Vegas, baby!
I've never been a "Vegas guy", in that I don't drink that much, don't smoke, don't know how to play any card games (and don't have enough interest to learn any), and don't find much appeal in gambling. Various groups of my friends have done "the Vegas trip" with their friends over the years, but I've never joined. My first visit there was about two years ago when Ladan's mother was here visiting us, and she really wanted to see the city. None of us were gamblers, but we had fun nonetheless, as Las Vegas is most definitely, if nothing else, a sight to behold.
This trip included Ladan, her sister, both her parents and myself for three nights; I flew out to Phoenix Wednesday night (after only being back in CA for three days), then Thursday we drove to Las Vegas. Yesterday evening we returned (and this morning I'm in the airport, about to head back to San Jose). The drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas is pretty boring except for passing over the Hoover Dam, which is an engineering marvel of obvious historical significance. They're building another highway through the area and the giant bridge that they've started building across the wide river, where each side is lined with almost sheer cliffsides, is incredible.
I didn't actually do any gambling until Saturday night, and it was limited to 25-cent slot machines at that. Only willing to part with twenty bucks, I got as high as $33 before losing it all. Slot machines are interesting to me; there's absolutely no strategy or logic that has any bearing whatsoever on the outcome of each spin. And the longer I sat there, drinking beer, watching the people around me, many of whom resembled zombies with their robotic repeated movements and blank stares, it struck me how convoluted the appeal of the slot machine is; isn't it true that the mathematics that determine exactly what you end up with cannot possibly be that difficult to decipher (and note that I'm only talking here about the mechanical slot machines, not the computer-based ones; how much easier could it get to make money than to use a completely-determined computer program to represent seemingly random results to the player? It's just such a farce!)? And therefore, could not the machine be easily set up to allow wins only a minority of the time?
Taking that idea further, why do some people become so obsessed with a game that all logic would dictate will cause them to lose the majority of the time? Clearly, casinos wouldn't exist if they couldn't make money. Based on the elaborate designs of most casino resorts on the strip, they're obviously raking in giant fistfuls of money, all the time. To make money, the casino must win more than the player; thus it's logical to assume that casinos only offer games that can be fixed (or at least can be statistically proven) to ensure this outcome. The reels have a finite number of known-ordered pictures, and so any given spin time, with a known start location, will yield a known end location on the reel. All that needs to be determined, therefore, is how often you must let the player win in order to keep their interest and prolong their playing, and thus, the amount of money that they lose. As a cognitive psychology problem, frankly it seems fascinating to me. It almost made me want to research the topic and see what's been written about it. How much effort would the average casino patron need to exert to discover all of the science behind the gambling industry? It just cannot possibly be that complicated.
Saturday night we also attended a performance of Jubilee, which was an entertainingly gaudy typical Vegas show with lots and lots of toplessness (somewhat to our surprise) thrown in for good Vegas measure. I felt like I was watching a movie about Vegas; there were rows and rows of high-heeled dancing topless showgirls, with elaborate feather plumes flailing about, on the stage during the entire show. Not that I'm complaining, of course.
Anyway, critical psychological analyses aside, the trip was fun. With all the lights, sounds, crowds, incredibly huge resorts with indoor winding themed malls, as well as the wide variety of people, that you see in Vegas, it's well worth visiting at least once in a lifetime just for the sheer spectacle of it all.
This trip included Ladan, her sister, both her parents and myself for three nights; I flew out to Phoenix Wednesday night (after only being back in CA for three days), then Thursday we drove to Las Vegas. Yesterday evening we returned (and this morning I'm in the airport, about to head back to San Jose). The drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas is pretty boring except for passing over the Hoover Dam, which is an engineering marvel of obvious historical significance. They're building another highway through the area and the giant bridge that they've started building across the wide river, where each side is lined with almost sheer cliffsides, is incredible.
I didn't actually do any gambling until Saturday night, and it was limited to 25-cent slot machines at that. Only willing to part with twenty bucks, I got as high as $33 before losing it all. Slot machines are interesting to me; there's absolutely no strategy or logic that has any bearing whatsoever on the outcome of each spin. And the longer I sat there, drinking beer, watching the people around me, many of whom resembled zombies with their robotic repeated movements and blank stares, it struck me how convoluted the appeal of the slot machine is; isn't it true that the mathematics that determine exactly what you end up with cannot possibly be that difficult to decipher (and note that I'm only talking here about the mechanical slot machines, not the computer-based ones; how much easier could it get to make money than to use a completely-determined computer program to represent seemingly random results to the player? It's just such a farce!)? And therefore, could not the machine be easily set up to allow wins only a minority of the time?
Taking that idea further, why do some people become so obsessed with a game that all logic would dictate will cause them to lose the majority of the time? Clearly, casinos wouldn't exist if they couldn't make money. Based on the elaborate designs of most casino resorts on the strip, they're obviously raking in giant fistfuls of money, all the time. To make money, the casino must win more than the player; thus it's logical to assume that casinos only offer games that can be fixed (or at least can be statistically proven) to ensure this outcome. The reels have a finite number of known-ordered pictures, and so any given spin time, with a known start location, will yield a known end location on the reel. All that needs to be determined, therefore, is how often you must let the player win in order to keep their interest and prolong their playing, and thus, the amount of money that they lose. As a cognitive psychology problem, frankly it seems fascinating to me. It almost made me want to research the topic and see what's been written about it. How much effort would the average casino patron need to exert to discover all of the science behind the gambling industry? It just cannot possibly be that complicated.
Saturday night we also attended a performance of Jubilee, which was an entertainingly gaudy typical Vegas show with lots and lots of toplessness (somewhat to our surprise) thrown in for good Vegas measure. I felt like I was watching a movie about Vegas; there were rows and rows of high-heeled dancing topless showgirls, with elaborate feather plumes flailing about, on the stage during the entire show. Not that I'm complaining, of course.
Anyway, critical psychological analyses aside, the trip was fun. With all the lights, sounds, crowds, incredibly huge resorts with indoor winding themed malls, as well as the wide variety of people, that you see in Vegas, it's well worth visiting at least once in a lifetime just for the sheer spectacle of it all.
posted by GregP at 5:00 AM
5 Comments:
I've been to Vegas once as an adult. I had a blast but really don't feel a need to go back any time soon.
I can't believe seemingly "shocked" you are about why people gamble!
There's a chance you might win a lot of money. That's all that matters. Same reason they play the lottery. The same reason most people are so ridiculously optimistic in general. Its god's fault. :)
The "smart" gamblers are playing poker.
And, I should I pushed you to try O'Sheas Casino. Video poker and free Guiness!!
Mediocre, I agree, also as in regard to our discussions months back about a group trip, however, since I've never done Vegas with friends, for me it would still be fun to go with a bunch of friends for a weekend. Probably not more than once though, and most definitely not every year.
B, I wasn't shocked about why people gamble; I completely understand that even a small chance to win is motivation enough for some people. And I also recognize that at least card games have some discernible strategy, and thus the player can to some extent control the outcome; that's why I specifically focused on the slot machines.
But I think you missed my main point, being, from the casino's perspective, aren't they explicitly determining the outcome of each pull of a slot machine's handle (or push of a button)? The math behind what results with each pull/push is not that hard, and then all that needs to be done is string the player along for a long enough time. At that point it's all about satisfying the player's psychology.
Regarding O'Sheas, crap, I think you had mentioned that to me a while back. I actually did stop in there, but only to partake in a $2.50 MGD/hot dog combo deal. Will have to enjoy those Guinesses next time.
Well that is why Maryland wants to put slot machines in airports so badly. Free money.
and did you say MGD???
(sigh)
Yes, MGD. Look, you know I'm a beer elitist, so I wasn't happy about it. But it was a $2.50 beer/hot dog combo, how can you beat that? And the hot dog was pretty damn good. To tell you the truth, the MGD wasn't that bad either. Certainly better than the Miller Lite that was the other choice.
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