Puggy Fruit Machine
Added on January 7, 2019, in Gambling Articles, Video Slots by Gambling Gurus
Where does the term “fruit machine” come from?
If you have ever had a word or phrase stick in your head until you are compelled to travel down every possible rabbit hole on the internet to find its meaning and origin you are not alone. We recently embarked on a journey to find where the term “fruit machine” comes from.
The current trend for online slot machines has not dampened collectors enthusiasm for the traditional fruit machine. Bell-Fruit has been producing fruit machines for more than 50 years, so it is possible to come across a vintage slot made by this brand from as far back as 1963 when ‘3-A-Like started appearing in British pubs; in 1966 the. Classic free fruit machines at the online casinos in any emulator may look very similar to the ones that were once commonly found in land-based, regardless they are played for fun or for real money. They practically always are random and feature the same standard symbols and the 3 reels, single pay line format, but that doesn’t mean they offer the same old-fashioned play and quality.
In a nutshell, some machines have symbols of fruits on their reels. But like most things, just below the surface of the mud, there’s more mud. So we’ll look deeper, much deeper in hopes of finding bedrock.
In the world of online gambling, and even on land, we find user activated casino gambling machines with three or more spinning reels referred to variously as slot machines, fruit machines, puggies, or pokies depending on the source. Oh… and let’s not forget “one-armed bandit”!
Thank goodness we have context, as each one of those descriptors or pet names could have myriad alternate meanings.
- A machine to stamp slots into metal?
- A vender that dispenses apples and oranges?
- A much-beloved pet?
- A pin or needle?
- A dexterously challenged pilferer?
Of course, they are all terms used for what was originally known as a slot machine – which in itself, is now sort of a misnomer. Where are the mechanical parts, the handle, the clattering reels? Yes, today’s ‘machines‘ have engines, but that’s another matter altogether.
To be fair to fruitie purists, there is another sub-genre of fruit machines. These are the AWP or amusement with prizes machines. Those who are aficionados or mavens of the art of emptying will argue, and quite correctly, that Class B3 and Class B4 machines are other animals altogether than “casino slot machines“.
If you are looking for some of today’s best online slots for real money, you might try casinoslots.net. While you won’t be able to bump the machine for a nudge or force a rave (or can you?) some of the Microgaming casinos there carry “new classics” like Chavin’ It Large, Dubya Money, Pub Fruity, and Cash ‘N Curry.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the nomenclature and some history behind more common gambling machines which are broadly known by their nicknames or by words.
It’s commonly agreed that the Aussie slots are referred to as pokies as a form of saying poker machine. According to the Oxford Dictionaries, the term first appeared in the 1960s. Lore tells us that the first pokies had spinning reels with playing card symbols on them, not quite the video poker games of today that were pioneered to market by William “Si” Redd of IGT fame.
The origin of the less well-known term, “puggy” (Scottish English) is even more obscured in colloquialism. Our bet would be on monkey > slot machine (the comical image of an organ grinder and monkey). It may just as well have transferred to gaming machines from card games, as Scots are known to refer to the kitty, or poker pot, as the puggy. We simply don’t know! The term does seem to have evolved further to mean an automatic cash dispenser or ATM.
One-armed bandit… The house always wins in the end!
That leaves us with slot machines and fruities, or fruit machines. In order to find the origin of the terms, we may need to determine the evolution of the machines, at least in their first few years of existence.
Mirriam Webster counts the first known usage of “slot machine” in 1891.
Mirriam Webster counts the first known usage of “fruit machine” in 1933.
In 1891 a New York company, Sittman and Pitt developed a five reel gambling machine based on poker. Fifty card faces were on the rolls, or “reels“. Automatic payouts were difficult at best due to the manifold potential combinations.
The Liberty Bell slot machine was invented by Charles Fey of San Fransisco, California sometime between 1887 and 1895.
Puggy Fruit Machine For Sale
Three reels held five symbols each: Horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts, and a Liberty Bell, thus the name.
According to Wikipedia: “The Liberty Bell machine was so popular that it was copied by many slot machine manufacturers. Thus in 1907, manufacturer Herbert Mills from Chicago produced a slot machine called the Operator Bell. By 1908 lots of “bell” machines were installed in most cigar stores, saloons, bowling alleys, brothels and barber shops.”
But where are the fruit symbols?
Here is where we wallow in the mud and look for a solid foundation of bedrock to base an assertion on. However, even with the 21st Century’s greatest artificial intelligence enabled search engines, we regrettably come up short.
One thing to keep in mind about “the world’s greatest repository of knowledge” is that some of the references and citations are not authoritative. Yes, we can rely on Wiki for some things, but when you chase a rabbit down a hole in the mud, you better be able to catch him, or at least follow the pesky critter to the bedrock and stare him down!
Puggy Fruit Machine Origin
Wiki tells us, without proper citation, that the BAR symbol was derived from the Bell-Fruit Company’s logo (circa 1910) and that “… payment of food prizes was a commonly used technique to avoid laws against gambling“.
However, a discussion on the Penny Machines Forum shows us that the argument may have weaknesses.
The earliest ‘slot machines‘ or ‘trade simulators‘ we find with fruit symbols on the reels are circa 1912 and made in the U.S. by O. D. Jennings. Some usually reliable sources point to the Industry Novelty Company prior to 1910 and the Mills Novelty Company in 1910. We see the Bell Fruit Gum machine produced by Industry Novelty Co. appear in 1913 and see images of fruit and bells on the reels.
One thing we can be sure of. Machines that accepted coins, had spinning reels with fruit symbols and dispensed prizes first appeared in the early 1900s.
Regardless of whether or not they dispensed or otherwise awarded fruit flavored candies, gum, or anything other than coins, they were, indeed, “fruit machines”.
Whether we call them slots, fruit machines, pokies, puggies, or one-arm bandits – to quote Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet“.
Interesting links:
- Baltimore Sun:The ABCs of SLOTS
- The International Arcade Museum®:Bell Fruit Gum Machine 1913
- The Penny Machines Forum – Bell-Fruit Gum Company:Fact or Fiction?
- Reddit:I play fruit machines for a living, AMA
- Liveauctioneers – 5¢ Jennings (Pace) Bull Durham Triple-Jax Slot Machine (shows inner works)
- Fricassee of Words – I Bought a Lemon
The vast majority of Britain-based fruit machines have 3 reels, each of which displays a set of numbers or symbols that are built around a particular theme. For example, a jungle themed-fruit game might have tiger and lion symbols. The goal when playing a fruit machine is to time it so that each reel stops when it is displaying the same symbol. When this happens, the gambler wins the pot.
One reason why slot machines are so popular among British gamblers is that they pay out between 70% an 98% of the money that is gambled. Slot machines offer such a high payback rate because game manufacturers have created slot machines that offer large jackpots. This means that you might not make any money playing on a fruit machine one day, but the next day you might win a large amount of cash by hitting a jackpot.
Different Types of Slot Machines
In Britain, you’ll generally find two different kinds of slot machines. The more common machine is referred to as an AWP game, or Amusement With Prizes machine. These games have smaller jackpots — usually only reaching £35 — and are typically found in pubs.
The other style of fruit machine found in the United Kingdom is called a club machine. Club machines have four reels instead of three, and usually have payouts ranging from £75 to £250.
Playing Club Machines in Britain
The first and most important rule to follow when it comes to playing club machines is to find out when the machine last hit its jackpot. This is because reel machines all follow a pattern for when they pay out. Most slot machines pay out every 3 or 5 days, although some machines only pay out every 10 days.
Learning when to expect the payout will allow you to skip gambling on all of the days you know you won’t win big money.
Understanding The Buttons on a Fruit Machine
In an effort to make fruit machines more fair and fun for gamblers, game manufacturers have installed a number of buttons and features on slot games in the United Kingdom. In order to maximize your potential winnings on slot machines, it is important to understand how to utilize each of these buttons to your advantage.
Puggy Fruit Machine Games
The “hold” button on a fruit machine can pause reels. The hold button is extremely useful because it enables gamblers to time when they want to pause the reels. If you notice a pattern with the symbols or numbers, you can hit the hold button when you think the symbols will roll into a winning combination.
Similarly, the “cancel” button gives gamblers the chance to manipulate the slot machine’s reels while playing. Hitting the cancel button slows down the slot machine’s reels, allowing you to look for different patterns or bonus spins. Some gamblers refer to this process of slowing down the reels as wedging.