Charles Fey, an auto mechanic, made the first mechanical slot machine that paid from the machine, in 1895. It was a nickel machine with three reels and ten symbols on each reel. The symbols were card suits; diamonds hearts spades and clubs. The fifth symbol was the liberty bell. If three liberty bells lined up, the winner received ten coins back. From that moment, slot machines became an important part of clubs and casinos.

These slot machines remained popular until the late 1960's when electronic devices appeared. By the mid 1980's the microchip made huge changes in the design and more intricate games like those with second screen bonus rounds developed from there. The slot machine's original purpose in casinos was to keep wives and girlfriends busy while the men did serious gambling. Today, the vast majority of income to casinos comes from the slot machines with pit games in second place. Slot machines are highly valued by the casino for their profitability. Little attention is necessary once the slot is on the floor, except to empty the bill tray nightly and refill the coins or paper for tickets.

Casino guest love the games and occasionally get lucky. Most don't realize that there are ways to increase your luck when you gamble on slot machines.

1. Survey the area in the casino. Frequently you'll see ATM's and Cash out stations busy in different areas. Check to see if most people are withdrawing or cashing in slot tickets. If they cash in tickets, go to that area to gamble. If you play in a casino that still uses coins, listen for the sound of cash tinkling in the tray. Frequently higher payouts are in trafficked areas.

2. Check the denomination carefully before you bet. There's a huge difference between 5 cents and 5 dollars.

3. Check out the type of machine that hits most frequently. Many times a newly introduced slot has a higher payout program and changed later, once the players love it.

4. Watch out for a black screen. Today casinos can change payouts remotely and it's legal in most states. The law requires that they must wait until four minutes pass since the last coin played. A black screen appears and informs the players that changes occurred. The machine does not accept coinage for 4 minutes.

5. Check the payout. Today's penny slots are now really dollar and quarter slots. If you play all lines on a multi-line machine or play maximum coins. See if the highest payout justifies the amount you insert. If not, rather than play pennies, switch to dollars. Winning is less frequent but much larger.

6. Read, read, read the payout charts. Some machines don't increase the payout in multiples. For example, if you play certain dollar machines and hit a major prize on one coin the amount may be 1/3 that of three coins, or a lot less. If it doesn't matter proportionately, how many coins you play, stick to one coin if you're short on money.

7. Make sure you play maximum coins when required. Some machines pay on specific wins on the first coin, other types on the second and every winning combination on the third, such as Blazing 7's. On machines that have several lines, play all the lines.

8. Look for banks of machines that advertise higher paybacks. By law, every machine in the bank must pay the advertised amount.

9. Always use your players card. The players card calculates the number of coins put into the machines and gives comps and cash back based on your play. You may get a free buffet from your play, whether you win or lose. It is either a bonus for the day or one of the most expensive meals you've ever eaten.

10. Take a break. If you're on a losing streak, don't chase your losses. Do something else and when you feel better, play again.

11. Don't play a slot machine that has credits or a tipped chair in front. Nature calls or the ATM might also and players leave their machines. Many leave a jacket, tip the chair or leave a few credits on the machine or coins in the well to mark the territory for their return. If a machine is flashing and no one is at the chair, that player has won a jackpot and often plays another machine while they wait for an attendant. Don't sit down unless you want a confrontation. Pay attention before you sit down.

12. Watch your money go in and come out. Sometimes the bill receptor spits back the money and it falls on the floor. If you don't pay attention, you either lose the money or call an attendant for nothing. Don't forget to cash out. If you don't want to cash in a ticket for $.19 take it with you and feed it in to the next machine.