Cat and Mouse
Dear Mark,
Is card counting illegal? Frank K. Palo Alto, CA
Frank, is using your brain illegal? No. Unfortunately, when it comes to
card counting, the casino would prefer you check your brain at the front
door. So though not illegal, what the casino can and will do is bar the
counter from playing and back you off the game. If you're going to play
this cat and mouse game to gain a one percent plus advantage, expect a pit
bull (boss) to come and pleasantly say, "Frank, we appreciate your
patronage but we're going to ask you to stop playing blackjack here. Feel
free to play any of the other table games we offer." (Yeah, like games
that have a house advantage higher than the interest rate you pay on your
Visa card.)
Fortunately, Frank, not all casinos bar counters. Atlantic City, by law,
cannot run you off. Instead, they impose tougher blackjack rules, multi-deck
games and limit deck penetration to keep the skilled counter at bay.
Though many in the industry believe the casino has every right to back off
proficient players, I personally feel the minuscule amounts lost to card
counters are trivial compared to the money made from the uninformed masses
of poor players--not to mention bad counters.
Dear Mark,
Before going to Las Vegas my sister filled out a dummy keno ticket and asked
me to play it 20 times. On it she had the number 55 circled by itself and
the numbers 10 and 20 circled together. Each ticket cost $3. What exactly
was I playing? Robin C. Warren, MI
It's called a combination ticket, meaning different proposition bets on
one keno ticket. The singular number circled, 55, was her "king number,"
which was to be played in combination with the other two numbers, plus played
alone. She was playing a one spot (55), a two spot (10 and 20), and one
three spot (10, 20 and 55). By the way, does your sister happen to be 41
and born on October 20?
Dear Mark,
Would you happen to know who the owners are of the successful casino in
Connecticut? Tabe B. America Online
Successful would be an understatement. When I ask anyone, even in the gaming
industry, to name the most successful casino in America, they always respond
with the Mirage, Ceasar's or something "The Donald" owns in Atlantic
City. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It's the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe's gambling
joint, Foxwoods, at Ledyard, Connecticut. And even though the tribe had
to cut a multi-million dollar deal with the state to allow slot machines
in exchange for slot revenue, it is the most profitable casino in the country,
if not the world.
Before I Shuffle: The predominate oddsmaker in the country, Roxy
Roxborough, once said; "Oddsmaking is an interesting profession. But
like most jobs, at the end of the day I can't say I've made the world a
better place." But Roxy, you have made the world a tougher place for
all us Joe Blow handicappers.
So what do I recommend to combat those Packers minus 11? Free, or nearly
free, handicapping software that you can find on the internet. Whether you
use a Macintosh or a Windows based computer, two separate companies have
a product called Pro Predictor. I've used the Macintosh version for the
past three years and have had great success picking a five-star game each
week or when entering the many football handicapping contests that we have
here in Nevada. You will find a link to both companies at my web site; (http://winner.com/sports.html).
Another alternative is the free picks of the handicapping experts. My favorite
guru is Roger Right (http://winner.com/roger.html), who specializes in both
college football and basketball games. Besides averaging well above 60%
over the past three years, in last year's college bowl games he was 13-4.
Either way, whether it's Roger Right or Pro Predictor software, it sure
beats a dart board.
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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