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[clwn2]

  Hey T, I can't believe you haven't had a dealt RF yet. Not that I'm calling you a liar or anything ut it's hard to fathom playing as many hands/sessions as you have and not gotten a dealt RF.Granted it took me nine years before I got mine but I've only gotten one more since then so I suppose it could be possible. New Gaming Guide coming out in 8 days! Good luck to you and maybe you'll be posting the pictures next!
 
HI ED, Yes it is a sorry state of affairs.  No dealt royals or redeals for that matter.  I have gotten one holding a single card..  None that I can remember with two held although that maybe CRS syndrome.  Most of mine have been with three or four to the royal.  I think I am behind with respect to total hands played to royals but I am not at the lowest end of the spectrum either.  Furthermore, now that you mention it my history lacks some of the glamor of others that I have heard but that is mainly due to opportunity and the lack of play of progressives and multi-play machines.  I have never had a taxable hit either.  My luck at higher than the quarter level is paltry.  I got AWK once at 50 cent level but usually I get pummeled when I try to advance. 
 
That brings to a story I know I have shared before but I am getting that urge again to share it.  One day at Pala Casino I was getting slaughtered on 9/5 DDB 50centers.  I mean I was getting killed.  I think on that session I was on my last twenty of the $500 I brought with me.  The machines had downed it in less than two hours.  As I was sitting there consumed in self pity I was observing this woman playing the $1 DDB progressive bank.  As I watched her play she hit AwK for $2400.  I am thinking good grief!  Any player knows how much fun it is watching someone else sit down and start hitting when you are lying on the ground, bloody from hand to hand combat on the Video Poker battlefield.   Anyway, back to the story.  This women goes on to hit the royal and 4wK. She never made a peep.  I congratulated her on the royal because she was right by me.  She did not even respond and I was thinking: Man if that was me the whole casino would have heard me howling.  I had to leave and I was in an awful mood for awhile.  Still have nightmares   
 
One more funny.  I hit my first royal in July of 1993.  I did not know much about Video poker but had been reading a book called "Video Poker Mania" by John Gollehan.  The book discussed different strategies of play.  There was an Optimum Strategy and a Royal Strategy.  I was using the Royal Strategy and was playing a draw poker machine.  I was dealt two aces and three to the royal.  I followed the strategy and held for and hit the Royal.  When I realized what had happened I was screaming " I hit the Royal" over and over!  Man, everyone in the casino knew what had happened!  To make a long story short, after I had calmed down I sat there to wait to be paid.  A short time later a man in a suit came walking up with a big smile on his face with a boom box playing the song "Celebrate good times".  I was sitting there with my girlfriend and I was saying to her;"Why is that guy so happy'?  He paid me with 9 $100 bills and 4 $20 bills and the rest were smaller bills. I was wondering why I was paid like that?  I guess I was so excited I did not stop to think about a tip.  This was the first jackpot I have ever won. You should have seen the look on the guys face when I thanked him for the $1000 and put it in my pocket!!  I remember walking out of the casino and my girlfiend said to me "Maybe we wer supposed to tip that guy"..  OOPs    

[EDC1977]

 First off, congratulations on the nice hits Boops! Secondly, Clwn, you didn't know any better and I doubt you'll ever see them again in your life(maybe). If you've anything to do with the service industry,you learn to appreciate tips and compliments about hard work. When I read about how much most people tip after a handpay, I kinda cringe knowing they can be a tad more generous. I'm sorta tied into that line of business however we don't accept tips,only compliments. I'm not suggesting to dump out your wallet, just be more generous if the situation warrants it. If, however Joe Blow AND his buddy the security guard both have their hands out for a gratuity, then I'm gonna stick to a frugal guideline.

[marie meijer]

BOOPSAHOY: Beautiful hit, now go do that in a casino!

[EDC1977]

BOOPSAHOY: That is SO beautiful - WAY to go!  What a great bankroll for your next casino trip!    My dear Marie, no offense but if you notice the details in Boop's post, you'll see that she hit that here online. It was however, still a nice hit!

[MikeA]

This is one of those "hot topics":  Who, When and How Much to Toke?I've got mixed emotions about hand pay tips.  I mean, they don't come tip me when I lose $1,200 but they are all there with their hands outstretched when I hit on that one out of umpty gazillion sessions!  And with VP, I don't consider it much of a favor when they comp us 1/2 what Slot Machine players get comped and then to add insult to injury, cut the paytables so that in some cases, the VP doesn't even pay much better than the Slots!In my case at the low levels of play, those hand pays come when you hit for 1,000 credits on some machines and for 2,000 or greater on others.  I'm talking about coin-droppers...not TITO.  I've asked and they only fill the machines I play with $100 in nickels (2,000 nickels).  So a $100 payout requires as hand pay!  On some of the machines, it is a hand pay for anything over $50.  And, they do "expect" a toke!I've nothing against toking a service person if they are providing me with a service.  The maids a the hotels at which I stay...I toke them if they keep the room clean and do not disturb me if I'm trying to sleep and if them bring me an iron and ironing board or other complimentary goodies during my stay.I toke the valet people if they get my car to me quickly and it isn't totally wrecked.I toke the waitresses if they serve me well.  I do not particularly hold it against the servers if the food isn't prepared properly, but if they get my order wrong, forget it.As for dealers at the blackjack tables...sometimes I will place a bet for them if they are really fast dealers and do not try to be comedians during the play.  If they acknowledge me as they cut the cards really deep, I'll DEFINITELY toke them!  On the other hand, I've seen tables at which every player (except me) toked them $1 a hand!  I'm quite sure the dealers loved them, but it is obvious that those players have no clue as to the ER on Blackjack or they would cut back on those tokes!But hand pays?  You didn't ask for the hand pay!  Especially on machines where jackpots REQUIRE hand pays if they exceed $1,200.  Do you look up a floor person to toke them 10% of your $200 win?  I'd be much more likely to toke them if they did something that provided me with a service.  Like turn the volume down on a machine, or adjust the display for a better view of the cards, or turn off the "automatic hold" or the default double down option!  But just for locking up my machine and making me wait while they hand carry your jackpot to you?  I'm reluctant to do that!  But then, it isn't "their fault" nor the fault of the casino that good Ole Unc Sugar requires that W2G action and the only way the casino can comply is by locking up the machine until they can record it.  Maybe the Government should toke the Casino employees a percentage of each hand pay since the Government is the only one receiving a service!There is no doubt that this is "one of those topics".  I do not think that those who do elect to toke for hand pay, or pay the Blackjack dealers more per hour in tokes than they get per hour for dealing are doing anything "wrong".  It's just a choice that I've justified to my own conscience over the years. 

[EDC1977]

   Mike, I can't sympathize enough your emotions thus I stated" if the situation warrants it". I recall 3 floor people to hand pay my $200 RF at Riverside casino. They all stared at me a though I just hit for $100,000. I calmly put out $5 and walked off knowing that was alot for a 2 bill jackpot. If its only 1 person who is kind enough to chat me up and try to get the money as efficiently as possible,damn straight I'm gonna tip em'. Gratuity if the service warrants it.

[BOOPSAHOY]

Thanks everyone-first ever dealt Royal and it had to be here???? ARG! Maybe this weekend in real life?

[clwn2]

Toking is a good topic. In my post above it was in complete ignorance that I did not toke.  That said, I agree with Mike regarding toking being equal to circumstances.  In the casinos I frequent the service is not consistent but it is not usually the attendants fault.  More likely than not the casino in question is understaffed and a few employees are left to do the job of many.  I generally toke 2% for jackpots.  That would be $10 for AwK and $20 for a royal at the quarter level.  I don't agree that you should pay more considering what the stakes are for gamblers who generally lose more than they win.  What particularly galls me is when a casino makes less than 2000 coin winners a handpay.  I refuse to tip for a $200 hand because usually I am getting what I just lost back.  I do believe in being considerate and conscious of the other staff as well.  Also like Mike, I leave a tip for the maid if the job was done well and there are few interruptions.  I will not tip if I get an 8am "Maid, Housekeeping" greeting from a maid that ignored the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door.  It does seem that some casinos do a better job than others at this.  If they wake me up they were too loud. 
 
Incidental, I over tipped my last Jackpot which was a $1000 royal. The attendant came up to me and he acted like I hit the lottery or something which kind of annoyed me.  But I did not hold it against him and tipped him and the change girl a twenty each.  It had been so long since my last one that I forgot how much I usually tip.  Furthermore, to add insult to injury the machine flat out died and swallowed up another c note in a flash.
Another case where I over tipped was during my trip to Vegas during New Years.  I had this DDB game spitting out everything under the sun except the royal, of course.  Unfortunately for me we were about to break for dinner when I started playing it and four hours later I was famished and cross eyed.  I tipped the attendant $10 to hold the machine for me while I ate.  When we got back to the machine I tipped her another twenty because I was doing so well.  I actually had to stop my wife because she was tipping the cashier every time she cashed tickets for me. I think she was giving them $5 at a time??  Apparently she was excited to see the machine pay out so much.  She has not had that experience yet, she is a real newbie!!  Fortunately I have gotten her interested in VP but she still like the nickel idiot boxes(my nickname for all these new fangled amusement park type games).
 
Sorry to go on and on, I will stop here

[EDC1977]

Thanks everyone-first ever dealt Royal and it had to be here???? ARG! Maybe this weekend in real life?  Hey Boops,every VP player is due his or her dealt royal.Some,more than others and we all know you'll be posting your pictures real soon so don't despair because Eduardo keeps hoarding all the royals for himself. Just stay vigilent and it will come!  

[BOOPSAHOY]

Hope you are right ED!