Page 8 - June 2004 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Page 8
June 2004
Read the Help Screen to Know How a Slot is Played and Paid! by Bill Burton
Column: About Gambling with Bill Burton
Most of us grew up in an era that was not as technically advanced as it is today. Although it seems as if home computers have been with us forever, it has actually only been about ten years since personal computers have become affordable enough for the majority of us to own. The VCR made its way into our homes around 20 years ago, and with it came a huge manual that you had to read just to figure out how to get the clock to stop blinking. As technology grew more sophisticated, it became necessary to include instruction manuals for virtually all new electronic devices so the average person could figure out how these products operate. Technology is wonderful, but there is a learning curve in order to get the most out of these modern marvels.
tell you how many coins you can bet on each payline.
The next help screen is the pay table that shows how much each group of symbols pays. Slot makers try to make the hierarchy of winning symbols easy to understand. For instance, a silver coin on the reel would be worth more than a bronze coin, and a gold coin would be worth more than the silver one. Some of the games have themes that make the value of the symbols easy to understand; however some can really be confusing so it is always best to check the pay table before you start.
If the machine has a bonus round, the help screen will also explain which symbols activate the bonus portion of the game. The game may also have a special symbol that acts as a wild card for a scatter pay bonus. This will be explained as well.
Help is only a touch of the screen away. Take a few minutes to read the help screen of any new slot game you want to play. It is better than trying to figure out the game as you play along, and will make the game more enjoyable.
Until next time, remember: “Luck comes and goes...Knowledge stays forever.”
Bill Burton is the Casino Gambling Guide and columnist for the Internet portal About.com. He also writes for several national gambling publications. He is the author of Get the Edge at Low Limit Texas Hold’em available for $15 postage paid. Send checks to Bill Burton, P.O. Box 310299, Newington, CT 06131-0299 or order online at: http://vegas.home.attbi.com/. His website is located at: http://casinogambling.about.com.
It’s not just products in the home that have been changed with technology evolution. Anyone who visited a casino 20 years ago knows that the biggest change brought about by modern technology has been to the slot machine. Then, the slot machine was a very simple device. You put a coin in the slot and pulled the handle to activate three reels. The pay table was on the front glass, and if you lined up three winning symbols you won. The modern video slot machine is as different from its mechanical predecessor as the CD player is to the old record player.
The new slot machines are truly modern-day wonders that can do much more than the old machines ever dreamed of. The new slots are run by microprocessors that make it possible to have virtual reels and many stops, creating, in some cases, life-changing jackpots. The majority of the old slot machines had one payline. The new video slot machines have five, nine or even more paylines! You can also bet multiple coins on each
line that you select. The winning paylines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal or zigzag. There can be scatter pay or bonus pay symbols on the reels. At times it can be confusing trying to figure out how the game is played and paid.
understand the game. The first screen of the help menu will usually show you the pay lines for the game. This screen will also explain how the symbols must line up for a winning spin. Many of the new video slots require that the winning symbols must start on the left
“Help is only a touch of the screen away. Take a few minutes to read the help screen of any new slot game you want to play. It is better than trying to figure out the game as you play along, and will make the game more enjoyable.”
The new slots don’t come with a manual, but they do offer a “Help Screen” that explains how the game works. If you are playing a game you never played before it is a good idea to spend a minute looking at the help screen so you
reel and go to the right. You may get three or four symbols in a row, but if they don’t start in the first reel on the left, it is not a winner. You need to know this so you won’t be confused as to why you did not win even though you had multiple symbols. The screen will also
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December 1, 2003