This likely will be a one-off column. It’s not about video poker. For me it’s not even about gambling, although I did make a few bucks betting on it. For me it’s about some kid I’ve known about for 20 years, who lives only a few miles from me, competing in the Rio Olympics in […]
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Does it Matter?
You’re at your favorite casino. You’ve played a lot all month and are now there for the big drawing. Here’s the way it works: Ten winners get called — they have a minute and a half to show up and identify themselves. If one or more spots are unclaimed after 90 seconds, more names are […]
When Experts Say Opposite Things
When I was in graduate school 45 years ago, plus or minus, I heard about an incident many years prior to that at the University of Chicago. It appears that there was an elevator for a campus building with a “Students Only” sign on it. One professor entered and was challenged, presumably in a friendly […]
How Much Do You Steal from Casinos?
I sometimes post on the forum at wizardofvegas.com. It’s hosted by Michael Shackleford, the “Wizard of Odds,” who’s a long time friend and former radio show co-host. Recently someone there started a thread, “Have you ever stolen from your employer?” They included a poll and, early on as I write this, half (3 out of […]
D T B
Bonnie’s family accepts that I’m a successful gambler. They also believe that the methods and discipline I use to succeed involve far more study than they want to invest — especially since it will never be more than an occasional hobby for any of them.
Gambling with an Edge next week
We have two guests next week. Jeffrey Compton — publisher of CDCGamingReports.com — and he’ll be talking about current events in the gambling world. Also, professor David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV, and we’ll be looking at his new book, Tales from the Pit. In this book, Schwartz interviews […]
Lessons from Chip Reese
I was reading Mike Sexton’s new book, Life’s a Gamble, in preparation for interviewing Sexton on the radio. The Sexton interview will be taped before you read this and will be posted here (that link is to the filtered podcast archives) on Thursday, July 28. The book is autobiographical, with lots of anecdotes about Sexton himself and various other […]
You Have to Work it Out Yourself
I get dozens of video poker emails a month from people I’ve never met. Often the emails are similar to the following: “I play Double Double Bonus. From a hand like KK773, I hold the kings and a friend tells me to hold two pair. Which is right?” I typically answer that it’s correct to […]
Is it Guaranteed?
I recently published an article on quitting when you’re ahead which may be found here. The article referred to a particular $100,000 royal flush I hit at Dotty’s and why circumstances at that establishment led me to quit gambling there for a few months after the jackpot. Some of the follow-up comments about the article […]
Identifying a Pattern
I planned on playing for six hours at the Palms from shortly after midnight until about 6:00 a.m. on the early morning of Wednesday, April 27. It was a double point day— I also earned points for gift cards, a small amount of value for the weekly drawing, plus my play kept the mailers and […]
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