Steemit should empower you to go out and do! While my Anniversary was on Wednesday and I did have a celebrating post for it here on steemit. I feel steemit should be your excuse, reason, you’re whatever to go out and try new things in life. I noticed many when they make a celebrating post they never really did anything. They don’t have a special dinner. They don’t go out and do something. It’s just, for the most part, a post about steemit. For many that just another daily normal post-- a missed opportunity!

While I was not sure I would be sharing this experience I thought why not at the end of it. One thing I did not want to do is go into this new experience with the purpose of trying to document it for the sake of making a post out of it. I feel such a way of thinking of something could just spoil the raw and fun that day was about. You know who those people are they spend more time on their phone saying what an amazing time they are having. While wasting the entire opportunity to be there more in person instead they are off in cyberspace.

I’ve Never Gambled In A Casino

That’s right I’m not a big gambler. In fact, I just don’t gamble. I just never had a thing for the slots which is what I played over the weekend. Even when staying in the hotel at a casino in the past I’ve always just walked past the slots without much interest in them. Great, they have shiny colors –wooo. I went out to the Hard Rock Casino and I was just in utter shock at how many people were in there. Now I know every time I do my shopping in an empty store where the masses are – gambling!

The place was so packed it was hard to find a couple of slot machines open next to each other. There was a line of cars waiting for a parking spot. There were long lines to get their free RSVP item. There were even longer lines for the buffet.

First order of business was to get me a member’s club card. Thankfully it was not a long line. While I was hoping there might be a something little extra for being a new member they were like –nope. I can only hope this is part of their marketing plan to send me in a few weeks mail welcoming me back with a new membership deal. Otherwise that a little odd they more than have enough information to determine I was a legit new member of their casino.

Quite a lot of people were lured in there for free play money they got and we cannot forget the 3 days keep cold flexible coolers they were handing out to those that where RSVP. They were going like hot cakes the line looked like an hour wait at the start. After a few hours, it was much shorter for those that wherein the group that got their item.

Some people at this place as we walk by I noticed kept there cooler with them and just held it like a purse the entire time. Others brought it out to their car after they got in their free play. Some like us even went back inside after safety depositing this new treasure which I think had a decent retail value and was, in fact, an item we needed.

First Slot Machine

The first was a Monopoly game of sorts at $2 a pull and that is when I learned I’m a cheap slots kind of guy. I was not very into this kind of amount being spent every few seconds. In no time flat, it ate the money I had given it. That's just when I watch others in the party play and try their luck. In fact, this just seems like a fun social aspect of gambling in a group.

While there and this being my first slot mechanic ever I was sitting next to this stranger who was very wonderful to talk with. I know I’m a strange guy I go into a casino and I have more fun talking with strangers than playing the games. Monopoly was one of her favorite games to play and she told me a little about it. The different bonus rounds and she was just having a blast!

People around me always consider me to have some “luck.” This luck rarely if ever is used on me but those around me. One person in our group asked if I wanted to press the repeat bet button while they were playing. As soon as I did a bonus round popped up on screen. The stranger I was talking with before stopping to watch as I don’t quite think she believed it at first. It just went down like that.

It had you roll the dice and you traveled around the board having to pick different options when you landed on each of the different community cards, hotels, railways, and such. Like a normal game of Monopoly. Expect this was all real money and you kept wanting to get reward another dice roll, multipliers, and credits.

Second Slot Machine

Davinci Diamonds was an interesting one to play. Every time you got a three-match it would reward and consume those that match and more jewelers and other symbols would fall in place. You either wanted a long chain of winnings or to get three Davinci Diamonds to line up with however all the lines were set up. There was also a wild and I learned to love getting that wild.

After a while, I decided this machine was not going to eat all of the money I put into it. It ate most of it and so I pressed a button and out printed a voucher with my remaining money on it. I sat there watching others at the party enjoy the game. As a gamer, I felt this was a little odd as I thought that was what the cards they had you sign up for where for. Instead, I just learned to not only make sure I got my voucher but to keep an eye out for anything laying around. People who are angry just toss vouchers on the floor and storm off! Mostly it was just a couple of cents I guess there no point if you lost a lot to go collect it.

While I did not get any bonus rounds myself. A member in our group asks if I would press the button for them. Yes, again bonus round for someone! Well, I wanted to see what the bonus round was like. I don’t’ really recall I think it was just free plays. Needless to say, the 3 Davinci Diamonds match to trigger it.

Bigger Slot Machines

Once in a while you found find one that was massive and they either had no chair at all or a more of a bench style to hold a couple of people. These things were quite more expensive to play and so I just skipped giving it any of my money.

Groups of people would form around these things as they each go up and try their luck at spending $5 or more per spin and see if it was their “lucky” day. Needless to say, they all walk away with nothing. A member of our party wanted me to bring them some luck. Not even my luck could warm the cold heart of money eating these things where.

The People

I played quite a few other machines. I really loved sitting next to some of the people far more than I was expecting. I’m not a very talkative person. This was just something new and I was happy to hear people talk and explain things to me.

As I was sitting next to this one lady she would just tell me how the people a few slot machine banks down where giant party animals. Every time they won anything at all they were screaming. It could be 10 cents, a dollar, anything and WOOOOOOOOO YYAAAAAAA WOOOOO WOOOOO. Yep, I’m a quiet person I more than understood this person's thoughts on those ones.

Some people turned up their machines to max volume. I after a while learned each one of them had somewhere a button to press to reduce it. Oddly enough at the start of playing one of them, it was on full blast before I found the button and I had gotten a mini (just a couple of bucks). So I thought I would have some fun with people around me all dancing as this thing was screaming all its sounds and this and that. Strangers really get into other people winning so who am I to not join in even more so when it was my turn.

Next, you had the people who I’m always a little concern about when it comes to gambling. They sat there with zero emotions with a giant bankroll insert into the machines. Win, lose, breakeven – zero emotion. A couple of guys as we moved around would be at a certain machine before we arrived to sit near them. They would remain even after we left. Still be there well after we came back looking for anything open. These were different people always alone. Even after we left for the day still there at the same one for these kinds of people. I can only hope they were staying at the hotel and was just tired for all the fun they had been up to a couple of days in a row from being on vacation or something. Since these kinds of people where not talkers I more than respect that. As I could just tell and understand these kinds of people wanted to be left alone and even better if you could leave a spare seat or two between the machine you were playing and where they were.

You had some people that were slow players. I myself like to take some time between my pulls. I also found myself not wanting to walk too fast either. I was in someone else world it felt like and I just wanted to take in the sights.

Finally, you had the hurry and get out of my way people. They would furiously mash that bet button faster than the thing was spinning. The games were not going fast enough for these people. Whenever they got up to go elsewhere they were in a hurry. They would doge in and out of groups of people, bump into things. While it was far to packed to try and run in this place it sure looked like they were trying. I guess they just live such busy life they can’t even take a moment to lose money.

Themed Hard Rock Casino

Since this place is after all a themed hard rock casino there were rock memorabilia lining the walls all around. In fact, it was just nice to go sightseeing for a bit. There were different kinds of outfits, guitars and random this or that as well. Since they tended to be along walls with not much space in between and everyone was trying to get somewhere it was never a good time to stop and try to take a photo.

This fountain at one end of the building was quite a light show as the colors danced on the falling water. Since this seems to be a place people would stop to take photos I did not think anyone would mind if I took one as well. I did so when no one was around it as I feel these kinds of places people respect some privacy for whatever kind of fun they are enjoying.

Dinner

One of the last things to round out the night before leaving was eating at the buffet. It was ok food and if you had a membership card they took $5 off the price per person who had one. I was starving at the time so I thought I would try my luck getting my money’s worth.

We were in a line for a while just to get up and pay. That is when we noticed there was a second line. Since we were only platinum members it was another 90-minute wait or so of standing around. If you were elite (I don’t want to know how much money you have to spend to be that) you had a few minute waits till they got you in.

While waiting in line we noticed some large groups inside just hogging the tables. They were not eating and I suspect had finished quite some time ago. As they had not touched a single piece of food the entire 90 minutes or so we were in line. People were hungry, not in a good mood if they had a bad night, and not so quiet at shouting what they thought of these people sitting around. Once some of these bigger groups got up and left the line cheered up a quite a bit more. It started to move and we were inside!

Since I was celebrating my Steemit Anniversary I had dessert first. Chocolate chip cookies and cheesecake! Ok so the cheesecake was so amazing I went back for a couple of rounds. I more than felt it the next day.

I also had a decent salmon steak with some kind of sauce on it. It was nice and flakey as you cut into it with a fork. It filled me up more than I thought it would. I was a little denser than I was expecting as I started to break it part.

This is when we noticed those free coolers they were giving away for people who RSVP for them. Yep, some people brought them in with them and were stuffing food like it was going out of style into them. I have a feeling the casino might not want to give that kind of thing out again. While I did not see any of the staff stop people from doing this they just had this look on their face like “do you not have any class at all” as they stuffed more shrimp, and whatever fried rice into the cooler.

I ended up going a few rounds of food. These things tend to have quite a lot of pasta and other heavier dishes. Not quite sure if I got my money’s worth but I did not want to have a gut ache for days on end either so I did not push too hard.

There were quite a few pasta and other dishes with seafood mixed in: crab, salmon, shrimp. One thing I took was some kind of stir fry and I swear there was an entire onion in the amount I took. I ended up not finishing that as I was not expecting that much onion. That is also the fun part about this kind of style as you get to try things you normally would not.

There was even pizza there and well I could not help myself either on that. It was amazing in fact the best thing I ate while at this buffet. I’m rather picky when it comes to pizza and they just had the right amount of sauce, cheese, and topping on it. The crust was not to my liking but hey at is bread and you don’t fill up on to much bread at a thing like this. I was shocked they pulled that off fairly well.

Finally, before we left I help myself to some more cheesecake (ok so I love this stuff) this time it had an Oreo topping and crust –yum. I also had some kind of upside-down pineapple cake along with some other sweets.

Final Thoughts

While we decided to not return the next day to try and win some jet skis or motorbikes that they were giving away for father’s day. It was an amazing time. It was a new experience and I got to check that off a list of things to try.

I did not lose as much as I was expecting to. Granted if I was ever going do this again I think having more money with me would just create a funnier time. I could have spent more time per machine to maybe get around to see some bonus rounds and just stay longer or even a couple of days. At this point in my life, I’m glad I gave it a try and got it out of the way.

While I did end up playing a lot more slot machines then described in this blog. There were just lots I never got around to either. There where even some I’ve not mention that maybe one day I’d love to play again. This, however, will not be the new norm in my life. It was great to see what other people like to do in their life to have some fun. I had lots of fun as well and that what matters.

Information

Content written and photos taken by @enjar of my first hand experience gambling in a casion for the first time.