When I was a kid, I just loved slot machines. I bought tiny 50-cent machines and I also sent away to Spencer Gifts for more than one Jackpot Bank that "really pays off." It's true, the machine paid-out when you got a jackpot. Awesome! I was happy for a year until I had a chance to actually play a real slot machine, an old Superior Slot in my Aunt's basement. Then I was hooked, and ruined for all other toy machines.
Somehow that love affair for real (and reel) slot machines turned a bit crazy after my family stayed a night in Battle Mountain, Nevada (think desert, cactus, and nothing else for 100 miles!). I gave my dad 45-cents and he and my mother went to the only place in town, the Owl Club, and played the nickle slots. When they came back my father said he hit a jackpot on my 45-cents and gave me a huge cup full of nickles. Whether he really hit a jackpot with my nickles or not, the cup-o-nickles made me love slots even more, and eventually I found myself out of school, out of poker cash, and working as a slot-tech in Reno. Go figure!
For 15-years I though slots ruled, and they did in my world. But then I started playing poker and blackjack for real money - and (again, go figure) winning. So now it's a toss-up for me. I love'em both, but the table games are a source of income. Not all of them, of course. I've taken a serious hit when it comes to some games like Carribean Stud and Let-it-Ride. Then again, if you ever learn how to play Chemin-de-Fer, you could find yourself hooked.
At Chemin-de-Fer, you actually get to make some choices about taking a card, unlike baccarat, and the table is too cool. And, you play against the other players, not the house, so if you are particularly competitive, as most poker players are, well, you'll get your chance to go "all-in" by being the banker or calling "banco" to cover another player's pot of chips. That's just too fun!
So, in my final analysis, hmmm, nope, can't decide definitively about slots or table games, because, you know, there's always video poker too. And how about you; got a favorite?
