How do you arrange a slot pull?

[Karen@Steve]

I'm thinking of arranging the slot pull on my next cruise. How does one go about arranging a slot pull? Is there something you should do before the cruise or wait until I'm on board. Do I then go to the casino and talk to the manager? Any help or advice would be appreciated.

[shelbird]

Greetings!

 

I have arranged the slot pull for our last three cruises. I first decided which sea day it would be held and notified our roll call of the date and time. I chose 11:00. Each participant was asked to bring a ten dollar bill. I collected sea pass cards when each arrived and a random draw determined the order of play. When each card was chosen the player inserted their $10 into the machine (we used a Wheel Of Fortune dollar machine with a $3 maximum bet.) The extra dollar went into a kitty for the highest individual scorer. DH kept track of that.

 

I did notify the casino host prior to our slot pull. Last January on the Eclipse the host was Ralph and he did the math, collected our winnings (yes we each won about $20 above any beyond our initial $10!) and split them up. Great fun!:D

 

michelle

[mgmigs]

I've been involved in one, seemed very complicated keeping everyone, the money and the pulls in order. I can't remember how many people! Maybe around 50 participants. I consider myself organized but that job I wouldn't wish on anyone.

[texmex.ferr]

Here's a link that was posted giving step by step instructions. Hope I can copy this properly:

 

First keep a running list of everyone who wants to go. This is what I did for the actual slot pull.

 

1. I knew the casino would not give me a lot of ones or fives. I brought with me 200 ones (we had a very large group).

 

2. Number 1 through whatever on a sticky pad or pieces of paper. Hand out to people as they come. That keeps them in order.

 

3. ask everyone to bring exact change of $15.00 to put in the machine. No one should have to make change (they can always change it themselves at the cashier).

 

4. use a 3 coin machine (usually the one we used) and everyone gets 5 pulls.

 

5. When all the people have taken a turn, you cash out. Win or lose. You split what is in there. Even a loss is a good time. Most people don't want to stand around longer. A piece of something is still better than a piece of nothing. We got very lucky with Margaret. There were a lot of people who wanted to leave at the end of everyone's pulls.

 

6. Ask the cashier for as many small bills as possible. This is why I bring with me the money. I can always use it after the pull.

 

 

 

Hope this helps

 

Texmex

[11dfr11]

Here's a link that was posted giving step by step instructions. Hope I can copy this properly:

 

First keep a running list of everyone who wants to go. This is what I did for the actual slot pull.

 

1. I knew the casino would not give me a lot of ones or fives. I brought with me 200 ones (we had a very large group).

 

2. Number 1 through whatever on a sticky pad or pieces of paper. Hand out to people as they come. That keeps them in order.

 

3. ask everyone to bring exact change of $15.00 to put in the machine. No one should have to make change (they can always change it themselves at the cashier).

 

4. use a 3 coin machine (usually the one we used) and everyone gets 5 pulls.

 

5. When all the people have taken a turn, you cash out. Win or lose. You split what is in there. Even a loss is a good time. Most people don't want to stand around longer. A piece of something is still better than a piece of nothing. We got very lucky with Margaret. There were a lot of people who wanted to leave at the end of everyone's pulls.

 

6. Ask the cashier for as many small bills as possible. This is why I bring with me the money. I can always use it after the pull.

 

 

 

Hope this helps

 

Texmex

 

Thanks for the info. I am going to do it on my cruise in April 2014.

Miss the fun we had on the ship.

Dale

[ghstudio]

Since the odds on machines are changeable by the casino, I would advise not discussing with the Casino prior to the event.....just show up and do your thing. They are NOT there to help....

[Germancruiser]

I always avoid the Slot pull- when money is involved with total strangers- I am out! To complicated!

[BILL-WI]

These are the rules I have used for the 5 slot pulls I have run.

 

Slot Pull Rules:

1. The entrance fee is $15 per person - must have exact change ($10 and $5 bill work the best).

 

2. We will use a $1 Wheel of Fortune slot.

 

3. You play the maximum bet ($3.00) on the machine.

 

4. There will be FIVE pulls per participant.

 

5. You must sign-up in advance and be present to participate.

 

6. Once the first pull is taken, no one else can join in and the game is closed. The slot pull will end after the last person entered has taken their turn on the slot machine.

 

7. If a large Jackpot is hit, we will collect the payout and move to another Wheel of Fortune slot. The remaining folks on the list will then start on the new machine.

 

8. You have to be with the group at the finish to collect your share of the winnings. (I will NOT spend my time trying to track down people to give them their money.)

 

9. Please bring EXTRA $1.00 bills (in addition to entry fee) it is much easier to pay out at the end that way!

 

10. Remember this is a FUN event with a chance to gain a few dollars and enjoy the company of others in your group. I highly encourage everyone to cheer on the slot pullers and mingle with others in the group.

 

BILL

[Wine-O]

These are the rules I have used for the 5 slot pulls I have run.

 

Slot Pull Rules:

1. The entrance fee is $15 per person - must have exact change ($10 and $5 bill work the best).

 

2. We will use a $1 Wheel of Fortune slot.

 

3. You play the maximum bet ($3.00) on the machine.

 

4. There will be FIVE pulls per participant.

 

5. You must sign-up in advance and be present to participate.

 

6. Once the first pull is taken, no one else can join in and the game is closed. The slot pull will end after the last person entered has taken their turn on the slot machine.

 

7. If a large Jackpot is hit, we will collect the payout and move to another Wheel of Fortune slot. The remaining folks on the list will then start on the new machine.

 

8. You have to be with the group at the finish to collect your share of the winnings. (I will NOT spend my time trying to track down people to give them their money.)

 

9. Please bring EXTRA $1.00 bills (in addition to entry fee) it is much easier to pay out at the end that way!

 

10. Remember this is a FUN event with a chance to gain a few dollars and enjoy the company of others in your group. I highly encourage everyone to cheer on the slot pullers and mingle with others in the group.

 

BILL

 

That's pretty much it. We keep track of the person who has the most winnings during their pulls, and that person gets all the change. For example, if the cash out is $15.75 per person, everyone gets $15, and the person with the highest pulls gets all the $.75's. You don't want to have to mess with coins.

 

I use those 50/50 tickets. I give each one who signs up one set of tickets, so you pull in the order that you sign up. The first ticket is presented when it is your time to pull, and the second ticket is used to collect your prize. If you don't stick around after it's is all done, give your redeem ticket to someone else to get your winnings. I don't want to chase people down. When it's over, it's over. If you don't pick up your winnings, that's just one extra martini for the slot pull organizer. :rolleyes:

[Karen@Steve]

Thanks everyone. Wine-O organized a great slot pull last May on the Summit. We ended up with a Sex in the City machine. It was great fun seeing all the burly guys yelling 'Pink Shoes' when we got a bonus round. I think we all broke even but it was terrific fun. That's the reason I'm considering running it on our next cruise in November. Too much fun to miss out on.

[julia]

Bill-WI:

 

I like your methodology EXCEPT #7. It is simply not necessary to change machines after a jackpot has hit. The machines are driven by random numerators, and the odds do not decrease in the event of a jackpot. The odds are the odds for each and every spin, period.

 

To the OP:

 

You've been given some great tips here. My advice? Keep it fun. Keep it simple. Not a lot of "rules". Also, it helps to be flexible with your timing of the slot pull in relation to other sea-day ship events. I've found 3:00pm works well. Have fun! :)

[BILL-WI]

Bill-WI:

 

I like your methodology EXCEPT #7. It is simply not necessary to change machines after a jackpot has hit. The machines are driven by random numerators, and the odds do not decrease in the event of a jackpot. The odds are the odds for each and every spin, period.

 

To the OP:

 

You've been given some great tips here. My advice? Keep it fun. Keep it simple. Not a lot of "rules". Also, it helps to be flexible with your timing of the slot pull in relation to other sea-day ship events. I've found 3:00pm works well. Have fun! :)

 

I see you live in Las Vegas, so I will not disagree with you about the odds, because you are right! But, many years ago, I got tired of trying to explain random numerators to a crowd at a slot pull, so we switch machines to make things simple. :D

 

As a Video Poker player, I never switch machines after a big hit, but I do switch to the next larger denomination for the next 5 plays. :)

 

BILL

[Wine-O]

To the OP:

 

You've been given some great tips here. My advice? Keep it fun. Keep it simple. Not a lot of "rules". Also, it helps to be flexible with your timing of the slot pull in relation to other sea-day ship events. I've found 3:00pm works well. Have fun! :)

 

We usually hold it in the afternoon of the first sea day which most likely will be the cruise connections party in the morning.

 

I recommend checking out the daily the night before to see what events are being held in the casino the next day. If you want the casino manager to assist (some do and give free drink coupons to participants), you won't want to interfere with a slot or black jack tournament that they are holding. Then announce the time at the Connections Party.

[mcrcruiser]

We have run many slot pulls . This what we do :

 

First I announce the slot pull day & time in the casino on the roll call & ask people to sign up ,with a description of the slot pull . . I like to run the slot pull at around 2 -3 PM ;which gives sufficient time for lunch & time for those having early dinner to get ready .We have run 2 slot pulls on longer cruises of 12 -14 days or longer

 

.I explain that each person first places all their $15 in the slot .All the money must be depositied before the first pull .Reason is to stop a outsider from saying they will paly if big money was hit. I write down names on a pad ,as they each deposit the money in the slot . Then the 1st person on the list does their 5 pulls etc

 

.After the last person has done their 5 pulls x $3 =$15 each .I ask the casino to pay off what we have won & then I divide the money by the # of players .Each player gets their share & initials on the pad that they were paid. We only pay off in even dollars. Any change left over times the # of players goes to that person who gets the highest pay from their 5 turns . It is easy to keep track

[Flo71]

I have never done this, it sounds like great fun. If there isn't one being run on my rollcall how do you find out if there are any others on your cruise you can join?

[drarill]

I have never done this, it sounds like great fun. If there isn't one being run on my rollcall how do you find out if there are any others on your cruise you can join?

 

Great question!!! Keep reading about the "slot pulls" but didn't know how it worked!! Looks like a lot of fun!:):)

[dkjretired]

Since the odds on machines are changeable by the casino, I would advise not discussing with the Casino prior to the event.....just show up and do your thing. They are NOT there to help....

 

#1 myth of slot machines, slot machine odds are not changeable by the casino under current technology.

[Karen@Steve]

I have never done this, it sounds like great fun. If there isn't one being run on my rollcall how do you find out if there are any others on your cruise you can join?

 

Unless there is another big group of cruisers who are having their own, the CC slot pull will probably be the only one. Not sure another group would let you join. I'd ask on your roll call if anyone is running or will be running a slot pull.

[11dfr11]

Hi and thank you all.

You might have different rules, but the bottom line is pull to win.

See you all on the first sea day at 2pm in the casino. Don't forget to bring exactly $15.00 for the first five pulls.

Fun, fun, fun.;)

[Wine-O]

I used to keep a running list on the Roll Call, but some folks don't show, and others not on the list do show, so I just announce the time for the Slot Pull at the cruise connections party after checking the daily the night before so as not to conflict with a casino event. I begin sign up 1/2 hour before the Pull time, collect all the monies, turn in the monies at the cashier for big bills, then feed the machine.

 

There's no right/wrong way to do this. Just gather ideas from others and have a great time.

[wvufan]

I have organized about 10 or so, and here is my method.

 

First-I don't do committees;). I ask on the roll call who might be interested, but primarily just to get an idea of how many we will have. I keep a list, but it is not actually used later on. I announce a tentative time of about 11 am on the second sea day. On the first day I meet with the casino manager to make sure there are no conflicts and also to see if they will give us some prizes. I then formally announce at the connections party and encourage others to join in.

 

They want you to use a wheel of fortune machine, but I use a quarter machine. My main consideration for the machine is visibility for participants. Everyone brings $15 and they get 20 pulls at 3 coins per pull.

 

As they show up, I write their name on a list. At the preappointed start time, the list is closed. We simply go down the list in order. Everyone puts their own money in. A volunteer keeps track of hits for each person, and the biggest winners get the prizes. At the end, I continue to play until we get an even number for prize distribution. We cash in and divvy up. I always bring a lot of ones and fives.

 

In actual practice, my system works very easily and very well. I have tried the dollar maching and fewer pulls, but it seems folks like to have more pulls. There are more hits and excitement.

 

We have always had a great time and it is a good way to make friends.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[wwcruisers]

We have run many slot pulls . This what we do :

 

First I announce the slot pull day & time in the casino on the roll call & ask people to sign up ,with a description of the slot pull . . I like to run the slot pull at around 2 -3 PM ;which gives sufficient time for lunch & time for those having early dinner to get ready .We have run 2 slot pulls on longer cruises of 12 -14 days or longer

 

.I explain that each person first places all their $15 in the slot .All the money must be depositied before the first pull .Reason is to stop a outsider from saying they will paly if big money was hit. I write down names on a pad ,as they each deposit the money in the slot . Then the 1st person on the list does their 5 pulls etc

 

.After the last person has done their 5 pulls x $3 =$15 each .I ask the casino to pay off what we have won & then I divide the money by the # of players .Each player gets their share & initials on the pad that they were paid. We only pay off in even dollars. Any change left over times the # of players goes to that person who gets the highest pay from their 5 turns . It is easy to keep track

 

Clliff -- we had a great time on the two slot pulls that you organized on our ALOHACRUISE, last year! :D And, thanks to your tips and encouragement, I think that I could even run one myself, now. :p

[dkjretired]

Just wanted to point out a couple of things as far as the slot pull. Not sure what ship you are going to arrange this but on the Summit in September after solstization we were in a slot pull. Not sure how it is on other Celebrity ships but the max denomination in the casino was 2 cents. The organizer who did a good job had us just hit the max play button which worked out to about 3 dollars per spin on the machine we were playing. We all put in $20 per person and I think we had about 7 spins. She figured it out and my figures may not be absoulutely correct.

 

Now another problem that may arise and that is taxes. Most people do not know that if even if you are out of the country and hit a big win, you are technically still responsible for US income taxes. On our slot pull in September we did well each winning around $150.00. This was because one of our group hit a hand pay. A hand pay is anything over $1200 and the casino will actually come over and give you the amount in your hand. In a US casino, they will automatically fill out a form and your winnings will be reported to the IRS. Our player hit a bonus for about 1400 plus. This was added to our winnings and everyone walked away happy because Celebrity did not take any info from the gentleman to report to the IRS. Perhaps this is a ship policy or Celebrity's policy, I don't know but it worked to our advantage. I was on NCL two weeks ago and a man next to me hit a bonus for 1300+, the attendent came over asked for SS number and filled out a W-2g form. This money he won is now reported to the IRS. I guess this policy is up to the cruise lines but if this man was in a slot pull he would have been screwed as he would be responsible for taxes on a 1300+ win and he would have only received that amount divided by the number of players. Celebrity could change their policy at anytime so the best bet is to ask.

[Karen@Steve]

Just wanted to point out a couple of things as far as the slot pull. Not sure what ship you are going to arrange this but on the Summit in September after solstization we were in a slot pull. Not sure how it is on other Celebrity ships but the max denomination in the casino was 2 cents. The organizer who did a good job had us just hit the max play button which worked out to about 3 dollars per spin on the machine we were playing. We all put in $20 per person and I think we had about 7 spins. She figured it out and my figures may not be absoulutely correct.

 

Now another problem that may arise and that is taxes. Most people do not know that if even if you are out of the country and hit a big win, you are technically still responsible for US income taxes. On our slot pull in September we did well each winning around $150.00. This was because one of our group hit a hand pay. A hand pay is anything over $1200 and the casino will actually come over and give you the amount in your hand. In a US casino, they will automatically fill out a form and your winnings will be reported to the IRS. Our player hit a bonus for about 1400 plus. This was added to our winnings and everyone walked away happy because Celebrity did not take any info from the gentleman to report to the IRS. Perhaps this is a ship policy or Celebrity's policy, I don't know but it worked to our advantage. I was on NCL two weeks ago and a man next to me hit a bonus for 1300+, the attendent came over asked for SS number and filled out a W-2g form. This money he won is now reported to the IRS. I guess this policy is up to the cruise lines but if this man was in a slot pull he would have been screwed as he would be responsible for taxes on a 1300+ win and he would have only received that amount divided by the number of players. Celebrity could change their policy at anytime so the best bet is to ask.

 

Thanks for that information. We'll check it out. If we're that lucky I'm sure we can figure out a way to make it fair for 'winner'. Good thing to on the look for.

[BILL-WI]

Just wanted to point out a couple of things as far as the slot pull. Not sure what ship you are going to arrange this but on the Summit in September after solstization we were in a slot pull. Not sure how it is on other Celebrity ships but the max denomination in the casino was 2 cents. The organizer who did a good job had us just hit the max play button which worked out to about 3 dollars per spin on the machine we were playing. We all put in $20 per person and I think we had about 7 spins. She figured it out and my figures may not be absoulutely correct.

 

Now another problem that may arise and that is taxes. Most people do not know that if even if you are out of the country and hit a big win, you are technically still responsible for US income taxes. On our slot pull in September we did well each winning around $150.00. This was because one of our group hit a hand pay. A hand pay is anything over $1200 and the casino will actually come over and give you the amount in your hand. In a US casino, they will automatically fill out a form and your winnings will be reported to the IRS. Our player hit a bonus for about 1400 plus. This was added to our winnings and everyone walked away happy because Celebrity did not take any info from the gentleman to report to the IRS. Perhaps this is a ship policy or Celebrity's policy, I don't know but it worked to our advantage. I was on NCL two weeks ago and a man next to me hit a bonus for 1300+, the attendent came over asked for SS number and filled out a W-2g form. This money he won is now reported to the IRS. I guess this policy is up to the cruise lines but if this man was in a slot pull he would have been screwed as he would be responsible for taxes on a 1300+ win and he would have only received that amount divided by the number of players. Celebrity could change their policy at anytime so the best bet is to ask.

 

Was the NCL ship in US water at the time?

 

BILL