Originally Posted by
mickeycrimm
I was surprised to find this old sign above the $1 7/5 Bonus Poker Triple Meter Progressive in the Pioneer. It had to have been put up sometime after I left Laughlin in 2002. It's hard for you to read but says "Are you strong enough to survive the WALL OF PAIN! There was a guy from North Dakota that started out as a blackjack dealer in Laughlin. I think he was also a substitute teacher. He picked up on AP'ing and built up a pretty good bankroll. He worked a lot of the video poker progressives on the river and employed others to play.
One time the royal on this bank of machines along the wall near the men's room got high. He threw his team on it. They were on it for a long time. The damn royal just wouldn't hit. He got buried for more than the royal was going to pay but the cheapest way out of a spot like that is to continue to play until you hit it. He started calling it the WALL OF PAIN.
They finally got the royal but he took a huge loss. He was well known by management and I guess the name stuck. They actually put up a sign calling it the WALL OF PAIN.
PS: Axel knows the guy. His initials are R.M.