Main Street Station or California?

Thanks for that input, JDC. I played for "score with four" on a NSUD game and it was a little extra although the denom was only with quarters. Still a little extra as you hit naturals from time to time.

They have a similar thing going on at the Emerald Island in Henderson. I think it's 2 days per week. I played it once and noticed a very intereting phenomenon:  You may hit one natural, another one, after a while another one...but strangely...the last natural is the hardest to hit. Sometimes it can get expensive.  A slot attendant confirmed this phenomenon. People sitting there with 5 stamps on their card and one 4-of-a-kind missing...and it just won't show :((((((

Well, I'm sure you know that's horse pucky; you have the same chance of hitting a quad in every hand, and the status of a little punch card or the malevolence of the VP gods or whatever doesn't affect that at all.

This particular promo gives you the best low roller play in town. Near the east entrance, there's a bank of machines with .05 10/7 DB with a progressive (!!). So you hit one of those machines during the promo. You can play pretty fast. A quad hits every 425 hands or so, so it takes an average of about 2500 hands to get the bonus. What you get is a wheel spin, which has an EV of $15. So divide that by the six quads you need, and that's a bonus of $2.50 per quad. That's adding TEN BETS to the payback for quads. Figure on ten extra bets paid to you every 425 hands, and that's over a 2% boost.

Since that game is single-line, it counts for the 25x points periods, so I'm also earning 1.6% in points. The game itself is a little bit better than breakeven, so it's a +4% play overall!! The Plan: go there, have lunch, hit the 10/7 game at 2 pm. Play like a maniac for the next two hours. You'll earn enough points for dinner. I hit 1200 hands an hour, so I'm usually finished with the card when the points return to normal at 4pm. I can go have dinner (4 pm is when the dinner specials start, and it's less crowded then). If my card is incomplete, I can finish it off when the 25x points resumes at 7 pm.

Running a bit over $1000 through those machines with a 4% edge nets you $40 in EV for a couple hours' play. And then you use your earnings to feed your face at their great restaurant.

I'm almost afraid to detail this. It's a terrific promo/opportunity.

summary: Rainbow and Emerald are probably the best places for gamblers in Las Vegas. I mean, the low roller players. Amazingly, there are also players willing to risk 5  dollars per spin on regular slots and that's why sometimes you see big jackpots there. The places are so small but at the same time so successfull. I really love it there. Whether I win or lose. I couldn't accept the fact that I lose 2000 or 3000 in a bad night of 5-8 dd bonus poker on the strip and face arrogant staff and in the end i would have to pay for my parking and if  i'm hungry it costs me 55 dollars plus tip for a small sandwich with a soda.

And just to add to that, both places make you feel really welcome. The people who work there are obviously happy. You sign up for the players' club, you get goodies immediately, like a free meal, and a sincere welcome from the staff. The drink service is great, if there's a problem with your machine, the tech is right there, and the wait staff in the restaurant is top-notch and really hospitable.

As you say, even if you drop several grand on the Strip, they treat you with disdain and act like you should be grateful to breathe their air. EI and Rainbow welcome the low roller with open arms. Even if you only spend something like $40, you're a valued customer. That sort of vibe went away everywhere else a long time ago.

Bonus tip: go there Saturday afternoon, get into the restaurant for Steak Night at 4 pm (before the crowds hit). Complete steak dinner: soup or salad, veggie, potato, steak, and dessert. Price from $20 to $27, and it's really good. And you can use your LVA coupon for that!!

Which casino is it that's doing the steak night? Rainbow or Emerald  or both? We'll be there in November and that meal with the LVA coupon is a steal!