G2E Kick-Off Party, New Frontier Implosion, and John Wayne Slots, Oh My!

Yep, Last night sure was a busy one for the ole slot jock. It kicked off at the Rio where the opening reception for the Global Gaming Expo transpired pool-side.

The throngs of gaming insiders were out in force, and to alleviate the crowd at the entrance, I decided to spend some time wandering around the Rio, a property I haven't visited in quite some time.

I believe last time I was there, I had been comped a couple of nights (it was August monsoon season) and the weather outside was frightful. The storm was so bad (I used to live in Tennessee - I KNOW a bad storm when I see one) I couldn't venture across the street to the Gold Coast to gamble. The Coast Casinos are a much more reasonable choice than Harrah's slightly more upscale all-suites Rio property, for this low roller.

WMS' "Kaboom" and "All That Glitters" were new at the time, and I ended up losing $500 in the nickel versions at the Rio. So much for the free room. At the time that was the most money I had ever lost in such a short time, and later back in my room, I suffered my first panic attack.

I was able to finally calm myself down, though I was tempted to call the paramedics -- I stopped by imagining the ensuing hassle. Since then I have witnessed other people suffer similar attacks in Vegas, and once in front of me on a plane leaving Vegas. I've learned difficulty breathing, elevated heart rate, and generally just physically and mentally freaking out does not necessarily mean you are dying, especially in Sin City.

Suffice it to say, I now avoid the Rio and other Harrah's properties, and yes, I do blame the tight slots for causing my discomfort.

All that didn't keep me from updating my information at the slots club, because I am ALWAYS willing to prove myself wrong when it comes to slots, properties, and slot clubs.

I'm a whore, I admit it.

I proceeded to lose $30 playing that "Jackpot Party" progressive machine, "Super Jackpot Party", and "It Came from Planet Moolah."

My worse fears were confirmed, AND Harrah's gave me no sort of compensation for updated my account (they didn't ask for my new email -- so that's more points against them, I think the only reason I got the free rooms was that I was receiving enticements meant for a high roller out of New Jersey with a very similar email address to mine.)

Rio has updated the Carnivale float parade in the sky thingy, and generally tried to sex-up the whole party on the casino floor, with elevated sexy (both male and female -- Chippendales is a big draw for them -- also "sexy" is a relative term here, I thought the girl I watched had several figure flaws, thick unshapely legs being one, but the guys oogling her didn't seem to mind.) dancers and a new bar area. They still throw beads from above and a necklace or two hit me rather hard on the knee, before a couple of delighted kids scooped them up. Apparently the "bring the family" and "Adult playground" Vegas concepts can co-exist on the casino floor, even if the grown-ups leering at scantily clad male and female dancers in the presence of the rug rats, gives it a sort of "icky" feel.

On to the party . . . it was crowded and dark by the pool, with a sort of Hollywood red carpet theme tied into the event. By the time I got there most of the food was gone, but the pasta station was still operating, even if the Caesar salad and anti-pasta station was decimated.

I suppose networking is a goal to some at these industry functions, but for most I suspect it is free food and drink judging by the mania surrounding the buffet and the bars. The Gaming guys and gals are just like anybody else. I worked in the trade show business for years making graphics and signage, and we had a saying -- "It'll be dark, and they'll be drunk." It was, and they were.

The highlight of the event was the chance to win "up to" a Million dollars in a pirate themed, "Deal or No Deal" type promotion. I gladly filled out an entry to the drawing, and waited for the festivities to begin.

My name was not drawn, but it was fun watching the lucky participants chose treasure chests, with an attractive older lady named Jean win the chance to pick suitcases, and be subjected to taunts, temptation and the dreaded banker.

Jean was one pretty smart cookie, and when faced with a difficult decision took her $7,000 and ran. As far as I could tell, the game was run a company that stages these promotions for casinos, and this was their way of hawking their services.

All and all, it was fun, and the closest thing I would compare it to is the "Pumpkin Patch" promotion at the South Point in October which I totally fell for, gambling there to earn entries to the drawing.

After the party, I headed for my usual haunt Red Rock to take advantage of 7X and 4X points. That's right, I think I got 11X points. I couldn't completely understand what the Points Promotion card swipe kiosks were telling me, but even if it was only 7X points, that's the best point multiplier I've ever received.

I played "Wizard of Oz," and actually got ahead a twenty, then headed for "Lucky Meerkats" and "Goosin' Around" and lost my lead. I played an old favorite, "Love Boat" and even a few rounds with my nemesis "Life of Luxury Progressive."

It was getting late, and I was heading out the door, when what did I see before me? Eureka, I found it! A new slot machine, and John Wayne, to boot!

The Duke himself, right there, in Transmissive Reels Technology!!! Finally, those much ballyhooed, but disappointing Monopoly machines were being replaced.

I happily sat down for a session with the Waynester, and I don't mean Newton.

I dropped $5 and didn't get much results. The transmissive video features highlights of John Wayne's iconic career -- I could discern bits of "the Green Berets," "True Grit," and other assorted westerns. The mechanical reels spin and a progressive is tied in. Much like "Life of Luxury" your chances of winning the progressive increased with your bet. I believe the progressive stars pop up in the free spin bonus round triggered on the first and fifth reels.

The woman sitting next to me wasn't having much luck and neither was I. I commented that I wondered where they got John Wayne's voice, as he has long since left this earth. She replied "Maybe from his old movies." I found this quite amusing, as I don't think John Wayne ever said "You got five of a kind pilgrim!" onscreen.

I put in another twenty, 'cuz it was John Wayne, and a new machine, AND I'm a degenerate gambler. I hit the bonus round and the progressive for around $35 bucks. My work was done. Even though I don't care for WMS' Transmissive video reels, I couldn't knock John Wayne, and I will play the machine again.

It was getting late, and I had an important decision to make -- Do I go to the implosion of the New Frontier at 2:30 a.m.? I was tired, but I had attended the final night at the historic resort, and the auction, and I had never seen a Las Vegas implosion. It kinda seems like a no-brainer, but I do like my sleep, and I figured the press would do a fine job covering it.

As I was walking out of Red Rock, I asked a bedraggled looking skinny biker dude if he was going to the implosion. He said he was, and I said I wasn't sure I would. He summed it up with "Well, it's something to do . . . " one of my favorite quotes from "Cool Hand Luke." How could I argue with that? It was indeed something to do. And so I did.

New Machine MANIA!

There is nothing more exciting for the Slot Blog (other than winning big, but that is such a rare occurrence it is hardly worth mentioning) than new slot machines on the casino floor.

When they are elaborately themed WMS models the excitement really builds.

That is the case with WMS' "Wizard of Oz" machines at Red Rock Casino.

Apparently the machines are so new that they are not even listed on the WMS website. I'm not sure why that is the case, but no matter. The machines are such a big hit, that players stand sometimes two or three deep and stalk the carousel, so that they might get a shot.

It began a few weeks ago, when Red Rock switched out two of the Top Gun machines to Wizard of Oz. The general slot playing public didn't catch on immediately and I was able to sit down and play for about an hour.

I got a good "Emerald City" bonus and picked up Dorothy as I headed down the Yellow Brick Road. When I got to Emerald City the wizard granted me the highest credit in Dorothy's cache - 1500 on the penny machine.

I figured every bonus would be pretty good, based on that experience, soon to learn I was wrong. I haven't had a bonus like that since, instead usually choosing a credit amount, or sometimes the "Flying Monkey" bonus instead of the "Emerald City" bonus.

On one occasion I was able to choose the "Emerald City" but got very little, crapping out almost immediately and not getting past the Wizard's gates.

The Wizard of Oz machines use the same "Sensory Immersion" technology as Top Gun, meaning the Bose stereo system imbedded in the chair uses sound and vibrations to add to the experience.

Randomly "Glinda the Good Witch" floats through to turn reels wild, similar to the Fly By bonus of Top Gun.

It didn't take long for the throngs at Red Rock to discover the new machine, and soon the phenomenon of "nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd" took hold.

Red Rock responded by switching out the last two Top Gun machines to Wizard of Oz, but they could (and perhaps should) go farther and add more, judging from the popularity of the new machines.

How long will it take for the novelty to wear off? I was able to play the machine the other day as the crowds are beginning to thin.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, the shelf life of slot machines, is becoming shorter and shorter. WMS seems to know this better than anyone, and is not shy about constantly introducing new machines at an alarming clip.

This last week WMS "Goosin' Around" and "Lucky Meerkats" also appeared at Red Rock, usurping a favorite machine of mine "Jewels of the The Night" another WMS machine that has yet to appear on its website.

I need to go into another Station Casino to see if they are spreading them around town, but it doesn't hurt that the closest casino to my domecile is their latest and greatest Red Rock. . . which leads me to another post -- a Station Casino promotion that I actually like!

GGE is Coming, GGE is Coming!

That's the Global Gaming Expo, coming to Las Vegas, TOMORROW!!!

Yep, I'm excited! By why not? I get to hang out in the Slot machine companies' booths and play all the new machines on free play, and try to get invited to their blow-out parties.

I'm guessing the hot party this year will be the one James Gandolfini might attend, promoting the new SOPRANOS themed machine by Aristocrat.

They are already on the floor at Silverton Casino, and honestly like most Aristocrat products, didn't seem to interest me.

I'll blog more at the Global Gaming Expo later, but I see a good opportunity while I'm enthused to segueway into . . .

NEW MACHINE MANIA!

Wheel of Fortune - IGT Spells Weak Sales

Well, I can't say I was surprised. IGT is experiencing a dip in sales.

This recent article from the Las Vegas Review Journal entitled "IGT's earnings up, sales down Decrease in slot sales drags down revenue" http://www.lvrj.com/business/7116826.html tells the tale.

My favorite part is that the analysts were shocked, that IGT sold only about half the amount of machines this quarter than they did last year.

Apparently, the analysts don't play slot machines. Note that the analysts were also bully on Suprime Mortgage companies right up to the recent crash.

Perhaps the analysts should spend less time courting the favor of the companies they are supposed to be honestly analyzing, and more time in casinos, wagering their own funds, and testing out the merchandise. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt them to read my blog, either.

I avoid IGT slots like the plague. Instead of becoming more interesting, their parade of new slot machines have been dumming down.

While WMS strides boldly forward with ever more complex games of stunning themes, and innovative technology, IGT has been churning out games that I can barely distinguish from the simplistic looking Aristocrat line.

Simply put WMS rules, and IGT sucks . . . and it is beginning to show in the bottom line.

Also note in the article that a significant source of revenue for IGT was insurance settlement money from the Katrina damage. That is just so sad, when you cite profit from a major disaster.

I'm not sure why IGT has chosen to take the low road. It's weird, but I suppose it has to do something with outsourcing of game design to other companies, and a perhaps a perceived loss of market share to Arisocrat.

Of course, not all IGT products are dogs, but I'm certain IGT would have to admit their high hopes for the "Star Wars" line, and the huge UFO looking Wheel of Fortune machines didn't exactly pan out.

The Wheel of Fortune franchise of slot machines does continue to grow, as IGT milks what they obviously believe to be a cash cow. And there is always video poker, and the new "Server Based" technology creeping onto the casino floor.

Still, it looks like IGT is hoping that "a rising tide raises all ships" and that the influx of new casinos opening around the world will add sales to their weak stream.

Writer's Strike a Boon for Las Vegas!

I shouldn't even be writing this. There's a writer's strike, and well, officially I am a writer. Yep, I've been published in hardcover and everything . . . bet you didn't know that.

Anyway, I'll keep it short and sweet, and you heard it here first.

The Writer's Guild of America strike is good for Las Vegas. For one, I'll be doing more gambling since I can't (or shouldn't) write, and my fellow locals will too, once the reruns kick in. Given the choice between bad TV and slot machines, I'll play slots -- and so will you.

So I'm guessing the big dogs in the boardrooms are not hoping for a swift resolution to Hollywood's problem.

Okay, that's it - I've got to walk my own little picket line straight for the casino.

More Mysteries of the Random Number Generator

In my last post I addressed the all powerful RNG, or Random Number Generator, at the center of every slot machine.

The description of the workings seem simple enough --- numbers endlessly being spit out --- your particular draw, or reel stops to be determined when you press the buttom or pull the arm. But what about bonus rounds? Huh? How does THAT work?!

Bonus rounds are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and entertaining, which leads me to ask -- how exactly does the RNG come into play when I begin my fascinating journey to a bonus of free spins, and picking choices?

Does my first punch of the button predetermine my whole bonus, or do I really determine my own outcome by my wily skills at choosing jewels, or money bags or whatever the symbols might be?

I really don't know, but I do care . . . very much.

In a little over two weeks time, I will be attending the fabulous Global Gaming Expo, where the latest and greatest in Slot Machine technology is trotted out to the trade. Maybe I can corner some designer at one of the many cocktail parties and get my answer.

How Slot Machines Work or the Mystery of the Random Number Generator

Most slot players are aware that they are not playing with a machine, but with a highly sophisticated computer. However, superstitious folks that slot jockeys are, some myths such as "machines about to hit" and "hot and cold runs" just refuse to die.

Most of us have heard of the "Random Number Generator" at the heart of the old-armed bandits evil brain, but few of us truly understand how it works.

I can't pretend to make a clear and simple explanation or something so arcane (that's the word of the day), but I will try to steer you in the right direction, should your inquiring mind want to know.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/slot-machine3.htm This website is about as good as it gets.

In a nutshell, the RNG short for Random Number Generator, is a computer program that constantly spits out hundreds of random numbers per second.

The numbers correspond to stops on the slot reel through a mathematical equation (this is where the odds can be set), the higher value paying symbols and the chance of them matching up are programmed to hit less than the lesser paying values.

The numbers are assigned when you hit the button or pull the arm. This is important to know for two reasons -- 1. The chances of your numbers being the same as someone else's per pull is astronomical, meaning the player that just sat down at the machine you just left did not win or steal your jackpot. 2. Stopping the reels does not change the outcome of the spin.

The payback of the machine (between 75% and 99%) is set based on the lifetime of the machine (usually 3 to 5 years, although as technology advances, and machines live longer, that may be changing)

The real wildcard is how frequently the machine is played -- and how that is figured into the payback or lifetime quotient.

Noone has ever been able to explain that to me, but perhaps that is a trade secret.

The explanation of the RNG, also always claims that every pull has an equal chance of winning a jackpot. If that is true, I suspect those odds are severely stacked against the slot jockey.

Oh well, at least we can dream of one day riding a machine across the finish line and into the winner's circle.