Sigma derby

I know MGM and the D are the only casinos that still have the sigma derby machines. I have never seen/played one and this summer my friends and I really want to play on one for hours and get tanked yelling at the horses. I have heard stories of great fun and drunkenness at these with the right crowd. Here are a few questions I have about them.

How much can you bet? And how do you bet? Does it payout a Tito?

How's my horses are there and how much do the odds on the horses vary from race to race?

How often do the races occur?

Any additional information would be appreciated if you feel it is necessary to know. Thanks in advance!

 

Minimun bet is 25 cents. There is a change machine right next to the one at MGM, get $5-10 worth of quarters and fill up your little station. You can bet on 1 pair of odds or all 10 (is that right?) outcomes.

The odds vary on every race, I think the lowest is 3:1 and the highest I've seen is 200:1 Races take less than a minute from start to finish, and then a coundown starts for 30 seconds (i think) giving you time to place your bets before the next race starts.

This game all depends on the people you are playing with. I've played with all my friends before and had a blast, but this last time I played the people were totally lame and it wasn't fun at all. Oh and no TITO, when you cash out it pukes quarters, which you fill your little bucket, then head to the cage to exchange them.

 

From my recollection at The D:

25 cent minimum bet. I think a max of 20 quarters but not sure. It pays out in quarters.

5 horses making up the 10 Quinella bets. The odds are randomly posted with varying degree. The highest is 200:1 but it doesn't show up every time.

Post Time is every 30 seconds or so.

Cocktail service was superb ($2 tip) the few times I've played.

 

So you have to place a quinella bet and that's what the odds are for? Or am I misunderstanding and there are more bets

 

Does anyone know if this is still currently in operation at the MGM?

I have tried in my past few trips however every time it is down for maintenance.

 

It was last week when I played it, but half the machines were out of order.

 

Yeah, I think 3 or so were out of order when I tried it in February.

Lowest odds possible are 2 for 1 (1 to 1) up to, of course, the legendary 200 for 1 (199 to 1). 200 for 1 doesn't always appear as a wager.

You have to place quinellas, there are 10 total available. They couldn't place tons of bets out there for players to wager with only 30 seconds available to physically feed quarters in there.

 

I played this is Tahoe a couple years ago with my brother at the Montebleu and what a damn value....esp when youre betting $1-$2 and chugging down IPAs for free. I imagine thats what heaven was like....until you get drunk and start betting enormous amounts on long shots.

 

Sigma Derby Memory

I usually stay at The D and every time I pass the Sigma Derby... I am reminded of 40 or so years ago when my husband and I were staying at the Desert Inn and had lost our whole bankroll during a 4 day trip ... only had enough left for taxi and tip to the airport and enough to get our car out of airport parking... really down for the trip. We had enough change in our pockets to play a quarter on Sigma Derby for a few rounds...until time to go to the airport.
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For many years after that as we better managed our bankroll in Las Vegas... our motto was "no more little horsies"!

 

Good news! You're younger than you think. Derby has only been around for about 30 years. I regret not stumbling across this game during my first trip in 2001 when numerous casinos had it. I enjoyed playing it in February; helps that I won of course.