This is an expansion on the gambling section of Facts and Tips for an Atlantic City Gambling Getaway published June 10, 2006. Many tips in this article were fine, but here’s a little more know-how to help those who do want to win some money in the casinos.
Player Cards
The first thing you want to do when you gamble in any casino is to get yourself a slot card. You’re not going to get any credit for gambling without one. These cards are not just for the slots, you will want to present them at any table games you may decide to try. Just be aware that you are not going to get comped (free rooms, food, shows, gift points, etc) as well for table games as you will on the slot machines, unless you are a big high roller or go on such a wild beginner’s luck streak at the table that the pit boss deems it advisable to buy your dinner just to get rid of you.
If you have a hotel room, many casinos give you a complimentary Casino Player’s Magazine. Don’t ignore it. It rates the slot machines by denomination and payback, so it will give you some handy information on where you’re least likely to tank. Slot machines come in all denominations and while you have your quarter machines for the inexperienced, many of these machines take up to 5 quarters so they are, in essence, really $1.25 machines. It goes up from there – 50 cents, $1 and $2 machines. Generally, the Casino Players shows that the higher denomination the slot, the greater the payback odds, so theoretically, the higher denominations are ‘looser’. Not everyone has the stomach to try out the $5 and $10 slots. I once saw a fellow in Caesar’s Palace win a jackpot on what I thought was a $50 machine. He had one coin still in the machine and I was watching him to see if he would throw away that $50 by playing it. How can you expect a slot machine to hit big 2 spins in a row? He had just spun triple 7s. Well, he played it all right. Then he left. I walked over to the machine and to my utter shock, it was a $500 machine!
Regardless of what denomination you play in, nearly everyone will advise you to ‘play all the coins’. Fewer people abide by the theory that if you play only one coin on a two coin machine, it will pay better. I have seen this and several other rather bizarre theories in action, and I have even tried the one coin approach myself. All I can say about that is if it seems to work, well .. you don’t really know if the same combination would have came out if you were playing 2 coins, but if you still came out ahead, don’t sweat it.
Once, I played one coin at a time on a $2 machine and won $400. Then I went to another $2 machine and won another $400 on one coin at a time again. I went to cash in my winnings but the line was too long so I started to go to a different cage area and passed by a $5 machine and gave into the temptation to play it. Because I was up almost $800, I started playing 2 coins. This was what is called a Black Gold machine and it hit triple red bars, which paid $1100. That whole episode took less than 30 minutes. So wouldn’t you be just as ecstatic as I was to walk out of the casino in half an hour with $1,900? I was, but when I told the story, someone had to say I should have played 2 coins in the first two machines. That was at the Tropicana. Casino Players Magazine doesn’t rate Tropicana The Luckiest Slots for nothing! You’ll always hear bells ringing away at at that casino.
Another theory I saw tested at Tropicana was pulling the slot handle instead of pressing the button. This guy was pulling the handle very hard and saying to his wife this was what you had to do to win. I was pushing the button a few machines down saying to myself: ‘yeah, yeah’ Well, all of a sudden, his machine paid out $500 and he kept pulling the handle hard and a few spins later, he got another $500. Naturally, I started pulling furiously at my handle. Alas, it didn’t work on my machine.
Whatever you decide to play, take a good look at the machine. Some machines give you a bonus on the 3rd or 5th coin. Some machines do not give you ANY payout for certain combinations unless you have all the coins in.
Another thing you need to know is that you don’t need to leave your machine if you need to change a bill and you still want to play that particular machine. You can press a button that will set off a light and an attendant will help you. If you have to leave to use the restroom, press the button for the attendant and tell them you still want the machine. The attendant will shut it down until you return.
The video poker machines are different in terms of playing all the coins. You need to play all the coins on these because the payouts on the lesser amounts are pitiful and you just can’t hope to break even. If you like poker, you’ll like these slots. There is an amazing selection of card games to choose from.
Keno Machines
On these machines you pick combinations of numbers. You can put together various combinations from 2 numbers to up to 10. There are also a variety of keno games on machines that are strictly for keno. The payouts on these machines are good and if you like to play around with numbers, you will enjoy it.
Table Games
The basic 3 table games are blackjack, roulette and craps. If you don’t know the rules of blackjack, you might want to steer clear of that game because people at these tables – even the $5 tables for novices – get pissed off. If you really want to try it out, bone up on the rules as best as you can in the Casino Players guide. You can ask one of the players next to you to give you a little guidance. Just don’t blame them if you lose.
Roulette is a game where you bet a certain number will come out. The croupier spins a big wheel with a little ball that will land in one of the numbers. If you can’t decide on a few numbers, you can get even money on black or red and odds or evens. There are many different combinations of bets that you can make in roulette and then watch your money’s fate after the croupier says ‘no more bets’ and the little ball slides into the winning slot.
Craps is a game of dice game that also contains many bets that are generally very confusing to the novice player, while experienced players love it since some casinos offer big odds.
There are many other games to play that you can learn about when you go to Atlantic City, such as Pai Gai Poker, Sic Bo, Baccarat and Red Dog, to name a few. You are well advised to study up on the rules and odds of these games before plunking down your bets.
Conclusion
Yes, there are a lot of seniors who make day trips to Atlantic City. Some of them come every day and know all the ins and outs of making a profit every day. I learned about the $5 slots from a elderly lady who said she made good money every year playing them. On my first try, I went home with $700 profit. Seniors can be very helpful, wouldn’t you agree?
Here are some final thoughts:
If you come to Atlantic City by bus, cash in any bus coupons as soon as possible.
Don’t leave your slot card in the machine.
If you don’t have a hotel room, your can pick up a copy of Casino Players magazine in the gift shop.
Don’t brag to anyone about winning. If you’re riding home on the bus in particular, don’t even say you won $100.00.
Last and hardly least, take all those signs you see seriously: Bet with your head, not over it.
There’s plenty of other things to do in Atlantic City, and you will soon find that out when your mailbox starts filling up with special offers and cashback from your player’s card.
Reference:
Casino Player magazineThe Press of Atlantic City – Atlantic City’s daily newspaper Atlantic City Convention Center
