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Lazarus- Back from the dead (In a gambling sort of way)

Discussion in 'Casino Gaming' started by Edserv, Jun 27, 2016.

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  1. Edserv

    Edserv Low-Roller

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    Just wondering what is the biggest gambling swing (from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs) you've ever had?

    Everyone here knows the feeling of scraping rock-bottom and finally calling it a night; however, once in a while the odds turn- and all of a sudden you're back on top.

    I have a couple stories...
    On one of our very first trips to Vegas a long time ago, my wife and I were visiting on almost a zero budget. We were playing quarters and down to our last few bucks when all of a sudden I hit quad Aces with a kicker for a $500 win. At the time that was a huge win (I'd still take it anytime today).

    My biggest upswing happened while playing at a riverboat in Indiana when I was again on a strict budget but somehow managed to work my way up from playing dimes to quarters then eventually dollars on STP VP. I somehow managed to hit a 5X multiplier and drew two cards needed to fill a royal for just over $20,000. (Much needed at the time as we had just started a new business and the money really helped).

    And on another trip a while ago, I watched my brother-in-law lose his b/r down to almost zip and work his way back playing single quarter hands to finally cashing out with a few hundred bucks. I got video of us walking out of Caesars Palace with him yelling "Lazarus Baby!!!!"
     
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  2. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    We had a real low roller trip several years ago. We got an offer for two free nights at Main Street Station and another for one or two nights at Sam's Town (I can't remember now). We were pretty low on funds at the time, but knew we could spare a little gambling money and make it work if we did non-casino, free things most of the trip. I think we brought $200 for the whole trip's gaming for the both of us. The free rooms were too hard to pass up, so we drove down from the Bay Area for a quick getaway.

    On our last night, at Sam's Town, we decided to go for it with the last of our bankroll. I hit my first royal flush ever. On nickels. :haha: I was so happy and ran to find my husband. I finally found him up in the room, waiting for me. He had turned his last $5 into $100 at the blackjack table. One of the stock avatars here is that beautiful black chip from Sam's Town. ;) I even got a Sam's Town jacket for hitting a royal. We were so thrilled, you would think we hit the Megabucks.
     
  3. Edserv

    Edserv Low-Roller

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    Almost any win when you're down to your last nickel is like winning the megabucks!!!
    BTW- has any VMB member ever won the megabucks?
     
  4. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

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    I've hit it three or four times, I just keep playing it all back. ;)
     
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  5. TedCheddy

    TedCheddy Low-Roller

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    Not really a back from the dead story - more a back from you-know-better-than-that...I was on a solo business trip a few years back staying at South Point. The last several trips I had gotten tired of grinding out .25 single hand DDB poker $20 at a time, only to come away with nothing at the end of the trip. I decided this time I was going to chunk $100s in higher denom single line games or try to pop one of the Dream Card, Ult X, STP type multi-line games - thinking I could get up big early and relax/enjoy. Well, couple that "strategy" with the "yay, I'm back in Vegas!" excitement and the first 90 minutes I'm out $1,200. For those that aren't familiar with South Point (or any of the "local" casinos) they have A LOT of video poker - nothing was working.

    So I'm out $1,200 - I think I had brought $1,500 with me and was already envisioning the walk of shame to the ATM. I sat at a .25 triple play machine but decided to play Triple Double Bonus this time. I think I played my $100 down to about $30 and got dealt three Aces - I did the "please, please, oh God PLEASE why not me!" thing and it actually worked: 4 Aces w/kicker for $1,000. Yes! only a couple hundy down, let's play this to a round number and cash out - I then hit 4 Aces a few hands later to get me basically even. I felt so relieved to be getting a do-over after stupidly chasing a big win the minute I walked through the door.

    A few hours later I was playing a Multi Strike Deluxe game (.10 credit for $2.50/hand) and got dealt a Royal on the top line at 16x for $6,400.
     
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  6. veovis23

    veovis23 Low-Roller

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    My two biggest ones are both Poker stories. A couple of trips ago I was sat at a 2/5 NL table thinking it was a 1/3, burned $300 quick making a standard play for the 1/3 level. Bought back in won some back and then got moved to a true 1/3 table. Proceeded to roller coaster for about 3 hours, getting tangled up in all sorts of messes. I was down about 2/3rds of my trip roll and was close to calling it for the night. Wound up doubling up the next hand and 3 hands later doubling that against the big stack at the table. All of a sudden I am even for the session. Played another hour or so, walked away up $300 for 6 or so hours of playing.

    The other one was at Aria on a 22 hour marathon session. Should have left plenty of times, my last $200 of the trip was on the table. I cashed out for right around $1300, up like $50 for 22 hours of play. Did enjoy the free pizza from my comps though.
     
  7. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    I've told them all before on here...
    one of the better ones was, losing all my vegas roll the first night downtown, playing single line quarters!
    only had like $5 left (which was cocktail tips, but because we kept losing $100 so quickly, we never were at one machibe LONG enough to get a drink)
    hit quad aces for $60 (x3 nickles on STP at Fremont) walked back over to MSS, and hit a nickle royal for $200...ended up having a good time, and getting back to our original $400.
    Lol, looking back, we've been severely under bankrolled every time, haha.
     
  8. DDB

    DDB Low-Roller

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    At a local casino I brought $400 with me and lost it playing VP. Hit the ATM for another $400, then the credit car for $400. Now down $1200 and at the daily ATM limit, did I leave ? Of course not, waited around a half hour until midnight and withdrew another $800. Nearly busted, I hit a .50 royal for $2000. Normally, I take handpays by check but I was thanking my lucky stars to be a little ahead - so I took the cash.

    I told myself "$100 and that is it". Next thing I know, I gave it all back. I have never been so ashamed of myself in a casino as I was that night.
     
  9. jamesxnj

    jamesxnj VIP Whale

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    Once as a newbie in AC blew about $40 at a BJ table..(Bankroll for the night..at the time no VP bartops either it was pay for drinks and tip) $5 Table and left with a $2.50 snapper chip from a bj payout..
    Went to the big wheel thing and put it on the 40-1 or 45-1 I forget now and asked the dealer to spin it for me..it hits and I regretfully did not tip the guy...Just so pleased to be alive again to hit that same BJ table where I promptly lose it back..

    Another time years later blow $400 chasing a #25 in Roulette..would leave table and get more $ cash from room and return to same table..never hit but by now if if ever hit I would have to have $10 or more on it straight up..Went to bed buzzed and p'od at myself.
    Next day 2nd hand in first time playing 3 card poker get the A23 in Diamonds for $400..I mention to the dealer wow you just saved me big time and only tipped her a $5..Just to shocked..next day sit at the same table and dealer comments to my buddy that somebody hit the straight flush and only tipped a $5..Had to be me they were talking about I'm thinking next day..Harrahs AC
     
  10. buzz_king

    buzz_king Low-Roller

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    There are many but I remember one last year at my local in particular. I dropped $1700 on slots and Mississippi Stud (despite an $800 full house) on Saturday night. Sunday morning I was into a slot for $500 or $600 more when I hit for $3804.80.
     
  11. jimmyj126

    jimmyj126 Tourist

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    Mine was up and down. Won $10,000.00 on Superbowl 24. The game was such a blowout 55-10 San Fran over Denver that I started making plans with my girlfriend to go to Vegas as soon as I collected. Was 27 and never been to Vegas. We landed and started slamming slot machines. In the first 30 hrs we were there we lost $8,000.00 and had 5 more days there. My girlfriend went to bed at 8:00pm to save money the second day there. I had no idea how to gamble. I sat at BJ table and bought in for $100.00. I started winning. I remember the dealer was from New York and kept making fun of me because there was no rhyme or reason to how I was playing. She said "you have no clue what you are doing do you?". She was right but I was winning, and by winning I started raising my bets. I went from $5.00 and kept raising the bet. I played one 6 deck shoe at $200.00 a hand and doubt if i lost more than 2 hands. That shoe is what made me most of my money. At around 7:00am three guys that said they went to UNLV stopped in before class. By now I'm drunk and elated, I had never won this much money in my life. I was betting $200.00 a hand and told them how easy it was. I lost three hands and they started chuckling about my bravado. I plucked down 1 K and hit a blackjack. $1,500.00. Told them that is how it is done, acting like I knew what i was doing and started to walk away from the table with all several purple and all these black chips and then the dealer stops me and says "sir you shouldn't leave the tables with all the blacks-let me color you up. Right then the kids knew I was just some drunken lucky guy-who had no idea how to gamble. I cashed for 13k. I went upstairs and started throwing the chips at my sleeping girlfriend waking her up. She was thrilled. From that trip on I have never been heavily invested in slot machines. I know first hand how quick you can burn through money.. I know this sounds like a bunch of bullshit but it really did happen to me. i have no reason to lie to a bunch of people on the internet. It is the greatest gambling memory I have.
     
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  12. Nittany1

    Nittany1 VIP Whale

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    Playing craps in the afternoon at Rio about eight years ago.
    It was not going well and I was down about $3k after about an hour.
    Got the dice with about $200 left in the rail.
    Started making points,numbers and pressed my bets.
    Shot for bout 50 min and colored up for $10K.
     
  13. Flowers

    Flowers VIP Whale

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    My 50th birthday, 2 years ago. Went down stairs technically the day after my birthday but it was still the same gaming day of my birthday (around 12:30 in the am). Went downstairs with my last $400 or so to play with for the trip and came back to my room around 6:30 am with 21k in checks and cash. It was the most extraordinary 6 hours in my now 25 years of going to Vegas. 90% of the wins came from Double STP jackpots (one for $10k+) and some smaller ones and even a $1500+ hit on the Goldfish machine a few feet away. I got so many handpays that I was basically entertainment for the security guy in the area who kept having to find someone to take care of my hand pay. He made a lot in tips that night.

    That same machine is what I play when I stay at Caesars but I haven't had an experience like that since though I hope to repeat it when I am in Vegas for my birthday in 7 weeks and 2 days! I was doing triple play, then eventually 10 play quarters DSTP. I got a couple of royals with multipliers but the best hand was when I was playing TEN play and was DEALT 4 ACES with a small multiplier. I just had to sit back and see which hands would pop with with kickers. I was playing DDB. It was beautiful. This all happened after losing pretty much five days in a row. It was a fabulous birthday with family and good friends and it would have seriously have been my best Vegas trip ever even before those six hours but that experience made my 50th birthday celebration all that more memorable. The next day I drove solo after a short nap and spent 2 1/2 days in Zion and then Bryce Canyon before returning to Vegas for 2 days solo and then flying back to NYC.
     
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  14. Edserv

    Edserv Low-Roller

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    A guy named Elmer Sherwin really did hit it twice. What are the odds....
     
  15. boxofbirds

    boxofbirds Royally Flushed

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    So many great stories. I have none such stories, yet anyway, but just wanted to say to all thanks for sharing!
     
  16. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    I swing pretty little when it comes to gambling because I'm a tightass...lol

    But one of my most memorable and bigger swings was during my only solo trip on Presidents' Day 2012. Most of the trip I got hit pretty hard at both live poker and video poker. It was heading toward what would have been my biggest Vegas loss to date (14 trips now). I mostly wrote the trip off as a loss at that point on the last night and was playing VP for cheap at Flamingo at the time on their new 100-play penny STP machines playing 36c per round so I could get "free beer". Well, it definitely was free that night after hitting this! My first Vegas royal and my only dealt royal!

    [​IMG]

    And later that night I bought my "lucky" Flamingo shirt for $4 on clearance at the gift shop as well as running into a person I used to work with at the former IP. haha

    I still was down a few hundred overall for the trip. But it completely turned the trip's attitude around!
     
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  17. Edserv

    Edserv Low-Roller

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    Nice hit!!! You just never know when that kind of hand's going to happen. I've only been dealt 1 royal- the machine locked up.
    I usually end-up playing the 100 up VP at Monte Carlo near the end of my trips. Can play very low budget and still get free drinks. And I'm always hoping I hit one like yours.
     
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  18. OddsWrkin

    OddsWrkin MIA

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    Years ago at the local casino, I was playing craps and down to my last few chips. With a red on the pass line, I plopped my remaining chips down for odds, I don't remember the exact amount but somewhere around $12 on odds. Hours later I colored to two purples and two reds. I decided to tip the two reds and asked the stick how he would like it bet. He said midnight and then said it again right after the dice were rolled. I got so excited about hitting the tip that I dropped one of the purples.
     
  19. TrewBrew

    TrewBrew I may be right, I may be Crazy.

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    playing 3 card and Blackjack at the local I had $30 of a $600 dollar bank roll left. I was going to lick may wounds and head home with the $30 when I walked past the Walking Dead slots, I and the machines sucked me in. On the third Figuring my luck had changed I went back to the tables and eventually went home with half of my bankroll
     
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