It's been several weeks since my last gambling update. I've had some pretty severe losses at the Pai Gow table over the past month. I had contemplated taking an hiatus from gambling. It's a 90 mile drive to the Downstream. coupled that with the string of losses, 5 grand over a 3 week period. I was becoming weary of it. The casino's promotions, giveaways, free play, and the fact I love Pai Gow kept me going back an average of twice a week. This past week things have taken a turn for the better.
Last Saturday at a VIP party My name was drawn for a thousand dollars cash. I ended up having a net win at the Pai Gow table. recouping $1,500. Tuesday this week I returned to get my and my wife's point multiplier. both of us received 6X points for table games, slots and VP. You can get as many as 20x points. max points is 100,000. which is worth $1,000. My wife is not in love with Gambling, as I am. She stays home and I take her player's card and swipe it at the kiosk for the multiplier.
She and I both had freeplay on our cards from the previous visit's action. I will play her card in the machines to accumulate points on her card, As luck would have it. there was a lag on her free play showing up on her card at the slot I had chosen to play her card on. I removed her card and inserted mine and where I had $115 in freeplay. I ran it up to $300 in the first two spins. This particular slot is a red ruby. A VGT machine which some people call red screens. Lucky ducks, moneybags, and Neptune are all VGT or red screens. When the screen turns red you get free spins. On the 3rd spin, screen turns red and stays red, spin after spin. It locks up at $1,250. for a hand pay. If I had had my wife's card inserted I'm not sure if they would have paid me.
One strategy I use to accumulate points I will play both of our cards in the roulette machine and play all spots with he exception of zero and double zero. what's the chances of the ball landing on green? so you break even every time and you accumulate points. this night it hit the green twice in a row. I lost $120. I moved on to VP.
I finish the night playing Pai Gow playing two hands $130 per hand. End up with a net gain of $1,700, thanks to getting a straight flush. I accumulated 24,000 points worth $240.
A short editorial on the impact of casinos in Oklahoma. The Downstream employs 1,100 employees. mostly from the Joplin area. They're over 10 casinos in Northeast corner of Oklahoma vying for the Missouri dollar. You hear a lot of verbiage about the evils and decadence of casinos. The economic impact just here in Southwest Missouri and Northeast Oklahoma is substantial. Not counting the 100 other casinos throughout Oklahoma. I know the employees, the single moms, the Iraqi and Afghanistan war veterans, the laid off oil industry workers, the freshly minted college grads,all with hopes and dreams and futures, thanks to the casinos.
Headed back this coming Saturday for an REO Speedwagon concert. wish me luck.
