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Why do you play slots?

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by Snowbelle3, Feb 7, 2014.

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  1. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    Why do you play slots?
     
  2. NeonTurtle14

    NeonTurtle14 I Run the Vegas Hotdog Stand

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    Because I'm too drunk to count to 21? :)
     
  3. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    Hahahaha
     
  4. KimberlyJ

    KimberlyJ Low-Roller

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    Best. Answer. Ever!!!!:beer:
     
  5. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    Yep... same with VP. For some reason, I start playing VP faster the more I drink and when I notice I'm starting to misplay hands or make mistakes, I cash out and wander over to a slot-machine. Not quite as easy to enjoy the people-watchin' from behind a machine, but I can put myself into "mindless" entertainment mode.
     
  6. Piggylane

    Piggylane Well-Known Member

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    Excellent question!

    Recently ran into a former business analyst for one of the big strip operators who lost his job post 2008 recession and is now working out of the industry. I have every reason to believe this story!

    He was tasked to track what happened to big slot winners. So he identified 458 jackpots that had been issued over $50,000. This, if I remember correctly, was over a six month period. He only tracked people who had player's cards, not the random newlyweds who dropped $100 into the $100 slot for one spin and hit it.

    One year later 456/458 of the winners, including two seven figure winners, had given every cent back! Only two walked or kept a significant portion of the win.

    The casinos are thrilled to pay you off when you get a big win. My biggest slot win was $11K on a penny machine at Sunset Station and I was harassed by the host for over a year to return until I threatened to contact the Gaming Commission. I walked. Haven't been back. I've won three $20K videopoker wins at of all places Palazzo but got very little in return so they don't get my business anymore. Over the past 15 years, I'm net down a significant amount.

    If a slot pays 90% return, how many times do you have to push the button before multiplying 0.90 times itself becomes a positive number? Hmmm...?

    They can be fun, entertaining and if you are willing to pay for that entertainment, I still do a little bit at times, great for you! If you hit the variance and win, well, what you do is up to you. We're all adults!
     
  7. DjZZeRo

    DjZZeRo Tourist

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    Only if I go on a losing streak on roulette and want to try something with less % of winning lol.
     
  8. lithium78

    lithium78 VIP Whale

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    I play slots when I don't have a lot of time to gamble, or when I don't feel like interacting with people, or when I need to make a large amount of tier credits quickly.
     
  9. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    GREAT story, thanks!

    Wow, so this is us slot players' fate? Good thing we are all adults. lol. Here's the evidence--we can make an informed decision to continue to spin the wheel. :thumbsup:
     
  10. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    Why do I like slots?

    1. Greater Entertainment Value

    When I started out playing, I only played table games and I remember looking at the slots as mindless. I would just walk right by them. It was as if they were not even in the casino. My eyes were on the prize: the tables.

    I remember my very first casino experience however was on slot machines in Atlantic City. I don't consider it my first gaming experience though because $100 was finished in 20 minutes and I was crushed. My first gaming experience was on roulette, blackjack and the wheel game at Stratosphere . I played for 5 days with $500. In AC, I was just trying my luck but in Vegas I wanted to win! Thankfully now I just view it as entertainment.

    I know that the odds of me winning is better with tables than with slots. But I also find that I can lose miserably at tables the same way I can with slots. The difference is, there is greater entertainment value for me with slots.

    I find joy in low-rolling and that is easier with slots. With slots I can play 10 cents a spin (when i can find these older machines) for an hour and be down $10 bucks. I have now been "entertained" without having to risk as much.

    2. Better Value on Comps

    Then, there are the comps. Since slot machines bring in much of the casino revenue these days, slot players are comped pretty marvelously.

    Strangely, I don't get comps often. But when I do, it's for far less money risked than I would have to give for tables.

    I was comped for a buffet and Sinatra at the Wynn during my trip...and I risked $300 on slots for a few hours over a couple days (no big wins). :thumbsup: $300 at a table might get you a dirty look at Wynn. :evillaugh

    If I really tried at this slot comps thing, I could be living it up. I not only get more and better comps for slot play, I also risk a whole lot less than I would at a table.

    3. Big Wins for the Dollar risked

    Unless I am playing those forbidden side bets on the tables or I bet big, I am not winning big for my bet in a short amount of time. I have won $20 and $40 several times on a 40-50 cent spin. I count this as a big win because it's 40-80X the bet. Winning $500 after only putting in $5 is a highlight for me. Not to mention, jackpots can be had although those rarely ever happen.



    Slots are fun in that they are like arcade games that may return money to you. But even with entertainment, I would rather win in the casino. So, honestly the biggest reason why I play slots is the better value on comps. If tables had better comps, I would almost exclusively play tables.
     
  11. LA2VegasTrekkers

    LA2VegasTrekkers High-Roller

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    I agree with pretty much everything you said, Sco. We play slots because they are entertaining and mindless at the same time. We go to Vegas to relax (and drink), not to have to pay attention to game strategy or anything like that. We love the themes, the music, the flashy lights, the relatively low bet per spin with potential upside, being together, enjoying a few drinks and not really having to interact with a bunch of other people if we don't want to. We also get treated pretty well, as you mentioned with free rooms, free play, food, etc.
     
  12. dannyg1001

    dannyg1001 Low-Roller

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    I think 99% of slot players know its a terrible way to gamble, for me i find it really exciting when you hit a bonus on a high bet. Im a low roller, prob less than $100 per day gambling budget in vegas, but occasionally when im playing a slot machine i will throw in the odd max bet here and there, amazing how many times ive got lucky and had a decent win!
     
  13. Piggylane

    Piggylane Well-Known Member

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    Yes, but!

    Scan across the casino floor - it is littered with extremely entertaining penny slots which average less than 90%. If you are putting $20 in, betting 30 cents a spin, relaxing with your friends or alone and getting a few drinks and that's how you like to enjoy yourself, excellent! But if you read through these very same message boards you will find people complaining how they never win anything. Could it be because they are pounding their rent money or SS check, 30 cents at a time, into a bad investment?

    Sco - like you I used to play lots of table games, got nothing, played lots of slots and got lots of comps! My mailbox would be stuffed every day. I would throw away anything less than $500 free play. Losers! Who dis they think I was? Then tax time came. I had stacks of W-2G's from slots and videopoker, one year in the six figures! Cool! Until I ran my win/loss statement and looked at my finances! And then had to come up with the money to pay taxes on my wins as Massachusetts doesn't let you deduct gambling losses!

    I'm back to tables. Not much excitement, except for craps. I don't play with a players card, don't need comps, don't need a host. My hotel and meals are covered as I am always on business travel. My gambling budget is a fraction of what it was but I sleep better. I enjoy watching people win and remember the days when I did.

    Slots are indeed fun, they are meant to be! I sincerely wish everyone has big hits - having a safe full of cash (I had over $100K in the Rio once, I brought $1200 to play with) is something everyone should experience. But take the money and RUN!
     
  14. Drambler

    Drambler High-Roller

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    I use slots as a break from the tables and also as a chance to score a nice quick big hit. I can play blackjack for a long time and not hit a huge jackpot, but with one spin I can win a bundle.
     
  15. Flopitbaby

    Flopitbaby Low-Roller

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    Like many have already said slots for the most part are mindless games. I have a stress filled job dealing with as we like to call them opportunities 24-7, so when the Vegas trip arrives it is just myself a pretty cocktail waitress taking care of my every need and a machine (instead of a customer) that I can say screw you too walk away and have 100's more courting me with those flasing lights and those sexy sounds. AHHHH VEGAS !
     
  16. brandonh

    brandonh Tourist

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    Slot machines offer a lot of fun and variety for a pretty low absolute price. I enjoy blackjack as a game, but the price per hand is high enough that my low-rolling gambling budget would be wiped out pretty fast unless I got lucky.

    For about the price of a movie experience, I can sit at the slots for an equivalent amount of time, enjoy an alcoholic beverage or two, and get some inventive video entertainment with the themes of my choice. There is also the possibility of winning some money.

    Some of the machines offer some great sound systems and/or chair rumble while you are playing. Of course, these are designed to make you play faster, but they make things more fun.

    One of my favorite parts of slot gambling is the video bonus round. Even if it just helps you get closer to a break-even point, they provide a great feeling. During that time, you are not losing any money, just getting the fun and more credits.
     
  17. blackjacknut

    blackjacknut VIP Whale

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    Love it!!! :nworthy:
     
  18. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    +1
    Thank you for answer as you saved me a lot of typing. :beer:
     
  19. lmondun

    lmondun Low-Roller

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    I have many rationalizations for playing slots, including some of those mentioned by others. Comps is probably my No. 1 rationale, but there are two other factors that play a role for me:

    1) The mindlessness of the action is very comforting to me. The time I spend as a "slot zombie" is as free of stress as any time in my life. (Unfortunately, there can be a price to pay when a big losing session leads to plenty of remorse afterward.)

    2) I just don't like being in close proximity to other people for extended periods of time when I'm gambling. I love observing all the crazy people in Vegas, but I don't want them to be seated six inches from me. With slots, I can almost always find a place to play where I'm in an extended bubble of gambling isolation. When casinos had a lot more VP machines, this was also true, but nowadays the video poker machines tend to be crowded with players seated in close proximity, at least on the Strip. Most table games are social by nature, so that doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps I could get some isolation if I played high-limit table games, but then I figure the "thinking" part would be a problem.
     
  20. luvstp

    luvstp High-Roller

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    Mostly it's for the entertainment.....but I also play for the big hit and when I've had a few too many glasses of wine to keep on playing video poker. :eek:

    I still remember one trip to the Mirage where I had been playing $ DDB for two days and was down $4100. I was in a terrible quad drought and was sooooooo very frustrated. So, the drinking started, I headed to the dollar slots and managed a purple 7 with two 7X multipliers for $4900 on a machine called funny fruits. I stared at that machine and couldn't believe my good luck......so much for VP being the better game!

    I used to play the tables.....mostly blackjack......but had to stop as I got so frustrated with people sitting down and not knowing how to play basic strategy. Yes, I am that person who believes if you are going to do something, you should do it well. I found that gambling was just as aggravating and stressful as my work life.......so, enter video poker and slots where I'm not judging anyone.

    The other thing about the tables (for me) was I always wondered how many people were talking about their life and lying......the population of doctors and lawyers that I met while playing at the tables far exceeded the national averages. :ssst:
     
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