How did you end up slotting/gambling?

[Leticia]

Love these stories mine is boring compared to all of these....about 10 years ago Mitch mentioned there were casino's in La. asked If I wanted to go we've been going ever since! Ok I should be going to sleep I have to get up early!
Attachment 3918

[hytail]

Early exposure to card games during summer breaks in grade school and junior high. By high school joining in pick up bj and poker games was common. After high school some of these pick up games were becoming rough with folks who were older and I did not know. Started reading and practicing card counting (got pretty good). Then I saw this movie California Split (can still find it on Amazon and it's my favorite gambling movie) with Elliot Gould and George Segal. I was hooked. With bj, won a lot of money, didn't like the pit boss attention, and then after a while it just bored the hell out of me - don't think I have played it ten times in the last 20 years. Now for cards, Pow Gai has some entertainment value to me nowadays.

As Seattle was my home at the time, Reno was my destination of choice. Now its Las Vegas because I like the freedom of so much everywhere in and out of town. With slots, I can go on a tilt, but 75 to 85% of the time I manage to come around... But I am sticking with it because I like hanging out with you all!

Parents never really gambled as far as I recall - other than losing on some investment (that's gambling isn't it?). One uncle and aunt gamble a lot - he's a very good dice player and gave me some good training - I am pretty familiar with the game, just don't feel it so I rarely play.

Occasionally I will handicap sports - wins are small and have never really come out ahead. haha Love the horses - I have won big but not even close to all I have lost, and well, like they say "don't bet on horses". But going to the track can be exciting and its a great place to go on a casual date.

[MNvegasgal]

Grew up on the ND/MN border.. Drinking age was 19 in MN.. and they had pull tabs in the bars. (Mini slot machine paper tabs you pull the strips off to see if they have a "winner"). We would pool our money and play together as a group. When I turned 21 the ND bars had black jack.. so I learned to play $1.00 black jack. Went to my first Casino in MN when I was 24.. and liked it.. but didn't get hooked. First husband and I went to Vegas in 1991 and stayed at Bob Stupak's Vegas World. We went to shows, gambled a little.. and I got a royal.. without full coin in. Only went one other time with first husband.. and it was not a fun trip. Fast foward.. 1998 had moved to the Twins Cities, was married to 2nd (and current ) DH) and we started going with our friend from ND either for March Madness - or Fall football. I didn't get my first handpay until 3 years ago.. so before that I was playing for a hand pay. Now we go to Vegas 2 - 3 times a year - Biloxi one (or twice) and the local 1.5 hours away in WI(for DH to play craps) or the local in MN(30 minutes away.. I normally go by myself on Saturday or Sunday mornings). Las Vegas October trip 2013 I hit my first, 2nd and 3rd hand pay in Vegas). Have not hit another one in Vegas since. Learned to Maximize comps.. while limiting going on tilt (DH doesn't play slots.. so he normally comes home with his Bankroll or a little more). I normally blow threw mine and my secret stash. Do not have a secret stash for our next Vegas Trip in october as I haven't been gambling since I have been on baby back up duty. Might try and run to Treasure Island - Red Wing tomorrow morning for a promo and free play, plus my $200 bucks.

I was raised in a large catholic family.. but we had 8 kids.. my parents had NO money for gambling. I think as they got older and retired.. they started to go to the dog races in FL.. but I don't know if my Mom or Dad ever went to a casino or Vegas. My family has other addictions.. so I think I inherited the tendancy .. but just don't abuse alcohol or drugs..

[michelelovesvegas]

I love this thread!! Just went on the casino gambling boat here in GA with Mom.. Nada… when we got back she said she still had time to go to the Bingo. 83 years old.. love it.

[BorgataBabe]

@Kimsa, this is a great thread. When I was 12 my parents bought a retired racehorse named Mr. Olsen "Ollie", he got hurt and couldn't race anymore but was very gentle for a thoroughbred and they didn't want to put him down. My parents became friendly with the original owner and we went to a lot of horse races for a few years.

At 19 I met my husband whose parents brought him & his brothers to AC all the time when they were younger and my FIL was also an avid horse better.

Me & my DH always enjoyed betting horses and initially only played table games in AC. We even got married on Derby Day in 1995. We celebrate our anniversary every year the weekend of the Derby in AC. We keep saying we are going to celebrate our 25th at the Kentucky Derby and I can buy a big ass hat!

We only just became slot players about 5 years ago when I realized my father was getting better weekend comps and more FP playing slot machines than we were getting on the tables. So I start playing slots and one of my 1st decent hits came right away on WOZ Ruby Slippers. I was max betting which didn't seem like such a big deal at the time because at the craps table I could literally lose $300 in 15 minutes. So I'm playing $4.80 a spin and I got a line hit that paid $820! I was in shock, it would take me hours at a craps table to win that kind of money. I was hooked from that moment on! I slot 90% of my time in the casino now and only play craps when I have already earned a lot on the slots!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[nighthawk66]

My last wife got me hooked lol

[bluesfan]

It is my husbands fault! He surprised me on my birthday many years ago with a trip to Las Vegas. One of my gifts was a book of Eqypt, and inside the book flap was the trip itinerary for the trip! And yep we stayed at Luxor!
The first thing I did when I got there was get a players card! The first game I played was 5 cent Jungle Jackpot, 15 cents a spin. I won 3 credits on my first spin and cashed out! A lot of nickels kicked out! Yes that is how long ago it was, machines had coins still! I think I had $200 for that trip, and the lowest denom at the time was nickels. I played that and quarters only. My local back home at the time was Hollywood in Aurora, IL, had never been there before my first Vegas trip. After that trip I started going and have even hooked ever since!

[NYphoenix]

I worked in the same restaurant as my dad as a busboy at the age of 13 and when we got off work he took me to the local horse track where he would allow me to bet on the ponies betting for me.
I tailed off from gambling for a while till the same horse track became a "racino" and I got a chance to play these video one arm bandits...the rest is history!

[camon]

I started by playing scratchers where I used to work. There was a scratcher machine and a bunch of us employees would get scratchers all the time for fun. I was also a good picker so I usually get even on them. For scratchers, it is really about what I keep staring at when I wanted to get a scratcher and it is usually my money back or a winner of a few dollars more. The most I ever won on scratchers from what I remember is I think 100 or 200, I don't quite remember. It has been a few years I have really played scratchers due to the liquor store by my house that I always pass all the time to get to the metro trains getting a new owner and not selling lotto there. This was also a few months after I stopped working to go to college. I usually always buy 1 or 2, whatever my catches my attention. I have bought 20 bucks worth of them before, but usually I get even or half of what I spent, so I did not find a need to do that anymore. The store by my house on the way to and from the train station does have new owners again and lotto back, but have lost interest in scratchers due to the casinos paying me more. Scratchers mostly just got me even or losing a dollar or 2 here and there when there is not a winner. I played at the most 5 dollars scratchers, mostly $2 or $3 no higher than $5.

In 2010 was my 1st ever trip to Vegas with my family and in a casino and I had fun, but it did not get me into casino gambling yet and was still into scratchers. I was really into music, entertainment, and concerts at that time. In 2011 around my birthday when I was 24 turning 25, there was a Backstreet Boys Concert in Temecula at Pechanga Resort and Casino and also at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City. I had tickets to the Gibson, but then realized the womens fastpitch tournament weekend was the same weekend and in Corona, way too far from Universal City and a lot closer to Pechanga. So then I sold my tickets on the BSB fanclub forum and bought a good seat someone was selling from one of the fans friend that could not go, and then my mom and I drove to Pechanga in the afternoon to avoid rush hour and find good parking for the concert. Then I got a players card and went even playing (I remember I had only 60 bucks I brought with me) and enjoyed the slots there. Since then, I went on pechangas website to look up the free shuttle bus schedule because I remember seeing it a lot at the park and ride on the way to college (this was before I went to the unversity and stopped working), then my mom would go a couple times a month. Then we found out about other buses like Morongo, Harrahs, Valley View, San Manuel, etc. We mostly just go to our one local Pechanga because we win there a lot.

I go to casinos for fun when I am bored, have nothing scheduled going on, and when friends are there to meet up with and hang out. I do not consider it an addiction because I take the bus there 5 hour stay and start off with the free play, I do not bring all my winnings from previous casino trips (maybe I bring a little, less than a 100 depending on if its middle of the week and I already went once to use my mailing offer free play for the week and only have my bus free play), I stay away from high limit and dollar machines, I walk around and slot hop a lot, I do not stay on the same machine when losing hoping it will come alive and try to win back what I lost on it, and I play pennies. Also when I win a big jackpot off pennies and/or is way ahead, I may bet a little higher but only if the machine is consistent in paying. Oh and my mom has social security and she gives me money to play when my free play winnings run out on a bad payout day. Some days, no matter what machine you go on, bonuses are paying hardly anything. Oh and just like scratchers, I go with what I am staring at and my gut feeling.

My dad on the other hand, he hates slots because he hardly ever wins. The only time he ever won was at one of the further away locals when we were staying overnight for a concert I wanted to go see and I picked a machine for him and he won 50 bucks within the first couple spins betting 25 cents. He likes to play tables. My mom and I like slots. I also have done a lot of internet research on high volatility and low volatility slots as well as how they work and stuff like that to help me pick slots better and win more. I do this with weightlifting too and running to help my running time and my strength for my goals.

Oh and all of you know about my favorite slot titan 360..did not start going to casino more than once a week until I fell in love with that machine and winning on it all the time. The entertainment, the crowd, the sound effects, and the friendly people who I meet playing it makes me want to go back. I remember when I first started playing it, I would hit the wheel majority of the time on the first few spins. Also there was one time the penny machines by the wall I always liked to play and also the dollar machines (whole section in this one area) was out of service for maintenance and I walked through it to go to the bathroom after getting to the casino. After the bathroom, I walked through it again and saw a seat on titan 360 open and on the 1st spin, wheel and mini jackpot. I was like "wow, no other machine has give me that much success as this one". Then another trip when I went to casino and walked over to titan, it was out of service as well for maintenance and upgrades on the players card system like the other section was the previous trip, then I was bored and was forced to play other stuff and lost. Next trip, it was opened and I won my first hand pay on 450 free games. Since then, I fell in love with the machine and has been playing it since. I still play other stuff too, but I never leave a casino trip without sticking a 20 in it.

[charlie50]

Ok mine started when i was in the Navy in the 70's some of the E M clubs had slots. But the Acey Deucey clubs had the better ones so we would try to go there and play . But as a E-3 i was only allowed to play the lower denominations 5-cent and 10-cent (sorry no Penneys back then )lol and just kinda grew from there .