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              I'm not much of a gambler. Well, I'm not much of one as far as money is concerned. But every once in a while I'll find myself drawn to those "virtual casinos" that are all over the internet, and belly up to my desk for a evening of online slots. <p></p><p></p>I don't live very close to a casino, and since the state legislation outlawed our lottery touch machines, I don't get a chance to play slots like I used to, so you can imagine my relief when I found those internet casinos. The beauty of those online one-armed bandits is that they play identically to the machines you will find in a brick and mortar casino, without the lingering smoke cloud, or the die-hards who drop one coin into every machine in the place, hoping for that big win that will, if you know how those video slot machines work, probably not come.<p></p><p></p>The premise of online slots is simple, open an account at your favorite online casino, make your deposit and load up the slot machine of your choice. From there you play just like any other physical machine. Select your wager, press spin, and off you go! The reels turn, symbols show up, and if you are lucky, "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!"<p></p><p></p>What a lot of people don't understand about online slots though is that they are run by a high powered computer that generates a mathematical algorithm. Then this computer sends the algorithm across a network to the "machine," which is actually an instance of a single piece of software. The algorithm is used to determine where the reels will eventually stop. The speed and frequency at which this super computer generates the numbers is based on the number of people playing at a time. These number generators can spit out any number, from single digit to several billions in a second. Once the numbers are generated, the group is divided. The quotients derived from this operation means one complete revolution, and the remainder of the division defines where the reel will stop. Each remainder stops on a particular reel. If the correct combination of reels falls on pay lines you've bet on, then you win, and the correct amount of coins is added to your total.<p></p><p></p>Unlike their physical counterpart, the odds of online slots are completely different. Since the outcomes are determined by a random number generator, it is entirely possible that the winning combination of numbers can appear multiple times in a row. This of course, greatly increases the odds of hitting the jackpot and getting the highest payout.<p></p><p></p>With all these things in mind, its no wonder that online slots have found their way into American hearts. The higher payout, the comfort of your own home. No wonder my wife keeps a close eye on the checking account. Try it for yourself. I promise you'll not only have a good time, but you can usually make a decent amount of money to boot.           
