3/4/2005
Last spring I wrote several ranting columns about too much gratuitous sex everywhere I look in Vegas — and now I feel myself getting wound up again. The Nevada Gaming Commission dismissed two of three counts of a complaint against the Hard Rock Hotel for a controversial advertising campaign. Then they gave them a slap-on-the-wrist fine — and blatantly sexy billboards spring up in more and more places. Read the frustrating details at http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/business/2004/oct/27/517730842.html.
However, I just don’t have the energy to rant and rage this week — so a good friend has stepped in to help me out.
But first, a World Series of Blackjack program note:
Tonight, Friday March 4 at 10 p.m. (Pacific Time) on GSN, the BJ contestants are Angie Moneytaker, Jimmy Pine, Ken Einiger, Rick Jensen, and yours truly. This show will repeat three hours later and on Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday evenings. Check the time in your area that GSN (formerly the Game Show Network) will air the WSOB. Cox has the GSN on Channel 344 in Las Vegas.
(This show has been preempted and has been rescheduled for next week, at 10 p.m. on March 11 and then repeated on the evenings of 12, 13, and 15th)
Sex and The City
by Winnie
Las Vegas has gone through several makeovers in its short history. Although I don’t have all of the dates and haven’t made a historical study, several distinct periods stand out in my personal recollections. This is by no means a factual presentation, but more one person’s perspective.
First there was the “wide-open anything-goes” period during the very early days. There was open control by the mob, which oversaw not only the gambling, but also a variety of other activities, such as prostitution. This lawlessness was so flagrant and drew so much scrutiny that it eventually was replaced by the more respectable corporate America.
This more businesslike approach cleaned up the city and made it a respectable place to visit. These businesspeople knew that it wasn’t necessary to have a criminal element, as they made a huge profit without cheating. Good gambling was offered and the honesty of the games was promoted. There was still some nudity in the big production shows, but it was not risqué, only classy and elegant. The seamier side of Las Vegas was largely hidden from view.
During one of the slower periods, someone had the idea to promote Las Vegas as a family destination. An amusement park was built at MGM. and Treasure Island, Circus Circus, and Excalibur along with many other casinos marketed the family theme heavily. This new approach was popular with the families who wouldn’t have otherwise visited the city. The only problem was that this group of visitors seemed to spend more time entertaining their children than gambling in the casinos — and that was bad for business!
The next Las Vegas phase was all too short, in my opinion. This was a period when culture ruled in Las Vegas. Art galleries were found at Bellagio and Venetian, and major Broadway productions were offered at many of the larger hotels. Shopping was upgraded from the cheap tourist stores to stores with all of the major retailers represented along with designer names. “Class” was in and the Treasure Island pirate battle and Bellagio water show were the frosting on the cake. There were still plenty of activities for all the family, but a more affluent and sophisticated crowd was now attracted to Las Vegas.
Unfortunately, the casinos felt they had to offer something new to these new customers. The new phase in the city is epitomized by the ad slogan, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!” In other words, anything goes in Sin City. Suddenly, this title of Sin City is springing up everywhere. Almost every major Strip casino is opening an after-hours club and plastering their walls with provocative posters. “Be”
3/10/2005
Brad and I are trying to recover from our third bout with the flu this winter, so I’m grateful for John Kelly’s willingness to do a guest column for me once in a while to give me a rest. This time he is discussing a problem that plagues us all!
But first, another World Series of Blackjack (WSOB) program note due to a preemption last week that caused a one-week postponement of the original schedule:
Tonight, Friday March 11 at 10 p.m. (Pacific Time) on GSN, the BJ contestants are Angie Moneytaker, Jimmy Pine, Ken Einiger, Rick Jensen, and yours truly. This show will repeat three hours later and on Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday evenings. Check the time in your area that GSN (formerly the Game Show Network) will air the WSOB. Cox has the GSN on Channel 344 in Las Vegas.
HORRIBLE, PATHETIC, EXCRUTIATING LOSING
By John (Lodestone) Kelly
A great deal is written about how to win at video poker, but what no one likes to talk about is the fact that most sessions are no winners at all. The nature of the game is such that even with the best of games, most sessions don’t land you a jackpot, and without that, the edge is in the casino’s hands. And sometimes it turns from grim to downright ugly. Play long enough and you’ll experience god-awful streaks from hell — it’s almost guaranteed.
We experienced skilled players know this and console ourselves with the fact that it’s all part of the game and that in the long run we’ll almost certainly prevail. But use of this stoic logic ignores the fact that we’re emotional creatures and that this is an emotional game. You cannot robotically continue to try to do something over and over (fill a flush, catch a quad, etc.) and fail, time after time, without getting frustrated. And following frustration is the realization that you’re having a lousy time and this is supposed to be your vacation, dammit! Other fun thoughts:
This “”free”” buffet just cost me $300.
I’ve worked and saved all year … for this?
Gee, this is fun. Why don’t I just add to the excitement and hit the buttons with my forehead?
Even more aggravating is knowing that, as a skilled player, you’ve invested considerable time and energy into getting every edge you can, while next to you Mr. or Ms. Clueless has just gotten four aces and a kicker. If it’s really that kind of day, said person will start to offer you unsolicited advice, i.e.: “”Always hold sixes. That machine gets four-of-a-kind in sixes a lot.”” This is why casinos don’t allow patrons to carry weapons.
We’re all grown-ups and theoretically have enough sense to pick up and leave whenever we want. Why don’t we? First of all, the game is hypnotic in itself. But, as skilled players, we’re actually more susceptible than most to play ourselves into a state of misery. Our knowledge actually works against us here, because it provides rationalizations for continued play. Here are some of the more common ones and the pitfalls that come with them:
“”This is the best play in town and I’d be an idiot to leave.“” My wife once commented, “”It seems like whenever we get killed, it’s always when we’re playing with some big edge.” I had to agree that she was right. After giving it a little thought, I realized why: We only play when we have a huge edge. Duh. Regardless, that extra percentage point isn’t worth losing your temper over. If you’re playing angry, leave!
“”Losing streaks are purely a characteristic of random probability, and are an illusion. My chances are as good now as they ever were.”” Absolutely true. On any given hand, your chances are as good as they were during your hottest winning streak. But just try to convince your emotions of that! Personally, when I’m “”hot,”” my inner child is convinced that every lousy two-pair is “”half a quad.”” I’m excited by everything. I’m having a blast. I’m feeling immortal. On the other hand, when I’m losing, not even being dealt four-to-a-royal
3/18/2005
Well, my episode in this year’s World Series of Blackjack finally premiered — and now you know I didn’t advance. But neither did a lot of players, most who were certainly more experienced than I am in tournament BJ — so I’m not embarrassed about my performance. I made $2,500 for 3rd place at my table and they mentioned The Frugal Gambler several times, which is always good book publicity. I made some new friends and we had a lot fun during the filming.
Saying that we had fun filming does not mean it wasn’t stressful. I’ve been on TV many times and have never been nervous, with the exceptions of “To Tell the Truth” and this tournament. Even though neither show was actually live, they’re both taped under circumstances similar to live programming. “To Tell the Truth” was edited very little. The BJ tournament edited out some hands, but we couldn’t play a hand over if we did something dumb the first time. So I and many other players did make some boneheaded plays from the pressure. Don’t ask me why I did something in hand number whatever. When I watched it the first (and second) time on TV, I kept muttering, “Why in the heck did I do that?” Fortunately, I came out smelling like a rose on some dumb plays. Unfortunately, my inexperience was revealed on some other plays that did hurt me. But at least I didn’t surrender a twenty as one player did.
As I said, I was very nervous, especially at the beginning, and was pretty stiff. However, during the breaks in the filming, I was encouraged to be more “enthusiastic.” They were teasing me that I was chosen because I was supposed to be a “character.” Luckily, I started getting some hands that didn’t require acting. I got caught up in the joy of victory and the agony of defeat and started being myself. One time when I was extra enthusiastic, Max Rubin commented that this was the reason why I don’t play live poker. So true!
I was grateful for being asked to be in this tournament. I felt it was a real honor. But most of all, I’m grateful the shot angles didn’t make me look 10 pounds heavier!
Las Vegas Library Appearances: I’ll first give a talk, followed by a Q+A session and book signing. I’ll stick around as long as there are people with questions for me.
April 10: 2-4 p.m., Sahara West Library and Fine Arts Museum, 9600 W. Sahara Avenue.
April 21: 4:30-6 p.m., Downtown LV Library, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North.
3/25/2005
This is an article I wrote several years ago, then stuck in a file. It might be interesting for some of you who have followed my writings to try to spot the differences in our playing style between now and then. This is definitely not the way we usually do things now!
10 a.m. — The first thing I think about when I wake up this morning is: Here it is — deadline day for a column, but a too-good-to-miss promotion at a casino. What to do?
Well, how about combining the two, with a blow-by-blow diary of Brad’s and my day?
Hmmmm. Could be a little risky. It might turn out to be a boring routine video poker session. Or we might lose a bundle, which would scare people and discourage them from ever studying video poker. Or we might hit three royals, which would give people the wrong impression that it’s always easy to win.
Hey, everything’s a gamble. I’ll take the risk.
10:05. I jump out of bed and start getting dressed. I wish I could get up earlier like most other folks do, but then I’d have to figure out a way to turn off my computer and get to bed before 2 a.m. My old body has to have eight hours of zzzzzz’s or it doesn’t operate well.
Noon. Brad has been ready to go for hours; men have it so easy. I just now am able to get out the door. But then, besides getting dressed and doing my hair, I’ve read 40 e-mails and answered 10, fielded four phone calls, and gathered up dry-cleaning.
Since the casino with the good promotion is clear across town, we do some errands on the way: drop off the dry cleaning, pick up bounce-back cash at a different casino, and stop at Office Max and Rite-Aid to pick up some items I have coupons for. Sometimes I wish I could make myself stop couponing — Brad says it isn’t time-efficient — but I still think it’s fun to get something for nothing. So I guess I’ll keep this one pleasure and count it as entertainment!
1:40 p.m. We pull into the parking lot of our target casino and I use my cell phone to call a friend who’s already playing there. Are there any seats open at the good machines? He says two are open and he’ll save them for us. We’re lucky today that this promotion has not been widely publicized and there are more seats than players. Thank goodness for our circle of friends who share such information.
1:50 p.m. We arrive at our machines, our favorite choice, $1 Five Play NSUDs (Not-So-Ugly-Ducks). We played classic Deuces Wild, with its 100.7% EV, for many years at the quarter level and missed it when we went up to playing $1. But now we can frequently find this newer Deuces version with a promotion that will take its 99.7% EV up nicely over 100%. Today, we’re getting triple slot club points, adding a fat .75% and making this a great play since we can put a lot of money through the machine at $25 a hand. Plus we’re doing the play for the regular bounce-back coupons this casino sends us monthly. We put our jackets on the back of the chairs (it’s 105 degrees outside, but we may feel Arctic air blowing on our shoulders any minute), feed five $100 bills into each of our machines, and wiggle around in our chairs to get comfortable.
1:55 p.m. The battle begins as we start to play.
2:00 p.m. Brad has to go into his pocket. Darn, $500 gone in five minutes. It takes nerves of steel to take this, even for old hands like us.
2:05 p.m. Yeah, baby! I get 4 deuces for $1,000. At least we won’t have to lose $3,000-$4,000 before we hit a jackpot, which can and does happen frequently.
2:15 p.m. Brad is dealt 3 deuces. Our hopes rise. Our hopes fall. Not one hand was improved on any of the five lines. You know your luck is bad when it takes 3 deuces to make 4-of-a-kind!
2:16 p.m. Brad is dealt 2 deuces and makes 4 on one line. We’re on Cloud 9 — and up $800. And Brad gets a nice polo shirt, thanks to a coupon. Right after logo jackets, shirts are on Brad’s favorite free things.
2:30 p.m. Brad is dealt 5-of-a-kind made up of three deuces.