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I have enough to worry about to focus on how I play and I would rather not get confused when I walk in the door.
I know I want to find the players club thing first. Is that easy? They give me a card, right? Do I give them money to put on that card to play with or is that different? Do I need to keep that physical card or will their computer remember me so i can get a new one if I come back? Next I know I go looking for the machine and pay table I want. Will I be putting in nickels and quarters or are those on my slot club card or another card (and if another card where do I get that?). I will probably start at the hilton in vegas if that helps because i know it might be different at different places. I am only worried abot how to do it in vegas for now and if it is similar at different places there. I also only care about the video poker machines, not slots if that matters too.
I always assumed you got a debit card type thing that you put a balance on and then cash out when you are done but I hear about a lot of different thigns it seems. Maybe you put in bills? If so what amounts do they take?
Also can I drink at the machine or do I go to the bar for that?
Can you get food (like nachos!) usually or do you go to a different place?
If I have to go to the bathroom or the bar do I lose my machine?
Will there be lines to get on a machine or do I usually find one that is available? If I need to wait where can I wait?
Anything else I need to think about? Thank you all!
Walk me through my first visit
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Eduardo
- Video Poker Master
- Posts: 2963
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:19 pm
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rascal
- VP Veteran
- Posts: 685
- Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:25 am
Player's card is just for comps. You put your own hard-earned money into the machines. Casinos like bills...big bills. Be sure to kiss them goodbye before inserting them into the machine.
There will be plenty of machines. You don't have to wait in line for one. Choose one with good paytables that is comfortable.
You don't have to go to the bar to get a drink. Eventually a waitress will come walking past you screaming, "Cocktails!" as loud as she can while you are trying to concentrate. Tell her what you want and quick as a flash -- usually within 45 minutes -- she will be back with your drink. The drink's are free but the service ain't -- tip her a dollar.
TITO means if you go to the bathroom you just cash out with a ticket and when you return cash back in. If someone has your machine just find another one --- there are millions and all of them are negative expectation, so don't make a fool out of yourself loving one particular machine. Spread the love around.
There is plenty of food available. Most of it is overpriced. The best thing to do is hit a nice jackpot and get a buffet comped when they pay you. Or run enough cash through the machines on your players card to get a buffet comped.
The Hilton is not a bad place to start, but it's certainly not the best player's casino is Vegas. After you hit your first Royal there (might take at least an hour) try some other casinos until you find one that meets your needs.
Oh.....good luck!
There will be plenty of machines. You don't have to wait in line for one. Choose one with good paytables that is comfortable.
You don't have to go to the bar to get a drink. Eventually a waitress will come walking past you screaming, "Cocktails!" as loud as she can while you are trying to concentrate. Tell her what you want and quick as a flash -- usually within 45 minutes -- she will be back with your drink. The drink's are free but the service ain't -- tip her a dollar.
TITO means if you go to the bathroom you just cash out with a ticket and when you return cash back in. If someone has your machine just find another one --- there are millions and all of them are negative expectation, so don't make a fool out of yourself loving one particular machine. Spread the love around.
There is plenty of food available. Most of it is overpriced. The best thing to do is hit a nice jackpot and get a buffet comped when they pay you. Or run enough cash through the machines on your players card to get a buffet comped.
The Hilton is not a bad place to start, but it's certainly not the best player's casino is Vegas. After you hit your first Royal there (might take at least an hour) try some other casinos until you find one that meets your needs.
Oh.....good luck!
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rascal
- VP Veteran
- Posts: 685
- Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:25 am
Also, wherever you play, keep your wits about you. In other words, be aware that there are a lot of not so nice people around who will steal from you, con you, rob you blind, offer to teach you their system, or proposition you for a price. And so on and so forth.
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Eduardo
- Video Poker Master
- Posts: 2963
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:19 pm
Drinks are free? Was that serious?!
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rascal
- VP Veteran
- Posts: 685
- Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:25 am
Free, yep. Just be sure to tip. A dollar is OK. The waitresses make most of their money from tips, and seeing as most of them are starving law, medical, or MBA students, you want to help 'em out....
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cddenver
- Video Poker Master
- Posts: 2269
- Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:54 pm
Player's Club - I don't know anything about the Vegas Hilton, but the Player's Club for it will be on one of the floors where there are gaming tables/VP machines/slot machines. There will be a big sign over it. They'll have you fill out a little form with your name and address. You'll need your driver's license for that. They'll give you a card on the spot to use in the machines. The card will have a little hole in one corner. That's so that you can clip cards for several casinos together. When they give you the card, if they don't put a little bungee cord on it, ask for one. They're free. You don't put money on the card, since the machines are cash only. Every machine will have a slot where you slide the card in, and the card keeps track of how much you play. The more you play, the more comps you get. It's good to have a bungee cord attached to the card, since it's easy to forget when you leave a machine. Losing your card is no big deal - just go back to the Player's Club and ask for a replacement. You can take your card back to the Player's Club at any time to see how much $ comps you've put on it, and redeem those for cash (won't be much).
You'll see all kinds of different machines. They're organized in groups called banks. A bank can have 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or more identical machines in it. They'll have plenty of machines, you'll usually be able to just walk up to one, take a seat, and start playing. As you walk through the casino, you'll see all kinds of different machines. Some are single line / single game. Most of the game screens will look JUST LIKE what you see here - multigame / multiline. Here, you click on things with the mouse. The real machines (newer) are touch screen - you select which game you want to play by touching the name on the screen. They'll all have buttons you push (like a keyboard) for holding cards.
IMPORTANT! Many machines are what's called multi-denomination, which means you select the stakes you want to play for. You know the screen on the machines here that shows the available games? In a casino that screen will show the available denominations at the bottom - 5 cents, 25 cents, $1. Touch the denomination you want to play. You can change the denomination as often as you want, without cashing out. The real machines show your credits as points, just like here. If you want to see how much you're got in real money, just touch the screen where it shows your points, and it will show it in $. Whenever you want to cash out, press the "Cash Out" button. Newer machines will give you a printed ticket showing the amount you've cashed out. You can take that to a cashier and they'll give you real money. There are also automated kiosks where you can stick the ticket in and it will pay you in cash. If you go to a cashier, don't reach for the money until the cashier has counted it all out. If you do that, they have to start over.
Most of the newer machines just accept bills and tickets, and not coins. If you happen to play a machine that pays out in coins, there will be coin buckets around that you can use to keep them in. The slot you put money in will take bills of any denomination - $100's, $50's, $20's, $10's, $5's. They'll also accept the tickets you get when you've cashed out from other machines.
IMPORTANT! If you have to leave a machine for a minute (potty break) never, ever, ever, leave money in it and ask another player to watch it for you! (A friend is different) Cash out, take the ticket, do your potty break, come back, put the ticket back in the machine, and resume play.
Good grief! I'm pooped from all the writing - anyone want to jump in and add to or change anything?
You'll see all kinds of different machines. They're organized in groups called banks. A bank can have 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or more identical machines in it. They'll have plenty of machines, you'll usually be able to just walk up to one, take a seat, and start playing. As you walk through the casino, you'll see all kinds of different machines. Some are single line / single game. Most of the game screens will look JUST LIKE what you see here - multigame / multiline. Here, you click on things with the mouse. The real machines (newer) are touch screen - you select which game you want to play by touching the name on the screen. They'll all have buttons you push (like a keyboard) for holding cards.
IMPORTANT! Many machines are what's called multi-denomination, which means you select the stakes you want to play for. You know the screen on the machines here that shows the available games? In a casino that screen will show the available denominations at the bottom - 5 cents, 25 cents, $1. Touch the denomination you want to play. You can change the denomination as often as you want, without cashing out. The real machines show your credits as points, just like here. If you want to see how much you're got in real money, just touch the screen where it shows your points, and it will show it in $. Whenever you want to cash out, press the "Cash Out" button. Newer machines will give you a printed ticket showing the amount you've cashed out. You can take that to a cashier and they'll give you real money. There are also automated kiosks where you can stick the ticket in and it will pay you in cash. If you go to a cashier, don't reach for the money until the cashier has counted it all out. If you do that, they have to start over.
Most of the newer machines just accept bills and tickets, and not coins. If you happen to play a machine that pays out in coins, there will be coin buckets around that you can use to keep them in. The slot you put money in will take bills of any denomination - $100's, $50's, $20's, $10's, $5's. They'll also accept the tickets you get when you've cashed out from other machines.
IMPORTANT! If you have to leave a machine for a minute (potty break) never, ever, ever, leave money in it and ask another player to watch it for you! (A friend is different) Cash out, take the ticket, do your potty break, come back, put the ticket back in the machine, and resume play.
Good grief! I'm pooped from all the writing - anyone want to jump in and add to or change anything?
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ansoda
- Forum Regular
- Posts: 69
- Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:30 pm
EDUARDO, ANYONE'S FIRST TRIP TO A VEGAS CASINO IS A BIT NERVOUS. JUST REMEMBER THAT YOU BELONG THERE, AND THE STAFF AND FACILITIES ARE ALL GEARED TO HELP YOU PLAY. BE YOURSELF, BE CAUTIOUS, AND IF YOU NEED HELP ASK FOR IT FROM STAFF, NOT OTHER PLAYERS. I WISH YOU LUCK!
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jm002546
- Senior Member
- Posts: 398
- Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:13 am
Can't resist-CD, the holes are not for adding other Club cards-the casino you're at has the only card you "should ever need." Attaching it to the gaudybungee is the sole purpose. Eduardo, you often find the better machines to be more crowded, thus worth a wait, or keep checking for an opening. And if you see a guy who can play like lightening, he probably didn't acquire his proficiency playing low pay tables.
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cddenver
- Video Poker Master
- Posts: 2269
- Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:54 pm
Can't resist-CD, the holes are not for adding other Club cards-the casino you're at has the only card you "should ever need." Attaching it to the gaudy bungee is the sole purpose.
You're right on that! Nothing like getting a crusty look from someone working at any Player's Club when you hand them a bungee with cards from half a dozen other casinos ("What do you need those for? We have everything you need here!").
Eduardo, a few more things now that my fingers are rested -
You can check out the pays and such on a machine without putting any money in it. On the touchscreen machines just touch a game name like the machines on the beta site. While you're playing, the denomination you've selected is shown at the bottom of the screen (5 cents, 25 cents, etc.) Use that as confirmation that you're actually playing at the denomination you want. The machines on the beta site don't show that, since we just play for points.
Every machine has a "Change" button on it. If you have a problem with a machine, press it. The light on top of the machine will go on, and a casino employee will come over and help you out.
As far as drinks go, anything soft is free (water, juice, soda, coffee). In the main gaming areas, waitresses walk around calling "Drinks, drinks" and they'll bring you what you want right at the machine. You can also play at the bar - the machines are built into the surface. If a waitress or bartender sees that you're actually playing, you can get basic alcohol drinks for free. Have to be a high roller to get good booze for free.
If you're eating at one of the places in the Hilton, check to see if they'll comp your meal. How that's done varies from place to place, but you should check BEFORE going in - sometimes the person at the register can check your Player's Card before you're seated to see if you're good for free chow.
You're right on that! Nothing like getting a crusty look from someone working at any Player's Club when you hand them a bungee with cards from half a dozen other casinos ("What do you need those for? We have everything you need here!").
Eduardo, a few more things now that my fingers are rested -
You can check out the pays and such on a machine without putting any money in it. On the touchscreen machines just touch a game name like the machines on the beta site. While you're playing, the denomination you've selected is shown at the bottom of the screen (5 cents, 25 cents, etc.) Use that as confirmation that you're actually playing at the denomination you want. The machines on the beta site don't show that, since we just play for points.
Every machine has a "Change" button on it. If you have a problem with a machine, press it. The light on top of the machine will go on, and a casino employee will come over and help you out.
As far as drinks go, anything soft is free (water, juice, soda, coffee). In the main gaming areas, waitresses walk around calling "Drinks, drinks" and they'll bring you what you want right at the machine. You can also play at the bar - the machines are built into the surface. If a waitress or bartender sees that you're actually playing, you can get basic alcohol drinks for free. Have to be a high roller to get good booze for free.
If you're eating at one of the places in the Hilton, check to see if they'll comp your meal. How that's done varies from place to place, but you should check BEFORE going in - sometimes the person at the register can check your Player's Card before you're seated to see if you're good for free chow.
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Eduardo
- Video Poker Master
- Posts: 2963
- Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 7:19 pm
Are paytables different on the same machine if you change the denomination? I'll play Lutheran for a while if I have to. Okay seriously though are they?
Also I really need to practice now leading up to it. Would it be okay to practice the NSUD for deuces since i can probably find that more easily than full pay? Then if I find full pay just play that instead but at least be ready to play on non-full pay? I have practiced mostly full pay in the past but only recently not full pay. Since I probably can't keep them straight in my head I would rather just practice one now to be ready. Then I can't really do worse on full pay and if I can remember just few plays that are different I will be better off. Is that a good idea or dumb?
Also I really need to practice now leading up to it. Would it be okay to practice the NSUD for deuces since i can probably find that more easily than full pay? Then if I find full pay just play that instead but at least be ready to play on non-full pay? I have practiced mostly full pay in the past but only recently not full pay. Since I probably can't keep them straight in my head I would rather just practice one now to be ready. Then I can't really do worse on full pay and if I can remember just few plays that are different I will be better off. Is that a good idea or dumb?
