A Brief Look at Their History and what Separates Them

Any player who’s ever tried their hand at video slots knows that this type of game is different than a land-based slot machine. Although the principle of the game is still the same, with players hoping to connect symbols on slot reels in a certain pattern for payout, the actual mechanism has changed greatly. Today’s video slot machines are completely digitized, requiring no mechanical equipment to operate. The algorithms that make the games “random” are also greatly increased, giving the house much more advantage in terms of odds.  

With the recent explosion of online casinos and their many games, slot machines go by many different names. Depending on where you’re from or where you’re playing, it may be hard to tell a slot machine apart from something like a video poker machine. Technically, the two machines are the same in principle. One of the first slot machines ever made was actually a poker machine. The main feature separating slots from poker is the choice of symbols used. Slot machines use non-poker-related symbols and you must hit patterns to win. Poker machines use playing cards and you make poker hands to win.

You’re probably aware of a lot of lingo used in online casinos. You have heard the terms fruit machine, poker machine, one-armed bandit, vid-slot, coin hopper, straights, progressives, and even pokies. Most of these terms are basic slang for slot machines or video slots, but the term “pokies” is something that confuses almost everyone; unless you’re Australian, of course.

“Pokies” is what Australians call their slot machines and video poker machines. It’s an encompassing term that covers any type of gambling machine using reels and symbols. Regardless of what any culture calls their gambling machines, they still work using the same basic principles. So if you’re not Australian, do not fear the pokies. They play and pay the same way as any other slot machine or poker machine. The same goes for any nickname you hear. They’re all just slang terms for slot machines.

Video slot machines have been around for decades, since Bally’s first electromechanical machine. However, slot machines weren’t fully digital until around 1990. By then, the mechanisms controlling the symbols were completely taken out, and a video screen replaced the reels. Not only do video slots perform the same as the old mechanical reels, but by offering far more options, winning combinations are dramatically increased. However, odds of winning the machine’s top prize are dramatically decreased. It’s a give-and-take relationship with slot machines, but the video varieties prove to be more popular than their mechanical counterparts.

With modern micro-processing capabilities in algorithms, each symbol on a video slot machine has its own probability. The entertainment value of video slots is also greatly increased. Some machines employ HD video and graphics to appeal to certain audiences, and every machine is designed with the player’s sense of fun in mind.