So interesting – Red Lake Nation College opening campus across from @usbankstadium
Nice lunch with Cheryl 🏈
Acorn City
Pizza as you like it…🍕
Worth the wait ⛳️
The many faces of Black Orchid
Slot machines are fascinating to me – there are literally thousands of different games available in casinos around the world (and online). There are games with licensed pop culture content, brands cultivated by companies like Aristocrat and IGT, infinite varieties of video poker and keno – heck, even YouTube slot celebrity Brian Cristopher has his own branded slot machine now. These games form the revenue foundation for most casinos, but they can be complex to analyze when you throw in multiple denominations, bet levels, volatility and progressive jackpots.
One game that touches on all of these variables, Black Orchid from IGT, also happens to be one of my personal favorites. Introduced around 2013, it spawned two alternate themes based on the same math and gameplay model (Silk Seduction and Vintage Love) and can still be found in a few Minnesota casinos (Mystic Lake has two, Grand Casino has a bunch in both of their locations, Black Bear had three and Fortune Bay used to have one before the pandemic, but it has not returned). I last saw Silk Seduction at Bellagio (since removed) and there used to be Vintage Love games at both Hinckley and Treasure Island (also removed).
Black Orchid appeals to me because of the high volatility gameplay, tropical soundtrack, dimensional graphics (glowbugs!) and the affordable bet levels. Of course the biggest reason is probably that the Orchid is the only game that I’ve won hand-pay jackpots: $3,992.54 in October 2016 and $3,247.79 in May 2017. These both happened on 40-cent bets at Mystic Lake, which resulted in returns of 9,981x and 8,119x. Let’s take a deeper dive into the complexities of this classic casino game.
RIP Claes Oldenburg, 1929-2022
Long before I met you darlin. Lord, I thought I had it all. I could have my lunch in London. And my dinner in St. Paul…
- Glory of True Love
NO BEARS
The weather seems extra weird
Where is everybody? Rode 5+ miles before I saw a single other person not in a car or truck
Babe Ruth ball debut night
The latest version of the @SaintDinette fried chicken is the perfect @StPaulSaints pre-game treat 🐔 ⚾️
Nature is pretty good at design and engineering
This one was creepy
Audobon’s Aerial Flip
It’s like a mini Lebanon Hills
All Bulldogs.
I love this pic of @grayter1 on the TPT website – the Emmy, Prince tambourine and Cane’s stuffy are 💯
That was a quick cloudburst 🌈
Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks. Some doors are open, some roads are blocked…
- Walls
Beautiful day at Keller
Riding the south metro MRT
What an incredible smell you’ve discovered – dead mayflies on the Rock Island Swing Bridge
Solid tech, 2/2: Apple Maps gave me accurate directions around a ramp closure today (and a realtime accident report)
Solid tech, 1/2: my 18-year-old Nikon D70 (which I haven’t used in almost 4 years), fires right up
Nino time with Armon 🎰
Really liking the new/old Neil Young album Toast – now streaming on Apple Music
Walks in the park 💯
Tried a new one
Botanist’s Borough
Discovered some great single track about a mile from our new house 🚴
Love at first sight
The regular season opening homestand of Rangers, Kings, Avalanche and Canucks will be a fun week of hockey 🏒
Finally made it happen
Thistles of Dwan
Still one of my favorites
After reading about “Kyber post-quantum TLS now supported in AWS KMS,” I think it’s time to step away from the computer for a bit
Damn you, Murphy’s Law – flat tire at the farthest point in my ride
Sandwich perfection in Highland Park
A walk in the park with MK
The sky is leaking at Target Field
You know he got that look
More old West Saint Paul history
Finally got to watch this – London outdoor venues are really something
OK, so I didn’t imagine this, but was the McDonaldland tram real too?
Rosy Road
Never was the kind to do as I was told. Gonna ride like the wind before I get old…
- Christopher Cross
Picture-perfect night at CHS Field
The 70s were awesome
Hello, Toad
The Frosted Footpath
2021 Tekne Award in the house – thanks, John!
Wake up to what’s possible
Old dog, new tricks
30 years in Northfield
A very special house guest
Pixel Point
Exciting to have Centro (and burgers!) moving into the old Menchie’s spot in Highland Park
Congrats to Colorado 🥅
Nice day for a walk
Jack’s Birthday Flip
Umm…I have questions
Move streak 800 ✅
