Some slot players are fan of what Brian Christopher calls a “Shaky Shaky,” or an element that tells you ahead of time that a big win or bonus is about to happen. Some hope to find machines by looking for something specific:
How do you know when a machine has a shaky shaky? Does it say it in the menu, so I would have to look at every menu of every slot machine I play?
Katen
Actually, it’s not even as easy as that, sorry to say!
Shaky Shaky elements are a design decision and don’t specifically impact payouts, so they won’t be listed on the pay table at all. You’ll only know by playing it, and of course since it doesn’t happen every time there’s a bonus, the first time or two will likely be a surprise.
The industry sometimes calls this a “precog,” or an early heads up that something’s about to happen. (There’s also a post-spin version, called a “postcog,” that can have something then happen after a spin is done.)
But this is purely part of slot machine design to make a game more exciting. Some have them, some don’t, although the presence of them has grown over the years. Since the outcome of a spin is decided at the moment of a wager, a game can present that something’s coming because it already knows it’s on the way.
This has expanded more broadly to other techniques over the years. Monopoly Express Pacific Station has stacks of wild reels; when a good win is coming it will have Mr. Monopoly “throw” down the wilds, but the wilds would have appeared there without the animation. In essence, it’s livening up an outcome that was already coming.
These scenarios are part of how slot machines have become more engaging for players over the years, making those big moments more fun beyond the coin show that’s become tradition during a big win. But since it’s not something that has a payout element of its own, just piggybacking on something that the game already can do, it won’t be referenced in the pay table.
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