Posted 24 November 2007 - 08:28 AM
This is not exactly a glamourous story like the ones above. No massive streaks or jackpots but more of an awakening for me.
Wednesday just gone, me and a work mate got to spend our dinner hour in Cleethorpes and we hit the arcades. I was armed with a solitary tenner so beefed that up a tad with another £20 from a cash machine. So off we went.
First machine was a 10p £5JP Deal or no Deal. They do seem quite fun to play on 20p with the last reel active, but not when it's giving no third holds and going to LOSE very quickly on the board. I shoved about £8 into this and somehow became invincible. I headed for the streak but the cash ladder filled up first and auto collected for the £5. No repeat so I was £3 down.
My work buddy was playing a 10p £5JP Party Time with the big LCD. I put about a fiver into that for no wins whatsoever. My buddy didn't fare any better to be honest, so we moved onto another 10p £5JP multiplayer game with top reels. Another £5 in and absolutely nothing for the both of us. My buddy cleared off into the 'Casino' area of the arcade and I played a few more pounds into Party Time and won a solitary pound.
So £12 down and no real excitement from the 10p play games, I moved into the casino area too where all the over 18's games were. My buddy was playing a Rainbow Riches and doing crap and I played the machine next to it. A sort of casino cabinate thing with BAR's, Blue 7's and red X's at 50p a go. I think the wins were something like £10 for Bars, £20 for X's and £35 for blue 7's. I shoved a tenner in and got absolutely nothing. My buddy was cursing as he was getting wins on Rainbow Riches but the wins were like 20p. Not good at all on 50p a go.
Down to my last dreggs of coinage, I moved onto the £25JP Party Time in there and watched a few other players playing on Elvis and a Party Games Slotto. Party Time ate my last few coins quickly on the crappy 30p play stake. I thought I'd give up but my buddy was still persisting. Plus all my money had gone in little over 10 minutes and the closest I had got to having some fun was getting invincible on that DOND I went on first.
I find it disgusting that arcades have cash machines that charge you £1.50 to take out your own cash and have always refused to use them. But I made the mistake of using one this day. I drew out another £30 and returned to the casino area. This was my limit, I would spend no more.....
£9 went into Party Time and it was looking glum. Just one single pound win and the rage coming over me as it paused and decided I looked too sad for it to go up onto the top reels. Another £3 in, and bugger all.
I moved on to the bullion bars and noticed nearby, my buddy still punting the odd few pounds into the video screen Slotto type machines. £6 into Bullion Bars and once again, absolutely nothing. Could arcades have become such nasty places that even a few small wins here and there are denied to the player? Money running out fast, I moved onto a 3 player 'Red Hot Roll' at 30p play £25JP, and about 8 spins in, I had that warm feeling as I hit a mixed streak. The best result of the day, or so I thought. It went for a colossus £6. I felt like blubbing. Losing most definately isn't any fun but even winning sucks. Especially when it's so hard to get a win and it falls way short of your expectations. Armed with about £12 in coins, I thought to myself, I may as well shove it in one of these £1 a go jobbies. I was pure and simply dejected to the point that I just simply wanted to throw my money away and have done with the whole experience.
So off I went. I believe the machine was called Reno Reels or something. I shoved the whole £12 in and as expected, the money went down awarding me stupid wins for 50p here and £1 there. But something strange happened. Something rather unexpected. 4 blue plums dropped in for a fiver. At this point, I didn't raise an eyebrow but when the fiver paid into the winbank, the two centre plums turned into little mini fruit machines with coloured 7's in them. Now you may laugh at my excitement especially with you lot all getting hundreds of pounds in wins on this type of machine, but I pressed start and the first little fruit machine span to 3 red 7's. I nearly fainted when £25.00 popped up above them and paid into the bank. The other mini game spun to 3 yellow 7's and paid £10. I pressed start again and both mini games spun to 3 blue sevens for a fiver a piece. I was shaking like hell with all the excitement and pressed start again. The first mini game gave a losing winline and ended but the second spun in 3 red 7's for another £25.00. Start again for a further £10, Start again for a further £5 and then a losing spin. Add to that the initial £5 from the 4 plums, £90 was the total and I grabbed the lot instantly, legging it thinking something was wrong. Walking out of the casino with my hands cupped full of pound coins. My buddy saw this and couldn't believe it. I pocketed the coins and pointed out the machine I had just won on. He's been playing the game next to it a little time earlier and not fared well so I put £5 coins into it. He walked away in disgust as I got 2 lines of red 7's for 2 x £25.00. Not trying my luck anymore, I headed for the cash desk and swapped all I could for £20 notes. £140 I had claimed in such a bizzare fashion. Minus my initial £60 and the profit I had made was still respectable.
After the buzz faded, I sort of realised how stupid I was. I could have lost a fortune on these types of machines. Wether that last £12 in coins really would have been the last, and I had not gone back to the £1.50 a go cash machine, I'm not so sure. So I was happy I had made a few quid but a little frightened at what these games could potentially do. I think me being so dejected playing the normal machines and winning nothing was the reason I played the casino games in the first place. I'm a little intrigued by the large jackpots but I think I have the mental ability to stay well clear and not become a regular player of these sorts of machines. I feel in order to ever win say a £500 jackpot, I will need to stake much much more than that to even have a chance. That scares me enough from punting no more than a few stray pound coins.
