Las Vegas Airport video poker

For the first time in a long, long time, (maybe 8 or 9 years) I looked at the pay tables at the video poker machines at the Vegas airport. I had to change planes in Vegas on the way to another city, so I had enough time to check several banks of video poker machines in the Southwest terminal.

I found 7/5 Double Double Bonus and 8/6 Double Bonus. I did not find Bonus. There is 8/5 Triple Double Bonus. There was Jacks or Better on one machine, but a player was on the machine so I couldn't see the paytable for the Jacks game.

There are also deuces wild games but since I don't play DW I didn't even know how to read the paytable.

Denominations ranged from 25-cents to one dollar. I didnt see any multi line machines.

I did notice that the games are now ticket in / ticket out. The last time I was in the airport (I haven't flown into LV in several years) the machines spit out coins which had to be cashed at the cashier stations.

About 8 or 9 years ago, I took a flight and playing $1 DDB I hit quad aces with a kicker and had to wait for a verifier to come from another terminal before I could collect my $2,000 and I almost missed my flight. I think that was the last time I played at the LV airport.

By the way, I stuck my head into the smoking compartments in the terminal to see if the video poker tables there were any different and they didn't appear to be. To be honest the smoke was so thick inside those cubicles I couldn't imagine how anyone could breathe in there. And as I stepped out of the cubicle an employee walked in wearing a face mask.

Tonight, on a return flight from Tucson I had to change planes in Las Vegas and because of rain delays I had an hour and a half layover in Vegas, so I got to check out more of the video poker machines. This time I got a look at the paytable on Jacks or Better and it was 6/5 which is atrocious.

Because I had some time (and the line for Nathan's hot dogs in the Southwest terminal was long) I decided to sit down and play some video poker nearby. I chose the 8/5 Triple Double Bonus game at 25-cents and my reasoning was that the Double Double Bonus was 7/5 and there were those extra "quad with kicker jackpots" that were worth so much more on TDB.

I put $60 in the machine and in the first few hands I hit quad queens which kept me going for quite a while. There were also a couple of full houses. And then I hit something that some people would say is "impossible" -- I hit a royal. Yes, it's true, I hit a royal at the airport and the photo is below. Ironically there were no lights, no music, no bells, even the payoff amount of $1,000 did not come on the screen. The only screen message was to play 5 coins for the next hand.

There was a slot attendant standing behind me when it happened and she congratulated me and I asked her if she would pay me right then and there and she said yes. I hit the cash out button without playing another hand (leaving the royal displayed on the machine) and collected $1045 and went off to my gate to await my delayed flight.

When she paid me I asked her how often royals get hit at the airport, and she told me she paid two royals the day before. So despite the folklore royals do hit at the airport... bad paytables or not. (This royal was also posted on the "Big Casino Wins and Jackpots" thread.)

I was in Tucson for my father in law's funeral. He died Tuesday. My wife is still there with her family. I sent her the photo and said in the message with the photo "this was from Dad."

I'm sorry for your loss Alan. I hope the funeral gave you and your wife some closure. It's always sad and difficult to lose a loved one. Did his death come unexpected?

At the same time, congratulations with that Royal. I always love hearing those Wheel of Fortune sounds when you walk into the terminal after a long flight into Vegas. That's the moment you know you're in Vegas.

Hope you didn't tip the slot attendant!

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Originally Posted by quahaug

Hope you didn't tip the slot attendant!

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I gave her a $5 tip. I was at the kiosk where they keep the money. When she handed me the $1045, I took the $5 off the top and handed it to her. She said "thank you" and then opened up this cabinet and put the $5 bill on the top shelf of the cabinet. That top shelf was filled with cash that appeared to have just been thrown in there... no order, not neatly stacked, just a heap of cash. That made me think these attendants get lots of tip money -- so much so they don't even bother to organize it. I saw every denomination from ones up to $20s.

Good sometimes comes with the bad. I also know you don't like to fly. That airport myth is perpetuated by losers who lose even more before their flights out after getting mugged for 3 or 4 days on the Strip.

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Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson

I gave her a $5 tip. I was at the kiosk where they keep the money. When she handed me the $1045, I took the $5 off the top and handed it to her. She said "thank you" and then opened up this cabinet and put the $5 bill on the top shelf of the cabinet. That top shelf was filled with cash that appeared to have just been thrown in there... no order, not neatly stacked, just a heap of cash. That made me think these attendants get lots of tip money -- so much so they don't even bother to organize it. I saw every denomination from ones up to $20s.

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One important question to go along with this: How often does the shelf get emptied?
Every hour/shift/day/week?

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Originally Posted by Count Room

One important question to go along with this: How often does the shelf get emptied?
Every hour/shift/day/week?

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Good question and I don't know. But I know that the toke boxes at most of the casinos where I play are emptied at least once a day. I am going to guess, and this is just a guess, that the shelf is "emptied" once a day. Someone should get friendly with one of those workers and ask.

I've asked about the toke distribution at various casinos where I played. I never even got a strange look when I asked. Employees have nothing to hide.

Why does this mean anything to anybody?

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Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson

I gave her a $5 tip. I was at the kiosk where they keep the money. When she handed me the $1045, I took the $5 off the top and handed it to her. She said "thank you" and then opened up this cabinet and put the $5 bill on the top shelf of the cabinet. That top shelf was filled with cash that appeared to have just been thrown in there... no order, not neatly stacked, just a heap of cash. That made me think these attendants get lots of tip money -- so much so they don't even bother to organize it. I saw every denomination from ones up to $20s.

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Five dollars Alan? You're a fucking joke. It just sickens me that your type expect the world and in return offer nothing. And I fully am aware that this is your forum. But I hope a thousand live spiders crawl up your tight ass and inflame it to no end.

I'm sure Jason is super proud of pops when he pulls out his tip calculator at restaurants. Sets it to 10% and thanks the staff for their service.

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Originally Posted by Dante

Five dollars Alan? You're a fucking joke. It just sickens me that your type expect the world and in return offer nothing. And I fully am aware that this is your forum. But I hope a thousand live spiders crawl up your tight ass and inflame it to no end.

I'm sure Jason is super proud of pops when he pulls out his tip calculator at restaurants. Sets it to 10% and thanks the staff for their service.

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Wow..be nice.
He just had death in the family.
Do u think if someone wins $4000, slot attendant should get $400?

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Originally Posted by LadyLuck

Wow..be nice.
He just had death in the family.
Do u think if someone wins $4000, slot attendant should get $400?

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$40 would be a fair tip. $400 is a bit extreme.

I could have taken the cashout ticket to a change booth and given no tip. This was not a handpay that even required a slot person to do anything.

A $4000 payout requires a handpay and I think a $40 tip would be appropriate.

In restaurants I usually tip by doubling the local sales tax in California which is the equivalent of about a 19% tip.

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Originally Posted by Rob.Singer

Why does this mean anything to anybody?

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Rob Singer wants to know why something that doesn't interest him could possibly mean something to someone else?

Dante has been banned for two weeks for multiple personal attacks.

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Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson

Dante has been banned for two weeks for multiple personal attacks.

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With all due respect Alan, if you're banning Dante for personal attacks, then another Singer ban is long overdue. He's the master of personal insults directed at everybody. He has fired way more personal insults at you during the last couple of weeks than Dante's current post count. I remain curious about what's keeping you....

Sniffle...Sniffle...Sniffle...hear them little wooden shoes clunk on the floor as the poor baby jumps up & down trying so hard to make this thread all about ME. :)

Oh you don't need any help in that department Bubba. You're perfectly capable of making every thread about you, completely on your own. You know so very little about me Rob it's just amusing. You have no idea about my life but it's all good it obviously makes you feel good to think I'm a poor baby. Enjoy that thought :)

All anyone in the world's greatest and most envied country needs to know is where you do all your whining (and bad writing :)) from....

'Nuff said