk, the restaurant, the cage, and the main aisles. The casinos want you to see other players winning frequently.

There are some good hints and strategies that you can use when playing Las Vegas slots machines. You should decide on a maximum number of losses that you are willing to take on one machine. Decide if you are going to spin the wheel 6, 8, or 10 times and if you lose each of those times, you should move on to another machine. If you win anything, you need to decide how to handle those winnings. A good rule of thumb is to pocket a high percentage of your winnings and DON”T TOUCH IT. Add just enough winnings to your bankroll to keep you playing. But once the bankroll is gone, then you should stop playing. Walk away with money in your pocket. Another good tip is to play three reel machines. These machines may not have the highest jackpots but they have the best payout percentages for coming out ahead. And finally, if you are having some good luck on one particular machine but need a break to, say, go to the bathroom, try asking an attendant to cap, or hold, the machine for you. Some casinos will do this for you.

Las Vegas Online Casinos

You can play Las Vegas slot machines at any casino on or off the Strip. But you can also play the same slot machines online. These machines, while video versions of those found in Vegas’ land-based casinos, operate the same and can be played for real money. To play, you can either download the software to your computer or play the no download Flash version. Some of the more popular slot games that started life in Las Vegas and can now be found online are Wheel of Fortune, Elvis Multi-Strike, Double Diamond, Five Times Pay, Monopoly, Diamond Mine, Aztec’s Gold, Cleopatra, Texas Tea, Derby Dollars, and $50,000 Pyramid. There are hundreds more Las Vegas slot machines available in dozens of different online casinos.

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