Random thought.....

[Ray1936]

My first visit to Las Vegas was in 1969, forty years ago. That led to annual [[sometimes biannual) trips, and then the move here from Detroit in 1984. Of course, much has changed in that time

Yesterday, while at the Fiesta Hotel/Casino, the cell phone of the player on my left buzzed, and he had a short conversation with the caller. At least he spoke softly and made the call short. But then something dawned on me from forty years back that used to irk the dickens out of me......and that no longer happens.

In any casino of 25 years back or so, you would hear the PA system continually calling: "Telephone call for Mr. Hotshot, Mr. George Hotshot, please.". There was rarely a fifteen second gap between these telephone call overhead pages.

Today, of course, with everyone having a cell phone, you no longer hear those pages. So while I occasionally curse the dang things, at least they have eliminated one other irksome experience.

[[Aside: Back then, I also used to wonder how many of those pages were really fakes to impress the customers, i.e., "Telephone call for Mr. Goulet, Mr. Robert Goulet, please". Shit, Robert Goulet was in Chicago at the time.)

[Retroit]

Now if only the casinos would eliminate all that damn "ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding" from those slot machines that sounds even though no one has won anything, maybe I could bear to stay in one more than fifteen seconds.

[elganned]

I have some friends who like to go to casinos--Windsor, Detroit, Saginaw, etc. They have in the past asked me to come along. I have, for the sake of camaraderie, but I cannot for the life of me see what the attraction is.

So I get my bucket of quarters, lose my $20 in about an hour or less, then stand and wonder, "When's the fun part supposed to happen?"

To each his/her own, but left to my own devices I would probably never set foot in a casino again. Been there, done that...didn't buy the T-shirt.

Glad to hear the techno-revolution has had some side benefit for someone, anyway.

[Sstashmoo]

Quote: "They have in the past asked me to come along. I have, for the sake of camaraderie, but I cannot for the life of me see what the attraction is.

So I get my bucket of quarters, lose my $20 in about an hour or less, then stand and wonder, "When's the fun part supposed to happen?"

To each his/her own, but left to my own devices I would probably never set foot in a casino again. Been there, done that...""

Ditto, I could have written that very thing. I'll never understand the attraction of handing some crooked corporation hard earned dollars to see the lights blink and the bells ring. I just don't get it.

[rb336]

went to a casino once, just for the heck of it [[atlantic city -- I was bored in Philly) with $30 in my pocket. hit a $5 craps table, walked out with over $1200. never went back.

I win

[Retroit]

There's a reason Casinos are able to afford those glamorous buildings, and it's not because the customers are winning.

[Jimaz]

went to a casino once, just for the heck of it [[atlantic city -- I was bored in Philly) with $30 in my pocket. hit a $5 craps table, walked out with over $1200. never went back.

I win

If you're going to do it, that's the way to do it! On what did you bet?

I've been remarkably lucky at craps. I don't recall ever having a losing session. I attribute it to having a billion [[fake) dollar bankroll at a no-limit table. Too bad real casinos don't have tables like that. I'd strongly recommend not trying this with real money. I Martingale the Don't Pass with full double odds.

I once found an online casino [[also not real money) with a software bug that caused it to incorrectly pay Don't bettors whenever a twelve appeared on the come-out roll. That effectively handed the house's tiny advantage over to the player. So I automated it and had it play on my behalf 24/7. It steadily accumulated a tidy sum!

Someone buying the casino found out about it and went to great trouble to fix it. Unfortunately for them they wouldn't consult with me about it so I couldn't tell them of a much larger bug that ultimately undermined their entire business plan!

Oh, for the heady days of the dot coms!

[ccbatson]

If said story was the one and only time that the person gambled, then, yes, the gambler is ahead. That is not the real world.

[Blarf]

I never been to Vegas but if I do, I want to visit the Circus Circus. The movie Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas made it look like too much fun.