‘The Hustler’ is 1961 drama film, produced by 20th Century Fox, directed by Robert Rossen and starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie and George C. Scott, each of whom received an Academy Award nomination. ‘The Hustler’ tells the story of ‘Fast’ Eddie Felson, a cocksure, but highly skilful pool player, who establishes a reputation as he travels the country with his manager, Charlie Burns (Myron McCormick) but, nonetheless, harbours the ambition of beating the best player in the country, Minnesota Fats (Gleason).
Shot on location, entirely in New York City, ‘The Hustler’ devotes roughly one-third of its 134-minute running time to two pool matches between Felson and Fats. In his first encounter with Fats, after 25 hours, despite drinking a whole bottle of JTS Brown bourbon, from the bottle, Felson is $18,000 ahead, but it loses it all by refusing to stop playing until the ‘Fat Man’ says the game is over. Dubbed a ‘born loser’ by Bert Gordon (Scott), a cold, vicious gambler and stakehorse, Felson accepts an offer to be taught how to play ‘major league’ pool; his ‘education’ involves, at one occasion, having his thumbs broken for flaunting his talents to a less hustler.
Nevertheless, the path inevitably leads him back to a rematch with Minnesota Fats and, in the final showdown between the two, a focused and sober Felson stakes his whole $3,000 bankroll on a single game. Felson wins that game and many more, so many, in fact, that as the hands of the clock reach six o’clock Fats concedes defeat. Felson launches into an emotional criticism of Gordon, which effectively costs him his future as a big-time pool player, but he and Fats part on gracious terms.
According to Techportal, slot games account for the largest share of a casino’s revenue. That has to be music to the ears of every slots lover out there.
Slots are undeniably the most popular casino classic to play, as you’ll know from visiting Hotchip. Recent research reveals almost half of all casino visitors indulge in slot games. Sounds right right to me.
In contrast, other casinos such as blackjack draw in 16%, poker 6%, and roulette 5% of customers.
So, what is it about slot games that attract customers more than any other casino game?
- Small bets on slot games can turn into enormous wins.
- A huge variation of slot games to choose from to suit all interests
- Slots make people feel happy by triggering the release of dopamine (the feel-good brain chemical)
- Numerous exciting welcome offers such as wink slots free spins offer, and free cash to play.
- Most slot games have low minimum bets, making the game affordable for most.
- No experience, no worries. Slots are the easiest casino game to play.
But with so many slots to choose from, how can players find a game that’s right for them? At hotchip, you’ve come to the right place to hear the answer!
Here are some of the best slot games available to try on the wink slots website. You’ve likely heard about some of them already
For those who enjoy the idea of a wild west theme that captures the rebellious spirit of a cowboy, bonanza could be the slot game for you.
While bonanza doesn’t have a jackpot, it does have an uncapped pay-out and a good RTP of 96%.
Plus, if a gold letter appears on the reels, a player can win free bonus spins, increasing a player’s potential to strike a winning pay line.
If Ancient Egypt piques your interest, the slot game Cleopatra is a must-play. Throughout the game, the colours, symbols, and sound effects all work in harmony to recreate Cleopatra’s historical kingdom on screen.
The ultimate goal of the game is to land five Cleopatra symbols in a row. Players fortunate to have the queen grace the screen five times in a sequence will have their bet multiplied by 10,000! A favourite with hotchip fans.
3 – Mega Fortune
Mega Fortune features a world filled with luxury and glamour. As such, the graphics are filled with status symbols associated with the rich and famous. Such as champagne, heaps of cash, and limousines.
The bonus round is where players will have access to a potential jackpot win. Three or more symbols must be lined up in a single pay line to trigger the bonus page.
Once players reach the bonus page, they’ll see a giant spinning wheel with various cash prizes to win. Three of which are jackpot prizes!
From the wild west to the life of the rich and famous. If players have a theme or interest in mind, there’s a 99% chance there’s a slot game out there to match. Sounds good to me!
Top Tips for Choosing the Best Slot Sites and Games
There are a few things to look out for when choosing an online slot game
Alongside the above slot games to try, here are a few hotchip tips to help players choose a slot game that’s safe to use.
Use Regulated Online Slot Sites
Using a licensed and regulated casino site is essential for the following reasons:
A licensed site is monitored by an official body such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), which ensures a gambling company operates safely and fairly at all times.
Using a regulated site means each player’s deposit is protected if, for instance, the company moves into administration.
Slot players can usually locate an online slot site’s licenses by referring to the bottom of the website.
Research A Slot Games RTP (Return to player percentage)
The RTP is also known as payback percentage. It’s the main factor that determines an online slot’s potential to administer a win to players.
The higher a slot game’s RTP, the better chance players have at winning a pay-out. Important news to hear when making your choice of slots to play.
Part of assessing the best available slot games out there to play is by working out which slot games are affordable.
Some slot games have lower minimum bet options than others. Suppose you’re on a budget and want to spin the reels on a slot game for as long as possible; you may want to source games that require lower bets to play.
Search for Welcome Offers
Casino sites are often inundated with generous welcome offers to entice new customers to play their extensive range of slot games.
And it’s in every player’s interest to exploit the best offers from reputable slot providers for free spins and sometimes even cash. Theis info is music to players ears.
While the minimum bet to spin the reels on most slot games is generally low. For the financially conscious and frugal, it always helps to trial slot games of interest with the slot providers’ money instead of your own!
This way, you can familiarise yourself with the game and decide whether it is worth depositing real cash to play. Sounds like a good strategy to me.
With a few popular slots to try, accompanied with the best tips available to source safe and fair slot providers online. Players can focus on finding a slot game that meets the following criteria:
- A site regulated by an official body
- Slot games with a high RTP
- Affordable minimum betting
- Generous sign-up offers
With your newfound knowledge, it’s now time to put it to use. Good luck and have fun!
We’re living in an ever changing world and if we’ve learned anything from the difficulties of the past year it’s that we rely heavily on the online world. Whether it’s playing our favourite casino games, ordering food online or making various transactions of one kind of another, almost every aspect of life is now shifting from offline to online. Case in point, in thinking about it, it must be a good 6 months since I’ve even used physical cash!
At the forefront of digital payments are cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. This is born out by the rocketing value of this and other crypto options over the past year or so (and consistent spikes in value prior to this). What once was viewed as a gimmicky is now well established with the likes of billionaire Elon Musk stating his support and putting money where his mouth is by with a $1.5 billion Bitcoin purchase via Tesla (and the decision to accept Bitcoin as a payment option). It’s changing the way that millions of people both do business, and spend money. Over time, it’s hard to deny that it goes from strength to strength in the realm of online casinos too, with countless new bitcoin games out there to play.
In a virtual environment (online gaming and gambling) it’s really surprising that it took so long for an equally virtual currency like Bitcoin to catch on, but now there’s no turning back. Of course the same casino experience is on offer no matter how to pay, and all top and trusted sites adhere to the same rules and regulations of the industry so your money is safe. With more and more sites allowing you be deposit cryptocurrencies it’s no wonder that it’s becoming a firm favourite with online casino fans. There can be so many hoops to jump through with debit, credit card or bank transfer gambler many people are now often opting for a more secure and efficient way to pay – and that’s what Bitcoin offers. Indeed casino sites make up a significant percentage of payments now made using the virtual currency – seen by many as the preferable option. There are now several exclusively ‘crypto casinos’ , as casino sites are moving with the times.
Once you’ve deposited your Bitcoin payment, it’s all about focusing on playing and winning. Lots of casino sites, in this highly competitive environment have sign up bonuses, free spins, and regular incentives for loyal players, and so that in itself is a big bonus when compared to ‘real life’ casinos. And of course, online, all of your favourites games (and then some!) and still available. So whether you’re a big fan of strategic games like poker, or rely more on lady luck with a focus on roulette, and slots there is something for everyone. With the latter example alone (slots) there are are so many more options online than off, with countless fun and themed slot games available to play right now.
So with this in mind, it’s well worth making Bitcoin casinos your go-to option for online gambling. Easy, convenient, secure, What’s not to like?
Originally titled ‘Sydney’, after the main protagonist, played by Philip Baker Hall, ‘Hard Eight’ is a 1996 crime drama film, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. For the uninitiated, in casino craps, a shooter can roll an eight with two dice in one of five ways, two and six, six and two, three and five, five and three or four and four, but only the latter is known as a ‘hard eight’ and pays odds of 9/1.
Although set in contemporary, modern times, ‘Hard Eight’ features a tough, morally ambiguous main protagonist and a bleak, cynical outlook, characteristic of the filmmaking style known as ‘film noir’. Indeed, Paul Thomas Anderson conceded that the 1956 French gangster film ‘Bob Le Flambeur’, which is considered a film noir, was a major influence on ‘Hard Eight’, which is sometimes described as ‘neo-noir’.
The aforementioned Sydney, an aging, but apparently affable and successful, professional gambler, first encounters confirmed also-ran John (John C. Riley) at a diner in the middle of the Nevada desert but, having befriended the younger man, offers to show him the tricks of the trade. Back in Reno, John initially earns himself a complimentary room with the so-called ‘rate card trick’ and, over the next year or two, develops into a successful small-time professional gambler in his own right.
John falls for, and eventually marries, Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a cocktail waitress and occasional prositute, and befriends Jimmy, a vulgar casino security man. Jimmy later holds Sydney at gunpoint and threatens to reveal that he killed John’s father unless he pays blackmail. Jimmy demands $10,000, but Sydney agrees, and later pays, $6,000. Jimmy plays craps with the money, winning $18,000 courtesy of a $2,000 bet on a ‘hard eight’ but, on his return, Sydney reveals his treu colours, shooting him dead and recovering his money, with interest.