Jim gazed at his screen, the spreadsheet in front of him showing his hopes fading day by day. When he joined Hope Springs Charity in Las Vegas as the new donations manager three months ago, he had big ideas and high energy. It felt like the perfect role. But now he was in trouble. He had six months to raise $1 million, and with half the time left, he had just $200,000 in the bank.
Through his office window, the bright lights of the Las Vegas skyline sparkled. It was a constant reminder of the city’s endless wealth. Yet here he was right in the heart of it, unable to gather enough funds to hold onto his role.
Holding Onto One Last Chance: Aunt Sarah
Jim grabbed his phone and called the one person he believed might save him: Aunt Sarah. Sarah known as the family’s superstar, had built her success by creating slot machines for big casinos earning quite a fortune. Jim felt certain she could provide him with the money he needed.
“Aunt Sarah, I’m in trouble,” Jim said explaining his messy situation.
The other end of the call fell silent for a moment. Then Sarah’s voice sounded shaky. “Jim, sweetheart, I wish I could, but I’m tied up in a legal battle with my ex,” she said. “If I lose—and my attorneys think I could—I might lose everything I have. I just can’t promise any funds right now.”
Jim’s stomach dropped. His last chance was slipping away.
The Slot Machine Designer’s Secret
“Still,” Sarah said, her voice taking on a new edge, “you don’t spend three decades designing slot machines without uncovering what makes them tick.”
Jim leaned forward in his chair. “What are you saying?”
“Jim, I can’t hand you cash, but I can give you something better—knowledge. Right now, you’re in Las Vegas surrounded by slot machines I helped create. These machines follow patterns, with sequences that repeat in ways most people miss. There’s a logical rhythm to how their winning combinations show up.”
“Wait, are you telling me the games are fixed?” Jim asked, his tone uneasy.
“No, they’re not rigged—they’re programmed. Machines are programmed to hit winning combinations at certain times to balance their payout rates. If you can figure out the patterns in these sequences, you’ll know when a machine is ready to pay out or when it’s just collecting,” Sarah explained.
Her tone became more excited. “I’ll send you a Picdoku puzzle. It’s not an ordinary puzzle—it’s a coded design I put together a long time ago. Solve it, and the pattern of pictures it uncovers will explain how slot machines repeat their winning sequences. You’ll learn when to play and when to avoid.”
The Picdoku Puzzle Arrives
A few minutes later, Jim’s inbox chimed. The subject line grabbed attention: “Your Million Dollar Solution.”
Jim clicked to open the email and found a Picdoku puzzle attached. It was a tricky grid game where pictures replaced numbers. Like Sudoku, every row, column, and marked section needed one of each image.
The puzzle included slot machine symbols. In her note, Sarah explained the method: “The final arrangement of these symbols from left to right and top to bottom will reveal the winning sequence slot machines use. If you crack this order, you’ll understand how often to predict winning spins. This will let you know when to play and when not.”
Racing Against the Clock
Jim printed the puzzle and moved everything off his desk. He had just three months to come up with $800,000. Aunt Sarah believed this puzzle wasn’t just about saving his career; it could unlock the funds needed to keep the charity in Las Vegas running, which supported hundreds of families.
While looking at the grid, Jim spotted certain symbols already in place. These hints would help him figure out where the rest of the symbols should go. Each row needed all 9 symbols to appear only once, each column needed the same, and every 3×3 section also had to fit all 9 symbols one time.
Your mission is to solve the following puzzle in accordance with the given rules to help Jim save his job.
