Walking the Imperial Casino floor before sitting down: worth it?
Good write-up, and I'm curious about one thing: when you walked the floor first, did you clock roughly how many pokies versus tables they run, and what mix of volatility was on the cabinet side? I ask because I keep my own sheet per machine type, and walking a floor cold tells you a lot before you put a single NZ$ in - floor layout basically decides whether you're facing high-variance cabinets or grindier ones.
Also, that smooth cage experience you describe is worth more than people realise. A fast cash-out after a long session on the pokies is the one part of the night you can't judge from a couch at home, and it sounds like they've got that sorted. Did the crowd seem more table punters or pokie players on your visit?
I keep my own spin/hit spreadsheet 📊
I never count cabinets myself, NeonMaster, I just wander till one of the old-school ones grabs me 😄 did the same walk before sitting down and honestly the mix felt decent, plenty of quiet grinders alongside the flashy stuff for the punters who like noise. What sold me though was the cage at the end: walked up, got paid, no drama at all. After a few hours on the pokies that's the whole game really.
Counting cabinets is missing the point, NeonMaster. The mix can look great on a walk-through and the long-run RTP on those things is still fixed against you, whether it's a quiet grinder or a noisy flashy cabinet. I did the same circuit at Imperial a while back and every pokie felt like the same maths wearing different clothes.
What I rate, though, is the cage. Walked up with my ticket, got paid in NZ$ cash, no forms, no waiting for some online "verification team" to sit on it for days. That part was genuinely smooth. And NapierMad's right about the old-school machines. Just remember a decent floor mix and a decent payout at the cage are two different things. One's the experience, the other's the only bit that actually matters.
RTP doesn't lie, win screenshots do.
Yeah Nick's right that the machines don't care about us long run 😅 but the cage cash-out bit sold me, walked up and got paid no fuss. Keen to check it out myself soon 🎰
Learning to clear wagering, go easy 🙏
Okay this thread taught me a new word 😅 Nick_Win mentioned "long-run RTP" - total noob here, but does that just mean the machine is set up so the house wins if you play long enough? Because I walked the floor at Imperial too and some cabinets felt way looser than others, or is that all in my head? 🤔
Learning to clear wagering, go easy 🙏
Yeah FreespinLord you've got it mostly right 😄 long-run RTP just means the machine's set return over heaps of spins, short session can go any way, but grind long enough and the house edge shows up. Some cabinets feeling looser isn't all in your head though, variance swings hard either way. Walked Imperial myself and hammered one pokie for a bit then cashed out at the cage, smoothest part of the night fr 🔥💰
Same, the cage was my favourite part too. Walked up and got paid in NZ$ no fuss 👌 Only gripe was the pokie area got loud as by late evening 😅 do they run table minimums that suit smaller punters?
Cage at Imperial was quick for me too, walked up and got paid no worries 🙌 Only caught a short session on the pokies though, keen to give the tables a proper go next visit 😄
New here, soaking it up.
Same experience with the cage, walked up after a few hours on the pokies and had my NZ$ in hand before I'd even finished thinking about what to do with it 😏 Whole floor walk first is the way too - you clock which end of the room is paying before you sit. Those who know, know 🤫
Those who know, know.
The cage being that smooth is such a relief 😅 walked up after a rough run on the pokies and got paid in NZ$ without a single question. Was it busy at the cage when you went? 🙏
New here, soaking it up.
The cage being that smooth is such a relief 😅 walked up after a rough run on the pokies and got paid in NZ$ without a single question. Was it busy at the cage when you went? 🙏
@Numbers_Value cage was quiet when I went too, paid out my NZ$ in no time 🔥 honestly the whole floor just feels right, walked the pokies end then sat down and hit a bonus that night 🤑🎰
One slot, one love 🎰
Had a walk of the Imperial floor last month before I sat down and honestly it worked a treat, clocked the pokies end humming and that's where my NZ$ went 🔥 hit a proper bonus round too, this slot pays 😱🤑 keen to hear if the tables end was paying for you lot...
Spinning reels dawn to dusk.
@BachLoyal same trick works for me, walk the floor first and put my NZ$ where the sound is. Didn't touch the tables end yet, was too busy chasing the bonus on the pokies 🎰
Cashing out in time is half the battle.
@NearMissHater walking where the sound is, that's half the game 😏 word is one end of that floor's been humming lately, won't say which machine but those who know, know 🤫 go quiet when you sit down though, that ModelLab fella's watching
@NearMissHater walking where the sound is, that's half the game 😏 word is one end of that floor's been humming lately, won't say which machine but those who know, know 🤫 go quiet when you sit down though, that ModelLab f…
@OtagoNZ maybe I'm being dumb but if you won't say which machine, why even mention it 😅 keen to hear more though, still learning how you lot read a floor
New here, soaking it up.
@Numbers_Value cage was quiet when I went too, paid out my NZ$ in no time 🔥 honestly the whole floor just feels right, walked the pokies end then sat down and hit a bonus that night 🤑🎰
@SampleLab same here, quick cage run first then straight to the pokies end 😎 hit big last night doing exactly that, this slot pays 🔥💰
Backing my slot to the last spin.
Seriously, you think walking around the floor is gonna change anything? It's just how the house operates, mate. Sure you clocked a bonus round, but it's a win on paper, right? Did you even withdraw any of that cash, or are you still just admiring your digital winnings? 🤡💸😏
The house always wins.
ModelLab clearly never done a cashout in his life 😭 walked the floor there twice, cage both times was sweet and the walk does tell you which end is paying. Last time I sat with NZ$100, bet small while I scoped it, hit the bonus round and pulled the lot out same night 💸 if the walk costs you nothing and saves your bankroll, do it.
Cashing out in time is half the battle.
So if the floor tells you what pays, how do I even figure that out? I'm just trying to find a way to make those bonus wins actual NZ$ 😅🙏
@Jandal15 honestly the walk thing gets overhyped, it just tells you where the noise is, not whether it'll pay for YOU. What actually worked for me there: set your session bankroll before you walk in, work out your bet per spin off that so you're not 50 spins in and cooked. Mine's usually about NZ$150 a visit at 40c a spin, that gives me enough runway to catch a bonus round instead of bleeding out on 20 spins.
And the cashout part is the whole game mate. Last proper hit I got there I cleared the bonus in profit, walked straight to the cage and banked it before I could talk myself into "one more". If a win is only on the screen it's not a win yet, that's the habit worth building way before you worry about which end of the floor is humming 😭🎰
Bankroll discipline wins 💸
Hah Bach is right, the walk is half the fun 🎰 I do a lap every evening before I sit, floors got energy you can feel fr 😤