vpFREE2 Forums

Sigma Games/Laughlin style

#1

In a message dated 3/25/06 1:03:19 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
al55442@cox.net writes:

Sigma is still in business but the name will be changing soon. Most of the
video poker titles that Sigma had were sold to Multimedia games.

As for new VP games, maybe down the road under the new company name.

  From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com]On Behalf Of
Jean Scott
  Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 8:31 PM
  To: AA vpFREE Group
  Subject: [vpFREE] Sigma Games

  Are those games with "Jackpot" in their name mostly (or all) Sigma games?
  And, are these machine mostly extinct or becoming so? Is Sigma still in
  business and bringing out new VP games?
  ________________________________________
  
Here is a good Sigma history lesson:

http://www.sigmagame.com/

The old Sigma VP games still hang on in Laughlin. Most have 1996 or 1998
dates on them, though GNL bought a few new ones a couple years ago.

Double Jackpot 8/5/4/3/2/1 is just a tad better than Jacks or Better in ER.

Double Double Jackpot 9/6/5/3/1/1 is 100.3% puts all four card straights in
play with the enhanced payoff. There is DDJ 10/6/4 100% in Laughlin too.

One must pay attention to make sure the "kickers" option is in the paytable.
An Ace/Face quad with a Ace/Face kicker doubles the payout.

Flush Attack is also a Sigma.

Laughlin casinos that still have Sigma VP:

Riverside
Colorado Belle
Ramada Express
Golden Nugget
Pioneer
Avi

The Flamingo-L still had the Sigma Derby horse racing game. The vpFREE
database should be up to date for the playable machines. There are alot of short
pay versions on the river.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

···

  -----Original Message-----

#2

Thanks so much for the Laughlin info on Sigma machines. Are there many Sigma
machines in Vegas or other parts of the country?

···

________________________________________
Jean $�ott - http://www.FrugalGambler.biz
  Tax time is coming up - groan! "Tax Help
   for the Frugal Gambler" can answer many
   of your questions!

#3

For whatever reason Las Vegas never had a lot of Sigma games.
Sigma did a lot of its business
           on the east coast , New Jersey casinos.

···

-----Original Message-----
  From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com]On Behalf Of
Jean Scott
  Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 10:06 AM
  To: AA vpFREE Group
  Subject: Re: [vpFREE] Sigma Games/Laughlin style

  Thanks so much for the Laughlin info on Sigma machines. Are there many
  Sigma
  machines in Vegas or other parts of the country?
  ________________________________________
  Jean $¢ott - http://www.FrugalGambler.biz
    Tax time is coming up - groan! "Tax Help
     for the Frugal Gambler" can answer many
     of your questions!

  vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
  YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

    a.. Visit your group "vpFREE" on the web.

    b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     vpFREE-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

    c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--

  ----------

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.1/292 - Release Date: 3/24/2006

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#4

Thanks so much for the Laughlin info on Sigma machines. Are there

many

Sigma
machines in Vegas or other parts of the country?
________________________________________
Jean $¢ott - http://www.FrugalGambler.biz
  Tax time is coming up - groan! "Tax Help
   for the Frugal Gambler" can answer many
   of your questions!

Oh, Lord, if you'll please send us some more Flush Attacks, House a
Rockins, and the Maxx, we promise not to blow the money this time.

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Jean Scott" <QueenofComps@...> wrote:

#5

Hi Mickey,

How well I remember the old Flush Attack machines at "Bill's Casino"
in Tahoe, and also at the Cal.

One of my daughters (vpdaughter, actually) occasionally played VP
with me in those days. Back then, there were never more than a few
people playimg at the bank of FA. I think that it was basically an
8/5JOB pay scale, but it may have been 7/5. We would sit nearby the
machines, watching for the "Flush Attack" signal to flash, then,
like two vultures, we'd each jump on a machine and play as fast
possible until we hit a flush and received 125 coins for our
effort.

We always got dirty looks from the players who had been there for
awhile, but it didn't bother us too much. If there were a lot of
players at the bank, we sat down at any empty machine and played
VERY slowly, one coin at a time, until FA flashed. It was both a
profitable and amusing play.

BTW, I've never heard of "House a Rockins". Is it a relative of
"Car-a rockins"?

If you can't blow your money on fun, what's the use in having
it?

Best regards,
-Babe-

···

===========================================================
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "mickeycrimm" <mickeycrimm@...> wrote:

Oh, Lord, if you'll please send us some more Flush Attacks, House a
Rockins, and the Maxx, we promise not to blow the money this time.

#6

Hi Babe. House a Rockin' and the Maxx were also Sigma machines that
played the same as Flush Attack but were based on Full Houses and
4OAKs. Flush Attacks around Nevada were mostly 8/5/4/25 Double
Bonus or 7/5/4/25 Double bonus. The 25 means the bonus flush payed
25 for one. Betting five coins at a time it took 3 flushes to turn
the light on, one more flush to collect the bonus.

House a Rockin' was based on full houses. They were mostly 8/5/4/40
or 7/5/4/40. Five full houses turned the light on if you were
betting 5 coins. Then one more full house got the 200 coin bonus.

The Maxx was based on 4-of-a-kinds. They came in different
payscales but here's the one from the Pioneer/Laughlin. RF 800, SF
50, 4K 25/125, FH 9, FL 7, ST 4, 3K 3, 2P 1, HP l. The first 4K
payed $31.25, the second payed $156.25. They were unlinked so I
just monitored the bank and played only when it was in bonus mode.
About 111% for 400 games or so. Around a $60.00 win per play.

I played poker full-time from 92 to 96. Lenny Frome was a regular
columnist in Cardplayer Magazine, a bi-weekly publication, back
then, that was given away free in the cardrooms. He even wrote an
article on flush attack. I started out on deuces in 96 but in early
97 discovered there was good money to be made playing flush attack.
Laughlin had alot of machines. Gold River (now River Palms),
Ramada, Flamingo, Pioneer, and the main play, Riverside which had an
18 machine bank, 8 machine bank, and an eight machine bank of House
a Rockin'. You have the right idea, slow play, no play, or 1 coin
play until the light comes on. There was alot of "heat" on these
banks so one had to disguise his play. Many, many player were
thrown out of Laughlin casinos for working these games. The casino
hosts in the Riverside were allowed to take tips and it became a
racket. A $70.00 a week handshake with my casino host kept me in
the hotel for nine months. There were lots of hustlers living there
then. Those were the good old days of video poker for me, living
the life of Riley down on the river. The Riverside had cable
television. I was an elevator ride away from my work. It came
crashing down in October 97, when a hustler who was doing the same
thing as us got into it with security on an unrelated matter. He
got pitched out and ratted the whole thing out to management, gaming
and even the IRS. They said over 100 hustlers hit the bricks that
day. I survived because of my point average. But then they
installed cameras on each end of the main flush attack bank, the
better to scrutinize us. Finally, the Assistant Slot Manager
pitched me off the bank. I got it back a year and a half later when
he got fired.

I went to Northern Nevada and played unlinked Flush Attack and House
a Rockin', which is a much better play than the linked banks. There
were 35 unlinked flush attacks at south shore Lake Tahoe. Eight at
the Reno Hilton, 8 at Boomtown, 10 in Elko with 10 House a Rockin',
and 6 flush attacks/6 House a Rockin' at the Carson Valley Inn in
Minden. By sweeping the machines and picking up the Flushes/Full
Houses that other players left in the machines I held a 3% to 5%
edge through 5,000 to 8,000 games per day.

Throw in the cashback and RFB and your in video poker heaven. There
never was an easier gig in video poker. Good Luck.

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "jackessiebabe" <jackessiebabe@...>
wrote:

Hi Mickey,

How well I remember the old Flush Attack machines at "Bill's

Casino"

in Tahoe, and also at the Cal.

One of my daughters (vpdaughter, actually) occasionally played VP
with me in those days. Back then, there were never more than a few
people playimg at the bank of FA. I think that it was basically

an

8/5JOB pay scale, but it may have been 7/5. We would sit nearby

the

machines, watching for the "Flush Attack" signal to flash, then,
like two vultures, we'd each jump on a machine and play as fast
possible until we hit a flush and received 125 coins for our
effort.

We always got dirty looks from the players who had been there for
awhile, but it didn't bother us too much. If there were a lot of
players at the bank, we sat down at any empty machine and played
VERY slowly, one coin at a time, until FA flashed. It was both a
profitable and amusing play.

BTW, I've never heard of "House a Rockins". Is it a relative of
"Car-a rockins"?

If you can't blow your money on fun, what's the use in having
it?

Best regards,
-Babe-

Oh, Lord, if you'll please send us some more Flush Attacks, House

a

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "mickeycrimm" <mickeycrimm@> wrote:
Rockins, and the Maxx, we promise not to blow the money this time.

#7

Hi Babe. House a Rockin' and the Maxx were also Sigma machines that
played the same as Flush Attack but were based on Full Houses and
4OAKs. Flush Attacks around Nevada were mostly 8/5/4/25 Double
Bonus or 7/5/4/25 Double bonus. The 25 means the bonus flush payed
25 for one. Betting five coins at a time it took 3 flushes to turn
the light on, one more flush to collect the bonus.

House a Rockin' was based on full houses. They were mostly 8/5/4/40
or 7/5/4/40. Five full houses turned the light on if you were
betting 5 coins. Then one more full house got the 200 coin bonus.

The Maxx was based on 4-of-a-kinds. They came in different
payscales but here's the one from the Pioneer/Laughlin. RF 800, SF
50, 4K 25/125, FH 9, FL 7, ST 4, 3K 3, 2P 1, HP l. The first 4K
payed $31.25, the second payed $156.25. They were unlinked so I
just monitored the bank and played only when it was in bonus mode.
About 111% for 400 games or so. Around a $60.00 win per play.

I played poker full-time from 92 to 96. Lenny Frome was a regular
columnist in Cardplayer Magazine, a bi-weekly publication, back
then, that was given away free in the cardrooms. He even wrote an
article on flush attack. I started out on deuces in 96 but in early
97 discovered there was good money to be made playing flush attack.
Laughlin had alot of machines. Gold River (now River Palms),
Ramada, Flamingo, Pioneer, and the main play, Riverside which had an
18 machine bank, 8 machine bank, and an eight machine bank of House
a Rockin'. You have the right idea, slow play, no play, or 1 coin
play until the light comes on. There was alot of "heat" on these
banks so one had to disguise his play. Many, many player were
thrown out of Laughlin casinos for working these games. The casino
hosts in the Riverside were allowed to take tips and it became a
racket. A $70.00 a week handshake with my casino host kept me in
the hotel for nine months. There were lots of hustlers living there
then. Those were the good old days of video poker for me, living
the life of Riley down on the river. The Riverside had cable
television. I was an elevator ride away from my work. It came
crashing down in October 97, when a hustler who was doing the same
thing as us got into it with security on an unrelated matter. He
got pitched out and ratted the whole thing out to management, gaming
and even the IRS. They said over 100 hustlers hit the bricks that
day. I survived because of my point average. But then they
installed cameras on each end of the main flush attack bank, the
better to scrutinize us. Finally, the Assistant Slot Manager
pitched me off the bank. I got it back a year and a half later when
he got fired.

I went to Northern Nevada and played unlinked Flush Attack and House
a Rockin', which is a much better play than the linked banks. There
were 35 unlinked flush attacks at south shore Lake Tahoe. Eight at
the Reno Hilton, 8 at Boomtown, 10 in Elko with 10 House a Rockin',
and 6 flush attacks/6 House a Rockin' at the Carson Valley Inn in
Minden. By sweeping the machines and picking up the Flushes/Full
Houses that other players left in the machines I held a 3% to 5%
edge through 5,000 to 8,000 games per day.

Throw in the cashback and RFB and your in video poker heaven. There
never was an easier gig in video poker. Good Luck.

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "jackessiebabe" <jackessiebabe@...>
wrote:

Hi Mickey,

How well I remember the old Flush Attack machines at "Bill's

Casino"

in Tahoe, and also at the Cal.

One of my daughters (vpdaughter, actually) occasionally played VP
with me in those days. Back then, there were never more than a few
people playimg at the bank of FA. I think that it was basically

an

8/5JOB pay scale, but it may have been 7/5. We would sit nearby

the

machines, watching for the "Flush Attack" signal to flash, then,
like two vultures, we'd each jump on a machine and play as fast
possible until we hit a flush and received 125 coins for our
effort.

We always got dirty looks from the players who had been there for
awhile, but it didn't bother us too much. If there were a lot of
players at the bank, we sat down at any empty machine and played
VERY slowly, one coin at a time, until FA flashed. It was both a
profitable and amusing play.

BTW, I've never heard of "House a Rockins". Is it a relative of
"Car-a rockins"?

If you can't blow your money on fun, what's the use in having
it?

Best regards,
-Babe-

Oh, Lord, if you'll please send us some more Flush Attacks, House

a

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "mickeycrimm" <mickeycrimm@> wrote:
Rockins, and the Maxx, we promise not to blow the money this time.

#8

Great story and history lesson. Those linked flush attacks at the
Riverside were still there up to a year ago. Those House a Rockin'
machines that you mention at the Carson Valley Inn are still there
for the taking. I always check them out when I am in the area. Maybe
a few more still around somewhere? Another game that I always look
for are those piggy bank machines. Huge numbers on the top tell you
if they are ripe. Not many of those around either.

Hi Babe. House a Rockin' and the Maxx were also Sigma machines

that

played the same as Flush Attack but were based on Full Houses and
4OAKs. Flush Attacks around Nevada were mostly 8/5/4/25 Double
Bonus or 7/5/4/25 Double bonus. The 25 means the bonus flush payed
25 for one. Betting five coins at a time it took 3 flushes to turn
the light on, one more flush to collect the bonus.

House a Rockin' was based on full houses. They were mostly

8/5/4/40

or 7/5/4/40. Five full houses turned the light on if you were
betting 5 coins. Then one more full house got the 200 coin bonus.

The Maxx was based on 4-of-a-kinds. They came in different
payscales but here's the one from the Pioneer/Laughlin. RF 800, SF
50, 4K 25/125, FH 9, FL 7, ST 4, 3K 3, 2P 1, HP l. The first 4K
payed $31.25, the second payed $156.25. They were unlinked so I
just monitored the bank and played only when it was in bonus mode.
About 111% for 400 games or so. Around a $60.00 win per play.

I played poker full-time from 92 to 96. Lenny Frome was a regular
columnist in Cardplayer Magazine, a bi-weekly publication, back
then, that was given away free in the cardrooms. He even wrote an
article on flush attack. I started out on deuces in 96 but in

early

97 discovered there was good money to be made playing flush

attack.

Laughlin had alot of machines. Gold River (now River Palms),
Ramada, Flamingo, Pioneer, and the main play, Riverside which had

an

18 machine bank, 8 machine bank, and an eight machine bank of House
a Rockin'. You have the right idea, slow play, no play, or 1 coin
play until the light comes on. There was alot of "heat" on these
banks so one had to disguise his play. Many, many player were
thrown out of Laughlin casinos for working these games. The casino
hosts in the Riverside were allowed to take tips and it became a
racket. A $70.00 a week handshake with my casino host kept me in
the hotel for nine months. There were lots of hustlers living

there

then. Those were the good old days of video poker for me, living
the life of Riley down on the river. The Riverside had cable
television. I was an elevator ride away from my work. It came
crashing down in October 97, when a hustler who was doing the same
thing as us got into it with security on an unrelated matter. He
got pitched out and ratted the whole thing out to management,

gaming

and even the IRS. They said over 100 hustlers hit the bricks that
day. I survived because of my point average. But then they
installed cameras on each end of the main flush attack bank, the
better to scrutinize us. Finally, the Assistant Slot Manager
pitched me off the bank. I got it back a year and a half later

when

he got fired.

I went to Northern Nevada and played unlinked Flush Attack and

House

a Rockin', which is a much better play than the linked banks.

There

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "mickeycrimm" <mickeycrimm@...> wrote:

were 35 unlinked flush attacks at south shore Lake Tahoe. Eight at
the Reno Hilton, 8 at Boomtown, 10 in Elko with 10 House a Rockin',
and 6 flush attacks/6 House a Rockin' at the Carson Valley Inn in
Minden. By sweeping the machines and picking up the Flushes/Full
Houses that other players left in the machines I held a 3% to 5%
edge through 5,000 to 8,000 games per day.

Throw in the cashback and RFB and your in video poker heaven. There
never was an easier gig in video poker. Good Luck.

#9

Mickey, thanks so much for a really interesting and informative post.

While I was very familiar with "Flush Attack", I had never heard
of "House a rockin'" or the "Maxx". Thanks for the education!

I'm really sorry that I missed those plays. I was playing VP in
those days, but not in Laughlin. LV, Reno and Tahoe were my usual
venues.

I'm glad that you didn't get trespassed until you had a nice
profitable run. Maybe, someday, some half-crazed or stoned casino
manager will decide to bring back those great plays. (I won't hold
my breath either!)

···

============================================
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "mickeycrimm" <mickeycrimm@...> wrote:

House a Rockin' and the Maxx were also Sigma machines that played
the same as Flush Attack but were based on Full Houses and
4OAKs........

......... I played poker full-time from 92 to 96. Lenny Frome was a
regular columnist in Cardplayer Magazine, a bi-weekly publication,
back then, that was given away free in the cardrooms. He even wrote
an article on flush attack..............

I never played live poker though I did subscribe to Cardplayer
Magazine because of Lenny Frome's excellent columns. He was my
original VP Guru. I cancelled my Cardplayer subscription when they
deep-sixed Lenny's column. I was very saddened by his death as he
was responsible for helping me be a much more knowledgable player.

Actually, you would have LOVED to find me in your card room. My
facial expressions and tone of voice generally tell everyone in the
vicinity exactly what I'm thinking. Additionally, I feel sorry for
people who are losing. Aren't those two attributes you want to find
in your opponents?

Solitary (meaning please don't bother me when I'm playing) VP is
much more my style.

...........Those were the good old days of video poker for me,
living the life of Riley down on the river. The Riverside had
cable television. I was an elevator ride away from my work.......

Yes indeed! At least you got to live the good old days once. Me
too. Acres of FPDW and FPJW among other good games. Of course,
most of us didn't know how to play them advantageously when they
WERE available. Ah, the memories.....

Regards,
-Babe-

#10

I love a good story, and that was good. Thanks. Some of you all probably
have enough fine stories in you to write a a damned fine book... or two.

Chandler

···

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com]On Behalf Of
mickeycrimm
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 2:34 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: Sigma Games/Flush Attack

Hi Babe. House a Rockin' and the Maxx were also Sigma machines that
played the same as Flush Attack but were based on Full Houses and
4OAKs. Flush Attacks around Nevada were mostly 8/5/4/25 Double
Bonus or 7/5/4/25 Double bonus. The 25 means the bonus flush payed
25 for one. Betting five coins at a time it took 3 flushes to turn
the light on, one more flush to collect the bonus.

House a Rockin' was based on full houses. They were mostly 8/5/4/40
or 7/5/4/40. Five full houses turned the light on if you were
betting 5 coins. Then one more full house got the 200 coin bonus.

The Maxx was based on 4-of-a-kinds. They came in different
payscales but here's the one from the Pioneer/Laughlin. RF 800, SF
50, 4K 25/125, FH 9, FL 7, ST 4, 3K 3, 2P 1, HP l. The first 4K
payed $31.25, the second payed $156.25. They were unlinked so I
just monitored the bank and played only when it was in bonus mode.
About 111% for 400 games or so. Around a $60.00 win per play.

I played poker full-time from 92 to 96. Lenny Frome was a regular
columnist in Cardplayer Magazine, a bi-weekly publication, back
then, that was given away free in the cardrooms. He even wrote an
article on flush attack. I started out on deuces in 96 but in early
97 discovered there was good money to be made playing flush attack.
Laughlin had alot of machines. Gold River (now River Palms),
Ramada, Flamingo, Pioneer, and the main play, Riverside which had an
18 machine bank, 8 machine bank, and an eight machine bank of House
a Rockin'. You have the right idea, slow play, no play, or 1 coin
play until the light comes on. There was alot of "heat" on these
banks so one had to disguise his play. Many, many player were
thrown out of Laughlin casinos for working these games. The casino
hosts in the Riverside were allowed to take tips and it became a
racket. A $70.00 a week handshake with my casino host kept me in
the hotel for nine months. There were lots of hustlers living there
then. Those were the good old days of video poker for me, living
the life of Riley down on the river. The Riverside had cable
television. I was an elevator ride away from my work. It came
crashing down in October 97, when a hustler who was doing the same
thing as us got into it with security on an unrelated matter. He
got pitched out and ratted the whole thing out to management, gaming
and even the IRS. They said over 100 hustlers hit the bricks that
day. I survived because of my point average. But then they
installed cameras on each end of the main flush attack bank, the
better to scrutinize us. Finally, the Assistant Slot Manager
pitched me off the bank. I got it back a year and a half later when
he got fired.

I went to Northern Nevada and played unlinked Flush Attack and House
a Rockin', which is a much better play than the linked banks. There
were 35 unlinked flush attacks at south shore Lake Tahoe. Eight at
the Reno Hilton, 8 at Boomtown, 10 in Elko with 10 House a Rockin',
and 6 flush attacks/6 House a Rockin' at the Carson Valley Inn in
Minden. By sweeping the machines and picking up the Flushes/Full
Houses that other players left in the machines I held a 3% to 5%
edge through 5,000 to 8,000 games per day.

Throw in the cashback and RFB and your in video poker heaven. There
never was an easier gig in video poker. Good Luck.

#11

I echo your sentiments, Chandler. Mickey is one of the really
talented writers posting on the list. As I mentioned to him before,
the style of his prose reminds me of Damon Runyon (one of my
favorites). I wish he would write a book about his gambling
adventures. I would certainly want to buy and read all his stories
(especially if I could get an autographed copy (-: )

-Babe-

···

=========================================
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Chandler" <omnibibulous1@...> wrote:

I love a good story, and that was good. Thanks. Some of you all
probably have enough fine stories in you to write a a damned fine
book...or two.

Chandler

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com]On
Behalf Of mickeycrimm
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 2:34 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: Sigma Games/Flush Attack

......... House a Rockin' and the Maxx were also Sigma machines
that played the same as Flush Attack but were based on Full Houses
and 4OAKs..........