Val's Very Good Casino Day, Until...

Last Friday, my sister the ex-mayor's wife asked if I wanted to ride to the city with her and the ex-mayor her husband, to two casinos that I don't regularly frequent. Of course I went! Hick left on his own trip, and I had nobody to answer to. Sis gave up her shotgun seat so I could get in and out of her Expedition comfortably. And the Ex-Mayor doesn't sweave!

The purpose of their trip was not so much gambling as gathering their casino comp gifts. The first one was just a water filter thingy, but the second was a backpack part of a luggage set. As Sis said, "They're free. We can use them as prizes at the Christmas party. You'll get to see them today, and you will know which size package to choose or pass up!"

The first stop was downtown, a casino with a ritzy name, where I have never been. My favorite gambling aunt went there with her daughter when it first opened, and was not impressed. I gotta say, I was plenty impressed! But only because the slots were kind to me.

We only had an hour there, so Sis and Ex-Mayor could get to the other casino before all the comp gifts were gone. We arrived a little after 11:00, with plans to meet up front at 12:15. I spent 10 minutes waiting in line to get a player's card. As a new member, I got to scratch a card, and won $5. Whoop-ti-do! It's better than nothing, but not very rewarding for a 10-minute wait. From there, I went immediately to the bathroom. On the way, I saw one of my favorite machines. So that's where I sat down first. After the bathroom, of course!

It was Wonder 4 Tower! I put in a twenty, and played all Buffalo, at the minimum bet of 40 cents per game. That means my bet was $1.60 a spin, since this machine plays four games at once. I was pleasantly surprised when I hit a bonus after just a few spins. True, it was not the tower bonus, but any bonus on Buffalo usually takes a lot of spins.

I was THRILLED to win a $74.20 bonus, since it was based on only one of my games, with its single game wager of 40 cents a spin. With extra money so early, and a limited time left to play, I increased my bet to the next level.

Whoop-ti-freakin-doo! I hit the TOWER bonus, with no weirdo there to distract me with small chat. I got this picture as it was counting up my money, giving me the coin show for my big win on the next-to-last bonus spin. You might notice the amount up top, $108.00 for that screen!

When it all counted out, I was up to $212.10, after putting in a twenty, and my $5 of free play. I think this is my best first-game ever in a casino! I don't even mind that I didn't reach the top of the tower!

I played a few more spins, then cashed out, and stuffed that voucher in my gambling purse. Of course I was in a hurry to play more slots before time to go. I headed for a Fortune Coin slot, which kept paying me little amounts, and then gave me a bonus of $105! I took a picture of the screen, but somehow it was missing from my phone when Sis walked up and I tried to show her. I shoved this voucher in to add to that, and played it down to as close to an even number as I could get.

From there, Sis and I went over to a Wonder 4 Boost. I really like this game, but it was having none of me! How cruel! I was sure I could keep winning. I could not. Anyhoo... it was time to go, and I cashed out $302. Don't think I brought it home with me! We still had another casino to go to.

That was the problem. Just like some people never watch TV, don't even have one in their house... I'm sure some people would take that money and sit for an hour, not playing, in another casino. Heh, heh! If they'd do that, they wouldn't have won the money in the first place! I go gambling to GAMBLE, by cracky! Not to WIN! If I happen to hit my bonuses at go-home time, yeah, I'd cash them out and leave. But I'm not sitting on free money, watching others play, when I've come in prepared to gamble.

I spent a portion of my casino bankroll at the next casino, out on the flood plain, with the amphitheater, and a couple new buildings built since I was there last. No pictures, because no slots there paid me even my money back. I'll know next time not to keep feeding the same machine there. Either bonus early, or walk away and find a different slot.

All told, I had a grand old time with Sis and the Ex-Mayor. I came home with $17 less than I'd taken. So I consider the trip a success. Sure, I could have come home several hundred ahead. But I could also have come home without a penny of my casino bankroll left.

Heh, heh. Some people like to gamble, some people like to golf, some people like to knit, some people like to work on cars, some people like to watch TV, some people like to cook fancy vittles, some people like to hoard junk, some people like to garden, some people like to write, some people like to play music, some people like to make crafty things, and some people like to gallop around on their high-horse. What a boring world it would be if we all enjoyed the same pastimes.

I still have my casino bankroll to play again this Friday, when I've been invited back! Sis is all hopped up about the cookware set that she's getting. I want to try that Wonder 4 Tower slot again.