Accidentally played a $10 slot machine and happened to win $500. This was back when payouts were not by ticket but by coins. I had no idea how much I had won, as it seemed like I heard that "clink clink" sound for a good 5 minutes.
I find it humorous that nobody who goes to Vegas ever loses... people either "win a little bit" or break even... yet a huge metropolitan area owes its existence to losers. My first trip to Vegas I was down considerably and had $5 left as I was waiting for the plane. I wrote off the Lincoln and threw it at a slot machine. On the last pull I won $450, which kept my total losses to a rather respectable $250 or so... big money for a guy just of school in the mid-80's. I enjoy playing poker with friends, not so much with strangers and I've reached a point where i can't stand cig smoke for very long, so even though I've been to Vegas a few times since, I have not played a bit since that trip... plus, now that I have kids I know I'd feel like crap if I lost any money.
One week after my 21st birthday, my parents took me to one of the casinos in Lake Charles to celebrate. I was not a big gambler - too timid to try table games - and stuck to slot machines for the whole trip. My parents were (and still are) the kings and queens of 25 cent slot machines... Sometimes after my dad has had a few jack and cokes - he'll feel frisky and find his way to the dollar slots... So my parents gave me $100 and told me to spend the afternoon gambling however I saw fit. I started blowing through that C-Note on the quarter slots - then felt like a virgin in a hotel room on her prom night and slowed my roll by moseying over to the nickel slots. I was down to my last 20 bucks and decided to shoot my wad on the 5 dollar slot machines - an unheard of sum to my parents. I slid the crisp 20 into the machine and my first pull ended up with nothing. second pull? nada Third pull? zilcho! Fourth pull? JACKPOT baby! bells and whistles, flashing lights, the whole kit and kaboodle... $2,500 was mine! Now, I was a 21 year old broke college student - this was an ungodly amount of money unfortunately, casino officials came over and subtracted LA state taxes from my jackpot immediately and paid me the remainder... It wasn't until 7 years later that I finally made my way to Vegas and learned all about table games - and had THE SINGLE GREATEST hour at blackjack in the history of mankind...
Trust me... I've left Vegas many a time down over a year's salary... that city owes it existence in the past 5 years to me... and specifically the Bellagio... They should name a suite after me...
I've been here in Vegas nearly 11 years and believe me, trying to remember all your losses would take too long. I went through a short period of gambling beyond my means but it didn't last long, thankfully. I doubt that I'm as far down the hole as some. The only time I play the machines is when I finish shopping at the supermarket. And even then it's not that often. One time I put in two bucks and cashed out $100 after hitting four Aces. I've hit two royals, but not loaded
My wife read a few slots book and came back from Vegas with over $20,000 on her most recent trip. Some of the tips she uses: Look for machines that say 'substitute' so mulitple logos can hit instead of just one particular logo. Look for machines that can be seen from several different directions (machine placement is basically a science now so they want big payouts to be seen from as many places as possible). This is much more accurate than the old wives tale about placement near doors. Play the dollar slots, you're wasting your time with 5 cent - .25 slots. Play the $1 slots that are 2 coin instead of 3 coin and always bet 2 coins. You can find 2 coin machines with similar payouts to 3 coin machines. Not every machine pays out the same. In fact, the same exact machine in two different places in the casino probably doesn't pay the same. Sometimes to exact machines right next to each other don't pay out the same. Find the machines with the higher payouts (in terms of money won) and higher return (% of money it has to payback). Look for the 98/99% payout machines in Vegas. Every casino has some of them. I think she likes IGT machines. I can't remember the rest but she's had multiple successful trips playing slots.... Me, I usually win a little at poker and lose a lot at craps.
Supermarket slots...now there's some good odds! hehe...j/k. My inlaws practically live at The California hotel when they come to visit...but whenever they're not there or at my house, they'll end up playing video poker at Long's Drugs on Stephanie by Sunset Station. They usually end up winning. I'm convinced that if you don't really need the money, you end up winning. They gamble a significant amount (probably borderline gambling addicts)...but they end up winning quite a bit. Funny thing is that my wife is considering a re-entry to the workforce by going to dealer school. I'm sorta hoping she gives it a go so that she can come home and practice with me.
I think I've won jackpots around $300 or so before. I love the Wheel Of Fortune machine. The rush of hitting the "spin" keeps me coming back. I used to play quarters, but usually play dollars now. The last time I played I won $250 in Lake Charles. What's hard for me if I'm in Vegas for a couple days and you hit a decent size jackpot early in the trip. The money tends to burn a hole in your pocket.
