So this isn't how I imagined my first hand pay would go. Yesterday I was at Pechanga in Temecula. I was wandering around and playing the slots and sat on a machine with a 2 dollar max bet. I will just sit here a few minutes I told myself win a nice little bonus round, and move on. Well "somehow" 300 dollars later I had yet to hit a bonus. Well, I have this fun little habit of chasing my losses. I mean I am not sure if there is worse habit in the world to have, but boy am I good at it. And by good at it, I mean the absolute worst at it. So, anyways, every time I am at P Town and I lose a little, I follow the same routine. I head to the high limit slots and I play those Game King machines that have black jack on it. Max bet is 100 per hand and you can play up to 10 credits so the absolute max in any one hand is 1K. Well, since I was down 300, I had planned on putting in 300, winning and being even. (For the record, that's just my plan. Usually I put in the money, get 19, have the dealer show a picture, hit stand, have the dealer flip over something super fun like a 3, than hit a 7 and lose. Next move is curse myself out as I walk to my car or just roll up into the fetal position right there on the flow and cry myself to sleep) Anyways, so the normal plan is to play whatever I lost. For once though, I said you know what, let's just go for it. So, I had 700 more in my pocket and having sliding all the Benjamin's in there, I had a grand total of 7 credits. I said to myself - I got this. And after being dealt a 15, I said "Self, you ain't got this". But a glimmer of hope! The dealer has a 6 showing. Nothing like getting to hit stand and saying well, all I need is the machine not to screw me. So I hit stand and said don't screw me. (The man next me raised an eyebrow at that one...fortunately he didn't raise anything else.) Dealer flips a picture for 16 and than a 9 and for those of you not very well versed in the rules of blackjack, 25 is a few too many. Bang winner. So I search for the cash out button on the machine I normally leave with my tears and a small piece of my soul on, and hit it. No ticket. Hmmm, well I quickly googled the rules of black jack to ensure that I had actually one, and once that was confirmed I said okay machine, I'd like to cash out now. It just looked at me. (Maybe the machine was as surprised as I was that I had actually won for once?) So I hit the button again, and it locked up. It said right in the middle JACKPOT 1400. The slot attendant was there in about 1.2 seconds and said congratulations. I said thanks, and is this the normal protocol when someone chases their losses and actually wins? She gave me the same look the machine did. I said to her, hey so what's the deal here, I bet 700, I won 700, now I'm not math expert, but don't I have to win more than 1199 to get a hand pay? She said sir, it says you won 1400. I said ma'am I mean, I only won 700. We did this dance for a while before her boss showed up and than we did the hot new dance that's shaping the nation called "But but but, I really only won 700". He was firm in his stance, that because the machine says WIN 14 (14 units at 100 a pop) that it's a hand pay and I have to do the tax info. I mean that kind of stinks doesn't it? Obviously I am happy and all that jazz, but I kept thinking to myself, boy when I imagined my first hand pay happening, I saw myself running laps around the casino, and maybe the parking lot, not having a friendly discussion about what winning 700 and 1400 really means. Signed, A happy chaser who planned on writing 3 sentences and somehow wrote a long winded story that could have been summed up in 3 sentences.
The machine behaved as it is supposed to unfortunately. If the machine pays out $1200 or more INCLUDING your initial wager, then it triggers a W2-G. I'm guessing I worded that better than the casino employees... People often mistakenly think the threshold is "winning" $1200 because most slot players are hitting these betting $5-$25, or even less, so most of the $1200+ payout is a win! Shame on Pechanga allowing a video blackjack machine to be set that high. Even money wins should never get a W2-G, imo. Glad you were able to win the last hand though!
So, if he had put in say $1500, bet one credit and won, then realized he was playing the wrong machine(or his wife texted to say she needs him) and cashed out, he would get a W2-G? Seems crazy.
If you didn't hit the "cash out" button, would you have been able to play another game? Let's say you bet $201. If you won, then you still would have gotten the W2G. But if you lost and cashed out for $1199, would you not get a W2G? BTW, the Feds need to change the rule on these machines that pay less than some payout percentage.
Right so I was thinking about that. I think if I didn't hit cash out would I have been ok? I could bring the limit all the way down to 25.. Play one hand.. Win lose whatever and than cash out ? Or as soon as I hit any button was I just screwed?
I'm not sure about any of this, but I do know that was one of the best written stories on here in a long time. Nice work.
We have the same thing at my local casino. They have E-tables for poker. I won a large pot, and wasn't thinking anything about it. The rest of table was talking about how lucky I was. Turns out that, after a $5 + $1 rake/jackpot rake, I scooped a $1197 pot. If it had been $3 more, there would have been a tax form to go with it. Double win!
Really? Wow...I'm shocked by this. I'm with you Coyot; you only won $700 but I guess the Casino take on it is once you hit the bet, that money is in play and no longer yours. Jeez, it seems you have a good argument for it not requiring a W2G though. Do you happen to know a lawyer or tax accountant you can bounce it off?
No, any single wager that results in a payout of $1,200 or more results in a W2G. It's stupid that the IRS requirement doesn't take into account the amount wagered.
Great read and funny! But that really sucks about the situation itself and I'm frustrated that this magic $1200 is still considered a 'Jackpot' in this day and age but that is not the issue here.You have every right to be pissed off.You could be able to write it off though and hopefully your next handpay will be a large one! Damn I feel for ya.
Yeah its totally silly In my slotplaying days a couple of years ago i had it a few times...i loved the jackpot but i didnt like the stupid handpays..they took forever till i got payd out..woohoo i won 1300 dollars but i put 1000 in so a net profit of 300 bucks and it costed them an houre..( they wanted to deduct the taxes on my jackpot but i sayd no so i asked for supervisor and after an houre he got back and i got payd in full).next time when i had my slip it still took 45 minutes pfff.( cause it was another casino..so silly as it was also from caesars).my own fault i guess for playing those stupid slots anyways if i would be canadian or japanese i would be sc...d even more as than you also have to pay taxes on it .....in my opinion its a very silly rule........if you loose 1200 bucks do you also get a tax slip so you can ask money back from the irs? I remember an american whale gambler who sued the irs and he won his case the judge ruled in his favour as he could prove he lost more money than he won
Lol, best joke ive read here. What would make you think they would want to not tax you, its essentially exhortion.
Welp, I was back at it again last night making poor decisions. I walked in with 1400, lost 500 on a machine thinking well the next spin will be the bonus of course..(well I got news for you, it never came) anyways so I took my 900 and fed it into my favorite black jack machine.. Thought to myself do I really want to do this..? Answered no and hit the max bet play button anyways. I covered my hand up and dealer was showing a 6.. So that's good. Slow rolled my hand.. Two kings! I hit stay, dealer flips over a 4 for 10 oh boyyyyy then pulls the 9 of clubs (my new favorite card in the world) for 19. So now the machine says win 18 (1 credit = 100). Last time I hit cash out and got the pechanga staff surrounding my machine in 3 seconds telling me how wonderful I am. Well I pondered my options and said I wonder what happens if I just play 1 credit what happens? So I did that and got blackjack of course (should have bet 900 again!!) so now it says win 2. I said that's my cue.. Hit cash out and this time I was not congratulated and surrounded with autograph hands, my 1900 dollar ticket quietly slid out without any fanfare. Yay! I outsmarted the machine !
This is some great info to remember. I've never had this puticular situation but need to keep this in mind.
First, congratulations! And second, it proves your point you should never have gotten a W-2 the first time, I mean wasn't it the same freaking machine? Something is fishy here. I'm super glad you got the money and I was holding my breath reading your story!!
If you wager $600 or more on a hand of video blackjack, you will receive a W2-G if you win the hand since your total payout is $1200 or more. Dumb rule, imo, but it is what it is. Never bet something on an electronic table game where you have a payout of $1200 (which includes your initial wager) or more, and you'll be fine. These machines often pay even money or 6 to 5 on Blackjack, so I think it's not a very good idea myself.
Well now I know if I do do this again the secret to not getting surrounded by paparazzi. The plan is not to visit that machine again. But if you see someone covering up his cards in the high limit area at P town, stop by and say hi..