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Hi. I worked in a tribal casino for a very long time and figured people might want to know things about casinos. I used to gamble a lot but not so much anymore. My brain is still a complete repository of casino-related knowledge that you've always wanted to know. So ask away.
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Jun 9, 2018 08:42
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What is the smartest/dumbest way someone has tried to steal from the casino?
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Jun 9, 2018 10:02
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Are tribal casinos indeed less competently run and uses lower technology? Or is this untrue and they are essentially modern casinos with no difference from those in Vegas? I am particularly interested in how they handle card counters.
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Jun 9, 2018 15:23
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John Smith posted:Are tribal casinos indeed less competently run and uses lower technology? Or is this untrue and they are essentially modern casinos with no difference from those in Vegas? Everything tribal tends to be less competently run because of small populations and poverty, plus the challenges of operating many government functions like your own police force, justice system, etc. There just isn't much of a pool of educated, talented workers and leadership to draw from, so things tend to be a bit of a mess. Of course the severity depends on which specific tribe/reservation you're talking about. It's a common misconception that tribal casinos make megabucks for their tribes but that's often not the case. A lot of it depends on location, if a tribe can open a casino where there isn't much competition (laws restricting gambling, for example) or where there's a lot of traffic, they can make a lot of money, sure. But a lot of tribes are in isolated or remote areas so there just isn't enough traffic through the casino to make much. I live in South Dakota which has several large reservations with tribal casinos, but they're mostly in remote areas, have to compete with non-tribal casinos, and the tribal populations are in the tens of thousands each. So they don't really help much. The best answer is it's going to vary a lot depending on each tribe's situations. There are definitely small tribes with casinos profitable enough to invest in the best technology and developing competent management, but that's a small chunk of the Native American population.
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Jun 9, 2018 17:28
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Why are all of the poker tables SUPER SERIOUS POKER STAKES XXL 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP when its a $25 buy in and most people are raising you a dollar and then folding. Every person is some goon in a North Face outer shell jacket and wearing oakley sunglasses and an astros hat.
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Jun 9, 2018 21:23
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Please tell me you worked at one of the west river ones that i hear interesting stories about. Also south dakota is so interesting with the casino thing, because there are both Casino Casinos (like with table games and stuff - sounds like where you worked OP?) and then there's casinos, that are all machines and all the free beer you can drink. And the casinos like that are on every single loving block. In a town of 200 that means there's at least two casinos.
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Jun 10, 2018 00:00
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Is there any kind of oversight or regulation of the rules at the table games like Blackjack? For example in Vegas, it kills me to see that so many tables have moved to hit a soft 17, and especially tables that only payout 6:5 instead of 3:2. I can't believe the state authorities have allowed the casinos to do that. Same for slot machines--are the machines tested or reviewed to ensure that the results are truly random, and/or meet any particular standard for minimum payout? I'm interested in these issues both at the major state level (Nevada, Atlantic City) and at the Indian casino level.
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Jun 10, 2018 06:58
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TaurusTorus posted:What is the smartest/dumbest way someone has tried to steal from the casino? A guy tried to force his way past me in the middle of the night while the casino was closed. I cracked the door to talk to him and long story boring when I grabbed his shirt I saw a pistol grip in his waistband. Pretty sure that was a robbery attempt. Employees had a harder time trying to steal. Casinos have surveillance EVERYWHERE. One night I had a machine tech come bug me to get a footage review because his Subway sandwich had disappeared from the break room fridge. John Smith posted:Are tribal casinos indeed less competently run and uses lower technology? Or is this untrue and they are essentially modern casinos with no difference from those in Vegas? Ok so I worked in an Oklahoma tribal casino and Oklahoma is in an interesting place casino law-wise. "White people casinos" as they were called, are illegal in Oklahoma. Compared to the casinos I went to in other states our technology was on par with them. Same player tracking systems, comparable machines. I mean everyone leases or buys machines from the same manufactures anyway (Aristocrat VGT, Aruze, WMS, IGT, etc.) I only ever dealt with one card counter in my time at the casino. I oversaw overnight security for 90 percent of my time at the casino. The pit boss called and said he figured someone was counting cards so we escorted him to the cage, made him cash out his chips, and leave. We took his picture and banned him from the tables. Number_6 posted:Is there any kind of oversight or regulation of the rules at the table games like Blackjack? For example in Vegas, it kills me to see that so many tables have moved to hit a soft 17, and especially tables that only payout 6:5 instead of 3:2. I can't believe the state authorities have allowed the casinos to do that. Ok so the first part of that I really don't have an answer for. The pit (table games) was it's own ecosystem. The pit bosses for the most part handled any customer issues without security intervention (unless it got bad). Oklahoma has no minimum payout limit, and the tribes are not required to divulge what their machines are set at. Don't gamble in Oklahoma if you can help it. My expertise was mostly security. I ran overnight security but security at a casino has to know how every department works. Even the pit required me to know about tipping procedures and cash drops and poo poo like that. I will say that table games in general are a hot bed for the worst kind of people. Keep them questions comin'. This is fun.l Untrustable fucked around with this message at 10:14 on Jun 10, 2018 |
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Jun 10, 2018 10:02
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Pellisworth posted:Everything tribal tends to be less competently run because of small populations and poverty, plus the challenges of operating many government functions like your own police force, justice system, etc. There just isn't much of a pool of educated, talented workers and leadership to draw from, so things tend to be a bit of a mess. Of course the severity depends on which specific tribe/reservation you're talking about. Also this is very true. I was fortunate enough to work for a small tribe (about 1800 strong). Their original casino made enough bank that in my time working there they opened 4 additional casinos (I worked pick-up shifts at all of them at some point). Their upper upper management (business committee) were fuckin trash elected positions where all the sudden some nobody who dropped out of 8th grade was the treasurer because people liked them. This happened at pretty much every tribal election. Non-tribal members of course could not vote. At one point a guy ran for chairman of the committee on the platform of "no more white folks working in our casinos". But as I posted above the tech and everything was on-point. Sure there was some weirdness here and there but it was a pretty well oiled machine in the actual casinos. Untrustable fucked around with this message at 10:28 on Jun 10, 2018 |
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Jun 10, 2018 10:21
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AA is for Quitters posted:Please tell me you worked at one of the west river ones that i hear interesting stories about. You're exaggerating a bit but yeah, there are small "casinos" in most small towns in SD. Nevada is where it gets really ridiculous, where every gas station and restaurant has a room with a bunch of machines just because they can, and there are two tiny casinos on every block. All of the big ones with actual table games are in Deadwood or on reservations. Deadwood has a lot of cool Wild West history and the Black Hills are gorgeous and an inexpensive vacation, you all should go sometime. The reservations are in the middle of nowhere so their casinos are along major highways or state lines (gambling is illegal in Nebraska, for example) since they're not tourist attractions to draw visitors. Untrustable posted:Also this is very true. I was fortunate enough to work for a small tribe (about 1800 strong). Their original casino made enough bank that in my time working there they opened 4 additional casinos (I worked pick-up shifts at all of them at some point). Their upper upper management (business committee) were fuckin trash elected positions where all the sudden some nobody who dropped out of 8th grade was the treasurer because people liked them. This happened at pretty much every tribal election. Non-tribal members of course could not vote. At one point a guy ran for chairman of the committee on the platform of "no more white folks working in our casinos". I don't know much about Oklahoma but isn't Native American gaming huge there because of people coming from Texas to gamble? And yeah, upper management/leadership in tribal operations tends to be a mess, I work for a tribal college and everyone tries to avoid having to deal with admin. It's the natural result of leadership obviously needing to be tribal members, but that's a small pool of people to draw from and there's a ton of favoritism, nepotism, it's a small tight-knit community so the rumor mill works in overdrive. Pray that you never have to deal with tribal politics, particularly during an election year.
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Jun 10, 2018 16:05
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Untrustable posted:Also this is very true. I was fortunate enough to work for a small tribe (about 1800 strong). Their original casino made enough bank that in my time working there they opened 4 additional casinos (I worked pick-up shifts at all of them at some point). Their upper upper management (business committee) were fuckin trash elected positions where all the sudden some nobody who dropped out of 8th grade was the treasurer because people liked them. This happened at pretty much every tribal election. Non-tribal members of course could not vote. At one point a guy ran for chairman of the committee on the platform of "no more white folks working in our casinos". Sounds like the members of your tribes' enrollment committee shoulda learned the value of disenrollment and the spinelessness of the BIA. Tribal governments often demonstrate the failures of direct democracy without moderating republican institutions in action. Following the enactment of 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, Federally-recognized tribes were made to grant franchise to their enrolled members. Wasn't too much of an issue before the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, since any tribes communually owned property worth anything to Americas were promptly recognized as civilized by Congress and subesequently abolished. After IGRA 1988, tribes could make some bank off gambling only so long as they existed as Federally recognized entities. This created incentives for folk to use the political systems established to comply with 1934 IRA for purposes of personal enrichment. You get the most votes, you appoint family to your membership/enrollment committee, and your tribe disenrolls families so that yours owns a propritionately greater share of the communal property. Pellisworth posted:Pray that you never have to deal with tribal politics, particularly during an election year. When I moved to the rez, I thought my time working in Sub-Saharan Africa would have prepared me well for tribal politics. I was wrong. My Imaginary GF fucked around with this message at 08:16 on Jun 14, 2018 |
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Jun 14, 2018 08:12
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OP, are you familiar with the Gamblit machines? Did your casino have any? I think their concept is really great, but their execution seems off, and I never see anyone playing them at the casinos in LV. What happens to dealers when they make a mistake at table games? Do the cameras usually catch them? I like to play Ultimate Texas Hold'em (it's a table game, not the actual poker game), and I see dealers make more mistakes at that game than any other. Usually it's to the house's advantage, but sometimes players get paid out more than they should. I've seen craps dealers make some pretty big mistakes as well. Do employees have to pay these back if they're caught on camera? Speaking of dealer errors in table games, one thing that always irks me is that if there's a dealer error, the house can void a hand at their discretion. The only times I've ever seen a hand voided late in the hand was when a big payout was about to occur, then "oops, the dealer hit an extra button on the shuffler and now the hand is void." Of course, when the house stands to win money, they'll go and dig whatever cards they need out of the muck. This is likely just confirmation bias on my part, but do you think the outcome of hands plays into the floor's decisions about voiding hands sometimes? Certainly whenever a big jackpot comes out, they look for every reason under the sun to void your hand (e.g. "oh, you've had your cell phone out for the last 20 hands, and you lost 19 but won the jackpot on 20? Sorry, hand 20 is void."). I'm sure you get asked this all the time, but how are comps at your casino? Are there any good tricks for getting extra comps? SERPUS posted:Why are all of the poker tables SUPER SERIOUS POKER STAKES XXL 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP when its a $25 buy in and most people are raising you a dollar and then folding. Every person is some goon in a North Face outer shell jacket and wearing oakley sunglasses and an astros hat. The whole hoodie / sunglasses / hat / headphones bullshit blew up during the poker boom, and seems to be dying out nowadays, thankfully. Unfortunately, it's being replaced by people who just stare at their phone and miss the action half the time. I don't mean to make poker sound sad and bad, you've just gotta find the right table. If your table is boring AF and you hear a noisy drunk table across the room, ask for a table change! Obviously, this only applies to cash games, but you really shouldn't be playing super low stakes tournaments anyway, since the rake is insane.
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Jun 16, 2018 07:59
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Imaduck posted:OP, are you familiar with the Gamblit machines? Did your casino have any? I think their concept is really great, but their execution seems off, and I never see anyone playing them at the casinos in LV.
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Jun 16, 2018 08:27
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And just as an aside I loving hate "Gasinos" which are combination gas stations and casinos. Fuckin trash places. I hate them so much.
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Jun 16, 2018 08:31
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Have you ever actually witnessed someone licking one or more of the machines? Also I'm currently thinking of applying for a casino job. What are some non-obvious mistakes to avoid in my application/interview? Obviously I'm not going to tell them I'm a krokodil-junkie who owes €80k to the russian mob, but you know other stuff. bloom fucked around with this message at 09:58 on Jun 16, 2018 |
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Jun 16, 2018 09:49
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I've never been in America or American casinos for that matter. You said you ran night security, does that mean the casino was a 24h operation? Could you tell anything about the types of people who played late at night? Also, how common were prostitutes at your casino?
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Jun 16, 2018 15:05
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About simply asking for comps, I had no idea. Next time I am in a casino (I occasionally go to work conferences in Vegas) I will have to try that. Is there more strategy for getting comps? Best games? I like building rapport with people who are working because their days seem rough so this seems to be for me.
Grifter fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jun 16, 2018 |
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Jun 16, 2018 22:12
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bloom posted:Have you ever actually witnessed someone licking one or more of the machines? Would they really be any worse than anything else that would be touched by many different human hands all day (such as a door handle)?
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Jun 17, 2018 04:38
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Have you ever actually witnessed someone licking one or more of the machines? Yeah. A lot actually. Most people who frequent casinos have a ritual. If you're saying to yourself right now, "I go to casinos all the time and I don't have a ritual." Yes you do. It could be as simple as absentmindedly rubbing the machine or lighting a cigarette when you get a bonus screen. Some people's ritual was licking the machine's screen. Like more than one person. When called out on it most people just got embarrassed and apologized. One lady acted like I was the rear end in a top hat for asking her not to put her tongue on the screen. I've seen lots of weird rituals. Also I'm currently thinking of applying for a casino job. What are some non-obvious mistakes to avoid in my application/interview? I did a bunch of hiring in security and my main criteria was trainability. Let your interviewer know that you want to learn. That you crave learning. Even if you don't particularly care. Hell I applied for machine technician on a whim, accidentally walked into the wrong room, got interviewed for security and hired on the spot. Now I have a ton of certifications and training because I wandered into the wrong room. It's because I took every training opportunity I could. Specialized training is expensive and the casino was footing the bill. I've never been in America or American casinos for that matter. You said you ran night security, does that mean the casino was a 24h operation? One place I worked at was 24/7 365. When I moved up into a management position it was at a different casino owned by the same tribe and it closed at midnight except on Fridays and Saturdays. Could you tell anything about the types of people who played late at night? 1. Meth addicts, meth dealers, hookers (slotstitutes or slot lizards if you prefer) 2. Twenty-somethings that had nothing better to do than be at a casino skeevin on blackjack dealers and hassling employees. 3. Elderly people who couldn't sleep and just wanted some human interaction. Which was great because I would listen intently to a 90 year old man telling me how much being stationed in Alaska during World War 2 sucked before I even began to think about engaging with the meth addicts (except Charlie. He was alright) or hookers (April was a constant source of pure comedy so she gets a pass). Also, how common were prostitutes at your casino? Hella common. We knew them by name. Probably 15 in total. Some women, some men, all there to try and do a gently caress for some cash to turn back around and put in a machine. One of them was so god drat dumb that it was just pure joy to have her in the casino. She once dutifully reported to security that she had gotten underpaid for a hand job. Pro move. She was always doing funny stuff. It was tragic because she was a hooker and the plight of sex workers is dire, but also she was really bad at being a hooker. Is there more strategy for getting comps? Be friendly, spend money, ask for comps. Best games? I'll tell you what I told everyone who asked me that when they entered the casino: If you got the right numbers, the ATM is almost a guaranteed payout. Serious answer is blackjack because while the house has an advantage it's not as much of an advantage as they have with the machines. It's the most "fair" game in a place full of unfair games. I like building rapport with people who are working because their days seem rough so this seems to be for me. Not a question but yes. Talk with the people. I fuckin hated when I'd walk the floor and guests would ignore me or yell drink orders at me. Casino work can be loving boring sometimes and it's alleviated by idle chit chat with the guests. Being friendly is the ticket. That one guest who just wants to have a chat is always nice and if they were being exceptionally friendly and spending money I'd direct them to the table games and tell them to try a few hands for fun. Once they'd made a couple bets I'd ask the pit boss to offer them a meal or a drink. Because happy customers spend money and comps cost relatively little compared to what the casino stood to make on a well-fed, hydrated guest. From the guest's point of view it's good too. Like yeah, you're losing money, but you got free food and drink and you're chatting with staff and having a good night out. Casinos sell an experience (actually a highly addictive habit) but I genuinely wanted good guests to have a good time. I didn't want them leaving mad because they lost, but happy because we provided them with top notch hospitality. Also before anyone asks it is illegal to ply the guests with liquor so they'll bet more. Sometimes people got shitfaced but they were so sneaky about it. They'd sit at one machine and alternate between having the drink girls bring them drinks, and walking to the bar for drinks. The bartender keeps a tally of how many drinks you've had after you hit a certain amount to prevent over serving. The only problem is drink girls weren't communicating to the bartenders who they were taking drinks to.
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Jun 17, 2018 05:09
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Untrustable posted:One of them was so god drat dumb that it was just pure joy to have her in the casino. She once dutifully reported to security that she had gotten underpaid for a hand job. Pro move. She was always doing funny stuff. It was tragic because she was a hooker and the plight of sex workers is dire, but also she was really bad at being a hooker. Is there any protection hookers receives from the casino or its employees? Such as offering a cut in exchange for rescuing her from being murdered? Or is it just a hot spot because the clients are there? And if the former, do you take your cut in services or is it a straight cash deal? What is the casino's position on hookers anyway? Live and let live?
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Jun 17, 2018 07:27
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John Smith posted:On the one hand, being a hooker isn't exactly the type of occupation you choose if you are bright. On the other hand, you would think she would smarten up fast from the competitive pressures. I mean, I can imagine not asking the John to pay upfront if she was new, but reporting it to Security? That is a whole other level of dumb.
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Jun 17, 2018 08:58
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Untrustable posted:Are those the "skill based machines" I'd heard about? If so they were discussed and then indefinitely tabled because the higher ups didn't like the idea. quote:Dealer mistakes were often handled with termination. At our casinos table games were like brand new. They had operated almost 20 years without a table. I was there 2 years before they moved them in during a renovation period. Also yes. The eye in the sky didn't gently caress around when it comes to table games. Next time you're at a table look up and behold at least 4 cameras per table. quote:We had ultimate Texas hold'em (weird rules, weird game, people love it). In only one instance did I see a dealer gently caress up badly. A guy had a mega win of some sort (sorry I'm not sure what it would be called. I ran security), but he stood to win a few grand. The dealer ended the hand, swooped up the cards and got ready to deal again. The dude lost his mind and started freaking out. The pit boss called me over and I wanted absolute verification so I called the eye in the sky and had a thumb drive within 2 minutes of that exact table. We closed down all table games and I escorted the pit boss to my office and let him watch the footage a few times. The guy with the great hand got paid, and after she spoke with the pit boss, I collected the dealer's gaming license and escorted her out. quote:This one hosed me up because i never saw a hand voided outright. If something went wrong it went to footage review. After reading what you wrote I'm guessing the tribe I worked for was too new at table games to play it fast and loose and gently caress people over. If someone got wronged and brought it up we tried to make it right. They'll eventually get around to loving people over I'm sure. I mean, the mantra for issues with machines was, "Malfunction voids all pays and plays". So they'll get around to being dicks with table games I'm sure. quote:Also a question for you: In Las Vegas do they not allow cellphones at the tables? At the actual poker tables though, almost every Casino will let you have your phone out, and some will even let you talk on your phone in the middle of a hand. The Mandalay Bay poker room is the only one I'm aware of that won't let you have your phone, and nobody plays there but a few old dudes and some hotel guests. This actually makes me a bit uncomfortable, as we had a cheating scandal involving a cell phone and marked cards in Austin a few years ago, and the technology is relatively easy to get. But, poker has a lot more downtime than a lot of the other casino games, so people would flip out if they didn't have anything to do. Who knows what they did in the olden days of poker. Talk to the other players? Disgusting.
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Jun 17, 2018 21:17
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Imaduck posted:Interesting! What didn't they like about them? Were they afraid they couldn't make money on them, or were they afraid guests wouldn't like them?
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Jun 18, 2018 10:25
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Tell me more about people trying to cheat at slot machines. I would have expected that to be impossible due to their programming.
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Jun 18, 2018 10:46
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Untrustable posted:The casino manager explained it to me like if there was skill involved, then with enough practice someone could get really good and win all the money. I thought the idea was neat but I had no say in it. I don't have a stake in the company or anything, I just think the concept is really cool. I'd like to see more skill-based games where you play against other players, and the house takes a small cut (e.g. poker). That being said, I almost never see the machines being played, even when casinos are hopping. I don't think they've found the right way to market these yet. quote:Dealer turnover was insane. We had a dealer take her tip box and walk to the employee cage area without a security escort or surveillance notification and she was fired after she counted her chips. quote:Now you're actually teaching me something. I know the myriad ways people have tried to cheat slot machines, but never knew about using phones to cheat at cards. At my casino phones were allowed at tables so long as no video or pictures were being taken, but that was also a rule in the whole casino.
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Jun 18, 2018 22:44
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bloom posted:Tell me more about people trying to cheat at slot machines. I would have expected that to be impossible due to their programming. I've also heard of players using phones to figure out patterns in slot machine RNGs and use timing to get the outcome they want. I'm not sure how feasible that is today.
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Jun 18, 2018 22:47
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bloom posted:Tell me more about people trying to cheat at slot machines. I would have expected that to be impossible due to their programming. We had a dude from the FBI come and talk to us about hacking slot machines. Most machines today are impossible to get into physically but a lot of casinos had their player tracking servers running on an open wifi network. People got in and hosed with Konami (they don't just make Metal Gear Solid games!) to give themselves thousands of dollars in free play credit. Another case was someone using his phone to guess at the pseudo random number generator in the machine to find machines displaying favorable patterns. This is actually a really good write up by Wired that explains how some machine cheating works: https://www.wired.com/2017/02/russians-engineer-brilliant-slot-machine-cheat-casinos-no-fix/
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Jun 18, 2018 23:18
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Imaduck posted:There was a pretty amazing story awhile back about how a guy figured out a bug in some video poker software and used it to make lots of money. Those guys got hosed over hard by the system. It infuriates me when the little guys get dropped because they won.
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Jun 20, 2018 02:03
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Odddzy posted:Those guys got hosed over hard by the system. It infuriates me when the little guys get dropped because they won. Although I agree with the sentiment, I don't think it really applies in this case. They were basically betting $1 a hand on poker and when they got a winning hand, they would shout 'Look! There's Elvis!' and when the dealer turned their head, they would swap out the $1 chip with a $100 and say 'nuh-uh, I bet $100, gimme the money'
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Jun 20, 2018 10:12
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spog posted:Although I agree with the sentiment, I don't think it really applies in this case. Caught a guy doing something similar to that. His buddy would sit at another table and shout like he won and when the dealer turned, if the other guy had a favorable hand he'd switch out chips. This was on the ultimate Texas hold'em table. He was fuckin quick too. We had to slow it down on surveillance to watch him pretty much flick a chip into his stack of chips he was betting. He'd probably be a good close up magician. Or quarters champion.
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Jun 20, 2018 11:24
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Odddzy posted:Those guys got hosed over hard by the system. It infuriates me when the little guys get dropped because they won. Actually, they almost certainly violated Nevada gaming law at the very least: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-465.html#NRS465Sec088 quote:NRS 465.070 Fraudulent acts. It is unlawful for any person: The example given is a slot machine, but the idea behind it is that anything you do to alter the outcome beyond the design. The flaw in the machine wasn't intentional, so it could be argued that exploiting it for gain is cheating. I would generally agree with you if for no other reasons that casinos can be incredibly predatory businesses and I'm always happy to see them lose, but in this case the law probably isn't on these guys' side.
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Jun 20, 2018 14:10
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Shooting Blanks posted:Actually, they almost certainly violated Nevada gaming law at the very least: Their defense argued that they could use any tool offered by the software that could give them an edge insofar as they weren't actually modifying the base game. The bug was the manufacturers fault and so was part of the design of the machine. The courts agreed with that sentiment and the casinos did all they could to intimidate the guys into submitting for having the balls to win at a game they were designed to lose at. They just got hosed over by lawyer fees in the end.
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Jun 20, 2018 21:23
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bloom posted:Tell me more about people trying to cheat at slot machines. I would have expected that to be impossible due to their programming. I'd be interested to hear some of the more clever/stupid/insane cheating methods that players come up with fro ANY game, not just slots.
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Jun 23, 2018 14:26
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From your description it sounds like, well, the big part of casino clientele are sad stories and dead beats. Am I correct in this? How did you deal with the exposure to these people? And has it affected the way you look at humans and society?
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Jun 23, 2018 14:46
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Dance Officer posted:From your description it sounds like, well, the big part of casino clientele are sad stories and dead beats. Am I correct in this? How did you deal with the exposure to these people? And has it affected the way you look at humans and society? I dealt with it ok starting out but it wears on you. I developed a standoffish attitude towards most strangers because I was spending 60-70 hours a week at the casino or casino events, and then sleeping, and I barely ever saw anyone outside of a casino setting. It made me realize no one person is gonna save the world, if that makes sense. I used to try to help everyone, to try and understand people and empathize with them. Now I figure humanity is a trash toilet and everyone is rear end. My new career doesn't really help with that opinion either. So I guess it just made me a hosed up sleep deprived misanthrope. Like, my sleep schedule still isn't right. My doctor calls it "permanent shift work disorder" but I don't think that's a real thing. When I started I took ibuprofen for the occasional headache. Now I'm on 4 different medications for anxiety and sleeplessness and hopelessness and high blood pressure. That could be my life. I don't think the casino hosed me up that bad.
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Jun 23, 2018 22:26
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Imaduck posted:Lol, yeah, casinos are really paranoid about this stuff. If you've played the games, it becomes very clear that even if you're the best in the world, you can't make money. Basically, being skilled will get you the highest payouts, but those payouts are randomized and biased to give the house an edge. One of my biggest criticisms of the machines right now is that edge is way too huge and it never feels like you win (unlike slots where you'll be up like, 40% of the time in a 20 minute session). I think they're doing this because of paranoid casino execs that don't understand the technology and are deathly afraid of skill-based games, even though it's what the younger generation wants. From what I've heard, one of the problems there is that it takes way longer to play a round of one of these games than it does to spin a slot machine, which means less revenue. quote:I don't have a stake in the company or anything, I just think the concept is really cool. I'd like to see more skill-based games where you play against other players, and the house takes a small cut (e.g. poker). The Gamblit Model G machine supports a version of poker (formerly called Grab Poker) where cards are dealt face up, and the first player to hit a button takes the card. It'd be interesting to see what kinds of strategies develop. I personally would be quite interested in trying out any of these skill-based games (especially any sort of PvP game where I might stand a decent chance of winning). I heard there are a couple of casinos in Atlantic City which offer some of them, and I've been wanting to go there sometime this summer.
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Jun 24, 2018 04:44
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Cockmaster posted:From what I've heard, one of the problems there is that it takes way longer to play a round of one of these games than it does to spin a slot machine, which means less revenue. quote:The Gamblit Model G machine supports a version of poker (formerly called Grab Poker) where cards are dealt face up, and the first player to hit a button takes the card. It'd be interesting to see what kinds of strategies develop. It has an interesting mechanic where once you fill your hand, the other player only gets a limited number of draws before it's game over. The biggest mistake players make is only paying attention to their own hand, and just trying to make the best hand possible. A lot of the strategy is around knowing when to end the game early instead of going for an especially strong hand. For example, if you have KK33 and your opponent only has JJ, or like, 3 cards to a flush, you should probably just grab a random card to complete your hand and put your opponent on a timer instead of waiting to hit a full house. Chances are they won't get the cards they need to beat your hand in the little remaining time they have. In heads up, you really have to pay very close attention to your opponent's board; stealing the cards your opponents need is a pretty effective strategy that most players don't effectively utilize. However, even with my high win rate, I was probably only break-even profitable, and ton of the money was going to the rake. They either need to up the stakes or lower the rake. I've met a few of their employees, and they mentioned that they tuned some of the randomness to make sure that a skilled player can't dominate and scare away all the newbies. Even this doesn't seem to be working, however, as the only time I've ever gotten to play these is when I had my friends around. I always eye these things, and I've only seen random players playing them once. It's tricky because they're really changing the way most people think about casinos. Traditional casino-goers typically want to play fixed games against the house. Slot machines require no knowledge, and table games are typically designed to feel very simple, even if the ideal strategy is a bit complex. PvP games require a very different mindset. Typically, the games are a bit more complex, and take some time to learn, with no human there to explain it to you. In addition, most people don't want to play against experienced players, because they know they're at a huge disadvantage and will almost certainly lose in the long run. (Amusingly, these same players don't seem to be bothered by the idea of playing against the house, who they will also always lose to). PvP skill games also require many repeat plays to become skilled, but your random Vegas tourist is probably only going to be gambling for a couple nights, and isn't going to want to spend the time making lots of repeat plays. Poker gets a bit of a pass because most people in the US know how to play No Limit Texas Hold 'em. Still, the vast majority of casino-goers don't ever sit at a poker table, because they're afraid of the sharks, and uncomfortable with the thought of people just sitting there waiting to take their money. For some reason, the house taking your money in a structured way feels fair. Most people - even very drunk people - can understand why they lost a hand of blackjack pretty easily. However, to the average person, your first experience with poker will seem really confusing, and you'll know you're losing money, but you'll have no idea what the other players are doing to actually outplay you. (As a side note, if you're thinking about getting serious with poker for the first time, you should definitely not start at a casino, but that's a whole separate discussion). Basically, I think PvP games require cultivating a very different mindset than your typical casino-goer is used to, and may need to cater to a new audience entirely. I think there's definitely something to these games, but it's a tricky problem to figure out how to attract players. I've seen a few folks playing the single player word games, but like I said, almost no one playing the PvP games. quote:I personally would be quite interested in trying out any of these skill-based games (especially any sort of PvP game where I might stand a decent chance of winning). I heard there are a couple of casinos in Atlantic City which offer some of them, and I've been wanting to go there sometime this summer.
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Jun 24, 2018 09:12
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Dance Officer posted:From your description it sounds like, well, the big part of casino clientele are sad stories and dead beats. Am I correct in this? How did you deal with the exposure to these people? And has it affected the way you look at humans and society? I don't play table games or sit on slots too often, so I don't interact with the standard casino degens all that often. Poker definitely has its own form of degens, but their relationship with the game is a bit more complicated.
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Jun 24, 2018 09:21
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Dance Officer posted:From your description it sounds like, well, the big part of casino clientele are sad stories and dead beats. Am I correct in this? How did you deal with the exposure to these people? And has it affected the way you look at humans and society? I want to make a post called, "Things that made me chuckle/lose faith in humanity": - A woman crying in a back corner because she spent all her money for her bills and Christmas gifts - A man openly weeping while eating a burrito because I had to separate him and his son when they got into a fistfight over who was going to get the lion's share of the pain pills they just bought. - A man being punched unconscious while sitting at a machine but his body went stiff and while he was taking blows to the head he was spasming and hitting the max bet button on the machine over and over. He won a good amount of money. - A man took off sprinting from the back of the casino , made it to the big entry doors, dropped his pants, and took a poo poo. He was running for the bathroom and would rather poo poo on the floor instead of in his pants. - I had to remove a ton of chairs off the gaming floor because someone had gotten period blood on them. - I leaned on the bar to talk to a bartender and realized I had put my arm into half congealed human blood. - A junkie used our bathroom to shoot up but he must have not known what he was doing (drug goons tell me what his deal was) because there would be about a pencil's width line of blood extending from the toilet and up the opposite wall. This happened more than 10 times in 2 months. - Saw an old hooker blowing a dude. - Got pissed on twice that I can recall. - Had an unopened tall boy thrown at me during a country music concert we were hosting because there was no outside alcohol allowed. - One of the tribal elders declared the casino haunted and I got an influx of stupid loving calls about cold spots and people getting their hair pulled by unseen presences. - Sat in the casino laundry room in my underwear while my clothes were drying because I had to go manually start the generators during torrential rain.
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Jun 24, 2018 10:06
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Untrustable posted:- A man being punched unconscious while sitting at a machine but his body went stiff and while he was taking blows to the head he was spasming and hitting the max bet button on the machine over and over. He won a good amount of money. Cards on the table: I laughed IRL when I read this one.
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Jun 24, 2018 16:01
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