As the dice roll, the chips clang, the ace of spades appear, and 21 points are reached; luck and chance play a large part in whether you win or lose.
Students experienced just that, at Austin Peay State University’s casino night on Saturday. Games of chance were played in hopes of winning prizes such as a spa basket, car items, and a big ticket item: Nintendo Switch.
If that wasn’t enough of a night, an assortment of free food and beverages were served. Punch, wings and pizza were provided by Student Life and Engagement.
The rules are simple, students scan the code via Peay Mobile and are given chips ranging in price from five to 100 dollars. Each person is given the same amount of chips upon entry and a one prize ticket- enabling them to play as much as they like. Once done, students can cash out their chips for additional prize tickets, with one ticket worth $75 worth of chips. Each ticket is then dropped into the bucket corresponding to the prize they wish to receive.
Students had multiple games to choose from, with different returns for each. Blackjack, Roulette, Texas Hold’em Poker, and UNO were played during intermission between games. Players would have to place a stake, ranging from $15 worth of chips to $250 value. Depending on what game they bet on, if they won, they would be able to double, quadruple, and sometimes even get seven times as much as they put in.
The atmosphere created within the event majorly contributed to its success, allowing friends to hang out and play.
“The best part of the Casino would probably be the food. I didn’t play much; I don’t go to the Casino, so I’m just here for the food and to hang out with my friends,” said Mikeal Wilson, freshman, electrical engineer major.
The setting accentuated the atmosphere as dealers wore white dress shirts and black vests while conversing with players over their bets. Silver suitcases held immense sums of poker chips in higher amounts. Champagne glasses were offered to players finishing off the idea that they were indeed in a Casino.
With this being the first ‘Party on the Weekend’ event since Covid restrictions ended, it’s easy to wonder how the idea came to be.
“We’ve done some ‘Party on the Weekends’ in the past, and when we were talking about bringing them back this semester, this is something I know we had when I was a student,” said Zac Moore, Coordinator of Leadership and Student Organizations. “We talked to some students about to see what their thoughts were, they thought it was a good idea, so we wanted to bring it here to campus.”
Party on the Weekend isn’t done, as multiple events are in the planning for the coming months.
“For March we’re making a Zoo Trip in conjunction with the Govs Programming Council, then April will be a Harry Potter Themed event,” said Mary Johnson, Programs and Special Events Coordinator said,
“We want to create that on a larger scale, where students have more connections with others across campus, so they feel like they know more people when they’re walking around campus,” said Johnson.
Article & Images by Isabella Morman and Khatir Stewart
