Really Surprised: Penny and Nickle Slot Machines....

[sail7seas]

I commented in my recent Maasdam thread that I was shocked to see so many penny and nickle slot machines. I think there were almost as many of them as quarter machines.

 

We were amazed. I don't remember that from any other ships. Have any of you noticed this on other ships (HAL or otherwise)?

 

If that is the case, I think it indicative that many cruisers are carefully monitoring their onboard spending.

 

Quarter machines used to dominate and for there to be so few, one has to think they aren't being used enough to substantiate giving them space.

 

Or, in the alternative, I did wonder if part of the 'theory' is to put lots of low domination machines to keep the partners/spouses/friends of black jack, craps and roulette players happy so they'll stay in the casino longer.

 

DH no longer plays at the tables hardly at all (he never did play very much) but if he was playing and I was bored and didn't want to keep feeding a quarter machine, we'd leave. So, maybe they figure if they provide penny machines, the bored partners of gamblers at table games will stay longer???

 

What do you think?

[CrystalLady]

There were penny and nickel machines on my recent Crystal cruise. I couldn't believe my eyes. But the slots have followed the Vegas trend of offering only scrip - no more the jingle of coins and carrying buckets-full of coins/tokens when you've won (alright - on those RARE occasions when you've won).

 

While I'm sure they must be out there, I have yet to talk to anyone who prefers scrip to the feel of money. :(

[bruceh4]

I commented in my recent Maasdam thread that I was shocked to see so many penny and nickle slot machines. I think there were almost as many of them as quarter machines.

 

We were amazed. I don't remember that from any other ships. Have any of you noticed this on other ships (HAL or otherwise)?

 

If that is the case, I think it indicative that many cruisers are carefully monitoring their onboard spending.

 

Quarter machines used to dominate and for there to be so few, one has to think they aren't being used enough to substantiate giving them space.

 

Or, in the alternative, I did wonder if part of the 'theory' is to put lots of low domination machines to keep the partners/spouses/friends of black jack, craps and roulette players happy so they'll stay in the casino longer.

 

DH no longer plays at the tables hardly at all (he never did play very much) but if he was playing and I was bored and didn't want to keep feeding a quarter machine, we'd leave. So, maybe they figure if they provide penny machines, the bored partners of gamblers at table games will stay longer???

 

What do you think?

Beware of the penny and nickel slot machines, they can cost you more than a quarter machine. In the normal quarter machine the most you can play on one throw is 75 cents. On the penny and nickel machines you can spend several dollars on one throw. As an example on some penny machines you can play 10 lines times 10 coins which is one dollar. Some even more. Dont worry HAL knows what they are doing and making more money!!!!!

[seniormiss]

There were penny and nickel machines on my recent Crystal cruise. I couldn't believe my eyes. But the slots have followed the Vegas trend of offering only scrip - no more the jingle of coins and carrying buckets-full of coins/tokens when you've won (alright - on those RARE occasions when you've won).

 

While I'm sure they must be out there, I have yet to talk to anyone who prefers scrip to the feel of money. :(

 

I am one who much prefers scrip, it much easier to deal with. Also the penny and nickel machines cost much more than the quarter machines to play. Don't let those penny and nickle signs fool you.

[sail7seas]

Wow........ you folks are good.

I never even stopped to look at the penny or nickel machines so did not know how they could run into bigger money that I thought.

 

I'll take a look at them when we return to Maasdam in August.

Now I'm really curious to take a better look.

 

Thanks for the info......

 

And Hi, Crystal Lady. :) Interesting you saw the same thing on Crystal.

[Ephraim]

I've seen penny machines with coin ins of 20 ways and up to 50 coins per line. That's $10 a spin. And the Las Vegas Megabucks on a penny machine is 300 coins or $3 a spin. A normal 25c machine takes 2 to 5 coins or 50c to $1.25 a spin. And a normal $1 machine is 2 to 3 coins, $2 to $3 a spin.

 

Incidentally, Americans are generally better off paying $1 machines that have a maximum payout of $1199, since no declaration to the IRS has to be paid.

 

Foreigners on the ship don't have to worry about tax, it's only Americans who have their winnings declared.

[arzz]

I concur with other posters -- the penny and nickel slots can cost you much more per "pull" than the old quarter machines depending on how you play them (how much you bet on these machines is deceptively flexible) -- HAL definitely knows what it is doing -- also there are many out there who prefer the video format because of the "amusing" bonus rounds, etc.

[sail7seas]

Wow....... Glad I asked the questions. I had no idea. :)

 

[WillieF]

Penny and nickel machines have always been around - they do cost you more - tried them only once - much better return for $1.00!:)

[jhannah]

Las Vegas eschewed them for a long time. Coin handling cost more than their take. But now with the coinless machines and high buy-ins as noted above they're more than profitable.

 

Sail I believe you're right on the money with your theory. There are some folks who "don't want to gamble" but will still feel better putting pennies or buffaloes into a machine while their spouse is playing.

[RevNeal]

I don't pay much attention to slot machines, however I have been known to kill a little time by dropping a few dollars into a poker machine. They don't hold my attention too long -- I prefer people interaction -- but I did win the progressive jack pot on a ship several years back. That was very nice, even though I had to pay tax on it (it was more than the maximum allowed).

[sail7seas]

Congrats, Greg. That must have been very exciting!!! :D

 

 

 

[kakalina]

We love the penny and nickel slots. If you make the normal one penny 15 line bet you can entertain yourself for quite awhile on $20. It is an inexpensive way to spend some time on sea days. While not a true ''gambler'' I enjoy whiling away some time on the lesser slots. The videos can be quite fun, especially a certain Garfield machine on the Amsterdam. It asks trivia questions and I am a sucker for trivia.

[mafig]

I prefer the paper payout -- I believe it's called TITO = ticket in, ticket out.

 

In the past if you won (yeah, I know, rarely), you'd have a bucket full of coins, then you'd have to go to the cashier, with your dirty hands.

 

Now, you get a "ticket." You can put it into another machine, like money, or go to another machine, insert the ticket, and get your cash back.

 

I enjoy the penny and nickle machines.

Most are interactive and entertaining....and you can certainly bet more $ than the quarter machines. My dh usually makes the mistake of hitting the "maximum bet" button at least once, and all his $ disappears in one bet. Then he blames me because I "distracted" him.

[CruiseBumm]

Wow........ you folks are good.

I never even stopped to look at the penny or nickel machines so did not know how they could run into bigger money that I thought.

 

I'll take a look at them when we return to Maasdam in August.

Now I'm really curious to take a better look.

 

Thanks for the info......

 

And Hi, Crystal Lady. :) Interesting you saw the same thing on Crystal.

 

I once hit a 25009( $125) nickel jackpot and keept playing and be for I even relized it it was all gone in less than 10 soins, OUCH!.:rolleyes:

[jhannah]

I once hit a 25009( $125) nickel jackpot and keept playing and be for I even relized it it was all gone in less than 10 soins, OUCH!.:rolleyes:

Which is exactly what the odds tell the casino that you'll do.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I reported this a long time ago when I fell in love with Garfield - a penny machine.

 

But unfortunately he isn't on the S class ships - just the R class ships.

[Oceanwench]

We've played the nickel slots a lot on Vista ships. I seem to do better [and play longer] than on the quarter machines. Plus, the bonus rounds are fun and you can really make $$$.

A couple years ago on the Westerdam, DH -- who is a roulette player, but his numbers weren't hitting -- came over to where I was on the nickel machines.

He put $20 in, had no idea what he was doing, and started punching buttons.

He got to a bonus round.

He asked a person nearby what he was supposed to do.

The person told him "pick one of those mosquitoes."

He did ... and ended up winning more than $300!

 

I have to think he was playing the maximum bet, to win that much!

 

Some people who aren't familiar with nickel machines don't quite get the betting.

My sister -- who is into the dollar machines -- insisted that if I bet 9 lines and 5 on each line on a nickel machine, I'd be spending 45 cents.

I told her no -- I would be spending 45 nickels.

 

So it is very, very easy to spend more in a single bet on a nickel machine than in a single bet on a quarter machine.

[CrystalLady]

I have a friend who usually has good luck playing penny machines. As for me, the machine has good luck taking my $$ VERY quickly. I simply walk away. :( I'd be grateful for a little play time, at least!

 

Yes, Sail, even Crystal has the deceptive small-denomination bandits now whereas their least expensive slots used to be 25 cents.

 

Some other friends of mine just returned from Laughlin, NV - the casinos there are offering lots of penny and nickel machines, too. I guess it's "monkey see, monkey do".

[serendipity1499]

I usually play the nickle machines but not usually the max. bet..I hardly ever win anything, but that's OK with me..I only allow myself approx $100 per trip...That's my fun money..DH does not gamble & always goes back to the cabin when I'm in the casino with our friends..

 

On the other hand, my Friend always wins! One year she won almost $1500 which she put away!..She never spends her winnings & has a certain amount of $$ she allots herself for fun.. On a sea day on the Crown, we were in the casino & I lost my daily allotment..My friend suggested we each put $5.00 into the nickle machine that I had been playing...In fact we threw her DH off the machine;) ...(He's still complains about that) LOL..Well we won $90.00 together..Was I excited.:D Had my Friends DH wake my DH from his afternoon nap to see the big payoff ! ;)

 

Enjoy your cruises folks..:) Betty

[hikergirl]

The Ryndam still pays out in coins, which is rather cumbersome when you win or want to cash out because the machine seems cold. We played the penny machines, but they paid out in nickels. So, when you won say $30, you would have to sit and wait for the machine to pay out and then you had a big bucket of nickels that you had to take to the cashier. Many times there were not enough coins in the hopper and someone had to call the attendant. When the machine uses a ticket payout, it's a lot easier to cash out, and then put the voucher in a different machine. This is the way they do it in Vegas and most other slot casinos I have been too. There were only 6 penny machines on the Ryndan. We like the penny and nickel machines because they are like video games and are fun when you get the bonus games. You do have to be careful how you bet. If you bet 15 lines at 3 cents a line, you are only paying 45 cents a spin. My favorite game on the ship was Lucky Lemmings.

[Solo Cruiser]

I used to get to Las Vegas a couple of tiimes of year and noticed that the nickel and penny machines were tucked way in the back and there weren't many of them. Since I moved to the east coast I get to Atlantic City about 4 times a year and the same was true there when I first started going. But the last 2 times I went I see where they are taking out some of the quarter machines and replacing them with nickel and penny machines. Yes, the casino can make more money off the lower denomination machines and that is the only reason they are becoming more prevalent. I like the paper ticket instead of the money too. No more walking around with slot fingers. :D

[osiebosie]

Well, I love to gamble, and look forward to the machines on Maasdam. Glad to know there are plenty of penny slots.

 

They are not really penny slots if you play max, as some have mentioned. They are usually $2 or $3 slots, sometimes up to $10. But I play max, and so am very careful about which machines I pick to play. I have hit several times on pennies. My son-in-law hit 3200.00 on a penny slot, max bet was $2.00.

 

In Tunica MS, at Sam's Town, I saw a woman hit 36,000.00 on a penny slot. Yep, that's right, thirty-six thousand dollars plus some change. She was playing the unicorn one, where they unicorns all go wild, and she had three lions lined up. Her bet was $2.10. Nice return.

 

Can't wait to go, and glad to hear I'll have some gambling to do,

 

Shay

[Philip217]

By far the #1 complaint about casinos on mass market ships today is the shortage of penny and nickel slot machines. In the long run, they do not generate as much income per machine as the other slots. But the cruising public has brainwashed themselves into thinking that these machines are somehow cheaper to operate.

In most cases the cruise lines provide what the public demands. You want more penny slots - you get them.

[Copper10-8]

By far the #1 complaint about casinos on mass market ships today is the shortage of penny and nickel slot machines. In the long run, they do not generate as much income per machine as the other slots. But the cruising public has brainwashed themselves into thinking that these machines are somehow cheaper to operate.

In most cases the cruise lines provide what the public demands. You want more penny slots - you get them.

 

Hate it when that happens! And Dr. Evil usually has nothing to do with it;)