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Although most Las Vegas players are more than familiar with poker tournaments, slot tournaments may be a little less well-know. Slot tournaments have recently gained popularity at many of the casinos in Las Vegas. Slot players can win a considerably large amount of money on these tournaments compared to what they would win during regular play. Players enter the tournament through a buy-in, meaning each player puts down a set amount of money at the beginning of the tournament just to play. The buy-in money is kept by the casino whether the participant wins or loses. Prizes are determined based on a point system. Players are randomly given a slot machine for a set amount of time. All players are given the same type of machine with the same pay out. Players are given a set amount of time to play and everyone starts out with the same amount of credits. Players rotate machines at certain intervals. At the end of the tournament, the person with the most credits is considered the winner. Prices are usually given to first, second, and third places winner. Prices can be upwards of $25,000 for first place winners.
Many people are participating in these tournaments mainly because there is little to lose (with relatively low buy-ins) and much to gain (with high prize amounts). Another attractive draw about slot tournaments is that they take little skill and are based mostly on luck, making them much more fun than serious poker tournaments that require much skill and previous poker experience. In order to add to the excitement of these tournaments, casinos set the machines for tournaments to have much higher pay-outs than normal. Of course, no one actually gets to keep the money and the only amount that matters is your winning in relation to the other players.
Another great aspect of slot tournaments is that in most cases the casinos will give discounts to frequent slot players. Slot card holders will often receive invitations in the mail to play in these tournaments either for free or with a discounted all-inclusive package. Top hotels in Las Vegas such as the Venetian, Caesars Palace, Mandalay Bay, and MORE all have slot tournaments sporadically. The casino will usually offer stays in the hotel, meals, and the tournament buy-in all for one low price. This sounds like a great deal for the player; which it is, if you don’t gamble outside the tournament. However, casinos know that most people coming to town for a slot tournament will end up spending plenty of money by gambling outside of the tournament, especially if they don’t win. So, if you plan on entering a slot tournament, make sure you find the best deal on a tournament package and don’t gamble outside of the tournament if you really want to get your money’s worth.
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