Slots A Fun the good ole days!

This falls under the category, "If it's working lets mess with it"

The draw used to be cheap drinks and Black Jack. The late night table limits dropped to a buck or two and they still had 3 to 2 payoff on BJ, as well as DAS. One table at least was a two deck hand dealt but you could rarely get a seat without waiting in line, standing behind the table until someone finally gave out and left. The other table had a shoe, 4 or 6 decks as I recall. I usually played that one until I could snag a seat at the other, by means of hook or crook. Two other tables usually $5 I think, but my memories are foggy at best.

Parking was always a nightmare unless you like long walks late at night through the Circus casino shopping corridor from the self park back parking garage or the mile long walk of fear from the self park behind the Rivera. You could Valet but $1 BJ players are too cheap.

The best way was the Deuce bus stop in front and directly across the street. Many times I'd catch that bus after midnight and head up there from center strip where we usually stayed back in those days when the gambling on the strip was still decent enough to tolerate. The low buck BJ went on until 11AM the next day, and I'd still be there. They even gave free coffee, sandwiches, and doughnuts to the charred players around 10AM.

Drink service was dreadfully slow but you could always catch a $1.25 Heineken or Corona from the bar in back on the way back from the bathroom, if you hadn't seen a cocktail server since Christ was a carpenter. Eventually she would break away from her ongoing chat with another server or bartender to get drinks for the players, but by that time rigor mortise had set in.

The Slots A Fun was the premier low roller gambling spot on the Strip Bar None!

Sure they had that Craps table that closed at 11 PM and a couple of roulette tables as well as some OK slots. The best part was the bar top 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker. Yes, I said 9/6 JACKS OR BETTER !

Well, those days have since past and the gambling now stinks like every place else on the strip. The limits are still lower than most strip properties if you can stand the stale stench of grease, chilidogs, onions, and 10 years of spilled beer and unclean restrooms. I do recall the Men's room used to have an aroma similar to a tuna boat. I think they even had a valet once. I don't know if he was actually employed there or if he just came in from the street to hand out paper towels for a little wine money.

Lest I digress,

The Strip & Downtown Express doesn't stop anywhere near there now, the Deuce has gone up and the gambling has gone down. I feel all welled up as I write this, like losing a long time friend to the terminal corporate disease that has become malignant on the rest of the strip.

Now a days I hang out Downtown or on the Boulder Highway where I still feel at home, the way we used to feel on the Strip.

As I write this I can see in my mind that giant slot machine out front, and the Westward HO next door. I'd walk past those sometimes on my way back to the Stardust or Frontier where we sometimes stayed, Coming in at 11:30 AM as my wife was just getting ready in our room to go out for breakfast, and then some gambling and sightseeing for the day.

Oh well as they say, those were the good old days!

Addition 3/2013

As if it could get any worse.....

Well now they have removed all the table games, and all that remains are an array of slots and penny slots. I never go near the place anymore. Even next door at The Circus Circus they have taken out most of the good dollar slots that used to be on the carousel and moved a select few to the area by the back bar. I can remember the days when at least three machines had hit the 3 blue 7's at any given time and the players were sitting there waiting for their hand pay.

There are still a few there but the ones that paid frequently are long since gone, but you can still win if you get on a roll. They are dollar coin in with a max payout of a thousand dollars, so they do pay.

Just to the right of the bar in back.

Do they still have the circus acts? My all time favorite was the cat show, How do they get those cats to do that?


.

 

Thanks for the memories, Mr. Siegal !
.
My favorite "low rent" spot was Westward Ho....next door.
Cheap beers...cheap Elvis...cheap chicks !

 

i remember the 99-cent half-pound hot dogs there way back when. the thought of eating one today makes me ill, but when i was younger and skinnier, that was my cheap meal of the trip. and i was proud of it.

i remember they use to give out those Slots A Fun coupon books at Circus Circus years ago. there's be a one buck off coupon on a yard drink. i'd always make the 75-step talk to C2 to get one, then head back to the bar and and get a great yard drink for $6 or $7. that was 13-14 years ago, or less. good luck finding the equivalent drink today for just double that price.

and i remember when the heinekans were 75 cents at the bar.

if only i had known then how good i had it.

 

Does anybody (else) remember when Slots-A-Fun was downtown? (Not to show my true age!)

 

I'll have to post my pic if tipping Prez a Viagra on a hand of blackjack

Loved Slots-A-Fun!

 

You all might enjoy the new book out "Son of A Gamblin' Man" by Nevada's former Governor, Bob Miller. He talks extensively about his father, Ross Miller and how they moved out here from Chicago in '55 and was a minority owner in the Riviera to start. He rose to be the Riv's Chairman, then sold out and partnered with Jay Sarno to build Circus Circus, then went off on his own to open Slots of Fun. The first half of the book talks a lot about "old Vegas"...

 

I loved Slots O Fun and the HO.

I used to love that $1 craps table at the entrance.
The Ho and the El Rancho was where I first played BJ back in 1987. I would always stop into the HO for several rounds of BJ every trip. I would also swing by Nickel Nick's for a 5 cent donut too.

Another fun stop up the strip for cheap eats was the Silver Slipper(closed in 1988).

 

I was once in slots of fun about 7-8 years ago. I was playing a wheel of fortune slot and hit five cars on the payline. Bells, whistles, and buzzers went off, and I had to be hand payed because the machine didnt have enough nickels in it to cash me out!

 

In 2007 we ground our Vegas teeth here. Staying at the Villa Roma (down Convention center Drive) and learning and playing craps till all hours of the night.

2008 We stayed at The Hilton and still enjoyed sanding our night at Slots before walking back to the Hilton.

 

Those were the good old days, when stopping at the Ho meant Westward Ho not PHo.
Back when Comdex and the Adult entertainment expo commenced at the same time, and you could play a cheap round of golf on the strip at the Dessert Inn.

 

Ah, Nickel Nick's....my kind of place. Great cup of coffee and the world's best donuts. Even their little diner was good for a cheap breakfast but my love was Silver City Saloon across the street. Sure had lots of fun there mornings before heading to my trade show. and often later at night. They were great times.

Jimbo338

 

Miss those good 'ole days at Slots-A-Fun.
I remember when they used to have a car out front with a sign on it that read "Win this car". Kinda reminded me of Mr. Pappagorgio. Had many cheap Heineken's and that half pound dog for 99 cents was a lifesaver.

I recall walking out of Circus Circus many times to be handed my fun book for Slots-A-Fun multiple times a night. It used to be safe to walk from there to the Stratosphere and back at night.

 

... picking up the Fun Book and pushing twice for those free chances at a fortune

... 9/6 JOB at the bar, the bar that was reported to be in Ripley's

... free drink coupon when you cash a check

... hot dogs that .. I'll try and forget that part. There were lineups for them.

It was working. Must not have been enough rich folks there. Time to change it.

 

Don't forget those free painters caps!

Slots-A-Fun was downtown at one time?!?!?!

 

Quote : "The best part was the bar top 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker. Yes, I said 9/6 JACKS OR BETTER !"
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There also used to be a couple of quarter/50 Triple Play machines on the floor, with 9/6 JOB. Almost unbelievable on the Strip, compared to today's standards.

 

Where was it located? Do you have any stories?

I liked Westward Ho or Silver Slipper better, but it was a shame when Slot-A-Fun pulled their live tables and dealers and went all machine.

 

I remember it distinctly from the mid-late 1970s. Two reasons, one which is arguably a story.

It was on the north side of Fremont, west of the Sassy Sally's corner, possibly in the bay where that strip club is now. It was long and narrow and IIRC it was only old mechanical slots.

I remember the name due to the pun on Lots Of Fun.

I also remember it because of my one brother, who had recently broken up with someone, was trying like heck to hit on this one cocktail server there. He was not getting anywhere, but she was most definitely flirting with him.

I tease him about it to this day!

I loved both Silver Slipper and Westward Ho. Both were right in the vicinity of the old Stardust. I miss the Frontier too. Silver Slipper was the only place I remember being "carded" on the casino floor. I was maybe 28 or so at the time. Lots of cheap slots which paid well and made a lot of noise when they did!

I remember Westward Ho for the good nickel (coins only) VP up front, the cheesy lounge shows, and the giant Margaritas which tasted like slurpees but you could get a buzz off of them after so many.

 

I used to love walking from the Stardust (where I usually stayed) through the summer heat to go get one of those cheap magaritas. It was a nice break from the tables. They also had a bloody mary fountain, which really grossed me out. I enjoy a bloody mary but not from that thing.

 

when the announced Resorts World mega complex opens on the echelon site I wonder if slots a fun may have a renaissance?

I would imagine they would benefit hugely along with riviera and circus circus.

 

I had forgotten about "win this car" parked out in front of the building. You see cars in casinos a lot, (although come to think of it, I don't know how many downtown, because I'm rarely looking for them,) but you don't see them from the window of the bus very often, at least not ones that you can win.

Since SAF has gone to all machines, they really ought to make it a place that caters to the low roller.... all nickle and quarter machines. (I assume they still have $1 games.) Do what the Riv was trying to do years ago, cater to the low rollers with nickle machines and a cheap eats counter.

If you wanna drive traffic to SAF, bring back the 1/2-pound hot dogs, the strawberry shortcake, shrimp cocktails and other gimmicky food items, roll out a bunch of wacky promotions and market the fact that it's a low-roller paradise. You'll have tons of people flocking to those machines. Give people the coveted video poker payouts and watch word of mouth spread the news like wildfire. Soon Circus Circus will have an influx of people looking for gambling options because SAF is so busy at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning with low rollers who want to make sure they get their favorite Wheel of Fortune slot machine before somebody else squats in front of it.

And get rid of the beer pong.

The infrastructure is there, it might as well be put to good use.

Or am I crazy.