jewelerdave said:
Dont be surprised if you get a lot of funny stairs as the machine will go nuts with lights and beeps until it spits it all out. Particularly if you jump from machine to machine, it does generate a lot of attention.
You will if its either really busy (then you won't be able to easily move around) or if its fairly empty and you are the only one making noise...all the time. When I was in Vegas had a nosy mechanic that called over the shift manager or something or other on Immy and I.. could hear them whispering behind the next bank of slots so I confronted them on it. They claimed someone had been putting in bills and cashing out halves last night and had gone through a lot of them... (I am guessing it was me, but there could have been someone else as well). FYI: apparently $1000 in halves is a lot to a casino as I really didnt go through all that many. They claimed some vague Nevada law about it, after I had left I had wished I asked for specifics. Oh well.
jewelerdave said:
And bring a bag! $20 in nickels is generally more than can fit in the cups they give ya.
Although I have seen a few rinky dink places with cups that only hold $20 in nickels most seem to hold around $40 or if you stop by places that have oversized cups (like the "El Cortez")...well I am not sure how much they fit, but I would guess $100 in nickels (never actually tried to fill it).
I search everything right at the machine (including nickels). Though I try to find a machine with good lighting nearby if its nickels as otherwise you waste a lot of time trying to get the ambient light to reflect just right to read the date.
I usually play a little with nickels (usually about 1 nickel per 1-2 handfuls). I also usually play video poker so the odds aren't quite as bad. With quarters I play a lot less and with halves I only play rarely. I never did get the opportunity to try pennies at a casino.
Depending on where I am I also sometimes carry out up to $100 in nickel rolls out the door with me to be cashed in later at a bank. The most I have ever carried in was $200 in nickels. Found out cargo pants could hold around $100 in the pockets if you walk slow and wear a belt so that was usually my max incoming volume as I didn't like walking back to the car with the bag or can.
My parents used to stop by a local Indian casino on his way to visit once in a while, he would carry out $100-$200 in loose nickels. Interestingly he didn't have a nice canvas bag so he used some old wool socks as his bag. Must have gotten some interesting looks.
Casino hunting can be fun. I have found it to be hit and miss on the finds. Some places are better than banks and some worse, just depends on how long the casino has been around, how many coin-op machies they have, and if any of the employees search.
Good luck.
