A Walk In The Graveyard
I first spotted the machine at
Boulder Station.
I was playing in a video poker tournament and had qualified for the final
round. The games were located in a slant top bank with three machines on
each side. I watched a woman playing the game. She hit the bonus screen,
which I recognized as the pick three game. She chose the grave sites and
racked up about 160 credits. A few spins later she was back to the bonus
screen and repeating the process. This was enough to entice me to sit down
and give it a try.
I slipped a ten-dollar bill in the slot and was greeted with the voice of Gomez saying, "Welcome honored guest." My goal was to make it to the bonus screen and then cash out. I had no delusion of hitting the $135,000 progressive jackpot. Since it was a nickel machine, my ten dollars got me 200 credits, which I figured was more than enough to accomplish my mission. I played one coin on each of the nine lines, which was forty-five cents per spin. That machine made my credits disappear faster than the hand in the Thing Bank that used to grab my coins when I was a kid. I never made it to the bonus round. It was timed to head back to the tournament. The graveyard would have to wait.
The following night I came across a bank of the Addams machines at Fitzgeralds in downtown Las Vegas. This time I chose to start with a twenty-dollar bill that would give me 400 credits to reach the bonus screen. I spun and I lost over and over. Meanwhile the fellow playing next to me hit the bonus screen three times since I sat down. As he cashed out his machine need a hopper fill. This triggered the Addams Family Theme song to start playing. Adding to my frustration of not hitting the bonus screen I had to endure ten minutes of the song playing continuously while he waited for an attendant. The repetition was getting on my nerves. If the attendant s did not arrive when they did it might have enough to send me over the top. After losing my twenty I decided this nostalgia bit was over rated and called it a night. I had no intention of playing any more Addams Family machines. I had played thirty dollars in nickels and the bonus screen was as illusive to me as the Megabucks jackpot. I quit!
On my last night in town I thought that I could not really write about the machine if I had never made it to the bonus round. I decided to risk another ten-dollar bill. This was it win lose or draw it would be my last session. I was down to about half of my credits when I got the three symbols to trigger the bonus screen. I was in the graveyard and stated choosing graves with the dollar signs. I collected 260 credits before picking the "Collect" sign. I cashed out fifteen dollars ahead for the session. It had cost me $25 to see the bonus screen. Nostalgia is nice and it was fun when I hit the bonus round but I think I have seen enough of the Addams Family.
I just heard the IGT is coming out with The Munster Slots. Hmmm! Maybe next trip.
Until next time, remember:
"Luck comes and goes...Knowledge stays forever."