Slots, fruit machines, reels and variance part II

By David Newstead

Continuing from part I, this next instalment explains the difference between the immensely popular casino games of slots and fruit machines. Earlier we established the basics, defining common terms between both and discussing variance. You should now be ready to tackle what separates a fruit machine (or AWP – Amusements With Prizes) from a slot machine.

Although initially they can appear similar - in fact 3 reel slots and fruit machines can be appear identical at first! - there are distinct differences between them. Some subtle, some wildly different, but knowing the subtleties can make all the difference and can actually increase your chances of winning, especially with fruit machines. Their interactive qualities, where the player can actually influence the position of the reels, means a bit of knowledge of features can result in more wins.

Interaction means that luck alone cannot be relied on to achieve the game's optimum payout percentage. Well, although it would eventually fall into line you probably cannot afford to wager the amounts necessary for it to balance out. That means you need act sharp on the reels and wise on the bonus games, known commonly as "trails" or "trail games". Here's what you need to know to increase your chances on fruit machines…

Nudges: awarded randomly or as prizes in the trail games, nudges allow you to move any of the reels down one position. So if you're one symbol shy of a win or trigger symbol for a trail you can physically shift the reel down. Awards start at one nudge and can range upwards of 10. I'm sure you can immediately see the winning possibilities of these features! My tip: don't always nudge. Sounds odd, but if you can see that your one nudge isn't going to result in a win, simply spin again and there's a chance the nudge will be banked. The next spin could reveal a situation when that one hold could mean the jackpot! Holds: another fantastic fruit machine feature, holds will allow you to freeze reels during the next spin. So, if you've got two matching symbols in a payline, you can hold them and increase your chances of hitting a third matching symbol in the un-held reel. My tip: as with nudges, sometimes it's best not to use them if there's nothing on. Hold only for the big winning combinations or if there a lot of trail bonus symbols that, with one more spin, could be sufficient to trigger the trail. Let me explain more now.

Trails, as mentioned before, are the fruit machine bonus games. They can be triggered by a number of different ways, but largely fall into three methods:

• A certain winning symbol combination.

• The collection of trail symbol points (little numbers underneath symbols) equal to or above.

• Any win of the reels.

The difficulty of triggering the trail is normally indicative of the size of the jackpot in it. Again, think of variance and what appeals to you.

Once playing the trail games they generally follow a similar pattern where the player uses skill and luck to move across a board or sequence of rounds. Again, the player is given a choice and the ability to influence success and failure. At a basic level the choices boil down to continuing in the hope of hitting a bigger prize/jackpot or collecting the prizes you have. Be warned though: you can lose everything you win with a stroke of bad luck.

Okay, so there it is: fruit machines are based on skill and because of that you need to use all the features you can to boost your chances of winnings. Like slots though they work on a payout percentage and luck, like all gambling, is required in equal measure.

My favourite fruit machines are: The Price is Right on Wager Works and Pub Fruity and Phileas Hog on Microgaming casinos. Check out the previous article or my casino slots website for my recommended slot machines according to reels, paylines, variance and jackpots. My final tip is to always read the paytable – make sure you know how to trigger the trail. Oh, and a good online casino will provide details of all their slot and fruit machine games, allowing you to learn more about each before playing.