We can’t even cover all the ways casinos waste time in one post, so we’ll just look at three of them that relate to card handling. Now, if you’re in charge of cleaning up the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, do you send the custodians with their mops and vacuums in the middle of the trading day? Probably not. Continue reading Casino (Mis-)Management: Time Wasters #1-3
2016 Blackjack Ball
Once a year for the past 20 years, the finest blackjack players in the world get together for an evening of drinking, visiting, drinking, dining, drinking, and testing themselves against one another. The event is hosted by wit and raconteur Max Rubin with some help from Barona Casino. A few lawyers and other gambling professionals are also invited, including one grateful video poker writer and teacher. Continue reading 2016 Blackjack Ball
Drawing to a Suited KQ
If you draw three cards to a suited ‘KQ’, which is more likely—a royal flush or a K-high straight flush? In games with no wild cards, like Jacks or Better or Double Double Bonus Poker, both jackpots are equally likely. In both cases you need three perfect cards to complete the hands. When you draw three cards there are 16,215 different combinations of cards you may draw, so getting either the royal or the straight flush is a 1-in-16,215 proposition. Continue reading Drawing to a Suited KQ
A Difference in Perspective
Bonnie and I invited some friends to dinner at the Silverton. The husband, Joe, is a competent video poker player and his wife, Sarah, is a recreational player. Sarah is simply not interested in investing the time and energy to become better. Joe mentioned that neither he nor Sarah had ever been in the Silverton before. They live in North Las Vegas and for them, there are other casinos far more geographically convenient than the Silverton. Continue reading A Difference in Perspective
Teaching Advanced 8/5 Bonus
The new semester of free video poker classes at the South Point will begin on Wednesday, January 27, at noon, in the Grandview Lounge — which is eight days after this article is originally published. Everyone at least 21 years of age is welcome. Continue reading Teaching Advanced 8/5 Bonus
I Lost My Wallet at a Casino Where There’s Heat: What Now?
If you spend enough time in casinos, eventually you’ll drop or lose something. If it’s a chip, you’re probably out of luck, but I’ve seen found chips returned by pit people. A bigger problem is dropping your wallet in a casino where you have heat.
For me personally, this is a hypothetical topic, because the only wallet I would carry is a decoy wallet containing a small amount of cash, a few worthless business cards, an empty Starbucks gift card, and an expired third-party ID that has no picture or someone else’s picture. Such a wallet is handy to give to a mugger, and if lost under heat, need not be retrieved at all. Continue reading I Lost My Wallet at a Casino Where There’s Heat: What Now?
Do You Need to be Good at Math to Succeed at Video Poker?
There are people who have never liked mathematics or been particularly good at it. Would that attitude or lack of ability make success at video poker more difficult? I believe that mathematically-challenged players rarely get very good at this game.
Continue reading Do You Need to be Good at Math to Succeed at Video Poker?
Concentrating on the Wrong Little Stuff
A friend of mine, “Paul,” is convinced he’s being cheated at a casino. He played 25,000 points the other day to earn a gift card. He then took a picture of the card reader with his points displayed. He pulled his card and re-inserted it and a total of 24,986 points appeared. He had been short-changed 14 points. Continue reading Concentrating on the Wrong Little Stuff
When Do You Quit?
There is a slogan by a major beer manufacturer that says, “Know when to say when”. A slogan by one state’s Council on Problem Gaming says, “Winners know when to quit.”
The attitude expressed by the two slogans is virtually identical — that is, to drink and gamble responsibly. And there is no doubt that problem drinking and problem gambling are both serious problems today and anything that can be done to reduce these problems is a good thing. Continue reading When Do You Quit?
The Casino Locked Us Out of Our Room: What Now?
The cardinal rule is “Do not stay where you play.” I know you’re a sinner. Sigh.
Continue reading The Casino Locked Us Out of Our Room: What Now?