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A Question for People Who Play a Mixture of Tables/Slots

Discussion in 'Casino Gaming' started by Harry Lyme, Mar 6, 2016.

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  1. Harry Lyme

    Harry Lyme VIP Whale

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    (This is an "is it just me" question)

    I don't play slots much anymore, except to have gaming time with my SO or to kill time during a frustrating streak at the tables. I mostly play craps, but will mix in some UTH for fun. I have zero problem throwing out $30 or $50 bets, or more if the getting has been good. However, when I sit down at a slot, I cringe when my finger goes near the 2X bet button on a penny or even nickle slot. I won't go more than $3 on a dollar slot. It's not like I'm consciously aware of the odds when i sit down, or anything like that, but just get a oh no feeling when I play slots. Furthermore, losing $30 at slots in a quick trip sucks as bad to me as a $300 loss at the tables, lol.

    Anyone else feel like this?
     
  2. jacmrose

    jacmrose Low-Roller

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    I feel like in table games you feel like you have more of an impact on what the outcome is where as in slots if you lose quickly its as if you just threw away 100 dollars to a video game.
     
  3. Kolmeseiska

    Kolmeseiska Low-Roller

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    I feel just the opposite, for me gambling is entertainment which means I want to get most out of my money. I'll rather lose $100 playing slots for an hour than one hand of blackjack. One of the reasons I hardly ever play VP cause it feels like a grind and it's not that much fun.
     
  4. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    The action is different. You may have $100 down on the craps table but it can sit there for a long time and you know the house edge is low so over time (many many trips) the win/loss will even out somewhat. In slots, your $3 bet lasts 10 seconds and then you're hitting the button again. You are playing about $20/minute and you know that the game is rigged highly against you. In fact, you can't even know how badly the game is rigged against you because you don't know the RNG setting. You do know that over time (many many trips) the win/loss will be everything you brought with you.
     
  5. bdautch

    bdautch VIP Whale

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    Sometimes, if I"m getting my ass kicked at the tables, I'll go and play just the dumbest goddamned slot I can find. It snaps me out of my funk, regardless of whether I win or lose, because I just can't take Britney Spears all that seriously. There's no way for me to play that game and be mad. And if I do well in a bonus, then hey...head back to the blackjack table and hit me baby one more time.
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2016
  6. Lovegas95

    Lovegas95 Too much work...need more play.

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    As much as I hate to admit it, my first casino game was a penny slot machine. I've evolved as a gambler and better understand house edge and slot hold. While I prefer the tables now vs slots, it's still therapeutic to mindlessly dump a hundo or two into the machines especially to mitigate a bad run elsewhere. Truth be told, there were times where I fared better slot wise than craps or blackjack.
     
  7. stackinchips

    stackinchips VIP Whale

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    I play pretty much Craps, BJ, and Slots in that order (with some VP sprinkled in as well). Every trip I've had, of the main three games I play, I am usually up on one, around even on another, and get crushed at the other. Honestly, the two table games tend to not be any more likely to be the winners, especially craps (although playing the Don't more has changed that recently). The slots are fast and furious both ways. I've dumped a few hundred in about 20 minutes, and I've also went on runs where I clear 2k in an hour (and not on jackpots, just 500-700 dollar hits).
     
  8. flyguyfl

    flyguyfl MIA

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    I know it is strange but the 3 of my last 4 trips, I have saved my trip by playing slots after table game losses. The one time it was the reverse, I had some fantastic luck at Let It Ride (3 card straight flush and 5 card flush with all bets out).
     
  9. Ezzy711

    Ezzy711 VIP Whale

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    I play BJ,craps and slots. I can drop a big % of my bankroll in a hurry anywhere with a bad streak. But I continue with slots because it is where I can turn things around the quickest. Only a few times have I had great runs at craps where a made a huge return vs buy in. Decent, but not huge. I tend to use BJ as a social game. Never lose or win great amts, it's just fun.

    I enjoy slots early in the am. No fight for the machine I want, I can machine jump if it sucks or I get bored. The main reason is I can go at my own pace. No fast or slow dealers, no annoying crew screwing with the hot roll. I can hit that button quickly or people watch/drink between pushes.
     
  10. sciencekilla

    sciencekilla Tourist

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    I agree with you 100%!!

     
  11. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Interesting question

    I'm a table player (craps, blackjack and Spanish 21 mainly with some roulette mixed in) but I'll sit down at a slot from time to time with a couple hundred bucks. I like to take a shot at a big hit.

    After $200-300 lost on a slot(s) I'm done because I'd rather use my budget on tables. If I lost $500 on slots I'd be annoyed that I did it rather than spend that on craps.
     
  12. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Wow, if you feel this way then its definitely your own mindset.
    If you tell yourself that you feel better losing $300 as opposed to $30 then you seem to have a predetermined notion about the activity you are playing.
    More than likely you have read too many threads here about how playing slots is "bad" and succumb to the propaganda therefore to conform you have a predetermined notion about slots.
    I predict by page 4 this turns in yet another table/slots thread.
     
  13. MikeOPensacola

    MikeOPensacola El Jefe

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    BJ, craps & occasional carny game player here. I don't consider myself a slot player at all but I'll definitely sit down at a slot machine each day and throw in a C-note and go for the big payoff. I certainly see the lure of slot play in that the are really good comp opportunities and a chance for big pay days but the variance is too much for me. I'll play slots as a diversion from the table games, and I have fun doing it, but for me I like the social interaction that table games offer. I will say this about slots though: They have come a long way from when I first started going to LAS and I find when I do play them, albeit briefly, I always have a fun time.

    :peace::beer:
     
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  14. spdandpwr

    spdandpwr VIP Whale

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    I share the same perspective. The social interaction of table games or even bartop VP is why I am partial to playing those. Plus, with certain slot machines, I feel like it's a mindless exercise in button pressing...which is why I appreciate some of the newer slot machines. I like the feeling of being in control of my win. In other words, my strategy (or lack thereof) determines the outcome. Slots are a bit too random.
     
  15. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    I kind of feel the same way, and here's why...

    - When playing tables (especially blackjack and baccarat, but this can be applied to most other games), bets move in an "action/reaction" sort of way. That is, if I bet $30 and win, that's basically what I wanted. But if I bet $30 and lose, I might bet another $30 to recover the $30 that I lost, and I actually have a reasonably good chance of that happening.

    - By comparison, playing slots is more similar to buying lottery tickets. You might get 1,000 spins the same way you might buy 1,000 tickets and get a few small hits - but slot players, like lottery players, are all after one thing... the jackpot. Putting $30 into the machine and playing it down to $0 can feel like a bit of a waste when you knew your odds weren't that good to begin with.

    - Having said that, I can sympathize with the mentality that is miffed at a $30 loss on slots but not bothered by a $300 loss at the tables. At least at the tables, you could have pressed your bets a bit and won the $300 back... whereas the only way you'll get your $30 back playing slots is by feeding the machines more money - and even then, your chances are still very slim.

    - On that basis, you could have argued that you should have taken that $30 and put it on red/black on roulette. At least then, you had a (basically) 1/2 chance of doubling your money, whereas small payouts notwithstanding, putting it into a slot machine is just feeding the "you've got to be in it to win it" dream.
     
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  16. Harry Lyme

    Harry Lyme VIP Whale

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    I can't say it's a predetermined notion, and I definitely haven't succumbed to any propaganda from the interwebs. Wrong guy by a mile, haha. If I felt the way some people felt, I wouldn't play at all. My point is that despite never hitting the big one, I've had some pretty memorable wins playing slots, some saving the night from table losses, and some hits setting up big table wins. Yet, when I sit down to play I can never bring myself to play big consistently. I can throw $100 on a table without blinking, but a $5 bet on a slot is cringe worthy. Even playing $1 VP at max doesn't bother me. I can't even say it's the odds, because I occasionally play sucker bets in craps and BJ and carny games with their sucker bets and slots are probably slightly better statistically, and I'm fine with that.

    This isn't intended to be a versus thread and I hope it doesn't turn to that, as I generally hate those, but a look into the betting practices of those who play both, and see if I'm an isolated case. A couple of people kinda have that thought about it. It's definitely more of a, "well, maybe I should have", rather than "slots suck, what's wrong with me?" I think it boils down to I can get my entertainment fun with forty cents a spin on slots, and betting way more than the minimum doesn't increase that fun. When I do increase the bets, I think how doubling that bet will give me one less spin. It's kooky, but hey, I'm kooky.
     
  17. Happygirl21

    Happygirl21 VIP Whale

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    I feel the exact same way! I don't think I have ever dropped more than a twenty into a slot at any given time, but oddly, I have no reservations about dropping $25 on one hand of BJ. Go figure.
    To be honest, half of the slots are so "busy" I don't even know what is actually happening,lol. If I play any slots, which is rare in and of itself, I try to go for the more old school styled reels, I always liked the Double Diamonds.
     
  18. FullBoat

    FullBoat VIP Whale

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    I'm right there with ya. If I'm taking a hit at craps, I'll go to the slots, and put $20-$60 in a couple of machines. It's just to give me a chance to get off tilt, and to not think about what I'm doing for a while. And, of course, I use up my FP. I guess I just want to feel I have at least a bit of control of how I'm winning/losing, and not how many times I push a button.
     
  19. Kevke

    Kevke Vegas Addict

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    I like to play both of them , but i sure as hell feel much worse losing $ 300 on craps / BJ then 3$ 30 on a slot.

    Ofcourse when u do slots you have no control or whatsoever , while on BJ or Craps u can actually make your own disccisions.

    I just like to chill on a slot machine put in a $10 or $ 20, get some a free drinks and move on.
     
  20. stackinchips

    stackinchips VIP Whale

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    I'm not sure that I fully agree with you on the slots portion. On any given trip, I can pretty much expect to hit 1 or 2 200X+ hits, 3-5 100X hits, and a bunch of 50x hits. This is over about 4 hours a day probably on average, over the course of 4-5 days. I've certainly had much worse trips on the slots and I've had much better. Your post seems to imply that there are only two options when you put money in a slot; you lose all your money, or you hit a jackpot. That is not correct.

    One other thing that may throw some people off on slots, especially when their slot play is significantly lower than their table play, is that they want to play small on a slot, but aren't happy with a small win. If you're used to throwing down $100 bets on a table game, then go to play slots and are playing .40 cents a spin, are you going to be happy if you hit for 40 bucks? That's a 100x hit which is great. That's like betting $5 and winning $500. Of course the problem is that someone who bets $100 on tables probably ISN'T going to be happy with $40 and will just keep playing until it's all gone. And if you're planning on playing 40 cents a spin, chasing a $300+ hit, well than yes, slots ARE a jackpot or bust proposition for you.

    Like I said in an earlier post, I play Craps, BJ, and Slots. Every trip one of those I'm up significantly, one I'm around even, and the third I get crushed on. So for me, I'm usually kicking myself thinking, "If I would have just laid off the XXXX, I would have had a great trip". Honestly, I'd say the one that kills me is usually Craps, Slots, BJ, in that order. I could just play BJ, but it becomes so mechanical and doesn't really hold my interest. Also to me $1 lost on slots or on tables doesn't feel any different to me. About the only time I'll feel any regret is when I dump $100 into a slot that I either don't know, or that I typically haven't had any luck on it and promptly dump it. In that scenario I think "I should have just used that $100 to take a rip on (insert game I like here)".
     
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