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BANK – This is a casino term for a line of slot machines, and is a fundamental component of game arrangement on the casino floor. The other major configuration of pokies that you will see is the circular or ovular display known as the carousel.

BANKROLL – This is the wad (ideally!) of cash that is specifically designated for slot machine play by a punter. It could just be the random amount if cash you decided to take out of the ATM before you arrived at the casino, but hopefully it is a strategically determined amount that is no more than you can afford to lose. Experienced slot players are very strict about their bankroll, and do not deviate from the set amount they have set aside for play. Inability to utilize good money management skills whilst gambling is generally a red flag for upcoming issues with problem gambling.

BASIC MACHINES – Basic machines are exactly what they sound like – slot games that are low on fancy features. These titles feature static jackpots, and usually those that are of a lower amount, but pay out often. These terminals are low-tech and simple, which makes them ideal for first-timers or those who aren’t looking to keep up with a million paylines, multipliers, cash ladders, and scatter symbols. Oftentimes, “basic machine” and “classic slot” are overlapping terms, although basic machines need not necessarily be three-reel, single-payline games if the rest of the rules are fundamental and uncomplicated.

BIG BERTHA – Most slot machine players nowadays have not heard of Big Bertha, despite “her” secure place in the annals of casino gambling history. Big Bertha was the first and most popular electromagnetic slot title, which made old-fashioned “crank” wheel games obsolete. Basically, Bertha was born of casino managers’ and players’ shared desire to increase the maximum payoffs of slot machine games. At the time, the typical pokey was a three-reel model with fifteen stops per reel. The probability of winning was quite high (in gambling terms) on these machines, so the jackpots never climbed beyond a few hundred dollars. Someone finally made the connection that more stops would equal more combinations, which would in turn lead to higher jackpots! This someone got completely carried away with the idea, and Big Bertha came into existence.

This was a machine so huge that it needed a five-horsepower engine to keep the reel turning. Big Bertha’s successor, the Super Big Bertha, has no less than eight reels with twenty stops apiece. There were obvious issues with such a behemoth slot machine. First of all, each terminal cost more than a house – the one hundred fifty thousand dollar price tag severely limited availability. Secondly, the sheer size of the cabinet was a turn-off for casino operators, as Bertha easily took up enough room for two conventional slot games. Players loved Bertha because of the high jackpots, but the creators had gotten carried away – the massive number of combinations made the jackpots TOO hard to hit.

Despite her myriad issues, Big Bertha remained a casino staple until the invention of the Random Number Generator made her generation of slot machines passé. The RNG made it possible for casinos to program lower-probability, higher-jackpot games without the sheer size and cost of games with massive reels. Nowadays, Bertha has been relegated to collector’s status or the back rooms of casino museums.

BONUS – An amount or percentage of cash or coins that you win on top of any jackpots or established prizes within a slot game. Punters with lots of casino experience may base their entire decision about what slot machine(s) to play on the comparative merits of the bonuses offered. Players expect plenty of bang for their buck, and bonuses are the “bang” they seek.

BONUS GAME – This is a much-desired feature in a slot machine title. The bonus game is usually achieved by getting so many of a certain symbol, either cumulatively or on the same spin. (This symbol is generally called the “scatter” or “bonus” symbol, by the way.) The bonus game gives you the chance to boost your winnings. Sometimes it comes in the form of free spins during which all winnings are multiplied by a certain amount, or it could be some sort of “second screen” game akin to a video game, in which you have to perform a certain action – be it shooting down Nazi airplanes in a WWII-themed slot title or opening submerged treasure chests in a pirate slot – in order to win so many coins per action completed, or a random amount based on the item you pick.

BONUS MULTIPLIER SLOTS – These slot games are pretty much the polar opposite of your “classic” slot machines. If you like bells and whistles, these would be the titles for you. Bonus multiplier games feature aspects like free spins and bonus games that give you the chance to multiply your winnings by either a fixed or random percentage. Everything about these games is designed for the maximum excitement, payout, and novelty. Many bonus multiplier games reward you for playing max coins (or penalize you for not doing so, depending on your glass half full / half-empty perspective!) by making the highest jackpot accessible only to those who bid the most coins on all paylines. That’s not to say that experiencing the excitement of playing bonus multiplier slot machines is limited to those with huge bankrolls – we have personally played some penny slots with all the fixins’, which are accessible by punters of all budgets. 

BONUS VIDEO SLOTS – Many bonus video slots are also bonus multiplier games, although the reverse is not always true. If you enjoy the eye-popping graphics and non-stop action of video games played on your PC or gaming console, you will be naturally attracted to these extra-special slot games. Bonus video slots are often the jewels in the crown of casinos, those games that offer the most lush graphics with the most up-to-date technology and the overall flashiest gaming experience. Second-screen bonus games with intricate theming tailored to the specific slot game, Hollywood-caliber intro videos, and reel icons that can wink, flash, spin, or explode (sometimes across the whole reel!) are de rigueur with these games. Top-quality online slots replicate the cool surprises and non-stop excitement of bonus video slots played on land. Unsurprisingly, many younger players are drawn to these games.

BUG – A bug is an illegal device that crooks use to confuse the random number generator of a slot machine terminal. Like the “bug” that is used to criminally “tap” phone lines for surveillance or worn under clothes to record conversations secretly, the casino version of a bug is equally nefarious – definitely a hornet or mosquito armed with a raging case of West Nile virus. Once implanted, the bug interferes with the processing functions of a slot machine, and either prevents certain (non-winning) combinations from occurring or greatly increases the probability of others (winning combos) coming up. It should go without saying that buggers can get in a LOT of trouble, regardless of how much money they might make running this particular scam.

BUY-A-PAY – Many online slots and land slot machines will reward you for betting max coins by giving you access to the highest possible jackpot payouts for the title in question. A buy-a-pay (also known as a “buy-your-pay”) game is a little different. In terms of bonus multiplier slots, there are only two tiers of payout – those who can access the max jackpot, and those who can’t. All slots base the jackpot on the value of coins you bid, but a buy-a-pay machine will actually have several different levels of potential payout based either on how many coins you bid. Many are video slots with the capability of displaying a vast amount of symbols, and will actually change up the symbols depending on your coin size of choice – one cherry for one coin played, two cherries for two coins played, and so on.

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