When I first started going to Vegas, gambling wasn't the draw for me. Sure, other people I went with gambled, but I went for the shopping, hitting every mall that was available.
I was never a big card player, and slot machines were confusing. I didn't understand all the lines and the amount of credits that went toward each spin. I once put in $5 in a nickel slot machine. At a nickel a spin, I would get 100 spins, right? I was definitely puzzled when my $5 lasted only a few spins. Oh well. Back to shopping!
That all changed on my next trip. I was walking through the Tropicana when I saw it -- a Clue nickel slot machine. Clue is my absolute most favorite game. I love the board game; I love the silly movie starring Tim Curry. (You didn't know there was a movie, did you?)I sat down, put in $20, had the Hubz explain the payouts to me and hit "spin." And you know what? It was so much fun! I hit the bonus round several times and got to guess who killed Mr. Body, where, and with what, several times. I don't think I won anything that time; in fact, I'm sure I lost my $20. But I was hooked.
On a subsequent trip, I found a penny machine (even better!) called Hexbreaker, starring a black cat (I like cats). The bonus rounds allowed me chances to earn more credits by breaking mirrors and climbing ladders. This time, I learned, the larger your bet, the larger your potential winnings. Max bet, here I come!That trip, the Hubz laughed at me for playing penny slots, until I came up to him while he was playing blackjack and showed him my cash out ticket.
"You won that playing penny slots?" he asked incredulously. Max bet, baby.
That was many years ago. The slots have become more sophisticated and interactive. You can play on a slot machine that is connected to others. When one player triggers a bonus, all players can play the same bonus via a huge video screen above.
I've always wanted to play a megabucks machine, but am too cheap to put in the dollars for a bet. On a recent trip, I was happily playing a Sex and the City themed machine when the Hubz stopped by and asked how much I was betting.
"I dunno," I said. "Max bet."
He sat down on the machine next to me and started tapping the screen to see the pay tables.
"You're betting SIX DOLLARS per spin?!?"
Ummm, I guess? :)
Slot machines change out quickly. I won't be able to play my favorites from my last trip: Sex and the City (what girl doesn't pretend to be Carrie?), the Hangover (so FUN; I played the slots before I saw the movie), and the Wizard of Oz (it was very, very nice to me). But I'm sure there will be another to take its place. What do you play when you're in Vegas?
I play video poker, but I mess around with other slots too. I've always done well on Wizard of Oz, for some reason I keep getting big payoffs. The first time I went to Vegas was in college with some friends. We took about $20 for gambling and played roulette for a nickel a chip. And blackjack for a nickel a chip. And real nickel slots. I lost all of my money, but it lasted three days and two nights.
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