80s Fruit Machines
Posted By admin On 27/03/22Play our range of Free Fruit Machines games with nudges and hold features on any device, desktop computers or mobile. Our totally free online fruit machines load on any suitable phone or tablet - Android, iOS, and most smartphone platforms.
For those that don't know, fruit machine games are a very popular variation of slots machines. They are fairly common in the UK. Typically found in UK pubs and clubs. As well as fish and chip shops, seaside arcades, Snooker Halls, Bingo Halls etc. They are sometimes referred to as a 'Pub Fruity'. You can play our free fruit machines and win real money prizes. Scroll down further if you'd like to read more information about the history of fruit machines. As well as tips on how to play them.
The origins of Fruit machines lay in American one-armed bandit games. So-called after original slot machines operated by one lever on the side of the machines.
From the 1980s onwards Fruit Machine manufacturers took advantage of advances in electronics and computing. To make their fruit machines more sophisticated in terms of looks and features. However, today's modern fruit machines are still clearly related to their one-armed bandit ancestors. With the original symbols of fruits. Typically lemons, cherries, melons, grapes, oranges, BARs, Lucky number 7s Bells etc still being used to this day.
There are a few differences between a standard slots machine and a fruit machine game. The main difference is the slots bonus games. On a typical fruit machine, you will find that there are features which include Nudge buttons, Hold buttons and Repeat buttons. Nudge and Hold features give players strategic choices. Which you will generally not get with slots games. Some fruit machine players believe that using these features can give skilled players an edge.
Dedicated fruit machine players may have in-depth knowledge of particular fruit machines. There are even websites and forums where 'professional' fruit machine players gather to exchange tips and strategy.
Fruit machines are a popular type of slots machine and there is an ever growing number of them at online casinos. We have had a look at the best fruit machines available online.
Other features that make a fruit machine different from a slots machine include cash pots, cash ladders, and bonus trails.
From the 1980s onwards Fruit Machine manufacturers took advantage of advances in electronics and computing. To make their fruit machines more sophisticated in terms of looks and features. However, today's modern fruit machines are still clearly related to their one-armed bandit ancestors. With the original symbols of fruits. Paul is a HUGE classic fruit machine collector and has accumulated years of experience at. Looking after them. His website gives some great tips and pointers when looking to repair your own. Predominently Barcrest games from the 80's - take a look! Also check out his collection too! Retro Fruit Machines.
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. Specialized in all used machines for vegetables, fruit, flowers and plants. Check here the large international leading product range of reliable agri- and horticultural machines. To improve your user experience, we use cookies. Dosing conveyor 450 x 80 cm. High pressure pump. Gregoire Besson leek planter with 9 rows. Barcrest Fruit Machines Online If you've played a fruit machine in a British amusement arcade or cafe in the past 25 years, chances are it was developed by Barcrest. The Manchester-born machine manufacturer has been providing games for decades, and even thought the firm has changed hands once or twice during its lifetime, it still churns out.
How To Play Fruit Machines
If you've played slot machines before you should have no problem grasping the basics of fruit machine games. Playing fruit machines is similar to slots. But as mentioned above, there are a few differences. Understanding the key features of a fruit machine, as detailed below, is the key to success!
Cash Ladder
Cash ladders are found on all fruit machine games. They are simple to understand and are a key part of the fruit machine experience. With the potential to win ever larger sums of money as you move up a cash ladder towards the jackpot payout. In the U.K. the maximum jackpot is actually governed by British gaming laws.
Typically, on standard cash ladders, players get the opportunity to stop a light flashing as it moves up and down the cash ladder at rapid speed. If you can stop it on a cash prize then you win that amount. You can see a good example of this type of cash ladder in our Spooky Fruity fruit machine.
You can also find games with cash ladders that you move up one step at a time over the course of a game. Moving slowly but surely higher up the cash ladder towards the jackpot. Which keeps players motivated to carry on playing. But all these fruit machines involve an element of chance. There is the risk that you may be sent back one or more spaces on the cash ladder or, even worse, you may be sent right to square one!
Bonus Board
On fruit machines, a bonus board (also known as a bonus trail). Is typically made up of a grid or series of graphics that light up rapidly and at random. Players must press a 'Stop' button to stop the random flashing and win whatever reward is lit up at the time.
The type of bonus players can win varies from game to game. These can include winning cash, winning nudges or winning a gamble game or cash ladder feature etc. Skilled players may boast that they have developed mastery over a particular game and can stop the bonus board wherever they wish.
Hi Lo Bonus
The Hi-Lo feature on fruit machine games is a fifty-fifty style gamble feature. Players can choose to try to double their winnings by guessing if a number will be higher or lower than a number on display. A wrong guess means the players lose their win and this can lead to a lot of British swear words! An element of strategy may appear to be involved. But remember that, ultimately, what happens after you've pressed 'Hi' or 'Lo' is really up to the computer code at the heart of the fruit machine.
Nudge buttons
Nudge buttons are an integral part of fruit machines and can help you create a winning payline. When you have nudges available. You can press the nudge buttons to move the symbols on the reel(s) of your choice down by one or more steps depending upon the number of nudges you have.
The number of nudges you can have will vary depending upon the game you are playing.
Hold buttons
Hold buttons are a very useful feature on a fruit machine. They allow you to opt to hold one or more reels and then spin the remainder. This feature is typically employed to hold two of the same symbol in the hope that the next spin will result in the winning payline being completed by a third matching symbol. Some players who claim they know how to beat a particular machine may claim it's possible to memorize the best reel holding strategies.
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See below for what we currently hold in our collection
Bell Fruit - Can Can - approx 1978
5p / £1.00
An untouched Bell Fruit game running exactly as it would have done from the factory with token JP. Bought for very little and
assumed not working but complete. Contact cleaner was all it needed; now fully working. Fortunately the machine came full
to the brim with old coins and tokens alike which I have kept it working on– result! Equally, a 50p change option is available
to give10p pieces.
Bell Fruit / MAM - Pound Stretcher
5p / £1.00
MAM rebuild from a Bell Fruit game. This is a rescue machine that came not too far from home at the time. I was told to
come and take it for free as it came with a new house purchase. Either that or it would receive the dreaded hammer
treatment! Converted to ‘All Cash’ probably as part of the rebuild. This machine works on solely on old coins to keep
originality. currently in storage
Barcrest - Cash Connect - 1987
10p / £2.00 Cash or £4.00 Tokens
My very 1st fruit machine at 16 years of age. My parents finally gave in to constant badgering (I suppose to they realized
I had a genuine interest). This has been with me all the way from the early days in my bedroom! A particularly rare Barcrest
machine from 1987, it came from a Jukebox show! This has been in the collection now since 1997 and all those years
without fault!!
Barcrest - Crystal Maze
20p / £10.00
'Will you start the fans please!!'
Absolutely brilliant Barcrest game from 1992 with a great program @ 80% payout giving excellent play on very little money.
Lots of sampled sounds from the show, this MPU 4 game definitely takes you back! This came from a fellow collector in
who had to downsize his machine numbers!
Bell Fruit - CLUB Crazy Fruits
25p / £250.00
An extremely fun game with fun audio alike. Bell Fruit released a range of these games in different guises. This one is fully
switchable with all the decals but unfortunately suffers with a hopper problem and a small lighting fault. She was in fact
donated to me from a customer at work and after a brief spell in The Gamesroom will stay in storage until required.
currently in storage
JPM - Nudge Double Up Mk3
5p / £2.00
Well what can I say about this machine! Who doesn't know it? I can remember years ago just being tall enough to put
money into one of these (7 or 8) on holiday in Devon!! So common then but where are they now?? This was very, very
kindly released to me by Dave of Mr P's Classic Amusements in Gravesend on the proviso that I will not move it on
with giving him first refusal. If ever I go cukoo bananas and decide to shift her its the least I can do. Thanks again Dave.
Barcrest - Crystal Maze Team Challenge - 1994
£1 / £5.00 - £10.00
I just had to have one of these - such great memories from old and absolutely brilliant with friends! Will it be a mental,
mystery, skill or physical game? Work your way round the maze to try for a £5 JP in the dome! If you do really well,
it will be doubled to £10.00!!!! Check out the top glass - this variation had the 'flutterbox' with real tokens and fan!! Love it!
JPM - Supatrack
10p / £4.00 Tokens
Another outstanding machine from JPM and is one more we can cross off of our wanted list. This is what 80's fruit machine
playing was all about! With perfect artwork, nostalgic audio and she also looks very smart along side our Nudge Double Up.
Very happy with this game and a special mention to Dave of Reel Fruits Arcade who kindly released her to
The Gamesroom Croydon.
20p / £10.00
Maygay have done a great job at turning this film into a fruit machine. I’ve had her on 20p / £10.00 for the whole time she
has been in my possession (since 2002) and I love it. I just wish I had enough space for all of the machines, all of the time!!
here is one of these at Mr P's Classic Amusements at the moment and is definitely worth playing. If you live under a rock and
don’t know the film, still have a go, enjoyment guaranteed!
Bally - Rio
2p / 50p
A fun Bally one armed bandit. This time with the added benefit of being able to ‘hold’ reels. Dating from the 70’s,
this one is 2p play with a staggering 50p JP!!! There is even a change machine in the top box that will exchange 2p’s
from the hopper for every 10p inserted. All fully working and in absolutely perfect condition, they have so much charm –
and remember it’s quite a workout with single coin entry and the arm to pull!!
Bally - Dueces Wild 1964
10p / £2.50
Purchased about 2005, this Bally one armed bandit helps demonstrate the evolution of the fruit machine. Totally random
payouts (yes, true!), the reels ‘free-spin’ once kicked off by the reel mech. Specific circuits are activated where a win is
detected and the set coinage is dispensed. A real game of chance. Hopper payout too! NB - the top box is a non
permanent award panel - I plan to have a replacement 'blade' sign created in 2014 to put it back to its original design.
Bally Bounty 1977
2p - £1.00
A brand new addition for December 2011 and a machine I have always been on the look out for. The machine brings
back so many memories of young! A wide body machine with fixed base unit which also benefits from 10p coin
acceptance for 5 plays (makes play a lot quicker). Check out the 'Projects' page to see how this machine is progressing.
It has arrived complete and fortunately needs just a good service!
30p / £25.00
This machine was bought purely for its sparkling good looks and rarity (if seen, usually in a rear opening deluxe cabinet).
Essentially a ‘Big 7 / Red Bar’ machine with 4 x prize awards, this 25p / £25.00 machine is set to a particularly fair 84%.
This was a joint effort between Electrocoin & the United Distribution Co. in 2003 – They actually operate next door to
each other in North West London.
Jamma Video - 20p play - mid 1980's
Mid 80’s Jamma cab now sporting a 48 game in one board to revive older machines. This has every classic 80’s game you
could possibly ever want – brilliant, and I don’t have to keep changing games over. I do also have a selection of original
Jamma boards + a Neo Geo unit with games for that too. Great fun and when it’s not on free play,
it’s a bargain at 20p per play!! Bought from a single site operator about 2001.
NSM - City IV - 1988
A must for social gatherings, this 1988 NSM machine is one of the last vinyl playing machines ever to be made.
Many NSM machines were noted for their unusual way of playing records vertically!! It’s amazing to watch it do its stuff!!
This was rescued from a friend of my fathers who was once a jukebox engineer. It had been stored away for the past
7 years and took some work to get it going I can say. A full cabinet restoration by myself and she is ‘as new’ again!
Whittaker Bros - The Gambler- 2p & 10p play
Great 2player pusher just about suitable for home. Set up for 2p’s & 10p’s with goodies on both sides. Bonus coins awarded
from the top box spinner if you can activate the centre ‘bonus’ target. 2p side is an instant hit with everyone especially as
‘swag’ gets changed regularly. Very good condition throughout. This came straight off an arcade floor due to being
replaced with a more prominent machine – It’s big in this gamesroom mind you!!
Williams - Travel Time - 1972
10p play
An electro-mechanical Williams machine from 1972. A unique game in the fact that you do not have a specific
amount of balls but an unlimited amount – as long as you have time on the clock though – add time units by hitting
certain targets!! This machine was from a property on
famous for it’s association with The Beatles. Both playfield and back glass are in mint condition!
Gottlieb / Premier Games - 1993 -Caribbean Cruise - 50p play
Ultra rare ‘Premier Games’ (formerly Gottlieb) machine from 1993 consisting of only 377 units!! Unique ‘cocktail’
table game. Full width but only ¾ length, this game is hard and fast! Mainly due to the ball having no-where to get any
major distance away from the 4 x flippers! A 2 ball multi-ball is particularly difficult. Large display set into the playfield
means you have not got to look anywhere else but down!! Artwork in perfect condition.
Elaut - Topper
20p play
Who cant help themselves and have a go on one of these??!! I remember this type clearly from when I was a boy
and in particular it's attract music - Oh me darling Clementine!! They have been around for years and are just so robust
they should last forever. This one came from
mpu rebuild in 2011, she should be good to go for many years to come.
Brenco - Wheel Of Fortune - 1964
1p play!
Wow!! What a machine this is! This was Brenco's first entry into the coin-operated industry back in 1964
which makes it very, very special!
The aim of the game is to predict where the rotating arrow will stop (it runs continuously, even when not in ‘paid’ play).
Single or multiple bets can be made ranging from 2p to 12p (yes, 12p JP!!). If the arrow stops where a matching bet
has been made, the machine will pay the corresponding amount. Hours of fun! Originally working on the old penny,
this machine (like many) was updated when decimalization was introduced in 1971. It now works on the current 1p!
Many later machines have taken game principle further. Horse racing themed machines and roulette style machines to
name just a couple!!
Also, take a look at the Brenco museum website (if you havn’t already) – www.fruitmachinemuseum.co.uk
constructed by a dedicated enthusiast, it includes many pieces made by them – look through the galleries!
This game is one of two last known surviving machines! The other is on the Isle of Wight!
Sub-Electro - Silver Gambler 10p / £2.00
A very rare machine indeed! There are no other known machines of this name to be around now. Designed for use in
Mecca bingo halls in the mid to late 80's, they are particularly different in the fact that the reels are positioned in the top
glass and they the 'win' amounts replace any fruit symbols we would usually expect to see. An extremely quirky machine!
An equally rare example of a similar game - Rainbow Gambler can be found in the collection
@ Mr P's Classic Amusements, Gravesend.
Barcrest - Super Hyper Vyper
5p / £6.00 Tokens
Another familiar sight at arcades in the past. This is a more recent addition and was donated as just shell from
Dave @ Mr P's arcade. He already has 2 of these (complete) and was in dire need for space. The artwork was so good
that he could not bring himself to break it! When I received the call asking me if I would like her? Well, what can I say!
She was brought back here that day and rebuilt in the same week! A fabulous game!
Electrocoin Bar X - 1987
10p / £4.00 Cash
There's not much I need to say about this machine. Very early Bar X in particularly good shape.
We just had to have one! These early machines were not % adjustable. They aim for approx 86% I have
discovered and that's that! This machine replaced a newer Casino Bar X 5 we owned and on 10p per
play, it gives good game play with few dry spells. The early audio is also rather distinctive.
PCP Spot On
10p / £6.00 Tokens
New in for Feb 2012, this is one of my favs from young. Released to us by Dave @ Mr P's as he knows my love for the game.
Currently undergoing some work to get her back to near original as possible - Check out our Projects page!
This machine is a rebuild from a number of Barcrest games of the time and operates on MPU4 technology.
It wont be long until work is complete - a real bonus too is the cabinet is near perfect!
MAB Systems Bar X
5p / £5.00 All Cash
A new Addition for March 2012. This machine has been kindly donated to The Gamesroom by friend and collector James.
This is a very rare machine in that many of these were removed from service / scrapped after a lengthy copyright battle
with Electrocoin. Suffice to say Electrocoin won. This is a very playable game and differs from genuine Bar X's only
by artwork. This machine is currently in storage awaiting the next change around on the main floor.
Electrocoin - Magic 777
This little gem is now part of a trio that welcomes you at the entrance of The Gamesroom. Quite a rarity nowadays,
this machine is something rather special. A multi-line machine, the player chooses how may they wish to have active at
any one time. I'm still not entirely sure how many coins this game rewards three Jackpot symbols but let me tell you it's
large! I currently have it on 10p play but with the benefit of a coin comparitor mech, this can easily be changed
to any coin / token of your choice. This machine is on a permanent loan from Mr P's Classic Amusements.
Electrocoin - Cherry Bar
20p / £4.00
Wow! Another UK game some of you may not have seen before! A machine with similar style to that of Magic 777.
This is a fast paced, unpredictable game from the early 90's. Oh, I mustn't forget to mention the super bright LED
lighting for a win! She is currently in need of a coin mech (if anyone can help with a Cashflow 126 please let me know)
but other than that is fully operational. This addition also joins us on a permanent loan from Mr P's Classic Amusements.
'Mini' Skee Roll by Brenco (late 1970's)
9 balls - 10p
Another absolute favourite of mine - Skee Roll, or in my case 'mini' Skee Roll as a 3/4 size game! Still very big in this
gamesroom but 3 feet shorter than the standard size unit at 10'. This age old game has been bringing out the
competitive streaks in arcade go'ers for over 100 years! Such a simple format and you can't help to believe that your
own skill level will eventually result in you performing a near perfect game! You just can't walk away from them!
80s Fruit Machines Clip Art
I always succome to the 'just one more go' type behaviour that sees me constantly trying to improve my own
personal best! We've even started to offer prizes for anyone who achieves the highest scores! They appeal to
anyone who can roll a ball, young or old and I can see this being a new permanent feature of this home arcade for
many years to come. Right, now for another game........... Please see our 'Projects' page more more on this machine.
Crystal Leisure - Billy Smart's Circus - 1996
2p / £4.00
In town now.... Joining us from Oct 2012 this 'chase' trail to end game has been saved from a future life in a cold,
damp shed! This was to be her fete due to her last owners needing the space she had once enjoyed indoors! In a JPM
caninet running Barcrest MPU4 technology, we have found this Crystal conversion rather good fun. £5 seems to last
forever!!! See our 'Projects' page for more detail on this machine.
Barcrest - Monthy Python's Flying Circus
80s Fruit Machines Machine
25p / £25.00
'Is this a five minute argument of the full half hour?' A new addition for 2014 and a machine we've had on our 'want list'
for some time. With lots of classic phrases and music from the show, this wrap around trail game has all the important
ingredients for some serious fun. At nearly 15 years old she's in stunning condition and has been warmly received
so far. Running mpu5 tech gives a faster pace of play and added depth to the game.......... 'Say no more!'
Barcrest - Cash Attack
25p / £15.00
'The boy's good, the boy's clever!' Great little machine this with superb audio. Running MPU4 technology and updated
from £10 to £15 JP, I remember playing this machine a lot during my time working in Bromley many years ago.
It did need some shoe-horning in to ensure nothing else had to go!! Look out for 'Reel Skill' mid way up the feature
board - very easy Jackpot win here and quite often with a repeat!