Dear Mark,
Casinos must make loads of money off constant losers like myself. Anything
I can do to stop the flow of money always going in one direction? Sandra
R. St. Petersburg, FL
But do you have a smile on your face when you lose, Sandra? I ask that because
Bob Stupak, a major casino operator in Las Vegas, was quoted in US News
and World Report saying; "It's our duty to extract as much money from
the customer as we can and send them home with a smile on their face."
Believe me, Sandra, casinos are a green felt jungle and you're playing war.
But that doesn't mean the casinos win every battle. You can fight back by
becoming a Guerrilla Gambler. How? By only making bets that have a 2% house
advantage or less. When you do, you'll stand a good chance of turning the
tables in your favor, staying in action longer, having fun, and yes, stopping
the flow of your hard-earned cash going to the opposite forces (casino corporate
headquarters).
Here are some of my favorite guerrilla warfare wagers. All have less than
a 2% house advantage and can be found in most casinos coast-to-coast.
Blackjack:
A game that many play, but few play well. Solution: Playing perfect basic
strategy. Perfect basic strategy will bring the house advantage down to
well under 1%. I'm so adamant about the value of basic strategy that I give
away laminated strategy cards FREE. Readers, do you want one? Send your
SASE to the Deal Me In address below. I'll mail you one-pronto!
Craps:
Want three outstanding crap wagers? The pass and come line bets, preceding
wagers with odds, and placing the 6 or 8. All have a house advantage of
1.5% or lower. Stay away from those proposition bets (hardways, field bets,
one number rolls, etc.) entirely. Some can have a house advantage as high
as 16%.
Baccarat:
Baccarat definitely evokes images of Monte Carlo and James Bond, but don't
let the mystique of the game intimidate you. It's one of the easiest casino
games to play (you don't even have to know the rules because correct hitting
is predetermined), and the stakes are relatively low when you play on a
mini-baccarat table. The house advantage is either 1.17% when betting the
bank hand or 1.36% with a player hand wager. Skip the tie bet; house advantage
14%.
Video Poker:
There is no such thing as a bad video poker machine, only bad pay tables.
Here's another opportunity where playing perfect basic strategy on a machine
with a decent pay schedule can reduce the house advantage to well under
1%.
Slots:
Yes, you're reading it right, SLOTS. But only "liberal" slot machines.
What I mean by liberal slots are those in casinos that advertise a higher
payback percentage-like a 98.5% return-on selected machines. Be forewarned,
these high payback slots are usually only found where casino competition
is fierce; plus when you do find a casino advertising liberal paybacks,
you'll then need to ask someone in slot personnel which machines those are.
Yes there is some skill involved besides pulling a handle when playing slots-it's
machine selection.
As you can see, Sandra, all through the casino you'll find decent wagers.
Some, like blackjack or video poker, involve skill, while with others, it's
placing the correct bet in the right place on the layout. But identifying
the guerrilla wagers was just step one, Sandra. Next you must acquire a
good solid education for your favorite game. Then you're truly on your way
to becoming a Guerrilla Gambler.
Before I shuffle:
Repeat this phrase after me; "The smarter I play, the luckier I'll
be."
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