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Mauretania
02-20-2015, 07:36 PM
As I mentioned in my 1995 Wedding Anniversary post, we didn't gamble that year.
My BFF suggested we meet in Las Vegas, Summer 1996 (she lives in Vancouver).

I subscribed to Anthony Curtis's newsletter "Las Vegas Advisor" where it said video poker was the game with the best odds (that wasn't a table game).
I bought a VP trainer to practice a few basic games on the pc.

My friend and I stayed at the Mirage when it was the coolest place to stay on the Strip plus "Vegas Vacation" was being filmed at the hotel. The only
part we saw filming was at 2am - Chevy Chase playing blackjack.

My friend and I used the LVA coupons and signed up for players cards, collected mugs, t-shirts and freeplay up and down the Strip and even the Gold Coast.
I remember getting the famous hotdog and beer for $1 at the Sands, across the street.
I only played .25 video poker and would cash out the coins each time I hit a four-of-a-kind. The casino's had lots of video poker machines but few being
played. The whole non-smoking section at the Mirage was pretty much all video poker.

Besides single-line video poker machines, there were reel slot machines but I never played those. I didn't see any video slots or even WOF reels until
my next visit with my husband in 1997. Then we started visiting three to four times a year and stayed at Monte Carlo until Paris opened. The casino's
all had their own signature $1 reel slot progressives which are mostly gone now. They were the most popular reel slots and paid frequently as the jackpots hit around $1000.
The ones at Monte Carlo were "Top Hats", MGM Grand had the "Lions Share" and "Majestic Lion" (still have those by the bank of elevators for the main tower),
Blazing 7's ruled a whole section at the Flamingo and Caesars Roman ones were by by the entrance to the Forum Shops with photo ops with Antony and Cleopatra:)
Paris had cute French bicycle themed and the baker collecting the baquettes progressive reel slots.
Those slots would usually be set up in a rectangle with a raised platform in the middle where they had cashiers that would cash out the dollar coins.
My husband liked to play the above between sessions of blackjack but I stuck with video poker.

During the mid-'90's the reel slots became more interesting with bonus features on top - that's when I started playing a few reels - my favorite was
the Horseshoe one with the cash cows (I can't remember the exact name) and it was usually in a bank with Big Bang Piggy, X Factor and the one I hated
Jackpot Party.

During the late '90's the nickel coin video slots were popping up everywhere and a couple of visits I played them alot - Reel "Em In was one of the first
but I never really liked the graphics. I liked playing Lucky Leprachaun (Welcome to Rainbow Land!), Little Green Men, Texas Tea and I Dream of Jeannie
but the downside was once you hit 1000 credits ($50), You had to wait for a hand-pay and constant filling of the nickel coin hoppers. They were all pretty much nine line machines.
The coolest nickel slot was "I Love Lucy" - when you got the chocolate bonus, it smelled like
chocolate! The only slot that emitted an odor, that I'm aware of. I played these at Bally's.

The first 15-line nickel machines I saw were the Cinema Classics with Humphrey Bogart (I liked that one) Marilyn Monroe, etc..and then Money Storm, etc..My husband was
addicted to the nickel "American Bandstand" video slot and would play those for hours.
The first "penny" video slot I saw was "The Beverly Hillbillies" early '00's, I think. I rarely played the video slots once they all turned to penny slots and
the TV show themed ones started disappearing.

That's the timeline I remember but some may be "off" a bit lol

Penguin
02-20-2015, 08:15 PM
Interesting history for us newer slot players. Thanks.

Nhcris
02-20-2015, 08:32 PM
Very cool Mauretania! I am impressed that you remember it all so clearly. All I remember from the early years are 3 & 5 reel quarter and dollar machines. I was terrified of all the video penny slots when they came out, and i almost had a melt down at Turning Stone the first time I went there because even their reels were video. I just wasn't ready to move on!

And look at us now. A bunch of slot nerds :nerd:

dvandentop
02-20-2015, 08:48 PM
Thanks for taking the time to write that up. My earliest slot memories were when i was 18 i went to the gf cousin in minneapolis and her boy cousin and i went to mystic lake. I dont remember having my socks blown off or anything by excitement but it was fun.

Pretty sure played older igt where the reels go up and down depending on the arrows orientation

seemoreroyals
02-20-2015, 09:30 PM
Thanks for sharing your slot history with us Maurentania. My first gambling experience I can recall is one of those machines where you put quarters in. It's not really a slot machine but as you feed the quarters in it spits them out and they are pushed around and if you are fortunate your quarter will end up pushing some other quarters over the edge and into the payout tray at bottom of machine. There were so many quarters hanging over ready to fall off it seemed like an safe bet so I gave it a try. I do not remember how much money I put in that machine before I finally gave up.

Zooms
02-20-2015, 09:30 PM
I remember going to the Paris and seeing the RWB slots were "Bleu Blanc Rouge".

zeus
02-20-2015, 09:41 PM
Thanks for sharing your slot history with us Maurentania. My first gambling experience I can recall is one of those machines where you put quarters in. It's not really a slot machine but as you feed the quarters in it spits them out and they are pushed around and if you are fortunate your quarter will end up pushing some other quarters over the edge and into the payout tray at bottom of machine. There were so many quarters hanging over ready to fall off it seemed like an safe bet so I gave it a try. I do not remember how much money I put in that machine before I finally gave up.
James. I used to love playing these. First time I saw them was as a kid and they had them at the local VFD carnivals. I would play them for hours.

Mauretania
02-20-2015, 09:46 PM
Thanks for sharing your slot history with us Maurentania. My first gambling experience I can recall is one of those machines where you put quarters in. It's not really a slot machine but as you feed the quarters in it spits them out and they are pushed around and if you are fortunate your quarter will end up pushing some other quarters over the edge and into the payout tray at bottom of machine. There were so many quarters hanging over ready to fall off it seemed like an safe bet so I gave it a try. I do not remember how much money I put in that machine before I finally gave up.

I've seen those on cruise ships, they always draw a crowd!

QHLover
02-20-2015, 10:05 PM
My first gambling experience was 17 years ago on my way to Zion national park! I was about 2:am my Bestie and I along with our kids got a room at the aladen she wanted me do go and gamble with her I had never gambled! I had a bad headache did not want to. She talked me into it 5 hours later I was pain free and $300 up on Cleo quarter machine. I always blame her for my habit! HHH

RiverSong
02-20-2015, 10:56 PM
Well done! What a memory too. I started gambling in the late 70's, I traveled back then and played in the Carribean, Atlantic City, Tahoe, Dakar- Senegal, Kinshasa-Zaire. Then and into the mid 80s I played Roulette & Joker Poker. One interesting experience was playing in Zaire at a table with Europeans who looked like they came from the docks of Marsellies. I was the only woman and American, a fight broke out no one left, (too many chips on the table). I remember when the casinos in AC slots didn't have individual chairs and if you couldn't find one you had to stand. Beginning in the 90s I mainly played in Louisiana. Thanks Maurentania.

Skyler
02-21-2015, 12:28 AM
Those were the days weren't they? I loved those diamond cimema slots! I never saw the Bogart ones, just Marilyn and James Dean. I also loved the ones with Regis Philbin that was themed after that game show he hosted. What was the name of that? It seems like the themes were so much better back then.

treyster
02-21-2015, 01:56 AM
.

During the late '90's the nickel coin video slots were popping up everywhere and a couple of visits I played them alot - Reel "Em In was one of the first
but I never really liked the graphics. I liked playing Lucky Leprachaun (Welcome to Rainbow Land!), Little Green Men, Texas Tea and I Dream of Jeannie
but the downside was once you hit 1000 credits ($50), You had to wait for a hand-pay and constant filling of the nickel coin hoppers. They were all pretty much nine line machines.
The coolest nickel slot was "I Love Lucy" - when you got the chocolate bonus, it smelled like
chocolate! The only slot that emitted an odor, that I'm aware of. I played these at Bally's.


I wasted entire days playing that nine line I Dream of Jeannie way back then.

Interesting about the I Love Lucy bonus smelling like chocolate. Good thing they didn't do that with the Animal House slot machine

Jen Jen
02-21-2015, 02:12 AM
Enjoyed reading you slot beginnings. Now you're the Queen on VP.

Cyndyga
02-21-2015, 04:31 AM
My sentiments exactly! Quad Queen :)

Enjoyed reading you slot beginnings. Now you're the Queen on VP.

BorgataBabe
02-21-2015, 12:45 PM
What a great slot history! I don't remember most of the older machines in AC because until 4 years ago I was strictly a table game player. I would walk by the slot machines and tell my husband, "look at all those people throwing their money away!" Now I'm one of those people! LMAO!


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goldengreeke
02-21-2015, 12:59 PM
Great story and history Monica. :)

foamy
02-21-2015, 01:03 PM
I went to Vegas in 81 for the first time all they had was real slots then when Laurie and I got married she played nickel video poker a nickel at a time

zeus
02-21-2015, 01:08 PM
Monica, I am just amazed with your memory of what you played and where the slots were located in each casino so many years ago. I have trouble remembering where slots were in Vegas last year!

emmas
02-21-2015, 02:02 PM
Thanks for your perspective on slots. It's amazing how so many things have changed in the past 20 years. Without technology allowing casinos to get rid of the coin hoppers, I don't think the onslaught of penny machines could have happened.

foamy
02-21-2015, 02:13 PM
Thanks for your perspective on slots. It's amazing how so many things have changed in the past 20 years. Without technology allowing casinos to get rid of the coin hoppers, I don't think the onslaught of penny machines could have happened.

When penny machines first came out around here they still had coin hoppers and paid in dollar tokens if you had odd change you either played it out or left it.

Mauretania
02-21-2015, 02:38 PM
Those were the days weren't they? I loved those diamond cimema slots! I never saw the Bogart ones, just Marilyn and James Dean. I also loved the ones with Regis Philbin that was themed after that game show he hosted. What was the name of that? It seems like the themes were so much better back then.

You're right, the correct name for those film slots were "Diamond Cinema"! Oh, wow, the Regis Philbin one was called "Cash Club", I played that silly machine for hours!
It had that ladder on top for the bonus round and when you first put in money, the Regis video would pop up on the screen and he would talk to you "Are you ready to play?"
and I would say "Yes!" LOL! They were those small reels - five of them that would spin.

Mauretania
02-21-2015, 02:57 PM
I wasted entire days playing that nine line I Dream of Jeannie way back then.

Interesting about the I Love Lucy bonus smelling like chocolate. Good thing they didn't do that with the Animal House slot machine

I don't remember ever seeing an "Animal House" slot.

Mauretania
02-21-2015, 03:13 PM
Monica, I am just amazed with your memory of what you played and where the slots were located in each casino so many years ago. I have trouble remembering where slots were in Vegas last year!

LOL! I think I remember certain slots because I didn't play them often and when I did, they would be ones that "attracted" me with the theme etc...
Another one I remember playing often was the Frank Sinatra slot and when you got a "Frank" he would expand to cover the reel and sing "Fly Me To The Moon" :)

When the "new" Aladdin opened late 2000/early 2001 they had a bunch of video slots that I didn't see anywhere else on the Strip, at the time. We would stay at Paris
walk over to the Aladdin as they had a 24 hour Starbucks and I would play Gilligans Island, M*A*S*H and The Three Stooges.

Gypsy
02-21-2015, 04:31 PM
Really interesting read. You do have an amazing memory for detail. I have been going to Vegas my whole life since my Mom is a gambler, and the trips just seem to blur together.

clemi
02-22-2015, 04:32 PM
Thanks Mauretania for the excellent post. I'm impressed with your memory!
Sadly I started getting interested in different slot games just as they removed that I love lucy machine... so sad I never got to play it waaaaaa!

Slymustanglady
02-22-2015, 06:46 PM
I'm also am very impressed. My first memory was staying in Cape May for the first time,and going to A.C. Went with two other couples. I loved it so much,I have been back every year,driving from Cleveland. Only missed one year since that time. I hate to fly,only been to vegas twice. Many years ago. Now we go almost every week to our locals.

Slymustanglady
02-22-2015, 06:47 PM
Forgot to say,it was the first year that Resorts opened. 1978

Borgatadd
02-22-2015, 07:15 PM
What a memory! That was very cool how it all started. Now look at you, definitely my VP Guru. My first slot was in AC Resorts as well Slymustanglady and the same year. Who knows we might have seen each other in passing ha ha. I do remember that I had maybe $25 no more than $50 for the trip. Slots were just a curiosity then. I sure have come a long ways from a $25 BR.:loco:

Evoni
02-25-2015, 03:36 AM
Enjoyed reading that Monica. It brings back similar memories for me since my Dad lived in Vegas during that time period for a few years and we would visit him occasionally. I also subscribed to Anthony Curtis's newsletter "Las Vegas Advisor" for a while and was also active in their private forum area for subscribers