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This message was self-deleted by its author (darkangel218) on Sat Oct 20, 2012, 08:18 AM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.
OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)Like the rest of life, the game is rigged.It's not rigged for you.
Tobin S.
(10,420 posts)Probably the only time in my life that a long shot paid off. I don't go to the casino now days. I just can't afford to take a big hit now, and, besides, over the course of my gambling career I'm probably way behind.
Gambling was easier to quit than cigarettes, but harder than Diet Coke.
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)I know in the long run I probably lost more than won, but I just LOVE the casino atmosphere! The music, the lights..
Wish I could live 15 mins away from one again.
sendero
(28,552 posts)... Texas Hold Em in particular. I'm very good at it in online free games, not so good in a real cash game.
But the first time I played poker at a casino the wife and I did well. While I was waiting in the lobby I read about the "bad beat jackpot". This jackpot would be distributed to the players in the event of a bad beat - specifically 4 of a kind beating a full house with aces. I laughed, "how often does THAT happen?" I was thinking.
Well it did on the table the wife and I were playing an hour later. We were told to pull our hands away from the table. The security folks reviewed the taped play to be sure nothing funny was going on. The dudes involved in the bad beat hand got $5000 and $2500. The rest of us got the remainder of the $10K, which turned out to be $417 each.
Best real poker night I've ever had
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)Never walked out with anything, because I didn't know when to stop. Every time I was ahead I would either go all in or call weak hands. Still a lot of fun. As long as you don't mind losing at least $100 :p
TrogL
(32,828 posts)Up here volunteers run key positions at the casino including the count room. In return, their organization receives a part of the day's profits, which can be a considerable sum of money. I'm on the board of several organizations so I end up working a lot of casinos.
JoeyT
(6,785 posts)I don't remember the name of the casino, because I was drunk when I went in and drunker when I came out. I remember winning 800 bucks though.
Hell, for all I can remember it might have been a dude's shed that had a lot of lights on it.
blueknight
(2,831 posts)best i ever done was won $67,000 in a world series of poker event. i have won several thousand numerous times. i never play slots or blackjack
Response to blueknight (Reply #8)
darkangel218 This message was self-deleted by its author.
GoneOffShore
(18,021 posts)They are all designed to surgically separate your money from your wallet. There is no other purpose.
And I understand the "gaming experience", but I find it to be empty. Money comes with too much difficulty. Therefore my inclination (and it may not be yours) is to spend my money in places that are not designed just to take it from me.
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)I only go to casinos to have fun.
I know I'm going to walk out of there with an empty wallet. It's like going to a theme park, or an expensive restaurant, you pay for entertainment.
There are some ppl who are proffesional gamblers and know what they're doing on the poker tables, but I'm not one of them. :p
Major Nikon
(36,925 posts)The military sent me there sans family for a few months. About the only place where there was anything going on was the bar right outside the base. There wasn't much else to do other than gamble, drink yourself silly, or both. My personal loss limit was $20 per night. I started learning the game of blackjack and eventually I could make that $20 last all night and occassionally I would come out ahead.
It was cheap entertainment at the time and I think it was a good experience, but I agree that the more you play the more you assure yourself of losing more money. I have never gambled since.
blockhead
(1,081 posts)Major Nikon
(36,925 posts)I don't remember the name of that little town. The bar was an Irish themed bar. I don't remember the name of it either.
blockhead
(1,081 posts)I don't remember the name of the bar but the town is Emerado.
Major Nikon
(36,925 posts)I remember the bar gave out all the free green beer you could drink on St. Patrick's day. The next day we found green spots on the sidewalks of the base after people barfed it up on the way home.
cemaphonic
(4,138 posts)It has a good social element, especially if people are winning. The last time I played, I had a good roll once that I had an initial $5 that grew to a whopping $50. But a quick estimation of the chips on the table at one point revealed that the table would collectively win over $100,000 if I made the point, which I did. People were all excited, buying me drinks. And yeah, most of that money went back to the house later, but it was a fun adrenaline/dopamine rush while it lasted for very little cost.
Overall I agree though. Gambling is both more expensive and less rewarding than most other things you might spend your entertainment money on, and of course is totally devastating to those that get addicted to it, so it's not really something I seek out.
mwdem
(4,031 posts)where my kids grew up. My dad died in 1991. We brought my mom out a few months afterward and took her to Atlantic City. She love the slots!!! I didn't think I could get her away from them. It did bring her happiness, even though she didn't win much ( she didn't be much either). I thought then, thank goodness she doesn't live near casinos!
yortsed snacilbuper
(7,947 posts)Is that the people in the casino really mean it!
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)It paid for my room and breakfast.
Bertha Venation
(21,484 posts)Just a nickel in a slot machine. Didn't win anything.
But the room was nice.
benld74
(10,285 posts)went up to my room around 12AM. HAd an early morning the next day. AS the elevator doors were closing I noticed a guy playing slots right outside the elevator, very serious look on his face, coin cup FULL.
Coming down at 7AM, the elevator doors open, and who was still at the same machine?
Same guy, MANY empty drink glasses around him, 2 full ash trays, hang dog look in his eyes, taking coins out of his hand, empty coin cup on the floor!
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)I kept winnning so I stayed at the same machine. They kicked me out for a few mins at 3 or 4 am when they emptied the money. When I came back, my winning streak was over.
Next week I'm going down to Miami to visit family. I can't wait to stop by the casino :p
kcass1954
(1,819 posts)My rule about gambling is that you don't bet money you can't afford to lose. My disposable income has dropped, and I have other things I'd rather spend it on. (My hairdresser, manicurist, and the local quilt shop like my priorities!)
I work next door to the Hard Rock. I can see the parking garage from the door of our office. The Hard Rock's been open for what - 8 or 9 years? I've been there maybe 5 times; the last time was 2 years ago for a business dinner at Council Oaks.
trof
(54,274 posts)I was an airline pilot on a layover.
TWA put us up at the Stardust.
I was sitting at a quarter slot and after several plays saw that it was paying off, almost consistently, on every third time.
IIRC it was kind of 'progressive'.
It paid 3 for one after 3 tries.
4 for one after 4 tries.
5 for one after 5 tries.
So I played one quarter for 2 tries and the 3 quarters for the third.
If that didn't pay, I'd do 4 quarters for the fourth try or 5 quarters for the fifth try.
It usually paid after 3, and never took more than 5 tries.
DAMN! I'd found a money machine.
I think I cleared a couple of hundred bucks that night.
That was some serious money back then.
(And a LOT of quarters.)
I was flying the Vegas flight for the next several weeks.
I couldn't wait to get back to my 'money machine'.
I drew a diagram so I could be sure to find it again.
The next layover I beelined it down to the honeypot.
Played once, twice, and loaded up on three.
Nothing
Loaded up on 4.
Nothing.
And nothing for plays 5, 6, 7, 8...
I guess they'd 'fixed' it.
DryHump
(199 posts)...we had just lost a PRECIOUS little cat, Russell, to feline leukemia. Spent way too much money (for us) on treatments and he still passed away. I proposed to my wife a brief evening journey to our nearby gambling towns, just to be mindless for a few hours. Wow - my wife sat down at a $1 slot and turned over $2000, right away - the cost of our little guy's treatments. We took a hike, money in hand. She still believes it was our little Russell saying "Gracias".
Brother Buzz
(39,900 posts)It would accept my coin, but if I lost, it would drop down and I could play again for free. I made fort-fifty dollars, almost minimum wage.
I went down the next day and the damn machine was eviscerated - they had pulled the guts out of the machine overnight. Bummer. I ate at the buffet on their nickel then left.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)Gave us some of it to pay private school tuition for our daughter.
She and hubby live in Vegas. Which has great things for seniors. The casinos fill up unsold seats in the theaters with seniors, who can get in free if they are on a particular mailing list.
They know where all the deals are, and they work them.
It is a lifestyle thing.
Systematic Chaos
(8,601 posts)Video slots are commonplace in Las Vegas grocery stores and convenience stores.
This would have been back in maybe 1995, and it was the first royal flush of 3 I've ever hit (the other two were nickel progressive jackpots of around $300 each), not counting 4 I hit in one draw on a 50-hand penny machine.
Anyway, I was with my friend, getting a drink and snacks for a night of playing PlayStation games. I decided on a whim to play a $10 bill that night. I hit a four of a kind before the $10 was used up, putting me at around $45. I decided to play down to $30 and either hit a higher plateau or quit. Just before the $30 bottom I was dealt a royal flush with 5 quarters in, for $1,000. The odds of that are just over 1 in 600,000. The machine instantly locked up, with the words "CALL ATTENDANT" in a large font over the cards on the screen. It took me a few seconds to realize it was a jackpot and not a malfunction.
I treated myself to a lot of nice things after that, including a TV and some stuff for my mom.
I also love blackjack and can count cards with decent skill, but games worth counting at anything under a $25 minimum are nearly impossible to find now, and $5 tables are really all I can afford.