Fremont Hotel & Casino. 200 Fremont Street. Las Vegas, NV 89101. 702-385-3232 Don't let the game get out of hand. For Assistance call 800-522-4700.
- Best Slot Machines Las Vegas
- Cash Wizard Slot Machine Las Vegas 2019 Winners
- Las Vegas Winning Slot Machines
On This Page
Introduction
For the 12-month period from Nov 1, 2011 to Oct 31, 2012 the Nevada casinos only reported a 3.24% win in bingo, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. I don't know how this win percentage is calculated. Many casinos allow players to use points to pay for cards, and this figure may not count cards purchased with points as revenue. The manager of one Las Vegas bingo room told me his hold percentage was about 11%.
Even with an overall 11% house advantage, it is still possible for the player to realize a theoretical advantage in bingo, by using good judgement about what kind of cards to buy, when to buy them, and where to play. Once the game starts it is just a matter of luck, but the player can do a lot to improve his odds by scouting out the locations with the least competition, buying the most cost efficient cards, and avoiding the many sucker bets. Here are some general tips to get you started.
- Buy the right type of card. There is no simple answer to what is the right card. It will depend where you play and the session. For most sessions I find the large rainbow packages offer the best value. However, in sessions where there is a big coverall jackpot, that does not reward for the premium cards, then the cheapest type of card offers the best return.
- Take advantage of quantity discounts. There are lots of packages the player can buy of multiple cards, offering an economy of scale. This is cheaper than buying packs of cards individually. I would avoid the 'rainbow' packages and instead focus on large quantities of the lowest level card. For example, at the Coast casino if you buy four blue packs you get 2 free. At the Station casinos I like the 'number 8', which is $77 worth of mostly level 1 cards, for $53.
- Keep an eye on the field. Prizes in bingo are fixed. Your odds are inversely proportional to the number of competing cards in the room. Of course you won't know exactly how many cards you are up against, but the more you play the better you will be at estimating the competition. Here are some ways to estimate the number the competing cards in the room.
- Note how many people are in the room.
- Listen to what other people are buying, while waiting in line.
- Glance at other player's receipts for the number of packs purchased.
- Keep records of how much you spend and how much you win at each session, day, and property.
- At least make mental notes of how close you get when you don't win. In particular how often you are cased (just one ball away from winning).
- Listen for the case alert on other players' machines. When playing an electronic unit a beeping sound is made when the player becomes cased. If you hear a lot of beeping while you're a long ways from winning, then it is likely there is a lot of competition.
- Use my bingo calculator to estimate the number of cards in play.
- Play When the Cash Ball Jackpot is Low. The greater the Cash Ball jackpot the more competition you will face. In my opinion you get a better value playing when the Cash Ball Jackpot is low. When the jackpot is low, don't validate. However, if you must play anyway when the jackpot is large, you should validate.
- Avoid Side Bets. This is in my Ten Commandments of Gambling. When I wrote it I was thinking only of table games, but it applies to bingo as well. The only exception I can think of is the Big 3 at Station casinos. Like any progressive game it is possible the odds can swing in the player's favor if the jackpot gets large enough. However you're much better off to never play it than always play it.
Bingo Calculator
Best Slot Machines Las Vegas
If you want to do a careful analysis of your odds in bingo, then you have to know roughly how many cards you are playing against. My new and improved bingo calculator will estimate the number of cards in play for 67 different patterns according to the distribution of balls called (by letter) and the number of players who won.
Cash Ball Updates
Check the Cash Ball jackpots at 12 Las Vegas bingo halls, plus other progressive side games. Updated every two hours.
Internal Links
Cash Wizard Slot Machine Las Vegas 2019 Winners
- Palace Station Cash Ball Jackpots for 2007.
- Boulder Station Cash Ball Jackpots for 2007.
- Texas Station Cash Ball Jackpots for 2007.
- Sunset Station Cash Ball Jackpots for 2007.
- Santa Fe Station Cash Ball Jackpots for 2007.
- Red Rock Cash Ball Jackpots for 2007.
- Fiesta Henderson Cash Ball Jackpots for 2007.
- Coast Casinos Cash Ball Jackpots for 2007.
- Probabilities in (75-number) bingo page.
- Probabilities in bingo, part 2.
- Probabilities in 90-number bingo page.
- Pop Up 25 bingo game.
- Bingo Pattern Probabilities — Lots of statistics on 56 different bingo patterns. (PDF -- 517K)
- Las Vegas bingo jackpot archive (very large file)
- European Bingo — Bingo game by Rival software.
- 30 Ball Bingo — Bingo game by Rival software.
- American Bingo — Bingo game by Rival software.
- 80 Ball Bingo — Bingo game by Rival software.
External Links
- Suncoast bingo official web site.
- Gold Coast bingo official web site.
- Sam's Town bingo official web site.
- German translation of this bingo page.
- Game patterns (PDF). Lots of possible patterns and basic statistics for each one.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
We may earn money from the companies and products mentioned in this post.
The $20 trick is commonly employed by Vegas visitors looking to entice hotel front desk staff into upgrading their room to one with additional space, a better view, or more luxurious amenities. Many who wish to attempt the trick are apprehensive about it, and often take to Vegas centric Facebook groups to ask for advice, or to gauge if anyone else has had success executing the $20 trick at the hotel in which they will be staying. Mainly, folks are concerned about looking like an idiot if shot down, or if the front desk employee doesn’t understand what they are trying to accomplish.
See Also: Let us help you find the loosest slots in Vegas.
How is the $20 trick done?
Guests attempt to pass a $20 tip when checking in by sandwiching the bill between their driver’s license and credit card. Most also simultaneously ask if there are any complimentary room upgrades available. Simple right? Now the uncomfortable part… Waiting through the silence hoping that you didn’t hand over cash for nothing.
We should note, there is NOTHING “tricky” about the this commonly employed strategy. Every single check in employee has seen this 1.7 million times.
Does the $20 trick work in Las Vegas?
Opinions vary, but greasing the wheels can’t hurt your chances at an upgrade. Obviously though, there is a lot more to getting an upgrade than tipping at check in. After all, the hotel could be at capacity, no upgrades could be available, or employee could be in a ornery mood. Additionally, some hotels have policies that don’t allow the front desk to accept tips.
While there stories of front desk attendants rejecting the tip stating there is nothing available, many others claim the bribe has earned them upgrades that would have cost more than $20. Common upgrades include Strip views, larger rooms, and even resort credit or champagne in the room.
The worst case scenario is the front desk taking your tip without an upgrade. It happens. Be prepared for that possibility.
Another scenario which isn’t ideal is receiving a “minimal upgrade”. In this case, your $20 is gladly accepted, but the upgrade received is modest at best and not worth the cash outlay. An example of this would be getting “upgraded” at Excalibur from the Resort Tower to the renovated Royal Tower. Just not a huge difference.
Our advice – Should you try the $20 trick?
While Vegas runs on tips, we don’t recommend attempting the “trick” and instead, urge you to simply ask nicely for an upgraded room. To us, discreetly passing a $20 bill adds a layer of awkwardness to the check in process for both customer and the employee that isn’t necessary.
Instead of a $20 bribe sandwiched between your ID and credit card, we suggest asking politely if there are any complimentary upgrades available while holding a $20 bill in open view. This way, the employee knows that if an upgrade is available, they are in for a small payday. I am happy to tip for great service and a comped upgrade is just that. In our opinion, the “cash in hand, ready to tip” method is equally as effective as the $20 sandwich, just without the awkwardness.
Las Vegas Winning Slot Machines
Related:Yes, you can buy the exact scents Vegas casinos use for your home.