Trip Report -- Queenstown, New Zealand.
I just wrote a blog entry on WoO about my trip to New Zealand.
Please click the link and let me know what you think. As always, I welcome all comments, questions, and especially corrections.
Roulette -- 2
Baccarat -- 2
Caribbean Stud Poker -- 1
That's not a casino, that's the back room of
a gas station. 8 tables? Was it called Bob's
Fish Shack and Casino? There are more
tables on a cruise ship.
Cool report!
As far as the slots go, did you happen to notice if there were any Progressives? I sure wouldn't mind being handed the overall return of the machine as well as Progressive probabilities.
Quote: EvenBobThat's not a casino, that's the back room of
a gas station. 8 tables? Was it called Bob's
Fish Shack and Casino?
I'm go to call my first casino that, in your honor.
Quote: Mission146Mike,
Cool report!
As far as the slots go, did you happen to notice if there were any Progressives? I sure wouldn't mind being handed the overall return of the machine as well as Progressive probabilities.
Thank you! I didn't think to look specifically for that. However, I can say that there was not any obnoxious progressive signage that I recall. I won't say that no machine had a progressive element, but none were like Megabucks where that was the main draw.
Does your license plate collection require that you get it yourself to count? I have close New Zealand friends who can make that happen.
Quote: EvenBobBlackjack -- 3
Roulette -- 2
Baccarat -- 2
Caribbean Stud Poker -- 1
That's not a casino, that's the back room of
a gas station. 8 tables? Was it called Bob's
Fish Shack and Casino? There are more
tables on a cruise ship.
That's pretty much the size of the casino i work in. We still consider it a casino, they don't all have to be Vegas style behomoths.
Quote: beachbumbabsDoes your license plate collection require that you get it yourself to count? I have close New Zealand friends who can make that happen.
Good question! I'm not as strict on that as Doc with his chip collection. However, it helps. The way I look at license plates is they can carry monetary and/or sentimental value. Sentimental value is often associated with some personal story behind the license plate. It always makes for a good story if I bother everybody in a country I visit for a license plate and come through at the last minute. The first part of that was indeed the case in New Zealand, as I asked lots of people about those new European sized plates but came home empty handed.
Given that I struck out, I would happily accept one from any source available. It is my goal to get a license plate of the current style when I visited. Most NZ plates on the road today are boring black on white ones, and I don't even have one of those. I already have the makers of Lunar Poker on the case so please don't bother your friends yet. I'm also hoping a fan of the site will read the blog entry and just send me one.
Quote: EvenBobBlackjack -- 3
Roulette -- 2
Baccarat -- 2
Caribbean Stud Poker -- 1
.
As long as you aren't the 19th blackjack player to enter the casino at a given moment, you'll be ok.
Quote: WizardGood question! I'm not as strict on that as Doc with his chip collection. However, it helps. The way I look at license plates is they can carry monetary and/or sentimental value. Sentimental value is often associated with some personal story behind the license plate. It always makes for a good story if I bother everybody in a country I visit for a license plate and come through at the last minute. The first part of that was indeed the case in New Zealand, as I asked lots of people about those new European sized plates but came home empty handed.
Given that I struck out, I would happily accept one from any source available. It is my goal to get a license plate of the current style when I visited. Most NZ plates on the road today are boring black on white ones, and I don't even have one of those. I already have the makers of Lunar Poker on the case so please don't bother your friends yet. I'm also hoping a fan of the site will read the blog entry and just send me one.
Did you get any Aussie plates while you were in Sydney?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=furburger
Quote: WizardGood question! I'm not as strict on that as Doc with his chip collection. However, it helps. The way I look at license plates is they can carry monetary and/or sentimental value. Sentimental value is often associated with some personal story behind the license plate.Quote: beachbumbabsDoes your license plate collection require that you get it yourself to count?
Aah, the challenges of keeping a collection "pure" to an arbitrary list of rules....
Way back on May 28, 2010, just two months and a day after I joined this forum, I gave you a souvenir plate that probably doesn't/didn't carry much in the way of monetary or sentimental value for you. No idea whether you even kept it. About the only supportive story would be that it came from a WoV member who had displayed it on his car and that it is a specialty plate celebrating one of the colleges that member graduated from.
If that's an interesting enough story for your collection, then the next time we meet I might be able to provide a second chapter not likely yet covered by your set.
Quote: Uranium235Did you get any Aussie plates while you were in Sydney?
No. I already had plenty of Australian plates. Unlike NZ, Australian plates are easy to obtain.
Quote: odiousgambitHow does somebody play chess blindfolded? This guy even has his back turned, but on the other hand one of the guys there seems to be assisting him. Does that person describe the board and answer questions about positions?
Both players use notation to convey the moves. For example, pawn to queen-4. When people play who are unfamiliar with the notation it often leads to mistakes. Say one move wrong and it screws up the whole game. It also doesn't help that the letter B, C, D, and E all sound alike. One of the men in that picture was Adam's father who was just making sure the board was set up right and the moves called out properly.
Quote: odiousgambitalso, gotta know if the New Zealanders seemed to be aware of this?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=furburger
I certainly wasn't. I don't know what they know.
Quote: DocWay back on May 28, 2010, just two months and a day after I joined this forum, I gave you a souvenir plate that probably doesn't/didn't carry much in the way of monetary or sentimental value for you. No idea whether you even kept it. About the only supportive story would be that it came from a WoV member who had displayed it on his car and that it is a specialty plate celebrating one of the colleges that member graduated from.
Any plate that was a gift has an immediate story attached to it. Yes, I still have that plate. As I recall, it was the University of Wisconsin. To be honest, I have about 50 collegiate plates, but that was the only one I didn't have to buy myself. Thanks again!
Quote: WizardYes, I still have that plate. As I recall, it was the University of Wisconsin.
Your recollection might have been refreshed by clicking the link that I posted and you quoted. The photo is right there, and no, I'm a southern boy and avoided cold-weather schools.
Quote: DocYour recollection might have been refreshed by clicking the link that I posted and you quoted. The photo is right there, and no, I'm a southern boy and avoided cold-weather schools.
Do'h!
I look a lot younger in that picture.
Quote: WizardI'm go to call my first casino that, in your honor.
Thank you! I didn't think to look specifically for that. However, I can say that there was not any obnoxious progressive signage that I recall. I won't say that no machine had a progressive element, but none were like Megabucks where that was the main draw.
It might be that the big Mystery Progressive plays are now extinct.
Quote: WizardQuote: odiousgambit
also, gotta know if the New Zealanders seemed to be aware of this?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=furburger
I certainly wasn't. I don't know what they know.
I just noticed the sign actually reads Fer-g-burger; maybe your companions were making fun of the similarity, and this threw you off?
Om my last trip to Australia (a little over 3 years ago), I noticed the Melbourne slots did this but the Sydney ones did not, and I am under the impression that casinos are regulated at state rather than federal level there.
Something I noticed in the Australian/New Zealand Gaming Machine National Standard: the probability of winning a jackpot cannot be worse than 1 in 7 million.
The Victorian state regulations say that, as of 1/1/2008, every gaming machine must display:
(a) the return percentage;
(b) the average number of individual games played per any win, based on one line being played per game;
and (c) the chances or odds of achieving the top 5 and bottom 5 (in value) individual winning combinations.
Somehow, I don't see Nevada going with (c) if it means that every slot machine has to display the odds against hitting the jackpot - especially if it's a Megabucks machine.
Also, any "bonus round" where you can risk your winnings must have an expected return of 100%.
Do you have an example of this type of machine?Quote: ThatDonGuy
Also, any "bonus round" where you can risk your winnings must have an expected return of 100%.
I remember some old monopoly slot games where you could buy property, it was an interesting game. I haven't seen them in years. Has anyone seen any still left?
Quote: AxelWolfDo you have an example of this type of machine?
IIRC, if you win, usually you are given the option of doubling the win by selecting that a card drawn from a deck will be Red or Black (or a coin toss Heads or Tails). In this case, the event must have a 50% chance of a win. I also think that you can continue to risk the winnings, but there is a limit as to how many times a particular win can be pressed (either 4 or 5, including the initial option); if a deck of cards is used, the drawn card is put back into the deck before the next draw.
Queenstown's two casinos are located about 4 blocks from each other, on the same street. Both are within walking distance of each other and many hotels/restaurants as part of the harbor / dockside central district.
I attended on Sunday May 3, around 7 pm local. The mayweather pacquiao fight had aired a bit earlier that afternoon local time; crowds had mostly dispersed by the time we showed up. No way of knowing if the number of tables/people was a residual, or just a typical Sunday evening.
Both had a handful of slots, some table games, and an off track betting system called Tab. Neither one had a craps table in existence. I don't play slots and did not look closer at them; rely on Wiz's report. My observation was that not many people were on the slots.
The Skycity "Wharf" Casino is on the second floor of a strip center. The tables pit was I think 8 tables total. They had two tables of $5 min "Blackjack Plus" (see Wiz's description) and no tables of normal BJ running. They had roulette, double zero, $1 minimum. I think Baccarat table also. I did not sit down to play, as we chose to walk to the other casino.
The Skycity main casino (did not notice a proper name for it) is in a pedestrian mall a bit closer to town center. Third story of the building. Similar size. Also around 8 tables. Standard BJ was offered at $10 and $15. Roulette single zero for $2.50 min. Baccarat was running but I didn't notice the min. I played the $10 BJ for about 45 mins. BJ rules were reported by Wiz, and my experience matched his report although I did not ask for a full set of rules.
Waitstaff took a drink order once, but I paid full price for a beer. Another guy at the table seemed to get his beer for free but he was betting more heavily and was talking to the pit boss so it may have been a "comp" or players club or other staff discretion.
Overall impression:
Both casinos were pretty small , and were best described by my wife and I as "sad". No attempt to create a "fun" atmosphere. Not many people were drinking. No friendly banter among the players at my BJ table. Not even the typical "good luck on that Ace", nor celebration of dealer busting, etc. Couple of tables seemed to have a jovial crowd but I think they were all friends joking around. Everyone was friendly when you talk to them, not stiff/rude/etc, but also not very outgoing. We are casual/fun gamblers and overall were NOT inspired to stick around this place, and if I ever make it back to Queenstown I probably would not re-visit. That's just our personal preference though; nothing truly negative to report, just a lack of excitement for us.
Couple other trip notes:
At a few other bars in other cities of NZ, we saw "gaming" which was slots, and "TAB" which is racing and might include sports betting also? I did not investigate beyond a casual glance, but it does seem gambling is available in various bars for people who want it.
Experience in NZ overall was amaaaaaaazing. Wilderness, landscapes etc are simply breath taking. People very down to earth. Towns were mostly pretty quaint, although Queenstown itself was bustling with tourists and had a very neat vibe, similar to Austin, Madison, Boulder.
We attended a Rugby League game in Sydney Aus. Super fun. They had a "TAB" station *inside the stadium* to allow spectators to gamble on racing, other sports games, and indeed the very game they were watching. I did not investigate the details of how it works. Just found it a stark contrast to America where sports betting is more restricted / frowned upon by the establishment.
