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Slot Terms You Need to Know: Volume 10

Two-Armed Bandit: Is this what you call a pair of Siamese twin slot machines? (Yes, we laugh at our own jokes!) No, actually, this term has nothing at all to do with mechanical devices. Slot games are called “one-armed bandits” because they do, in fact, have one “arm” (a lever) and tend to rob a person blind. Well, most latter-day slots actually have a push-button instead of a handle… but you get the point. A “two-armed bandit” is a hustler who attempts to scam novice slot machine players to steal their money. This sort of unsavory character may also know a few DRILLERS or get up to some SPOONING.

Tilt: When this comes up on the display, it means that there is something wrong with your slot machine.

Token: Looks and acts like a coin. Used to play the slots, in lieu of actual cash.

Tight Slot: Also known as a COLD device, this is a slot machine that isn’t paying out much, if anything at all. It’s closed up “tight” – get it?

Weight Count: The opposite of a HARD or HAND COUNT. When casino operators empty their slot machines, they take the coins or tokens to a secure room in which the revenues can be tabulated. “Hand counting” means exactly what it sounds like – someone adds up the coins by hand. Nowadays, many casinos have a special weight-counting device, which gives an exact count of how many coins are placed on its tray by calculating the precise total weight and dividing that by the weight of one coin. This is the easiest, and therefore, most common method of counting.

Well: The best part of a slot machine: where all your winnings come out!

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