What is your worst slot machine experience? Spinoff from Atlantic City Jackpot thread.

[kdonnel]

Several trips to Las Vegas ago, one day my wife and I were visiting as many casinos as we could, gambling $20 in each.

We were at the Palms for the first time and put our $20 in a Wheel of Fortune machine. You always have a minimum bet you have to be able to spin the big wheel so we are careful to always bet that minimum but apparently not careful enough.

I believe that machine was $3 to be eligible to spin the wheel so when we got down to $2 we put another $1 in the machine.

But the bill acceptor jammed and we had to call the slot attendant over. She fixed the jam and the credit appeared. We now had $3 in the machine.

We pressed the repeat bet button thinking it would bet $3 and the magic symbols to get to spin the wheel appeared but..... when the attendant had reset the bill acceptor it reset the machine. So when we pressed the button to repeat the last bet, thinking it would be our $3 bet, it only bet $1 and we were not eligible for the spin.

We ended up cashing out our $2 because we felt like we had been cheated out of a spin.

 

[RedAngie]

Probably the time about 40 years ago when I gave up on a slot after losing and started walking away. Some woman sat down and won a good amount with her first spin.

These were old mechanical machines and I have no idea if I would have won if I played one more spin.

 

[FrannyFrogs]

My grandfather had a big collection of antiques. When I was 10, he got an old mechanical slot machine. My six roughly-same-age cousins and I were allowed to play and we must have each put a couple hundred quarters into it over the summer. You could watch them build up inside through a glass window. Cherries, plums, lemons, bells, bars... whee! I loved the feel of pulling the metal arm, ka-chunk! I would wake up every morning thinking about it. We were all very very invested in who would win the jackpot.

One day my uncle came by with my 2 year old cousin. He held him up to put a quarter in the machine FOR THE FIRST TIME. And won the jackpot.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

This is how I learned how to pace myself and not get carried away gambling. I enjoy going to the casino a lot, but anyway: when I first started going to gamble, I once won $300 on a Titanic themed slot machine. Nowadays, I would put that in my purse and walk away to a different machine and put a fresh twenty in out of the $100 I allow myself. But I foolishly printed the ticket and then thought, 'why not' and put it right back in the same machine, and lost it all during the course of a frustrating hour or so. I also went to the ATM and withdrew money to gamble some more.

Now, I NEVER take a card with me, only the hundred bucks in cash, and I pocket all win tickets. I learned my lesson.

 

[BrianL]

I put money in a slot machine once and pulled the lever. Seemed like a waste of time to me. I'd rather play a true game of skill, like craps!

 

[kdonnel]

I put money in a slot machine once and pulled the lever. Seemed like a waste of time to me. I'd rather play a true game of skill, like craps!

Got a dice setter in the house!

 

[BrianL]

Got a dice setter in the house!

Yeah, but I walk away once I've earned a buffet comp! Tip your dealers, folks.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I enjoy the casinos. I play blackjack primarily but enjoy the slots, too. This story is far from my worst as far as $$ goes, but it’s my “ha ha” worst.

I was driving past an out of town casino on an unrelated trip and had a small amount of free slot play available, I think it was $20. I decided to stop in figuring it would be a way to stretch my legs, get a free drink and walk away with some tip money for my trip.

I picked a penny machine with a 60-cent minimum bet. Other slot players may know the routine where you count out the 33 spins you get with your $20 and then you need to use winnings to help pay for the 34th and final spin. Then you cash out whatever you won and walk out. Well, I didn’t win anything on those 33 spins so I left 20 cents in free play on the machine and walked out. Didn’t even bother to get a drink.

 

[kdonnel]

I picked a penny machine with a 60-cent minimum bet. Other slot players may know the routine where you count out the 33 spins you get with your $20 and then you need to use winnings to help pay for the 34th and final spin. Then you cash out whatever you won and walk out. Well, I didn’t win anything on those 33 spins so I left 20 cents in free play on the machine and walked out. Didn’t even bother to get a drink.

That is a rough stretch of 33 spins and no wins. At least it was not your money!

 

[RUDisney]

At the preview day for invited guests of Mount Airy Casino in the Poconos, all proceeds went to charity.

One of my DH's cousins came to me and said she put $100 in a 25 cent machine and bet 50 cents. She hit spin once and lost, hit spin again and lost and hit spin again and nothing happed. She was at a $25 machine and not a 25 cent machine. Oops!

Another player won $1,000 on a spin and the owner of the casino was behind him. They were friends and the owner patted the winner on the back and said, "put it back. This is for charity."

 

[RedAngie]

I put money in a slot machine once and pulled the lever. Seemed like a waste of time to me. I'd rather play a true game of skill, like craps!

When I played craps I liked to be a “wrong” bettor, and I believe it was a true skill.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

My wife had the absolute worst experience which in hindsight was probably the best experience anyone could have ever had.

She blew through two rolls of quarters, won absolutely nothing. Not even the get your quarter back booby prize. She's never been interested in gambling again.

When I played craps I liked to be a “wrong” bettor, and I believe it was a true skill.

I see so many people playing the numbers instead of playing the true odd bets available . on the exact same numbers.

 

[RedAngie]

I see so many people playing the numbers instead of playing the true odd bets available . on the exact same numbers.

They’re impatient and want a quicker reward, but more often it results in a quicker loss.

 

[texaslover]

Not me but a friend. We were gambling and drinking a little, as you do . She put in her ticket and pushed 88 for a 88 cent spin but didn't realize she was on a dollar machine and not a penny. So she bet $88 on one spin. I think she won maybe $6 back. She was inconsolable lol.

Now this same friend did it again several trips later but bet $8.88 instead of 88 cents and hit the bonus on that spin. She ended up with over $1000. So I guess she came out way ahead if you count both incidents lol.

 

[Deanna Lamz]

I like hitting the casinos now and then, mainly for a few rounds of blackjack but I won't say no to some time at the slots. Here's a funny little tale that’s definitely not my deepest financial hole, but it's one of those "you had to be there" moments.

While on a road trip, I swung by a casino that had a high roller casino welcome bonus, which I remembered I hadn’t used yet. They had credited me with $15 of free slot play, so I thought, why not take a break and maybe grab a drink? I chose a penny slot with a 50-cent minimum bet, the kind where you plan your 30 spins from your initial $15, hoping to earn enough to continue. Unfortunately, the slots weren't in a giving mood, and after my spins, I was left with a few cents of free play that I didn’t bother using. I skipped the drink and was back on the road in no time.

 

[BrianL]

Not me but a friend. We were gambling and drinking a little, as you do . She put in her ticket and pushed 88 for a 88 cent spin but didn't realize she was on a dollar machine and not a penny. So she bet $88 on one spin. I think she won maybe $6 back. She was inconsolable lol.

Now this same friend did it again several trips later but bet $8.88 instead of 88 cents and hit the bonus on that spin. She ended up with over $1000. So I guess she came out way ahead if you count both incidents lol.

Just this past weekend I was with a buddy and we stopped to grab a lottery ticket at the machine in the grocery store. I watch him feed it a twenty, and I'm like, "You know this thing doesn't give change, right?" He did not know that, so he ended up with 10 picks because he wasn't getting it back! I don't know if he won anything, but I do know he didn't hit the jackpot. I bought one $2 pick, which I do very ocasionally.

 

[Boopuff]

I sat down at a machine and didn't pay attention, and accidentally hit the "max bet" of course I had a dead spin and wasted too much. Now I totally 'read' the machine so I know what I'm getting into.

 

[Uk145081]

One time, I accidentally hit the max bet on my first spin without realizing it, and before I even got into the game, half my budget was gone. That feeling when you lose a big chunk right away is the worst. Now, I always double-check the bet settings before I start spinning.

Lately, I’ve been mixing things up by trying different slots online instead of just at the casino. Some platforms offer better payouts and a wider variety of games, like the ones available on https://topui88.net/. It’s been fun exploring different styles without the stress of a physical casino setting.

 

[hertamaniac]

My worst experience was someone else's gain. My wife and I were leaving Las Vegas and in the airport terminal waiting for our return flight. She asks me if the slot machines were associated with the casino(s) regarding jackpot amounts and odds. I, completely uniformed at the time, said that by law they had to be.

I was playing a Wheel of Fortune slot machine with less than an hour to go to boarding and loss a few dollars. I walked away from the machine, sat down at our gate, and hear those infamous bells and screaming. A woman next to us is frantic and calls her mother telling her that her husband hit the jackpot and would be staying in Vegas a little longer.

I get up, walk to the machine where I recently played, and yep, he won. The number has stuck with me for life....

$1.892 million.

 

[Living42Day]

We went to Las Vegas for the first time last year. I don't understand slot machines, they are confusing but super fun. I went with a couple friends and we went straight to the eye catching giant slot machine, because why not, and put in $100. We took turns pressing the button. I think I ended up ahead by $200 but then lost it on other slot machines lol!

It was worth the entertainment and free bloody mary drinks lol