How the one-armed bandit works June 12th, 2016

At first, slot machines were installed in saloons as entertainment for casual players, since, unlike traditional gambling games such as Black Jack or craps, they do not require special knowledge and skills - the player only has to throw a coin and pull the lever. These features allowed slot machines to achieve unprecedented success and become the most popular and profitable type of gambling, bringing in more than 60 percent of all profits received from gambling.

Modern machines use computers instead of mechanisms, but they look and feel like old mechanical machines. Slot machines safes play online - generator random numbers The underlying computer guarantees that every time the reel is turned there is an equal chance of hitting the Jackpot. Whenever the machine is turned on, the random number generator produces integer numbers (usually from 1 to several billion) one hundred times per second. The moment you "pull the handle" (or press the button), the computer records three random numbers generated by the generator. The first number is used to determine the position of the first reel, the second number is used for the second reel, and the third is used for the third reel respectively. Next, the computer checks the table, which tells it what the values ​​are on the virtual reel. Thus, in an electronic slot machine, the chances that the treasured symbol or combination of symbols will appear depend only on who, and how the virtual drum is configured.

Such programs are carefully designed and tested in order to achieve a certain percentage of return on investment. The payback percentage is determined by the percentage of the money that was put into the machine and the money paid to the player. With a payback percentage of 90, for example, the casino would take approximately 10 percent of all the money placed into the machine and give away the other 90 percent. Such a large percentage of payback is associated, first of all, with the desire of machine owners to attract as many as possible who want to try their luck. After all, there are a lot of competitors around, and if a machine only cleanses the pockets of players, it is unlikely to last long in the gambling market.

But how did those first mechanical “one-armed bandits” of the 19th century work? There were many varieties; below we will consider in detail only one, the simplest of them.

The basic design includes three drums mounted on a central rod. In addition, three toothed disks are attached to it, each of which is connected to its own drum. Below the reels is metal plate with three blades, so-called kickers, fixed along its axis on a metal rod. A stopper is attached to each of the kickers - a plate that stops the movement of the drum.

When the player pulls the handle of the machine, the control cam (by appearance very reminiscent of a regular hook), fixed at the bottom of the handle, sets in motion a platinum with kickers that engage the teeth on the disks, and the reels begin to rotate. At the same moment, the stoppers are moved away from the reels by a special U-shaped plate located behind the kickers.

It should be noted that the stoppers have a specially elongated hook-shaped shape so that the ends cling to the U-shaped plate at the moment when the control cam sets the kickers in motion. Therefore, the drums rotate freely until the cam returns to its original position, then the stoppers are released one by one, catching one of the teeth of the disk and thereby stopping the drums in turn. The fact that the reels stop does not at the same time add additional excitement to the game, forcing the player to look forward to the appearance of each next picture after the next reel stops. After all, only if there are identical symbols on the winning line will the player hit the jackpot.

But how does the machine itself determine that you have won?

There are many various systems winning payouts used in slot machines. The simplest of them is a system in which winnings are determined by measuring the depth of the teeth of the disks that move the reels. For simplicity, we will consider machines that accept only one type of coin and have only one possible combination for winning.

When you put a coin into such a machine, it falls into a transparent box. The base of the drawer is a movable shutter, which is connected to a metal shutter. Typically, the damper keeps the shutter closed. But when the Jackpot hits on three reels at once, the third stopper moves the shutter upward, opening the shutter so that the coins fall out of the machine.

But if only the second reel stops on the win, the second stopper will not move completely to the mark, because the first stopper will create an obstacle to its movement. Accordingly, the second stopper holds the third. Thus, in order for the shutter to open, all three stoppers must be on the winning mark.

Typically, slot machines have more complex system payments. Paying out part of the winnings for certain combinations of pictures and the entire winnings in full for a Jackpot combination.

It is completely unknown when the nickname “one-armed bandit” literally stuck to slot machines, but it has accompanied them practically since their birth at the very end of the 19th century. Without dwelling on the history of invention and evolution, which has already been described on the pages of our website in the article “Slot machines: from the Liberty Bell to the Internet,” let’s talk about the origin of the apt nickname “one-armed bandit”, that is, in fact, why a bandit and why, suddenly, one-armed?
Of the two questions, the answer to the second lies literally on the surface and does not cause difficulties if you have ever seen a slot machine at least once in your life or at least look at their “great-grandfather” - the famous “Liberty Bell” of Charles Faya (see picture). But before continuing the story, and in order not to raise puzzling questions in the future, let me remind you that slot machines received their other name - “slots” thanks to the narrow slot of the coin acceptor and at first all machines, from trading to gaming, were called this word. But let's return to the "great-grandfather" of slots.
Charles Fay's "Liberty Bell" was equipped with a lever to start the game, and thanks to this single handle, the slot machine became "one-armed". Some modern slots even today, more as a tribute to tradition, have retained this lever, which, by the way, has been sometimes shaped like a hand for some time now.
And if with the “one-armed man” everything is clear and simple, then with the “bandit” everything is much more interesting. Although, why is this so, because a bandit is the one who takes money; Players, for more than one hundred and twenty years, have been putting coins or tokens into the slot machine themselves in the hope of winning. And the whole point is that the slot machine was originally conceived as a rather effective method taking away money, presenting the player with a deliberately minuscule chance of winning. Judge for yourself.
The first slot machine had only three reels of ten symbols each. When the game started, each reel rotated independently of each other and at different speeds. You don't need to be a great mathematician to calculate the chance of three identical symbols appearing on three different reels. You can argue, of course, that there were more winning combinations and you will be right, but only partly. There were only about a dozen winning combinations that made up the so-called winning table, with the most big win relied on the loss of three “bells” and was equal to only... half a dollar, while one attempt to play cost five cents.
In essence, the entire process of the game boiled down to “sink or perish,” with the only difference being that the negligible chance of “sink” accounted for the overwhelming number of opportunities to “sink.” But nevertheless, the excitement of the players did its job, because for many people it is so common to think and even be sure that happiness will certainly smile on them, and it does not matter that literally next to them, before their eyes, people are losing to smithereens. And, of course, the ineradicable thirst for “freebies”, when the imagination imagines the opportunity to rip off money without putting in any work and, what is equally important, without having any skills or knowledge, but just like that, “for a fool”... It should not be surprising that slot machines quickly gained popularity, and there was no end to the owners of saloons and various establishments who wanted to install a slot machine.
The continued struggle for the player's pocket led to the creation of slot machines with five reels and with up to twenty sectors on each of them, which made the chance of winning even less - go ahead and win. But, nevertheless, despite all the tricks of slot machine manufacturers, mechanical slots were, in general, “fair” machines, the operation of which was based on the so-called random number generator, and some innovations even allowed the player to partially influence the game process. Everything changed completely with the advent of video slots, inside of which an electronic chip was placed instead of a mechanical device, and tangible reels were replaced by an animated picture on a video screen. At the same time, make no mistake, this is not some expensive processor - exactly the same ones are built into any cheap watch. And with the advent of the Internet, slots were successfully mastered and virtual world, and now you can completely freely try your luck on some online slot machine, but they still remain the same “animated pictures”. Slot machines have changed so much that it took quite a long time to overcome the prejudice of players who rightly accused video slots of being “dishonest.” And that's why.
In mechanical slot machines, the reels and segments were real and the falling symbols occupied a certain place on the reels, and the mechanism itself was a random number generator that physically could not be taken out of thin air. In modern slots, the whole principle of operation is completely different. There are no physical reels here and they are replaced by a processor that independently “comes up” with a number, not based on any order, sequence or any laws or rules, and then this “pseudo-random” number is displayed to the player as a picture on the screen. Moreover, when starting the game, already in the first second, the processor “knows” what number will be displayed on the screen, and the skill-stop, which played a certain role in the era of mechanical slot machines, allowing the player to stop the reels at any time, in modern slot machines only allows the player to think that the outcome of the game may depend on himself, while the processor absolutely doesn’t care when this same player presses the skill-stop button.
If this is not banditry, then it is "scam" clean water. When sitting down to play cards, for example, a skilled player is able to keep in mind and count the cards. It’s not for nothing that such “smart guys” are not allowed near the casino within a shot of a cannon, but here... it is absolutely impossible to predict what number the processor will “draw.” But that's not all. The processor allows you to set the so-called return percentage. This is that part of the amount received into the slot machine that the slot is “obliged” to return to the players. IN different countries it varies in value, but is rarely below 75-80%. By the way, Russia has one of the lowest rates. But it is completely wrong to believe that after “eating”, say, a thousand rubles, the slot will return you mandatory eight hundred. Slot machine he will successfully eat a thousand, ten, or a million rubles, but it is not at all necessary that he will give out 80% of the amount received. The thing is that the machine is programmed to give out 80% of the random amount, and not at all of the amount invested in the slot over a certain period.
It is not surprising that slot machines have become one of the most profitable methods of doing business. Interesting fact, that, for example, in the USA, the homeland of the “one-armed bandits”, players, if desired, have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the documentation for slot machines, while in some countries this is a sealed secret. You are not able to check either the return percentage or any other subtleties of the slot program, and all the rules boil down to one thing - “if you don’t like it, don’t play.”
The funny thing is that even a legitimate win does not guarantee receiving money, because the owners of the machines can always refer to a “failure.” computer program", which has been reported more than once in news feeds. In a word, literally everything - colorful design, images of the game's heroes, various features and bonuses, sound - all of this is needed with only one goal - to maintain the player's interest in the game for as long as possible and hold him near the slot machine, which has gone from the noble-romantic, but now seeming so naive, “one-armed” of the era of mechanical slots to the cynical and sophisticated “bandit” of the computer era...

Many gamblers have probably come across such a slot machine name as “one-armed bandit”. What is it and where did this name come from?

The history of the slang name

The name "one-armed bandit" came into use at the time of the appearance of the first land-based gaming slots. One resourceful user noted that slot machines have a special design. In order for the game to start, it was necessary to pull the lever. Outwardly, this lever resembled a human hand.

Everyone knows that slot machines were called “bandits.” And this is not surprising. After all, in this machine you can lose a large number of money. The slot machine is addictive, and if you don’t stop in time, you can lose a fortune. The payout percentage on old mechanical machines was low. Modern slot machines are much more profitable in this regard. In addition, one cannot help but note the appearance of free gaming slots, which you can play on the website ruslots777.com. They bring the same amount of emotion and adrenaline, but it is impossible to lose in them. So you can enjoy your favorite slots as much as you want. The only thing you risk losing in this case is your time. Modern slot machines have excellent graphics and excellent sound. They are just as interesting to play as regular computer games.

The old “one-armed bandits”, unlike modern slots, did not show the player what payout ratio he could expect. That is, a person approached the slot and did not know what to expect, what his chances of winning were. Moreover, the old slots were also quite vulnerable. Could even change their work swipe along the body. Owners gambling establishments could counterfeit a slot machine so that it brought them constant profit. But users received winnings much less often. For example, there could be an empty cell on the reel; if it fell out, then the person would lose the prize. “Left” symbols were stuck on the reels, which did not pay.

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Types of slots

IN currently slots can be divided into two large groups:

• mechanical slots- those same “one-armed bandits” often with a handle to start the game, usually have three reels and from one to five paylines. For a long time they could just as easily be started by a button, but nowadays they are not so popular.
• video slots- more modern look slots where the screen is used to display the reels. Video slots can have up to five reels and up to fifty paylines. Thanks to the use of computer technology, such slot machines provide the player with a wide range of additional features that increase interest in the game, such as bonus games and bonus rounds, scatter symbols, wild symbols, etc.

The presence of progressive jackpots plays a big role in choosing a slot machine for a player. Slot machines that have a common accumulative system are called progressive. From online slot machines in prize fund a certain percentage is deducted, which makes up the jackpot. To win the jackpot, a player generally must land the highest combination of symbols at the highest bet.

Description

Slot machines have different numbers of reels and paylines. All buttons on a slot machine have a constant value, although there are exceptions. As a rule, in English, on each button it is written what action will be performed after it is pressed:

• Spin- game start button.
• Bet- setting the player’s bet at which he is going to play.
• x lines- game on X lines.

Modern slot machines usually have 9 (1-3-5-7-9) or 20 (1-5-10-15-20) lines, with the first 10 most often having central symmetry, and the next 10 - axial. It is very rare to find slots with up to 100 playing lines). Sometimes positions on the reel are “acquired” by the player, which in the 5*3 field corresponds to playing from 5 to 243 combinations.

• Collect- fixing the game and the player’s deposit for its subsequent withdrawal.
• Bet one- game with one bet.
• Bet x2- a game with a bet multiplied by two.
• Bet x3- a game with a bet multiplied by three.
• Bet x5- a game with a bet multiplied by five.

(in modern slot machines there is usually a maximum bet multiplication of x10 or x100.

• Bet Max- setting the maximum bet for which the slot machine is designed. In some machines, pressing a button Bet Max spins the reels with the maximum bet.
• Last bet- the ability to repeat the previous bet.

Slot machines have special symbols on the machine screen:

• Credit- player’s score in conventional units.
• Win- fell out winning combination.
• Paid- total payment.

All slot machines have a payout table for symbols, so the player can always find out what is due to him when certain combinations appear.

To start the game, the player needs to place a bet and spin the reels. If a winning combination appears on the winning line after the reels stop, the winnings are determined according to the winnings table.

see also

Links

• Online slots - information on slot machines, database of Internet slots.

Wikimedia Foundation.

2010.:

Synonyms

See what “One-armed bandit” is in other dictionaries: Noun, number of synonyms: 4 machine gun (43) slot machine (4) mechanical gangster ...

Synonym dictionary Publ. Joking. iron. Slot machine. BS, 20; TS of the twentieth century, 72 ... Big dictionary

Russian sayings bandit - a, m. bandit m., floor. bandyt, German Bandit, etc. bandito. 1. Robber, robber in Italy, others European countries . Sl. 18. The bandit tied a girl to a tree. Emin Miram 1763 1 65. Bandits and counterbandits. Jan. 1803.|| Armed robber...