Find Wizard of Oz slot machines at the Flamingo Las Vegas.

While this wasn’t a “game-finding” mission to Las Vegas, we did keep our eyes peeled for some of the most popular slot machine games out there; the ones we get asked about a lot.

The most convenient, most accessible “Wizard of Oz™” slots are at the Flamingo.  Located at the very front of the casino, right near the interior walkway to Flamingo’s Steakhouse46 and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, they usually had a crowd gathered each time we walked by them.  (According to Harrah’s.com “slot finder,” they have them at Harrah’s Las Vegas, Imperial Palace and Caesars Palace as well.)

Wynn Las Vegas has a cool “assorted” group of these popular WMS Gaming machines — including Dirty Harry, Top Gun, and Wizard of Oz™– near the main “Red Card” players club booth.

All the Harrah’s properties we visited now have the Total Rewards Card-affiliated “Star Trek” machines.  Like Tim and Michelle who do the always-entertaining and informative Five Hundy by Midnight podcast, we, too, played a few dollars through (maybe $40) and never got the bonus round.  Not once.  Boo, hiss.  We live for bonus rounds and not getting to play even one is a real let down.  Also, when you “cash out” (if, unlike us you have any money to cash out!) be sure and check your ticket as the machine prints out a “voucher” to use for future log-ins for the “Episodic Gaming from WMS” as well as an actual TITO casino cash-out ticket.  Don’t leave the machine without the cash ticket!

**Interesting side-note: When I stopped by the Bellagio to see the winter garden display, I asked one of the slot hosts if they had any Wizard of Oz™ machines and she told me they took them out a few months back because they weren’t making any money.  I said that’s odd because they seem to be really popular and she said well, yes, she does get asked about them — a lot.  Hmm, maybe it’s time to re-think that one.

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We’ve got a few things to pick up in the stores this holiday season but most of our shopping is being done online this weekend.  Easy on the budget and the feet plus we can buy lots of unique gifts without ever leaving the couch!

So, sit back and relax, pour yourself a cup of cocoa, and shop for all the casino fans, poker players, and slot players on your list with our tailor-made gift guide.  We sorted through tons of items and websites to bring you our “Best Gifts for Casino Players.”

I’m giving P.B. a watch this Christmas and in my search found a great site with a huge selection of the most popular watch brands including Fossil, Citizen and more – both men’s and women’s — at phenomenal prices with free shipping and a 110% price guarantee.  Be sure to use the special coupon code “10off” to save an additional $10 on any watch purchase.

Here’s the link:
Watchco.com- HOLIDAY SPECIALS- BRAND NAME WATCHES- 40%-70% OFF!

A custom thermal from Bad Beat Clothing.

Also, check out the custom-designed tee-shirts, thermals and more at Bad Beat Clothing.  This stuff rocks!  Speaking of poker, great article at Poker Listings about the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic that starts today at The Bellagio.

And here’s a quick-click way to access all of our holiday gift posts so far this season:
Gifts for Poker Players Gifts for Slot Players/Casino Gamers Holiday Gifts for Players JAQK Wines

Happy Shopping!

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The slot-playing casino kings and queens on your shopping list will simply love receiving one of these great holiday gifts.  We’ve chosen the best gifts for casino lovers in a wide range of prices ($10 to $299) that will keep them organized, entertained, on time and more while you get all the credit for your gift-giving savvy.

I love a compact wallet or little case that can hold all my players club cards, my room key, some cash, my credit cards and keep everything perfectly organized.  These all fit the bill and do it stylishly to boot!  Left to right:  I love this Colorful Credit Card Holder.  Check out the rainbow of hues on this one — from basic black to “Pumpkin” and “Ocean,” $14.88.   Pictured in the center is the sleek little Metro Mini Designer Card Case which will hold all the necessities and comes in ten great colors/textures.  At just $9.88 each, this hard case makes a great stocking stuffer. The zippered leather case on the right is perfect for my sweetie. He can pack it with all his club cards, stash it in a pocket and off to Vegas we go!  Leather Credit Card Holder, $25.50.

Any slot machine fans on your list will have a ball playing casino-like games at home.  Sure to be a hit are these PC video games like the very popular IGT Slots: Little Green Menfeaturing casino slot favorites like “Triple Diamonds” and “Haywire” or this CD-ROM Slots from Bally Gaming with “Popeye” and “Blondie & Dagwood” games just to name two — $19.99 each.  The Hand-Held Slot Game (far right) will provide lots of entertainment while traveling for just $16.95.

Help that someone on your list save up some dough for that next trip to Vegas with this  “Crazy Diamonds” Slot Machine Bank, $46.98. Spin the reels to “hit” for fun!  In the center, the “Wild Cherry” Watch for her ($99.99) features the well-known IGT® game logo, a crystal-accented case, and a mother of pearl face all on a snazzy red leather band.  Right, this handsome and well-made men’s water-resistant chronograph stainless steel watch ($299) features the famous ”Megabucks” logo plus date and three sub-dials. Megabucks IGT Stainless Steel Men’s Watch.

Be sure to check out our expansive “Gift Guide” for even more great ideas in all price ranges!

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As you would expect given the state of the economy, they found Vegas to be a lot less crowded than usual over the Thanksgiving holiday.  From the short cab line at the airport to the less-than-busy intersection near The Flamingo casino and Margaritaville bar and restaurant, it was obvious to them that fewer and fewer tourists are making their way to Vegas these days. 

The "Pig-A-Pult" bonus screen from the new "Bigger Bang" slot game from WMS Gaming.

For those of us who enjoy gaming, a highlight of this week’s podcast is their review of the several new slot games they played on their trip.  Games including “Bigger Bang” at Caesars Palace and Bill’s, “Star Trek,” “Happy Days” and the” Cliffhanger” version of the popular “Price Is Right” game are discussed.  The “Bigger Bang” machine is a “group slots” game (and yes, that does sound funny when you say it out loud) and it’s the newest version of WMS Gaming’s popular “Big Bang Piggy Bankin’” slot game and that’s why it’s called “Bigger Bang.”  There’s also a good update on the reported demise (false) of Wheel of Fortune™ machines at properties on The Strip.

You’ll find much more of interest in the very entertaining one-hour-plus show including a call-in segment featuring listener restaurant reviews and updates on hotel room rates so listen to it here.

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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.

Deal or My Ex-Husband — Get three sheets of drywall and five unopened cans of paint in a row for your trip to the bonus round and the chance to finally finish that bathroom remodel.  Unfortunately, the reels just keep spinning and spinning and spinning….

Hamburger Heavens – Spin for burgers, shakes and fries for small wins or hit the big jackpot when five counter employees all show up in a row.  Yeah, like that would ever happen.

Lost, The Slot Machine – First you think you have to get five wrecked planes to line up but then that doesn’t pay off so you get four smoke monsters in a row and again nothing happens so you keep spinning until you get five disappearing islands scattered on the reels and then the machine jumps the shark and sinks into the casino floor.  For the bonus round, you spin then wait a really long time and come back in January to collect your winnings.

“24″ – Legend of Jack Bauer – Winning combinations include five nuclear bombs, three imploded buildings, six mangled cars, four long-suffering women, and twenty-seven instruments of torture.  In the bonus round, you get the chance to save Jack’s daughter, Kim, again and again and again until the machine finally explodes and you’re sent to a work camp in some un-named country.

Bail-Out Triple Double $700 Billion Mania – Just line up five banks in a row and you win General Motors.  No, really, you get the whole company.  That’s your prize.  No, you can’t spin again for the toaster.

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Could something like this bring you casino luck?

When it comes to good luck charms, I’ve seen a lot of strange things in casinos in Las Vegas, here in Arizona and, really, all across the country.  I remember one “regular” at a casino here in town who, back in the days when actual coins still poured out of the machines, would accumulate buckets of quarters and carry them from machine to machine.  If he was having a good day, you’d see him perched on his seat in front of a slot machine with three, four or even five completely full buckets of change under his chair.  Watching him move from machine to machine with a stack of change cups sort of piled atop each other “Leaning-Tower-of- Pisa-style” was a pretty interesting sight.  When asked why he carried around all those quarters rather than cashing in for some lightweight bills, he said his method of only going to the cashier at the end of his gambling day brought him luck.  (I’m sure he’s not having near as much fun with the paper tickets spit out by the machines today.)

I’ve seen lucky “talismans” perched on slot machines – what is it with those strange little Troll dolls with the weird hair (think Don King-style but in neon green or pink!) – as well as odd rituals like rubbing the machine screen or the paytable legend. And, in a very bizarre attempt at attracting luck, I even saw a lady cover the screen of her slant-top slot machine with what looked like paper towels out of the restroom so she could “hear” but not see her winnings.  Honest. 

So what’s my lucky charm?  It’s fairly tame:  a bracelet that I happened to be wearing the day I hit my first-ever Royal Flush for $1,000.  Made of sterling silver and chunky turquoise, it was the first time I had ever worn it to a casino and it kept getting in my way while I was moving my hand back and forth to click on the cards I wanted to hold.  I hit the Royal just before I was going to take that annoying bracelet off and put it in my purse.  Now, I wear it on every trip to the casino and it doesn’t annoy me in the least.  (Bracelet pictured is from the Sundance collection.)

Got any “good luck” stories to share?

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Cha-Ching! A Triple Double Bonus beauty for the video poker player.

Recently, on a visit to a local Arizona casino, I had the unfortunate experience of sitting next to a truly annoying fellow video poker player.

Let me set the stage.   I was playing my favorite casino game, a type of video poker called Spin Poker Deluxe.  I was playing the nickel Triple Double Bonus game and having some pretty good luck.  When dealt three low cards, I drew the fourth and a kicker and hit for a couple of hundred dollars.  That happened more than once in a short amount of time so I was up a nice sum and decided to increase my denomination to ten-cents.  A bit later, I hit on four aces with a kicker – on two lines – and that paid another $800 plus and I was up a very nice amount after that hit.  Not bad for nickel and dime play.

So, I should be having fun here, right?  Enjoying a rare “lucky streak,” something we all know comes and goes like the wind.   But, no, I had to be sitting next to someone who felt it necessary to whine and complain to his companion – LOUDLY and CONTINUOUSLY – that my winning meant “no one else would be winning anything” and that “the machines were fixed because only one person was winning” and other such nonsense.  Under different circumstances, I would have moved to another machine,  but, number one, I was hitting on this machine; number two, there were no other Spin Poker machines open; and number three, I absolutely refused to let this person bully me into relocating.

Scenes similar to this have happened to me before albeit not quite as annoying as this one.  So, to the guy who was making all the noise:  Here’s where a basic understanding of video poker – pay tables, the “RNG,” “expected return,” strategy, etc. - along with simple casino etiquette would have made all the difference.  Plus, in my mind, if someone spends all their time complaining about how bad the machine is or how badly they are losing then guess what?  Time to take a break or call it a day.  Unless you are a professional gambler and earn your living playing poker, a visit to the casino is supposed to be fun!   (And actually, if you are able to make a living playing video poker I’d have to think that actually would be pretty fun!)

Yeah, we all complain once in a while — the ace that got away, the royal flush missed by a single card — but to do so repeatedly and to blame the player who is winning?  Not cool.

In an upcoming post – some thoughts on casino etiquette.

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Learn video poker strategy then try your luck at South Point's casino.

If you are a video poker player like P.B. and me and you want to take your game to the next level, then here is an opportunity for you – FREE video poker classes with America’s most well-known player, Bob Dancer.  Mr. Dancer has spent years researching and teaching video poker strategy through his popular books, software programs including “Video Poker for Winners” and live lessons. 

Beginning on Tuesday, November 11, and continuing through to January, Mr. Dancer will be giving classes at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.   Again, classes are free but you must be 21 or older to attend.

The classes will offer both a 90-minute session for beginners as well as a one-hour portion for intermediate players.  Classes focus on different games such as Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild and Double Bonus Poker as well as varying subjects so see the class schedule here for more details.

Also, check out the great package prices available at South Point and combine your free video poker training with a hotel stay.  South Point is about 10 minutes from The Strip but offers guests all the amenities such as a spa, multiple restaurants, show room, lounges and more that Las Vegas visitors have come to expect in a casino destination.

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"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 24^th 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 Oz^TM 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® 3Space^TM 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.

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