Lost Soul Etiquette

[Lucky Larry]

billyjoe/marie,

I can understand your concerns. Our playing situation is usually very different. At the Isle we play in large bedroom sized room with 18 VP machines located at the end of the hall to the men's restroom. Since most of the players are regulars we watch out for each other or pull our tickets if we take a break and a regular is not around.

We also know the major ticket thief who often plays with us- a little old lady (I'll call her Gladys). Gladys plays plays 1 hand x 1 credit. She will grab a machine thats left unattended briefly in a minute, pull the player's card and add her one or two dollars and start play. She's always apologetic and sure that was her money when the player returns. Since the regulars have called her out several times and know to watch out for new players she's toned down her attempts.

I did see one thief grab an unattended ticket and head for the door around 2 a.m. one morning. The player tackled him as he reached the top of the escalator yelling for security the whole time at top of his lungs. We all applauded on the player's return. Not bad for a 50+ guy catching a 21 something youngster.   

When we play $ VP especially at large casinos we tend to be very attentive to the surrounding and I usually will stop and watch any suspicious activity around me. This is especially true since we like to play the 100% return Red Rock machines that are usually located just inside the doors.

[pkrplr4116]

Two different things happened when I tried to help to different women this week. One gal was playing a $2,336 25¢ denom progressive and was dealt a flush with 4 to the royal. A fellow and I had to beg her to toss the suited low card. She had been losing ALOT and didn't want to lose the value of the flus. We finally prevailed and she hit the royal. Good for her, as she admitted she had asked her husband if she could play his BR to try for this progressive and he said yes.

Yesterday at another casino, a woman was teaching someone else, prob her mother in law on a 10 coin 5¢ progressive. She was dealt 4 to a flush with 3 to the royal. She had read 'the sheet' whatever that was. I assume it was Dancer's strat guide. She said to the elderly lady, its 4 to the flush, lets play for the flush. All of the progressives, that should have been $400 were just under $1,000. I said yes, that's right, but what are you here to hit? A flush or the royal? the royal she said and went for the royal. She didn't hit it, but the same suited card ame up as the card card out of the draw and she was ballistic that she missed the flush. I calmly said, the first card, on the left was going to have been her card. she insisted it wouldn't have been and she'd have gotten the flush. I said the cards come out from left to right, not one from behind the other. she said in a very authoritarian voice, "I'm not debating this with you." I said, fine but you would not have had that heart where you needed it.
Moral of the story? When attempting to talk to someone who knows it all, let than do what they want. Less aggrevation.

[marie meijer]

Welcome to forum, 4116. You and LL both provided interesting posts that keep us thinking! Once, a woman kept watching my play and telling me how she would have played several hands. She claimed, more than once, that she had been playing VP for a very long time, implying this made her an authority. I ignored her, won a bundle and was happy when she left. I noticed she had nothing to cash out.

[BillyJoe]

How come it always seems that there is a woman involved in these stories?
 
In reference to running down ticket thieves, I want some props then. One of this year's thieves was, you guessed it, a woman. I had gotten up for a second to ask my wife something. She was on the machine backed up to mine. The 'lady' hit that cash-out button, grabbed the ticket, and took off. I, of course, was right on her heels, and @ 62 with an artificial knee and a repaired ankle ligament, it wasn't easy. I didn't have to tackle her, but when I did catch up to her, she just handed me the ticket and ran.
 
I will take that round of applause now..    

[Tedlark]

 
  Here you go billy, a 21 clap salute...

[ginfre]

that is a hug emotican

[marie meijer]

[Tedlark]

ginfre I sincerely apologize for my breach of emoticon etiquette, I apparently do not have the expertise in this as you do. I am humbled and I bow to your expertise. Oops I almost forgot, you spelled it wrong, it is con and not can.

[Burtwithau]

If I'm playing VP and I am distracted by or assisting others I put my hand over the cashout button to ensure that thieves don't try to lay hands on my meager credits.  I do remember one strange occurrence that occurred when playing VP in downtown LV (Las Vegas Club) about 10 years ago.  It was around 7:00 AM and I was in the casino at a .25 VP bank when alarms sounded.  The regular house lights went out and the emergency lights kicked on. Employees, mostly maintenance folks, started running through the casino.  This lasted about 30 minutes.  During this period all of the table games were halted.  Us VP players were only distracted for a fraction of that time as we went back to playing as they didn't evacuate the casino.  It was a bit surreal to play in the dimly lit casino during the alarms and confusion but hey, nobody was stopping us.I found out later that a lady had hung a dress, a wedding dress no less, from the sprinkler head in their hotel room.  The sprinkler tripped which resulted in the fire alarm also being set off.  I bet that wedding party remembers the day vividly.

[marie meijer]

Great story, Burt! It was the week of Halloween following 9-11 and we were in the Stratosphere in Vegas. We had just seen funny VIVA LAS VEGAS, an afternoon vaudeville style skit. Some peeps were saying they would never fly again. Jittery sums up the prevailing feeling. An alarm sounded. The P A system announcement: "Everyone stop playing and just stay where you are!" Strangers just stared at each other without exchanging words. Too weird! This never happened before or after, to us. My husband and I had agreed to meet up later so we had no idea where to find each other at that moment. Eventually, it was announced it was a false alarm. WHEW!