I recently watched a TV program called "City Confidential" concerning the now-defunct Las Vegas company named American Coin. It seems the company was rigging video poker machines and was shut down. I know the machine chip programmer was murdered and the suspect was acquitted and later confessed. What happened to the other two conspirators in the murder investigation? One was named Vito and another was some gal. Also, this whole case stunk of Mafia involvement, especially with the seemingly large number of cover-ups involved to protect the two family owners of American Coin, who it seems were never named as suspects and who had the most to lose in the criminal trial!

I have asked this of several bartenders and never get a conclusive answer. Why do bartenders tear drink-purchase receipts?

Informative question/answer on the term "suckout" in poker (QoD 3/22). But there was no mention of a "bad beat." Would a suckout basically be the same thing?

Have the casinos/manufacturers tightened the hit ratio on video poker? While the pay schedule on top of the machine may be attractive, it seems winning hands occur less often than in the past. Have the machines gotten tighter?

On March 11, 2009, we ran the results of our poll asking for memories of your "Best Ever Time in Vegas." The response was so overwhelming that we could only run a taste of your feedback that day; as promised, here's a whole bunch more.

With Herbst Gaming, owner of Primm Valley Resorts, Terrible’s and 11 other casinos, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ownership of the casinos will revert to creditors, while the Herbst family retains majority ownership of the slot routes. What are slot routes?

There are different "Rat Pack" shows around, both in Las Vegas and on tour. Since I understand David Cassidy owns the name and Sandy Hackett has some ownership as well, I’m trying to figure out what’s up. I saw the show at the Plaza and thought it was pure art. I saw the touring show and thought it was pure crap! For the love of God, please explain so those of us who are not lucky enough to live in Las Vegas can protect ourselves from subferior entertainment.

I read a recent article regarding Las Vegas Sands’ loss of a lawsuit regarding their Macau license. The article made reference to Sheldon Adelson helping the Chinese government in a deal with the U.S. government. Will you explain what the deal between the governments was and what Sands did or was supposed to do for the Chinese?

After a truck driver was caught stealing MGM Mirage and Harrah’s customer information both Players Club and Total Rewards changed their websites within 24 hours of each other? Was the security breach worse than reported?

What is the philosophy with the "Daily Average" you mentioned in the 3/16 QoD? As an out of towner, when I visit, is it more advantageous for me to play heavily on two or three days instead of spreading the same amount of play over four or five days? I played more on our last visit than my friend, but he’s getting more offers and I suspect that that is the reason. Thanks!