Page 11 - December 2015 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Holiday Dreams:
What I Want at the Casino
by Maya Winkler
Ilove the winter holidays. My family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah when I was growing up. So this time of year, I am lled with holiday spirit!
I admit I’m a happy person by nature, so I approach every experience, particularly my trips to the casino, with positive expectations. Of course, I sometimes fall short of realizing them, but I don’t hold onto disappointment. Like Scarlett, I say,“Tomorrow is another day.” Sounds emotionally balanced, right? Read on.
subject for casino players. I stopped mid-play to listen to the lyrics of “I’m a Loser,” an early Sixties Beatles song. en, while at another casino, “Loser” from a Seventies
Jerry Garcia album played. I wonder if casinos think about the lyrics of the music they play, and what e ect it may have on players. I like to hear music in the background at a casino. But unless I’m sitting in a concert venue, no loud music, please. Some casinos have local bands on the oor and that’s always fun — unless you’re sitting right in front of them. No “loser” songs, please.
Brief Conversations with Casino Personnel
I don’t want to chat with casino personnel while I play. Just when I’ve been dealt three deuces and I’m mid-air poised to hit the deal button, Ron, Bert or Betty come
by with a big smile saying,“I haven’t
seen you in a while! How are you doing?” Now, let me be clear. I love that some casinos have engaging and up-beat employees who actually take the time to chat. When I’m playing at the casino, unless I am playing blackjack or poker, I don’t usually want to talk. I play video poker and have to be attentive to each hand. All the casino personnel I’ve encountered in Southern California casinos are wonderful—helpful and cheerful—but talk to me when I’m
not intently playing, and I’ll be happy.
My Own Special Slot Sense
I want to develop a special slot sense—my own sixth sense, where I will be able to detect the loosest slots on the casino oor. Somehow, I will know which slots will hit jackpots and I’ll play them all. I’ll have a day of jackpot, after jackpot. And, by the way, I also want the body of a beautiful 18-year-old, while keeping my current unmentionable aged wisdom. Talk about the height of dreams!
I know you’re laughing, but this is my wish list after all. And it’s the holidays! Santa can you hear me? By the way, what do you want at the casino?
Maya Winkler lives and plays slots in Southern California and New York.
I have a wish list of things I want at the casino. And, I think the winter holidays are a great time to dream about them. Are any of these, things you may want, too?
Immediate Jackpots
I want a jackpot within the rst half-hour of my slot play at the casino. Not just a little one, but one that really rocks me. I’m primarily a video poker player, so I want a royal ush or four deuces. I welcome a W-2G right away!
Considerate Smokers
I loved the woman who sat next to me at an award- winning SoCal casino and actually asked me if I minded if she smoked! Most smokers not only seem to place their lit cigarettes right in my direction, but they don’t even bother to notice where the smoke is going — sometimes right in my face. And I am amazed at smokers who use the bottom of a slot machine (the place that used to be for receiving the big pile of coins from a jackpot) as an ash tray! But some casinos do have vastly improved air cleaning systems, and I’m grateful for that.
Low-Cal Decadent Buffets
Now, I’m really dreaming. But all that casino play makes me hungry and I want a nice, leisurely and delicious dinner, with a decadent dessert. And I want it all to be low-cal. And pigs can y.
Consistent Temperatures
I go to the casino with three layers of clothing, as I never know when it will be like a meat locker or so stu y and smoky that I have to leave. One casino in San Diego County is so cold, you can spot the regulars because they know to wear winter jackets—sometimes even in the summer. I know that air-conditioned casinos help clear cigarette smoke, so OK, I’ll stop complaining.
A Slot Machine I Can Call My Own
is is de nitely a dream. I want a slot that has all my personal favorite games available on one machine, so I don’t have to move around the casino looking or waiting for games. And I want to be able to come back to that machine at future dates and have my games there waiting for me with an option that says “Maya’s Games.” is article is, after all, called “Holiday Dreams.”
Friendly Player Neighbors
Most fellow casinos players are
friendly and considerate. But once in a
while I run into a few—who invariably
are sitting next to me — who are not.
One of the worst is the phone addict.
In most casinos at gaming tables, it is
against policy to talk on your phone
or to even have your phone on the
table while you are playing. If you get
a call and answer your phone, you’ll
be asked to step back away from the
table. And you will not be dealt a
hand while you are on the phone. is stems from the possibility of someone using an electronic device to cheat. But this doesn’t apply to slot players, and many players think nothing of carrying on a loud phone conversation while they are playing. I’ve heard some fairly explicit conversations sitting next to someone talking on their phone while playing slots. I try to be a considerate player and ask the same from my neighbors.
Upbeat, Fun Music
At the beginning of this year, when I was in a Southern California casino, I got caught up in the lyrics of what seemed to be a stretch of Sixties and Seventies music blasting through the casino’s sound system. I couldn’t believe it, but there were two songs with an unthinkable
DECEMBER 2015
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
PAGE 11