Dear Mark,
I was listening to a radio talk show about casino gambling when a caller
claimed he does well in blackjack by looking for warps. Well, the guest
on the show didn't give a response because the host went to a commercial
and they didn't come back to the subject. So, Mark, what is a warp? Robert
A. Los Angeles, CA
In the casino industry, we call it a "dealer tell," meaning, a
dealer who gives away information that the casino believes players shouldn't
possess. In this case, when a dealer checks the hole card under tens or
aces, some inexperienced dealers will unknowingly bend those cards upwards.
This will cause the tens and aces to have a different shape than the rest
of the cards in the deck. With this information, the sharp-eyed player believes
he knows the dealer's hole card by its disfigured state-which is known as
"playing the warps."
But believe me, Rhonda, pit bosses who aren't asleep standing up are always
on the lookout for dealers who hack their cards to death, and they'll correct
this transgression. How effective is this type of play? Well, if you knew
the hole card, it could be very lucrative, but it still comes down to casino
management's ability to monitor their pit.
Dear Mark,
Besides card counters, have any other players ever been barred from playing
blackjack based on certain strategies? Danny P. San Jose, CA
I really can't answer for every casino on why, or if, they would heave-ho
a player based on playing strategies, Melvin, but how about being banned
for having too much capital? It happened when Australian billionaire Kerry
Packer beat the MGM in Las Vegas out of $26 million, most of it while playing
blackjack. The casino finally barred him, not because he was a card counter
but because he was more capitalized than the casino.
When you put together a lucky streak and a player with more financial resources
than the house, you've got a possibility of casino closure-permanently.
Dear Mark,
What is the worst move a player can make with a hand while playing blackjack?
Susan L. St. Paul, MN
Getting ridiculous here, Susan, it's actions like doubling down on a natural
blackjack. Actually I've seen this done once with a $200 wager where alcohol
got the best of this party animal. Now for the average player in the casino,
it's standing on a pair of eights versus a dealer upcard of 7 instead of
splitting them. A player making this basic strategy error will lose 70%
of the time.
Susan, you are the type of player who always plays perfect basic strategy,
right?
Dear Mark,
Just how did "The Strip" in Las Vegas get it's name? Rob R. Reno,
NV
Also called Las Vegas Boulevard and earlier the Los Angeles Highway, "The
Strip" got its name from a Los Angeles Police Captain named Guy McAfee,
who said it reminded him of Sunset Boulevard (Strip) in LA. The story doesn't
end there with Captain McAffe. He was a Las Vegas casino owner as well.
McAfee purchased the Pair-O-Dice on the Los Angeles Highway in 1938 and
reopened it as the 91 Club.
Before I Shuffle:
You would think that in Las Vegas, home of 10 of the 11 largest hotels in
the world, there would be enough room availability even during large conventions.
Problem is, most hotels allocate large blocks of rooms to the convention
authority participating in what is known as "room blocking." A
few don't, so try these first if you're there the same week a gigantic computer
show is in town: Luxor, Westward Ho, Circus Circus, Excalibur, Binion's
Horsehoe, Four Queens, Lady Luck, Sahara, Fremont, and The California.
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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