Help my marriage - Slots

My wife is driving me crazy. She loves playing penny slots. She loves playing penny slots even though she loses every time she plays. I'd say in her last 10 trips, she's come ahead once, and that was for $10.

She doesn't like using her card because she says she always loses when her card is in.

So I guess what I'm asking for is help in these two areas:

1) How to convince her that there is no way that her players card in the slot can affect the results of a spin.
2) A better slot machine for her to play. (She refuses to play VP) Let's say her average bankroll is $100-$200 for a trip.

I'm not sure if there is an answer to #2, but I'm not an expert at slots. If I ever play a slot machine, I'll put $20 in a .25 Wheel of Fortune machine and get mad and cash out when I get the bonus and it's 40 credits.

I have been in the business for 17 years and 6 of those testing machines at GLI. I still can’t convince my wife that using a player card doesn’t affect the machine. For the most part, I’ve gotten her switched over to video poker, though.

What's the second letter of your wife's name? Also is she hydrated when she plays? These might be factors

Just tell her that what she has been doing clearly hasn't been working so why not try something different. Of course I'm referring to gambling and not marriage. :)

I dunno. If she's only losing $100-$200 a trip you're probably best just letting her be happy. (I'm assuming a "trip" isn't weekly or daily or something.) Have you tried asking her to play a table game with you? Casino War would be simple with a reasonable HE. Baccarat is good. It's simple but watching the cards fall is, like slot reels, somewhat mesmerizing. Or take her to a Craps table for the party ambiance. Spouses usually get both their comps on one card (make sure it's yours). If all else fails sit with her at a Roulette table. It has a spinning wheel and an HE better than slots. The point is to sit with her and have some fun until she feels comfortable with the game and being at a table. If you teach her how to play correctly then you'd just be playing at twice your usual amount.

Of course she could blow through $200 at a table as well, but not at the speed of $3 a pull

I had the same problem with my father before he passed. He would play NOTHING but 3 card Poker and insisted he would hit the "Big One" and make it all back. I would constantly plead with him to try another game as he would lose hundreds each time, even $1000 or more if he was left by himself with no bank roll limit.

I would literally show him the piles of chips I would make in minutes at the Blackjack table through AP strategy and he would refuse to accept defeat in 3CP and come over to Blackjack.

So sure enough one week before Thanksgiving 2016, we go to Sands in PA and he goes to his game while I go to mine. I make my usual $200 in BJ and walk over to where he usually lingers on at the table.

I ask him "How ya doin?" and he says his usual quip of "Hanging in, but a big hand is coming!"

Sure enough he hits 3 Kings with a $50 bet on the Pair Plus for a payout of $1860(including Ante Bonus, Play and Progressive Payouts). He was so excited he tipped the dealer $50, gave me $100 and gave $10 to the waitress walking out with $1700 profit for himself. A far cry from what he lost that year, but a win nonetheless heading into the upcoming holiday.

A week later, he died of an Aneurysm to the brain and the last memory I had with him was his win at Sands. The point of the story is, you can beg & plead & reason with an impulsive gambler, but at the end of the day they will always go back to what they know and prefer. It is just some kind of moral victory for them to win for a day in "their" game than to win a lifetime in "your" game. You can never change their mind on what will work and sadly, they just have to lose everything before they realize there's another way. Tragically, in some cases it's too little too late.

She knows how to play table games. If I go with her to the casino, we will usually play pai gow poker together.

But typically, she goes with her parents or by herself. Those are the times she plays slots.

That’s a sad story bedwetter, but thanks for sharing.

Quote: BedWetter

A week later, he died of an Aneurysm to the brain and the last memory I had with him was his win at Sands. The point of the story is, you can beg & plead & reason with an impulsive gambler, but at the end of the day they will always go back to what they know and prefer. It is just some kind of moral victory for them to win for a day in "their" game than to win a lifetime in "your" game. You can never change their mind on what will work and sadly, they just have to lose everything before they realize there's another way. Tragically, in some cases it's too little too late.

I wonder how many leaf fans will die in the week after the Maple Leafs win the cup. Your dad finally won at his game, and he died happier than blowing his bankroll his last time out.

I've been there as a compulsive. I won't stop playing a game until I win the top prize. I quit craps after the 4k fire bet win in 2010. I'll quit a video poker variation after hitting a royal at the top multiplier. I'll probably quit PaiGow when I get my 7 card straight flush.

As for the players card, I wouldn't sweat the value of the comps that she's missing out on - the free play offers might sick her in more.

And the slot machine --- so many people enjoy the blinks and bleeps of the penny slots. You might pull your hair out if she switched to VP and you saw her make bad strategy plays.

Happy wife, happy life.

Quote: FinsRule

She knows how to play table games. If I go with her to the casino, we will usually play pai gow poker together.

But typically, she goes with her parents or by herself. Those are the times she plays slots.

That’s a sad story bedwetter, but thanks for sharing.

Well that's great that she plays pai gow poker! Maybe you should invite her parents over for a poker night and teach them how much fun it is. Then they'll want her to sit with them at the casino table. Other than that you're pretty much SOL.

1. Both of you play on HER card and she gets to spend the comps. Combine it at the players club or whatever. But at least you're getting whatever full benefit between you.

I hesitate to recommend a particular slot, but...

2. Quick Hit Platinum or Money Rain CAN both be played for .30/pull. They won't be full value, but they're fun machines with lots of little wins that can keep her going for a while, and a decent amount of larger wins. QHP is $1.50 max spin, which activates the progressives, but you still get paid decently if you hit one at less than max bet.

Mystical Unicorn and Frog Prince are .40/spin. Michelangelo is .20/spin. All fun, older games that pay ok at low bets. One of my favorites is a williams game called Money Storm. There are 2 versions, both fun, both can be played ok at .25 or so a spin.

The newer ones seem to me to be very tilted towards max bet, and they just kill the people playing 1x/line. I would also stay away from must hits and the very Chinese-named fill-the-bowl with coins things. Also stay away from any game that's tied into a movie or comic book or celebrity. Those have to pay royalties so they tend to pay less.

Quote: FinsRule

My wife is driving me crazy. She loves playing penny slots. She loves playing penny slots even though she loses every time she plays. I'd say in her last 10 trips, she's come ahead once, and that was for $10.

She doesn't like using her card because she says she always loses when her card is in.

So I guess what I'm asking for is help in these two areas:

1) How to convince her that there is no way that her players card in the slot can affect the results of a spin.
2) A better slot machine for her to play. (She refuses to play VP) Let's say her average bankroll is $100-$200 for a trip.

I'm not sure if there is an answer to #2, but I'm not an expert at slots. If I ever play a slot machine, I'll put $20 in a .25 Wheel of Fortune machine and get mad and cash out when I get the bonus and it's 40 credits.

Is she driving you crazy because she plays penny slots, which we know is a bad deal, or is she driving you crazy because she gets upset when she loses? If the latter, does she get upset at you or just get upset in general?

If it's the former, and you simply don't like the fact that she wagers money at bad games, well too bad (unless it's your money she's wasting, then that's a different story).

Quote: FinsRule

She knows how to play table games. If I go with her to the casino, we will usually play pai gow poker together.

But typically, she goes with her parents or by herself. Those are the times she plays slots.

That’s a sad story bedwetter, but thanks for sharing.

Eh no problem, not as sad as this one though... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUsX9UMxJnQ

Hope you never get to that point!

Quote: KevinAA

Is she driving you crazy because she plays penny slots, which we know is a bad deal, or is she driving you crazy because she gets upset when she loses? If the latter, does she get upset at you or just get upset in general?

If it's the former, and you simply don't like the fact that she wagers money at bad games, well too bad (unless it's your money she's wasting, then that's a different story).

It’s sort of the opposite.

I know it’s a bad deal, and she does NOT get upset when she loses. If she did, maybe she’d change things up a bit.

I like babs idea of quick hit for 30 cents. I’ll suggest that next time we go.

Quick hits is a fun game, even at min bet. I love the free games music.

Just tell her she is hurting you wasting money. She should care if she hurts you, I'll hold off judgement and options for now.

I probably exaggerated a bit with the title “save my marriage.”

But it is something we bicker about after she comes home from the casino losing $100.

Quote: FinsRule

I probably exaggerated a bit with the title “save my marriage.”

But it is something we bicker about after she comes home from the casino losing $100.

Did her power over you make you say that? ;)

If you set a loss limit that you both agree upon beforehand would that help?

Perhaps she could set up a 'mad money' account where she puts in, say $200 per month and has total discretion how to spend it. If it gets used up, no more casino trips til next month. Actually you could both set up such accounts if it would help. You may be less concerned if you know the money is already 'lost.'

Obviously if it's gotten this far, it isn't about the penny slots or players cards, those are only symptoms.

There is no direction you can turn from here that isn't going to cost you, the only choice you have is whether to pay in coin or soul.

This is the only life your going to get imo, so you either sacrifice your treasure or your happiness. Fact is you can always make more money, but your life has an expiration date.

You might try this? Get a really hot chick to help you out, [they usually like busting other chicks balls] get her to sit next to your wife and play the same game [you may have to give her a few $ in advance}, get her to play with your card and continually remark to your wife how sexy you think it is when a woman plays with a card using basic strategy. You need to play on their insecurity's. You could also mention how you think her best friend has lost some weight.

You see, chances are, your wife is only doing it because she wants to show you who is boss.

I'd start by asking if the marriage is worth saving? Make a list of how your life would be if you stay married, and another how it might be if not. Make a list of ten things you really would like to do. Now ask yourself how many of them you won't be able to do because your wife would object.
This isn't about slots, is it?

Lol. It’s absolutely about slots. You guys are funny.

No need to read into any of it. I just think penny slots are dumb and boring. I’d like her to at least have a shot of coming out ahead. Are .25 cent slots better at 3 lines than 75 cents a spin of a penny slot?

Like I wrote before, if I’m playing slots, I’d rather do a higher demonination so winning 100 credits actually means something.

Sometimes a slot is just a slot. Other times it can be...…

Think of it like this. If Gawd didn't love penny slots, she wouldn't make so many of them.

Quote: FinsRule

Are .25 cent slots better at 3 lines than 75 cents a spin of a penny slot?

In general yes. If you avoid the progressive mechanical slots the hold is only about half of what the penny slots are.

I always tell people to play the Blazing 7's, Sizzling 7's, and Double Diamond three reel slots. They seem to be less volatile with fair paybacks.

I think a bit of slow conditioning is in order here. Slowly ease her into higher denomination, better payback machines. Instead of 2 hours a week at penny slots first week is 1 hour and 45 minutes with 15 minutes of something better. Progress each week and repeat!

Quote: FinsRule

Lol. It’s absolutely about slots. You guys are funny.

No need to read into any of it. I just think penny slots are dumb and boring. I’d like her to at least have a shot of coming out ahead. Are .25 cent slots better at 3 lines than 75 cents a spin of a penny slot?

Like I wrote before, if I’m playing slots, I’d rather do a higher demonination so winning 100 credits actually means something.

A few years ago, I tried to explain to my friends when it's a good time to cash out, and it was just a waste of time. They just do what they want. If they asked for assistance, sure, I'll help... it happened zero times.

This one guy had a strategy where he would start his gambling day on penny machines min bet (20, 30 or 40 cents), and if $20 turns into $80, he would take that voucher over to the $1 denom three mechanical reels (if not, try it again with another $20 at another penny machine). If the $1 denom wins enough to justify going to $2 or $3 or even $5 a spin, he'll do that. 99+% of the time, this strategy fails at some point, usually at the first step, and of course he loses everything. But one time he did successfully parlay money from machine to machine and walked away with $2,000. If it cost him $20,000 in losses to get that incredibly lucky streak win of $2,000, he didn't know and didn't care.

So I guess it just depends on what your wife is open to. If she's set in her ways like the people I knew, just give it up as a lost cause, and look at the bright side, that she's contributing to casino profit so they have better games to offer for the rest of us. If everyone played low edge table games, the casinos would remove them and make you play slots or go home.

You could suggest no-progressive 25c 5 lines, or $1 5 lines (my only W-2G was on a Double Diamond $1x5, hit the jackpot on line 5, $5,000, and my bankroll was only $60). Single line has a lot of variance in one spin, which is why I like the 5 lines. You win something fairly frequently, but not so frequently like a penny machine where you bet 30 cents and win 12 cents on a regular basis, which is just stupid.

One hurdle to overcome that I can see if she takes your advice and switches to a different type of slot machine, is that betting five quarters (or even worse, five dollars) with the same bankroll, is going to result in a session that is much shorter than 30c penny machines. I'm sure this is why people play those slots. They know nothing about math, but experience tells them that $100 in a min bet penny machine last a long time, whereas $100 in a $1 machine can lose it all in 10 minutes or win enough to cash out in 10 minutes, and the problem with winning a lot in 10 minutes is that one can be tempted to keep going, and then it turns into zero and it's only been 30 minutes. Back to the penny machine, that same $100 would have lasted me two hours!

Quote: FinsRule

So I guess what I'm asking for is help in these two areas:

1) How to convince her that there is no way that her players card in the slot can affect the results of a spin.
2) A better slot machine for her to play. (She refuses to play VP) Let's say her average bankroll is $100-$200 for a trip.

I'm not sure if there is an answer to #2, but I'm not an expert at slots. If I ever play a slot machine, I'll put $20 in a .25 Wheel of Fortune machine and get mad and cash out when I get the bonus and it's 40 credits.

1.) Would it help to inform her she always loses without her card in, as well?

2.) The thing that you have to understand here is the nature of penny slots. The nature of penny slots is such that they are flashy, it doesn't seem like you're losing much (with small bets) because you're not losing it particularly quickly and that you get frequent small wins, which stimulate the reward center of the brain and make you want to play more. The tens of lines also seem like they provide more ways to win than something like Video Poker, of course, many of these are just partial wins of less than the amount bet.

These partial wins also seem like they reduce Variance somewhat, but they don't always. Lots of the return percentage can be tied up in Free Games and there may be ways of hitting hundreds (literally) of Free Games depending on the game, so there's Variance in all of that. Even if they did reduce Variance all the time, a reduction of Variance isn't necessarily a good things when you're eating a House Edge of 10-15%. A game where she hands me $5.00 and I give her back $4.50 every time has no Variance whatsoever, and I'll play that game with her all day long if she really wants to.

That said, nothing really plays like a penny game. Except maybe a penny-style game at a bigger denomination for bigger money. They give you extremely frequent wins and the amounts to be won vary wildly and are unpredictable. With Video Poker, many Video Keno games and older slot machines it's just, "Hit this, get paid this." That's why the variants of Video Poker with multipliers, extra cards (Super Six Card), bonus wheels and such have taken off as well as they have...wider range of results and more Variance. Spin Poker literally looks like a slot machine, but that wasn't good enough for everyone, so they added Super Times Pay and Ultimate X to some of them and also have Triple Spin Poker and all kinds of other crazy s***.

The other thing is that betting $0.30, $0.40, $0.50 per spin on a penny machine seems like it makes $100-$200 last forever and gives plenty of chances. Look at a $0.40 bet, the expected loss at 15% is still only $0.06/spin. 200/.06 = 3,333.33, so your theoretical expectation is to go roughly 3,333.33 spins (long run) before you lose that $200. In the meantime, most people will not win enough at once (by their standards) to quit, so the whole $200 goes bye-bye one way or another.

Meantime, let's imagine a single-line dollar slot machine that you have to bet $3 on with a 5% House Edge. You could bet $1, but the jackpot schedule goes 2500-5000-10,000, so wouldn't one feel silly to bet a single dollar and only get 75% of the jackpot relative to the amount bet? Saving nearly $0.10/spin, but I guess that's neither here nor there. The percentage ER technically makes the $3 the best bet.

Anyway, so you're there and you're betting the $3 and you're either winning or losing $3 every spin. Many of them, you get a blank on the first reel and you already know the spin is as good as over. How much can you win? Check the paytable, it's all there. You lose FAR more spins than you win and you can easily drop $100-$200 within ten-twenty minutes.

So, look at it: You can't lose $200 within twenty minutes on a penny slot betting $0.40 per spin because you're not even going to take that many spins to make that possible in that timeframe. Meantime, some dollar machines it's nothing to lose the entire amount bet 20-30 spins in a row from time to time.

More than that, the $3 bet at a 5% HE has an expected loss of $0.15/spin whereas the penny machine with the $0.40 bet has an expected loss of $0.06/spin. Your $200 is expected to get you 3,333.33 spins on pennies in those specific conditions and 1,333.33 spins on the $3 bet on the dollar machine.

Many penny slot players it seems that time value and being able to play and relax for a consistent amount of time each visit is a primary concern. If her concern was truly winning, for her or anyone else, she or anyone else would have long since realized that they are not expected to do that. If she thinks she is, just ask her to write down her results when done playing (but before leaving the casino), or text those results to you before leaving, for the next ten visits. It's not about winning for her, despite what she may say to the contrary.

Quick Hits Platinum isn't an awful choice at $0.30/spin. She could roll up a few sets of pretty decent Free Games as well as a 7QHP symbols or two within a relatively short time frame and maybe finish $100 ahead every once in a while. Usually not. She's still much more likely to lose all $100 or $200 before ever being ahead that amount. If her goal were to win or lose $100 and she is going to quit after being ahead $100, I would suggest she might win about anywhere from 1 in 8 to 1 in 10 sessions. That's not really based on more than an educated guess and the fact that I'm quite familiar with that game.

So we went to the casino together (Horseshoe Hammond) on Saturday. We were trying to think of the last time that it was just the two of us together at a casino, and we figured it was at least two years ago.

I’m doing no gamble January, so this was all about my wife and the games she wanted to play.

So I stood next to her while she played those dumb penny slots I hate. She lost $150 in an hour and I was miserable. We were losing money and it wasn’t fun at all. So while she was finishing up the $150 I offered to scout the casino for the next game. She wanted me to leave because my “negativity was ruining our chances”

I went to find a quick hits based on some advice from my smart slot friends on this forum.

I’m sure you can guess how the story will end.

Should I Darkoz serialize it?

No. I won’t.

So I show her the quick hits machine. She says it looks dumb. We put $20 in there and after a few spins at max bet ($1.50) we hit 5 QH for $17.50. Another couple spins later, another 5. So it’s going well, and a few minutes later... 7 QH! $180 for us!

Then a free spin bonus where we win $40.

We cash out $200 and somehow we climbed back out of this hole.

I’m sure you can once again guess what is going to happen...

With our new bankroll, my wife is even more excited to play her stupid games.

We lose $100 of the $200 over the next 2 hours on games where we really have no shot of winning.

We finish with an hour of Pai Gow Poker where she ends up winning about $35.

We then head home in a snowstorm talking about how we both had a pretty lousy time.

Her conclusion was that maybe we just shouldn’t go to the casino together. My conclusion was that we can go to the casino, but we go with our own money, and check in on each other occasionally, and maybe play some pai gow together when we are in the mood.

It was kind of sad because we used to go to the casino together twice a week when we were in our 20s.

Now, it looks like our gambling tastes have changed. That’s ok, just something different.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, and thanks for listening!

Quote: FinsRule

I probably exaggerated a bit with the title “save my marriage.”

But it is something we bicker about after she comes home from the casino losing $100.

Been there, now I say nothing. Once,
about 20002, we were in Soaring
Eagle and had to drive home, 90
minute drive. My wife wouldn't
leave and wouldn't leave so at
midnight I grabbed her 1/4 full
bucket of quarters and threw
it on the floor where quarters
exploded everywhere.

Man, was she pissed. But she
left and didn't speak all the
way home. To this day she
doesn't remember that with
any humor. She would have
sat there till 3am trying to
get her money back.

Women think when they quit
speaking to us that it's a
punishment. If they only knew
the truth. Keep talking, that's
the punishment..

Well, when you were in your 20s what were you two playing?

Also i dunno if you clarified it or not, or if i missed this. The money she gambled with, she earned that on her own right? If it was money you earned, i could see a higher level of frustration here.

Quote: tringlomane

Well, when you were in your 20s what were you two playing?

Also i dunno if you clarified it or not, or if i missed this. The money she gambled with, she earned that on her own right? If it was money you earned, i could see a higher level of frustration here.

We’d mainly do pai gow, but I would watch her play penny slots more. But then they were 15-20 cents a spin, not 50-75 like they are now.

The money is both of ours, but we really can’t afford to be losing hundreds of dollars very often.

Quote: FinsRule

The money is both of ours, but we really can’t afford to be losing hundreds of dollars very often.

My wife only plays with her money. I'd throw
the dollar out the car window before I put
it in a slot. I never played slots much and
in 1999 I won $2500 by putting $5 in a
slot while waiting for my wife. That's
the last time I played one, so I'm ahead
on slot play.

Quote: FinsRule

We’d mainly do pai gow, but I would watch her play penny slots more. But then they were 15-20 cents a spin, not 50-75 like they are now.

The money is both of ours, but we really can’t afford to be losing hundreds of dollars very often.

Meh. Yeah many slot machines are 50-75 cents a bet now. And she's probably played all the 15-20 cent games you can find at Horseshoe.

Unfortunately, by the way you're talking, it seems she's gained a typical slot player's mentality. She just wants to play and doesn't really care as much about the final result. But Pai Gow is like a total 180 of slots. Slow, no big wins or losses. I would think she finds it boring versus slots now. I wish i had good advice on how to get her to switch games, but i'm blanking.

Might have better luck converting her to VP since that's faster pace (but it sounds like you tried and failed :(), but with your bankroll amounts, single line quarters or multi line nickels is the most you two could play. And Hammond doesn't have many good games at that level. The best they have is 6/5 Bonus UX for nickels (~98%) near the poker room, afaik. I'm overdue for a visit there myself actually.

Quote: EvenBob

My wife only plays with her money. I'd throw
the dollar out the car window before I put
it in a slot. I never played slots much and
in 1999 I won $2500 by putting $5 in a
slot while waiting for my wife. That's
the last time I played one, so I'm ahead
on slot play.

Ploppy slots = no good.

Advantage slot situations = the best ever.

p.s. I'm not talking about vulturing.

Same problem with wife. What really pisses me off is seeing something dumb on infomercial or as seen on tv. Think who would but that ? Then see it in my house.GRRRR

See that she does not have an addiction!

Time to move up to high limit to have fun again

Yolo strat

Quote: DRich

I always tell people to play the Blazing 7's, Sizzling 7's, and Double Diamond three reel slots. They seem to be less volatile with fair paybacks.

I thought so once too, but those are money eaters if you play $1 minimum machines. You're basically playing $3-$5 a spin on Max credits and you will be lucky to get a set of Mixed 7's for a $200 payout for every $150 you put into the machine.

If you luck out and hit the 7's early, you must be content with the win and have discipline to leave. But I always see people give back numerous Mixed 7's wins going for the "Jackpot." Not realizing if they hit mixed or 3 red 7's at least 5 times, it's the same or better than winning the jackpot!

I did get lucky last Thursday on a Blazing 7's machine last week and hit the Progressive after only $280 into the machine, but lord knows how much I would've lost if the jackpot hit didn't happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM27T3JTrj4&feature=youtu.be

My sister is a slot lover as well and almost exclusively plays slots . I introduced her the game "High Card Flush," which has similarities of slots. You're given 7 cards. You don't think and just play them. The side bets are similar to slot wins, when you win they are huge wins. My sister now gravitates towards High Card Flush over slots and it has a MUCH better house edge.

I had the same problem with my wife. She would always play the penny slots with max play per spin. She never knew when to stop.

I finally figured out a way to stop her from playing slots.

I play table games only. She plays slots only.

At the end of the year I printed out her end of the year Win/Loss statements for the past three years from the three casinos that we frequent in Atlantic City. I also printed out my Win/Loss statements.

My Win/Loss statements showed that I made a profit at all three casinos. Her statements showed she lost at all three casinos. I think that when she saw it in black and white it finally sunk in.

So far she hasn't asked when are we going to AC?