Atlantic City Las Vegas Slot Machines

Dick Clarks Censored Bloopers Video Slots

2005-12-27T05:32:00.000-08:00

Dick Clark's Censored Bloopers Video Slots

I think Dick Clark has a record of some sort for the most and longest lasting variety of video slots on the casino floor. This entry has been around awhile and is still popular. Why? Well, it is an easy to play and understand game with a 9 line 45 coin max bet, perfect for nickels. Decent game, nothing too special but it contains all the elements we are comfortable with. No need to read the how to play screen here, a couple dozen spins and you will have the patterns down. 3 stars
In a "perfect" world nobody makes mistakes. But that's bore-ing! Thank goodness for the lighthearted fun we enjoy by being human - taking a pratfall and laughing at ourselves when we make " Bloopers ™!" Now, you can spin up a storm of laughs and surprises with a slot machine that captures some of life's most embarrassing moments: the Dick Clark’s Censored Bloopers ™ game, complete with game-action voiceovers by Dick Clark, plus amusing Blooper bonuses that reward you with bigger wins, and provide entertainment through a variety of hilarious antics and film clips.
Colorful custom reel symbols simply shout fun in this wacky 5-reel game. A variety of animated Blooper symbols act out comical situations like a bikini top coming undone, a man losing his shorts, a baby who can't wait for his diaper... and others that all bring a smile. When two or more Joy Buzzer Scatter symbols show up anywhere on the reels, the Scatter win is multiplied by total credits bet.
Catch three Cigar Scatter symbols and you are treated to the amusing Cigar™ bonus. The screen changes to a stage scene where five contestants line up, each ready to light a cigar. Following Dick Clark's instructions, and using the touchscreen, select one of the contestants. With a puff of smoke and a classic vaudeville bang - the cigar explodes and bonus win credits appear for the chosen contestant.
When three movie Clapboard symbols line up on an active payline, the Censored Bloopers™ bonus begins! An animated image of Dick Clark appears on stage next to a grid of 15 tiles. Each tile conceals a color-coded credit value, or a Wild animated multiplier that increases winnings by 2-, 3- or 5-times. Touching the screen reveals the hidden color and credit value, and when three green, blue or red tiles are revealed, bonus credits are tallied on the meter. Dick then introduces a riotous film clip featuring a slapstick - or censored - "Blooper" selected from the game's extensive library of surprises.

Carnival of Mystery

2005-12-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

This new video slot if for the fans of the off kilter world of puppet people, bizarre antics, and generally a carnival of strange. It is a bit mesmerizing to play; first the symbols appear quite out there. Next, the game boasts a 243 different ways to win, believe me, playing cold gives you a lot to pay attention to. I guess I found the game interesting as I was consumed by what was to come next, and besides I was winning. I played at 25 line 2-credit spins for a $2.50 a spin. I did get some ugly small hits that had me ready to bail, especially with the non-hits mixed in. But every so often a 3 scatter would come by for 300 credits, or a weird hit, I can't explain it and did not read the pay table, Just trust me when those 243 winning combinations include a lot of bizarre wins. I had some fun discovering new ways, but for the life of me I could not figure out any tried and true patterns to the madness of the base game. Grudgingly, I am accepting these mega-line games. I guess seeing a nice 12,000 credit on one machine and a neighbor that cashed out fore over $100 on another, made me curious to give the game some spins.
The main event, the bonus game, you need 5, but they did come out 3 times in the two sessions I played, is pretty generous. Although it did not always seem that way, the actual individual bonus games seemed to pay low, but added up with multipliers, I netted close to or over $100 each bonus I played. You can get the extra bonus games and that seemed to happen on 2 of the rounds where I got to play all 3, one I did get 2 bonus games. The bonus rounds maintain that carnival feel. Check the game out play all2 5 lines, one credit if you must but the game is worth looking into and seems fun, especially for the more bizarrely entertained of us. 3 stars

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Carnival of Mystery® MultiWay® Video Slots

Mystery and enchantment will delight you as you travel through this rich carnival of characters. Bonuses filled with jesters, puppets and magical floating spheres will hold you in suspense. This 5-reel game includes our new MultiWay™ wagering feature: letting you buy reel positions instead of lines creates more ways to win!
Available as:

Platform
Game King - Enhanced Video Slots
Configuration
5-Reel, 243-Way
Max Bet
1,250
Top Award
250,000

OVERVIEW PROGRAMS
MODEL INFO MKTG SUPPORT
MultiWay

Perfect for Pennies

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Overview

Top Glass

Bottom Glass

Mystery and enchantment will delight you as you travel through this rich carnival of characters. Bonuses filled with jesters, puppets and magical floating spheres will hold you in suspense. This 5-reel game includes our new MultiWay™ wagering feature: letting you buy reel positions instead of lines creates more ways to win!
Jesters Games Bonus

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Five Jesters Games symbols in any winning combination triggers this bonus. Touch a circular box to start one of three sub-bonuses.

Floating Balls Sub-Bonus

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Three balls open up to reveal a credit value, then spin to change positions. Select a ball. In addition to credits, a ticket to another sub-bonus may be awarded.

Evade the Jester Sub-Bonus

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Select from a large grid of tiles which reveal credit values, and possibly a ticket to another sub-bonus. Continue to select tiles until a jester appears, which ends the bonus round.

Puppet Sub-Bonus

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Select two or three puppets. Each puppet reveals a 1-digit credit value, along with a possible ticket to another sub-bonus.

Top Reel Award

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Five Carnival of Mystery™ symbols in any position from left to right, with max bet, wins the top award

TRIPLE STARS

2005-12-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

Triple Stars is a decent game with the simple 8 line format. While it is a video slot, it is based on reel style symbols. Not too hard to figure out, the base game lines are straight paylines and diaganol. The bonus is a bit tough to come by, but you can have some extended play time on this game as the hits come around often. 2 1/2 stars.
The fun spinning reel you love is now available in a video slot version - with some exciting new bonus game features.
Game Play Features

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3 reels in a 5- or 9-line version
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Scatter pays and bonus game

Catch A Falling Star Bonus

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Initiated by three Catch A Falling Star symbols on a played line
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Select one of the three bonus symbols to reveal the number of picks they receive
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Select from three levels of bonus stars, starting with the top level
The selected stars reveal a credit amount or a "falling star" which advances players to the next level where the bonus credit amounts are higher
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Bonus game ends when the number of picks reaches zero or when players make it to the third level

Top Reel Award

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Three Triple Stars™ symbols on a played line with max bet

Wild Bear

2005-12-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

The original Wild Bear video slot machine has basically been replaced by the Wild Bear Salmon Run version. This early game has some of the base imgaes and design down, but in retrospect falls short of the excitement of the newest version. If you still find the game around, give it a few spins for nostalgia sake, but you are likely to enjoy Salmon Run more, but that's not to say you may not win bigger on the old version. 2 1/2 stars.
Chase after grizzlies with Wild Bear®!
This game brings the denizens of the forest into your casino for a naturally fun game.
When you press the Spin Reels button, deer, raccoons, wolves, hawks and bears take over the woods along with poker symbols (nine through ace). Country music accompanies the reel spin action, adding to the woodland appeal of this game.
When the reels stop, all winning symbol combinations are boxed and highlighted, making it easy to see what you’ve won. All pays are left-to right, except when two or more hawk symbols come in for a landing in any positionto award a scatter pay. The bear symbol is truly "wild," substituting for all symbols.
This 5-reel, 15-line, 75-coin maximum bet, video spinning reel nickel game is easy to play and has the best in graphics and sound.
You'll have a naturally good time playing the Wild Bear® game!

Sea Monkeys

2005-12-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

Sea Monkeys is a new-involved mega-line slot game from IGT. The game is available in 25-line versions with a 200 max credit in penny form, or in a multi-denominational format, penny, 2 cents, and nickels. The game features the bizarre little back of the comic book ads critters and their equally bizarrely looking family and friends. The graphics aside, the game can be quite entertaining and quite frustrating. The base game seems to provide some decent play; my initial sessions were at 25 lines 2 credits per line in nickels. The game held on for a well played 15 minutes where the credits that started at 2000, hovered around the range give a few hundred above and take a few hundred away. Finally, after nearing the 1500 range the bonus game appeared. This is one involved bonus, you select a ticket and get started on some free spins. The spins are rather cheap on credits, but don't worry, you can hope for another ticket and end up with a multiplier or additional free spins. The tickets come up often during the free spins, the issue is that even with a hefty multiplier and a decent number of spins remaining, one seems to get sparse hits from the second string of weird characters. You will also accumulate some diamonds if lucky, these are collected and then played after the spin bonus is completed, another screen appears and you select random diamonds for your reward credits. There is some range in the hidden values of the diamonds, I saw from a couple hundred credits to ones worth several thousands.
Definitely a game to explore, be it in pennies or nickels, it is an adventure with a huge potential in the bonus game, but beware that same bonus may contain a lot of ups and downs and end in a rather small win. 3 stars.

Kingpin Bowling Video Slots

2005-12-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

Kingpin Bowling Video Slots
I have not played this video slot too much but it is readily available in penny and nickels in Atlantic City casinos. Trump Taj Mahal has many of the games. It features some nice artwork and a decent bonus game.The hit frequency was decent but I did not get the bonus too often. I would suggest playing max lines at 1 or 2 credits per line to get a feel for the game, and possibly a better ratio of bonus games. 3 stars.

Take a trip down to the old home alley for the fun “reel” bowling of the 5-reel, 25-line Kingpin Bowling Video Reel Slots game. With comic 3-D “Turkey” animation and the challenge of wobbly split, spare, strike bonus game play, crowds in embroidered polyester and two-tones will be lining up to enjoy a frame or two.
Available as:

Platform
Game King - Video Slots
Configuration
5-Reel, 25-Line
Max Bet
Variable
Top Award
10,000

OVERVIEW PROGRAMS
MODEL INFO MKTG SUPPORT

BACK TO TOP
Overview

Top Glass

Bottom Glass
Take a trip down to the ol’ home alley for the fun “reel” bowling of the 5-reel, 25-line Kingpin Bowling™ Video Reel Slots game. With comic 3-D “Turkey” animation and the challenge of wobbly split, spare, strike bonus game play, crowds in embroidered polyester and two-tones will be lining up to enjoy a frame or two.

* Game Play Features Base game play features 5-reel, 25-line action
* Fruit-flavored bowling ball symbols, a rock’a’billy soundtrack, and three lanes of bonus game play
* 20 coins per line wager for a 500 coin max bet

* Scatter Pay When 2 or more dynamic “king pin of the reels” Turkey symbols land on reels 2, 3, and 4 become sets of pins at the end of a bowling lane, up to 5 times the wager is paid for the each strike rolled down the reels

* Trophy Challenge™ Bonus Initiated when three animated bowling trophy figurine symbols land on reels 2, 3, and 4 of a played line
* Press the left, center, or right on-screen Bowl button to roll ten full frames at the “King Pin Alley” for a score that pays
* Each frame allows 2 attempts to knock down pins with the number of pins knocked down awarded unless a spare or strike is bowled
* Spares and strikes are scored just like a real bowling card:
o 10 pins plus the next roll for a spare, 10 plus the next two rolls for a strike
o Bowling a strike or spare in the 10th frame awards a third throw
o Points are paid for the sum of all 10 frames times bonus multipliers awarded for consecutive strikes

* Gobble Wobble™ Bonus Initiated when three tipsy gobbler symbols land on reels 1, 2, and three of a played line
* Pick one pin from an 8-by-5 grid of pins to start it wobbling
* Each pin that wobbles over, starting other pins teetering, pays up to 125 times the line bet times the number of initiating lines

* Top Award Land five wild Kingpin Bowling™ game symbols, with max bet, for a top awards of up to 14,316,764 credits

Party Time! Mystery Progressives

2005-12-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

Coming soon to Atlantic city
Party Time! Mystery Progressives
All (5-Reel)
Available Games - Recent Releases

* Mystical Mermaid Party™ Enhanced Video Slots
* Penny Party™ Slots
* Seven Times Pay Party™ Slots
* It's My Party™ Enhanced Video Slots
* Party Fantastico™ Enhanced Video Slots
* Trailer Park Party™ Enhanced Video Slots

GET THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY STARTED!
This six-level mystery progressive has all the hottest features your players desire: a free spin bonus and frequent mid-level progressive wins! What’s more, it’s Perfect for Pennies™. We’re also featuring Tipsy, our lucky animated elephant, on the LCD monitors as well as dazzling signage and enhanced game play to entice your players. Party on!
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Game Features

* Available on our Game King®, Reel Touch™, and S2000™ platforms.
* Offers operator-selectable, single-denomination versions that you can match to your players’ preferences.
* Greater bets increase likelihood of winning the Party Time! progressive, encouraging higher wagers.
* Progressive is linked to a robust variety of IGT games on the Party Time! in-house link system.
* The Party Time! library allows for mixed or independent theme game banks.
* Linked, multi-progressive game play with the IGT Progressive Controller can handle up to 63 games at once, and offers a selection of payback percentages and reset amounts.
* Eye-catching top box with 19” flat screen LCD monitors displays six progressive jackpot levels.
* The Party Time! mode features the hit song, "Let’s Get This Party Started."
* Our animated character, Tipsy the lucky elephant, is featured on the game top box as well as the overhead 40” LCD monitor for packaged game banks.

Game Play

* Features Party Time! mystery bonusing – free spins bonus and six progressive jackpots provide added wagering incentive.
* When the progressive is triggered, the player is awarded 10 free spins, which play automatically on a 3 x 5 grid of independently spinning reels.
* Additional free spins can be won during bonus game play.
* Players can achieve levels with a chance of advancing to successive levels.
* Successive jackpots create player anticipation as they move through six levels.
* Bells ring when a player enters the Party Time! progressive, plus multi-media signage is synchronized to bonus events.

Sign packages may vary.
Packaged Game Banks

* Dynamic sign package features 40” LCD monitor in center display, surrounded by eye-catching graphics
* Multi-media signage is synchronized to bonus events, such as optional lights that signal when in bonus mode
* Package includes distinctive Party Time!® seatbacks

Features and Benefits

* Ready for the EZ Pay® Ticket System
* Player-tracking ready
* National and regional advertising support

Rakin It In

2005-12-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

Rakin’ It In

* Five-reel video slot available in 9 line, 9/18/27/45/90/180 coin versions

* Five-reel video slot available in 15 line, 15/30/45/60/75/150/300 coin versions

* Five-reel video slot available in 20 line, 20/40/100/180/200/400 coin versions

* Built on CPU-NX technology
Rakin It In
Who ever said money doesn’t grow on trees? Players will be rakin in the money and volunteering to do the yard work with the Rakin’ It In video slot game!
When the player lands three Money Tree symbols on an active pay line, they will advance to the Money Tree Bonus. The scene displays a man and his dog working in the yard, raking leaves under the magic tree. This tree is special because it can grow coins, bills, sacks of money, and safes filled with money. The player begins by touching the money on the tree. When the money has been touched, it falls to the ground and is replaced by a credit amount.
When the Money Tree bonus is first activated, the tree is full of nothing but coins. If the player selects a coin and a squirrel appears, the squirrel snaps his fingers and all of the coins change to bills, which are worth more credits. The player continues choosing bills, and if they find another squirrel, the bills change to moneybags worth even more credits. If the player can find the squirrel one more time, the moneybags are transformed into safes worth six to 10 times the total bet!
Sometimes when choosing money, the player will select an owl. Whenever the owl appears, he steals the selected item and takes it back into the tree and may remove additional pieces of money from the tree on his way. The bonus ends when there is no more money on the tree.
When three Sapling symbols land on an active pay line, the player will be launched into the Plant a Money Tree Bonus. During this bonus, the player selects one of three characters to plant a magic seed and grow a small money tree. When the character plants the seed, a money tree begins to grow and drops leaves worth credit awards. The players character zooms across the screen collecting the leaves with a power leaf collector. The player is awarded the sum of the values of all the leaves on the tree. At times, the tree grows a magic seed that plants itself in the ground, and an additional tree grows money. The player is then awarded the value of both trees. Up to three different trees can be grown in this bonus round!

MONOPOLY PARTY TRAIN

2005-12-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

MONOPOLY PARTY TRAIN
Party train was an early video slot game from the people who have brought us the line of monopoly games. The monopoly line has grown tremendously, there is even a progressive set of penny machines out there now, as well as some casino software programs for play at home on your computer. These cd software discs have several slot style games not available to play for money, but regardless are decent efforts, much more fun than some of the games presently on the casino floor.
it is unlikely to find monopoly party train on the casino floor in Atlantic City at this time. Probably not in Las Vegas either as these machines are not around much. Possibly the tribal casinos are a place they would still be found, I did see some Monopoly games in the Hard Rock at Seminole last winter. The base game was a nice nickel 9 line 5 coin max bet that was the norm at the time, pre-pennies and pre 25 to 50 line cash cows. The usual symbols were all present and the game was a decent play. I feel most of the early Monopoly games, even in nickels, had a payback range around 90%, slightly higher than what we find many nickel and penny games paying today. The bonus games were typical of the Monopoly line, one needed to pick a railroad tunnel, a train would venture around the and you would end up with dice throws to land your token on corresponding spots at one of the 40 spaces.
I still miss the Monopoly games from the past, i guess in Atlantic City it just felt right sitting along the Boardwalk and playing the games. I give this oldie a 3 star rating.

KABOOM

2005-12-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

KABOOM is a relatively recent video slot machine that adds a new twist to the spin mode of these ever increasingly complex games. The hook here is the falling or cascading of symbols onto the reels as opposed to the traditional spinning of set symbols. Here, each time you hit the play button, a continuous array of the games firecracker theme symbols fall out of the sky onto the screen. What happens next is the twist; when winning combinations occur, they disappear and are replaced by new symbols. The other symbols fall below. This can continue until a non-winning combination is on the screen. In reality, you may get 2 or possibly 3 wins in a row, however they are not always big wins. In fact the base game is steadfast with below average bet "wins", in fact you will often need two "wins" just to recoup your initial bet or to actually show an increase in credits. The game can get fun and interesting when you have a double hit or one that involves 4 or 5 symbols hit and you see half the screen symbols disappear. You cross your fingers and hope some nice wild symbols fall into place in strategic slots/ The bonus games are hard to come by, but when they do you can heap some hefty rewards. Generally, the games seem to pay in a steady range, no real loser bonus rounds here, but you are going to find a more steady range for the wins. Although possible, it is more realistic to accept the mid-range bonus credits and have extended play time and hope to rack up the credits with a few well placed hits. Not a game to look for a big ($100 or more) profit on a short session, but good for some smaller cash outs like $20-$40. 3 cherries.

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KABOOM 5 reel 20 lineA new twist has been added to the exciting five-reel video game, Kaboom In place of traditional reel spins, the symbols drop down into the reels from above. The 1st reel drops first, then the 2nd, and so on until all 5 reels have dropped the symbols. Once the symbols have dropped, all winning combinations are highlighted and paid as normal. Then the added feature kicks in! Each symbol that takes part in a winning combination disappears, and the symbols above them drop down to take their place. New symbols drop onto the screen to fill any gaps. If any new winning combinations are formed because of this shift, they are banged-up into the pay meter and awarded to the player. This process continues as long as the drop-down symbols create winning combinations!
Winning combinations of 3 or more Bonus symbols on an active payline blast the player into the Grand Finale Bonus. This bonus awards at least 7 free spins plus the opportunity to win additional spins. During the free spins, skyrocket symbols pay as scatter and explode with full screen firework animation.
Winning combinations of the Skyrocket symbol also add additional free spins.

REEL EM IN

2005-12-11T06:04:00.000-08:00

REEL EM IN
Reel in has now achieved the classic video slot machine status. I guess when your game is released in a classic edition, that is an automatic qualification. While in my mind, that does not mean it is a classic game, in the mind of the slot planners, it is because the game that disappeared off the floor, mainly due to a switchover to the ticket in-ticket out design, has now rejoined the other slots in circulation. Games like Instant Winner, Jackpot Party, Money to Burn have all resurfaced as new classic editions. Besides the TITO addition, sadly they have also experienced some changes for the worse. That being, they are now available in the penny mode, which likely means a much lower payback percentage; also the lines and bet per line are increased, as is the profit for each machine. Ok, the bad stuff out of the way, the purists will miss the clunky old noises associated with the older machines. The new designs on the classic games are smooth, sharp, and quick. The game itself has remained the same; the graphics may have slight changes, which are actually improvements. The base game is also the same as the original. Reel em in is based naturally on day fishing. The symbols are all associated with the sport and the main thing you want to appear is the 3 same lures that will take you to the great big bonus round lake. The game gets interesting there and you can expect anything. I have not played much on the newer versions of the game, but I do recall how the variance in the bonus game would be huge. Some bonus rounds were set to pay the minimal, while at times one could get advanced to a new screen and bigger lake and really bring home some credits. The game is fun and can be profitable. It does seem that the newer versions have a smaller payback as I now find it harder to nail a 5 of a kind payline, but the bonus game is still fun and beats the heck out of a day at work. 3 cherries.
Reel 'em In Classic

* Five reel video slot available in 9 line, 9/18/27/45/90/180 coin versions

* Built on CPU-NXT™ technology
Players have been casting their lines and trying to catch the big one in the 5-reel, 9-line Reel 'Em In® slot game for years now, and they will keep trying with Reel 'Em In ClassicT! The game everyone fell in love with is reprised in this Classic format, with enhanced sound and graphics for an even better fishing experience. Players will be reeling in the credits with this classic game!
When 3, 4, or 5 of the same Lure symbols land scattered on adjacent reels the Reel 'Em In bonus begins. Players are prompted to choose one of five fishermen to fish for big bonus credit awards. The fisherman casts his line and reels in his catch, and the player wins bonus credits! The bigger the fish, the bigger the award, and the player is also paid the scatter win that initiated the bonus round.

Saturday Night Live slots!

2005-12-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

The Saturday night live slot games came out a few years ago with a lot of press and hype. In Atlantic City, it seemed that the Borgota had almost an exclusive on many of the games. I did see the 3 reel traditional games in other Atlantic city casinos, but i can't remember the 9 line and 15 line video slot SNL games being anywhere but at the Borgota. i did play the several versions of the games and they were really just so so. After the novelty of hearing the church lady catch phrases as supplied by Dana Carvey, it meant having the base game and bonus rounds left to get you interested. Well, the base game seemed to have a really "special" low payback and hit frequency that made getting to the bonus rounds very rare and very costly. I never won much on the base games and always seemed to chase the bonus rounds by putting in way too much that i would never get back even with a decent bonus. These were what I would call the old school bonus rounds where you would get a set amount depending on your initial credits bet, but do not expect a miniscule or a megabonus round as it always feel in the safe but ultimately boring range. 2 stars

Saturday Night Live slots!

When the NBC studio announcer first intoned the now familiar phrase, "Live from New York - It's Saturday Night!" nearly 30 years ago, little did anyone know that a major cultural icon was being born. Since that first broadcast from NBC's venerable Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center on Oct. 11, 1975, the groundbreaking late-night television show with the quirky, hip and irreverent attitude has become a social phenomenon, winning 17 Emmy Awards and the prestigious Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. "SNL" as it is commonly known, has also been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Watched by millions across the country and around the world, SNL continues to garner the highest ratings of any light-night TV program, placing seventh on "Entertainment Weekly's" list of 100 top entertainers in the past 50 years. From such now-familiar catch phrases as "Never mind," "Well, isn't that special," "That's the ticket" and "Consume mass quantities" to its zany cast of memorable characters, like Emily Litella, the Church Lady, Ed Grimley, Father Guido Sarducci, Roseanne Rosannadanna, the Blues Brothers, Hans & Franz and The Liar - to name but a few - SNL continues to maintain its global monopoly on hilarity. No wonder the New York Times calls the show "a national institution."

Now, Bally Gaming and Systems, a leading manufacturer and distributor of advanced gaming devices worldwide, proudly introduces a new series of hysterically funny reel-spinning and video slots based on this remarkable, breakthrough television show.

All SATURDAYNIGHTLIVE games can be linked to a quick-hitting progressive with a starting value of $10,000.
SNL - Church Lady (15-line version)

The new Church Lady EVO VIDEO offers a variety of heavenly rewards with two hilarious interactive second-screen bonus features.

“Canned Ham” Bonus Round
Three Canned Ham bonus feature symbols appearing in any position on reels two, three and four trigger the Canned Ham bonus. Players touch the screen to choose from three “dancing” canned hams, revealing a bonus award.

“Church Chat” Bonus Round
Three adjacent “Church Chat” symbols from left to right on an active payline award the three-tiered Church Chat bonus feature. A stained-glass church window appears on the screen and the player is prompted to select from a row of multi-colored diamond-shaped tiles. The selected tile reveals a bonus value, a “Satan” symbol, portrayed by the “devilish” Jon Lovitz, that removes all remaining diamond shaped tiles in that color from play or an “angel” symbol that awards the sum of the remaining bonus values in that color. Diamond-shaped tiles are selected until all colors have either been revealed or removed from play. In the second level of this three-tiered bonus, the player selects one of five circular-shaped tiles. If a “Satan” symbol is revealed, the player receives a 2X bonus multiplier. If a “clover” is revealed, the player selects one of three clover-shaped tiles from the stained-glass window for the final bonus multiplier that ranges from 3X to 10X.

Who Dunnit?

2005-12-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

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Who Dunnit?
Who Dunnit?
The mystery game is about gone from most of the Atlantic City casinos. Another fun video slot that was a good play at the nickel, well not the 90 coin version but you could hit the 45 coin button and have some nice payouts.
In this video slot game the player becomes the detective as he spins the reels, solves the crime and answers the question, Who Dunnit?
This classic 1940’s detective style game features reel symbols that look like stained glass and include fruit, detective badges and police cars. Line up three detective or sidekick symbols (or any mix of three), and the bonus round begins. A table of eight 3-D characters will appear and an item of great value sits in the center of the table. With a clap of thunder the room goes black; when the lights come on the item is gone! It's been stolen! The player is now the detective and must solve the crime and find the thief! Players will keep choosing characters until the correct one is chosen. The sooner the player finds the thief, the higher the reward! Lots of things can turn up while solving the crime, like pick pockets, accomplices and a trip to the thief's hideout.The game is a five reel video slot with 9 payline available in 9, 18, 45 and 90 coin versions. 3 cherries

MONOPOLY HOT PROPERTIES SCREEN SHOTS

2005-12-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

Another fine game from the Monoploy line that has been removed from the casino floor. am still waiting for the whole line of Monopoly video slots to be available in a theme room of a casino. Check the archives for the past review.

AMERICAN REELS

2005-12-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN REELS
American Reels is a relatively new video slot machine. I have recently played it in the House of Blues section of the Showboat casino in Atlantic City. The game is found in multi-denominations with penny, 2 cent and nickel being the version I played. I did not have an extensive session on the machine, but it appeared to be a decent game that is worth a few twenty dollar bills. There was some decent hits and a better hit frequency than some machines I have played in the past. The game is fast and features the usual all American symbols like apple pie, baseball and other patriotic emblems of the USA. I would recommend trying it out in nickels with a 1 or 2 coin bet per max lines. I am not sure but this appears to be one of those games that will likely be in different variations concerning number of lines and max coins per bet. 2 1/2 cherries - 3 cherries, I need more play for an update.
How to play: AMERICAN REELS explodes with good old American red, white, and blue graphics and exciting sounds to play on those wonderful feelings of liberty and freedom that Americans are so lucky to enjoy. 3 or more star symbols trigger the exciting bonus and award a number of free spins! The number of free spins the player wins correlates with the number of stars that triggered the bonus round. The star app
earing on the farthest right reel in the triggering combination will color cycle between white, blue, red, and gold to determine the player’s multiplier during the bonus spins. This bonus round can bere-triggered for additional free spins, with even higher multipliers!

LIFE OF LUXURY

2005-12-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

Life of Luxury is still found in a few spots but it has either been removed or switched and replaced by the second version, Life of Luxury II: The Best Things in Life are Free. I have played the game up in Monticello last summer, so I guess the Tribal casinos are still carrying the game. I noticed many games in Tribal gaming areas that are no longer to be found in Atlantic City are coming in new and in good numbers.The original Life of Luxury game was a 9 line 5 coin game, but I guess you will find it in penny, nickel and dime versions and some may now have added lines. The 45 coin max bet game was or is a lot of fun and one can have a good run on a decent machine with a reasonable payback percentage. The main bonus occurs when the player can get 3 gold coins scattered around the screen, 2 coins pays the scatter pay, double your original bet amount. This is one of the first games to have the free spin modes, I wonder what game it was that actually was the first to offer the free spin bonus, not counting the wheel of Fortune games, but where you had the 10 or 15 spins? The base game can go either way, it seems to stay consistent when not paying, but every now and again it will offer some generous base game hits of a few hundred credits. It is tough to play the game with max credits bet, I find that staying at 18 or 27 increases the chance of getting to the bonus, which is not an easy task on these games. Overall, I always felt that when playing in a tribal gaming area, the bonus games are much less frequent, and hardly ever come back to back or close to back to back. Hence, my advise is to cash out immediately when the bonus round occurs at these destinations, whether good or bad and move on to another machine. 3 cherries.

Life of Luxury (5 Reel 20 Line)

©2005 WMS Gaming, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

o CONFIGURATION
5 Reel 20 Line
100 or 200 Credit Max Bet

o DENOMINATIONS
$ .01, $ .05

o TOP AWARD
60,000 Credits

o PAY OUT PERCENTAGES
88% - 95%

o DESCRIPTION
- Game features a wild "Diamond" symbol which substitutes for any symbol except the "Gold Coins."

- Three or more Gold Coins on an active payline trigger the 10 Free Games Triple Play Bonus.

- During these free games all winns are TRIPLED (except five diamonds).

WILD FOR DOLPHINS

2005-12-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

Wild for Dolphins is a new video slot from the makers of IGT slots. The game is a cute dolphin loving tribute to the many fans of these lovely creatures. The base game is a bit complicated to follow with the array of lines; I have played a multi-denominational machine, penny, 2 cent, nickels, with a 25 line and 250 max coin bet. I chose to play the nickel game at 50 credits per spin. The payouts are decent on the base game, but remember a 70 coin win, are actually only a 20 coin win. There are about 4 different dolphins and a bunch of other talent show theme symbols. The first bonus is a pick a pearl game, whenever any 3 pearls appear anywhere on the screen, you select one pearl. It will open up and reward credits, the key here is not the first credit number is the final credit win, it will grow to a larger amount as it slowly re-opens. The bonus is good for continuing play but do not expect to make a killing on this feature, the relevant payouts of this bonus are about 200-600 credits based on my play example.
The main event, which by the way was extremely hard to get, (I am not sure but I have a feeling that these newer games have a better bonus frequency in the penny game but naturally a worse payout, (it seems that when I see others playing these games in the penny mode, the bonus comes out more often than when I play in the nickel amount). When you get to the main event, it is a bonus game that is actually a direct steal from the Risque Business slot machine bonus. The player chooses a dolphin who will do tricks at the talent show, oh, yes, you need 3 talent show symbols to get the bonus on a paying line, reels 1-3. Then the player will select 3 contestants for each trick to feed the dolphin, the 3 then throw fish at the dolphin during the round, if you match the credits needed for another trick, the round continues and you select 3 more patrons. This continues until the end, anyone familiar with the Risque Business game will easily adapt to this game.
It is a fun Machine, I did get the bonus more often in Las Vegas than on my limited play at the Atlantic City casinos, and I am not a fan of the mega lines, I prefer the good old Risqué Business game where you can play 9 lines 5 per and hit that max credit button every now and again, not likely here as it will turn a nickel game into a $5 spin. But well worth a play or more, just play max lines and keep the bet per line down. A fun game, just wish it would be released in a 45 coin max game, get rid of these pennies already! I did check and saw that the game is indeed available in a 9 line 5 coin max bet, if anyone has seen this version, let me know. 3 Cherries.

PRICE CHECK

2005-12-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

PRICE CHECK
Price check is one of the many video slot machines to have taken residence on the casino floors during the video slot boom of the last few years. I guess it is a popular game as the machines are still in many casinos in Atlantic City. The trouble I have had with the game is that I have had little luck in both the base game and especially in the bonus game. People do play the game, I am not sure if they win, if they play long, or why they even play.
The premise is a retail store checkout counter, and the bonus is based on the price check theme. Ok, what can I say, but what kinds of people are attracted to this sort of entertainment? We have many varieties of slot themes to choose to be exposed to, why in the world would you want to experience waiting in line at a store as a fun thing??? I guess you may realize by now that I hate top wait on any type of lines, but the games are still around so there must be an audience. My question then is why not a game based on "the Buffet Line" the cashier line, pick a line to wait on, if no one on the line is doing a marker, cashing personal checks, you win a bigger bonus. Or for the ladies, the bathroom line, get in and out under and collect a large bonus, because you will get back to your husband sooner before he looses another $100.
Well, the base game is described as follows, the bonuses are what they are, and if you like the game God Bless, just email me your number so I can call you next time I need to go the local DMV, I'm sure you wouldn't mind waiting in line. (Hey, wait, now THAT should make a GREAT video slot.

Go nuts and bolts with the Price Check™ video slots game. With a friendly counter clerk, a tool shed full of animated power equipment reel symbols, and a hardware store shopping spree bonus, this 9-line/45-coin or 20-line/100-coin Game King® theme is a handyman’s heaven!

Land three animated cash register symbols anywhere on reels one, three, and five to trigger the Price Check bonus, where players shop the hardware store for a stash of bonus credits. Players choose from three to five items, which are scanned by the friendly employee. As they are scanned, each item reveals either a credit award or a multiplier; however, sometimes items fail to scan. When this happens, the cashier shouts for a "price check," and store employees holler back credit amounts - the highest of which the player gets to keep! After all the items have been "rung up," the bonus screen displays a receipt showing the total award amount multiplied by any multipliers discovered during the bonus round.

Comical "fix it" antics will have you "crack"ing a smile when three or more Handyman symbols land anywhere on the reels. Select one, two, or three of the hard-working Handyman symbols to reveal bonus wins while our animated "jack of all trades" encounters hilarious hazards.

The hammermashed, throbbing red thumb symbol is wild with animated tool and hardware reel symbols on played paylines; fi ve of the bandaged appendage symbols on a played payline pays a top award that’ll turn the tables on the Jones’s rivalry.

With the "hands on fun" of the Price Check game "do it yourselfers" will find this theme a handyman's haven, because everyone knows there’s no such thing as "one quick trip down to the hardware store."

Ray Charles America The Beautiful and Ray Charles What'd I Pay video slots

2005-12-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

I played the Ray Charles America the Beautiful at Resorts and the Atlantic City Hilton. The games may still be around but they were moved a few times. The video slots had the usual Ballys style of slot play where the reels or spins appeared to have that stuttering that did not make the games as fast or smooth as other video slots. The base game was typical and steady in its hit frequency. There were never many big hits with 4 or 5 connecting symbols. The bonus rounds were scarce but usually paid off decently. I always switched to another machine after the bonus as they were hard to get, or better yet just cash out and hopefully one had some extra credits at the time the bonus hit. Ray did much better in the music world and this game appears to have fallen off the charts. Maybe the Vegas casinos have them in a better supply and a better payout percentage which would make for more enjoyable sessions on the game. Not a bad game, but I never found any generous versions on the AC slot floors. 2 cherries.

Players will experience a remarkable gaming experience as they enjoy a unique interactive musical journey with a true American legend: the incomparable Mr. Ray Charles. With amazing graphics and superb audio, both the Ray Charles America The Beautiful and Ray Charles What'd I Pay video slots feature this living legend in spectacular on-screen performances that capture the essence of his remarkable talent. Lively touch-screen interactive bonuses are a treat for the senses as Mr. Charles recounts classic moments from his storied musical career. In addition, players will also enjoy interacting with the gorgeous "Paylettes." These beautiful stage companions lend their own special flair to these exciting and truly innovative slot products.

Bally Gaming was honored to work exclusively with Mr. Charles to develop the world's first gaming devices that are specifically designed for the visually impaired. In 2002, the American Federation for the Blind (AFB) recognized this achievement with its prestigious Access Award, which acknowledges companies such as Bally Gaming for their efforts at "eliminating or substantially reducing inequities faced by people who are blind or visually impaired."

Andy Capp

2005-11-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

I have seen this game around Atlantic City in some casinos, the Taj Mahal and Borgota for 2. I only played the game a few times, they also have a version or two in the 3 reel traditional slots. The game is not that exciting for my taste, I wuld give it a try or 2 but would play max lines one crdit to get a feel for the game. No large jackpots to be expected but the bonus can offerf a few extra twenty dollar bills if you hit and run. 2 cherries.

After more than 40 years as one of the world’s best-read comics, Reg Smythe’s lovable pub-hopping and dart-throwing character Andy Capp is now starring in his very own entertaining multi-line EVO VIDEO and EVO HYBRID slots from Bally Gaming and Systems.

First published in the U.S. by the Chicago Sun-Tribune, the popular Andy Capp comic strip is now enjoyed in more than 1,500 newspapers throughout America and around the world. In England, the lovable lush’s zany antics were even made into a musical and TV show! From dodging the rent collector and feuding with his long-suffering wife Flo to ordering a pint of his favorite brew from Jackie the Bartender, this popular British comic import clearly demonstrates EVO’s crisp graphics, quality anination and superior audio capabilities. Additionally, these new Andy Capp video slots captivate players with Andy’s hilarious on-screen antics, not to mention a wealth of fun-to-play bonus features.

Mickey Mantle Video Slots

2005-11-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

Mickey Mantle Video Slots
Anyone ever play this game or see it in any casino?

LIFE OF LUXURY II

2005-11-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

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LIFE OF LUXURY II
Life just keeps getting better, and so does The Best Things in Life: Life of Luxury II! This time around it is the retrigger feature that will keep players coming back for more.
Diamond symbols appearing on reels 2, 3, and 4 are wild for all symbols, including the Coin symbol. If one or more Diamond symbol substitutes as part of a winning payline combination, the award for that combination is doubled.
Three or more scattered Coin or Diamond reel symbols (or any combination thereof) will trigger the Free Spin bonus, in which players are awarded 12 free spins and a 2x multiplier. During this free spin bonus each Double Diamond symbol that appears on the reels animates and gathers above the reels and increases the player's multiplier by one for all remaining free spins. The free spin bonus is re-triggered when three or more scattered coin or diamond symbols (or any combination thereof) land on the reels during the free spins!
Players will feel like high rollers with all of the bonus features in this game!

MATCH GAME

2005-11-24T03:56:00.000-08:00

MATCH GAME
Match game video slot machine came out this summer in Las Vegas and has recently appeared in the Atlantic City casinos. It is a cartoonish styled version of the hit game shows of the 1970s. With the game show network reviving many of these older programs, we can now also find our television counterparts on the casino floor. The lives of many celebrities live on in the slot games as the recorded voice accompany the bonus rounds and us through the base games. The Match game is a basic 15 line 5 coin per line 75 credit max bet or 20 line game that can be found in multi-denominations. I prefer the nickel game and it seems to have a slightly better overall payoff. I have not had too much experience or time playing the game. The usual characters are here, familiar faces from the TV shows. Sorry but no tipsy interactions during the slot game, they should have a feature that the longer you play the more wasted the celebrities’ get like when they taped the real shows. The ones taped after lunch and the cocktails were always much more entertaining.
When three Super Match Bonus symbols appear on an active payline on reels 3, 4, and 5, the Super Match Bonus begins! Players will be prompted to choose one of six celebrities to play this bonus round. Once players have chosen their celebrity, they will have the opportunity to select one of three words on a pop-up window to complete a phrase read by the host of MATCH GAME, Gene Rayburn, on the top LCD screen. Gene will then reveal where that word ends up on the Super match Board on the top LCD screen. Depending on where the word appears on the hierarchical list on the top screen, a credit amount is awarded to the player. The celebrity will then reveal their answer, and if it matches the player’s answer the celebrity will reveal a multiplier to be multiplied by the player’s award! If the player and the celebrity do not match answers, however, only the credit amount is awarded.
When three or more MATCH GAME symbols land on an active payline the player will enter the MATCH GAME bonus round. Six celebrities appear on the top LCD screen, arranged as on the MATCH GAME television show. On the lower screen Gene Rayburn will ask a question, and there is an area in which the question will be displayed. The player is given three possible answers to the question, and is prompted to choose one. After the player chooses an answer each celebrity holds up one of two cards: one that matches their answer or one that does not. The player is awarded a small credit amount for choosing an incorrect answer and a large credit amount for choosing a correct one. If at the end of the bonus round the player has matched four or more celebrities, they are given another round with higher overall credit amounts. A maximum of three rounds total may be played in this bonus. 3 cherries

RICH UNCLE

2005-11-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

RICH UNCLE
Rich Uncle is a 9 line 5 coin max bet video slot machine that has been around for as few years and has endured well. It is still found on many casino floors and that in it is a testament to its long-term popularity. The game is a simple machine to follow and offers two simple bonus games as well as a moosehead scatter pay for 3 or more; I have never had nor seen more than 3 mooseheads in thousands of spins on this game. The other feature is a generously appearing wild symbol, here you also get the rich uncle bellowing "wild" when it couples with a set of winning symbols. The game can give you much play for a small investment. I have found this nickel machine to be one of the most fun machines to play if you need a break and want some extended time to play while keeping your bankroll intact. The game can be played at 9/1, 9/2 or 9/3 and you will likely remain in the game. The bonus rounds consist of the pick a safe round, get 3 anywhere on the spin and you select a safe, the values reflect the credit amount bet and can be decent hits. Part of the attraction of playing this game is that the base game hits and the bonus game hits are always consistent and not that wide in range. The safe bonus amount increases significantly when 4 safes are landed, I have yet to see a spin with the 5th safe.
As for the main bonus game, the three bonus symbols come up and it is time to read the will of their rich uncle. You select one of the cartoonish characters that will inherit a fortune. The top screen reveals the items to be inherited and the corresponding credit values, at each start of the bonus, one item is selected to give a 2x award for the entire bonus amount. The game then begins with the will being read and each item goes to one of the characters. I usually hope to get the small items given away to other members, it seems that when the wealth is not yours early on, you are more likely to get the larger valued items and that all-important 2x item. Like I said, it is a decent bonus that always gives a fair amount, and quite often you will get that double bonus. I have been playing this game in the max coin range of late and, when getting the two bonuses, I usually cash out and switch to another Rich Uncle. 4 cherries.

CLEOPATRA

2005-11-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

CLEOPATRA
Cleopatra has been a highly successful video slot that, except for the famous name, has no direct connections to its players. It is the game itself that has made this video slot machine such a success and enduring machine. The game will likely stay around for some time to come. And, to its designers, the take-offs on the game have been too numerous, and sadly too pathetic at times. The original is still the best, years after its release it is not the kind of game one finds boring.
The basic set up is a stretch at 20 line 5 coin max bet, that's 100 nickels or $5 a spin at max bet. You will find some of the other versions of the game in a standard 9 line 5 coin 45 max coin bet. The game is in all denominations, I avoid the penny game in the Fort Knox progressives, stick to the nickels, tried some quarters and have to have been winning a helluva lot to try the dollar game, I have on occasion. The base game features plenty of hits but you need to be p[laying the 20 line version for a decent hit frequency, also the presence of those key wild symbols adds alot to your game when playing the 20 lines. The 9-line game is ok, it is a slower paced game, less hits, and less credits per spin equals longer playing time. But the big base hits occur during the 20-line game once you get 3 wilds in a row you tend to have several nice hits on various lines. The big draw in Cleopatra is the bonus game. 2 Sphinx symbols appear and act as scatter pay that doubles your initial bet. Add a 3rd, 4th Rare. or a 5th, have yet to see it, and you go to the bonus round. Also, you get an automatic win for the 3 symbols, then it is time for 15 free spins where all the hits pay triple. The game has a non-stop mode here and can be fast and furious or slow and excruciating. The wins seem to come in bunches and the losing spins seem to be too consecutive. The bonus pays are some of the widest ranging on any video slot machines I have played, it can range from 300 to 10,000 on the 20 line game playing 60 credits per spin. In addition, there is a decent but not frequent chance to get a respin triggered during the bonus round spins, I noticed however that the machine pays off decent but the second set of spins seems to lack any real high hits. The game is addicting and tough, I have to recommends the 20 line version for those of us wanting a few hundred dollars win if possible; beware as the cold spells in playing 20 line at 60 nickels per spin can be long and dreadful. The worth of a nicer bonus or a big hit can make it a play. For those who enjoy the game and the bonus and entertainment and are happy with the smaller wins, the 9 line version would be better. I still do not get the logic of people playing less than all lines on these games, sure they may be able to double or triple the bet per line but I always see the risk of losing out on the extra line payouts. Some people have suggested that while the bonus occurs on the scatter no matter how many lines or credits played; I concur that the bonus pays will also only pay on the initial bet and at triple pay I would hate to see a nice 4 or 5 of a kind spin wasted and pay nothing. I love this game when its hot, hate it when its cold, but I am still drawn to it over and over again. 4 sphinx to all.

FRANKIE AND ANNETTES BEACH PARTY

2005-11-21T14:07:00.001-08:00

FRANKIE AND ANNETTES BEACH PARTY
Frankie and Annettes Beach Party is(was) a nice little 9 line 5 coin max bet video slot that made a big debut a few years ago but has basically disappeared from most casinos, except for Monticello, I hardly ever see the game anymore. The game brought back the memories with the pre-hippie 1960s when surfing, bikinis, rock and roll, and fun was the main concern of the teenagers. The game itself contains the young images of Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello along with the usual Catch a Wave style symbols. The base game is a simple but not terribly exciting video slot that didn't have any great pays. The bonus game allowed you to select a record from the history of the great beach movies and win corresponding credits. It was a nice idea but lacked the intense graphics and/ or free spin bonus rounds that have taken over the world of video slots. I do have a nice souvenir of the game as the Trump Plaza had a Frankie and Annette beach towel giveaway, we still use the towel to this day on the warm summer days on the Atlantic City beach. The game is worth a few dollars just to enjoy the memories, but it is hard to find and was not ever a large paying game. 2 cherries.

MARILYN MONROE

2005-11-20T06:11:00.000-08:00

MARILYN MONROE
The MARILYN MONROE video slot machine is a part of the Diamond King slot line produced by IGT. The game was released around the same time as the FRANK SINATRA, JAMES DEAN, and HUMPHREY BOGART slot machines. The Marilyn Monroe game was similar to the James Dean and Bogart machines but not as popular as the Sinatra games. I guess it would seem more fitting for the Sinatra slots to remain popular, not only was he a hit in the casinos as an entertainer, but also in the afterlife as a favorite machine. The others have a well deserved place in the movie worlds hall of fame, but maybe without the connection to the casinos, there is not as much novelty play. Besides, it seems fitting when you are playing a slot machine with Frank Sinatra singing a few bars every now and then; they should have included a special "Quarter to 3 " sample for us late night players who like to be sitting there all alone waiting for that progressive to hit.
The Marilyn game is a 15 line 5 coin 75 coin max bet per spin game. It does have the sharp photos of the goddess and is a tribute to one of the Hollywoods great stars. However, the machines I have played seemed to have a rather cheap payback and I never won anything on these games. I took a long time to get to the bonus rounds and it was not worth the amount of money invested as the game did not pay off near the amount to have made it profitable. I would suggest a short play at one coin per 15 lines, or if you can just watch someone play the game. While the machines were once abundant in Atlantic City casinos, they are quite scarce to come by now. The cheap returns are no doubt a factor in that matter. Too bad, as the Sinatra game can be fun and profitable, but these games are now almost memories. Marilyn was much better on the big screen anyway, that is where she should be viewed.2 cherries

Dick Clark’s New Years Eve

2005-11-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

This looks like the Regis type machines with the symbols up on the top and on the main screen. I played the nickel 5 line 9 coin 45 max bet.I had some trouble discerning the payouts. The bonus round symbols only need to be aligned on consecutive reels, not in a certain place. The bonus goes to a couple of camera shots from one of four celebration screens, the eyes are on the flashing meter, where depending on credits bet, you will see randomly flashing numbers from 3 to 4 digits usually around 300 to 1400, I topped out at 5 coins bet per line at 1125, low end was 360. Not too many regular hits make this a tough choice but the bonus has a moderate payout that is consistant. The base game symbols looktoo much alike.For some reasons, these reel video slots are not as appealing as the regular video versions. I always prefer to play Lobstermania in the regular fromat than the top box version. I have not seen that version available for this game. Well, it is a decent play and has been around for awhile but not nearly as long as the world's oldest teenager. If he can't make it this NYE, you can always join him on this machine. 2 1/2 cherries.

BALLYS BIG TOP CIRCUS

2005-11-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

BALLYS BIG TOP CIRCUS
I had almost forgotten about this game until I was watching the Ballys home channel in Atlantic City the other day.I have to check if Caesars is still running that Howie Mandel show, the one where he learns or teaches you to play all the casino games. If anyone remembers this game, I just wonder who designed, ordered and was responsible for the purchase of these machines. I do recall an enormous amount of these machines in Caesars, The Hilton, and Ballys when they first came out. Someone was having high expectations, or maybe some CEO got caught cheating on his wife and let her design a machine. Well, this ranks as probably the absolute worst video slot machine I have ever played. The game was, I think the basic 9 line 5 coin version of the nickel slots. The game played excruciatingly S_L_O_W! I remember the game was a circus style event with the usual characters, the big top and monkeys. I love watching monkeys on TV, at the Zoo in person, but on this slot machine the monkey moved like he was on tranquilizers. I don't know what the deal was, but some spins he would come out and replace another symbol, I think he had to eat bananas in the bonus round, I recall he had to jump across the screen or something, but all I can say it was so boring. The game was so different in that this was at a time where reels where spinning faster and faster, games were filled with cool bonus rounds, extra spin rounds were being introduced, and along comes this. Barnum and Bailey must have been rolling over in their graves. I could not even read through the help screen on the game as I feel asleep trying to figure out how the game worked. It was amazing these machines were ordered in the amount they had, I recall at least one whole row in the Hilton, and long 2 rows in Caesars. The games are long gone and are not missed. I couldn't even give this one a single peanut!

I LOVE LUCY CHOCOLATE FACTORY

2005-11-17T13:10:00.000-08:00

The nickel version of the I LOVE LUCY video slot machine came out a couple of years ago. I do remember the Showboat in Atlantic City having a showroom affiliated with the TV Land channel that featured recreations of the Lucy set and some cool stage memorabilia. The tie was actually for the I LOVE LUCY 3 reel quarter slot machine; one does not see too many of those machine around anymore. The video slot game came out a bit later; it was similar to other TV based games like the 3 STOOGES and THE HONEYMOONERS because it had bonus rounds that featured actual clips of the shows. Well, all of these machines have quietly slipped away from the majority of the casinos, most likely the novelty attraction that had us playing the game in the first place soon wore off. If one continues to have constant losing sessions on a type of machine, there is not much to do but move on. I recently read a letter in Strictly Slots magazine that I have to disagree with. The reader asked about payout percentages for name brands LUCY, HONEYMOONERS, 3 STOOGES compared to slots without any licensing fees associated with them, Money Storm, Cleopatra, Unicorn.There answer was that all machines are available in the same percentages and that while a licensing fee must be paid to the estate or owner of the name brands, that the machines are all available with the same payout chip options. Now, what they did not say, and what I believe the reader was implying was that do the casinos take into account the licensing fee and thus order name machines with lower pay percentages. I believe they do, maybe not for solely the extra fee but in addition for the fact that a name brand will bring in players by the brand name and it does not need to attract an audience. A casual player will likely be drawn to the familiarity of the name brand quicker than say a game like Nurses Follies. Ok, maybe you will get more nurses to play that game, but the general feel is that casinos will have the lower base and still profit on the novelty play. To stake my claim, walk around any casino and compare the titles mentioned above and take note of how many of each machine you will find.
Back to the I LOVE LUCY game, the machine is a 12 line 5 coin, 60 credit max bet game that has the standard black and white video clips and the usual bonus rounds. I have had a few good hits on the machine, but they were actually on the base game and nothing too great on the bonus games. I feel the bigger hits were luck as the base game had that all too painful high hit low pay style, and a $20 would not get you too close to the bonus especially if playing max coin. I still see a couple of the games around, if you want give it a shot at 12 lines but stick to 1 or2 credits per line at the most. The game is fun and was designed for Lucy fans to enjoy and they will not be disappointed as long as they have fun and do not expect to win anything above a few bucks. 2 chocolates

ENCHANTED UNICORN

2005-11-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

ENCHANTED UNICORN
The enchanted unicorn video slot was one of the first multi line games that went out from 9 lines to 20 lines on the casino floor. My wife played the game in the Tropicana in Las Vegas and did well playing one coin, 20 nickel bets. Myself, being used to and happy with the 9 line 45 coin max bet games, decided to give it a try, but naturally at 40 or 60 coins per spin. Well, the results were disastrous and I left the game quickly with a bad feeling and did not return for a long time. In fact, it was one evening when my wife and I were playing at Trump Marina a couple of years later that I was sitting down in the main section when she came running down the aisle telling me to come quick. Still, she was playing the 20 nickels on a Unicorn and had hit 5 Loins with the wild unicorn for a $1,000 payoff, fantastic for nickels. I changed my mind somewhat about this game and decided to give it another chance or two. That, coupled with the fact that I had witnessed some extraordinary number of credits collected on this game by various patrons at all different casinos, made me realize that this game may indeed have something magical to it.
Of course, I endured a few absolutely horrific sessions, dropping many dollars before I was able to experience some of the magic. The treasure chest bonus game is a bit tough to come by, and if you do get the bonus, it can go 3 ways; you do well and pick all safe choices and get the extra bonus, you get a couple unicorn symbols and have nice line sweeps wins, a unicorn picked on a line awards you every value in the line, and even though you do not make it to the top you still have a hefty bonus, or you plain out have a horrendous choice of picks and crap out with a few hundred credits as you pick a loser on the third line.
However, it appears that the real bonus here is when you get lucky enough to land a series of 3 Unicorns across reels 2, 3, and 4. It is possible, but not too likely to occur, when it does you often will need to do a double take at your win amount, Being that the 20 lines has configurations that I have still yet to figure out, all the wild symbols go all different ways. When even one Unicorn is landed, all symbols in that row turn wild, similar to the Munsters game or the Martians Family reunion game. The base game offers frequent hits but they are often below your bet. The game has no real feel as the hot and cold cycles appear to not exist, this seems to be truly random, the bonus may not come for 30 minutes of play, or it may come back to back.
While I did post a review of this game before, I have played the game more often of late. Since the Trump Marina has a 95% version of this game, the play has been more rewarding and I am not scared of losing too fast. In fact, I play 60 credits most of the time, while a $100 will not guarantee a big hit, I have been able to rack up some nice fast sessions where I have accumulated about 4000-5000 credits. I rate this version of the game with 4 cherries.

MONEY TO BURN

2005-11-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

MONEY TO BURN
Money to Burn is a video slot machine that has been around for several years now. I guess it has proved popular with casino players as it has been reformatted in the new ticket in ticket out versions. Like the Instant Winner and Jackpot party games, the money to burn video slot is a part of the updated classic game series.
The base game features animated fireman and their apparatus. You get the firedog Dalmatians, the firetrucks, hoses and the usual fare associated with the firemen. The game is a bit hard to follow at first, but easily mastered after several sessions. The bonus games have a couple of variations, the most popular is the one where you go put out a flaming blaze. The bonus game depends on a few things such as what picks you select, which in turn, either stops at level one, less bonus credits won, or if you can continue to the higher levels where you can really rack up a decent bonus win.
The lines are a little hard to make sense of in the newer version. The old game was the basic 9 line 5 coin 45 coin max bet. The new version, also usually in a multi-denominational version, is 15 lines and maybe 10 coin max bet per line. While not one of my personal favorites, I have had noticed many people playing the game in both the old and newer versions. I would recommend trying to locate an older version; I believe resorts still have many of these games in the old version. 3cherries

BEWITCHED

2005-11-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

BEWITCHED
The original version of the Bewitched video slot machine was a simple basic game that actually was an easier play than its follow up, NOSEY NEIGHBORS. The base game featured the cartoon characters of Samantha, Darren, the mother and the rest of the crew. It also used the Dick York version, also Serena’s as played by the dual role of Elizabeth Montgomery was included. If you recall the show, the characters actually resemble the opening credits in the cartoon-like drawings.
The base game was a regular 9 line 5 coin max version with a 45 coin max bet. The Bewitched symbol was wild and helped to get the hits in your favor. The key to the game was the Slingo type bonus. The slot machine had a large sphere on the top that housed a mixture of bingo ping pong balls. When the bonus was activated, the top would spin the balls in the bingo like fashion and the results would emerge like in a bingo game. The credits were all different amounts on the balls and the winning ball would have the credits multiplied by the initial line bet.
The game is still found in the original version in some casinos, Atlantic City has quite a few left for a machine that has been around that long. The game never had any tremendous hits for me, but it could be worth a short session. any wins over $50 would be recommended to cash pout and move to a new machine. 3 cherries.

HOLLYWOOD SQUARES

2005-11-10T04:29:00.000-08:00

HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
Hollywood Squares has been around for a few decades, actually about the late 1950's as a classic TV game show. The video slot machine version is based on the newer Whoopi Goldberg produced version and has been on the casino floors for several years. There have been a few version of this game around and the characters portrayed in the game seem to change with the game versions similar to the real TV game. The problem is, while the characters are all fine and dandy, the game itself was never too exciting for me. I honestly cannot say I have followed the exact evolution of this game in the casinos, but from a half-baked perspective, it appears the game has a pretty short shelf life. The base game was pretty tame and the bonus rounds led to a lot of noise, bells and whistles. The bonus rounds had a safe credit range, this is good if you can stand the faces and voice clips of the celebrities and wants to continue to play a game that will be occasionally kind to your credit meter. Overall, I have chosen to skip the newer games as I have observed that they appear similar to all the other versions that I have played. There are no great hits here, just some nice smaller bonus rounds that keep you playing until it eventually sucks out the last of your credits. If you are lucky enough to hit a good bonus early, cash out quickly. I don't know, maybe if they did a retro version with Charlie Weaver, Wally Fox and the great TV sitcom stars of the 1960's, I would find more enjoyment when playing this game. 2 cherries.

SIGN OF THE ZODIAC

2005-11-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

SIGN OF THE ZODIAC
The sign of the zodiac video slot is one of those games that can be tough to figure out. The base game has an unorthodox set of line pays and can be confusing or frustrating to play. I have played the game for awhile about a year ago and did ok. Actually, of all places it was at Harrahs casino in Atlantic City that I did the best on the sign of the zodiac. I say that because Harrahs is notorious for the horrible payback percentages on their nickel slots.
The game is fun as it offers an interesting bonus. You need to have 3 horoscope symbols on a spin to get the bonus game, 2 is a scatter pay. The bonus game is one that allows the player several options, you have the opportunity to select the type of game, it can be one with high multipliers, free spins or other bonus features. The choices are random, as any game can be highly rewarding or just ok. The choices range in pays depending on the initial bet and the outcome of the spins. I have noticed that it seems to even out, the free spin games offer smaller hits, the multipliers make up with better hits.
There is also a pick a sign wheel type bonus that is a little easier to get but is not as much fun nor does it pay as much, you select a zodiac sign and spin a wheel on a second screen bonus and hope it lands on your selected sign. Here is another confusing part of the game, it allows an inner and outer circle selection and win, I gave up trying to figure it out and just check the credit meter to see how much I won. The game has a 15 line and 90 credit max bet in the nickel version I have played, there are some other versions out there. The base game leaves much to be desired, with the strange line pays and the lack of big hits, this game is only fun when you get the bonus games. It is hard to sit through a session without any decent base game hits. I would suggest you hope a $20 or 2 at the most will get you the main bonus games, and I would cash out after. Although I did have nice sessions on the game at Harrah’s, I still r4ecommend taking any profit in the $20-$50 range and moving on as the game can go cold quickly and with the poor base pays you could lose your cash without any bonus rounds.2 cherries

FRY FESTER THE ADDAMS FAMILY

2005-11-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

FRY FESTER THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Fry Fester was a follow up game of the popular Addams Family video slot machine. The game was the same base game as the regular Addams Family debut slot machine. The only difference was the bonus game. In the original game, the player went to the graveyard bonus round and had a fun time selecting tombstones for credit values. In this version, the game was a challenge to actually Fry Uncle Fester. The bonus game lacked the excitement level of the original game. Some of the symbols in the base game were slightly changed, but the regular wild Addams Family house and 9 line 5 coin max pay, 45 coin max bets were all the same. The machine never caught on like the original version did, around the same time was another version of the Addams family slot called Cousin IT's Bad Hair Day. Both machines were not around very long and I have not seen any of the machines in any Atlantic City casino since they were removed from the Hilton. 2 cherries.

HOOT LOOT

2005-11-07T14:23:00.000-08:00

HOOT LOOT

Hoot Loot is one of the new video slot machines to hit the casino floor in the last few months. It is a 15 line 5 or 10 coin max bet machine, I have usually found this machine in mainly the penny denomination. However, upon closer inspection, the game can be located in multi-denominations such as penny, 2 cents, and nickels. The amount of lines and the various configurations make this a tough game to deal with from the start. Add to it that it has a weird extra game within a game and it may just be too confusing for the casual slot player. This game within the game is thus; as far as I can tell each symbol that appears on the screen has a border or no border style, the ones with the border are counted in a box near the bottom of the screen and if they fall in the box in a paying configuration, you get credits for that win also. It seems like too much to go through and I have spent some time trying to get a feel of this game. I did get the one bonus game, it took awhile to come around and I was truly disappointed in that it was so You merely picked a bonus amount out of 3 symbols. The base game has its HOOT LOOT wild symbols, they come up often enough to make the game somewhat playable, but in the end the game lacks any real excitement think I played this game in Las Vegas on a whim, I did not understand anything at the time but after about 5 minutes I had hit for 800 credits and immediately cashed out. I feel this game has a lot more going against it than for it, its multiple lines and high max bet are a turn off. I recommend many other machines that are much more entertaining 1 cherry.

AUSTIN POWERS

2005-11-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

AUSTIN POWERS
Austin Powers first version video slot machine is the only game to appear in the 12 Atlantic City casinos. The game came out with a good amount of popularity and has received decent play. However, it appears that the original slot machine is not holding on to it's once popular placement and, except for the Hilton, it seems to have only a few scattered machines left. Also, the progressive on this 9 line 5 coin max game has yet to hit in Atlantic City and is well over a million dollars at last check. In addition, the other two versions of the video slot machine will likely never make an appearance in Atlantic City, actually I did not even see many of the games for the 2nd and 3rd versions in Las Vegas. And while on the subject, the Austin Powers Video poker bonus game was another machine that did not make much of an impact, I remember it at the Palms in Las Vegas but never did see the game in Atlantic City.
The actual game is still a good time to spend at the slots. If you like bonus rounds, this game will satisfy you as there are 3 different bonus games to play. The best game of the bonus is when you get the five gals or male characters and go to a pick and match screen. There you select the matches until you get the dirty old fat bastard, then you get one final pick. The key is to find that flashlight that gets you a 2x multiplier for all the matches. The other games include the 3 dykeish characters, I forget her name, she was one of Dr. Evil’s assistants. You then get the lovely ladies with the hidden machine guns and select a bonus credit amount from one of the 3 girls. Next, there is a Dr. Evil symbol bonus game that sends you to a second screen loaded with characters from the film, you select characters and is awarded credits. There is actually a fourth bonus, the bonus occurs when four different Austin Powers symbols of him in character occur on the screen, you select one of the four for a credit bonus. In addition, the scatter bonus is awarded whenever 2 or more mini mes show up on a given spin. Ever since I watched the mini me show on VH1's The Surreal Life and saw the episode with a drunk mini me peeing on the side of the room, I have a hard time keeping it together when playing this machine and getting the mini me scatter. The main highlight of this game is the great sounds, the music from the film is catchy and keeps you alert when playing, also the soundbites from the actual film crack me up, and the mini me one in particular.
The base game is filled with actual screen shots of the movies characters and cartoon drawings that feature the catch phrases from the movie. The wild symbol is only good with the sayings. The base game has some decent payoffs but the game really centers on the scatter pays and the bonus rounds. You can make a nice reasonable profit on this game, I like to play max as the bonus do occur frequently and of course max credits may lead to a decent bonus game. I would look to cash out at a range of between a profit of $40 and $80 dollars. The game can stay decent for some time, but the cold spells of no bonus games will eat up the credits quickly. Try to hit the nice bonus game and then change machines, I have chased another bonus too often and have wasted away some nice small profits. 4 cherries

SLINGO

2005-11-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

SLINGO
Slingo was a big hit a few years ago on the casino floors of Atlantic City. Caesars in particular had a large number of the nickel version of the popular bingo-like game. The machine was pretty basic with 9 line 5 coin, 45 max credit bets. The design was comic/cartoonish styled characters. The base game was a little tough to get used to at first, the coins were all gold colored and were stacked in 1, 2, or 3 and payed off like the single, double and triple bars on reel slots. The other characters were easy to follow and the base game played ok. The real catch on Slingo is the bonus game. You need 3 Play Slingo symbols to go to the special Slingo bonus round. Here, similar to the Slingo bonus on the 3-reel slot machine, one would have a Slingo board filled with numbers and some marked off. You get 10 spins to win your Slingo lines and hopefully a full board. Each spin can get you a single number of bonuses in the form of extra spin or any space. Watch out for the devils, as they will stop the credits from growing. The game is probably popular with its built-in audience of Slingo fans. For outsiders without knowledge of the game, it is worth a session or two, however it will likely leave the patron with a sense of not being that thrilled as the game is simple and basic, great for some, boring for others. 3 cherries.

THE HONEYMOONERS

2005-11-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

THE HONEYMOONERS
The Honeymooners video slot machine came out a couple of years ago and I highly anticipated playing the slot version of one of the greatest television sitcoms of all time. The usual cast of Jackie Gleason, Art Carney and their wives were along as were the familiar symbols. The bus that Ralph Cramden drove to work, the sewer top Ed Norton went down, all this and more. Or less. The game looked great, highlights include two bonus features that attached scene from the classic television series. The main bonus was a match tile like game, but it had a weird twist. You could go throw the board as the values of a match began high and decreased, however, if after going through the whole board once and not matching, the values went from say 1000 credits on the first selection to 100 on the last try. They then started going back up in value. This was fun once, the only time I ever had it happen. Trouble is, the base game, a 15 line 5 coin , 75 max credit deal, really did not pay well. I played the game repeatedly early on, a shame as the game was fun to play, the characters and the other Greatest bonus with clips from the classic sitcom made play a decent time. But, in the end, you need to put in real cash and this machine sadly was tight,tight,tight. I swear it seemed like Ralph Cramden himself was paying off each machine.
The game is rarely seen anywhere around of late, it seems that they keep a single game in some casinos which is a bit strange. For nostalgia sake only would I recommend playing this game, also 15 lines one coin per line only 2 stars.

FROG PRINCE

2005-11-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

FROG PRINCE
Frog Prince is a popular video slot machine that can usually be found in a 15 line 5 coin max bet format in the nickels denomination. The game has no corporate connections and is simply based on the frog and prince characters from our literary tales of the past. The game features nice graphics with clean artwork that is appealing to the eye and offers a good contrast. The symbols are not confusing and this video slot machine is a game that is relatively easy to play. The base game features a wild symbol to help keep the hits coming along. In addition, there is a moon symbol that can be helpful when it occurs a few times on a given spin and rewards scatter pays; these pays come out with a relatively decent frequency. The bonus games are two separate deals; the first game is a kiss the frog bonus game. When you get 3 frogs anywhere on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th reels, you will proceed to a second screen bonus game. Here you select one of the 3 frogs to get a number of kisses or picks. You touch a frog and anywhere from 2-4 kisses is revealed. Next, you will get to use your kisses. On the right hand side of the screen you will see a row of figures or characters lined up with corresponding credit win amounts displayed next to them. Each kiss rewards a character, it is up to you to decide if you want to keep the win or go fore a higher prize. Naturally, the top award is for selecting the prince.
An interesting note on this Frog Prince slot machine, in the nickel version I have noticed that this always seems to be the way of the bonus game. However, I have played the same slot machine in a quarter denomination and the bonus game is changed somewhat. When you touch the frog and are awarded kisses, the kisses are used to collect credits cumulatively; that is each character selected allows you to keep that bonus and the next picks add to the bonus. I do not know, but I suspect that this feature is only available in the quarter version; it would be nice if it were that way in the nickel game.
The other bonus is a bit harder to come by but usually well worth it when it does. When you get a combination of wild symbols and book symbols, you get a two fold bonus game. You get to pick a page for your free spins, 2-6, and a magic wand to multiply the credit value of your free spin awards. The spins can really get some nice wins if you get a 5/6, or 5/5 combination and happen upon a nice hit in the series.
The frog Prince slot machine is a nice game that usually gives one some play, it can be volatile as is any 15 line game. Try it out at a few spins at 15 lines 1 or 2 credits. Take any big bonus wins and cash out asap as they are few and far between. The best scenario is to get some nice base game hits and be able to stay around on a $20 until you get one of the bonus games. # 1/2 kisses

JACKPOT STAMPEDE

2005-10-31T15:03:00.000-08:00

JACKPOT STAMPEDE
Jackpot Stampede is a fun video slot machine that is getting harder to find on the casino floors. In Atlantic City, I have noticed the game is still at Resorts. The machine was still around in a few of the older casinos off strip last summer in Las Vegas as well as in Laughlin, Nevada. The base game is a 9 line 5 coin max bet, 45 credit total bet, video slot machine that offered the players a chance to rustle up some cattle for extra credits. The base game of this slot machine played pretty simple, you had a bunch of western style cartoon icons, spurs, cows, catus,etc. The base game had some decent hits, although the pays were sometimes low, you can get a few 5 of a kind pay outs on a given spin. The big pays are for the cattle, they are green, higher value and the brown lower credits. Also, there is a bonus game when on the first reel, a cowboy appears. When the cowboy comes up, you will have him rope the cattle that are scattered on the rest of the reels. Usually, double your bet for the brown cows, and at least triple or more for the green cows. There is also a main bonus game. This is an older video slot machine and you can tell by the basic bonus round. Not too many bells and whistles here, but this slot machine gives you a nice chance at some big credits during the basic and simple bonus round. You need to get the 3 rancher dudes on the 1st, third, and fifth lines and you are off to the bonus game. You get 3 free spins and each spin you get a value for the cows that show up on the 5 reels. Of course, the initial bet initiated will determine the output and credits for the cows, but you will get anywhere from 2x to 5x value based on the credit amount of the original spin. Sadly, this video slot machine is not found in many places around Atlantic City lately, if you get a chance give it some play. It is worth medium range play 18-27 coins per spin, it can give you a decent amount of time on the slot machine and will provide some fun. The bonus games do not occur too often, so if you reap a nice bonus of $50 or more I suggest you cash it out and move on to another slot machine. 3 1/2 spurs.

LAS VEGAS SHUTTLE TIPS

2005-10-30T05:51:00.000-08:00

HERE IS A FEW MONEY SAVING TIPS TO GET AROUND SIN CITY WITHOUT A RENTAL CAR, MORE MONEY TO PLAY.
Airport Shuttles

Enlarge pictureACL, Bell, Star, and Showtime are just a few of the companies that offer shuttle buses between the airport and the various Strip and downtown hotels. These buses usually cost under $5 per person to Strip hotels and under $7 per person to downtown hotels which makes them a lot cheaper than taxis. You can take care of your return trip to the airport by buying a round-trip shuttle bus ticket which offers some savings. They typically cost around $8 for Strip hotels and $10 for downtown hotels.

Whichever shuttle service you use, be sure to ask the driver for a telephone number to call for a pick-up when you have to return to the airport. When you are ready to call for a pick-up, you can often just pick up a hotel house phone and ask them to connect you to the shuttle bus company. Be sure to call at least two hours before the time you want to arrive at the airport. Some shuttle bus companies want you to call 24 hours ahead of time. Ask your driver how far ahead you should call for a pick-up.

Check out the Limousine Gamble section on the Tips page to see how you may luck into a $4 limousine ride, and how your group can ride in a limousine for only a couple dollars more a person.

What you get in savings you give up in time. These buses will typically wait for the bus to fill before leaving which means it can take an up to an hour to get to your hotel. If you're more interested in saving time than saving money, take a taxi. Taxi rides generally average $13 to Strip hotels and $20 downtown (not including the tip).

The ground transportation diagram on the Diagrams page shows the locations of shuttle buses, taxis, etc. at both airport terminals.

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Free Trams

1. Enlarge picture Enlarge picture There is a tram that runs between the Bellagio and the Monte Carlo. It operates 24/7 with a frequency of every 10 minutes and has indoor boarding platforms. If you enter the Bellagio from the Via Bellagio shops, follow the "Tram Station" signs through the casino. The tram station is located past the hotel's convention center. In the Monte Carlo you have to walk through the "Street of Dreams" shops.

2. Enlarge picture There is another tram that runs between Excalibur and Mandalay Bay, but with a twist. The same company owns these two resorts plus the Luxor that's in-between them. In order to get visitors down to Mandalay Bay, which is at the end of the Strip as far as most tourists are concerned, the tram does not stop at Luxor when going from Excalibur to Mandalay Bay (the south-bound run). It only stops at Luxor on the north-bound run. It also operates 24/7.

The Excalibur intentionally doesn't make it easy for your to find your way out of their casino when you arrive from Mandalay Bay or Luxor. When you enter the Excalibur just follow the path straight ahead and turn right at the table games up to the "Show Tickets" booth and go around it to get to the exit ramp-way.

You access the boarding platforms for these trams from inside the resorts. Look for the words "Tram" or "Monorail" on the overhead signs throughout the above resorts. (The location of the tram station at the Bellagio is shown on the Bellagio diagram on the Diagrams page.)

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Free Shuttles

1. Enlarge picture Enlarge pictureIf you want to get over to the off-Strip Rio, they have a free shuttle bus that stops in the back of Harrah's. Go to the back of the casino and exit near the hotel's registration desk and look for the "Bus Departures" area off to your left. Hours of operation are 10 am to 1 am with a frequency of every 20 to 30 minutes (depending on traffic). Note that when you are ready to leave the Rio to head back to the Strip, you will often have to wait for the second or third bus to come along as they can only fit about 20 people on a bus and they don't allow standing. As an alternative, walking to the Strip is a bit of a hike taking about 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Enlarge pictureAn hourly shuttle bus leaves the Hard Rock at the top of each hour from 10 am to 7 pm covering the Strip from the Stardust to the Polo Towers (just north of the MGM Grand). They don't make a lot of stops but you can flag them down between stops if you see one of these distinctive purple mini-buses. They have the most comfortable seats of any shuttle bus I've ever been on, covered with a fake leopard fur and, what else, rock and roll playing over the speaker. They stop near the Forum Shops at 10 minutes past the hour, the Fashion Show Mall at quarter past the hour, and the Stardust at 20 past the hour.

3. The Stardust is owned by the same company that owns Sam's Town (Boulder Highway area). A free shuttle leaves the Stardust going to Sam's Town every hour, on the hour, from 9 am to 10 pm. Enlarge pictureReturn trips back to the Stardust are every hour on the half-hour (9:30 am to 10:30 pm). This bus now also stops in Harrah's "Bus Departures" area.

Once at Sam's Town, you can catch a shuttle to the California (Fremont Street area). This shuttle runs every 1:15 from 9 am to 10:45 pm. Return trips back to Sam's Town run every 1:15 from 8:30 am to 11:30 pm.

Note: The Stardust, California, Fremont, Main Street Station, and Sam's Town are all owned by Boyd Gaming. The shuttle information on their Website says that a "Room key may be required" but does not give specifics as to if this is a room key to any Boyd property, if it's only required at certain times, etc. While I haven't encountered this, be sure to hold onto enough cash to take a CAT bus or taxi back to your hotel just in case they start asking for room keys when you try to catch a return shuttle.

4. The company that owns Barbary Coast also owns the off-Strip Gold Coast (next to the Rio) and the Orleans (a couple miles west of NY-NY) where they usually have decent guest performers if you like 70s/80s rock or country. They offer a shuttle bus that stops at each of these resorts. It runs from 9:30 a.m. to midnight daily with a frequency of every 20 to 30 minutes. It stops outside the Flamingo Road (side) entrance of Barbary Coast.

This same company also operates the Suncoast resort. It is northwest of the Strip but they offer guests regularly-scheduled shuttles to Barbary Coast.)

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Trolley Buses

Note: There is no longer a trolley running between the Stratosphere and Fremont Street. See the Fremont Street section below.

Enlarge pictureThe term "trolley bus" may seem like a contradiction in terms but there's no other way to describe these vehicles. They're buses with a body that looks like a trolley car. The trolleys run from 9:30 am to 1:30 am daily, come around about every 20 minutes, and cost $1.75 (exact change required).

The route starts at the Stratosphere at the north end of the Strip, loops over to the off-Strip LV Hilton, and stops at several of the major Strip hotels. It's probably the best way to get over to the Strip if you're staying at the Hilton.

The main drawback of the trolley is that it's slow. A number of the stops are made when the trolley is going both north and south bound (Fashion Show Mall for example). They stop in the "tour bus" areas of most resorts which means they have to weave their way in and out of the resort complexes and that takes time. And given the number of stops the trolley makes you'll still have to do a little walking. For example, the stop at Harrah's is also the stop for the Venetian.

Enlarge pictureEnlarge pictureThe stop at Harrah's is a little hard to find. You have to go through Harrah's to the back of the casino and exit near the hotel's registration desk. Off to the left you'll see a large "Bus Departures" sign. You have to go through the doorway below this sign to get to the stop. Note that this trolley stop is also used by the Sam's Town shuttle bus.

Locations of where the trolley bus stops are shown on the Strip diagram on the Diagrams page.

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Strip Monorail

Enlarge pictureThe monorail that runs on the east side of the Strip began operation in July of 2004. There are monorail stations at the following locations (located behind the Strip casinos) from north to south:

* Sahara
* LV Hilton
* Convention Center
* Harrah's
* Flamingo
* Bally's
* MGM

A full-size version of the Monorail Route diagram is available on the Diagrams page.

The route is approximately 4 miles long and will run from 8 am to midnight. It takes about 15 minutes to go the full route with trains arriving in stations approximately every 10 minutes.

Tickets are available for a fixed number of rides or for a fixed period of time. Ticket pricing is as follows:
One ride
Two rides (valid for one year)
Ten rides (valid for one year)
One day (unlimited use)
Three day (unlimited use) $3
$5.75
$25
$15
$40
There are vending machines located on the station platforms and inside the connected resorts from which you can buy tickets. There is already talk of extending the monorail to the airport and downtown.

While the monorail will be faster, the trolley buses are still a viable option if you want to go to resorts north of Treasure Island or if you don't want to have to do some walking to get to a resort on the west side of the Strip that's served by the trolley buses. (They also cost less than the monorail.)

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Fremont Street

With the trolley no longer going to Fremont Street your options for going between there and the Strip are limited to a taxi cab or the CAT transit bus (see the CAT Transit section below).

The CAT bus ride will take about 20 to 45 minutes depending on traffic and the time of day, and the buses can be standing room only during rush hours. However, a taxi from Fremont Street to Treasure Island cost me $9 (not including the tip) and it was at a time when traffic was only moderate.

To reduce cab fare, you could take a cab between Fremont Street and the Stratosphere and use the trolley to/from there.

The location of the CAT bus stop for going to the Strip from Fremont Street is shown on the Fremont Street diagram on the Diagrams page.

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CAT Transit
CAT Transit Website
CAT Web Site

Enlarge pictureCAT (Citizen Area Transit) is Las Vegas' public transportation system. Route 301/302 is the bus route that travels the Strip and on up to Fremont Street. The fare is $2 (exact change required). 302 is the express route and it makes fewer stops.

The CAT Website has an information page which will tell you what Strip resorts the 301 and 302 buses stop at as well as a route map.

Some, but not all, of the CAT bus stops have shelters. For example, there are stops in front of the Flamingo (north bound), Caesars, and the Mirage fountains (both south bound) that do not. You have to look for the small signs with the numbers 301 and/or 302 on them.

If you're just going between two places on the Strip, you may want to take the trolley if it's around 7 to 9 am and 4 to 6 pm because the CAT buses are usually packed with resort employees during these hours. You may want to avoid taking a CAT bus to Fremont Street during these hours also.

THE APPRENTICE

2005-10-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

COMING SOON, THE NEW APPRENTICE SLOT MACHINE

Overview

Top Glass

Bottom Glass

Take a jump at the chance to join one of television’s most riveting reality programs on its rollercoaster ride through the risks and rewards of business with The Apprentice™ video slot game.

Play the game like Trump and life will be trumps!

Game Play

Features IGT’s Wheelionaire™ mystery bonusing - a wheel bonus game with a five-level progressive jackpot that’s an interactive bonus - not just an award
Streaming video clips of Donald Trump providing instructions, pearls of business wisdom and congratulations on bonus play along with actual scenes from the hit reality-TV program
Enhanced digital sound brings The Apprentice™ theme, musical score and voiceovers from "The Donald" to stereophonic life
Winning combinations of Donald, George, Carolyn and Bill symbols animate with video clips from The Apprentice™ hit hit TV program
If The Apprentice™ logo symbol appears anywhere on logo symbol appears anywhere on reels 2, 3, or 4 the entire reel goes into wild animation for any other symbol except bonus game initiators

The Boardroom Bonus

A bonus bet is required to play for The Boardroom bonus
Initiated when The Boardroom bonus symbol appears on reels 2, 3, and 4, with a bonus bet wagered
Trump instructs you to spin the wheel - pink for PROTÉGÉ, blue for VERSACORP - then start firing members of the opposing team
- To continue eliminating the opposition and racking up bonus winnings, you must spin the wheel and land on your team color
- If the candidate selected for firing reveals a multiplier, the current wheel value is increased by the multiplier; if a value is revealed it’s added to the bonus win meter
The bonus ends when the wheel lands on the opposing team’s color and you receive the Your Fired!™ notice or after you send all the competition packing and are hired as The Apprentice™

Top Reel Award

Land three expanding wild The Apprentice™ logo symbols logo symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 and Trump portrait symbols on reels 1 and 5 of a played line, to win the highest payline award

Wheelionaire™ Mystery Mega Progressives

Bonus is random and may start after any reel spin or bonus round
Bonus pays up to a million dollar top award or one of four smaller progressive jackpots
During bonus game play, you are always guaranteed to win a bonus level
Top award is available only with max bet on all lines

MILK MONEY

2005-10-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

Video Slot Reviews
I have a list of about 100 top machines, format is in video slots and in the nickel per line variety. I will add my personal comments from self experience, sure some will have a biased info as if I lost quickly I rarely gave a second chance. Also, depending on where I played the machine and the type of computer chip inserted designed to give a poor or decent payback influences the review highly. My goal is to provide a realistic outlook from a person who feeds their own money into these cash cows.

My scale
One cherry - just walk away.

Two cherries-OK, you have a sentimental attachment or something, but be very cautious and be prepared for a quick exit.

Three Cherries- A fun machine but be wary of the payoffs, try to get away before the cycle changes and CASH OUT AHEAD!

Four Cherries- These are great fun machines with good bonus rounds and frequent hits. Cash out ahead and stash the winnings and re-feed it back slowly if you can't pull yourself away.

Five cherries- I'll let you know when I find any.

MILK MONEY
Milk Money is one of the newer video slots to hit the casino floors in the past year. The game is full of cartoonish characters and a lot of cows. There is a lot of noise coming out of this machine and I did not like the game much to begin with and even now the machine bothers me when I am not even playing it. The 15 lines and 5 coin max bet have a low hit return frequency, while your spins may hit often, the base game usually returns much less credits on a hit spin than you initially bet. That quickly adds up to a losing session unless you can score the bonus game. I guess that it would be best to play one coin at a time per 15 lines, but honestly I would prefer you didn’t, especially if I am in the area playing another game. The volume on this machine seems to drown out everything else within 50 yards of the machine. The bonus games are cute if you love cows, me I prefer mine medium-well with some A1! Just kidding, but I really can't say much about the bonus games, one happens when you get cows on the first and fifth line and they have a cow race, good thing it is not in real life time!, also a second bonus is the milking the cow game, they fill up bottles and I think if you get chocolate or strawberry instead of regular you get more points or something, sorry, can't include too many details, you will just have too moo-sey on over and check out someone else while they are playing. 1 and a half cherries.

KENNY ROGERS

2005-10-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

KENNY ROGERS
Kenny Rogers the Gambler video slot machine has been around for awhile now. It seems to have a decent audience and is a fun game to play if you happen upon a decent paying machine. There are 15 line 5 coin (75 nickels) max bet machines that can be tough to judge as the rng can go either way quickly. The base game offers a wild symbol that comes up frequently and can keep the base hits close to the spin bet. The other thing is that with several wild symbols on a spin, a max bet credit can often result in anywhere from 500- 1000 spin credit win. The base game of Kenny Rogers, The Gambler can offer some nice quick hits, but it is ultimately the 2 bonus games that will make your session profitable. These bonus games can run erratically, often you will get the Gambler bonus more than the train express bonus, Overall I would say at about a 3 to 1 ratio. That said, remember, you can go out and play this game and get the express bonus twice in 2 spins. Ok, the bonus game for the Gambler occurs when you get three of the symbols on the inside reels, that is the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, reels. If is nice to have a machine with decent audio, the symbols make a sound, and the songs play during the bonus round, ok, maybe it isn't so good to have a machine with good volume if you are NOT a fan of Kenny Rogers music. The bonus starts and you select a poker chip, one of three. You will then be dealt anywhere from 3-5 poker hands based on the amount shown on the chip you selected. The cards start turning over and the hands unfold. Alongside the right of the screen are the payoffs for each card hand. Note, even though the spin bet naturally changes the amount the card hands are worth, there are also changes within the same bet, for example the max credit bet will have a top award for the Royal Flush at anywhere from about 1200 credits, the low, to 6000 the high. The normal seems to be about 1750 range, the 6000 does not come out too often. Now, the key is to have it dealt to you. Most of the time the game has a best bet button that holds true, if on the next to last spin you are dealt a straight flush, it will often tell you to hold it instead of going for the Royal;. The other times, you will mostly have a go for it prompt. The Royal Flush does come out often on the last hand but there are occasions where you may drop a flush or full house and get burned as you get a 2 pair hand and "gambled" away a few hundred credits. My advice is to usually go for that royal, especially if you ever get that 6000-credit amount.
The other bonus game is the Train express game, you need the train and wilds in a winning combination and you get to this second type of bonus game that is much different and seems to be scarcer. The game has 6 railroad box cars that come up, on the first row of 3 you select one car for a multiplier, anywhere from 1- 6, the bottom row you will again select a box car that will give you your free spins, also-1-6. The thing with this bonus, besides the fact that so often you will get 4 of the 5 symbols and hardly ever the 5th is that it really does not have many big hits during the free spin game. These types of bonus rounds with the multipliers usually can offer one fantastic spin, but on Kenny Rogers, the Gambler, the case is usually some very small hits compared to the regular game spins. That isn't to say the bonus is horrible because you still usually get a decent number of spins and a good multiplier. It just seems so close to having a nice profit instead of just getting those extra credits for longer playtime. Well, like Kenny Rogers sings, ya got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, especially on his game. I'd say once you get both bonus games in one session, it would be a good time to cash out. 3 1/2 chips

WINNING BID

2005-10-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

WINNING BID
Winning bid is another old favorite that is hard to find on any casino floor. The game was a nice 9 line 5 or 10 coin max bet video slot that was a fun play with clear, sharp graphics and a easy to follow set of bonus games. The theme was of an auction, the items used for symbols were typical fare one would encounter at any given auction. Along with the bidders and auctioneer, the game had a nice super scatter feature on the last 3 reels. Although the scatter seemed to come up less than the regular bonus, it was still a decent credit booster. The main base game played well, the winning hits usually at least equaled the credit amount bet, thus this allowed the player extended play time, especially if playing 1 or two coins per bet. The bonus game was loaded with an array of diverse characters ready to bid away on the auction items. The bonus came around frequently enough and usually paid a decent amount of credit. The fun was waiting to see the bidders start to outbid each other, this wasn't your money being bid, but it was going to add to your final credit amount. The auction had a break from the action and allowed you to hang around and cheer on the bidding frenzy. A simple game with clear screen shots and easy to follow configurations, these games are going to be missed as we now contend with those 25 and 50 line games loaded with bells and whistles and lower paybacks. 3 1/2 cherries.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE BONUS SPINS

2005-10-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

WHEEL OF FORTUNE BONUS SPINS
Wheel of fortune bonus spins is the second version of the ever-popular Wheel of fortune line of slot machines. This game was around for awhile now and has slightly updated features and graphics, The second version of wheel of fortune featured a new bonus game, the vault bonus. This is similar to the pick a safe bonus in the Rich Uncle game. You land 3 vaults and a bonus credit amount appears it correlates to the credit amount bet and is anywhere from about 150-600. The base game has the same scatter symbols and pays as the original Wheel of fortune. The wild symbols are still there as well as the usual symbols like diamonds, boats, etc. albeit all with a new makeover. The main difference is the bonus game; the familiar wheel to spin is there and the usual credit amounts. Again, the bet per line is multiplied when the spin is completed. The game has a variety of denominations, 1, 2, and 5 cent being the normal ones found in most casinos. The bonus does offer you the following, you get a screen with the w h e e l letters and choose a letter to reveal the number of picks. Next, you get to spin. Usually, you will get 2 or 3, getting 4 is a good chance for some large credit amounts. The wheel does contain a great feature, an extra spin award, get this and you get the original amount of spins you initially won. I have seen this machine go crazy, with a woman getting well over 100 free spins in the bonus round. Because you may start with 4 spins, getting the extra spins adds 4 to your total and if the machine goes off, sit back and enjoy. What a great bonus, keep spinning and winning for a half-hour without putting in a penny. But, alas, that is the exception and you have to be careful, the game also can run painfully long without any bonus games or big hits. PS I have also recalled a very similar second version of the wheel of fortune game with some slight differences. I just can't recall the changes, it was in Las Vegas at the Tropicana about 3 years ago, any info on that version would be appreciated. 4 cherries.

RISQUE BUSINESS

2005-10-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Risque Business is a sexy little night out for the guys or gals. This 9 line 5 coin max bet video slot is loaded with some r- rated fun for the players. The whole theme is strip club based and has the symbols to go along with it. There is the DJ, the dancers, the dollar bills and more. Try to get a game with a decent volume as the mc part is hilarious. The base game has a nice set of frequently occurring wild symbols that makes for a shot at some big hits. The hits are often and generally give you an equal or better spin credit. The lines are easy to follow as is the game itself. The artwork is crisp and clean, well maybe a little dirty in that sense, after all we are talking strippers here. The one bonus game is the ATM machine, how appropriate, well at least if you get 3 and 4 or 5 are possible you get to select a lucky ATM machine that will hopefully give you enough credits to keep playing to get to the big bonus so you do not need to visit the real ATM machine. The big bonus is pretty tough to get but most of the time it is worth the wait. When you line any combination of the strippers on a payline, 3 or more, you then get a screen prompting you to select a stripper, guy or gal. You also have an option during any spin of the base game to change the stippers; altogether there are 4 total choices. Once you select the stripper of your choice, it is time for some dancing. The mc does a good job of de
ailing the show as he announces the proceedings. The girls or guys start to remove some clothing, for each article of clothing you must select 3 patrons to hand over the dollar bills. A credit meter keeps track of the bills and each round starts with a pre-set amount that needs to be reached to get the stripper to take the next article of clothing off. You go through this several times until you either have not coughed up enough dough and settle for that credit amount, or you get the full show as the strippers take it all off. In that case, you get to select a bonus patron and can add a nice amount to your already sizeable bonus. In addition, if you initially land 4 or 5 dancers the game is likely to pay off a nice sum. A great fun bonus and with a decent volume on your machine expect a crowd to gather around as you cheer the dancers on to take it off. A truly interactive experience, this is one of the top bonus rounds for fun and it usually isn't too skimpy on the credits either. 4 cherries.

INSTANT WINNER

2005-10-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

INSTANT WINNER
Instant Winner has resurfaced in a new version that has a lot of colors, lines, and the ability to lighten your wallet at a lightning like pace. The original game is extremely hard to find but worth looking for and playing if you do come across one. Instant Winner in the original form was a nice 9 line 5 coin max bet video slot that had a lot going for a base game. On any given spin, a nice hit for hundreds of credits was possible, and on the good old machines this happened with a friendly frequency. The game includes bonus games, the gold Instant Winner symbols led to a second screen scratch-off bonus that revealed a bonus amount, 3 symbols got a decent amount 4 was a sizeable chunk of dough. The other parts of the game include the wild purple jackpot symbols that helped out in pay offs. Also the bonus game symbols could combine with the wild symbols to give you that bonus round more often. The bonus game itself was a series of scratch-off tickets culled from various related games like Reel 'em in and Boom. You choose your game ticket and select the areas to scratch. If you are luckiest to get the 3 matching symbols in the first 3 selections, you will come out a winner with a high credit. Certain games also included a bonus multiplier that could really send the credits soaring. I remember playing banks of these machines at the Showboat. They were all coin games, pre TITO. Some of the games had a 90 credit max bet. People were always doing quite well on the older versions, sadly they have since been replaced. It is no mere coincidence that as the Showboat payback percentages on the nickel slots have fallen to a painful 84-86% range, that the new versions of these old classics are not worth playing. Besides the increased number of lines, the glut of penny denominations, the instant winner machine now has become an instant loser. 1 CHERRY FOR THE NEW GAME, 4 CHERRIES FOR THE OLD CLASSIC COIN GAME.

Super Sally's Shrimpmania™ Video Slots

2005-10-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Super Sally's Shrimpmania™ Video Slots

This spin-off of the ever-popular Lobstermania video slot is a fun new version full of small surprises while keeping with the main theme of the first game. Here we are introduced to lovely Sally, decked out in her yellow slicker and ready to load up the shrimps and surprises for your delight. The base game is almost identical, there are versions with different lines, most are 15 line but because the game is often found in multi-denominational versions- 1 cent, 2 cent and 5 cent- the lines per bet can be up to 20 or 30. I choose to play the nickel denomination, you have to be careful when doing so because accidentally hitting the max button may cost you $10 a spin!. I choose the 15 line and then 2 bet per line, if you want to increase it, just hit the manual on screen button one at a time to increase it. The game jumps with the preset bet per line from 1, 2, right to 10.
The base game contains the regular familiar features, the wild symbols, the scatter symbols and of course the bonus symbols. Anyone who has played the Lobstermania game will sit right down and be able to follow along quickly. The bonus game is where the changes occur and they are potentially quite rewarding. You begin by selecting one of the 3 bonus symbols to get your picks, 2, 3, or 4. On to the bonus and the sweet sounding voice of Sally welcomes you to select a couple of bonus buckets. She will then load the shrimp and dump the credits out. In this round you have some cool added features; the play again game is self-explanatory. There is a pick a boat game, try not to find her as each boat rewards credits until Sally is located. In addition, there is a shell game where you can really increase your bonus when you hit upon a nice multiplier, a 5x bonus total will have you loving your Sally and her shrimp. There are a few other surprises, even good old Larry may pop up and make an appearance every now and then. I recommend this game, pennies for fun, nickels for profit. I have had a few big hits in the bonus game cashing out for over $300 twice. I was playing 15 lines at 4 nickels per line, but be cautious as the bonus game seems to make the difference. I have spent a few sessions of dumping in $20's without the bonus and the base game is not too generous. Happy Shrimping. 3 1/2 shrimps.

NEON NIGHTS

2005-10-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

NEON NIGHTS
Neon Nights is a nice 9-line 5-reel video slot that has endured asnd still in found on many casino floors. With its neon look and Las Vegas theme, the game is basic and simple to understand. It does not offer any huge possible hits, no progressives, and only two basic bonus type games. But it is a machine that can provide some entertainment and possibly smaller dollar amount wing, around $50 -$100 if played smart. If not , it can be a game where one gets a lot of play for their money. The base game has a frequently appearing wild symbol to juic3 things up. But, there seems to be a lack of larger base game hits, most are maybe 30-50 credit hits. There is a side bonus called the Fast Cash. On the 3rd, 4th, and 5th reel, a series of fast cash symbols need to show up, if they do you get a random spinning bonus, I guess it could go up to 9999 as there are four spaces but usually it is in the 200-400 range on a 27 coin bet, higher on a max bet around 600 credits although once I was shocked to see a 2500 win.
The main bonus game comes around when lining up 3 welcome to Las Vegas symbols on the first three lines in correct pay off configuration. There the game prompts you to press the start button where it randomly stops on one of 3 bonus games. There is the slot machine pull, each time you press the handle it will either spin a win, 3 7's, or register end on the three reels. You usually get about at least 4 spins, on a win there are scattered coins that are randomly landed upon and you receive their hidden vale times line bet. The value range from 2 credits to 50 credits. The next game is a dancer game, she come out to do some high kicking and you are to select a star, either left or right. Each star reveals a credit amount, that is also multiplied by line and coin bet, the range is usually around 30-60 with max bet, you can go on for 5 rounds if you do not get a collect symbol. Finally, the last bonus game is the cook a burger game. The chef starts cooking and adding ingredients, bun starts off, and then he adds meat, the highest value followed by an assortment of toppings, including the usual favorites like onions, lettuce, pickles, and cheese. If you get all 6 different items you receive an extra bonus credit amount. There is a chance to zap it or collect it, you will get 3 burgers cooked in all, pay attention to the collect or zap signs after each burger is cooked as you will net given a suggestion that is usually on target. Some fun, like I said a good game to while away some down town, not much to win or lose. 3 cherries.

RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT

2005-10-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT
RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT. The RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT game has sadly disappeared from every casino in Atlantic City. I was shocked to read in the recent issue of Strictly Slot's that this was not a "hit" machine in the world of video slots. I would have to beg to differ from personal experience, at least in the casinos in Atlantic City. I did play the game in Las Vegas and found horrible RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT machines at the Tropicana and downtown at the Freemont; Caesars Palace RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT games were decent and well played.
When this game began to become popular in the Atlantic City casinos, an experience unlike any other was started. The game itself was revolutionary in the world of slot machines because a player now did have real input on the outcome of the game. By correctly answering a trivia question, one would increase the bonus credits awarded. Wrong answers still awarded credits but in a much lesser sum.
Players would get to the bonus game by lining up 2 or more symbols from left to right; also the first and third paylines were double questions if the symbols were in consecutive order. A third symbol resulted in a higher bonus valued question, but now you had 3 choices. The 4 and 5 symbols were again increased in bonus value, and this time one would need to answer from 4 choices. The top value for 4 symbols was between 450-700 credits per line bet; the 5 symbols awarded 2000 credits per line bet (with a total of 90 possible that would be a $1000 hit with max coin bet). Rip, the colorful parrot was always around to cheer you on, or squawk disappointingly when you chose the wrong answer. In fact, he also assisted you at times, either by telling you to "select A " or sometimes would add up to 125x credits for the current question.
This game started a mini- frenzy in the initial release as players were hopping around the bank of machines every time a trivia question came upon a players game. We would offer help and also record the answers for future reference. Eventually, with our minds pretty much already filled with too much trivial information-(why won't I ever forget the lyrics to the Flintstones theme but yet can't remember where I put my keys 10 minutes ago!!)-We began to compile hard copy lists and using our specialized shorthand would create a master list for use on the next trip. The situation even evolved to the point where we exchanged emails with casino friends and had a master list available for our core group. Soon, we approached the game with a confident 750 question and answer list, ready to rock. The game was still fun, but now we did not need to "guess" the answer to the questions. Loaded with our cheat sheets, we awaited those rare 4 or 5 question bonus games, and treasured our double questions which would keep us in play while waiting for a big hit. There was some annoyance as some patrons simply wanted us to give them a copy of our cheat sheets; we did a lot of ground work for these answers and will be glad to help out with any question, but all the johnny-come-latelys- wanted a free ride, not so fast. The main thing was at the height of popularity these machines were constantly being played and it was not an option to simply go play WOF after one had the mind set on playing RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
The base game was also a highlight of this game as it offered a liberal amount of 5 of a kinds, and the payoffs were usually decent. In addition, the red and white wild symbols were frequently popping up, alas, I never did get the ultimate spin win of 5 wild RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT symbols. The other bonus game, the around the world bonus was another fun bonus game. When 3 or 4 scattered globes or "earths" as one friendly heavily accented-New Yawker called them appeared, you went to a second screen bonus that displayed 3 rows of 5 globes. Behind each globe was either a credit amount of 1x,2x,3x,4x,5x,8x, or a combo of the credit amount and extra picks. Two worlds revealed the ripleys and the believe it or not phrases, get the both on the selections and you got a 15x bonus; all numbers added up and then were multiplied by coin bet per line.
On a rare occasion, I was told by some patrons that the casino employees frowned upon using the cheat sheets; never was I approached about it except in a humorous fashion. Besides, aren't strategy cards for video poker and blackjack allowed? I would not see the big deal, as you did need to get the bonus question anyway.
In retrospect, maybe this did have something to do with the fact that the machines were disappearing, I do feel that the RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT machines at the Hilton, the original 4 RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT at Caesars, the 2 RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT at Sands and the 4 RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT at Showboat were generous machines with a decent payback percentage that, coupled with the right answers, led to many winning sessions. But I did see people playing max bet, shoving in $100 after $100 and was never quite sure what their "investment" was when they hit the big win. It was a contagiously addicting machine, sadly this review is more eulogy than current info about a game you can go out and play this weekend. I do miss the camaraderie between the RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT addicts, the familiar faces at the banks of machines have long since blended in to the casino floor full of the new 50 mega line games with the big penny sections drowning out the old classics slowly but surely. One keepsake is the slot glass of my old friend the parrot, Rip, that I won on ebay and is a bittersweet reminder of the fun days. Here's hoping we see the original come back in an unscathed version quite

SUPER JACKPOT PARTY

2005-10-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Super Jackpot Party is an updated version of the former Jackpot party video slot game. It is an improvement on many levels, there are updated graphics, audio sounds, and of course a new twist on the popular bonus game. The downside is that it is now a 20 line game with a 100 coin max bet, and usually found in the penny version. However, take a closer look at the penny machines and you will see that the machines are actually multi-denominational and can be played as 1 cent, 2 cent, or nickel versions. The game offers the players a new opportunity to hear those familiar party favor scrheeces, as you spin and listen for the one, two, and cross your fingers for the 3rd to take you to the party bonus game. The same hold trues in the super version as we have the same 1st, 3rd, and 5th reels requiring the party symbols to take us to the bonus round. The base game also features a new wild symbol, a disco ball, as well as many other party theme icons replacing the tired fruit symbols. The 20 line payoffs are a big change as it takes awhile to get used to the various paylines.
The bonus game is the big change and we can see from the start that the party is going to be a more elaborate one. The sequence of events remains the same, pick the party boxes until the pooper ends the game. However, besides the normal credit amount rewards, one will find the following surprises; a whack the pooper box that will seek out those horrible party poopers and destroy one, a Let's Dance bonus in a bonus game where you are treated? to some slick Travolta moves and a nice bonus credit, also those multiplier symbols are the best, get a 3x box and the next box you pick will be a 3x box( I do have a question here, does every box after a multiplier box is chosen have a credit amount, so far in personal experience it has, if anyone has selected a pooper after a multiplier bonus . please let me know). Finally, the best is that when selecting a pooper, you do have one final chance to save the party. You get a second bonus screen where you select one of 5 items and the right choice will "SAVE THE PARTY" WHICH CONTINUES THE MAIN BONUS ROUND, IF NOT, AT LEAST YOU GET ADDITIONAL CREDITS. The game is a blast, it would have been great to have it remain in th 9 line 5 coin per line game, but the whole of the improvements is much better. Have a party and watch those poopers. 3 1/2 party favors.

GET NUTS

2005-10-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

GET NUTS
I am surprised I am actually reviewing this particular game. First, it is a new 20 line machine that is really not too appealing for several reasons. The game is full of kiddie looking drawings of I guess squirrels and little silly drawing of edible nuts, not the kind you see walking around the boardwalk.( although that would make for a much more fun game to play) The thing that got me was that Ballys put this game out earlier this year and I read that the penny version was to be set to payback about 92%, wow a penny game I may play. However, I have yet to see the penny version of this game in Atlantic City. The nickel version is available at both Caesars and Ballys, in Ballys they have a neon LED sign on one side of the 2 banks announcing that the payback percentage is 95%, the same payback is available in Caesars yet it is not identified. There is also a 25 cent version available in Ballys at 97% payback.
Ok, there are reasons why I will play this game that is a 20 line, against my choice, and visually unappealing. I tried it out and can say that true to these mega-line games the hit frequency when playing all 20 lines is high, but it is again a case of cheap hits. Most wins are way below the credit bet on each spin and this machine can suck away those credits in a flash. So, rather than be stuck like those squirrels playing with their nuts, I tend to keep the bet per line down to 1 or 2 on this game.
The base game is filled with cheap graphics, looks like the illustrator for a pre-school childrens book designed these. The base game does offer the wild symbol to bring some decent hits. You need to get 4 or 5 of those similarly dressed squirrels to have a good base hit. It is annoying to follow the 20 line hit configuration, coupled with the sameness of the symbols.
The real and only "fun" for this game is the bonus. You need 3 “get nuts” symbols aligned left to right on the first 3 paylines to get to the secondary game. The 10 free spins are awarded and you hope to get a key symbol; each key allows you to select 1 of 10(I think) doors on top of the bonus screen where you can get a 1x multiplier or 2 other boxes where you can get a 10 free spins or 20 free spins. You can get up to the 40 free spins on the best game and if you do you will likely have 5x or more multiplier for a lot of spins which will equal a lot of credits. Generally, you play through the 10 spins with a couple of multipliers and end with a range of, on a 2 coin per line bet, about 300-900- credits. It can go either way, as the payback percentages are true. What I have observed mostly with this game is that it is of such a high volatility that many session are losing ones, this relates to that high hit, low pay frequency syndrome, where the average spin that hits is really a loser. The game will have a long-term huge hit, but one can deplete a lot of their budget in vain as they try to get the hit. I would recommend playing the full 20 lines and keep it to 1 or 2 coin per bet. Don't feed these squirrels all your nuts, as they seem to hibernate that bonus round for a long time. I have witnessed some nice wins on the nickel games, but personally I have had two sessions on the quarter game that were in the $1000 payoff range; but remember, it took quite a few $100 bills to get there.3 nuts

HEXBREAKER

2005-10-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

HEXBREAKER
In theory, Hexbreaker is the machine we are always searching for. For those times when we can't seem to hit one bonus round on any video slot machine throughout the entire session, we are waiting for a sign. Anything, a calling, a whisper, a gravitational pull, or just to fall into a machine that will change our luck. We are a superstitious lot, that is granted, and yet we remain determined to chase slim chances at a life of luxury. If we are common players, many a losing streak may have been distracted by a trip to the Hexbreaker machine; it is they’re waiting for the luck to change.
Well, maybe you can experience a temporary shift in your overall outcomes by stopping to play Hexbreaker. The game is a fun look, loaded with all the familiar icons and symbols representing "bad luck". The penny tails up, spilled salt, open umbrellas, black cats, number 13, and more are all here. The game even continues the theme with a 13-line payoff, 5 coins max bet. The scatter symbol is the word "JINX" and the 2 bonus games are the broken mirror and ladder bonus. The mirror bonus is usually the smaller paying of the 2 bonus games, you select mirrors that reveal a credit amount, a pretty basic bonus game. It comes around with a slight more frequency than the ladder bonus. The ladder bonus is much more fun. You have an even staircase where each step has an assigned credit value. You get a 1-13 move for each turn, the black cat advances up the ladder to stop at a step, you are rewarded the credits. After each turn, the value landed on becomes a collect step. Once you make it to the top step you will either collect the value if landing exactly on the top step (values increase as you go up the ladder, they decrease as you descend the left side of the ladder). If you do not land on the top step, you keep moving until the count of the turn is finished. You will see each step value increase as you make it around the staircase. The key is to avoid the collect steps and keep chalking up the credits. Potentially decent bonuses are possible, around 1000 in the max credit range.
The base game pays off right to left AND left to right; it takes a little getting used to as do some of the pay configurations. It is a nice break and I would recommend playing 1, 2 3, coins per 13 line bets. I would not wait around for a big payoff, rather be pleased to take out anywhere from $40 - $80 as a sign of breaking the HEX. 3 cherries.

COPS AND DONUTS

2005-10-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

Cops and donuts is a video slot machine that has been around for about 2 years. The game is a cartoonish version of our donut crazed law enforcement troopers. They are portrayed in a humorous light, not too much gym going officers will be found here. The game is a bit easy on the bonus rounds, but the megalines make for a game that can be real hot or real cold in a matter of minutes.. The fast spinning reels feature a prison dude as scatter pay and mostly he shows up in two reels, scarce to see a 3rd dude or more. The speed trap bonus game features a second screen when two traffic speeding signs are aligned in the first and last reels. You get to pick some funny excuses as you are pulled over for speeding, the animated voiced officer then gives you credits. You start with 3 selections, hope to get the extra picks and the 2x captions in this game. The other game is the hilarious donut bonus, get the 3 donut symbols together and you proceed to see one fat cop at the donut shop, he will be standing near dozens of donuts, you select a ticket and get from 3-5 picks. The pick then is up to you, select a box of donuts from a choice of 9 dozen donuts, the cop starts swallowing those donuts and the credits add up. There is a stop and go pause between bites, this is the type of game where you find yourself talking aloud to the machine, usually yelling at the fat cop to eat some more. I always hope I am not sitting near a real officer when playing this bonus game! The game continues with the average dozen donuts pick to be about 200-500, the later picks seem to have the higher values.
The base game is usually 15-20 lines time 5x coin bet per line. This is where the volatility comes into factor and the cash can disappear faster than those donuts. The lines are a bit hard to follow, as the characters, especially the cops in uniform. While 3,4,5 of the same exact cops pay a winning credit amount, there is some confusion because a row of 5 assorted cops also pays off. If you get lucky enough to play long enough, you will eventually get used to it.. The bonus rounds come around at a decent rate, but the large amounts of lines make it easy to dump your credits rather quickly. Play only a 1 or 2 coin per bet and hope for some nice base game hits in between the bonus rounds, you will not make a lot of money on this game as there are really no frequent large spin hits and the bonus is quite limited in return. Have fun, be cautious and take anywhere from $40-$80 out if possible and feel happy about the win. 3 donuts.

REVISITING MY OLD TOP 100

2005-10-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this list on

Thursday, January 13, 2005.

Notice how many of these games are no longer around.

FORTUNE COOKIE

2005-10-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

FORTUNE COOKIE
This 9 line 5 coin max bet video slot is still around the casino floors and can be a fun time. It becomes like visiting an old friend, in this case your local Chinese take-out establishment. The game is filled with the Asian-themed symbols and graphics, nothing too fancy, the traditional, recognizable figures we are all accustomed to by now. The game does offer a frequent first line double wild symbol to perk things up on the spins in the base game. The fortune cookie symbols serve as scatter pay when two are found anywhere on the spin and pay double the bet. Add a third and you will play the cookie bonus game. A second screen appears with 3 fortune cookies and you select one for bonus credits. Playing max bet of 45 credits, I usually end up with about 360 in this bonus. There is a slight chance to have 4 cookies on the spin screen, I had it happen once and ended with a nice 1800 credit bonus selection. I never saw 5 cookies, but it supposedly is possible.
The main bonus game is to get Mr. Lucky; have three white take out containers aligned from left to right on the first 3 lines in a pay configuration and you are off to the bonus round. This is a great machine to have a decent volume on as I always crack up and generally have patrons give me befuddled looks as I tend to engage in conversation with him during the bonus. You will be asked to Choose 1 Chicken dish, you have 2 choices for all dishes and they highlight until you are through placing your order. Other selections include Choose one Beef dish, Choose 1 soup, all come with the thick accent and accompanying descriptive comments that are always good for a laugh. Once completed, the boxes will reveal your credits for each selection, in this game the non-selected item will also reveal the credits so you will know if your choice was the highest or lowest. the 3 carton bonus on max credits usually averages about 300-400 credits; one needs to get the 4 or 5 cartons as the values for each selection increase significantly and can result in some possible huge bonuses. Remember that you still need to select the right dish. The base game offers the chance for some decent hits and the frequency is ok. There are a lot of even win spins where you get the amount of bet back,. the main bonus seems to come around more often the cookie bonus, scatters are frequent and the machine plays overall to a reasonable outcome. It just buys time, which is what we want, but the rare big hits are few and far between. Be happy with a $50-$100 session win and do not expect much more as that won ton soup can get cold real quick. 3 1/2 cherries.

STATE FAIR

2005-09-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

STATE FAIR
State Fair is an older 9 line 5 coin max bet video slot that has survived the new wave of penny and mega denominations and megaline slots. (Really, can the 100-line slot be far away?). Well, you can search out this oldie but goodie and you may find some decent play. The wild ticket is only on the first line, not much extra action; however you will find a decent amount of average hits that can keep you in the game for a bit longer than those 15-25 line vacuums. The big deal is that the bonus carnival game is semi-frequent; I would compare it to the Jackpot Party frequency. It is not like it never comes up, but it will appear sooner or later. Unlike the Jackpot bonus, no need to worry about pooping out too quick. You get a random choice of carnival style games, one is where you pick one of 9 spots in a tic-tac-toe style set-up. Select 3 spots and credit values are revealed; get the rainbow clown to pop up and you play again, and values are increased. This usually lasts 2-3 times, you may get real lucky and get a fourth game. I can't recall, but I think your credits double with that other game.
The other version is another carnival style game with the same basic rules, you select the spots and the same procedures. The other, much scarcer bonus game is when you get any of the confections, hot dog, cotton candy, soda, etc. to all come up on one of the 5 reels with the special addition symbol attached. On machines with good audio, you will be able to hear the sound as each reel hits, get all 5 and you select a snack of your choice. Usually it is anywhere from 5-10x coin per bet, but I was lucky enough once to get a 100x bonus!. The game can be fun in any amount of count, just make sure to play all 9 lines per bet, 2 or 3 coins per line is ok, you still should get some decent base hits as you wait for the bonus games. Do not hang around too long waiting for the snack bonus, you likely will get the carnival bonus game about 3-5 times per once for the snack bonus. It beats playing the real fixed games and spending $30 to get that Motley Crue mirror!
3 1/2 cherries

PHAROHS FORTUNE

2005-09-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

PHAROHS FORTUNE
Add this video slot machine to the list of most frustrating bonus round sessions since one can seriously get ill when bad luck comes around in this game. The Egyptian themed game with a Cleopatra style theme can be great or completely awful at any given time. My experience has been more negative than positive but there have been a few fantastic sessions. The base game offers clean graphics and catchy music courtesy of the 1980s girl group, The Bangles, with their hit Walk Like an Egyptian. One minus is that the symbols are way too similar and the game becomes hard to follow, especially in the free spin bonus round. Scatter symbols are frequent but rarely do you get more than the two on a given spin, the double pay is nice anyway. The wild symbols pop up on occasion to help out some spins but generally this 15 line base game suffers from the high hit-low pay frequency syndrome( I think I should get this copyrighted!) My observations over time with many of the 15,20,25,30 line nickel(and penny) slots is that the base game generally gives many hits that pay far less than your line total bet; for example , playing 45 credits per spin you are likely to get many repeat hits of 18 or 21 credit "wins". Subsequently, this hit frequency activity will deplete your bankroll rather quickly. Like me, you would probably much rather be playing a machine that brings that bonus round while having at least half your initial investment still in the machine. At least then you have an option of cashing out small hits, even $10-$20 and moving on. But these 15+ line games send me reeling into the low credit zone too quickly and , as usual the bonus round generally buys me about 40-50 more spins which hardly ever is time enough to get that next bonus game.
Back to the game, once you have the 3 bonus symbols aligned left to right, the anxiety level can become excruciating, yes it is that kind of bonus in this game. You will see a screen with about 25 tile blocks against an Egyptian scene. You are prompted to select one tile, each tile will read either a 1x multiplier or a free spin added to the 3 original free spins you start with. Yellow and purple are safe colors but when that block turns and you see the red printed begin free bonus spins, back away from the machine, especially if it is on the first or second tile selection as I so often do! Do not put your fist through the slot glass, just turn your head, look at the ground, you know you are not going to get one magic spin with 1,000's of credits, rather begin searching for a new machine to play and slowly slink away as you look up at your 53 credit bonus win, not bad, huh, being I bet 60 credits on the spin.
Actually, the game can be much different, and it has on a few occasions brought a several hundred-dollar bonus game. I did make it to 23 free spins at an 6x multiplier, picking those blocks drives you crazy. The more common middle of the road games are usually within the 10 free spins range at about 3-5 x per spin range. With the free games, wish for the wild symbols, as that is where you will get the big hits. 3 1/2 cherries.

EASY RICHES

2005-09-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

EASY RICHES
Easy Riches is a video slot that garnered some attention with its debut on the casino floor due to its multi-level-3 way- progressive for a nickel machine. The novelty wore off quickly as it was not being hit often enough to create the excitement of a Megabucks style game. The format has however, resurfaced in a re-tolled version somewhat similar in the new and currently popular Fort Knox linked games, God, how I hate playing those altered base games like Cleopatra, Lobstermania, etc. in that Fort Knox form, Blasphemy, I say!)
The base game was a rather simple looking screen with some of the usual sevens symbols and a bunch of colored moneybags. The game was one of the first to utilize the unorthodox method of the now familiar but annoying payline configurations that were previously unrecognized on the slots. These paylines still puzzle me , especially on those 20 line machines. But even on the Easy Riches games, the patterns threw us a curve ball as the lines went off in new directions, plus they did not pay any more frequently. The game was also hard to follow as I always forgot which color moneybags were worth what and how they had to be aligned to pay off. In addition, the scratch-off bonus game seemed to be scarce for a nickel video slot and if you played one coin, your bonus was pretty poor. The game did offer some good sessions and small wins when playing average of 3 coins per line, but I never did see anyone hit any of the progressives and not much to write home about on these machines, 2 cherries..

BATTLESHIP

2005-09-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

BATTLESHIP
Battleship is a classic video slot machine based on the popular board game of the same name. The battleship bonus is basically the same game and it has proven to be a very popular slot game over the years. That in itself is an accomplishment in these days of constantly changing slot floors. However, the game has become quite scarce since the sale of the designer Mikohn; as has all the Mikohn titles including Yahtzee, Ripleys Belive It Or Not and others. Supposedly, the near future will bring a comeback of sorts for these classic titles as the new management retools the games. I hope they decide to stay with the base games and keep these games simple. In all likelihood, they will follow the current trend and remake the titles into penny games now with 25 or 50 lines and ruin it all for me. I feel the same about the recent versions of Instant Winner, Money to Burn, etc. that are not the same as the coin only originals. The payback percentages are lower, the lines higher and the play time much less; that’s progress!
Back to the original battleship game; you may still find some of these games around. It was recently written in either Strictly Slots or Casino Player magazine that the bonus game in Battleship had a distinct pattern to it. If familiar with the board game of Battleship, one has to sink the enemies’ battleships. The grid has been able to be tracked; I do believe this as I had viewed an Asian woman with pen and pad a few times over the years at Resorts copying down information during the main bonus round of this game. There is so few machines that it no longer matters and the newer games were said to have overcome the issue. Still, like in Ripleys, one had to get the spin with the bonus to get the advantage, and we all know how difficult that can be on a cold machine.
The base game of Battleship was a nice clear and easy to understand and follow 9 line 5 coin max base game that is sorely being missed throughout the slot floors. The other flag bonus was a lower paying game that was still easy to follow. Catch the game in its pure original form and give it a shot, one never knows what the new, improved version will be like. 3.5 cherries. Play 1 coin to max.

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

2005-09-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
Originally I played the penny version of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and was left in a negative frame of mind and I avoided the game for some time; that’s what playing those pennies can do when you can't get a bonus or any decent hits on a twenty dollar bill. Well, I gave the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON another chance in the nickel version and I was able to get some decent play time and each of the bonus rounds. The smaller of the two bonus games features a clip from the film "CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON" and it is generally a lower paying bonus; yet surprisingly I have experienced that this bonus game comes around less frequently than the main bonus, go figure. The main bonus game in the video slot CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is a throwback to the drive-in movie and double feature Saturday afternoon days when movies were special events. For those of us who remember when there were actual theatres and not every film was shown in a multi-mega-mega plex with 280 movies broadcast in 12 seat living room size spaces, this game and the bonus will have you singing along to the jingle happily reminiscing the good old days. Once at the snack bar, you may feel you can actually smell those aluminum foil wrapped hot dogs and burgers as well as that delicious artery clogging buttered popcorn .Check out the gum-chewing fifties-ish cashier as she rings you up after you select your bonus snacks; this is where you will watch your credits pile up. Look out for that 2x multiplier and you can double your entire final tally.
The base game can be a bit frustrating, the regular comic book style symbols are ok, but the Batman TV show style amazing, thrills are a bit corny after awhile. The game can make for some relaxing fun and a small profit, without a progressive and no huge bonus rounds be happy to take a $20 - $100 profit away from a winning session on this nickel game and don't anticipate much more. 3 cherries.
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

Ripleys Believe it or Not Treasures of the World

2005-09-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Treasures of The World
Ripleys Believe it or Not Treasures of the World is the second version of the popular Ripleys series. (Ok, technically this is the third version if you can count the second version that had different questions but the same game play as version 1). Right around the time that they started removing the first version of Ripleys believe it or not, the casinos brought in this game. Now, my favorite game, possibly of all the video slot machines was version one of Ripleys. When my special machines were removed from the familiar haunts of AC, I had a good deal of prejudgment and skepticism concerning the replacements. The new games arrived and quickly the 15 line format was strike one. Next, the second minus was that the familiar pay pattern for the bonus trivia question round was now replaced by needing a minimum of 3 symbols instead of a payline of 2. Also, it appeared there was not a reward for having the symbols aligned in a special position on the paylines, the 2 question bonus games were a great feature of the original game. Also, I have never experienced 4 or 5 Believe it or not symbols scattered on the screen in unison, not sure if it is possible or not.
Well, enough of the bad, I will give credit for the other bonus game where you get to the passport bonus. Here you need 3 symbols to enter the game and you start off at a destination on one of our continents. Here, the key is to pick the globes or circles to get your bonus credits; what you really want is to reveal the globe which takes you to the next destination and to pick the circles that reveal a credit amount plus bonus picks. As you reach each destination, you will gain higher and higher amounts for your selections. I have seen some huge bonus rounds in this section of the game, also if you get 4 or 5 parrot symbols on the initial spin you will start off at a further destination where the credits values have already increased.
The base game has a wild parrot Rip who appears throughout the screen to help out with the payoffs and bring up the overall lower paying combinations to an almost respectable amount. Unlike the first version where, 5 of a kinds seemed plentiful and payed great, this 15 line version has some rather cheap payoffs and less chance of keeping the credit bank stable while awaiting the bonus rounds. Overall, still a decent game and much more enjoyable than, say Garfield, trivia questions are still tough and you get a decent amount of play time on a machine with a decent payback percentage. It is hard to judge the better of these machines as the hot and cold cycles seem to fluctuate more than the first version. 3 1/2 cherries.

JACKPOT PARTY

2005-09-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

JACKPOT PARTY
JACKPOT PARTY The longtime favorite of many slot machine players, Jackpot party has now resurfaced in a new TITO version as well as an entirely new renamed version called Super Jackpot party. Sticking with the original, it was basically a 9 line 5 coin max bet game (although some versions had a 5 line 5 coin format). It is a pretty simple game to follow with the wild fruit symbols being able to connect to other fruit symbols for some decent straight hit sin the bas game. The different sevens are much rarer in the game and thusly pay much higher credits when aligned. But everybody knows that this game is all about the bonus round. Get those 3 party favors screeching on lines 1, 3, and 5 and it is time to start picking the party boxes. It seems you never know which way to go as for establishing your style or pattern of picking the squares. This bonus round ranks up there with being the most frustrating bonus round in all the video slot machines as you can get that lousy party pooper on the first pick way too often. You wait so long for the bonus and pow, makes you want to just crash your head right through the machine glass and pull that little bugger right out and squeeze him into oblivion!
However, when you are having a good day, pick those boxes well and you will end up with a bunch of credits that can grow to an alarmingly high amount in a short time. It is always fun to sit back and watch others play these bonuses as you observe how they decide to select the party boxes and what way they react. The latest version of Jackpot Party does offer an isolation type of bonus that will add a wee bit of compensation for those of us who always seem to pick that pooper on the first or second try. The sounds and graphics for an older machine are quite comical and that 1970 disco party music and comical soundbytes add up to make this video slot a retro party. 4 cherries for the original version - 3 cherries for the new design.

TEXAS TEA

2005-09-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

TEXAS TEA A true winner in the world of video slot machines, Texas Tea has been around for a few years and is still a hugely popular game. The basic 9 line 5 coin max credit bet with its symbols of southern flowers, Texas Teds luxury items and his friendly armadillo are all easy on the eyes. A base game that is quick for virtually everyone to understand, the additional two bonus games are also quite simple. The scatter game is when you get at least three TED symbols anywhere on the 5 reels, it is a non-interactive bonus that has Ted writing you a bonus check, amounts differ in accordance with the amount of coins bet. Once, in many thousands of spins, I landed a 4th TED symbol and while I was playing max credits ended up with a 1250 credit bonus. check. Usually, with the max bet and 3 TEDS, expect 360 - 625 credits.T he main game bonus is the oil derricks, line up 3 or more from left to right in a winning payline configuration to start pumping some oil. The second screen appears and you select 3 regions to pump your oil and credits ( 4 or 5 symbols on the initial spin result in you being able to select the 4 and 5 regions). Texas Ted prompts you along throughout the bonus rounds. Naturally, the 4 or 5 derricks with max coins bet will get the best bonus, possibly over a 1000 credit gain. Usually, expect to get the 3 region bonus and hope for 400 credits or more. Again, the total bet usually reflects the outcome of your bonus but even sometimes a max bet will get a small bonus win, or reverse, but that is much more scarce. The base game will offer a lot of hits , small and break even as you wait out the two bonus games. The armadillos come around often, and with the double payline for horizontal hits of 2 on the first and third lines , you will see a decent amount of credits from the base games. If you get the 4 or 5 armadillos it may be a good time to cash out and switch to a new machine. The game remains a constant value as you often can sit for awhile; while one will not hit it big on Texas Ted, you can play wisely and for a good length of time and pick up some smaller profits. 4 cherries.

ELVIRA

2005-09-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

ELVIRA
ELVIRA
This video slot was quite popular after it was first released a couple of years ago. Since that time the machine is hard to locate, it is still found at Trump Plaza where, during the last year the progressive was hit for a few million or so (only a few weeks after I was there playing the machine). It can also be found in Trump Plaza but I think that is it as far as Atlantic City goes, probably around elsewhere like in Las Vegas.
The game is a bit tough as there are some low paying machines; actually I think these were the ones in Ballys and Resorts that are no longer there as they swallowed up your cash like a vampire in a blood bank. The game is a 15 line 5 coin max bet, and when you have a decent machine I have found playing max credits to be a decent bet. There are a couple features besides the wild symbols, three heads in a bottle on reels are a scatter pay, then there are two bonus rounds. The spooky theme slots offer you a movie trailer bonus when getting the symbol on the first and fifth line, you select the movie trailer for credits and then pick a symbol you think is a match and get extra bonus credits if you match Elviras choice. The bonus game is a wheel of fortune style bonus where you get spins and credits. The cool part is to get the treasure chest bonus symbol when spinning the wheel. Not only do you get a hidden treasure bonus, but here is where I have had a ton of fun with my slot playing neighbors. If the chest appears as a winning symbol, wait a few minutes until Elvira and her sultry voice proceed to tell you to touch a chest; if you opt to touch her chest, you are in for a slew of responses like "not THAT chest", "not on the first date" and many more. If you are playing a machine with a decent volume level and patrons with decent hearing, you will likely get a lot of attention as you continue to have fun. The game itself can be a lot of fun, the machines at Trump Plaza have been pretty decent, as I said many of the games have gone away, but give it a shot if you still find them. 3 # 1/2 cherries

MONOPOLY CASH FLOW

2005-08-16T17:37:00.000-07:00

Monopoly Cash Flow
Another video slot from the Monopoly themed line of slot machines, this game is usually found in a 15 line 5 coin max bet version. It has a few special features including a wild multiplier symbol that can add a large credit bonus if appearing in a four or five of a kind payoff configuration. The symbols are the usual clean tokens from the popular Monopoly board game, two bonus rounds are added for playing enjoyment. The bonus rounds utilize the top screen to help you get credits, you are awarded deeds during the free spin bonus and get to choose one of two deeds, naturally the higher priced properties are worth more. Personal experience has been that generally you will get the bonus rounds but they are not huge payoffs, Most machines I have played offered a variety of either plentiful bonus games or less bonus but more larger spin hits. A nice game with easy to follow bonus games. Fun at one credit per 15 lines or max credits. 3 ½ cherries.

KING OF THE GRILL

2005-07-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

KING OF THE GRILL
Well summertime is here and it is time to beak out the grill and cook up some BBQ. This video slot has all your favoritegrill treats in animated form and a couple of cute bonus rounds to add as a side dish. The bug zapper bonus will allow you an opportunity to zap those nasty insects, the little gnats are not worth too much but nail that queen bee and you will have a heap of credits added to your meter. Watch out that they do not fall into the potato salad, you will need to dispose of some spoiled chow and end the bonus. The second bonus is a challenge for all the BBQ chefs, the novice grillmasters will need to select carefully as you have a choice of two options at each level. Fire up the selections and hope you keep the flames down, if you can keep from burning dinner, you will advance higher and higher and you can accumulate a full belly and a full credit meter. The base game is simple to understand, the line configuration and symbols are easy on the eyes. Wild symbols help to have some potentially large credit hits in the base game, the hit frequency is ok, and the credit bet to hit ratio is decent, just watch out for the cold spells. Recommend to play middle of the game credits per spin, there are no larger payouts for playing max. You can find some machines that are in a decent cycle and will give some play time, don't try to get that credit meter up too high, if you start with 400 credits, anywhere from 1200-1600 would be considered a good session, it would be best to take your bonus credits and head for dessert somewhere else. 3 cherries.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

2005-07-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

This is a recent addition to the casino floor. It is a 9 line 5 coin max bet video slot that is clean and mostly easy to follow. It mimics a reel slot, with the single, double, and triple bars and multi-colored sevens. The three paylines are arranged in an untraditional payoff configuration that takes some getting used to. The bonus round is basic, get three American Flags on a payline and you proceed to the firecracker screen. Here you select an icon to determine your number of picks. Scattered throughout the stars are hidden firecrackers. Select one star for each number of picks and a bonus credit amount appears. The key is to finding the firecrackers, it will blow up and give you the surrounding stars and the credit amounts they reveal. Get lucky and you may find a couple of the crackers and get an explosive bonus. The base game includes a bell scatter that doubles your bet amount. In addition, you will see frequent hits on the base game, most are a bit below the bet played, but you get some decent hits along the way that can stretch your play time. A basic, fun game that I have seen people do ok on whether playing 9 nickels or 45 nickels a spin with a bonus that comes around often enough. 3 cherries.

UNICORN

2005-06-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

UNICORN

I had a long-standing hate affair with this intriguing machine. I believe it to be one of the first to hit the 20 line bar, and that was my initial protest. Well, the 20 line 5 coin max UNICORN slot was generous to my Laura at times. I tried it over a few trips and just walked away grumbling about those $%^#@!& 20 line machine have got to *&^%$#@ go! Around a year after they were out, my wife found me on the casino floor screaming about hitting $1,000 on the 5 lions on Unicorn. Wow, and how many lines were you playing, one. Still, I ambled along, mostly avoiding this devilish machine, and had yet to get anything decent. I would observe an insane amount of credits on patron meters when cruising the casino floors, just did not hit for me. The game itself has those wonderful wild unicorns that can show up on the inner three lines, when they do each Unicorn symbol is wild for the whole row. You will get some decent small hits with the one symbol, some pretty possibly high with two consecutive, and watch out if you get the 3 symbols on the inner rows, hope for a lion or a price or princess on the first reel. Playing 20m line 3 per, 60 coins, you may see some hits anywhere from 2000 to 5000+. But just the same the volatility rate is really high, try keeping to the 20 lines one credit, I know it is not as much fun but it will keep you around longer. The bonus game is decent, you need two treasure chests on the first and last lines and you then select from rows of symbols hoping tom avoid the devil. Get the unicorn and you win all the credits in that line, get to the top for an extra bonus. Despite my early protests I have learned to battle it out with this game and will hope to ride a nice run of Unicorns. But beware of the evil that lurks and cash out when you hit some decent numbers. 3 cherries.

GRAND HOTEL

2005-06-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

This recent issue by the Monopoly folks has added a winner to their extensive slot machine line-up. The game is fast and furious with a couple versions on the slot floor. It can be found with the 9 line or 15 line, all with 5 coin max bet in the nickel version. The payouts differ on the elevator bonus, the top 1000 credit on the 9 line changes to a 2000 on the 15-line game. All the familiar characters/tokens are included, this is a more upscale modeled on the rich hotel. The game does play a bit confusing as the 15 line more common version has some twisted payline configurations that take quite awhile to get used to. They should just get together and make this universal. A side note, with the advent of multi-denominational pay choices on video slots, are we that far removed from the choice of lines to play on a game, it really should not be more difficult than adding versions ala the video poker game screens? The key to Grand Hotels success lies in the wild symbols frequency to maker the chance of some nice hits on the base game pay off more often, and the two decent bonus games. The first bonus game occurs when three elevator symbols appear on the screen anywhere, if you have a stable volume game you'll hear the ring..ring...Ring! and know you have entered the bonus round. Now the fun may begin, here is a game that can quickly go either way and to the extreme. You pick one of five circles to get your free spins, the free spin board is similar to the main board, and you can re-trigger free spins (not too often, but it can happen). You need the red arrows to show up and be aligned on a payline payout combination on the first three reels, if so that gets you into the elevator bonus where you look up, cross your fingers and hope to reach the fifth floor, on each floor are 5 symbols worth different amounts, they flash off until the final lit box is revealed to determine your bonus, remember for multi-coin players this can mean nice hits as the amount, say a 500 credit on the fourth level will be multiplied by lines bet so if playing max that will give you a nice 2000 credits, and you still may have more bonus spins. On the other side, it is quite possible to get this bonus and breeze right through your spins without a trip up the elevator and end up with a measly few hundred credits or worse depending on line/bet played.
The main bonus is when three or more hotels are aligned left to right in a winning payline configuration. This takes you top the monopoly board game where four cards are displayed, you pick one to reveal the number of passengers, next you reveal your owned properties by selecting 6 cards, here you hope for the ultimate park place and boardwalk combo or at least a three property monopoly as the rents will increase when a monopoly is owned, they then proceed to ruin around the board and pick hotel rooms. Wherever they land, who knows, but you are rooting for them to choose your highest priced hotels which equals more credits. Some guests are affixed with a 3x bonus multiplier; other features are chance and community chest spots, land here and the deck will deal out a four card hand where you pick one cards to reveal anything from a small credit to a trip up the elevator bonus, any floor! Also, the water works and electric company are good deals as you are awarded a room up any bonus floor, the chance card that takes you to advance to go, will result in a stop and collection of credits at all your houses and hotels along the way. The game is loaded with small perks and quite surprising for players as they discover the multiple opportunities for winning. Alas, one has to be careful, it can experience heavy droughts between bonus games, or they can cluster together, who knows, only the RNG does. All in all, a very fun game if you happen to hit a mid-cycle machine, hopefully the bonus games are your and a lot of fun is had, a game that should be played mid-range, 15 line 3 coins 45 served me best, I had larger wins and faster losses playing max bet. 4 cherries.

99 BEERS

2005-06-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

99 BEERS

This is one of the weirdest video slots that I have ever played. It is still around and has some popularity, like beer would ever not be popular. But as for the machine, the bonus is a blast, albeit short and sudsy. The three cartoon patrons need to appear on the screen and you get the right configuration and you will go to the bar. The bartender will start serving up some cold ones to the character you choose from the seated patrons, the sound effects are a blast and the cartoon is fun. The beers swish down the bar and you keep hoping the patron is still swift enough to pick them up and down them, that will equal more credits. Finally, after one too many, the beer will sail right past the patron and off the end of the bar, you have to check out the comments from each patron especially the little old lady. The base game is the most puzzling game ever. I finally gave up trying to figure out the line patterns needed to win, they are so unorthodox that I simply play this machine hoping for the bonus and just looking at the credit meter at the end of each spin to see if I won anything. There are 4 rows of figures and I think they need to be alligned within an underground tunnel to be winners. whatever, there is also a few bonus type things where beer bootles randomly pop for credits and a dartboard bonus. Play this game when you are drinking, it will be the only way to make sense of it and it will likely keep you drinking while you play. Recommended beverage, cold, frosty Heinkens. 3 cherries

DOUBLE DIAMOND 2000

2005-06-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

DOUBLE DIAMOND 2000

This 9 line 5 coin max bet has reached the classic point in the world of video slot machines. A nice base game especially when the double diamond wild symbols decide to show up on the inner three wheels. The game is a one bonus, wait it out type, get those 5 jewel boxes on each line and you are there. The tease is often, when the first line has a box, you will often hear the singing as the other 3 follow and it's either bonus time or cursing time as the fifth line decides the fate. Alas, 4 boxes count for zilch and about 90% of the time when you have that many boxes on the lines you rarely get any kind of hit. The game is often found in decent payback percentages, or at least I seem to do decently when I play. The key is to taking that bonus round credit and cashing out; on the other hand I have waited an eternity to get that bonus and other times it has come within five spins of each other, sometimes I hit a maximum of ten spins after the bonus, just superstitious. The main bonus is where you get to select 5 jewel boxes to reveal your credits, the credits rise depending on coin bet per spin. The key is to find that diamond and you 2x all previous credits and then select a bonus box. You have a lot of ways to go figuring out your choices, patterns, colors, whatever works for you; my wife has claimed- after a few too many apple martinis - that the diamond dealer has "told" her what box to pick that had the diamond. This is a really simple game to learn and play and you can go on a roll and play for an extended period when locating a decent machine. Still pretty popular in the casinos, they can be found easily and hopefully will be around for a time to come. 4 cherries

THAT GIRL

2005-06-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

That Girl

Another video slot that is a TV Land favorite; although this show is really not a staple of any network, I guess maybe the WE network or somebody will pick it up, or maybe Marlo Thomas just wants to keep it off the air. Whatever, the game brings back the symbols and style of That Girl and it appears to be a fun time. The key is that those 15 lines add up to a rather quick loss of credits on this machine. I did read somewhere that the machines that are celebrity based will often have a lower payback percentage because of royalties fees; that is one statement that I actually will agree makes sense when it comes to slot machines and the mystery behind them. It makes sense then to play an original Cleopatra or Money Storm machine that was created without the royalties, but in the end the allure and attraction of the familiar will bring us back to the bill swallowers.

This game is also abundant in the penny versions, and weirdly enough for me, who is soooo against the penny slots, this was one machine that I actually did better on in the penny version rather than the nickels. Someone told me about it at the Borgata and true to form it was able to give some nice hits but no bonus, in fact in the short time I spent playing this machine, I do not think I ever got the bonus round, maybe it is real good but I guess I will not find out anytime soon. I did play this for 3 twenties in the Palms when it came out, and even at that supposed better paying slots casino, I did horrible on the machine,. worth a 15 line one coin couple of spins but that is it. 1 and a half cherries.

Monopoly Hot Properties

2005-06-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hot Properties

This version of the popular Monopoly board game came out a couple years ago in Vegas. It saw a brief stint in the Atlantic City casinos but quickly has disappeared. The video slots by Williams is a continuous onslaught of games that are fun and popular, but alas short lived. I guess the target audience is the ADD players who need new and exciting( actually it seems that way with all the slot machine players- those original reel Wheel of Fortune machines are relative dinosaurs in today’s put them out, replace them in 6 months slot floor.).

Well, the Hot Properties was a fun game anyway, some machines I played were in an awful cycle or really bad payoff percentages and that affected my enjoyment. It seemed that the games were set for short small payoff hits and I never nor never witnessed anyone hitting a large amount of credits on these nickel video slots. The game had 3 fun bonus rounds the railroad bonus where you selected one of 3 trains to compete in a race, kind of like those races between innings when you go to a new York Yankees game, select the right one and win a bunch of credits, second some less credits and last even less. The other bonus put you in a free spin round where the symbols do a swictheroo and you can get a nice amount of credits, the last bonus is a black magic hat that reveals a multiplier and you need to pick right to do well. Find it if you have not played it and you will have a fun session. 3 cherries.

FOX AND HOUND

2005-06-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

This multi-line video slot has been around for awhile now and it seems to have a limited run and a small popularity. I believe the 3 reel traditional slots had this theme before the 12/15 line slot was issued. The catch is the bonus game where you have a fox and hound contest where spaces award credits during the pursuit. The bonus is a fun little game, however the payout percentages seem to be pretty low as most of the chases end prematurely and I have rarely made it to the second round where the credits add up to anything beyond a reasonable win. That said, the base game is even more volatile, yes the hit frequency percentage may be high, but it is no great deal as often the hits are for a mere one-fourth of the initial bet. Play can be quick and agonizing, the game may have a cuteness factor for some, it would be better served to play at max line one coin, but one should not anticipate any big hits at that rate of play. In addition, the temptation to play max credits on this game is likely to miss much more quickly than hit. 1 and a half cherries.

TRIPLE DOUBLE DOLLARS

2005-05-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is a new slot to Atlantic City casinos that has the appearance of a traditional mechanical reel slot but is a video version. There are 5 paylines with a 90 coin max bet. It features a double and triple times symbols and a bunch of fruit stmbols, 7's and a scatter bonus on the set of 3 lines, 9 total symbols. After a few sessions , you should be able to figure out the paylines. The three bonus symbols lead to a fun game; you will get a set of blocks to choose, there is that must to avoid 10+ collect symbol that ends the bonus. However, you get the credits for each box selected added to the first board. If you get the 2x symbol, it adds all credit box amounts to a second board, get the 3x symbol and now all three boards have credits and you are in for a hefty bonus. The total amount is then multiplied by lines played, so if you get a 60 bonus added together with the 2x and 3x credits and palyed five lines you will get 360 x 5 for a nice 1800 total bonus. The machine has a decent hit frequency, the double and triple symbols are scarce but the scatter- double your bet- comes frequently. A nice game, easy to figure out a the bonus comes around at a decent rate.31/2 cherries.

TAILGATE PARTY

2005-05-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Tailgate Party

This basic 9 line 5 coin max bet machine was always easy to recognize by the loud tailgate party music and sounds coming from anyone who was playing the machine in your vicinity. Consequently, the often too loud sounds actually turned me off from playing the game; it just appeared to drown out any game I was playing. Since not having my sounds on during play is one of my top pet peeves ( to the other extreme settling in for a nice round at one of your favorite machines and having it blaring out the sounds at an ear splitting volume is also a royal pain) I chose to ignore the machine. Someday, hopefully with all the snazzy graphics on these new machines, the manufactuers will simply add a volume control knob on the outside of the machine. One day at a casino, I believe it was the Taj, when I was searching for a machine without 400 or more payoff combinations, I decided to give the old football game a few spins. Once I got to understand the simple payoffs, ahh the good old days of 9 line combinations, I soon began to enjoy the basic and simple game. Two main bonus rounds are present, the barb q blitz, three anywhere on the screen, and you select 9 food items, all tailgate specialties, and receive credits for the choices, the payoff is always a mid range level, adds to your credits and gives you play but not too much to really cash out. The other football field/game bonus is a lot more active and fun. Get the 3 fields left to right on the 3 paylines in the right configuration and you will be going for the touchdown. You have 4 downs or picks to make a first down, that is to gain ten yard, you select cards that reveal bonus yards- or in some cases lost yards. Make it close to the end for a field goal attempt and possible bonus, or go all the way for a touchdown and higher bonus. Even if their defense stops you short, you'll still accumulate some credits for each first down you made. With the generous wild symbols, play can be exciting and last one awhile on this slot machine. 3 cherries.

The Terminator

2005-05-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

The Terminator slot is avaiable in multi game modes, penny, two cent and nickel. It is a 25 line game with all the special effects of the movie except for Govenor Arnold's voice. I'd prefer that amusement over all the special effects, but instead we are left with the futuristic graphics, all of which are excellent. The game itself is not, it takes awhile to get even close to following these 25 line pay configurations and the rooting aspectof the game is dormant. Basically, you hit the spin button and look to see if you won any credits. I honestly wonder if more than 10% of the players can follow the lines. I still prefer the 3, 5, 9 line games that were designed to lull you into the tease of being so close to that big hit, sure it doesn't matter being close but I believe the fun in being able to see that almost hit does matter. The bonus rounds are fun and look great but the machines I have played have not been generous. I've read where manufactuers have to pay higher fees to these movie/tv related games and thus offer lower payout percentages, seems to be the case here. Worth a shot for curiosity, but not likely to be a favorite. 2 cherries.

MEGABUCKS

2005-03-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

MEGABUCKS

This video slot is a 12 line 5 coin max bet game that is a nickel version of the larger themed megabucks reel slots. As promoted, it has a huge Megabucks progressive jackpot, at last memory I believe it was around 7 million. That may be fantastic for at least one player, but the base game itself is certainly not nearly the most endearing machine I have played. My first peeve is the payline configuration, they have a few unorthodox pays that I still have yet to figure out, why can’t they just keep with the program and stay with the lines we are used to, preferably 9 lines and that are it. That is the not the only problem I find with this machine, the next is that it really requires that you play max credits for a shot at the megabucks. The base game offers an annoying set up with boring symbols that rarely add up to anything much, hit frequency also seems lower than normal , especially for a game with more than 9 paylines activated. The one saving grace is the bonus round where you can pick boxes to reveal prizes, match 3 for the amount; a multiplier also exists and is a must for a big bonus. I am tempted every now and again to play this game, but in a lottery type hope to maybe just be in the right place at the right time, yeah, right. As for a machine to sit around, have fun, and hopefully get a small winning session or extended play on a small investment, I would definitely look elsewhere as there is not much hope with this version of Megabucks. 1.5 cherries.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

2005-03-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

This is one of the most popular video slot machines on the casino floors. It has spawned a few successors, but the original is still the best. The game did come in two versions; only slight differences exist. The WHEEL OF FORTUNE bonus game comes in a spin the wheel where the highest amount to be won on an individual spin is either $250 or $1000. The difference is that the other bonus round in the Wheel of Fortune in the $250 or FORTUNE SPIN BONUS is that the second game bonus is much superior. The fortune spin bonus has a wheel with each letter having a designated credit value and you spin the wheeel of fortune to see if you can get as many different letters and the corresponding values; it is a great bonus game( of course not when you only get one letter) and at times it is even better than the main wheel of fortune bonus game. You can get on a roll when you have some good values up there, you are always in the game during the bonus spins. Now, the other wheel of fortune game with the higher $1000 top spin value has n envelope bonus game where you simply pick 3 of the 5 "WHEEL" letters and receive credits for each envelope, 2 of the same amounts awards an extra credit bonus match, but really this is not too exciting and usually the bo0nus is paltry. The other difference is that in the $250 game you select one of 3 symbols for your bonus spins, you can get up to 6 spins, the people in the know say its all random but I have played this machine long enough to tell you that when you get 3 bonus symbols, you are likely to get 1-3 spins, when your original game gewts you into the bonus with 4 or 5 bonus spins, you can expect between 3-6 bonus spins. The $1000 wheel of fortune bonus is more basic, 3 bonus symbols + 1 spin, 4 + 3 spins, 5 = 5 spins. The base game was always a favorite as those alluring yellow and red wild symbols can quickly brighten up a slow game. I honestly can say that when I have a decent run on these machines it is usually because of the frequent large hits on the base game, sometimes I have cashed out $100 on these wheel of fortune machines without hitting any bonus rounds. The 4 and 5 of a knds come up quite frequently when the machine is hot. The base game is always a plus as I have been playi g fir years on and off and always seem to return. Do beware that there are cold speels and some bad machines out thesre but usually you can get some nice play on these machines, fun and reasonable to play with any type of bets from 9 credits to the 45 max credits 4 cherries.

REGIS MILLIONAIRE

2005-03-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

This 15 line 5 coin max bet video slot rode the wave of the popular TV game show staring Regis Philbin. The game is full of the graphics and video clips of Regis and the bonus rounds contain the sound bites from the show. The base game has a two screen view, you can watch the regular reels or the top screen. The game has the normal payline configurations and is basic to follow. It is worth the time to check the payline payoffs for the symbols so you can see what the credits you accumlate are worth. If you rather not bother, each line will display a credit win amount after each spin. The instant check bonus occurs when you line up the symbols on the first and last line, Regis will appear on the top screen and write you a check, what is nice here is that the first check may not be enough, and the nice guy will trash it and write you another with a higher amount. The big bonus occurs when 3 symbols are aligned on a payline, you proceed to the second screen bonus and the credit meter is activated. You then pick one of the 5 REGIS letters, you get a designated number of picks to start. Your goal is to climb the ladder as the credits become higher valued as you move up. You can get a free pick, or move up one to three steps. It is an entertaining bonus but you will likely fall short of the big credit payoffs, the average range is around 300 credits. It is a hard machine to play full credits on as the bonus rounds are not too common and if playing max, be prepared to have a decent bankroll to put in. Otherwise, I suggest staying around 9-27 credits per spin and hope you get a machine that is at least warm and will give you some bonus rounds or decent hits to stay in the game. 3 cherries.

FREQUENT FLYER

2005-03-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

Frequent Flyer

This is a 9 line 5 coin max video slot that would probably be popular with our airline employees. No need to limit its play to them, as the game can be entertaining for many of us. The game has been around for a few years but like many of the other 9 line nickel slots, it will likely disappear to be replaced by those cash cow 25 and 30 line machines; oh, but they are penny machines and you can win a million playing max coin; ahh, gee but that is like $5.00 a spin?! Back to the game, the cartoonish symbols are all travel related and nothing special to look at. The main bonus games are ok, you can have the luggage bonus where you see a typical goon out to destroy your bags, we know this is all but too true, and the main bonus was a flight around the world where you get to see and hear the lovely female flight attendant take you across the continent. The base game is the tougher part of the machine as there does not appear to be any decent runs of high paying sessions; rare occasions will get you a 5 of a kind but don’t expect much else. It is a key to get through to the bonus rounds and hope you get 4 or 5 symbols during the initial spin as the bonus credits appear to have a significant increase when that occurs. The game is enjoyable, but watch out for tight, machines, the few I have played were decent but I usually make a quick exit after the bonus rounds no matter what the credit amount. 3 cherries.

VIDEO JEOPARDY

2005-03-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

VIDEO JEOPARDY

I wonder how Ken Jennings would feel if he sat down in a casino and saw someone hit for a cool, quick million and a half dollars after slipping in a $20 bill and playing a slot for ten minutes. Humbled, perhaps? Well, the world of luck can allow that to happen but I do not think many of us will live to see that happen. The reel slots in the Jeopardy games are always in the news pouring out some nice jackpots and garner a bunch of play in the casinos. The video slot Jeopardy game is not quite as popular. In fact, my memory fails but I think they had a similar VS Jeopardy game out before the tournament of Champions game that I have played recently. This Jeopardy game is a nice set-up, 9 line 5 coin max bet per line and a couple bonus round features. The trouble is that I did play this in Harrah’s Atlantic City, where there recent nickels slot payout percentage hit n ugly 85%, Jeez I wonder what there penny slots are returning?? Also, is this a sign of things to come for Caesars and Ballys as their partner in AC, the Show boat is right near there with the Harrahs awful nickel payback. Well, that may have turned me off from the Jeopardy game, but I did give it a go at Caesars and The Taj mahal and not much difference. I have a feeling these games are not out there in anything too high as far as payback percentages go which is a shame as it appears to have had some nice potential. I think one can assume when you only see scattered machines of a type that they likely are there for the casual patron, with the allure being the name brand name associated with it. I can’t say much for the base game as the credits were whisked away, if you must try, give it a slow and easy 9 line one coin per session and see if the bonus rounds pop up more, not much luck for me and I see many other machines that were maybe less fun but definitely more profitable. 2.5 cherries.

LEOPARD SPOTS

2005-03-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

The leopard spots machine is a 15 line 5 coin max bet machine that is alluring due to the bonus round possibilities. The base game does not offer the highest frequency of 3 of a kind, 4 of a kind and even rarer 5 of a kind symbol hits. The wild symbols do appear frequently and also are used for the possible Leopard spots bonus game. The bonus round comes at a decent rate, it is what happens during the round that makes or breaks your credits. You get two picks of the 5 bonus letters, the first pick is the number of free spins, the second pick the number of multipliers. You can get the best - 6 spins at 5x pay, this also includes the regular spin bet, so if you played 15 lines at 3 coins per line your bet can be multiplied up to 8x the base pay. That does not always happen but you can get some nice free spin credit amounts. The fun is choosing the letters, everyone seems to have their own system, but in the end it is really all random. The free spins can be a small pay, but at least every spin is some sort of guaranteed winner. The scatter symbols do pop up often, and that adds up with some decent bonus multipiers. I have had some tough sessions in getting the bonus rounds; other times they can come in rapid succession. The hard part is playing along and keeping the credit meter up without feeding in too much cash. The game can pay off quickly, in the $100 range when playing 3 coins or more per bet. If new to the game go 1 coin per line, but make sure to play all lines as the bonus comes up in every which way possible, often I have trouble following the paylines and am pleasantly suprised to see the bonus screen pop up. 3.5 cherrries.

YAHTZEE

2005-03-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

Yahtzee

This is an all time favorite machine that is unfortunately disappearing from many slot floors. The game, based on the home game, is a 9 line slot with 5 coin max play. It can be enjoyed at any denomination and can offer decent playing time for most machines in most locations; although I did have a horrible bank of machines a few years ago at Las Vegas Tropicana. The game features 2 great bonus rounds, the first is where you can get at least 3, sometimes four little Yahtzee dudes anywhere on the screen. The dice duded spin around to reveal a die amount; you then multiply the dice total times line bet for a nice credit increase, go for those 5s and 6s. The next game is the real winner, the Yahtzee bonus round. Get the 3 play symbols aligned left to right on the screen and you get to play the gamer. (note you can get 4 or 5 symbols, the difference is that the paytable increases for 4 and higher for 5, also the pay scale is determined by lines bet, get 5 play symbols at max bet and the top prize is huge. Next, you go to a stadium where the music begins and out comes the Yahtzee cup to roll your five dice dudes. You get 3 rolls and after each roll you get to keep the dice you choose, 5 of a kind is the highest payoff with the values increasing from 1 as low and six as highest. As in the regular Yahtzee game, credits are awarded for chance, 3 of a kind, full house four of a kind, large and a small straight. There is a strategy for this game and it is to fill the re-throws with the best shot at the highest score. I rarely hold a full house when the chances of a 5 of a kind are not that bad, and consider the increased credits over the full house; you may only lose 50 or so credits by throwing away a full house and losing to get a 3 of a kind, however you can increase to a 4 of a kind or hopefully get that Yahtzee that could put hundreds of credits on your meter. The base game has that wild Yahtzee symbol that makes for some decent shots at 4 and 5 of a kinds. The hits are pretty often and you get some decent playoffs. As usual the bonus can come in bunches or not at all, but when they do the game is exciting and lots of fun. Too bad the original is disappearing. 4 cherries.

SUPER CHERRY

2005-03-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

Super Cherry is a cartoon character silly game that would be very popular with the 3-6 year olds. So what is this game doing in the casino and why am I writing about it? Well, it seems that despite the obviously silly theme, the game itself can be somewhat entertaining and, if lucky profitable. The 15 line 5 coin max bet video slot is full of fruit and vegetable cartoon characters that were really unappealing to me for quite some time. It wasn’t until I observed some lucky players hitting big on the bonus that I decided to give this game a whirl. The wild symbols appear at a decent rate, giving one the chance for some frequent 4 of a kind hits and even some nice 5 of a kinds to keep the credit meter balanced. You’ll need these as the bonus rounds are quite rare, there is a scatter superman type symbol that doubles your bet, mostly 2 come up, sometimes you may get the third. The first bonus is a line up bonus where you need to get the 3 symbols aligned on the last 3 rows. When you do, you need to find the guilty suspect and pick 1 of 5 characters to reveal your bonus; you can get a 2x. The next pick is your last and will give you a fair bonus amount; this is not the big bonus round of the game but a decent one. The big bonus is when you get three jailed characters on the first3 lines aligned correctly. You automatically go to a second screen bonus where you begin with 10 free spins. The key here is that for each supercherry symbol that appears during the free spins, you get a 1x multiplier. If you are playing 5x bet per line that means each hit can go as follows: say you hit 15 credits on the free spin and 1 super cherry, the pay becomes 15 x 2 x 5 for 150 credits, hit some nice cherry guys and your free spin bonus can really get quite high. The key to this game is surviving to get the bonus, playing max has often resulted in $200 bonus round payoffs, but it can take a few hundr4ds to get there when playing the 15x5 max credits. Still, regardless of the silly cartoon characters, you will enjoy the bonus rounds, if nice to you, and sit back and listen to the Play that Funky Music, white boy as you root for the supercherry multipliers to appear. 3 cherries.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT

2005-03-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

TRIVIAL PURSUIT
This trivial based game was introduced to the casino floor after the successful Ripleys Believe It or Not game from Mikohn gaming. The video slot is a 9 line 5 coin max bet that offers a variety of bonus games and other features. The game may be somewhat of a challenge for a novice player to figure out with the several bonus games that are inherent to this machine. The main bonus game is a trivia style game where you are rewarded credits, more for a first answer that is correct, less if you answer incorrectly. There are a variety of themed categories, some times you get the random choice and others you can choose the category. The game details are a little more complicated than the average video slot, which means you would be wise to stand around and watch others for awhile or, if you usually play max credits start off slow and proceed once you get the full hang of the game. The other bonus rounds consist of selecting an oval, this occurs and you then pick 3 random ovals which reveal either bonus amounts like 2x, 3x, 4x your credit bet or a choose again symbol which means that you get the chance to choose 3 more ovals while retaining the original credits from the first go round. If lucky, you can continue this for several rounds. Also, there is a free spin bonus which is really not much, you get one free spin, the symbols turn a black background but that is all it is and you do not get anything special and usually get zip. The base game is not as crisp as the original Yahtzee and Ripleys games, the movement of the symbols is a bit stuttered as one will see a similarity when playing the Yahtzee Looking for Love game. The colors and flow are decent, the game has some decent paybacks and if you get a lucky cycle going where the bonus rounds are bunched together you can amass a decent amount of credits in a short period. Look to play in the 27 coin range per spin, less for beginners and don’t be afraid to ask and share any answers with your neighbors. Recommended to cash out in the $60 range as this is a tough machine to get way up there, but it can be a good machine to collect comp points on a little amount of cash in. 3 .5 cherries.

MYSTICAL MERMAIDS

2005-02-28T14:05:00.000-08:00

MYSTICAL MERMAIDS

Mystical Mermaids is a relatively new slot. It is a 15 line 3 or 5 coin max bet machine that offers an array of under the deep blue sea type symbols. There are fish, sea turtles, sea horses, shellfish and more. But what you want to see on your pay lines are the Mermaids. The girls appear often except you need 2 for a scatter pay. The cool thing is they are also wild symbols; at times the right configurations can result in some hefty hits. The real key is the bonus round; the treasure box on the first row along with a Mermaid anywhere else results in 10 free spins- it can be retriggered during the free spin mode for another 10 spins. Seems easy, well this machine can go either way and in my experience has. In fact, this machine has gone downright frigid during the bonus round. If you get a treasure chest and 2 scattered Mermaids you get a start of 20 spins; I have had this happen and had a few 200-300 hits on the first 4-6 spins, then went down to 1 spin left without a hit of any kind. On the other hand, there have been some 10 spin basic bonus rounds that have resulted in 3000-4000 credits. The bonus is called the Splish Splash I was taking a bath round with the music from the classic song playing along while the spins continue. I have not had a great deal of play on this machine, naturally I did my best and worse on playing 20 line 3 coins, the bad cycles make it near impossible to hang around long enough to get a feel for the game and after I hit the bonus I quickly cash out as it seems to be a few and far between type deal for the bonus round to appear. I would try to stay around the 20 line 3 coin play but be very cautious, well worth the time if you hit the round but be prepared for some tough times if you’re in a low rng mode. 2 ½ cherries.

MONOPOLY ONCE AROUND DELUXE

2005-02-27T11:33:00.000-08:00

MONOPOLY ONCE AROUND DELUXE
Once Around Deluxe Monopoly

I first played this recent video slot from the successful Monopoly line last summer at the RIO Casino in Las Vegas. It was a crowded time at the Rio casino and thus hard to get to play one of these new Monopoly machines. The monopoly machines seemed to be paying pretty decent and the people were staying on the bank of 8 machines for most of the time I checked while at the Rio casino. When this 15 line 5 credit coin max bet was finally found in Atlantic City I was able to play it at the Trump Marina. They had a bank of 4 machines that seemed to be getting some play; quickly I noticed the patrons leaving as they appeared to not be hitting. Well, the Trump Marina usually has decent games so I decided to throw in a couple of $20s and see what was up. Not much, as the game itself was a good designed, machine in tune with the former line of entertaining slot machines from the Monopoly line. The familiar icons, characters, game pieces, the nice swing music, easy on the eyes symbols, everything but some decent hits. The game, like others had a decent payline schedule, it was just that the hits were far too often less than the amount bet and 4 or 5 of a kind were too scarce. The bonus game had to be the catch; well it was but not in a good way. After finally lining up the 3 dice symbols in the right payline, I went to the once around bonus. You get to roll the dice, land on properties and accumulate credits. The problem was that the bonus was confusing even to me a veteran video bonus round guy. I should have read the instructions first but usually I can figure out these games by watching the screen and paying attention to the verbal prompts. The problem here was that there was some kind of wager deal where I could build houses and hotels on selected property and thus increase the value IF I landed on it during my go around. Well, I am sitting there in a casino and I am a gambler so I decided, look I have 800 credits lets go for it. BIG mistake, I really do not know how this machine works, does one often lose on that type of wager, should have I sat back and just let the game go on without any building, well I did what I did and actually LOST money during a bonus round, wow! Now, I would have probably invested more time in finding a chance to get a fair reading on the bonus round but the machine just would not hit for me. With a bad taste in my mouth, I figured this one Monopoly game was just not for me. I was further swayed away when the Trump Marina got the real winners, Grand Hotel Monopoly machines in soon after so I had my Monopoly fix. Sorry, maybe this is a much better game than I am saying here, but for my money it was awful, I can not recommend it at all. 1.5 cherries.

THE GAME OF LIFE

2005-02-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

The Game of Life

This game debuted a few years ago with a lot of interest. Another classic board game from the baby boomer era, it had that nostalgia that would prove to be enticing. The whole board game was there in full richly colored graphics to be enjoyed. The base game is a 9m line 5 coin max bet that featured two bonus rounds. The bonus round featured a throwback to the board game where you got to spin the actual Life spinner and move along spaces, hopefully racking up the credits. But true to form, the many steps along the path of life are unpredictable. The bonus has a few premature endings which popped up when having a baby, getting married. Etc. The other game was a choice bonus that paid an average range amount of credits despite whichever bonus game one selected. The main bonus could get some high credits racked up; however the main game offered some nice 5 of a kind symbols especially with the help of the frequently appearing wild symbols. The game had a big following in Caesars Atlantic City and was often occupied with some nice credit ranges showing on the screens. It was funny, that after a month or two, again a slot that was so popular quickly faded. I do wonder if some of the casinos are ordering high chips for the initial games and then having some control people over to cash in on our recent good luck. Oh, well, there was a second edition of the Life game that did not even get too much exposure and even less play here in Atlantic City. 2.5 cherries.

THE MUNSTERS

2005-02-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

Ther Munsters

This video slot comes in a variety of denominations and lines, from 9 line 5 coin to 25 line and is also popular in pennies. The best version seems to be the 25 line for hit frequency as a main feature for the base game is the wild Grandpa symbol that makes all symbols in the line that it lands wild. Combine this with the right to left AND left to right hits and you can have some large hits. Alas, the downside, which is often, is the run of a dry cycle that constitutes a quick exit of credits, and I do mean quick. I’ve played this game in the 9 line version for over an hour on a $20, and in the 25 line version for less than 5 minutes on a $20. It is truly a gamble when you decide to sit down and have some fun with Herman, Lilly, Eddie and company. The addicting theme song music is here and is a constant background while playing. The base game is reliant on the wild symbols to get those bigger hits as the cartoon Munsters cars are the cheap credit hits which pay about 1/3 of your base bet. The bonus rounds are not as confusing as trying to follow the 25 line version; there is a spot bonus, when three of the family pets are aligned correctly, this is a simple reveal the credit amounts. The next is the match the characters game, the fun starts when you get the gold symbols arranged correctly and you begin picking from the rows of boxes. The excitement builds as you can have a bunch of picks until you match 3, Eddie is the smallest credits, Herman the largest and try to get that poor unfortunate ugly Marilyn for a 2x pay. It is hard to recommend this machine as you will have to find a cycle that is hitting, for those easily confused with video slot games, stay away from the 25 line, try the 9 line. With the two way pays, the 25 payoff lines, the wild row symbols, I can see how many people would have trouble figuring out just what was happening in this game. My advice, stay around 18-27 credits on a nine line machine, cash out after 2 bonuses are hit or anywhere in the 1200-1800 range. 25 line 2 cherries; 9 line 3 cherries.

MONOPOLY CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

2005-02-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

MONOPOLY

Monopoly Chairman of the board

This classic video slot machine is basically gone and what a shame. It was a great 9 line 5 coin max bet slot that was extremely popular especially at Caesars Atlantic City casino. You could not get near these machines most of the time; I remember they also had them in the 10 cent denominations for awhile. The base game featured all the usual pieces from the classic board game and good old Mr. Monopoly himself. The big attraction was the monopoly bonus, when you lined up 3 symbols of Mr. Monopoly walking his dog along the boardwalk in the right combination from left to right; you were in the bonus round. (On a side note, when in Las Vegas a couple years ago, I played a machine that was a slightly different version that actually had a wild symbol which could be used in conjunction with the other two symbols, naturally you got the bonus more often, and this was at Terribles casino.) Once in the bonus round, all these tiles were displayed and the fun begins. You would start picking squares and each would reveal one of the 40 spots from the Monopoly board. The key was to avoid the deadly spots, income tax, luxury tax, jail and land on the highest valued properties like boardwalk and park place. In addition, if you can keep picking right, you would get “monopoly”, 2 or 3 title deeds from each group. When selecting, credits were assigned for each deed, they would increase if all 2 or 3 were selected from the same group, also the railroads were the same, and credits were increased in value for each of the 4 selected.

This is a frustrating bonus as one could crap out on the first pick if you chose a luxury tax, etc. However, if things started going well, it was a blast. The key was to select one of the community chest cards and have a get out of jail free card, this was kept for an appeal when you picked the bonus ending card, and you were saved by the freebie. This saved a lot of gut-wrenching as you selected the squares and knew you were safe for at least one bad pick. These bonus rounds are far and few between and can take around 100 spins to get to. This game was worth the wait most of the time as things could get extreme fast, with the picks adding up and the board filled with 2 of the 3 titles each pick late in the round could mean a big credit increase. Get down to about 10 or less squares remaining and it was excruciating; each selection could mean the end of the game or a likely increase of a couple hundred credits. Remember, the game payed off according to line bet, so credit amounts in the bonus round depended on your initial bet.

I really miss this machine and many of the earlier Monopoly slot games. I wonder if a themed casino would work especially in Atlantic City It would be a natural for Atlantic City to have Monopoly, The Casino! I mean Resorts, Sands, even the Hilton or especially Trump Plaza could use some personality. OK, I do realize that Ballys Park Place has some of the names but I am looking at a Las Vegas type deal. Have the New York Ave. restaurant, Boardwalk Bar, the hip night club “JAIL”, The Marvin Gardens towers, mini casinos named after the railroads or diners in actual railroad cars. And the whole place would be loaded with our favorite Monopoly themed slot machines, swing music would dominate, the characters on display, Donald Trump are you listening. Oh, well, not likely to see but hey, do we really need more retail shops or high priced boutiques, the low roller has spoken.

PAC MAN

2005-02-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

PAC MAN

This video slot had a big debut back when it was first released. I remember seeing a whole slew of the machines around Caesar’s Atlantic City and the machines were jammed. People were hitting the bonus rounds, credits were up, everyone was having fun, so what happened??!! Good question, was it merely people caught up in the new game and they were just pumping in the cash and staying around till the machines were hitting; or was the illusion that because so many machines in one area were being played it just appeared that people were doing well? Whatever, today you may not even find a single Pac Man machine in AC. There was a MS. Pac Man released that got about as much attention as an ice machine in Alaska. The game itself was fun with the ghosts and bonuses. The bonus was a predetermined outcome but you could have fun rooting along anyway. The munchers bonus was always a bit different and you also had fun cheering the pac dude on hoping he would get all the fruits and symbols on the board. There was also the other bonus with the yellow circles; really this was a decent game. I have to deeply wonder if they perhaps reset the rng chips after the initial month or so. These machines faded too quickly, not being a weekly visitor I cannot say much but I have read/heard speculation that the casinos will order these machines at a high chip and then change them at a later time. I know that if I send a letter like this to Strictly Slots and they will chastise me with all the rigmarole about how much work, the fleet of techs and casino control people it would take to do this, yada, yada, yada, but I write this as a player, I do not receive full page ads from the casinos or the slot manufacturers. I have seen this type of situation before, I remember The Game of Life in Caesar’s, when it came out everyone seemed to be hitting, myself include, a couple trips later $20 after $20 and nothing?? I don’t know , but I would like to delve deeper into this type of scenario. I have seen these supposed maintenance checks when relatively new and working machines are roped off, and the screen reads the temporarily out of order, they are ticket in ticket out, so they can’t be doing hopper fills, ok maybe they are changing the paper for the tickets, but I am a skeptic. Well, back to the Pac Man machine, all I know is that shortly before their exodus from the casino floor, the few times I played were absolutely horrible, why the sudden loss of overall popularity, maybe it’s just a case of flavor of the month but you would think they would have kept a few around. The base game was a bit tough to keep your credits up as the hits were frequent but about 50% of your bet. I am not sure if this was an Atari based game but the manufactuer was on the money with a decent game that was a good target for the 40-50 somethings out here. 3 cherries

TABASCO

2005-02-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

Tabasco This video slot is a winner for many people but I have had the worst luck on this machine. Modeled after the 3 reel Tabasco games, it takes the familiar hot sauce symbols and creates a cartoon atmosphere with several bonus rounds. The nickel version is likely out there with some decent payoffs or the people that report winning on the game are NOT saying how much they put in to win. Regardless, my experience and feeling is that the game is around an 88% payback in most places. I can usually tell when I play and notice my hits are quite often about 25% of my coin in bet. This results in rapidly diminishing credits and hardly any trips to the bonus game. I refuse to pump in $20 after $20 on this machine as it seems like the Casino dream machine, keep the players chasing the bonus and let them lose sight of the cash in the machine. For novice players who have a rough time figuring out video slot games, I would avoid this one as the game is loaded with varying pay lines and not so easy to follow winning pay line combinations. Maybe if they had a simple 9 line 5 coin max version I would play more often, but for now I will avoid the machine. The 15 lines and lack of bonus hits is reason for me to put the cash in other choices. 1.5 cherries.

GARFIELD

2005-02-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

Garfield The cartoon/comic character created much controversy before its release due to the silly argument about its potential influence on kids. In my opinion it’s a case of much ado about nothing, as the kids are around casinos floors in all areas, not just Vegas. I did read a column in Strictly Slots that actually said that AC casinos have hardly any slots visible within children vision; I must say this is quite incorrect. Caesar’s , Hilton, Marina, Showboat, Bally’s, Harrah’s, Taj, Plaza, Resorts all have areas where kids can walk through or wait where some slots are clearly visible. The game itself hit the AC floors in generally the penny denomination. There are now nickel games in the Hilton that took over my all time favorite video slot, Ripley’s. I know they are both Mikohn produced games, but us Ripley’;s enthusiasts will forever hate that fat cat. The slot is not easily figured out from some of the elderly I have witnessed playing the game. The bonus rounds do involve some Garfileld trivia questions that can affect the outcome of credits; I don't know about you, but I am not up on my Garfield trivia. At least the Ripleys game has a somewhat reeasonable guess factor included. There are several other mini bonuses in the game, the popcorn thing, and I really forget what else. The game is a multi line 12-15 with 5 coin max. The real dislike is that unless you score a nice bonus early on your $20, the game pays horribly on hit percentages; usually you hit well below your credit bet. I would say to play the game at max lines (of course) and only 1 credit at a time.I have a feeling these will be going south quickly as I have already seen them moved from the original location at the AC hilton. 2 cherries

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

2005-02-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

Young Frankenstein Another video slot game in the spooky slots series, this 15 line 5 coin max bet nickels version is starting to get hard to find not long after its debut. The game comes in a black and white screen format; ok it worked well for the movie, an all time classic with some of the best comic work from the superb cast, but in the slotland world, we come to expect bright lights and big city feel to our games. The black and white display actually is a bit of a downer when playing as it makes the symbols harder to differentiate, especially on our older eyes. The game itself was some fun, the bonus was ok, but the payoff percentages on any of the machines I tried out basically sucked big time. I had to invest more than a few $20’s to get all the different bonus rounds and stopped playing the machines when the return was dismal. I have rarely seen the machines occupied to the max, and even worse, have never saw anyone actually hitting for any kind of value. I’m sure that out there is someone who would choose this as their favorite machine, most likely the person who sat down after I plunked all my cash in without winning, but the fact is these machines have exited stage left quite quickly and are likely to be soon forgotten. 1 ½ cherries. GARFIELD

ELEPHANT KING

2005-02-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

Elephant King Here is a simple game that stays within my guidelines for being an affordable and fun experience. It is a 9 line 5 coin max video slot without much of the bells and whistles. You are on a safari expedition and the quiet should only be pierced by the 3 wails of the Elephant King. But like most hunting trips, the game is far and few between. This slot does offer a decent payback/hit range when finding a good machine. You can get a lot of smaller hits to keep pace until the bonus or a nice 4 or 5 of a kind shows up to replenish your credits. The game is relaxing without any jarring sound effects or flashy characters. You just need to line those 3 elephants up on the inner three paylines in a good order as the bonus spins are only 3 and need to have good hits for the big credits. A plus is the scatter hits, four scatters can includse the regular hits and combination of elephants to make them come out more often, I am still waiting for all 5 scatters to come out for me. 3 cherries.

Atlantic City Las Vegas Slot Machines

Dick Clarks Censored Bloopers Video Slots

Carnival of Mystery

TRIPLE STARS

Wild Bear

Sea Monkeys

Kingpin Bowling Video Slots

Party Time! Mystery Progressives

Rakin It In

MONOPOLY PARTY TRAIN

KABOOM

REEL EM IN

Saturday Night Live slots!

Who Dunnit?

MONOPOLY HOT PROPERTIES SCREEN SHOTS

AMERICAN REELS

LIFE OF LUXURY

WILD FOR DOLPHINS

PRICE CHECK

Ray Charles America The Beautiful and Ray Charles What'd I Pay video slots

Andy Capp

Mickey Mantle Video Slots

LIFE OF LUXURY II

MATCH GAME

RICH UNCLE

CLEOPATRA

FRANKIE AND ANNETTES BEACH PARTY

MARILYN MONROE

Dick Clark’s New Years Eve

BALLYS BIG TOP CIRCUS

I LOVE LUCY CHOCOLATE FACTORY

ENCHANTED UNICORN

MONEY TO BURN

BEWITCHED

HOLLYWOOD SQUARES

SIGN OF THE ZODIAC

FRY FESTER THE ADDAMS FAMILY

HOOT LOOT

AUSTIN POWERS

SLINGO

THE HONEYMOONERS

FROG PRINCE

JACKPOT STAMPEDE

LAS VEGAS SHUTTLE TIPS

THE APPRENTICE

Overview

Play the game like Trump and life will be trumps!

Game Play

The Boardroom Bonus

Top Reel Award

Wheelionaire™ Mystery Mega Progressives

MILK MONEY

KENNY ROGERS

WINNING BID

WHEEL OF FORTUNE BONUS SPINS

RISQUE BUSINESS

INSTANT WINNER

Super Sally's Shrimpmania™ Video Slots

NEON NIGHTS

RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT

SUPER JACKPOT PARTY

GET NUTS

HEXBREAKER

COPS AND DONUTS

REVISITING MY OLD TOP 100

I originally posted this list on

Thursday, January 13, 2005.

Top 100 Video Nickel Slots

FORTUNE COOKIE

STATE FAIR

PHAROHS FORTUNE

EASY RICHES

BATTLESHIP

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

Ripleys Believe it or Not Treasures of the World

JACKPOT PARTY

TEXAS TEA

ELVIRA

MONOPOLY CASH FLOW

KING OF THE GRILL