Dear Mark,
I very much enjoy your helpful hints on casino gambling in your columns,
but I'm curious, what's the best advice you've ever heard preached? Johnny
B. Carson City, NV
In the casino business, the best admonition to get ahead is "Never
make suggestions." As for a gambling nugget, the following voice of
reason caught my attention while I was walking down the Strip in Las Vegas.
A panhandler approached and asked if I had any loose change so he could
buy a hot dog. Unfortunately, spare change doesn't exist in Las Vegas. Strategically
positioned slot machines allow you to travel light. But I guess I'm an easy
mark for a hot dog story so I gave him a nickel chip-casino talk for $5-that
I had in my coat pocket.
After his gratitude for my allowing him to bump up into buffet dining, or
whatever, he shared some of his best gaming wisdom. "Go downtown to
Binion's and make a pass line bet and take those 10 times odds. It's one
of the best bets in the house," he said.
Guess what, Johnny? He's right on. The house advantage on this wager is
.018%. Those multiple odds he was talking about- zero casino advantage.
It's the line bet where the casino enjoys its slight edge. And I mean slight.
Expected mathematical loss on a $1 line bet with $10 odds, about 4¢.
But we can combat that too, Johnny. Throw in a few free drinks and pry a
breakfast out of a floorman, you're getting to the point where they're paying
you to play.
Yes, advice comes from the funniest places.
Dear Mark,
Are the dice placed on the crap game ever inspected for imperfections so
the same number won't repeat itself? Steve B. West Branch, IA
Because I can predict with 100% certainty that every casino has at least
one lazy pit boss-I was one-you can be assured that the dice placed on the
game are near perfect. The perks for this idle behavior? Going up to the
boss's office and inspecting dice. This meant feet on the head hancho's
desk, Oprah on the tube, and talking on the phone long distance to friends
& family because I knew the secret dial code. Oh, and inspecting dice
with a micrometer to make sure our dice were produced to a tolerance level
of .0005 of an inch.
But we were the second line of defense. Dice makers who cut this poly-sorbate
plastic in lots of five or six deal in tolerances of .0002, with imperfections
discarded, making the random nature of a dice throw a certainty.
By the way, Steve, no not you, Steve, my former boss Steve. You never asked,
but those long distance calls to Michigan were probably mine.
Before I Shuffle:
Someone wrote me on the internet, from Sweden no less, and asked me what
my thoughts were on casino collectibles. Sorry, wrong guy. My only collection
of casino paraphernalia is losing Superbowl bet tickets. Those were based
on the "due" factor. The AFC is due to win.
Occasionally, I'll pick up a pair of casino dice, mainly because they're
so cheap. Just about every gift shop sells them for about four bits and
you can develop quite the collection over time.
But there's even cheaper collectibles. I once met a man who told me he had
more than 1,100 casino ashtrays in his collection. He claimed he was anti-smoking
and was doing the other customers a service by removing the ashtrays. Oh,
how we rationalize.
Got a question about gambling? Write to: Deal Me In, 774 Mays Blvd.
Suite 10, Incline Village, NV 89451 or e-mail:winners@winner.com
· To order Mark Pilarski's "Hooked on Winning" audio cassettes--laminated
win cards package ($12.95 plus $2. S&H) call (800) WINNERS.
Return to Main Menu