Discover the History and Secrets Behind Slot Symbols and Their Role in Big Wins
Beyond the Spin
When a player thinks of casinos, it doesn’t take long to envision a slot machine. Long a fixture in gambling halls all over the world, “one-armed bandits” come complete with lights, bells, whistles, and the promise of hitting it big.
However, only the lights, bells, and whistles are guaranteed. Even the “arm” has been replaced in many cases by a button to start the spinning of the reels. Sometimes, not even the button or the reel, as the machines work on auto-pilot…provided the player feeds it coins and/or credits.
What differentiates these machines are the slot machine symbols. Sevens, bars, dragons, cherries, and other fruits, even little green men are part of the experience, with the goal of the player to get as many well-placed icons (including ‘wilds”) as possible on a given spin.
Slot machines date back to the late 1800s, and while the technology has advanced, the outcome of a given spin continues to be determined by a random number generator (RNG).
While the player may be a bit too preoccupied to care, symbols on slot machines have their own distinct roles and meanings. Here’s a bit of a primer on the subject…
What are the Symbols in a Slot Machine?
Classic slot machine symbols have been around as long as the machines themselves, originated by Charles Fey in San Francisco in the 1880’s. They aren’t there by happenstance.
- Fruits (cherries, lemons, oranges, grapes, etc.) were there to represent the various flavors of chewing gum to be won, sidestepping sins of immoral gambling back in the day. Premiums such as these may well have been the first “comps” in the history of casinos.
- Bars were also originally associated with a brand of gum but did eventually morph into double and triple bars to increase the number of images.
- Seven is long considered to be a number that’s lucky, which is why you don’t see 13’s there.
- Bells are a nod to the Liberty Bell, one of, if not the first, slot game.
- Wild on a slot machine is good. It may serve as a “magic” symbol to increase payouts while combining with other “regular” symbols.
- Diamonds aren’t just a girl’s best friend, but they also serve to remind the player what he/she can buy after hitting it big.
Many of these old-school symbols have been replaced by slicker icons and graphics in an attempt to keep the player engaged (enter research and development), but they can be found dotting the slot landscape.
How Many Symbols in a Slot?
Common slot machine symbols vary by type of machine. There are low-paying symbols, medium-paying symbols, high-paying symbols, bonus, scatter, wild and multiplier symbols. The number of symbols ranges from about 20 per reel on older machines to countless more on higher-tech versions.
Increasing the number of slot machine symbols and “landing places” obviously increases the number of outcomes, which by law remain completely random.
What are the Images in a Slot Machine Called?
Images in a Slot Machine may well be referred to as vintage slot machine symbols. Again, some are worth more than others, and thus harder to obtain.
Any Final Thoughts?
Doing some homework is never a bad thing when it comes to finding the more profitable slot symbols. Learn about RTP, as in the percentage of each gambling dollar that’s returned to the player at premier sites such as betus.com.pa/online-casino/slots/.
While not dissuading the player off a machine that’s “lucky,” see which machines offer the best RTP, allowing you (theoretically) more time to nurse that bankroll.
Do not be afraid to ask about free-to-play practice games.
