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A Story from Treasure Island

Bob Dancer

I became interested in video poker in the early-to-mid 1990s, which turned out to be a very fortunate time to do this. Players were not so knowledgeable as they are today, but neither were slot directors or game manufacturers, which led to casinos offering much juicier games and promotions than are present today.

Treasure Island was built by Steve Wynn and opened in October, 1993. In addition to $1 9-7 Double Bonus progressives, they had ample $5 and $10 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.54%) games, along with one for $2, all with 0.67% cash back. (They might have had some bigger games, but $25 and higher games were so far beyond my comfort zone, I ignored what was there.) You could get RFB (a room, and unlimited food and beverage) for a very modest amount of $15,000 coin-in per day. Plus, they had monthly promotions where they gave away multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars on one Saturday night during the month for which you earned drawing tickets on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday playing a game where the player had the advantage.

It turned out that 9/6 Jacks or Better, along with Full Pay Deuces Wild and 10/7 Double Bonus, were the three games for which I initially worked out strategies that I was ready to publish in 1994. By late 1994, I had built my bankroll up to $20,000 or $30,000 and was ready to tackle this game of video poker. It was just a guess as to whether or not I had enough bankroll, but I figured I had about a 1% edge (including the drawings), and if I could just hold on at the beginning, and avoid expensive habits outside of gambling, I was pretty much guaranteed to increase my bankroll bigtime. I had spent 20 years or so playing backgammon for money and so was used to the swings of gambling.

I soon realized I played a more accurate Jacks or Better strategy than most of the other players. The strategies published by Dan Paymar and Lenny Frome were decent enough, but simplified. Jacks or Better is arguably the easiest game to play 100% accurately so I taught myself to do that.

Treasure Island also gave away tickets to the show Mystere. I don’t remember the exact exchange rate, but it was something like $4,000 coin-in gave you two free tickets daily. I didn’t want to be seen selling the tickets, so I sold them to a few non-players for $50 apiece who then stood in line every night and resold them for $100 or so. I probably did this 100 times (two tickets each time)— adding $10,000 to my bankroll. Eventually the non-players began getting questioned about “Where did you get those tickets?” and I decided it was time to shut down that form of extra revenue.

Shirley came into my life in late 1995, and we both started playing at Treasure Island. The Mirage had largely the same monthly promotions, usually on different weekends than Treasure Island did, so we played there too. The Golden Nugget’s version of this was to give the money away via a slot tournament — perhaps $40,000 cash given away to 200 players each month, which added up to $200 in equity per person. Add this to playing a positive game and RFB — it was a good deal. They had good games at the Rio as well.

Other casinos like Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Desert Inn, and MGM Grand had similar promotions but I largely avoided those in the mid-1990s. Later Venetian, New York New York and others joined as well. One event per weekend was enough. I was writing and teaching, and there were local casinos with good games during the week. Most of the big Strip events had dances on the night they gave away the money, and this was almost as important to us as the money itself. If we started double- and triple-booking promotions, we might earn more money, but it wouldn’t be as much fun.

The Las Vegas casinos competing with each other as to which one could give the players the best deal lasted well after the turn of the millennium. Although players eventually got stronger, so did casino management, with the net effect that not so many players percentagewise were beating the casinos as there used to be. The best players, however, continued to succeed.

It’s fun to think back to the “good old days” periodically, but it’s more useful to think on how to beat casinos today. It is still being done — but not in the same ways we did it a few decades ago. And I suspect the methods we’re using five and ten years from now will be different yet.

I don’t know how long this “ride” will last. For me, at age 77, it’s more difficult for me to keep up than it was 30 years ago so I may need to give up beating the casinos earlier than I would were I younger.

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Station praised; Smoke the bastards out

A chorus of hosannas arose from Wall Street this week, singing the praises of Station Casinos. First off was J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff, who upped his 2024 and ’25 projections “on stronger than previously modeled Durango [Resort] property estimates.” His 1Q24 estimates for cash flow goes to $242 million, with $38 million coming just from Durango Resort—and at the cost of 6% cash-flow decline at other Station casinos. The growth just keeps on coming, with full-year cash flow in 2024 of $919 anticipated, followed by $942 million next year. Wall Street, on the whole, expects $883m and $926m, respectively. And that’s not even Greff’s best-case scenario.

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WRONG BETTING: A CRAPS PLAYER’S  GUIDE TO THE ‘DARK SIDE’

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says:

The focus of this article is betting the don’t side in craps, but the coverage also explains how the pass side works. The main takeaway is that betting the don’t side, even though most crap players bet the other way with the shooter, is usually the way to play with the lowest house edge. The chart clearly makes that point and is a good reference for finding the house edges on those bets. The article doesn’t cover prop bets, which have much higher house edges. Note that there are a couple of editing mistakes. In the fourth paragraph under “Don’t Pass,” it should state that pass bettors lose if the comeout roll is a 12. And in the third paragraph under “Don’t Place or Lay Bets,” the sentence should be completed with … $20 to win $10 against 4 or 10.

This article was written by John Grochowski in association with 888Casino.

WRONG BETTING: A CRAPS PLAYER’S  GUIDE TO THE ‘DARK SIDE’

For many players, the prospect of winning together is part of the fun in playing craps and most players bet with the shooter. But some players simply want the best odds for their money and in craps, that comes with betting opposite the shooter.

Wager including don’t pass, don’t come, lay bets, and don’t place bets are collectively known as the “Dark Side,” and those who make them sometimes are called “wrong” bettors as opposed to “right” bettors who bet with the shooter.

If anything, playing the Dark Side is easier for online casino players than for those who play craps at live casinos. Online craps players don’t have to endure taunts or glares from those betting the other way.

Continue reading …

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 75: Daddy’s Back! No, Not Ryan Reaves

Hockey Knights in Vegas is BACK!

Rumors of the demise of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights are greatly exaggerated! As the wicked winds of the rumor swirled in every direction, the VGK decided it was time to quell the pseudo-critics, flip the switch, and show to the Pacific Division and the rest of the NHL that they would be a problem. 

More than just going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, more than the emergence of their trade-deadline acquisitions,  the VGK are playing 100% to their identity. Chris and Eddie deep-dive into what’s different, what’s changed, whether there really is a switch, and where it may be located. 

After Eddie’s scathing criticism of Anthony Mantha in Episode 74, the big Frenchman wakes from sleeping-giant status and finds chemistry on a line with (who else?) William Karlsson and Pavel Dorofeyev. 

Episode 75 concludes with a fascinating debate on who the MVP of the VGK is. The boys want your opinion! 
Drop a vote and a comment! 

Are you Team Marchessault or Team Karlsson?

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Bally’s in chaos; Philly thrills & chills

Congratulations, Bally’s Corp. You’ve just closed the Tropicana Las Vegas and are prepared to replace it with … nothing. Whether it be Aztar Corp. or Columbia Sussex or Clairvest or Penn National or Bally’s, the LV Trop was a marketing riddle no one could solve. As we said on KNPR-FM last month, stepping into it in 1998 felt like going back two decades in time. The place was obviously untouched since the late Seventies and nothing really revived it, although Alex Yemenidjian certainly tried, for which we are grateful. (The Trop’s post-Yemenidjian look is seen above.)

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Atlantic City insanity; Faith-based investing

Craziness is the order of the day in Atlantic City. Late last week, police conducted a search of the home, cars and person of Mayor Marty Small (D). The constabulary’s five-warrant raid followed hard upon charges against Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman (“Aunty Mandy” to the Small family) for alleged official misconduct, hindering apprehension of another, obstruction of justice and failure to report child abuse. It is therefore worth noting that Mrs. Small is one La’Quetta Small, the superintendent of schools for Atlantic City. Nepotism much? Days-Chapman was also campaign manager for Mr. Small, so we’re dealing with a very cozy circle of cronyism.

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You’re Leaving Money on the Table

Bob Dancer

Bonnie and I sometimes travel to Harrah’s Cherokee, which is in the Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina. 

Although there are many reasons we go there, one is that we have casino friends, “Jack” and “Jill,” who also play there. I email Jack when Bonnie and I are going to be traveling east, and sometimes they make a trip there at the same time. And when that happens, we share at least one meal at Brio, the Italian restaurant at the casino.

Rather than split the cost of the meal, we each pick up the entire check every other time we do this. All four of us play at the Seven Stars level, so, among other things, each gets five $100 food vouchers a year. Often one of those vouchers is redeemed during our meals together.

This time it was Jack’s turn to pick up the check. I asked him how much of the meal his host was picking up, and Jack said he never asked a host to buy his food.

“You’re leaving money on the table,” I told him. “You and Jill each play $50,000 coin-in per day you’re there and annually you each earn Seven Stars status primarily from your play at this casino. Hosts will consider you valuable to the casino and will be willing to give you something.”

He told me between them they earn $100 worth of Reward Credits a day, sometimes more if there’s a multiplier, and that’s enough to cover much of what they spend on food.

“Okay,” I continued. “I don’t know what kind of benefits your play entitles you to, but let’s say the host is willing to pick up $250 in food for your four-day trip that usually you pay for with Reward Credits. That many Reward Credits can be turned into $125 free play — which essentially means cash. Are you so rich you can’t find a use for another $125?”

The answer was obvious. I had given Jack the name of our host previously. He had spoken to the host over the phone, but never met her and she didn’t know they were at the casino now.

“You’re going to be here tomorrow, and she’ll get in at noon. Why don’t you give her a call and see if she has five minutes to chat. Once she puts faces to names, she can look up your play and figure out what she can do — if anything. It’s possible, I suppose, that she can’t do anything, but I very much doubt that. Even if that turns out to be the case, it will only cost you five minutes to find out. The odds are very good that she’ll be able to do something.” 

Jill commented she would rather get free facials and manicures than free food. Jack thought a bottle of Scotch Whisky would satisfy him more.

“Let your host know that. Your host’s job is to take care of valuable customers. She has guidelines she must follow, but also, she has a lot of flexibility. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

“And sometimes you play at Harrah’s New Orleans too. If you don’t have a host there, get one. Let them know when you’re coming and see if they can offer you anything.”

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Super Bowl surge; More Control Board buffoonery

If the fiscal impact of Formula One was debatable (its deleterious quality-of-life impact was inarguable), the Super Bowl‘s was not. Casino takings in February on the Las Vegas Strip leapt 12.5% to $801 million, while locals casinos were up 4% to $242 million. Compared to 2019 it was even more of a surge: +35% on the Strip and +30% off it. Table games held 14.5% and baccarat 17.5%. Even without baccarat, table game winnings were up 8% on 29% larger wagering. Baccarat win skyrocketed 82% (to $181 million) on 50% more play. Slot coin-in was up 4% but luck was with gamblers, as win dipped 2%, to $381 million.

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Whataburger and Parry’s Pizza

Whataburger and Parry’s Pizza


The popular Texas-based Whataburger fast-food chain opened in Corpus Christi in 1950 and now has upwards of 1,000 locations in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and the South. It opened its first outpost in Nevada, its 15th state, in early February on the Strip in front of the Waldorf Astoria at City Center in the space formerly occupied by Bobby’s Burger Palace, though the two-story building is new.

Actually, several Whataburgers opened around Las Vegas starting in the 1970s, but slowly disappeared and were completely gone by the early ’90s.

The two-story restaurant also houses Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse. Parry’s is a chain that launched in 2007 in Colorado and now boasts 23 locations in the Southwest. It serves NY-style slices from 14 pies, 10 styles of never-frozen wings cooked to order, strombolis, and “Italian nachos,” along with cocktails and more than 100 beers on tap, with several local breweries represented.

This is the ultimate late-night play; both outlets are open 24 hours, 365 days a year.

You walk into the big ground floor of the standalone building and order from both the Whataburger and Parry’s Pizza menus at the same counter, unique in our fast-food experience.

Two huge screens are above the ordering-serving wall, probably 25 feet across and eight feet high. Ten more screens fill the walls around the room, all broadcasting sporting events.

Directly across from the order counter is Parry’s downstairs bar, with its triple-digit taps.

On the second floor is another bar, also Parry’s — a little more subdued and, dare we say, classy. You can take your food upstairs or the bartenders will order for you if you’re drinking; it’s delivered by food runners.

The whole front wall and part of the north-side wall on the second floor are sliding-glass doors. Two regular in-swinging doors on either end of the two walls open up to the outside and there’s an L-shaped deck with tables and couches. The view directly across the Strip is of BLVD, the new shopping and entertainment complex replacing the Hawaiian Marketplace and Cable Shops. You really get a feel for how massive this place will be: three stories, with 700 feet of Strip frontage, 400,000 square feet of shopping, and a 110,000-square-foot dining and event rooftop. No opening date has been announced, but it’s making major progress and we suspect the developers are shooting for November 2024 in time for the second-annual F1 race.

Even if the sliders are closed (primarily when it’s windy), you can go out on the deck, sit on the couches, and have a bird’s-eye view of center Strip.

We were trying Whataburger for the first time (a first try of Parry’s pizza will have to wait for another visit). We were frankly surprised by the number of people eating and waiting in line to order.

Then we saw the menu: breakfast served 11 p.m. to 11 a.m. with 30 items, from a breakfast burger and pancakes to a honey-butter chicken biscuit and taquito with cheese ($1.99-$7.99); then all-day burgers, patty melts, chicken strips and sandwiches, three salads, fries and onion rings, even a “secret menu” (veggie burger, grilled cheese, breakfast ranchero breakfast), all in the $1.79-$13.90 price range; and a dozen condiments (buffalo, honey bbq, jalapeno, spicy ketchup). All in all, the burger menu is much more extensive than other chains and with the Parry’s partnership, this place has something for everyone.

We weren’t particularly impressed with the burger and the fries were mealy and limp. Oh well. We were there more to check out the building, bars, balconies, and the bustling scene. And we will be back for the pizza, beer, and BLVD view.