Feels Like the First Time

They say that you never forget your first time, your first love, your first car, etc. You remember these first times simply because it is a completely new experience that you have never encountered before so it has more of an emotional impact on your brain. This is how we learn. First time experiences can be pleasurable, in which case we want to repeat them, or they may be unpleasant ones that we want to avoid doing again.

I can vividly recall my first trip to the casino even though the event took place over 30 years ago. I was living in Connecticut and the nearest casino was in Atlantic City, New Jersey where casino gambling had just become legal. My first excursion to the casino was on a bus trip that consisted of a five-hour drive with an eight-hour stay in Atlantic City and then a five-hour return trip back home. We left at 5am and arrived home around 1am the following morning. When we first arrived at the casino in the morning we were given a five dollar food voucher and a roll of quarters and then we were on our own.

My two friends and I had never been to a casino before and we knew nothing about how to play any of the casino table games. We did know how to play the slot machines so we played them one quarter at a time while we took in the glitz and glamour of the casinos. We decided we would visit all seven of the casinos on the Atlantic City boardwalk that day playing a few dollars in the slot machines at each one.

When we arrived at the Golden Nugget, which was the last casino at the end of the boardwalk, we only had about two hours before we had to be back on the bus. We decided to just go in and take a quick look around before heading back to the bus. I had lost about $30 gambling that day but I decided I would play a few dollars more. On my third spin I hit the jackpot, which paid me $100 for my single quarter. I can still remember the rush of adrenaline and the excitement I felt with that win. It was because of that win on my first trip that got me interested casino gambling.

Over the years I learned how to play many different casino games. I didn't enjoy all of the games I learned to play. I want to play the games that have the lowest house edge allowing me the best opportunity to win, but I primarily go to the casino for entertainment so I enjoy playing several games.

I found that my desire to try new games has allowed me to have more variety during my casino visits. I feel that playing the same game every time I go to the casino can take some of the enjoyment out of my casino visits. Sure, I have my favorite games but occasionally I want something new and fresh that will allow me to experience that "first time" feeling. This happened to me a few months ago.

I was teaching a seminar down South and was staying at one of the casinos for several days. On Saturday night after I had dinner I wanted to play for a while but when I entered the casino I noticed it was extremely crowded and the seats at the tables games that I play were all taken, as were the seats at most of the video poker machines that I usually play. I decided that I should look for something new to play.

I started checking the pay tables on a few of the video poker machines that were unoccupied. I carry a reference chart on my iPhone so I can determine the payback of any video poker game. I found a game called White Hot Aces that had the highest pay table available. The game was very similar to the Bonus Poker game I usually play. The difference being that it pays one coin for two pair instead of two, however the four aces and four of a kind for the low cards paid triple the amount of the regular bonus game. I determined I could use a modified bonus poker strategy to play the game.

On my second hand I hit a four of a kind and that was the beginning of a magical night. By the end of my session a few hours later, I had hit the quad aces several times along with a royal flush and a dozen other four-of-a-kind hands. I had just had my biggest winning video poker session ever.

As I was cashing out I was momentarily taken back to that day on the boardwalk three decades ago when I felt excitement of my first casino win. What began as a routine night at the casino will now be one of my most memorable casino experiences and it all happened because I decided to play a new game.

Now I'm not suggesting that playing a new game will make you a winner, but it can add a little variety to your casino visit. Many players get stuck in a rut of going to the same casino and playing the same machine over and over again without ever trying anything new or different. If your casino trips have become a little routine, you might be ready for a change and if you get lucky, you might just have a very memorable experience.

Until next time remember:
Luck comes and goes.....Knowledge Stays Forever.