Question of the Day - 30 August 2018

The Whirlwind of Cash machine is used primarily as a promotion tool, so unlike the Flip-It machines that once occupied Nevada casino-floor space and still do on cruise ships, the little booth where cash flies around for players to grab generally comes and goes -- other, than as you state, the one at the Eldorado in Reno. That one was an ongoing players club promotion that lasted several years in the early 2000s, so it sat there for a while. 

We haven't seen a Whirlwind of Cash booth for some time, but we haven't been looking for them either. If anyone has seen one lately, we'd like to hear about it.

As for strategy, many years ago (2006), we received a similar question. As obscure as the Whirlwind of Cash was even then, we did manage to find one advantage player told us he'd had a dozen sessions in the booths. His (or her) response is reprinted here.

There are two basic types of Whirlwinds of Cash. The first and more common is the kind where the money blows around and the player has to grab it out of the air, then remain in possession of it till the end of the session (usually 30 seconds). I’ve been in this kind of machine twice and I've found that it’s a bit more difficult in terms of maximizing the cash take-out.

In the first place, both times at different casinos, I had to don a pocketless jumpsuit over my clothes (along with the goggles I’ve had to wear every time I’ve been in the machine). This prevented me from stuffing bills in my pants or shirt pockets, or down my pants or up my shirt. It also restricted my movement just enough to interfere a little with the cash grab.

Secondly, the number of bills in this type of booth was noticeably less than in the other type of Whirlwind. I had to snatch them out of the air, which is hard enough when your hands aren’t already full of bills. And in transferring the bills from my grabbing hand to my holding hand, I lost almost as many from the latter as I grabbed with the former. My first time, I was basically flying blind and failed miserably, ending up with a grand total of $38.

However, I noticed a couple things that I used to my advantage the second time. One, I discovered that when I grabbed a bill, if I took a split second to look at it, I could see its denomination. So my second time in the booth, I let go of a number of single dollar bills and only kept $5s, $10s, and $20s. That enabled me to hold onto fewer bills, which also allowed me to lose less once I had them. And two, in the second or so after the fan was shut down at the end of the session, lots of bills stuck to the top and sides of the booth. With a quick swipe, I was able to grab a handful after my 30 seconds was up. The second time, I scored: $121.

The other kind of Whirlwind machine is one in which after you grab the bills, you have to stuff them through a slot in one of the walls of the booth into a clear plastic box. I’ve been in this type of booth ten times now. (A high-roller friend of mine wins frequent sessions in drawings, but for various reasons he doesn’t want to play, so I go in in his stead and we split the take.) There’s definitely a basic strategy here.

Because of the extra step of stuffing money in the slot, the casino tries to make it easier to grab the cash, thus there are perhaps three times as many bills in this type than the other. So first, you definitely want to kick the bills out of the way when you get into the booth, so you’re not stepping on any. I’ve seen people go in and stand on half the bills in the machine.

Second, you should stand facing, and focused on, the slot, ready to go right into stuffing action. Grabbing the cash is a piece of cake; there’s so much of it flying around that it gets all over you -- against your arms, your chest, your goggles, everywhere. So all you have to do is cherry pick the bills. And if you take that split second to let the singles go in favor of the larger denominations, you’re well ahead of the game.

My third tactic is the most important one. The main thing is not to clog the slot. It’s amazing how fast the greed gets a hold of you and you find yourself trying to jam handfuls of cash into the box. You can get hung up for most of your time in the machine stuffing a big wad of money into the narrow slot. Don’t do it. Control the greed. Take the time to identify $10s and $20s, then slip 'em in one or two at a time.

In fact, the last few times I've been in the Whirlwind, I've counted to 30. It's amazing how this small tactic — "one one thousand, two one thousand" —- lets me relax and not feel under so much pressure; for the first 20 counts, I can take my time, look at bills, and stuff the big ones with aplomb.

Fourth, with so many bills blowing around and no requirement to wear a jumpsuit, it’s possible to get the money without doing any stuffing at all. Again, the critical moment is right after the machine is shut off and bills are sticking to everything. I now wear loose-fitting shirts with two pockets and with a little sleight of hand, I can slip bills into them. Sometimes, one sticks out and the booth attendant takes it back, but that’s OK when there are three more deeper in the pockets that she can’t see. I’ve also managed to stuff bills down the front and back of my shirt. One time I got four bills down my shirt.

It’s the same with pants. I’ve had bills blow up my pant legs and get lodged in my shoes. The first time this happened, I didn’t realize it till I took off my pants later that night and a $5 dropped out! Since then, I wear loose-fitting pants that are a little short, with high-top sneakers that are loosely laced, and I’ve had good success with trapping bills in my shoes.

I now average about $150 each time I go into the booth. Not bad for 30 seconds of excitement.