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Slots How many people enter slot tournaments?

Discussion in 'Slots' started by Richard3, Jul 5, 2014.

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  1. Richard3

    Richard3 Guest

    I received an invitation to the August 21-24 slot tournament at the Venetian. It mentioned total prizes add up to $50,000. How do I go about trying to figure out how many people will enter this tournament? If it is 1,000 then I will probably pass. But if it is only 200, that may be enough for me to go out there
     
  2. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    you dont

    its as many as they invite that decide to come
    every tourney is differnt so there is no correct answer it could be 2000 or 50
     
  3. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    If you read the fine print of the offer it will usually say something like: "Total Prize Pool of $50,000!!" and then there will be a little asterisk there where if you read the bottom it'll say something like "Total prize pool is based on ___ number of entries and may be adjusted up or down depending on final number of entrants"

    If it has something like that then that would give you a rough idea of about how many people they are expecting.

    Otherwise its like Paperposter is saying: you don't know.

    I've had offers for free entries to slot tournaments and one at Monte Carlo actually had a pretty good prize pool but only about 40 people showed up for it... another one at Harrah's had hundreds of people show up.
    For this one at Venetian I wouldn't expect it to be 1,000 people, probably more like 300-350 entrants, if its one where you have to buy your way in to the tournament then expect a lot less.


    But as far as number of entrants and how worth it is to enter: its all relative so it doesn't really matter. Most tournaments pay prizes to (about) the top 30% of entrants so if they get 300 entrants then the top 100 get prizes, if they have 1500 entrants then the top 500 get prizes, if they get only 75 entrants then probably the top 25 win something... so in the end it doesn't really matter: your odds are going to be about 1 in 3 of winning something.
     
  4. chess

    chess VIP Whale

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    Every 80year old you can imagine lol
     
  5. swuulumm

    swuulumm Low-Roller

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    How does a slot tournament typically work?

    I read some trip reports from natedog a while back and he described how blackjack / baccarat tournaments work (you play in rounds against other players at your table; the player(s) that last the longest progress).

    Is it the same with slot tournaments?


    I'd assume you get some kind of 'points' on your players card or a special TITO printout; and than you can play at a group of specialized slots with it;;; in the end the person with the most money left wins? Or the person with the most coin in?
    Are there rounds or something where people bust? Can you typically rebuy? So many questions...

    Maybe a new thread would be more appropriate...
     
  6. ardee

    ardee It's only money.

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    I've been playing slot tournaments at Wynncore and V/P for years. They are pure luck.

    The basic structure is: register and get playing times. The ones I play usually have three sessions, and your score is the total of all three. You show up, sit at your assigned machine in the paddock and when the session starts you pound the crap out of the Spin button for 10 minutes. Everybody is playing the same machine and how you score is pure luck. About 5pm on the second day of the tournament they post the scores. Top 5 get cash (1st - $7000), everybody else gets Free Play down to 100th place. If you are going to be in town anyway or are semi-local, they are worth it. If you have to pay airfare they definitely aren't.
     
  7. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    There are rounds.
    Most of the time you can't rebuy, but some tournaments allow that.
    You can't move from one machine to another.

    How the actual mechanics of it work is:
    The casino has a slot tournament area set up. The machines are roped off and nobody can play those, they are for tournament play only.
    When you register they will give you a time to show up for your first round. Depends on how many people playing for how that all works. If they have 50 tournament machines and 500 players then they have to do 10 groups of 50.
    When its your time to play they will assign you a machine, yours might be machine 12-34-5 so you go there and sit down and wait for the tournament round to begin.

    Normally when you play a slot machine you have your starting credits and any credits you win are added to your credit total. Slot tournaments work differently: when you sit at your machine it will have the initial credits already entered, how many all depends on the tournament. When you play if you win any credits THEY DO NOT get added to your credits total, instead they are recorded in the WIN meter on the front.

    So during play every bet you make will reduce your credits meter and any credits you win will be added to your win meter. The two are not linked.
    And you will play on until either your credits are out or the time runs out, whichever comes first. So that is important and why people play so fast: you want to try to get through all your credits within the allotted time.

    At the end of the round they will record how many credits are on your WIN meter and that is your score. And that is important as well: they only record your win meter so if you have 550 credits in your win meter and 100 credits left in your credits meter... you only have a score of 550, they don't add the two together.


    Thats the mechanics of how the machines work during the tournament, everything else is just dependent upon the tournament and who is running it - so there could be one round or could be two or three rounds, there might be a rebuy period or not, it might be one day or could be two or three, etc.
     
  8. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    bring a bible and pray its pure luck, i found there a waste of time and my hand hurts after banging the buttun for ten minutes.u just have to get lucky
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 6, 2014
  9. swuulumm

    swuulumm Low-Roller

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    Thanks for the quick answers guys!

    I definitely won't play any tournaments anyways.. was just interested for the techniques :)

    Doesn't really sounds like it is a whole lot of fun.. tbh
     
  10. Letter_E

    Letter_E Low-Roller

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    The Venetian slot tourneys work like this:
    For a weekend tournament, there are usually 350-400 entrants
    When you register, you choose a time for your session. These are split into 20 minute flights, usually between 9am and 12pm. One 10 minute session each day for 3 days
    You are given a slip of paper which has your times (it's the same time each day) and what slot machine to sit at. You get a different machine each day.
    You arrive to the roped off slot area on the Palazzo side, sit at your machine, and when they say Go, you mash the spin button for 10 minutes
    Your scores are added up between the three sessions, high total wins. Pays down to 100 spots, everything except the top 5 or 10 paid out in slot play automatically put on your card.
    Usually you need at least 25k to hit the "money", winner is probably around 29-30k.
    No, they aren't really "fun", but you get a free room and maybe some slot play out of it for 30 minutes of your trip.
     
  11. SoCalMon

    SoCalMon VIP Whale

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    10 minutes? That is a very long time. How can someone press the spin button really fast for 10 minutes straight without getting tired? I tried a slot tournament a couple times at my local that is 2 minutes long and my forearms were tired after 1 minute and it was hard to keep going fast. I got invited to this tournament on this date too, but I won't be able to make it.
     
  12. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    10 minutes is the normal for slot tourney, yes it hurts , i hate slots u just bang the machine and pray thats all you can , do and u usualy have to do 3 differnt times and they add up your score depending on the type of tourney
     
  13. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    I have never booked a trip based on a tournament offer, but once in a while they coincide. I found out with Boyd if you choose to play, you lose your freeplay, so I have never played in another one. I'll take the $75-$100 upfront.
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2014
  14. ABQJeff

    ABQJeff Low-Roller

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    Generally, you'll get more from a standard offer. You're giving up some of your free play and your resort credits for a chance to win some money, and some crappy hor's deovres and a banquet with a open bar. But for some people they're fun. I'd do one just to find out if you like them.
     
  15. chonglosaxon

    chonglosaxon MIA

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    All slots are pure luck. As if a tournament is any different???
     
  16. RiddickBull

    RiddickBull VIP Whale

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    Placing high constantly in poker tournaments take skill; it also involves luck. Slot tourneys are just pure luck.
     
  17. samanthaelizabeth

    samanthaelizabeth Low-Roller

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    I am going to do one of these slot tournaments one of these days, just for the hell of it. Probably be fun anyway..Maybe get some freeplay from it!
     
  18. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    yes bj and poker u can help determine what happens theres luck but skill and knowlegde where slots its all if u get the right machine
     
  19. Letter_E

    Letter_E Low-Roller

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    Well at the Palazzo, when you hit the big point flaming 7s, you have to wait for the 1199 to count out, so you get a bit of a respite.
     
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