Vegas Free-for-All - My Gambling History

Rock'n Rick

Nov 23, 2015
7:08am

It all started with me as a young kid pitching baseball cards against the sidewalks of Boston.

Then I advanced to pitching pennies, ........... and then up to quarters,

............ then I played the "illegal" the football cards,

...................... then I played poker in the break room at lunch,

This year I progressed to buying a house and moving to Vegas.

..................... Next Question ?

Rick

jatki

Nov 24, 2015
5:14am

Block User

My very first time gambling in a casino was AC back in mid 90's sometime, it was just an overnight stay. I was with my G/F, Mom and oldest brother. I remember being mesmorized by all the lights, coin droppers and such. I think I had 40 or 60 bucks and I lost that on the slots rather quickly and kept bumming money off my brother and that finally came to an end. It was first ,and last, time feeling the "depression" of losing all my money and unable to gamble anymore.

My first time gambling "for real" was back in '99. My wifes boss started letting us use his miles every year as pasrt of her Christamas bonus to fly anywhere we wanted. It sounds odd but we kinda struggled with different cities to visit but in '99 I came up with Vegas. I researched a bit (if I knew then what I know now!) and came up with a week at the Maxim. We immediately fell in love with the orange shag carpeting that went half way up the hallway walls and the wall sized litho adorning one of the room walls with a pic of the strip in '65 (my birth year).

I remember really, really intimidated about sitting down at a table game. I'd played BJ, poker and other games a zillion times at home games but never an actual casino. I sat down at an empty five dollar BJ table, told the dealer it was my first time and she was extrememly cool and helped me out with all the proper etiquette and such. I sat and played for hours. And hours, all week. I did great too. Every now and again I would take a handful of checks and stuff 'em in my pockets, the really deep cargo short pockets. A couple times they had to stop and ask me to color up(the first tine this happened, I hadn't a clue what "color up" meant .

That week really got me hooked, not to the point where I feel the need to go to a casino all the time, but I do love Vegas. It's the only place I gamble really, Charlestown racetrack isn't that far away, supposedly a nice casino, but we've never been. I'm not really sure how many times we've been to Vegas, I'm guessing six or eight times. I could go more often but we started going many ties in a row, my wife got kinda tired of going so much, she isn't as enamored as me about Vegas.

I definitely wouldn't mind going a little more often, but we're going to actually have to pay (minus the measly two night comp offers) to stay now, my wife's parents got rid of the timeshares they owned.

O2bnVegas

Nov 24, 2015
6:44am

Block User

I blame a nurses convention for my entry into gambling.

Convention happened to be in Reno, approx 1986 or so, at Ballys which at the time was a beautiful high rise building. Frank Sinatra was performing.

Two colleagues talked me into going. I had no interest as I'd been to the convention the previous year in NYC. But they needed me to share the room/cost, so I relented.

I had given no thought to gambling of any kind prior to this.
Upon arrival (late evening after a long day at work) I was dog dead tired and could think of nothing but going to bed. But somebody said "Let's go see the casino." I didn't even know what a casino was.

Long story short, they showed me how to play the nickel slots. Those actually took 1-3 nickels in those days.

Wow, you put in a nickel, 10 come out. Whee! What a deal!
Eventually they all went to bed. My cup was almost full of nickels...why quit? LOL
I stayed at the machine until 7 am, tried to sneak into the room without waking them up, but no luck there. "You're just now coming back?" Yes, yes.

My cup now held just a few nickels compared to what I had "won", but so what? It's only money.

I got back to work and told my story, how much fun, etc., never expecting ever again to darken to door of a casino. Then our dietitian asked me "Wanna go to Las Vegas?" She'd been divorced and used to go with her ex.

So now...still winning, losing, winning, losing, wash, rinse repeat!

Blonde4ever

Nov 24, 2015
7:54am

Block User

Whee!!! Indeed! lol

Benue183

Nov 27, 2015
11:05pm

Block User

I began gambling with a 6 hour drive to Atlantic City with my husband and my parents. My parents had made the trek to AC annually since Resort's International opened. I really loved the ambiance of the casino. I remember waiting behind the ropes for the casino to open in the morning as they were not allowed 24/7 at that time. From that time on, we made an annual trip over Thanksgiving to play while other's had their turkey dinner and black friday shopping. Fast forward to 1989 when we decided to try Las Vegas. My dad had passed away in March, my mother had never been on a plane in her life, and the fates thought it a great idea that I would be flying through the air on Halloween 1989. What a great trip!!!!

Since then, Foxwoods and Mohegan sun opened with only a 1.5 hour commute for us. We began taking annual trips to Vegas, Semi annual trips to AC, and then visits to Foxwoods and Mohegan sun in between. I also frequent Twin River in Lincoln R.I. which is a little bit closer for us than Foxwoods.

I now still visit Vegas at least once a year, sometimes twice a year in April and October. It was my husband's favorite place in the whole world. Sadly he passed away in September 2014 after a 4 month illness. I returned there in April of 2015 to release some of his ashes off the top of the Stratosphere, just as he had requested. My son was able to accompany me on that trip, and we returned in October, just for some fun and sun. Our next trip will be planned for April 2016.

My game of choice is video keno, I am addicted to it. I also play a touch of video poker and some penny slots if they look interesting to me. I, like you, are facing the retirement choice. Do I retire now? Do I wait?? I think come summer I will call the working game quits, and enjoy the summer.

Dave in Seattle.

Dec 4, 2015
3:15pm

Block User

Way back during the GAS CRISIS my buddy and decided to go to Reno for the first time.
We studied card counting and we were ready!1982.

On the cheap, we decided that we had an opporunity to drive a "Dead Head" Avis rental car back from Reno to Seattle just for the fun of it, and Avis would pay the gasoline bills. Cheap trip! '82 Olsmobile Cutlass

Well we got on a Greyhound bus in Seattle (Drunk)around 2AM for a 26 hour ordeal to Reno.
I got tired and fell asleep in the bus seat and I was uncomfortable so I hopped up into the luggege rack for a snooze.VERY comfortable up there!
We get into Portland and my buddy couldn't find me. Yeah,I was hiding. A little breakfast and back on the bus.

Get into a one-horse town in California for lunch and Luke's Chili Cafe. Yeah,right. "Hey there is a tavern across the street that has Coors beer!!!!! "My Montana buddy couldn't get Coors beer in Seattle.
We skipped the chili lunch and had a Coors beer. Then,some cowboy started buying us beers. GREAT!
Around the second beer,we saw the greyhound leaving the diner at full throttle. AHHHHHH!
No choice: WE RAN DOWN THE STREET AFTER THE BUS!

It was raining a little by then. After a 1/4 mile of running,a lady pulled along side and asked us if we needed a ride. Soaking wet,we said: "YEAH!"

That Chevy II was running on about 4 and 1/2 cylinders and she peaked out the RPM at around 60 MPH in 3rd gear, floppy wipers smearing the windshield at full throttle. After honking her horn a few times,the driver got the idea and pulled over. Heads bowed,we got back in the bus and took our seats.

Hey,when you cross the border into California,smoking is allowed!

Gee,Reno! Our first time.

Circus-Circus check in and get to the tables!
Our budget was $300 each for 3 days and I blew most of of that in 4 hours! Hey,beer and popcorn was FREE!
My buddy yacked in the alley and security shooed us away.

The rest of the vacation was using 2 for 1 coupons and a free -roll -of -nickels coupons here and there.
"OK,now what?"

Dick around for 2 more days on coupons and a few bucks and go get the car at Avis.
It's a free ride back to Seattle.No sweat.

Around Northern California we were low on gasoline. Got the guy out of bed for a full tank @3AM.
In Roseberg Oregon same issue, but there was NO GAS to be found: RED signs out front.
We were on a full burn to get back to Seattle,so we decided to syphon some gas out of a Dairy
Gold milk truck with a stolen section of garden hose.

During the process,he inhaled about a half-pint of regular, but we got about a 1/2 tank.
We did get back to Seattle and into the Avis lot and with what money we had left ,that went towards a bottle of Pepto Bismol, in Oregon.
Between the both of us,we had 38 cents left from our trip.

Not so much a gambling report as an adventure to Nevada for our first time. Hey,I can't make this stuff up!
Between Reno and 'Vegas,Carson City and Jackpot,Nevada about 30 times.
7 "Junkets",too. Show $300 and fly for free to Carson City.The bus was included.
Some times came out ahead sometimes not, but it was all fun.

I Drove to Las Vegas from Seattle once.Never again. I like fun and I'll do it again(Not by car or bus) this time.
Did The Stratosphere Tower/ Bob Stupac deal in 1985 or so.My first RF was in '85.

'Vegas in March. 2016.

jatki

Dec 4, 2015
7:23pm

Block User

Quote

Originally posted by: ddd228
Way back during the GAS CRISIS my buddy and decided to go to Reno for the first time.
We studied card counting and we were ready!1982.

On the cheap, we decided that we had an opporunity to drive a "Dead Head" Avis rental car back from Reno to Seattle just for the fun of it, and Avis would pay the gasoline bills. Cheap trip! '82 Olsmobile Cutlass

Well we got on a Greyhound bus in Seattle (Drunk)around 2AM for a 26 hour ordeal to Reno.
I got tired and fell asleep in the bus seat and I was uncomfortable so I hopped up into the luggege rack for a snooze.VERY comfortable up there!
We get into Portland and my buddy couldn't find me. Yeah,I was hiding. A little breakfast and back on the bus.

Get into a one-horse town in California for lunch and Luke's Chili Cafe. Yeah,right. "Hey there is a tavern across the street that has Coors beer!!!!! "My Montana buddy couldn't get Coors beer in Seattle.
We skipped the chili lunch and had a Coors beer. Then,some cowboy started buying us beers. GREAT!
Around the second beer,we saw the greyhound leaving the diner at full throttle. AHHHHHH!
No choice: WE RAN DOWN THE STREET AFTER THE BUS!

It was raining a little by then. After a 1/4 mile of running,a lady pulled along side and asked us if we needed a ride. Soaking wet,we said: "YEAH!"

That Chevy II was running on about 4 and 1/2 cylinders and she peaked out the RPM at around 60 MPH in 3rd gear, floppy wipers smearing the windshield at full throttle. After honking her horn a few times,the driver got the idea and pulled over. Heads bowed,we got back in the bus and took our seats.

Hey,when you cross the border into California,smoking is allowed!

Gee,Reno! Our first time.

Circus-Circus check in and get to the tables!
Our budget was $300 each for 3 days and I blew most of of that in 4 hours! Hey,beer and popcorn was FREE!
My buddy yacked in the alley and security shooed us away.

The rest of the vacation was using 2 for 1 coupons and a free -roll -of -nickels coupons here and there.
"OK,now what?"

Dick around for 2 more days on coupons and a few bucks and go get the car at Avis.
It's a free ride back to Seattle.No sweat.

Around Northern California we were low on gasoline. Got the guy out of bed for a full tank @3AM.
In Roseberg Oregon same issue, but there was NO GAS to be found: RED signs out front.
We were on a full burn to get back to Seattle,so we decided to syphon some gas out of a Dairy
Gold milk truck with a stolen section of garden hose.

During the process,he inhaled about a half-pint of regular, but we got about a 1/2 tank.
We did get back to Seattle and into the Avis lot and with what money we had left ,that went towards a bottle of Pepto Bismol, in Oregon.
Between the both of us,we had 38 cents left from our trip.

Not so much a gambling report as an adventure to Nevada for our first time. Hey,I can't make this stuff up!
Between Reno and 'Vegas,Carson City and Jackpot,Nevada about 30 times.
7 "Junkets",too. Show $300 and fly for free to Carson City.The bus was included.
Some times came out ahead sometimes not, but it was all fun.

I Drove to Las Vegas from Seattle once.Never again. I like fun and I'll do it again(Not by car or bus) this time.
Did The Stratosphere Tower/ Bob Stupac deal in 1985 or so.My first RF was in '85.

'Vegas in March. 2016.

Those are a couple of infamous stories, I couldn't come close to that with any of my Vegas story's. Nope, not even close. Great coupla tales, Loved 'em!

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