Does anybody really play mega-high slots?

Locally here at Rivers they made news when they put in a $500 slot machine. Now I see The Venetian will have a $5,000 slot.

Does anybody really play these things? Or are they just for a sort of publicity?

I didn't see anything close to that denomination there but the Venetian high limit room is somewhat unique. There's a dead-end hallway leading from the main HL room. Off this hallway are smaller rooms each containing a couch and about three high limit slot machines. When I went, the entire high limit area was void of human life...with the exception of two security guards looking me up and down like "who's this transient?". They do have some must-hit-by-10k machines there.

Twice in my LIFE over about 15 years of going to Caesars Palace I saw someone playing the $500 per coin, two coins per play, slot machine.

One of the players I knew becaue he was also a craps player. He hit the half million dollar payoff twice in his session (top pay was a million).

The other player I didnt know personally but I was told he was an "Oil man from Texas" who was waiting for his payoff on the million dollar prize. He was in a wheelchair, and had on a table in front of him several hundred thousand dollars of the $500 slugs that he used to play the machine.

At Caesars in the Palace Court High Limit Slots area (this is the private room where they have ONE $5 8/5 Bonus Poker machine) you will regularly see people playing $100 slots and $100 video poker. Through some miracle there is a $5 8/5 Bonus Poker machine in there stuck in a corner which I love to play because it's quiet with no lookers, and the private bathroom and free refreshment bar (water, nuts, candies) just steps away. Also a private cage.

Photos of the private bathroom here: http://www.alanbestbuys.com/id223.html

Quote: AZDuffman

Does anybody really play these things? Or are they just for a sort of publicity?

Although casinos will milk anything for its publicity value, floor space is an asset to be maximized and casinos do try to maintain a profitable "mix" of machines. Some people do actually play the ultra high roller slots. Otherwise they would disappear. Think how often restaurants and bars are closed and reopened. How a Porte Cochere was built and then torn down to make way for a Day Club when Day Clubs became the "in" thing for the glitteratti to do in Vegas after dancing the night away at a night club.

So ... I'd say that while traffic might be slow ... it sure ain't gonna be zero or the machine would go out.

Quote: AZDuffman

Does anybody really play these things?

Of course they do.

high limit win

The golfer John Daly used to play $100 slots all time, back in his heavy drinking/smoking days. He's cleaned up his act some; so don't know if he swore off high limit slots or not. I heard one interview where he claimed he won 200K at a particular tourney and lost 100K back in high limit slots two days later.

Quote: AlanMendelson

Twice in my LIFE over about 15 years of going to Caesars Palace I saw someone playing the $500 per coin, two coins per play, slot machine.

One of the players I knew becaue he was also a craps player. He hit the half million dollar payoff twice in his session (top pay was a million).

The other player I didnt know personally but I was told he was an "Oil man from Texas" who was waiting for his payoff on the million dollar prize. He was in a wheelchair, and had on a table in front of him several hundred thousand dollars of the $500 slugs that he used to play the machine.

At Caesars in the Palace Court High Limit Slots area (this is the private room where they have ONE $5 8/5 Bonus Poker machine) you will regularly see people playing $100 slots and $100 video poker. Through some miracle there is a $5 8/5 Bonus Poker machine in there stuck in a corner which I love to play because it's quiet with no lookers, and the private bathroom and free refreshment bar (water, nuts, candies) just steps away. Also a private cage.

Photos of the private bathroom here: http://www.alanbestbuys.com/id223.html

Is this the circular area, or an actual room inside the high limit table area? I played the $5 machines there at the circular opening and I must have been at least half the age of the youngest person in here. One couple came by and played 1 hand of DW and cashed out with the quickness after they doubled/tripled up.

I always try to find the high limit bathroom areas everywhere I go. At the Luxor they have a high limit area with a few machines, a private bathroom, and a bar which is private enough for me to press buttons without too much attention. Too many people asking me for money or cigarettes when I'm on the regular floor, especially with a huge balance on the machines.

the "Palace Court" is not the circular area -- thats called the "small dome."

If you go up the three stairs there are some slot machines and then a door to the Palace Court high limit slots area.

I could be wrong, but I believe Scioto Downs has a $100 machine, but it's just in the regular High Limit area. If so, I've never seen anyone playing that one, although, I have seen people playing the $25 machines more than once.

Is $100 considered high limit?

I've seen people, Ma and Pa Kettle types, sitting in front of the $100 Wheel of Fortune slot at Mohegan Pocono, feeding it hundred dollar bills as if they were playing with plastic tokens. Wouldn't you know, while I was watching they hit the $25k spin slot, the red and white one. Someone told me later that they tapped out anyhow; I don't know what they were expecting.

I've put a few hundreds through that sucker over the years, maybe five or ten. Notice that on a high dollar WoF, a blank pays back one unit, so sometimes you get two or three spins out of that $100. Not that that is significant mathematically, but it is important when considering the thought process that compels people to play at that level when it might not be equal to their earning level. Myself, I'll do it when I'm up a lot for a session and feel like taking a stupid chance. I've never hit a spin.

Once Mrs and I played the $25 WoF ($50 max bet); I wrote about it here.

There is a Sex and the City machine in the first Caesars Palace High Limit room that is $1, 1 screen, $50 minimum bet and I have observed it being placed multiple times. I wonder what the percentage is on that machine being that licensing is still involved.

Tom Breitling who owned the Golden Nugget for about 18 months in the 2004 time frame complained about a very lucky whale that was visiting, nicknamed "Mr Royalty" since they can't reveal his name.

He’d pulled up at The Nugget one night at the end of September in his $350,000 Maybach and six hours and three minutes later walked out with $4,753,200 of our money. A week later he came back in for three and a half hours and took us for another $1.5 million. But let me give you an idea of how insane his touch had become. Before he even got to the dice pit, he sat down at a slot machine and hit a $100,000 jackpot.

Although Breitling doesn't specify, he does say Mr Royalty opened up with a $ million in cash. I must assume he was playing one of the super high limit slots. They usually have one at the GN with a $500 minimum.

Anecdotal information aside the Gaming Commission reports that 35 locations have 156 machines with $100 minimums that made $20,934,000 in the last year with a win percent of 4.87% which implies 4.3 million plays of $100 apiece or 75 plays per machine per day on average. Earnings are $367.65 per machine day.

A similar analysis on the $25 machines says 273 plays per machine per day on average for 247 machines. Earnings are $283.52 per machine day.

Quote: vendman1

The golfer John Daly used to play $100 slots all time, back in his heavy drinking/smoking days. He's cleaned up his act some; so don't know if he swore off high limit slots or not. I heard one interview where he claimed he won 200K at a particular tourney and lost 100K back in high limit slots two days later.

Article on yahoo about John Daly:

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/john-daly-gambling-away-55-110000595.html

John Daly admits to his gambling addiction, with losses over $50 million and two days straight at the slots.

I am pretty sure that MGM Grand has a mutli-denom machine in the high limit room with a $1000 denom (or maybe it's $500?)

I know I have seen $1000 denom before. Maybe at Aria? I remember that I was with my friend and we wanted to check out the high limit room to see how high the denoms were, but I don't remember where we were.

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I'm told classic reel strepper machines cost $15000 brand new and video reels cost more around $25000. As long as the casino can afford the swings and the machines aren't tampered with, they can afford having them sit. Most casinos don't have the maximum number of machines anyways, so it's not really a factor.

Quote: EdgeLooker

Article on yahoo about John Daly:

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/john-daly-gambling-away-55-110000595.html

John Daly admits to his gambling addiction, with losses over $50 million and two days straight at the slots.

I wonder what kind of lines he's getting on winning golf tournaments. Here is a guy that cannot afford to lose!

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

These guys make more in endorsements than they do in the sport they play.

I was wondering how much $50 million was to him, but I'm pretty sure it's significant. I don't think he's a billionaire. Even if he has hundreds of millions, $50 million is a lot.

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/richest-golfers/john-daly-net-worth/

Says he's won 40 million but lost 50 million.

It also says he was born in 1909.

Quote: Mission146

It also says he was born in 1909.

Wikipedia has August 26, 1909 as the date of birth of the boxer John Daley.

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ESPN has April 28, 1966 (Age: 48).

Here in San Diego someone won $1 million playing 10 play video poker. It was "only" a $25 machine but he was playing 5 credits x 10 plays for a total of $1,250 per spin. I talked to an employee about it and they said he signs a form stating he is a professional gambler so they don't have to do a hand pay for every win over $1199 since it would happen every few spins.

Former San Diego mayor Maureen O'Connor played high limit slots and VP and won a lot of money - $1 billion total according to records - but her net was a $13 million loss:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/15/mayor-lost-1-billion_n_2693822.html

Quote: PBguy

Here in San Diego someone won $1 million playing 10 play video poker. It was "only" a $25 machine but he was playing 5 credits x 10 plays for a total of $1,250 per spin. I talked to an employee about it and they said he signs a form stating he is a professional gambler so they don't have to do a hand pay for every win over $1199 since it would happen every few spins.

Now what sweet promo would make a person play a machine like that for profit since I assume the game was -EV to begin with. And hitting the dealt royal on that must have been awesome. I've never seen a multiline game above $5 I think. I don't look very hard though.

Quote: vendman1

The golfer John Daly used to play $100 slots all time, back in his heavy drinking/smoking days. He's cleaned up his act some; so don't know if he swore off high limit slots or not. I heard one interview where he claimed he won 200K at a particular tourney and lost 100K back in high limit slots two days later.

I was in Bally's talking to a guy who put three $100s in a $100 machine to win $100,000. First time I saw a non-WheelOfFortune 6-figure jackpot live. Good thing, since he was down -$40K at the tables, and he could pay off his markers. John Daly hit $1 million same day, but I didn't see it. Bally's workers hated him...he never tipped.

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In Nov 2009 Bellagio, a guy won $3 million in one weekend. Friday, I had just walked over the bridge from Caesar's Palace where someone hit a $400,000 royal, and I saw this guy playing TDB superfast on 3x$100 (usually $1,500 bettors play slow, and this guy was playing like an impatient nickel player) so I asked one of the attendants how he was doing. He had just hit a dealt royal for $1.2 million. In 2 hrs, he hit 46 pages of jackpots (Each page might be 60-80 jackpots) and made $2 million. Sunday he came back & hit Bellagio for $200,000 five times (numbers from high limit staff). Total $3 million.

Staff said they took a serious hit to their HL finances that Nov, but they were still ahead for the month.

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There was a regular $1,000 player at Bellagio. One day he hit $1,000 Top Dollar for $1 million.

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Was talking with a WSOP player and we were showing each other jackpot pictures. He showed me a $140K jackpot and said it was $14K. I went, woah...., this guy makes some serious money, I would remember the difference between $140K and $14K,... So he started showing me his multi-million dollar jackpot photos. One time at a small casino, he had to wait 3 days to get paid.