Dear Mark,
All casinos have slot machines, blackjack tables, etc. Is there a difference
between casino A, B, and C? Michelle C. Traverse City, MI
PLENTY, Michelle! My goal as a player-advocate columnist is to develop players
who can identify beneficial gaming situations, not only the bets you make
in a casino but the casinos themselves. So are all casinos the same? No,
no-the correct answer is this: No two casinos are alike. Some are good,
and some, well let me describe the differences:
The Good: Though more come to mind, I'll give you two examples: the Club
Cal Neva in Reno and Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas. Here's what they offer
their cherished players-that's you and me, Michelle. Besides some of the
cheapest food prices-99¢ breakfasts and $3.99 steak dinners-they offer
great gaming plays like 25¢ crap games with up to 10 times odds, single
deck blackjack with liberal rules, single zero roulette, excellent video
poker pay tables, loads of loose nickel and quarter machines, and comps
just for breathing.
These casinos, the ones that treat you like a treasured commodity and are
always trying to increase buyer value, are casinos I hope you, Michelle,
will migrate to.
The Bad: Quite possibly, this is the casino you normally play in. Gouging
table limits on the weekends; tough getting comps (stale popcorn and lucky
dogs don't cut it); poor pay tables on video poker machines; and tight slots.
Basically, they put out games for your convenience and count their money.
Plus, the practice of my #1 rule of casino management-who's the boss, you
the customer-is limited. If your favorite casino has any of the above symptoms,
maybe it's time to change.
The Ugly: Casino Windsor. Knowing full well they have the only game in town,
Detroiters who cross the river to Canada-and all players for that matter-are
being ripped off, bigtime! For starters, charging $40 for valet parking
and instant admission versus parking two blocks away and waiting up to two
hours to get in is absurd. Hopefully that has changed.
But I'm just warming up. They opened with $15 table minimums/$200 maximumsp;which
can deplete a modest bankroll in mere minutes; zero nickel, very limited
quarter and mostly dollar slots; and very poor pay tables on video poker
machines equaling what you would find in airports and grocery stores. Finally
the triple whammy: I found food service at the buffet slow, quality only
fair, and prices high. Unequivocally, two thumbs down on Casino Windsor.
So, Michelle, the key here is shopping for value, not only on your bet selection,
but learning to shop casinos. Warren Nelson, owner of the Club Cal Neva
in Reno, has lived by a simple principle most of his career: "Give
the players the best bet (lowest odds for the house) that you can while
still making a profit, and they will play longer, leave satisfied, and come
back bringing their friends." I applaud his sound reasoning and, Michelle,
that's the kind of casino where you should play.
Before I Shuffle:
Maybe you'll let me blame the following story on sunstroke. After spending
the day lounging poolside at the Mirage Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, we decided
instead of watching a sporting event in their sports book-we were just too
tired (lazy) to leave the room-that a few snacks and some beer in our room
would do the trick. We each threw in a few bucks and sent our runner (scissors
cuts paper) down to a convenience store called "Impulse" in the
Mirage Hotel. Noting here that all the "buyer impulse" merchandise
we purchased wasn't priced, the cost of two six-packs, one small package
of Jerky, and two 8 ounce boxes of Cheese Nips: $29.43! Even I get the worst
of it once in a while. Thought I would pass along my lesson learned to you.
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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