posted on June 16, 2001 04:59:47 PM new
What games do you play? BlackJack, Roulette, One Armed Bandits?
Play the one armed Bandit nearest the door...usually scheduled to be a greater percentage of wins. Play $5.00 slots no more than 6 times...$5.00 per play...end of aisles I always wind up 3 to $500 ahead...but I never play them more than 6 times...then I go to dollar slots...they talk to me...I'll walk up and down the aisle and even wait for someone to leave a machine..I usually play $2 or $3. depending on how it feels...I am what you call nearly lucky...I win 1000's of dollars and usually lose 1000's but I always come home ahead by between $500 & 800. Problem is my husband loses equally as much. I don't play the poker slots..maybe someone can give you some help with those. I've done ok at craps but that was beginners luck. Blackjack I won but was playing badly (I was told as I took my winnings) to go play more slots.
posted on June 16, 2001 05:23:05 PM new
I'm sure you know that the odds are in favor of the house. If you gamble long enough you will eventually lose. Treat gambling as you would any other type of entertainment. Decide how much you are willing to spend for a day or evening of fun. Set a specific dollar limit and a time limit for yourself. Quit gambling when your time limit or your money runs out. If you are a winning at the end of your time limit -- quit anyway.
I used to live in Reno. I started using that method for gambling after I saw my brother lose to the point that he could not pay his rent. He gambled a lot, but he was not having much fun.
Gambling can be great fun as long as you keep control.
posted on June 16, 2001 05:29:48 PM new
I'm not a great gambler. We go for the buffet actually
They only have the slots at this Harrah's, no tables. I normally play the quarter machines. My thing is if I'm ahead, I keep playing til oops..it ate all my quarters. I like roulette when at the casinos with the tables.
I play the poker machines here.
I heard somewhere else to play the machines near the doors but those are $10 machines! UGH! I only take about $20 with me and limit myself to losing that. Told ya I wasn't a big gambler. LOL!
Ah well, guess I'll go and try my luck tomorrow. Maybe this time I'll be able to leave while I'm ahead. I told my dh not to let me sit there!
posted on June 16, 2001 05:40:18 PM new
Thanks nanastuff! We worked long and hard to get to these 22 years. Whoever said the first 10 are the hardest has to try the second 10 first! LOL!
posted on June 16, 2001 05:41:58 PM newAnyone have any ideas on how to win?
Since all they have is slots just plan on losing. The dollar machines have a better payout rate than the quarter machines at the casinos here, I imagine that's standard. Casinos don't leave much to chance, they will use every advantage they can. One of my favorites was they'd increase the oxygen level to give gamblers an extra boost. If there's a system to slot machines I'm unaware of what it might be.
If they have tables go to the roulette table. Bet black, have your spouse bet red. Drink as much free drinks as you can. Everytime green comes up you can consider that your bar tab.
posted on June 16, 2001 05:46:42 PM new
uaru, we don't drink
They gave me this little card that I'm supposed to put in the machines. Well, I discovered that if I put it in one time, I can win. After that, I lose. So I don't put it in after the first time. It's supposed to be for points for free perks like dinner, etc.
I can win, I just go on to lose it again. My dh doesn't play - he just watches.
The o2 level is bad there. Lots of smokers, it makes me feel bad. (and I used to smoke)
They do have a nonsmoking section with about 25 machines which are all taken and you still have to walk through the stink and the smoke to get there. Where the casino is located is enough to lower the o2 level. It's at a high altitude.
posted on June 16, 2001 05:49:50 PM new
I have one secret that is more superstition than anything. Whenever I see someone else win a jackpot I always congratulate them. For some reason I feel that sharing someone elses joy helps you to share their luck also.
posted on June 16, 2001 06:06:46 PM new
I've won more than I've lost. I'm a small time gambler and I've never won a really big jackpot. I'm happy if I've won enough to pay for my food and my hotel. Sad to say, but my husband always loses. I'm trying to teach him to feel good when others win, but the green eyed monster always gets the best of him -- especially if I'm the winner.
posted on June 16, 2001 06:21:56 PM new
Good luck and Happy Anniversary! We are on 8, and I have to admire 22! I am leaving for 11 days in Reno tommorrow, and I am mostly a Blackjack player, but I do have one slot hint. I ~LOVE~ the $1 "Wheel of Fortune" slots! The quarters will eat your money, but the $1 are pretty lucky! Follow the advice of the earlier poster - walk away after $6 or so. So are hot, most are not, and just move on!
posted on June 16, 2001 07:26:03 PM new
You all make me feel like a cheapskate....I go to Reno and play the nickel slots.
I usually win at the roulette table but my husband plays craps and usually looses all my winning. Oh well..
posted on June 16, 2001 08:08:19 PM new
I go to Reno a lot
and always play video poker, of course best pay out is betting more, like the $1 ones.
I don't like the tables, its too intimidating for me.
Best advice I got: If you win, only take half the winnings to keep playing, take the other half to your hotel room, or give it to your companion. And yes, play with what you can afford to lose, and have fun!
posted on June 16, 2001 09:12:03 PM new
The first thing you have to do in a casino is use that players' club card (or whatever they call it) every single time you play a game. Stick it in the machines, give it to the dealer at a table game. If you're not using the players' club card, you're making a big big mistake.
The next thing is - know which games give the house the least advantage, and learn how to play those games properly. You can't really win at gambling - your real goal is to stretch out the time it takes for you to lose, and get as many comps (off the players' club card) as possible.
I play only video poker and blackjack. Craps is supposed to be good, slightly better than blackjack, I think, if you play it properly, but I don't know how to play Craps and never wanted to learn.... too noisy over there, and you gotta stand up. I wouldn't play anything but video poker, blackjack, and Craps, the house advantages on all other games are too high.
When you decide what you're going to play, you have to spend a lot of time beforehand learning how to play the game right. Never go on your hunches. Buy a book that tells you exactly what choice to make on every single combination you're faced with. Video poker machines vary, Jacks or better, Deuces Wild, etc., and there's a right strategy for each. You can't play Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better the same way. You can mimeograph the chart in the book and keep it with you to refer to when you're at the machines or at the table. I refer to my video poker chart quite often. You can even refer to it at the blackjack table. I don't have to, but I could if I wanted to.
If you're going to play video poker, search out the machines with the best payoff, they do vary, in full house and straight pay offs. (I think) the best machines are 9/7 full house/straight... the advantage to the house goes way up on an 8/5 machine.
But most important is, again, use that player's club card! Forget about superstition. Good luck.
posted on June 16, 2001 09:24:42 PM new
That player's club card is the one I referred to above. I found that if I use it the first time I win. If I use it on another machine, I lose every time. I have to stay at one machine until I start to lose and then move.
I play video poker. There aren't any tables here. I don't care for Jacks or better. I play lucky 7's, deuces wild or jokers wild.
I did notice the dollar machines had higher winnings, but when you go with a limited amount of money, it's kind of hard to stay more than a half hour with the dollar machines if you lose!
I was putting my winnings aside until my dh decided he was going to take a walk and left me with it all. Oh sheesh, big mistake. That's when I lost most of it. I told him to take it with him but he said just don't use it. Yeah right
Where can I find the book with the chart? I'd like to see that one.
posted on June 16, 2001 09:56:50 PM new
You really have to use that card... can't emphasize that enough, it's the only thing that can swing the odds to slightly in your favor. You don't only get free buffets for your points, you can get cash back also, free rooms, etc. Gamblers are prone to superstitions and hunches.. resist them. You have to play right, and playing right means using that card.
The book.. don't know where we got the one we use. You could check out the bookstore in the town you're going to go gambling at, they might stock books on strategy. I only play Jacks or better video poker because I don't want to have to try to learn 3 or 4 different video poker variations, but you can find a book to give you charts for any of the video poker varieties. You can try an internet search for one, or search on Amazon, you're sure to find one somewhere, try searching for something like video poker strategies. It's all about probabilities and people have worked them out down to every single video poker combination. Never play a hunch, always go with the probabilities. And use that card!
posted on June 16, 2001 10:22:57 PM new
Hi mtnmama! My mom plays the slots and has hit a $5,000 jackpot on the same machine in Vegas several years in a row. Her hsuband also hit for a thou on the same machine. It's a $20 machine and the most she has ever fed it was a $100. Before I headed out there last time I made her tell me exactly where the machine is located in the hotel; it was my first stop in the hotel. Well three minutes later I was out $100 and promptly retired to the "tables". I am not a "slot" person.
Speaking of tables, we went to one of the "boats" in Lake Charles not too long ago and they actually have a "war" card game table. It was a scream watching DH going to "war" with the dealer. How the "boats" make any money on that game I will never know. DH cleaned up! It was worth the drive there to watch grown adults playing "war" for money~LOL!
BTW, Congrats on the anniversary!!
<"hgtvjunkie><!
posted on June 17, 2001 07:40:52 AM new
Okay, Donny, I'll use the card. The last time we were there the machine said I had some kind of bonus, but I forgot to stop at the desk to see what it was when we were leaving.
HGTV, I love the game of war and used to play it with the kids. But to play for money, I'd probably lose.
I have to admit the last time we went to the casino, I was joking around outside while we were looking for a parking space and everyone that came out, I said over and over -
LOS-ER. My dh said that's why I lost my money, calling everyone a loser. He's right of course. This time, I'll call everyone a
WIN-NER and see what happens! LOL!
Some days you win, others you lose. I'll use my card faithfully Donny and look for the book. The town the casino is located in doesn't have a book store. It's on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. The stores are all tourist stores..souvenirs, etc. The casino does offer crash courses, but they're for people who don't know a thing about the machines, like how to push the buttons or use the screens.
