More casino goodies

[Immy]

Another profitable day at the slots (how many people can say that? ).

From $1000 in halves I got a 90% (64), five 40% (67, 68x2, 69x2), a 1978-S proof and a 2005-D. A nice, all around selection.

$100 in quarters was interesting. Out of 400 coins not a single silver but after I dumped them into the automated counter the total came to $100.50 so the machine spit out two more quarters and a hundred dollar bill. Wouldn't you know it, one of the quarters was a 1956-D! I go 0 for 400 on the machine and the dang counter gives up one silver out of two coins. Crazy!

 

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[silverfinder37]

Very nice on the quarter Immy! and the halves are always nice too.
Best Regards, Ray

 

[Emperor Findus Cladius]

Nice totals. It is very nice having a constant supply knowing they will be there and not having to worry about having to wonder where to turn them back in to. Congrats!

 

[thurmownator]

Good finds....and a bonus silver GW.

Way to go.

 

[cyberdan]

Wouldn't you know it, one of the quarters was a 1956-D! I go 0 for 400 on the machine and the dang counter gives up one silver out of two coins. Crazy!

What kind of counter do you use? At the casino? I wonder how many more silver quarters are in that machine. Could you put in 3 quarters and have it spit out 3 different quarters? Might take a while but you could drain it also.

 

[Immy]

What kind of counter do you use? At the casino? I wonder how many more silver quarters are in that machine. Could you put in 3 quarters and have it spit out 3 different quarters? Might take a while but you could drain it also.

I wondered that too. The machine is about the size of a jukebox and its primary purposes are breaking bills (ex., put in a $100, get five $20 back) and turning coins into bills. Yes, you could keep exchanging three quarters for three quarters but the people waiting behind you with buckets of coins would get upset pretty fast! Despite this fluke the odds of finding silver are better at the slots.

 

[thurmownator]

Immy,

As this forum's apparent resident casino coin hunter, can you provide a basic "How To" to someone going to casino-laden area in March.

By that I mean, what "tasks" are you actually undertaking to give you coins to sort through ?

Thanks much

 

[cyberdan]

but the people waiting behind you with buckets of coins would get upset pretty fast!

You could offer a bonus to all those people behind you to buy any silver they may have
While they are distracted going through their buckets you can empty the quarters.

 

[coolcash2004]

NICE!

-CC

 

[Immy]

Immy,

As this forum's apparent resident casino coin hunter, can you provide a basic "How To" to someone going to casino-laden area in March.

By that I mean, what "tasks" are you actually undertaking to give you coins to sort through ?

Thanks much

Glad to help!

The first thing to know is that most big casinos on the Strip have gone coinless. There are some exceptions, including the one where I work (that shall remain nameless) but even mine only has quarters left. Your best bet is to go to smaller neighborhood places just off the Strip. Most still have coins. One good one is the Eureka just one block east of the Sahara Hotel.

Downtown Vegas (Fremont Street) is just about the last place to find half dollar machines. You can walk back and forth between four casinos that have them, along with nickels and quarters too. They are the Fitzgerald (19 50¢ machines), the Fremont (7), Binion's Horsehoe (12) and The Las Vegas Club (6). The Fremont is the only one with a self-help automated counter. There's a dingey little place within one block called the Gold Spike that is also pretty much all coins.

Here's my strategy for casino searching:

For half dollars I bring along about $200-$300. I feed only one into a machine then hit "cash out." I go thru the coins a half dozen at a time, plucking out silver, and then I move on to another machine. I do about $200 per hotel since I don't want to be conspicuous, but I've been doing this since Sept. of last year so I probably look like a regular to the employees. I never strike up conversations with anyone sitting next to me. In fact, I deliberately try to avoid machines where others are playing. $1000 searching takes about two hours.

Quarters are similar to halves only I don't do them as often. I do one $100 bill at a time since 400 quarters usually empties the machine.

Nickels are a bit different. I usually put $40 in, hit "cash out" then take the buckets of coins home to search more thoroughly (if you try to cash out $50 or more in nickels the attendants pay you in cash, so $40 is a nice round figure). Then I bring back the rejects to my work casino.

Anything else I haven't covered?

 

[GMan00001]

I do about $200 per hotel since I don't want to be conspicuous

For all the casino hunting I've done, I have never worried about being conspicuous because it doesn't matter what you do, they are watching. Also if you use one of those players cards and gamble as you search, they probably already know your strategy (if they can track that sort of thing).

My strategy varies since I usually gambled some as well.

My one local Indian casino had nickels and quarter coin machines until they recently went to almost exclusively tickets, haven't been back since the switchover.

When searching nickels, I would find a video poker machine that I liked (I always avoided slots unless I wasn't gambling). Here was my process:
1. Put in $20
2. Play 1 to 5 nickels at a time until I was up or down 5 nickels.
3. Cash out.
3a. When 3 failed, repeat starting at 2. (not often).
4. Play 1 nickel per handful of nickels searched and put the rest in a bucket to be cahsed in.
5. After playing a few hands, I would put in another $20 to cash out once I searched all that had been cashed out. Appears less suspicious to those around me.
6. Repeat 5 until I had approx. 1 to 2 buckets full (around $80 dollars) or had no more cash.
7. Cash in.
8. Repeat starting at 1.

In my local casino there was no way to avoid sitting by other people, so I usually went late at night (too crowded to search comfortably earlier in the evening). Show up after 11 pm and leave around 4-5 AM. Sometimes I would cash out and switch to the next machine over and put in a $20 and look through the coins I had just cashed out depending on how busy it was.


Searching Quarters:
1. I would put in a $20-$100 bill
2. Sometimes play one coin, sometimes not.
3. Press cash out.
4. Look for the silver edges or occasionally a couple of state quarters I still needed.
5. Repeat 1-4

At the end of the night when I was done searching, I would usually stop at the cashier and buy $100 in rolled nickels to bring home, or less if short on cash. Sometimes I would get quarters as well, but much less frequently. Everytime I did this, the cashiers would comment about one of the late night cashiers who was constantly searching through all the coins he was cashing in for customers (I also occasionally heard the customers complain about him. Since he was searching, he would do his job more slowly). Always wondered how many war nickels/buffalos/V nickels/silver quarters he has found as I never got the chance to talk to him.

I also would hear about someone who came in frequently in the mornings to search quarters. Apparently he was more blatant about what he was doing. From my understanding here was his process:
1. Buy $100 of rolled quarters from the cashier.
2. Sit in the cafeteria at a table and search the rolls.
3. Cash in.
4. Repeat steps 1-3.

I could never quite get myself to follow his process as I enjoyed the wee bit of gambling I was doing, and it is a pain to open the paper rolls. I would rather just get them loose from the machines. Usually ended up +/- about $2 in gambling for 5-6 hours. I also usually could search around $200 in nickels doing this. Quarters were much quicker to search but never tracked $/time for quarters.

The last time I was in vegas, I only played the quarter video blackjack machines since I couldn't find any nickel or half dollar machines at the casinos I was at (on the strip). Ended up +$60 for the week, though I didn't find a single silver quarter. Still waiting for my return trip, my wife and I would like to take one in the spring, but not sure if it will happen.

 

[goldinmypan]

Yes and don't forget all the free drinks you can score while sitting at the machines.

 

[thurmownator]

Thanks Immy (and Gman) for sharing your approach.

Like I said, I'll be headed to some casinos in March....and hadn't tried my searching there before.