My Favorite Cee-ment Ponds
Dear Mark,
Why is it that every time the dice fly off the table, the next number to
roll is the seven. Uncanny isn't it? Should I bet on the seven every time
the dice go off the game? Robert L. Santa Clara, CA
You would think, Robert, that every time you hear a dealer call "It's
on the ground, look around, it must be found" or "Too tall to
call" that the smart thing to do would be to place a wager on the number
seven because you believe it's going to roll again. You'd be thinkin' wrong,
pardner. By making this wager part of your betting repertoire, you could
easily be joining the most pathetic bunch of losers since my ninth grade
remedial shop math class. Why? Because the probability of a seven showing
on any roll, off the table or not, is only 16.67 percent. Forget what you
perceive. Each roll of the dice always remains the same, an independent
event. More bad news. The one-roll wager on the seven is the worst bet on
the crap table. Casino advantage, 16.7 percent.
Sorry, Robert, what you perceive as happening all the time is anecdotal
evidence, not reality. Stay away from this wager!
Dear Mark,
My sister and I love to spend the day by the pool before we take in a little
gambling in the evening. Since we are going to Las Vegas next month, do
you have any recommendations of hotels that offer decent pools? Faye K.
Buffalo, NY
Congratulations, Faye, for treating gambling more like a time-killing recreational
activity. All gamblers when coming to Las Vegas should plan other activities
like visiting the Hoover Dam, the many fine shows, shopping, health clubs,
tennis or golf. Make it an enjoyable, entertaining trip, not all gambling.
Now for my favorite cee-ment ponds. I'll first preface my choices by telling
you that gray is my favorite color, and I love inclement weather, not the
heat or intense sunshine of Las Vegas. But since you asked, my preferred
choices, for all the wrong reasons, are the swimming holes at the Rio, the
Mirage and the Tropicana: the Rio, not because they actually have a sandy
beach, but because it's closest to my favorite buffet; the Mirage, not because
it's the place to be seen, but because I kept a room key from a previous
visit so when my friends stay there I can sneak in; and finally, the Tropicana,
not because it has the largest pool or poolside blackjack, but because if
you walk up to the Island Winners Club, fill out a player application, and
gamble a minimal amount, they'll give you a room for $39.95.
So based on what you just read, Faye, you really don't want my opinion.
Instead, call the Las Vegas Chamber for hotel information at (800) 445-8864
and see what they recommend.
Before I Shuffle:
Marketing shots have been fired over the starboard side. The competitive
price war in Las Vegas, with you the customer benefiting, has begun. In
a recent column I told you the Stratosphere was "positioning"
itself as the player's place to play by offering 20X odds on a crap game.
No sooner said than Binion's Horseshoe upped the ante by offering 100X odds
every Wednesday. Stratosphere called, then raised the stakes by offering
100X odds seven days a week, all day, all night. Of course the benefactors
of a price war skirmish are the consumers who understand value. But, my
friends, never underestimate these marketing wizard's ability to dupe your
average Joe and Josephine. Example: Casino operators in Indiana thought
you might not visit Gary, home of more homicides per capita than any other
city in the nation, when they launched their two new casino boats. So the
marketing department came up with an "Anywhere but Gary" image
makeover as a positioning tactic. Go ahead, call them. Ask where their gaming
vessels are located. They'll say Buffington Harbor.
Hmmm. Seems like one marketing technique is a definite player advantage
and the other a "you might be dumb enough to believe you're in the
Bahamas" approach.
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.
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