>With a slot machine, sometimes I get lucky. If I pull the crank a lot, maybe I’ll get the outcome I want. Maybe not.

Look at how effective this is though. You just have a computer pull the slot machine in a loop until you get what you want. And what you were unable to do as quickly, if at all. This describes the process for the math, crypto, security, etc. breakthroughs. They just try a ton of shit until they gain traction and meet the goal.

This also describes what a mathematician does, it's just over the course of years not hours.