Trip Report Black Hawk 1/18/09

Black Hawk Colorado Sunday January 18th, 2009

Planning:

The goal for today is to play the Happy Days game. I found, by surfing casino websites, that the game was listed at Bullwhackers Casino so I will start my day there. No mailer or coupons to spend this month so I'm free to visit wherever I want.

Actual:

I didn’t get much sleep, as always, spent most of the night tossing and turning or dreaming of winning big. I wish my dreams would come true….

I finally got out of bed at 6 am. As I written a lot lately on my blog, a new law will go into effect on July 1st 2009 that will not only increase the gambling limits for Colorado but also allow the casinos to become a 24 hour operation. Now with this new law the question for me will be, when I'm tossing and turning all night waiting to get up in the morning and go to the casino, will I now just get up and go at 4 am when I can’t wait anymore? Guess we will see. I do plan on going up July 1st just to see how many people are there at 3 AM. I'm betting the hotel occupancy skyrockets.

I tiptoe around the house for awhile wasting time but finally head out about 645. It’s only a 30-40 minute drive but I wanted to save time for getting gas, going to the bank, and getting some pre-dawn photos of the sunrise on the mountains.

The drive was uneventful and I did get a few shoots of the mountains. (will post later) I arrived in Black Hawk around 740. I was the second car to be parked in the Bullwhackers parking lot. The other driver was reading the paper in her car. Since the Casino’s don’t open till 8am the doors are locked which is just funny to me.

I walked around and took pictures of some of the buildings and sculptures that are scattered throughout the town and just wasted some time. There were a couple other people doing the same thing or hanging out in the bus shelter because there is one heat lamp in there. It was maybe in the 30 outside.

At 8 am I joined a group of maybe 10 people waiting for security to open the door to Bullwhackers. These people were pro’s and ran to either the players club or their favorite machines. I immediately saw the Fonze staring at me from the other side of the casino so I headed right over and sat down for my first game of the day.

The Cunningham’s Go Wild. I liked seeing the familiar characters and some of the symbols were classic looking phones and dress, along with Mr. And Mrs. Cunningham and Jonni. I experience the first bonus when you get a Go Wild symbol it rotates through all the symbols stopping on one random one and makes all the matching symbols wild. It had some good pays and some bad ones but was kind of fun. The second bonus was a random bonus activated by game play. Giving you a high multiplier if you play faster between 2 x and 4x. I got this bonus the first time while looking at the pay menu. It was funny, I was sitting there trying to figure out how to get into the bonus and boom, I'm in the bonus. I wish that happened every time. The Fonze gets on and does a little speech and then a icon on the top box lights up with different levels of the free spin bonus. The icons are records and range in free spins valued from Vinyl 7 spins to Diamond 51 spins. During my play I got 2 Vinyl bonuses and 1 Platinum 21 spins. The game itself was fun and I walked away up a few bucks but I never was able to matchup 3 face characters. I was wondering if they had sound bits of the characters or anything. Have to play again next time.

Just on the other side of the bank of machines I found the other Happy Days game, Richie’s Big Night. This one is themed toward a date night for Richie, Mouth, and Pottsie. This one also offered the random free spin bonus but had a locket bonus. When you get 3 or more lockets you select one to get a bonus point award. I got 1 Vinyl bonus and 3 locket bonuses. 1 of the locket bonuses I got while in the vinyl bonus and it did pay out more because I was in the bonus. Of the two machines I like the Go Wild version better as I'm not a fan of pick box bonuses.

I walked away and found Monopoly Up ,Up, and Away. I’ve never made it to the bonus on this one before and was finally able to get in this time. On the top box I got the Fireworks bonus. Nothing else going but it was fun to finally get into the bonus.

From here I found Indiana Jones and the Well of Souls. This one has a mystery bonus also that says you it can activate anytime for 15 seconds after a spin but I couldn’t find a countdown clock anywhere on my screen or top box? Never got in the bonus and I was the only one playing on the bank of machines so I had no one to compare things too. Lost quickly and ran.

Bullwhackers has 3 floors and at this point I had played everything I wanted to play on the 2nd (main) floor so I went to the basement and found a Village People Party game. Noda.

Moved over to Deal or No Deal The Show. I did my normal and forgot which button to push for repeat bet, so I pushed the max bet button and of course didn’t hit anything. Do it every time. One the minimum bid I did get into the bonus and was given a double award, so top prize 10000 credits. Picked case 10 as always, it my wife and I’s anniversary date, September 10th. 1st pick 10000, there goes that one. Went a couple rounds. 1st offer 1748, 2nd offer 1724 knocked out the 6000, 3rd offer 2234. Still have the 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 with bottom 130. I'm chicken, took the deal. I'm not sure If I would like the option of knowing what was in my case or not. I think it would be cool if it was small but I would be pissed if it was the big one. Owe well.

At the end of the bank was a The Game of Life Getting Paid game I had wanted to try and someone had just left so I cashed out and headed down. Few seconds later I was leaving.

I played everything I wanted to play here so I left and crossed the street to Fitzgerald’s. I like how they have added a new building that is very nice and airy. I sat down at Dean Martin’s Wild Party and played for a while. Supposedly there is 3 ways to get into the bonus round. None of which I found but the game is highly volatile. You can go forever without a win and then hit something for a few hundred credits , this continued for a while and I decided to try another Dean machine along the bank. Still no bonus and I was done. Not sure how I feel about the line structure. Seems if you don’t get matching symbols in the first 2 boxes it doesn’t nothing and when you do finally match it pays off pretty good. I guess it’s just a waiting game that I don’t have the patience for.

Walked around the new area some and didn’t find anything that was calling to me, so I heading into the old building and found a couple Star Trek Games. I had seen this game while on a trip to Oregon but it was so busy I wasn’t able to play. One thing that I can’t seem to understand is this game has the ability to track you progress along a journey in the game. Giving you the option to pass multiple levels and do different mission along the way. It doesn’t change the payout but just makes it feel more like a computer game than a slot machine. This would be fine if it didn’t take so long to log onto the machine to keep up with your progress. So every time someone is finally do with a machine it’s another few minutes till they are done login their progress and move on. It’s just a little annoying for those who are waiting to play. Of course I do nothing on the machine and don’t waste mine or anyone else’s time to make a profile and track the progress of me getting nowhere.

I moved on to Monopoly Jackpot Station and hit 3 bonus symbols within the first few spins. I was give 2 rolls of the dice. 1st roll of 4,3 for seven spaces and landed on chance which gave me 3 spins and then a 6 giving me another 4 spins. Lots of 10x multiples, no full line wilds and got a minimal payout but it’s always fun to play that bonus and it can be a big payer.

I then went upstairs in the old building and found a Super Jackpot Party machine. I got into the bonus once but chose the wrong corner to start. I always just choose a section and pick from there instead of jumping all over the board, just my style. 1st pick credits, second pick multiplier, 3rd pick pooper, 4th pick poker, party hat saver, credits, and I'm out. Moving on.

Getting nervously close to the end of my bank roll so I continued down the mountain to The Gilpin Hotel/Casino. I sat down on Invaders from Planet Moolah. I really like this game, it’s just a fun game. I’m not a real fan of collapsing wins and with this one to get to the bonus round you have to have 4 collapsing wins in a row. I would get 3 but couldn’t get that 4th one and then after a spin the little meter thing at the bottom of the screen filled up to 7 free spins and began the bonus round. I didn’t know that there was a mystery bonus. Didn’t win much but it was a nice surprise.

Next I bellied up to Wizard of Oz, hoping for some lucky from Glenda, Dorthy, or for a flying monkey to come out my……machine. Well no visits from any of said characters and I'm down to my last five.

Walked around for a little bit to find that last machine calling my name. I settled on Monopoly Grand Hotel. Must have been calling someone else because it didn’t like me.

So that’s a wrap. Total playing time around 2 hours. Machines played 15. Not bad and had a fun time doing it.

Final Observations:

When I arrived there was 10 or so people waiting to get in and I was the second car in the lot. When I left just after 10 am there were maybe 15 cars in the lot. The lot is normally pretty full by this time of the day. I had not paid much attention but it hit me that the casinos were very empty. I guess the economy really is taking a bite out of the gaming industry.

I will be back next month on Sunday Feb 22nd, the day after my 29th birthday. Till then……..

J

PS. Post picture soon

Trip Report Black Hawk Colorado 11/08/08

Trip Report
November 8th , 2008
Black Hawk Colorado

Quick Version of Trip Report
Mardi Gras Casino
Wizard Of OZ
Deal or No Deal Play It
Monopoly Grand Hotel
Whales of Cash
Sally Shrimp
Ghost Hunter
Super Jackpot Party
Super Jackpot Party
Where’s The Gold
Day and Night
Deal Or No Deal Play it
Deal or No Deal Play it
Wizard of Oz

The Lodge
Survivor
Moolah Invaders (Cow Space Ship Game)
Monopoly Train Bonus
Wales of Cash


Wow, sorry it’s taken me over a week to write this but I’ve been busy as heck.
Got up at 530 AM. I can never sleep in the night before going to the casino’s. I'm always up early and since the casinos in Colorado, currently, don’t open till 8 am, it does me no good to be up before 7.

I went down stairs as quietly as possible so not to disturb my lovely wife or wake me sleeping daughter. Got on the computer to work on a little hard drive issue I had been having, and checked the blogs for something to do to waste time.

I Ate a quick bite of toast when I heard my little princess start crying so I went up to check on her. I took her into her mother and kissed them both goodbye and I was out the door by 7:!0

Stop to get some gas. 1.95 A Gallon and was on my way. No traffic at 7 on a Sunday and it was a very nice drive as always. Driving up I-70 this time of year is so beautiful. The leaves are still changing and there is snow on the higher mountains. I don’t have to drive throw the snow but can enjoy the views.



(View from Central City Parkway)






(The Casino Front)

(Statue outside of Golden Mardi Gras Casino)

My first stop today was the Golden Mardi Gras Casino. I had planned this trip around a mailer I had received from the Golden Casino Group. It was a earn 200 points in a day and receive $5.00 coupon. Also being Sunday it was a double point day so I figured I would be able to hit my number easier than normal.

My first game was one of my new favorites “Wizard of OZ” 2 seconds later it was on to “Deal or No Deal” Play it addition. I guess I chose the don’t play it addition since I didn’t get anything in my spins.

Next, Monopoly Grand Hotel. I love the Monopoly slot machine series. The only jackpot I have every won was on the original “Money Grab” Monopoly Game. 5 Monopoly symbols on the 9th line thing, I cried. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky on this one either.

So far I had been in the casino for less than 15 minutes and hadn’t won a thing. Worst of all my bankroll was already half gone. It was looking like it would be a very short day.

I went to my old standby machine, Whales of Cash. This machine seems to help me out everyonce and a while so I always hope for the best. Again nothing.

At this point I'm pretty down. Not wanting to spend more time driving to the casino than playing in it wasn’t a fun thought.

I went looking for a penny machine with 9 lines so I could extend my day at least. I stumbled upon Sally shrimp mania slot machine. Fun little game and the first of the day I actually got to play on for a while. Hit the Shrimping bonus and a few 5 symbol hits and finally was able to leave a machine a little ahead for the first time in the day.

Just around the corner I found another .01 cent 9 line game called “Ghost Island” I spent back what I left the shrimp with.

At this point I'm down to my last 10 bucks. Ive wasted a little more time but the day has still gone by way to fast.

I found a Super Jackpot Party game and decided to chance it. I have never done well on this game but crossed my fingers anyway. After the second spin I hit the party bonus. Why does this game or any select a box game make me so dang nervous. I selected a couple boxes and then hit the Dance bonus. My little John Travolta look-a-like character starts dancing his little head off. Ends up winning me 15.00 bucks by the time he finally got all tuckered out. I played for a while long and figure it was done paying so I went to another SJP on the bank and got right into the bonus again. No big win this time but did cashed out the same as I cashed in.

I took a quick picture of the box top so I could add it to the post. As soon as I did, host staff started to pop up everywhere. Guess they don’t like photos in this casino.



I sat down at “Where’s The Gold,” it was the one where you need 3 dynamite symbols to get in the bonus round where you chose a character who mines for spins and bonus symbols, that one. When I got nothing again., I was down to my last $5.00 bucks.

I debated how to spend it for a while and decided to just sit down on the machine a couple done that I hadn’t played before. It was a “Night and Day” machine. Something about getting matching symbols that represented night and day, then there was this box that would appear in line 2 that would be covered at first then reveal a random symbol, didn’t understand it but I figure like they all do it would tell me if I won.

It was just a few spins in when I hit 5 of the bonus day/night symbols for 50 free spins. On my minimum but when all was said and done I was back to my starting bankroll number. I cashed out and ran.

It was at this point I realized after an 1 and a half of play and on a double point day I was still almost a hundred points short of getting my 5.00 coupon. How hard is it to get $5.00. wow.
With a new bank roll I started my tour over again. Stopping at “Deal or No Deal” again with the same results as earlier on two different machines.

Then over to Wizard of Oz for a second try. This time I actually got to play for a while. I was visited by Linda the Good White quite a bit but never helped much. Played the Flying Monkey Bonus for the first time and that actually paid off pretty nicely. Visited the yellow brick road a few times but never got to select a character at the end. Did have a shot at the scare crow and chose the wrong box. Bummer.

It was after a lot of up and down play on WOZ that I finally reach my 200 points. 2 hours and 2 bank rolls later, I was ready to cash in my coupon. I get to the window, hand the guy my card and my coupon and he tells me I have only earned 124 points. Double points don’t count toward your coupons. I was very upset. I wouldn’t have wasted so much time in one place had I know I wouldn’t even get to use my coupon. I did raise my player total to over the 1000 point mark so I was able to cash in on my regular points for $5.00 bucks but after that I was out the door.

I walked across the street to The Lodge Casino. By now the floor was a lot more active but still plenty of machines open. I found the same slot games on the lower level of the lodge as were across the street so I headed right up stairs.

I found the “Survivor” game based on the TV show. It had Rupert as a symbol and he was one of my favorite characters so that was cool. The actual game was pretty boring though and the bonus round was not very exciting either. You pick an icon which represents one of 4 seasons of Survivor and it reveals a pay level . then you choose icons from that level. It does show you what you could have chosen at the end which is a feature I both love and hate.

Next I played the cows from outer space game with dropping reels. If it gets 4 or more drops in a row you get free games. I went to the bonus once but didn’t have much luck.

I then sat down at the Monopoly Jackpot Station. I really like this game when I get into the bonus round. Unfortunately I got the chance bonus about 5 times and never was able to select a good card. Always got a symbol that never gave me much.

The day was again at a close with my last $5.00 bucks in hand. I chose to let my day hinge with my old faithful Whales of Cash. But again it wasn’t my day with those whales.

All and all not a bad day, started really rough but got a nice boost from the Day/Night game. I was very upset about Mardi Gras coupon situation but it’s a lesson learned. If it’s not a free coupon I'm not going.

Have a great day and Happy Gaming,
J

Colorado Amendment 50 Update

According to the Rocky Mountain News, the first town to vote on expanded gaming will be Cripple Creek on Dec 16th. Black Hawk to follow on Jan 13th and Central City will vote sometime in March.

Even with the early voting, if passed, the new hours, limits, and gaming will not start until summer of 09.

Read the full article here.


J

Golden Casino Group Promotions

Borrowing a great idea from http://www.thebadgambler.com/ I will start posting the flyers I get from the local casinos.

My first to post and comment about is from the Golden Casino Group. This encompasses 3 casino's in Black Hawk Colorado. Golden Gates, Golden Gulch, and Golden Mardi Gras Casinos.

This month's flyer is different than normal in one major way. Like always there are coupons for food, $3.00 off a Burrito and/or $5.00 off a Calzone. I be getting a Calzone myself.


The big change is with the money back portion. What normally reads "Get $5.00 Cash" now is "Get $5.00 in cash when you earn 200 points"



It was nice to just get free money but with the casino's posting continual loss, I can understand how they don't want to just give it away right now. 200 points is not that hard to achieve so I will go and play for a while and get my $5.oo, just to give it right back to them of course, but hey it was free money right.......

Have a Great Day and Happy Gaming
J

Keeping My Eye on Amendment 50

Today is the day. While most of the world is waiting for the results of one of the most important presidential races in our history, I will be watching the ticker at the bottom of the tv for local ammendments results.

Crossing my fingers that ammendment 50 will pass. I will update the results as they come in.

Have a great day and Happy Gaming
J

Colorado Votes to Expand Gaming Laws

Ok I’m not interested in politics. I don’t have the time to be an educated voter so I’m not even registered. I'm tired of all the ads on TV, radio, and in the mail but there is a bill on the Colorado ballet that I'm paying attention too.

Amendment 50: Limited Gaming in Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek

This amendment would allow the towns in Colorado where gambling is allow to vote on wither or not they want to expand gaming limits, games available, and gaming hours.

My first question was why are we voting to give the right to towns people to vote on an issue. Don’t they have that right in the first place?

My second question was when would this, if passed, be enacted?

With what I can find online it appears that no change could be made till July 09 per the tax regulations. I might be wrong.

Now the increased betting limits (going from $5 max to $100 max) wont effect a player like me, it will mainly affect the card players out there. I'm a penny player and hate betting more than the minimum anyway.

The new games such as roulette and craps might be a onetime adventure for me but I can see the draw for other players.

The one part of the new law which would be more beneficial to me would be the expanded gaming hours. Currently operating from 8 am to 2 am this law would allow for 24 hour gaming.

I have found these limited hours annoying on a few occasions but not many.

My first ever trip to Black Hawk I was so excited. I left from Littleton around 630 am as I was on a time crunch and had to be back in town by noon. I drove as fast as I could up the old mountain route 93 and got to Fortune Valley Casino a little after 730 am. I walked in from the parking garage to find the gates up blocking the casino entrance and all the machine were off. I then noticed the hours sign posted next to the gate. I have now learned to adjust both my sleep and driving styles on days I'm going to the casino.

The second time was during an overnight stay for my birthday with my wife. She doesn't gamble much but when we are staying at a casino the funniest thing happens. She wakes me up in the middle of the night and asks if I want to go down to the slots. Of course I do. While this time she walks me up and I had to say no, there not open yet.

If this bill passes I won’t have to worry about either of these issues again.

I have seen and heard the opponents objectives to the bill and understand their arguments. The main backing is speaking to the betting limits and that people will spend larger amounts of money. I agree completely. People are going to be dropping more money and some of them don’t have it but again that won’t be me.

Now as I said I will take advantage of the expanded hours but will I be driving home/or leaving to go up the mountain at 3 am, hopefully not. I like the Central City Parkway drive off of I-70 but at night that’s one heck of a road. It’s a long way to the bottom if you miss one of the those turns and I know the same thing could happen at 3pm in daylight but I just feel better getting to and from that road before the sun goes down or after it comes up, but that’s just me.

Either way November cant come soon enough. All these political issues out there and only one has sparked enough interest with me to really contemplate.

Here is a link to the local new stations coverage of the bill with all the legalize if you want to know the exacts of the bill. http://www.9news.com/news/elections/article.aspx?storyid=100868&catid=137

Have a great day and Happy Gaming,
J

Trip Report July 29th 2008 Blackhawk, Colorado

Trip Report July 29th 2008 Blackhawk, Colorado

On Sunday I was finally able to go up the mountain for a nice evening of slot machines. This trip was sparked by 2 mail flyers, one from Mardi Gras Casino and one from Fitzgeralds Casino BH. Mardi Gras was a 2 day only $5 coupon which I thought was weird, until I received my mailer from Fitzgeralds announcing the grand opening of the new gaming area on July 28th and 29th, coincidently the same days my coupon was good for at MG. Either way I still took advantage of both.

I started my day at the Silver Hawk Saloon & Casino. This is a small casino in comparison to others in BH and Central City and for what its worth, the only reason I went was because the parking was so full for Bullwhackers Black Hawk, I was parked almost right outside of SH. At SH, they had only one floor of slot machines open. They used to have gaming on the second floor but that area has now closed. I found mainly older games including Risqué Business, The Munster’s, and Beverly Hillbillies.

I did sit and play the Beverly Hillbillies for a little bit. This was the version with Granny shooting the kangaroo thing bonus and Granny filling oil bucks and you get the highest amount in the bucket. Still an entertaining game but the bonuses seemed a little light on the payouts.
I left up from when I walked in the door but mostly would go back unless I was parked right outside the door again.

Next up was Bullwhackers Black Hawk. I walked in the main door from the parking lot and could barely get in the door. The line for the players club was blocking the doors. As far as machines go I saw Wizard of Oz, Monopoly, and some new 3 cent machines that I hadn’t see before on the main level. On the bottom floor there was Village People Party, Deal or No Deal Play It, the new Beverly Hillbillies game Cash or Crude version, and Gilligan’s Isle.

I played on each and won on VPP and GI. With VPP, I got into the twice. 1st time I got the pooper on the 1st pick but got the party saver, but again choice a pooper on my next pick. The second time I had a good run, finishing with 3 macho men and a party saver. On GI, I got into the bonus and selected all characters with the coconut spin getting the all character bonus award.

I continued my journey down the hill now stopping at the Fitzgeralds Black Hawk. The big draw was the grand opening of the new gaming area. It was very busy and with the new area they have also created a new player club, so the line for the PC was long and may people were confused on what line to be in.

The new area was very nice. Two floors of gaming with a nice rustic cabin decor (my opinion) Large TV's were in the corners mounted to the ceiling. It did feel a little cramped but that was do to all the traffic from the PC. The only new(er) game that I found was the Dean Martin Wild Party game. I’m not a fan of the reels on this game. If you haven’t seen it, it has 2 reels of 2 by 2 leading in to 3 reels of 4 symbols (totaling 60 pay lines) The pays can be huge but it was had to understand why some symbols match up and others didn’t. As far as the rest of Fitzgeralds went nothing that I had seen was changed. I wonder if they wont start shutting the other areas down for updates soon.

The Gilpin and the Canyon Casino's were uneventful. I did get to play the new Ebay community game at the Gilpin. Like many of the others you get a timer based on your game play that will allow you into a community bonus at random times. This one was different as that it is a free spin bonus on the large display board in front of the machines. All players are given the total result of the 10 free spins. It was more exciting than the Monopoly Big Event or Press Your Luck games as it was a more prolonged bonus but the base game just didn’t hook me enough to keep me sitting down.

On to The Lodge Casino. The newest machine I found here was the very large Wheel of Fortune community game. This thing was huge. I have no clue how the research and development team thought this one would be profitable. I’ve been to a lot of casinos that I feel this thing wouldn’t fit into. As for game play, for all lines and bonus option it was 60 credits a spin. Not bad for your average gambler but for the penny pincher, a little rich for my blood.

Last up, Mardi Gras Casino BH. There was a few new games but nothing that really stood out against the rest, I wont blame them though as I had already been to 6 casinos prior.

I did play Wild for Dolphins for the first time. This im assuming is a sister product to the Risqué Business slot machine as the bonus rounds are the same idea. With W4D you get into the bonus and select one of 4 dolphin performers. The your are taken to the performance take where 6 trainers are sitting at the tank. You select 3 trainers and they give your dolphin fish to perform a trick. You must reach a set amount to continue in the round.

I was very amused by the animation, I choose Juggling Joey. It was just funny how the game went from a stripping male or female dancer to a dolphin doing tricks. More family orientated theme for a slot machine? I will have to blog about an experience I had with the Risqué Business at another time......

Another trip in the books. Now for the likes, dislikes, and what’s new what’s missing.

Likes
1. New gaming area at Fitzgeralds Black Hawk. really nice design
2. No smoking. Still amazing to walk in and out of a casino not smelling of smoke. I love it
3. Just getting to go up to Blackhawk. Trips are getting less and less with the economy and gas prices.

Dislikes
1. Blackhawk on a Sunday afternoon. Im a morning gamer. Colorado currently is a 8am-2am gaming state. Getting here at 8 when the place first opens seems to be more fun for me. I can sit and play any machine without a wait for the first couple of hours.
2. Old Fitzgeralds Black Hawk. It was just such a contrast from the new gaming area to the old gaming area. I really hope they renovate the old side too.

New
1. Wheel of Fortune community game (The Lodge Casino)
2. EBAY (The Gilpin Casino)
3. 3 cent machines (Bullwhackers)

Missing
1. Top Gun. on my last trip every casino had atleast 2 machines but I didnt see one in any of the 7 I went to this time.
2. Wild Wilderness. One of my wifes favorites and it was no where to be found

That’s it for now. Next up will be a trip to Oregon in September. At least one stop into a casino is a must for any trip to OR.

Till next time, Happy Gaming
J

Are IPOD's Allowed While Playing a Slot Machine?

I like to take notes while at the casino's so I can refer back to them when I writing a new blog or a slot machine review. Seems I always forget little details about the machines if I winning or mostly losing, other than how the game payed. So Ive been wondering about using my IPOD as a voice recording device while sitting at a slot machine to take notes.

I decided to call a couple casino's and see what kind of response I would get. Now I may not have provided enough information to the casino employees but I didn't want to scare them off.

My question was "Are you allowed to use an IPOD's while playing a Slot Machine?" I choose to not say anything about a recording device or recorder connected to an ipod because of the scare factor. You say recording device and I'm sure what answer I might get. Also most of the voice recorders for an IPOD are so small with no external wires that most people wouldn't notice, except it would just look like I was talking to myself. I asked direct for the security desk as this is where I felt was best to handle the question.

My first call was to the Isle of Capri Casino in Blackhawk Colorado. The agent said that IPOD were defiantly allowed while at a machine.

So my first call seemed to have been a success, a basic answer with no real question. Now some might think this is just silly because if you watch poker on TV, they all have IPOD's but my concern was the question of technology. It hasn't been that long since you would be yelled at by drink attendants for using you cell phones at the machines. (I know some still do but not as much as they used too)

My second call was to Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde Oregon, Ill be visiting in a few weeks.

The security agent was a little questioning, more of himself then me, but said that they were allowed. He also said that the only thing not allowed was photography on the gaming floor.

Second call a success. More so in the fact that it also clears up the question of cell phones and cameras.

I end with that call. Not the full investigative report with multiple sources some may like but I was 2 for 2, why mess with the odds.

My best guess is that IPOD's are allowed in most US situation, internationally is a whole other ball game.

Good Luck and Happy Gaming,
J

This and That

Hello all,

Not much new to report. No trips recently but lots of online activities. Here's a couple of things that have passed by my email and the local news.


Ameristar Blackhawk Colorado Casino Temporarily closes

The Ameristar Blackhawk Casino never opened Friday Aug 24th, 2007 due to damage that had occurred during construction blasting for the new Hotel and Casino expansion project. As reported by 9 news in Denver Colorado and covered in The Rocky Mountain Newspaper (Video and Newspaper article)

No update on Saturday morning as I write this but reports were that blasting for the new hotel caused the sprinkler system to flood office areas of the casino. No areas of the casino floor were effected but for safety reasons they decided not to open. Plans were to reopen by Saturday.

No one was injured, which I'm happy for but i guess the one good thing that has come from this (In my gambler mentality) is that the news report stated that the hotel and casino expansion would be completed in 2009. Ive been looking for an opening date and I guess we kind of have one now.......


Email from WMS Gaming

Yesterday I received an email from WMS Gaming about a new sweepstakes they are running in conjunction with the new MONOPOLY™ Super Money Grab® slot machines.

The Grand Prize is a trip for two to Las Vegas. Plus, there are 50 instant-winners a day.

Heres the link to the Sweepstakes Sign up. If anyone wins a prize, please feel free to email me or add a comment to the post.


Well thats all I have for now,

Good Luck and Happy Gaming,
J

Village People Party Revisited

Yet another version of WMS Gaming's "Jackpot Party" has been released, and it is now on the casino floors. To my knowledge, this makes it the 3rd version on the floors today. Colorado has Jackpot Party Classic, Super Jackpot Party, and now Village People Party.

As is the case with the first two versions, Village People Party is the same in line configuration, but symbols have been changed to reflect the members of the singing group. It also has a disco theme, with icons like platform shoes, disco balls, and fruity drinks as some of the new symbols.

Again only one bonus round is available but appears to be at a high frequency and VPP has a new bonus feature option. When you arrive in the party bonus you are instructed to pick a village person along the bottom of the play screen. There are 6 to chose from, each giving you a random credit amount and multiplier. During the game play, as you select a Record (replacing the classic wrapped gift) your given either a random credit amount, a multiplier, that darn party pooper, or the new option "select another Village person."

You are then asked to choose another Village People Character from the bottom row who gives you a random credit amount but also the Village people on each successful credit pick add more credits to each Record pick.

When you select a Pooper, unfortunately like the classic, you are done. (see bottom for more information and retractions)

There are also 3 new Village People songs that are played though out the game. They include:
"Y.M.C.A.," "In The Navy," and "Macho Man."

VPP is a very fun and interesting version of the classic. Currently I have only seen this game at Bullwhackers Black Hawk, in Blackhawk, Colorado. It was located on the first floor near the cashiers cage.

Good Lucky and Happy Gaming,
J


Retraction 8/2/07

After a recent visit, I had the opportunity to play VPP again and found that I had mis-evaluated a major feature.

During the VPP "Record Bonus Round" there are "Party Saver" options. I found one by selecting a random village person, also one as a record choice, and a pick one of three hat options after selecting a pooper.

With the first one I choose the Sailer and received 50 credits and a Party Saver appeared on the screen and was placed over a dimmed out icon on the bottom of the screen. When I selected a pooper disk, it cashed in my saver and allowed me to continue my round.

The second chance was by selecting a lucky disk that said "Party Saver." I received the VPP bonus amount granted by the amount of Village People you have selected at the bottom of the screen and the Party Saver icon at the bottom of the screen, again was illuminated.

The last option seems to be activated at random after selecting a pooper. On one occasion I was given the option to select one of three hats. Two included additional bonus credits and one had a party saver that took you back to the album bonus round.

Sorry for the miss information on my initial review, I guess this time around the machine just felt like revealing more of itself to me.

UPDATE

This game is everywhere now and very very popular. I would expect atleast a second edition or update very soon

Good Lucky and Happy Gaming,
J

Double Dragon Frenzy Slot Machine

Bally Gamings Double Dragon Frenzy (click link for corporate site with photos and online video)

This is a 7 reel 50 line configuration machine. The pay table was very hard to understand but it was paying so I didn't mind much not knowing why I was winning. Symbols on the reels are ying-yang symbols, coat of arms, and exploding firecrackers. Every time the firecrackers match up they light up and explode a credit amount. Fun feature at first but just like fireworks, it can get annoying after a while.

The game has an interesting feature of having a bonus line in the middle of the line configuration. The bonus line 4 has either wild symbols, auto pays, or blanks. Most slot players are used to seeing this type of configuration on line 5, as with WMS Gamings Ring Quest.

It appeared to have only one "bonus round" which is a re spin-re trigger icon that would appear in the bonus line. It gives you any win credit on the entry spin, a multiple of times. I only had it retrigger for a total of 3 times but the demo video on Bally's website has it triggered 5 times???

Other "Bonuses" that appears on line 4 were a 2x pay, 10x pay, or 100 pay. It makes for some very dynamic pay outs and also some very small ones too.

One of the other things that made this game enjoyable was the cabinet, seating, and play area. This has a large screen, easy for viewing and a very large cabinet, making for a very comfortable play area and lots of elbow room.

I found this game at The Lodge Casino, in Black Hawk Colorado. It was located at the top of the escalator from the street level.

Good Luck and Happy Gaming,
J

Q & A

Well, as you can tell from my countdown clock, I'm heading up to Blackhawk on Saturday. This is a perfect time to ask me questions.............. OK, so I want to be interactive. I want to know what people are looking for from my site. I love this site, I have enjoyed writing my blogs and reliving memories, but I don't know how you, the reader, feels about it.

Are you looking for any particular games? Maybe pictures of a casino? Looking for a good place to eat? I want to make this site usable and enjoyable for all.

For my return visitors, Thank you!!!!!! Hows the changes Ive made? I'm trying to make it easier to navigate through my stuff and adding cool widgets as I find them.

What do you think of my casino chip camera slide show? I love the thing, I still sit and watch it every time I load the page. And I have more chips to come. I still have about 40 chips that I have yet to scan in, mostly from Cripple Creek Colorado and still some more from Blackhawk.

Well that's it ,I guess. I hope I get some responses. The reason I started this page was to give out as much information as I can, about one of my favorite subjects. For years, I have searched the internet for reviews of casinos and games that didn't come directly from the source, a players view or something, someone like me who enjoys a couple hours of gaming and a whole lot of fun.

J
baldovij@gmail.com

Colorado Casinos Go Smoke Free

As of January 1st, 2008 Colorado casinos will be a smoke free environment. Currently one casino, The Wild Card, will still be able to allow guest to smoking under a provision in the law which says that if the establishment makes more than xx amount of money from tobacco, it can allow smoking.

I'm very excited as I'm a non-smoker and somewhat allergic to cigarette smoke but with this one casino being exempt, it does make me wonder what the possibilities might be. Will other casino try to ramp up tobacco sales to qualify for the exemption or will The Wild Card be the busiest, yet smokiest place in Black Hawk, Colorado

J

Colorado Gaming

Colorado Casinos and Gaming

First let me paraphrase this by saying this will start book report style and then get back to my normal witty charm and very casual writing style. I'm not the book report type...

Legalized gaming began in Colorado on October 1, 1991, as a result of a voter approved amendment to the State Constitution. This amendment allowed gaming in three mining towns, whose economy had been paralyzed after their mines began to close. The towns are Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. Both Black Hawk and Central City are 30 minutes west of Denver, and Cripple Creek is 30 minutes southwest of Colorado Springs.

In the beginning there were just eleven casinos between the three towns. Now there are more than 40 casinos, with new projects in development. As the smaller casinos close down, they are being replaced with national chains and mega-resort style casinos.

Colorado gaming is "Limited Gaming", which according to the Colorado Department of Revenue - Division of Gaming, is defined as, "Maximum single bet of $5 on slot machines, and live Blackjack or Poker."

Gaming options include Vegas style slots, Blackjack, miscellaneous table games, and card rooms for Texas Hold 'Em. Keno is only offered at the state's 2 tribal casinos. Both casinos are in Southern Colorado - The Ute Mountain Casino near Towaoc, and the Sky Ute Casino and Lodge near Ignacio.

____________________________________________________________________________

Ok now that that's done... I hate book reports, but how do you present all that information without doing it book report style?

So what does all that mean to people like me, the penny player?

First off, we have three legal gambling towns with 40+ casinos in Colorado. This is awesome. In Oregon and California, I have only been able to casino-hop by driving 30 or 45 minutes away. Only in Nevada have I had the pleasure of walking between casinos when it seems my luck has ran out. Colorado is just amazing. All three towns are easy to walk around in, though some areas are a little harsh because of the altitude (sorry mom, I'll explain it to the rest of you someday). Luckily there are shuttles and local area buses that will take you from one end of town to the other, stopping at or near most casino entrances.

I normally start at the top of the hill, hit most the casinos on the way down, and then take the bus back up to the top. It works out very nice since the shuttle runs quite often. The bus is called the "Black Hawk/Central City Tramway", and schedules are available by going to www.nextbus.com. Navigate to Colorado to see maps and pickup times. I've used this website on my cell phone, and there are also signs at most stops indicating how long until the next shuttle arrives.

According to the Colorado Gaming Report, as of April 2006, the number of penny slots has increased by over one thousand machines in Black Hawk alone. Great news for penny players.

Colorado also has the $5 limit. Not a problem for me since I have a hard enough time playing machines with 30 lines, plus a 10 credit buy-in for super pay. That's 40¢ for a total bet. I think I will be ok.

This does, however, affect the Blackjack or card player. Most of the tables that I have seen only offer a $5 minimum bet, which in turn is also the max bet. There is no way to raise or lower your bet depending on game play. I have found that this almost forces the issue of splitting or doubling down. That is the only way to increase your bet, since the law deems that as a second, separate bet. I've noticed myself splitting 7's against a 6-up just to try and rake in a little extra. I don't play tables much, but a friend was in town who wanted to play.

Keno is not available in Black Hawk and Central City, which is a bummer. Keno, to me, is a way to keep gambling while having dinner or a snack in the food court.

Last, but not least, are the things that we don't have. Roulette, Craps, Money Wheel, or Off-Track betting are not available in the gambling towns. There are some private locations throughout Colorado that have live and off-track betting. Oregon has recently added most of these within the last few years. Because of this, I can see Roulette, Craps, and Money Wheel coming to Colorado someday.

As far as development goes, wow. The latest to join in the game is the national chain, Ameristar Casinos. It opened in mid 2005 as a takeover from Mountain High Casino. It has vastly transformed since it's opening in 2005, and it is about to make even more changes.

Expected by Spring of 2008, the Ameristar Black Hawk will open a 500+ room hotel. This property is rumored to have a full spa, and when completed will be the tallest structure between Denver and Salt Lake City. I can't wait for the spa to open, and I will make an appointment for the first available. This will be for my wife, of course. What a great way to get her to go up there! "Honey I got you an appointment for a massage." Hee hee, she will hit me for that one...

Also, early last year marked the opening of Colorado Central Station's new hotel. I had the pleasure of spending my birthday there, and it was great. I had a king/non-smoking room, and it was wonderful. There was plenty of room to move around, a very large TV, a nice seating area, safe in the closet, and a very large bathroom with nice size shower and tub. I definitely recommend this one.

Well that's it for now. Hope this blog helps anyone who was looking for information on Colorado gaming. Check back for reviews of the casinos and trip reports in the future and sign my guest book if you get a chance.

J

Going to the mailbox and finding a letter from a Casino

I love that feeling. You go to the mail box every day and find either junk mail or the dreaded "B" word. Occasionally, if I'm lucky, I go to the mail and find either one of my casino magazines or a letter from one of the local casino's. Its like a cereal box, I opening it hoping to find a prize.

Some are just the normal monthly flyer promoting events or new games but sometimes, owe sometimes, there's that Willy Wonka golden ticket feeling.
A $5.00 voucher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and sometimes two, one for the first half of the month and one for the last.

Man, what feelings and emotions can be conjured by just a little slip of paper. "Come to me and Ill give you five dollars." Why do I picture a witch with an apple when I read this? Hazel and Gretel maybe...... either way.

You give me five, I give you 40. I think im doing something wrong here. I feel like that little kid playing cards with the big kids, anyone remember '52 card Pickup" fell for that once.(or twice)

If you read enough about comps and casino give aways, you know its based on time played and money spent in a casino, they don't give it way to be nice. So its also very sad when you go to the mail box and you don't get letters or vouchers. "Do you not love me anymore, (insert casino name here)? just encase, don't want to show any favoritism just yet....... "Its been a rough month" "Gas Prices suck", ""No money, no fries." (sorry childhood flashback, but it applies)

Then, finally, one day, that "Golden Ticket" reappears in the mail box. Like a beacon in the night, I can pick it out of the other stuff before its even out of the box. "I'm back on the list, baby"

OK, so no coincidence that I went and spent a few bucks in March but anyway, so I get two letters this month. One, that is always a "golden ticket" (I don't get anything from them other wise) and one that is normally one of those event planner things. I should include that this one does always has a half-off buffet coupon or such but that's about it. I give it the normal once over to see whats new. "Do my eyes deceive me" nope it now reads "half-off buffet or $5.00 cash back" Yes, "I've got a golden Ticket" (I really hope Dahl does not sue me for the use of lines from Wonka but it fits)

So that's two $5.00 dollar coupons for this trip, I'm love in it (damn, now McDonald's, what is wrong with me today, I'm never going to get enough coupons to pay my lawyer fee's)

Comps are a funny world. You can read every book, watch every show, research online as much as possible, but it all boils down to money played. Yes, you can find those vouchers in Vegas magazines for new player sign up bonuses and stuff, and they are great for the first time but wheres the love afterwords. A penny player doesn't stand a chance.

Being that my gambling life started in Oregon where your lucky to get a dollar off a buffet on your birthday, I'm happy with my casinos in Colorado. I get stuff for my birthday, (a mug, a pen, a buffet, etc) the monthly mailers, and of course, the occasional "Golden Ticket."

J

A working map

Just as I post the link to Flickr, I find a site to post my map to this page. At the bottom of my page is a new map with direct access to my photos.

I used trippermap.com it was very easy to set up and gives you the HTML coding to post directly. This is the free map but for a small fee there is a more advance map with better markers and mapping.

To access each of my photos just click the black icon on the map and it will bring them up.

Also, you can still go to my Flickr account for a more interactive view,

Enjoy,
J

Colorado Smoking Ban

It has been almost a year since all public areas in Colorado have become non-smoking. The exception of this law has been Cigar Bars, the smoker’s lounge at Denver International Airport, and Casinos.

I won’t say I'm allergic to cigarette smoke, but I am somewhat bothered by it. I choose to avoid it if I can. For years, this has been a tradeoff issue for me. Even though casinos and bingo halls have non-smoking sections, I know that I will still come home smelling of smoke. I enjoy the games too much to let it deter me, but on the other hand a smoke free casino for my wife would be a great benefit for me.

The latest word out of the Colorado House of Representatives is they have turned away a new house bill that would make all casinos non-smoking. The language of the bill 1269 only encompasses casinos, and the members of the house voted 18-17 against it. It seems the main objection is that this bill should cover all areas previously mentioned. So it’s now back to the Senate.

Smokers will find a way to smoke, that's the truth. Some bars in Colorado Springs, CO have chosen to buck the laws and allow smoking in their restaurants and have a collection plate from patrons to help pay for any fines. The one I really like is as you exit a restaurant you now walk through a cloud of smoke as you come out the door. The original ban states that smoking must not occur within 5 feet of the entrance to an establishment. Who's going to sit there with a tape measure and enforce this regulation to the people?

On the other spectrum, places like Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk, CO was one of the first to say that their restaurants would be completely non-smoking, while still allowing patrons to smoke on the casino floors. Not a requirement by law, but management felt that if every other restaurant in CO was going to be non-smoking, they should follow suite.

Non-smoking sections in casinos are nothing new. I remember the first non-smoking room that I went to at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, Oregon. It was small, had some older games, and the service wasn't that great. It also seemed that the new games were just outside the non-smoking doors and were louder, as if they were trying to draw you out. Things have since changed, as the room has gotten progressively larger, there are newer games, and the service is faster. They have also placed a concession stand outside the doors of the section. So now instead of smelling smoke, you smell hot dogs.

Since this session of Congress is almost over, it appears it will be at least another year before we can address the smoking issue again. However, as more and more places explore this concept, one has to wonder how long it can go on. Will casinos ever go fully non-smoking? Will it really matter? Will it actually hurt the casino’s bottom line? As some have fought on this issue, what’s more addictive and more important to an addict, smoking or gambling?

Just a few thoughts...... J

Happy St. Patricks Day

Well its that time of year again, so I thought today would be a perfect time to review "Fitzgeralds Black Hawk Casino, in Black Hawk Colorado.

This is one of my favorite casinos in BH. They offer a wide variety of penny games and have maybe the best complementary item available on the mountain.

Fitzgeralds offers free Valet parking services with a rather large garage. No public park but there are quite a few places to self park near by.

Gaming wise, it is a three floor building with rather large gaming floor. The aisles are small especially by the players club and cage areas but not to annoying.

They offer quite a variety of games with allot of penny options. On the second floor you can find a few table games most with $5 min/max bets.

My favorite games here are Antique Appraisal and Tabasco.

The most enticing part of this casino has to be the complementary hot dogs served daily on the third floor. It is a self service hot dog bar with the traditional condiments and is located right next to a soda station. Makes for a great place to play and have a free bite. The also offer a restaurant for Lunch and Dinner Menu service.

Drink service is available either from the self service stand on the 3rd floor or from attendants. They are relatively fast depending on your location in the building.

Personally I have never hit very well but I do get my moneys worth. I can play for an hour or so on a twenty and have a good time while I'm there.

The Players club is easy to sign up for (like most casinos) and I get the occasional $5.00 free coupon and the annual Birthday gift.

They don't have the new stuff right away but then again they offer a good selection of some of the games that are disappearing from other places. All and all a great casino with a national reputation and the free Hot Dogs are defiantly enough to make you stop in for a spin.

J