Wanna Get Out Of The Heat - Go Play Bingo!

To say this summer has been hot would be like saying they serve a little shrimp at the casino buffet.  Maybe the heat and humidity has gotten to me (I'll take Vegas at 113 any day, compared to New England in the 90's and dew points in the 70's).  Maybe I couldn't take it any more, so I did it - I went to Foxwoods to play High Stakes Bingo.

I'm not a big fan of bingo, but I know many people love it.  But I knew it would be cool, quiet, and not cost a lot of $$ at the casino.  Here's what I found out:

1)  If you're a newbie, or don't visit bingo much, I suggest you use the video terminals.  A bingo package costs $15, but if you want a video terminal, you must purchase 2 packs - $30.  Any specials, after that are extra for everybody.

2)  Video terminals do a lot of the work for you - daubing as you go.  It was really cool.  But you have to get there early - many of the regulars have their favorite places.  And after you login, you can lock the machine until it's time to play - walk around, get supplies, eat, or play in the casino.

3)  There are smoking and non-smoking terminal areas. 

4)  Next to most of the terminals, is a personal table and a slot machine next to it.  There are various 3-reel, 5-reel, and video slots (seems to be a lot of "CashMan") that you can play, or not.

5) This is not a sprint - it's a marathon!  5 hours - 10:30 to 3:30 with a 15 minute intermission around 1:30.  This is a long time in a casino, but, think about it - it cost me $40 in 5 hours.  If you like this form of gambling, you can't beat the loss value - $10 / hour?  Not bad.

Before you go, there are some rules I found out I should have known, like:

• Ask the staff if you have any questions about the games, how the terminals work, or the specials.  They were very helpful, and very nice
• If you ask questions of the surrounding players, try not to be a pest.  remember, they are there to enjoy themselves, the staff gets paid to answer your questions.
• There are special games occur intermittently and you buy separately.  There are called "quickies" because you mark them yourself and thy have a rapid-fire pace.  Everyone is extremely quiet to hear the numbers called very quickly.  I found out that it's the wrong time to get "ice" water - the ice causes too much sound.
• Even if you use the terminals, you still need a dauber for a few things, as well as, a pen for the "U-Pickems."

So, it was a good experience.  No wins, but I was out and it was cool.  If you haven't experienced it, try it.  Check the website for times and prices.

That's all for Foxwood Fridays.

Binbin