Can A Pub Slots Machine Be Beaten?

A pub slots machine is unwinnable. It’s a fact. Of course, some people would disagree with that statement. A few years ago, there was the headline in the English newspaper, the Independent on Sunday. It asked “Can You Really Beat The Slots Machines?” The general gist of the article was about the habits of UK slots players.

Introduction: Can A Pub Slots Machine Be Beaten?

Back in those days, slots machines, often called “one armed bandits” as you needed to pull the singular arm to get spins, could be found in pubs and clubs all over the country. And “Bandits” because they robbed you. They were also known as “fruit machines”. This was because the symbols you had to line up were fruits. Makes sense! If you stood and listened in any pub in the 80’s, apart from the noise of chatter, glasses clinking and background music, there was the ever present sound of the slots machine being played.

For many of the older generation, the sight and sound of pub slot machines is part of a dying tradition. It’s come about because pubs were being bought up and then becoming extensions of large faceless corporations. Sadly, the small and intimate pub is now really just a memory. But that’s a story for another day.

The Slots Machine Players

Sometime a single person would pull up a bar stool and be feeding change into the ever hungry slots machine. Only moving to take a sip of beer or get more cash from the barman. They always had the furrowed brow of concentration written across their faces. If you had to squeeze past them to get to the loo, they always made a big thing of it. As if you’d somehow ruined their chances. And whenever they would win, you would then hear the noisy clatter of coins falling into the collection tray. At that point, the player would look around the room with the glint of triumph in their eye as they took a triumphant sip of beer.

There was always something passive/aggressive about these guys. Yet other times, there might be a group of boisterous young men trying their luck before heading off into the night to find the best jackpot slot machines.

The Best Fixed Jackpot Slot Machines

The article in question was about this forgotten era and those that played on slots machines on a regular basis. And not just your average working class man, having a couple of pints with his mates after work.  There were more hardcore players. They saw the slots machine as a means of putting their brawn against the brains of the machine. Of course it never crossed their minds that the machine was programmed. And both the machine company and the pub need to make money otherwise these loud and obtrusive machines wouldn’t be there in the first place. There was always some secret trick, only they knew, some method by which they would have an edge over the machine. A nudge here or the pressing this button at a particular point.

The Age Of Slotters

Unsurprisingly, they were calling themselves “slotters” with some even claiming to make a decent living from it. This is hard to believe as the payouts were much, much  smaller than their US based counterparts. Over the pond, you could win millions of dollars on a spin. But back in the more dignified and refined UK, the maximum payouts were just a few hundred quid. In small change that clattered out into the tray. On the forum at gambling.co.uk, there was a slotter, rather aptly called, “Slotterman” who claims at the time to be making a very good living indeed. According to him, he was pulling in £4,000 a month. As he said, “There were very good years in the 1990s when I made over 4000 pounds a month, but the learning curve was costly”. Today he’d probably be playing Super Jackpot Party slot machine.

A Slots Machine Too Far

That last bit about the “learning curve being costly” is something that Susanne Orton certainly knows about. For all these so called “winners” there are countless more losers. This poor woman was lulled into a sense of well being and maybe, stupor, by the flashing lights. Or the hypnotic sounds of all the bells and buzzers. So much so that she took the feeding of these machines to another level. She poured £170,000 of her and her husband’s money into slot machines. As the machines only accept small change, that must of taken her a while. And when that was all gone, she took to stealing.  The tragic story ends in imprisonment and bankruptcy. Back in those days there was little sympathy for her.

Thankfully today we live in more inclusive times and it’s certain that she would of found help with her illness before the opening of the prison gates.

The Sound Of Winning

But back to the winners. How do they do it? Well, according to them, they simply watch and listen. They wait around for others to top up the slots machines, and then swoop down when the machine is “ready” for a hit. Of course that could be a huge amount of watching and waiting. It’s called dedication for those without patience. Apparently they can tell the best jackpot slot machines. They also mention that they can tell when the machine is “pregnant” and ready to drop by the sounds of the coins dropping into the box within the machine itself. As it fills, it gives out a fuller sound with each coin. But even then, our friend Slotterman, admits that the wait can be both long and costly. However, if you would like to check out up-to-date guides to win the jackpot, take a look at our articles.