I am a regular at Cosmic Bingo which is at Casino Del Sol in Tucson on Saturday nights.
Cosmic Bingo is kind of like Cosmic Bowling but its bingo instead. Nightclub lighting, music, extra prizes in between bingo games, and its hosted by Tucson's "Queen of Comedy" Lucinda Holliday (a really fun and awesome drag queen).
I fill in for Lucinda when she travels although I don't do the drag part. I'm a pretty goofy looking guy and putting me in a wig and high heels would likely scare most of the customers.
I like to play and its a lot of fun but I have never won a bingo. I estimate at this point I've gone more than 70 times and have gotten within one or two numbers of winning but have never won cash.
I went with Anthony last night. He has won at Cosmic Bingo before. First night we were together we went and he not only won a bingo but also got into the money machine and walked out with nearly $800.
The money machine is a booth with a fan inside and a timer on it that the casino staff puts $2,500 in various denominations in and when its turned on the money blows around. If you win the bingo game that puts you in the machine you have 35 seconds to grab as much of the money blowing around that you can and stuff into a slot. You win however much you grab and stuff into the slot.
Anthony won the money machine cover all game and so did two other people. He insisted that I get in the machine on his behalf since I've never had the chance.
Its tougher than it looks. I had learned a couple strategies from my fill-in hosting duties that were helpful. Kick the money up that collects at your feet so it blows around. Hold your hands palms down in front of the slot you stuff the money into so it collects on your palms as it blows up from the floor. You can't grab money below your waist so having the money blow around is an important part of having the best chance at grabbing the most possible.
I got a lot of bills stuffed in the slot but as luck wouldn't have it I didn't really grab much for big bills. Lots of $5's. Total grab for me was $305.
Two other people also won at the same time so all three of us got a turn in the machine and whoever grabbed the most was the amount split between the three of us. The girl that went after me grabbed less than $200. The third person was also a girl and I gave her the strategies that I had learned and she grabbed $310. That was the amount split.
I tried to give Anthony the money but he insisted that since I got into the machine I got to keep it. He's a generous man. On a side note, the trip into the money machine he made in May 2009 netted him $425. He's better at it than I am.
If you ever have the chance to go to Cosmic Bingo you should. Its way fun. Saturday nights at Casino Del Sol at 10:30 p.m. Lucinda says it best: "It's not your Grandma's Bingo"!
Video of me in the money machine is on my Facebook wall. If we're not friends on Facebook we should be. http://www.facebook.com/kencarr
