jiffer

I am going to be staying at the Aladdin Hotel in Aug. and someone suggested to me to play in there daily slot tournament. The cost is $25 and you get some food dicount coupons, $10 in coins and I think a mug. My question is how do you play? I have never done one of these before. Do you play your $10 until it is gone and then whoever has the most money wins? If that is the case why would you give someone $25 to get $10 in coin play? How long do these these usually last. I would hate to give up $25 and then have all my money spent in 5 minutes. Any info I would love.

SusanCS

I'd advise you NOT to play in a tournament unless you're very familiar with tournament play. They're not for amateurs.

travleis

You're paying an admission to the tourney in hopes that you best everyone else who has entered and win a jackpot.
Think about it: you will almost certainly lose the $10 in coins, and you will most likely not win the tourney.
Hmmmm. Only compounds the already high odds of losing.
But hey--there's that cool mug to show for it, right?!

bradk

the idea behind it is to rack up as many coins as possible at the end of the time frame and the payoff is in accordance to whatever the prize structure happens to be. the $10 is more or less an arbitrary amount that ensures that everyone starts off at a level playing field.

basically it's just for the thrill of fast paced slots, not conceptually much different than any bingo game. you pay to play for the chance to win.

not sure what aladdin's award structure is, but bottom line is, the worst you come off with is losing $25.

Sandra_NH

There are no coins involved in the tournament. An area is roped off where the machines are set to give you 300 pulls. No coins come out, there is no pay off regardless of what reels you line up. You are playing to accumulate points. There are cash rewards for higher points. The highest score of the day is rewarded with a free pull on every $1 Aladdin slot reel or $500 cash.

Besides the above prizes, they give you a card with $10 on it to play at any designated slot in the casino. They do not give you $10 in coins. This $10 is not related to the tournament machines. You get to keep what ever you win.

Aladdin calls it "No Risk Slot Tournament" because they give you more than $25 dollars in slot card, food, & show vouchers.

It is only "no risk" if you intend to eat at one of the restaurants on the voucher (not P.F.Chang) and intend to buy show tickets for Steve Wyrick anyway.

I had fun trying it, and won $50 using the $10 card after my lunch. Enjoyed my afternoon at the Aladdin much more than seeing Zumanity later that day.

Pumpy

I agree w/ Sandra, low risk and possible high fun reward. I entered a $25 BJ tournament at a downtown casino a few years back and had a blast. I think I got a T- shirt or something and played BJ for a hour. Unfortuntely, I would have advance to the next round but a guy beat me out on the last hand. Regardless, it was fun and I can assure you the $25 loss was/is cheap by Vegas standards.

k_999_9

By all means, play!

Can't agree with the "not for amateurs" comment. There are professional slot players? I doubt it. You can't outsmart a slot machine. The payoffs are fixed percentages and random occurrences. It's total luck -- which is perfect for amateurs.

bradk

i think the 'not for amateurs' thing was slanted at the idea that this is a timed event and it's all about hitting the buttons as fast as allowed and all that and that there are people who do this day in and day out and are just more attuned to playing (i.e., over time, they could get 5 pulls over your 3).

SusanCS

Thanks, bradk. You voiced more clearly what I should've said. I watched a slot tournament once and I've never seen hands move so fast I can't imagine someone could do that without lots of practice!!

placeu2

I think this IS a fun amateur thing.

I tried one (not at Alladin). I learned that the trick is to press/pop the spin button as quick as your hand/wrist can take it. Don't look at the reels, don't look at the payoffs, just punch the button continuously and hope for the best.

bradk

from what i've read in terms of strategy, it's a little more tricky than just pushing the button really fast. you have to wait for the machine to let you to pull (i.e., you can't do it immediately after you pull), so if you just keep hitting it, you might actually end up hitting it a split second later than when it allows you to. i'm sure there's just a rhythmic pattern you need to get used to for it.

but bottom line, it, like everything else in vegas, isn't gambling, it's entertainment. you have to go in expecting to pay for the enjoyment you receive and if you end up with more money than you went with, all the better.

Leona

That sounds great! I can't wait to try it on my next visit. The most you can lose is $25 and it sounds like they more than make up for it with the extras.