Marlins Hope to Rewrite the Future

     This one’s for all you readers who try to get in a little sports betting on your trips to Vegas. If you are baseball fans, I’ve got news you need to know before you make your futures wager. 

     This year’s World Series winner was predicted twenty-six years ago in the classic 1989 film “Back to the Future II.” In the movie Marty McFly travels all the way to 2015, and while there, sees a holo-board with the news that the Chicago Cubs swept Miami to win the World Series. That’s a pretty remarkable prediction when you consider that the movie was released almost four years before Charlie Hough ever threw out that first pitch for Miami as a major league team in 1993. The Chicago Cubs, who started the movie’s fictional season in 2015 as 100:1 favorites, defeat the Miami team that didn’t exist at the time the movie was made in a best-of-nine game series this year. Which is a pretty good trick when you remember that both teams are in the National League. So, there's no way they could play each other in the World Series. Additionally, there are a max of 7 games, not 9, in that battle.

     The Marlins are hoping to #RewriteTheFuture and defeat the Cubs in 2015. During their three game matchup this coming week (June 1, 2, and 3), they’ll be giving away “Miami: 2015 American League Champions” t-shirts to special event package buyers. The shirts will feature the alligator logos from the movie not the Marlins. 

     September 25 will be “Back to the Future Night” and fish-fans will be encouraged to wear their best futuristic 2015 costumes as portrayed in the film. They’ll be giving away “Billy McFly” bobble head dolls (blending the names Billy for their mascot and McFly for the character from the movie). Part of the proceeds from these special events will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. 

      Cubs fans have other opportunities to win alongside their team this year. Several Chicago businesses have gotten in on the action with special promotions based on the team’s prophecy. Fans even have a chance to win their very own custom Delorean Time Machine from Illinois’ Volo Auto Museum. The museum is raffling off a hover board in the event the Cubs don’t make it. If they do, a winner will drive away in the $85,000 piece of history.

     Right now the futures’ odds for the 2015 World Series are Chicago 12:1 and Miami 60:1. Chicago is 6:1 to take the Pennant and Miami is 30:1. These odds will change many times before October. The smart money at the sports books favors the Dodgers 6:1 to take the series, regardless of what the movie says.  Just thought you should know.

     You can read more at the Marlin major league blog oncloudconine. and at vegaschatter.com. Enjoy the clip from the movie below.

"This is the Best Game Ever!"

     One disadvantage we Southern California gamblers have is we don’t get to see the new games as soon as our friends in Vegas. Unless somebody puts a game clip up on YouTube, that is. I had just read a press release from Scientific Games earlier today that promised the five reel, 40 line, Friends Slot from Bally was coming soon. But guess what— It’s already here! Or at least it’s already in Las Vegas at the Aria and the Venetian Casinos.

     I took a quick look on YouTube before writing this entry, thinking if I should embed the Friend’s demo from Bally in my write-up and found there was no need. One of YouTube’s frequent posters, dvandentop, has already posted two (maybe more) videos shot at Aria on May 18. One of his films shows the Thanksgiving Bonus (10 spins, everything tripled). The other features the Wedding Bonus (10 spins with locked wild symbols). A second film by dianaevoni of the Wedding Bonus was also posted on YouTube May 20. There’s a third bonus the Party Bonus (11 games with walking wilds) that Slot Titan has posted. SDGuy1234 also has a film up already.

     The game has a Bamboozled Bonus, a pick feature with three near-area progressive jackpots. You might remember the episode from the Friends TV show (12th episode season 8) where Joey auditions to be the host of a game show by that name. It sounds just like a slot game. To play Joey’s game you spin the “Wheel of Mayham “to go up the “Ladder of Chance.” Here’s a link to a five minute clip you can watch of “the best game ever!”

     Three full stacks of Wheel Bonus symbols on reels two, three, and four trigger the Friends Wheel Bonus. Your “friends” Ross, Joey, Rachel, and Phoebe — peaking from behind the apartment door — watch while you spin the interactive U-Spin Wheel to cheer you on.

     The two game configuration of the cabinet on the casino floor allows players to enjoy the experience solo or to play with a BBF. Almost everything is more fun if you do it with a friend! You can even sing along to the theme song “I’ll Be There For You” while you watch clips from the show if you want. The game looks like it could be fun - and the early films I’ve watched make it look like it could pay fairly well — but then Slot Titan quickly blew through a Benjamin betting max on his try so maybe not. 

     You can’t always tell about a slot when they’re first played. I think the RNGs are not as random as we’re led to believe and may give us more wins in the first few weeks to get us hooked on a game.  They all look good when they’re new.  But it doesn’t last.  I can’t  tell after watching just five films. Ask me again about a game after its  been on the floor for a month. Willie Wonka is a good example of a game that couldn’t lose when it was new - and now seems it can’t win.

     Take a look at one of the Friends games posted on YouTube and see what you think. Hopefully there will be more films In the future to choose from soon.

Feline Tomfoolery or Casino Cat Burglary?

       When an 87-year old grandmother of thirteen from Antioch, IL, bet a quarter on a “Miss Kitty” slot machine at the Isle   of Capri Hotel Casino in Waterloo, Iowa, in 2011, she thought she’d hit the jackpot. Without warning, her screen  suddenly displayed the message: “The reels have rolled your way! Bonus Award -- $41,797,550.16.” 

       Pauline McKee and her daughter excitedly summoned casino employees to collect what they thought was a $41.8 million jackpot - only to be told their prize was $1.85. Game rules said the maximum award was $10,000 and a sign on the machine warned “Malfunction voids all pays.”

       The casino gave grandma McKee a $10 card to play while she waited for her millions, and they eventually comped rooms at the hotel for her relatives who were celebrating a family reunion with her at the casino. They requested a review by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, which sent the machine’s hardware and software to a laboratory for analysis. Testing concluded the machine had given an erroneous bonus message. "Too bad," the casino declared. "Malfunction voids all pays".

       Was this fair?  What do you think?  The machine clearly malfunctioned, but the casino was not without blame. The Isle of Capri Casino in Waterloo had been warned by Aristocrat Technologies the prior year that machines using that hardware were susceptible to displaying mistaken “legacy bonus” awards on the screen. A bulletin from Aristocrat had recommended, but not required, that casinos disable the feature to prevent an error — something the casino in Waterloo, Iowa, didn’t do.

       Mrs. McKee sued the Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. in 2012, but a district court judge dismissed the case the following October without it going to trial. This April on appeal the Supreme Court of Iowa upheld the earlier ruling, so a jury will not be able to decide if she was entitled to anything for her disappointing play.  You'd  think the casino would have at least given her the $10,000 maximum jackpot “Miss Kitty” pays, wouldn’t you? I don't think her family will be playing there again soon!

       If you are not familiar with the "Miss Kitty" slot, You can watch the You Tube film of Dianaevoni playing the game at the Venetian in Las Vegas last June here. Spoiler alert: Dianaevoni doesn’t even come close to  a $42 million pay!

Mega Progressive Video Poker

     In the mid-70s, in the infancy of personal computers, Si Redd, a gaming distributor for Ballys, had an idea for a new game that he pitched to the company executives in Chicago: Video Poker. They rejected his idea of an electronic version of draw poker, deciding they did not want to take a chance and branch out from slots to a whole new untested game. He convinced them to let him take the patent on video poker, probably one of the biggest mistakes Bally Gaming ever made, and as they say, the rest is history.

     Within months, Si had made a deal with Fortune Coin Company in Reno to form a new company known as Sircoma (Si Redds Coin Machines) and mass produce the new video poker machines for him. By 1981 the new game was the most popular new addition to casinos everywhere. Just a year later, the company went public with a name change instantly recognizable to casino players everywhere - IGT, International Game Technology. Soon the first video slot machines were introduced following the video poker machine’s success. Myriad variations of the popular game are found today on casino floors everywhere. 

     IGT is coming out with a bigger and better paying version of video poker this year: the Super Times Pay Poker Mega Progressive. This wide area progressive is designed for interstate links between New Jersey and Nevada, New Jersey and South Dakota, and the Native American link: Tribal Casinos. The game was initially rolled out March 28 and 29 of this year at the Golden Nuggets Casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The unveiling included special events, merchandise giveaways, and free play at both places.

     When you play the poker progressive, you are playing three hands at once. An extra coin is required for each of the three hands to activate the multiplier feature so it takes 18 coins to be eligible for the big reward. That’s $4.50 a spin for the quarter machines, four times that much for the dollar ones.

     Jackpots start at $50,000 on 25-cent games and $200,000 on dollar machines. A royal flush, which usually pays $1,000 for a 25-cent game and $4,000 on a dollar machine without multipliers or progressives, can theoretically pay as much as $193,179 on quarters and $772,716 on dollars according to IGT and slot guru John Grochowski in CasinoCityTimes.

     Statistically, according to Mr. Grochowski, royals occur roughly once every 40,000 hands and the multiplier once every 15 hands. The multiplier can be 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, or 10 times the usual pay. One in 25 of these multipliers would be the times 10 multiplier. Payback, according to his article is between 91.7% and 92.4%. 

     So your chances aren’t really that good — but then neither are your chances to win the MegaBucks or the State Lottery. And still we try. The Southern California Gaming Guide says to look for the Super Times Poker Mega Progressive in a casino near you within the next six months.

"TournEvent" of Slot Champions

Everybody loves slot tournaments. You play as fast as you can, pushing your slot button as rapidly as you can, to amass as many points as you’re able in the time allotted. If you’re lucky, when the session ends, your jackpot total might qualify you to advance to the next level to compete with other first round winners for the big bucks. 

This summer, for the third year, MultiMedia Games is sponsoring a competition to crown the world’s best slot tournament player. It could be you. The match is called the TournEvent of Champions, and, If Lady Luck smiles your way, you might just be the one to take home the grand prize of $1 million this September.

Step 1: You’ve got to enter to win. Compete in the semi-final round at your home casino to win your Golden Pass. Here in Southern CA, for instance, you can play at Barona, Morongo, Spotlight 29, Sycuan, and Valley View. Check with the casino’s player’s club for details on how to qualify for the preliminary round where you play. Each casino has its own set of rules to participate. This is not just a California competition either. A list of other participating casinos across the nation can be found at TournEvent.com. Don’t wait too long. Some deadlines may have already passed. Some will pass soon. Barona players had to earn their chance to compete on either May 12 or May 26, for instance. May 12 has come and gone, so don’t let May 26 pass you by if you want to play at that San Diego resort.

Step 2: If you make it past the semi-finals, return with your Golden Pass to compete with other winners at your casino’s final tournament. Each winning casino representative will take home $800 in airfare to/from Las Vegas for themselves and a guest, a 4 night stay including hotel accommodations, transportation to and from the airports, $500 in food and beverage credit, and a seat at the National TournEvent of Champions. (And, yes, I’m sorry to say, you’ll also take home a W2G for gambling winnings or a 1099 for prizes for your tax return next year!)

Step 3: If you’re a local winner, pack your bags and head to the Wynn Las Vegas XS Nightclub on September 29th and 30th for your chance to win your share of $1.3 million. You’ll be competing against more than 200 local champions from 100-plus casinos from the United States, Canada, and Peru. The Grand champion will take home the grand prize of $1,000,000, and your chance is as good as anyone's.  How exciting is that! 

San Manuel Native American Casino's Newest Millionaire

     I always advise gamblers not to play the mega progressive slot machines because there is so little chance you’ll ever hit the jackpot, and it takes max coin bets to hit the big win. I imagine there’s a happy gamer in Highland, CA this week that is glad he didn’t take that advice! 

     IGT reported this morning that a lucky player at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino won the mega-payout April 29 on a favorite IGT Megabucks game “Double Diamond Deluxe.” The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, takes home the biggest jackpot won at the casino since 2006, when a guest won $7,329,995.01 on IGT’s “Wheel of Fortune” progressive. His $3,285,849 win is the third largest paid out by San Manuel since the casino opened in 1986.

     Those of you who own my book “Spin to Win: Your Guide to Winning Penny Slots” know that the California Progressive slots are all linked together on a different system than the Nevada ones. The game doesn’t cross state lines, so IGT runs separate Megabucks games with separate independent jackpots in New Jersey, Mississippi, and the California Native American Casinos as well as the big one in Nevada.

    There used to be a website that I referred my readers to where they could see the current  jackpots for all the Nevada progressives at any time. It was a lot of fun to watch the numbers roll up and to dream about maybe winning the Megabucks mega-jackpot someday. 

     Since the site has changed, I have found another link: igtjackpots.com that will give you the same information for the current jackpot figures for the various IGT progressive games. 

     If you readers from Southern California plan to visit San Manuel to see if lightening can strike twice - strike four times actually I guess - I wish you luck. I’ve never been to San Manuel. Maybe I’ll  use this as an excuse to visit and try my luck too. 

     Maybe Shinobiyt and VegasLowRoller will have the Megabucks “Double Diamond Deluxe” challenge for their LV vs. NA competition one of these weeks! I wonder how long their $20 will last if they do!