Jump to content

Strangers hovering beside you to 'help you out'


TangoBunny
 Share

Recommended Posts

Revisiting fruit machines reminded me of a few awkward scenarios when I used to dabble in them at the Trocadero in London.

Did anyone else ever get people hovering around you while you played, trying to help you out?

I have vivid memories of being lost in my own little world playing a fruit machine, and the machine would pop up an obvious message like "hold 'em!", and before I had a chance to do anything, some dude would swoop in from the side and hit the three hold buttons in front of me, then saying "alright, now spin, check this out".  Obviously it'd give some minor win, and the dude would stand there acting all smug as if he'd shown me a miracle, and I'd never quite know what to say other than "haha thanks, yeah I was going to do that myself".  Then he'd just stand there hovering beside me while I played.

 

Looking back on it, I can't tell if it was just someone into fruit machines wanting to make a friend or something, or someone trying to weird me out so he'd be next to get a payout after I'd been putting money in, but the way it happened a few times from different people always stuck in my memory. Did this ever happen to anyone else?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had one do it to me one time, near broke his finger off. 

Saying that I use to help the old grannies win on some down Reculver in my much much younger years, especially on the more complicated machines or if they were not quick on the nudges. Use to earn a few quid in winning for them but most knew me anyway as it was more of a family tie in.

  • Haha 1

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Used to be like that around Hull in the early 90's.

I remember playing Project and Sp.Ace machines and the local know all (knob head) always used to be hovering.

Tony the Taxi i think his name was, he used to try and charge for information on how to play machines....

Some fell for his tricks...

 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/07/2020 at 12:40, TangoBunny said:

Revisiting fruit machines reminded me of a few awkward scenarios when I used to dabble in them at the Trocadero in London.

Did anyone else ever get people hovering around you while you played, trying to help you out?

I have vivid memories of being lost in my own little world playing a fruit machine, and the machine would pop up an obvious message like "hold 'em!", and before I had a chance to do anything, some dude would swoop in from the side and hit the three hold buttons in front of me, then saying "alright, now spin, check this out".  Obviously it'd give some minor win, and the dude would stand there acting all smug as if he'd shown me a miracle, and I'd never quite know what to say other than "haha thanks, yeah I was going to do that myself".  Then he'd just stand there hovering beside me while I played.

 

Looking back on it, I can't tell if it was just someone into fruit machines wanting to make a friend or something, or someone trying to weird me out so he'd be next to get a payout after I'd been putting money in, but the way it happened a few times from different people always stuck in my memory. Did this ever happen to anyone else?

If it was London they were probably bumders trying to strike up a conversation in the hope of some quick action. 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I played all around the West End of London from 1988 to 2009ish from Edgware Road to Leicester Square via Oxford Street and China Town and sometimes on to The Strand. 

Always had people trying to advise. People who wanted a quid after I won, never mind the hundreds I'd done in the past hour or two.

Druggies always trying to get a quid, yeah mate I'm a different sort of addict so piss off, that quid is going to get me the jackpot. 

Two guys who were helpful.

One told me in the buffet at Paddington Station not to hold after nudge if holds flash on a lo-tech (it's emulated but can't remember the name ATM). That's when that so called secret came in around the £4.80 jackpot time. 

Another in an arcade in Oxford Street, told me not to leave a Pure Madness machine after I was well down on it , because the Madness symbols were starting to step down during the feature. Sure enough it went on a mad streak and I got most of my money back, I'd put in the machine. 

So there was the odd good samaritan lol. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...