***
I'll look like the biggest loser today, having posted a Winner Screenshot at Phoenician just yesterday.
I'm not looking for sympathy, because I should have known better (from prior experiences), so ultimately it's my fault for consistently investing into a casino that keeps spanking-me-around. But for me, this week has been very telling about my episodes at Phoenician, and frankly, I just REALLY want to vent about this place.
Earlier this week (at Phoenician), I went through a + 3 hour session without hitting the Free Spin feature on Tomb Raider & Mermaids Millions. That's far from normal in my eyes... although Vinylweatherman responded with a solid post stating that it's not that rare (wherein I assumed I didn't hit the Free Spin feature for both games [each] after approximately 1,200 spins [or 2,400 spins combined]). It's far off my worst-case-scenario target for Tomb Raider (in my experience) at about 550-600 spins. No biggie, just doubled my projections. I was not a happy camper after that session, but I moved on.
Today, I deposited again (earlier this morning... South Korean time), and AGAIN I had similar results, although at first not that ridiculously bad. The BJ was awful, the VP wasn't much better, and again, the slots were formidable. So after losing all of my deposit, I took it upon myself to talk to one of their online reps, and I coaxed her into crediting me with a bonus.
Awesome but...
I just wasted a good 7 hours playing off of a bonus given to me yesterday (and I use wasted because I don't believe I was ever going to see a cent of it). I was informed (and I made sure by asking twice) that the playthrough on the bonus was times 20 (on a $150 bonus). I didn't really care about that (having to reach $3,000), I just wanted to know that if I were up, that after playing for a while (like 3-4 hours in my guestimate), I could withdraw IF I was ahead. The only goal I'm generally fixated on these days is being able to reach $300 (everything else is gravy).
After being fortunate enough to land a miraculous Straight Flush and an influx of Full Houses (and fortunate enough to hear the Casinomeister's new webcast more than 10 times on repeat), that was the end of that. I logged-in to inform them about posting my Winner Screenshot, and again, I guess that was the end of that. I should have kept quiet in retrospect.
All the winning stopped. Halt!!! (this was more of what I was used to seeing, actually) I always alternate between games, and it's as if the bottom dropped out from under me. This is always the case at Phoenician. It plays much differently than pretty much all of the other MG casinos (in my eyes). I went from $330, playing a tight game (I was making low bets and switching games), to losing $230 in a couple of hours. That'll happen when you don't hit any free spin features for 4 hours (again Tomb Raider & Mermaids Millions), you don't line-up any slot icons for any decent amount of money, you no longer get anything above a straight or a flush at VP (4-of-a-kinds died altogether, AND full houses). Sure this is normal, because that's gambling. But not from my own experience, it shouldn't (not each game played) run that cold for that long.
End of that, I was down to my last $100 and could see that the software WASN'T going to let me win anything back. Why continue, so I decided to pull-out with what I had left.
I was denied an instant withdrawal.
Well, somewhere (upon reviewing my account information) along the way, the online rep. (another online rep.) now stated that I had to playthrough $20,000 (that's right!!!). Suddenly the 20 times playthrough on a $150 bonus chip (making it $3,000 in playthrough requirements) had become $20,000. WHAT?!!
He told me that I had played-through over $9,000 up to that point. I lost the remaing $100, just as I knew I would, just like the other $230 was swiftly purged through there system. It's all so tidy isn't it.
Today, I went back to ask them how they came up with the $20,000, and another online rep. looked into the matter. She then said that they had made a mistake, that I had to playthrough 20 times the bonus and deposit (suddenly the deposit comes into the picture... fine). So, that's basically $300 times 20, making it $6,000. Right? Well, I mentioned to her that yesterdays online rep. had informed me that I had already played-through over $9,000. She said he made a mistake, and that I had only played-through $5,231. Okay. But then she claims that would still have had to playthrough an additional $4,768 anyways. Huh? I'm confused too.
I was constantly peppered with the oh-so-wonderful...
- "I'm sorry that you feel that way sir". (automated response)
Has anyone in the history of mankind EVER enjoyed hearing those words? It's like someone saying sorry while hiding behind a brick wall (while pebbles are being thrown-at-you).
Sure, no problem!
It's only money, no big deal.
I'm seething at the moment
because (recap):
- Phoenician is mysteriously MUCH colder than the other MG casinos I play at.
- A online rep. told me that I had to only playthrough the free $150 chip 20 times, to which, became $20,000, to what later became over $10,000 (with a "We're sorry" tee-hee apology).
- How does a 20 times playthrough suddenly go from $6,000 ($3,000 originally, but I have no problem if they're going to attach the deposit AND bonus to it), to even the $10,000 they decided on in the end?
- Where do they get their figures? I was told yesterday that I had wagered over $9,000 up to that point, to which today, I'm told that I had "only" wagered $5,231.
- Automated responses on the randomness of their software (because in almost 5-years of playing online, SURELY I've not seen this already). It's times like that, where I start missing 32Red online reps. Why? They're far more humane about it.
- Because I was pleased that there software was ACTUALLY allowing me to win a little, AND I posted a Winner Screenshot here. After I pointed this out to them, everything froze... (mysterious indeed) I regret promoting them in that light, because it's FAR from the experience that I've had there.
I closed down my account there, and for good. I think it's an insult that they're allowed to use MG software. Today, they remind me of the days they used to be an RTG unit. I'm sure many of you will disagree, and that's fine. I just needed to get this off my chest.
***
I'll look like the biggest loser today, having posted a Winner Screenshot at Phoenician just yesterday.

Earlier this week (at Phoenician), I went through a + 3 hour session without hitting the Free Spin feature on Tomb Raider & Mermaids Millions. That's far from normal in my eyes... although Vinylweatherman responded with a solid post stating that it's not that rare (wherein I assumed I didn't hit the Free Spin feature for both games [each] after approximately 1,200 spins [or 2,400 spins combined]). It's far off my worst-case-scenario target for Tomb Raider (in my experience) at about 550-600 spins. No biggie, just doubled my projections. I was not a happy camper after that session, but I moved on.

Today, I deposited again (earlier this morning... South Korean time), and AGAIN I had similar results, although at first not that ridiculously bad. The BJ was awful, the VP wasn't much better, and again, the slots were formidable. So after losing all of my deposit, I took it upon myself to talk to one of their online reps, and I coaxed her into crediting me with a bonus.

I just wasted a good 7 hours playing off of a bonus given to me yesterday (and I use wasted because I don't believe I was ever going to see a cent of it). I was informed (and I made sure by asking twice) that the playthrough on the bonus was times 20 (on a $150 bonus). I didn't really care about that (having to reach $3,000), I just wanted to know that if I were up, that after playing for a while (like 3-4 hours in my guestimate), I could withdraw IF I was ahead. The only goal I'm generally fixated on these days is being able to reach $300 (everything else is gravy).
After being fortunate enough to land a miraculous Straight Flush and an influx of Full Houses (and fortunate enough to hear the Casinomeister's new webcast more than 10 times on repeat), that was the end of that. I logged-in to inform them about posting my Winner Screenshot, and again, I guess that was the end of that. I should have kept quiet in retrospect.

All the winning stopped. Halt!!! (this was more of what I was used to seeing, actually) I always alternate between games, and it's as if the bottom dropped out from under me. This is always the case at Phoenician. It plays much differently than pretty much all of the other MG casinos (in my eyes). I went from $330, playing a tight game (I was making low bets and switching games), to losing $230 in a couple of hours. That'll happen when you don't hit any free spin features for 4 hours (again Tomb Raider & Mermaids Millions), you don't line-up any slot icons for any decent amount of money, you no longer get anything above a straight or a flush at VP (4-of-a-kinds died altogether, AND full houses). Sure this is normal, because that's gambling. But not from my own experience, it shouldn't (not each game played) run that cold for that long.
End of that, I was down to my last $100 and could see that the software WASN'T going to let me win anything back. Why continue, so I decided to pull-out with what I had left.

I was denied an instant withdrawal.

Well, somewhere (upon reviewing my account information) along the way, the online rep. (another online rep.) now stated that I had to playthrough $20,000 (that's right!!!). Suddenly the 20 times playthrough on a $150 bonus chip (making it $3,000 in playthrough requirements) had become $20,000. WHAT?!!

He told me that I had played-through over $9,000 up to that point. I lost the remaing $100, just as I knew I would, just like the other $230 was swiftly purged through there system. It's all so tidy isn't it.
Today, I went back to ask them how they came up with the $20,000, and another online rep. looked into the matter. She then said that they had made a mistake, that I had to playthrough 20 times the bonus and deposit (suddenly the deposit comes into the picture... fine). So, that's basically $300 times 20, making it $6,000. Right? Well, I mentioned to her that yesterdays online rep. had informed me that I had already played-through over $9,000. She said he made a mistake, and that I had only played-through $5,231. Okay. But then she claims that would still have had to playthrough an additional $4,768 anyways. Huh? I'm confused too.
I was constantly peppered with the oh-so-wonderful...
- "I'm sorry that you feel that way sir". (automated response)
Has anyone in the history of mankind EVER enjoyed hearing those words? It's like someone saying sorry while hiding behind a brick wall (while pebbles are being thrown-at-you).
Sure, no problem!

I'm seething at the moment

- Phoenician is mysteriously MUCH colder than the other MG casinos I play at.
- A online rep. told me that I had to only playthrough the free $150 chip 20 times, to which, became $20,000, to what later became over $10,000 (with a "We're sorry" tee-hee apology).
- How does a 20 times playthrough suddenly go from $6,000 ($3,000 originally, but I have no problem if they're going to attach the deposit AND bonus to it), to even the $10,000 they decided on in the end?
- Where do they get their figures? I was told yesterday that I had wagered over $9,000 up to that point, to which today, I'm told that I had "only" wagered $5,231.
- Automated responses on the randomness of their software (because in almost 5-years of playing online, SURELY I've not seen this already). It's times like that, where I start missing 32Red online reps. Why? They're far more humane about it.
- Because I was pleased that there software was ACTUALLY allowing me to win a little, AND I posted a Winner Screenshot here. After I pointed this out to them, everything froze... (mysterious indeed) I regret promoting them in that light, because it's FAR from the experience that I've had there.
I closed down my account there, and for good. I think it's an insult that they're allowed to use MG software. Today, they remind me of the days they used to be an RTG unit. I'm sure many of you will disagree, and that's fine. I just needed to get this off my chest.
***