We have our very first contest winner! In a random drawing,* our reader/commentor “AL” has won a copy of the 2009 Edition of Steve Bouri’s popular “American Casino Guide”
Here is the comment Al posted about his favorite/first big casino hit: (more…)
Yes, Casino Mogul really is a game. Yes, you can actually buy it. And, once again, yes, I really, really want this for Christmas. (And here you thought I was going to try and sell you a half-finished Echelon. Maybe next year.)
How do you play you ask? Well, directly from the advertising copy on the box comes this riveting description:
“Build, design and manage your own casino! (Hmm, I would think you would want to design it and then build it. But, then, what the heck do I know since I’m not (yet) a casino mogul?)
“Hire and Fire Staff!” (Oh yeah, that sounds like fun but better make sure they’re not union before you do it!)
“Manage Your Clients! Fleece Them (but keep them happy!”) I didn’t make that up — it really says that on the box. They must be talking to the people who run the real casinos. Except for the happy part.
And my personal favorite right off the box “Become the Bugsy Siegel your parents always wanted you to be — run your own casino and make bucks!” (Well, you would have made bucks, Bugsy, if you had gotten out sometime before October.)
The game is from Monte Cristo software and you can buy it here – Casino Mogul
I get asked this question a lot — “When you go to Las Vegas, what and where do you play?” As I’ve written in other posts, I am mostly a video poker player so I always look for my favorite games with the best pay tables. On The Strip in Las Vegas, you can find me at Planet Hollywood where they have the games I like – Spin Poker™ and Super Times Pay™ plus the multi-game All-Star Poker™ machines – and the pay tables are reasonable for what I’m playing. For several reasons, ”Planet Ho” just has a “vibe” that appeals to me. I like the music and I really like the adjustable chairs. The drink servers are friendly and pretty good about keeping me supplied with bottled water and the occasional glass of white wine. Plus, (more…)
It comes as no surprise that Blazing 7s™ from Ballys is a customer slots favorite.
The iconic Bally’s Blazing 7s machine and Vision Gaming’s old-time favorite, Pot of Gold, were named as two of the games casino slots managers “can’t pull” off their floors due to customer popularity. This question – ”What old school slot or video poker games are so popular with players that you just can’t pull them off your floor?” — is asked and answered at the website belonging to popular industry-insider magazine, “Slot Manager.”
The site has lots of interesting information and categories including “Hot Topics” where you’ll find the question-and-answer forum, a “New Products & Games” section, and great articles and columns by industry pros. (more…)
Lucky cherries...why not lucky lawyers or smoke monsters? (Photo courtesy of Lisa Brewster, http://sophistechate.com
I think being a slot machine inventor, game developer, whatever you want to call it, would be one of the coolest jobs on the planet. I want to be the person who decides that the cherry gets to be the lucky fruit. Sorry apples, pears and pomegranates…move back to the bowl because you just don’t cut it. Triple diamonds, blazing 7’s, weird Slingo™ dude and even you, Monty Hall - yep, you’re all in. But “Chainsaws & Toasters®?” What kind of weird nightmare did the person have before coming up with that game?
So, if that game made it through the vetting process, why not some of these?
Magic Ex-Wife -- Get five lawyers in a row to go to the bonus round where the machine takes all your credits and your dog. Sorry, there’s no winning this one. (more…)
Play free video poker games online at Action Gaming's videopoker.com website.
As I’ve said before, when it comes to playing video poker, the original Spin Poker™ and it’s 20-line sister, Spin Poker Deluxe™, are two of my favorite machines so I found this article by John Brokopp at Casino City Times interesting.
Mr. Brokopp says — “There is one video poker hybrid, however, that has stood the test of time: Spin Poker, an invention developed a number of years ago by (who else?), Action Gaming and IGT.
Spin Poker was the first game to successfully blend the components of traditional video poker with those of multi-line video slot play and create something that appealed to both dedicated video poker players and slot players.” Read more here.
The machines in the casinos I play at here in Arizona are ALWAYS busy — sometimes even attracting a line of would-be players waiting for machines to open up — so I know this is one popular game!
No doubt hoping to repeat that success, Action Gaming and IGT have introduced a couple of new video poker games and you can play them — for free (no money, no wagering, just fun) — at their popular website videopoker.com Check out new games “Big Times Draw Poker™” and “Quick Quads™” poker. And, for some great info on strategy when playing Quick Quads™, here’s a recent article by VP pro Bob Dancer at Casino Gaming that you should read.
Hot Shot Progressive by Bally Technologies is a smokin' fun game!
Some of the most popular slot games in casinos across the country come from Bally Technologies and now you can play them for FREE online on your personal computer. Video slot games such as the extremely popular Hot Shot Progressive® as well as both Playboy® and S & H Green Stamps® can be downloaded from the Bally Technologies site and played for free whenever you want a little casino-style fun at home or on the road. Follow the link that says “Click here to play for free.”
Not only can you enjoy fun casino-style action but your points stay on the game so you can track your luck visit-to-visit. To keep your play even more interesting, there’s a “chat room” available while you play so you can connect with fellow players if you wish.
Also, when visiting Bally’s site be sure to check out the “Players Center“ section. There you’ll find a Winners Gallery, current progressive Jackpot Totals, and a game-finder for locating your favorite Bally slot. For instance, if you click on the Hot Shot Progressive logo, you’ll be taken to a page that lists — by state — the casinos that have that game available. In Arizona, you’ll find this game at both Harrah’s Ak-Chin outside of Phoenix and the Desert Diamond casino near Tucson.
So if you’re between visits, have fun playing these “reel life” casino games!
"Gold Fish" - a popular slot game from WMS Gaming.
For a spirited discussion on “favorite slot machines,” visit TripAdvisor and check out what people are talking about right now in regards to slot machines. This is one hot topic on TripAdvisor considering the original post asking Las Vegas visitors to name their favorite slots game is dated August 24th and the replies keep coming - six pages of them so far.
I don’t play slots too often but always stop and check out any new games I see - think eBay®, Deal or No Deal® - and any games that seem to have a lot of people gathered ‘round.
From the topic replies, it looks like “Gold Fish” from WMS gaming is a hot slot favorite. I mention this one specifically because P.B. and I walked by a double bank of the machines several times during our last stay at Paris Las Vegas and not once was there a machine open. People were even hanging around waiting for machines to open up so they could play. Hmm, based on its popularity, maybe we’ll check it out again when we go to Vegas later this month.
The hot new "Wizard of Oz" slot machine from WMS Gaming.
We recently saw this new game at Harrah’s Ak-Chin near Phoenix - “The Wizard of Oz” from WMS Gaming (for information, click on the game icon in this cool virtual gameroom.) Check out the high-backed spaceship seating for this game. Here’s what the manufacturer says about it on their website: “The Wizard of OzTM is the newest theme in the revolutionary “Sensory Immersion Gaming” product category, where players hear, see, and feel the experience, thanks to real-time 3D animation and our innovative gaming chair that features the BOSE® 3SpaceTM audio system and CPU-NXT®2 enhanced graphics.” Again, we didn’t get a chance to play since all the machines were taken but we will definitely play Wizard of Oz slots in the future – when we get the chance.
If you’re a slots player, I’d love to hear about your favorite game and where you play it. Also, check out the thread on TripAdvisor and chime in with your recommendations.
