The pokies machines have since time entertained the people of this world. The greatest part of pokies is that they don’t require any form of knowledge. Anyone, a young or old, inexperienced or experienced gambler, can begin to play the pokies at any time. This is one of the reasons why pokies have taken the world by storm because it suits everyone.

Countries and governments thrive off the pokies because of it’s a monestrous success and brings profits more than 60% per year in the US.

Due to the device’s huge success, the technology has grown over the years. From the dear old lever-driven classical pokies machines to the video slots that you can now enjoy on land-based as well as online casinos.

As pokies players, we talk a lot about odds and statistics but never really the history of the pokies technology as a device. A device that has brought us so much joy and even changed people’s lives.

Let us take a look at the pokies development from the traditional device to the modern-day casino machine.

THE CLASSICAL LEVER POKIES

The traditional slot machine has a design that works on gears and levers, an extremely elaborate configuration. The main part of the pokies is in the center of the device where you’ll find a metal shaft that supports the reels. This is the shaft that is connected to the handle that’s able to move the device.

The braking system within the machine makes sure that the reels stop and has sensors that position the reels in connection with the payout system. There’s also a money detector that registers the number of coins that have been inserted into the pokies machine and thereafter unlocks the brake so the player can move the handle also called the lever.

Let’s go into more detail on the technology and on this case we’ll focus on the three-reel pokies machine which is the most traditional one.

The classical machine has three reels in the central shaft of the device. This shaft supports three discs that are connected to the three reels inside the machine. There’s a second shaft that is connected to the kicker which comes in the form of a piece of metal that controls the three paddles.

The paddles are lined up so they can put pressure against the three discs. This is the shaft the locks the machine as well as unlocks the machine when the correct amount of coins have been inserted into the device.

On the classic fruit slot machine, you need to get three matching symbols in a row for you to unlock a payout.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how the machine works when you are playing:

# The lever that you pull connects to the kicker paddle which makes it possible for you, the player to pull the lever towards you.

# The kicker then grabs a hold of a piece that pivots forward where the gears rotate until the spring lands into its original position.

# When the player keeps moving the lever, the handle continues to move the pedals that push the discs forward.

# When the handle manages to get in a position where it’s pulled all the way back, a hook moves up against a slanted area of the device. This slant manages to pivot the hook forward and causes the pedals to release.

# Then the pedals connects with the discs that make the pokies device reels spin.

# During when the reels are spinning the control cam returns to its original position. When it reaches its original position the reels will stop and be held in place.

# This is when you as a player find out if you’ve won or lost through your matching or mismatching symbols on the reels.

HOW THE PAYOUT WORKS

A jackpot in the classic fruit pokies machine is released by the depth of notches that the discs manage to drive in the reels.  The device accepts a coin and the pokies device only has one winning combination in this example.

When the coin goes into the slot machine it falls down into a little case where the case has a movable shutter which connects to a linkage. This linkage holds the shutter closed and opens only when the player hits a jackpot where the coins will fall out.

The three discs that control the reels have their own notches but the notch where the jackpot is released is far deeper than the original three discs.

This is why in the classical pokies machine, the jackpot amount would differ as it depended on how much players had played on the machine. So if a player had just won a jackpot then all the coins in the machine would’ve been released but if another player came along and hit the jackpot straight after they would not have been as lucky as the previous one because there would not have been any coins to win.

Nowadays, with the more modernized video slots, there are designs that have been invented in such a way that they pay out online or at casinos where the jackpot amounts have already been set regardless if a player has just won, another player can be lucky enough to win the same amount straight after.

These are called photoelectric cells or photodiodes. These pokies machines have several holes drilled through rotating discs where the photoelectric cells are positioned on each side of the disc where they are generated only when exposed to light. The light manages to generate electric pulses to create a pattern which decides the position of the pokies reel.

COMPUTERIZED SLOT MACHINES

The modernized pokies machines are generated by computers and not levers even some of them might have been designed to keep the authentic feel of the more traditional slot. This is the beauty of the modern pokies, a vintage fanatic can still play pokies and feel like they’re pulling the lever whilst someone else who might prefer to live in the world of Marvel characters can party all night with free spins and other bonuses on the more newer slot games.

These devices are completely controlled by a computer inside the machine and not by the reels. The step motors inside the pokies machine turn the reels and stop the machine on a point that was decided beforehand.

The step motors are driven by pulses of electricity that the computer controls and puts the pokies game motor in a set increment. Although the computer decides when the reels should stop, they are not pre-set to payout jackpots or any payouts at specific times. This is controlled by a generator that randomly picks a winning combination so everyone has the same chance to win a jackpot.

As soon as you turn on the slot machine, the random number generator begins spinning and releasing billions of numbers per second. This is why you can never control or predetermine a win as the pokies are clearly a game of chance.

When you push the spin button, the last five numbers your computer had spat out have been recorded. Thereafter the machine gives these numbers to the system that decides on which one of these numbers the reels should stop on.

The modern computer system allows players to adapt to the pokies machines a lot easier as nowadays you can bet money straight from your own bank account rather than having to carry around cash to feed the machine with.

You also more commonly, don’t find pokies machines with levers as pushing a spin button is far quicker and easier for the casino and the player. This allows the casinos to earn money faster and for the players to win their jackpots quicker too.

Another very important factor is that the computer systems allow the government to set more limits to avoid any problem gamblers from losing too much money.

With anything that is popular, it will always start off as a classic but with time will adapt to people’s needs which the pokies machines clearly have done, and rapidly so.

Through demand and fun, problems increase too hence why setting limits are necessary to keep the fun going.