6 Ways You Can Stretch Your Gambling Dollar in Atlantic City, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun

The first rule to being a winner is get yourself a Players Card from every casino you are playing in. There are several Players Promotion Centers in the Casinos for you to go to. Just present a valid ID and they issue you a Players card with your unique Players number.

Once you have this player's card, remember to always use it. This is how the casinos keep track of your winnings and losses. What it means to you is a combination of offers and invitations and gifts from the casino as they now have a valued new player...you! Use your Players card at all slot machines and for table games, hand it to the dealer for them to record your play time and amount you play at the table.

When playing slot machines, look for PENNY and Nickel machines. Sometimes when you visit by bus and you have to be at the casino for long periods of time with a group, you need to stretch your playing dollars with the time you have there. Even if you go alone or with a friend, you know you'll be there for at least 4 hours or more, so PENNY machines are great for long time play and the payouts aren't too shabby either. Sure you might be tempted to be a big shot and go to the $1, $5 machines, but remember, you have limited cash to spend and need to come out a winner. We can't guarantee these machines will win or lose for you, but be careful not to fall in love with the machine, the bells or whistles. They are designed to do just that. They have machines that are nostalgic like Dean Martin, Match Game, The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune and more. They have sexy games like Playboy and Sex And the City. They have games like Monopoly and Cashman which have special features that you can win lots of money or take a lot of money to get to it and then pay out nothing.

Bring from home a specific amount of playing money in cash. This is the amount you have set aside that you don't need for anything else (groceries, bills, rent, etc.) that it won't affect you in any way negatively if you lose it all. Remember Casino's are corporations that rely on people to lose so they can make money. So proceed with caution and your wits about you. Leave your Debit card and ATM card home or if you are staying over night, lock it in the safe. Do not take out more money from the ATM or Debit card. You are in trouble financially if you do that. These machines are set up all over the casinos and there are always suckers on that line pulling out more money. Be smart if you are going to gamble. Remember casinos are designed to make you lose, so you have to beat them at their own game and spend only your limited amount that you came with, no more.

Don't put more than $5.00 bills in the slot machines. The higher the amount you put in, the more likely you are to spend it all trying to win. $5.00 can give you a good amount of time to judge the machine on whether it's just "thanking you" for the "deposit" you made, or if the machine is paying out. I have played as long as one hour on just $5.00 on the same machine. I had fun and I left with my original $5.00. I am a winner. You want a machine that will give back and not just take from you.

If you put in $5.00 and you end up winning or hit the jackpot by at least double what you put in, take it out and insert a new $5.00 bill if you think it's a hot machine. Repeat this as often as you keep winning. This method helps you hold onto your winnings, while seeing if the machine is "lucky" for you without the machine taking a turn on you and take back all it's paid out to you. Remember, if the machine isn't paying out, don't fall in love with the machine.

These machines are so gorgeous with movie clips and music and special features designed to keep you there feeding the machine all day and night. You have to walk away no matter how beautiful the machine is or fun it is to play on if it's not paying out. The machines don't give out coins anymore, they print out cash tickets. Keep a good hold on them as they can be cashed by anyone if they find it on the floor or still at a machine. A few weeks ago, I found a crumbled ticket on the floor. When I picked it up it was for $113.00. I wasn't winning that night, but this surely helped my bottom line.

Do not cash your tickets until right before you are ready to leave, unless you have willpower to not spend any of it. Cashing them in at once when you are all done playing helps you so you are not temped to insert more money in the machines. Once you are done using the money you brought to play, the winnings are yours to bring home, and that is your prize, your winnings. Even if you break even you are ahead of the game. You had a day or night of entertainment, you had free drinks, and you cranked up your playing time for future comps. Now, don't save those tickets and bring them home. Most of them expire within a few days of issuing, so cash them on the way out.

All casinos give you free alcoholic cocktails and soft drinks. Just be sure to give the waitress $1 tip each time you get it to be nice. They work hard running around getting people drinks all day and night. You will be getting regular mailings now from the casino's you played at because of your player's card. The offers will come rolling in to you to get you to come back. Which is great because the comps come in form of: Free hotel rooms, free food, free parking, free tickets to shows and events, free gifts, free slot dollars, and you can use your comps to buy clothing and things at the shops in their casino (usually $2 comps equals $1 dollar). I have gone to a casino before with just $100 and stayed for free, parked for free, ate for free, saw a comedy show for free and took home $50 in winnings. Think about what that would have cost if I had paid for it all. I'll take those offers any day of the week!

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