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Gaming Guru  Deal Me In: Where she drops, nobody should know13 November 2009
Dear Mark: Do casinos have policies regarding the minimum number of revolutions a roulette ball should make before dropping off the track? What would be considered too few? If the roulette wheel stops moving before the ball lands in the pocket or stops in less than a quarter of a revolution after the ball lands in the pocket would that be cause for concern?
Consider the following scenario. A player comes to an empty table in the morning and bets ten dollars straight up on a single number. After that spin, a new dealer is brought in who turns his head to the side and yells out "What number do I have to hit?" The player bets another ten dollars on the same number. The new dealer says, "You can't bet on that number, you have to bet on the numbers that I pick." What are your comments on that? Daniel D. Casino operators, Daniel, have plenty of security procedures in place to preserve the integrity of their games, out of self-interest, as well as to protect the general public. You know the deal: Casino managers watch the shift manager, who watches the pit bosses, who watch the floorman, who watches the dealers, while the "eye in the sky" surveillance cameras, watch everything. Believe me, Daniel, the last thing a casino wants is a rogue dealer who thinks he can sector-shoot, or a player exploiting a biased wheel or dealer by clocking the wheel. Is the wheel coming to a dead stop while the ball is circling above on the track permissible behavior? Not in any joint that I ever dealt in, or probably any casino for that matter. "Round and round and round she goes, where she drops, nobody knows" is the tune all dealers should be adhering to. When I dealt roulette, I was trained to either speed up or slow down both the wheel and ball delivery before each spin to avoid wheel clocking, but I've got to tell you, Daniel, to consciously sector-shoot or pocket a particular number with the wheel going one way, the ball the other, with frets impeding a descending ball and between the pockets, make it frankly impossible to anticipate where the ball is going to land. A slowing or stopped wheel surely helps, but casino operators, for obvious reasons, just aren't hip to that happening. As for the dealer yelling out "What number do I have to hit?" or not allowing you to play certain numbers, well, more than likely it was just a flippant remark and/or a rude dealer. Some dealers do believe they run the asylum. The long and short of it, Daniel, is that every casino has its own set of guidelines for its dealers to follow, as well as a few procedures I'm sure of that keep the wheel speed within a certain range, and of course, players being allowed to bet the numbers of their choosing. Calling over a pit boss and explaining your situation should correct both problems. Dear Mark: If a casino advertises video poker machines that can return up to100%, wouldn't they be losing money? Glen D. Yes, but only if every player had access to "selected machines," and understood and used perfect basic strategy. But since "selected machines" can be fewer than a half dozen on the casino floor, and probably less than one percent of players effectively play perfect basic strategy, the casino won't lose money by making su ch an offer. Oh, and Glen, one of the tricks of the trade is for the casino to surround those "selected machines" with others that have pay tables offering significantly lower payoffs, guaranteeing even more winnings from the uneducated – and therefore preferred – patrons. Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "The stock market is a huge casino, larger by factors of magnitude than all the casinos of the world combined." --Ion Saliu Deal Me In: Michigan gamblers out of luck on info6 November 2009
Dear Mark: Is it my imagination, or have the casinos in Detroit tightened up the percentages won by them? Before building the new casinos, my husband and I seemed to have more luck than we do in their newer ones. Not only that, but they didn't bring over some of our favorite quarter machines. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Toke tapping tenets for tipsters30 October 2009
Dear Mark: I read an article by Henry Tamburin in which he states that the best way to tip a blackjack dealer is to place the "tip chip" on top of one's bet in the layout circle and if you lose the hand the dealer gets nothing, but if you win, you reward him the tip chip amount. The article states that most dealers prefer this method of tipping rather than just being given a tip. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Some dealers have strategy know-how, others don't23 October 2009
Dear Mark: I wanted to comment last week about dealer's giving blackjack advice. My experience is that all they have ever given is bad advice. The soft 18 you mention this week is the prime example. Not only do I have everyone at the table angry at me for hitting an 18, the dealer usually chimes ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Feed the right machine the right strategyDear Mark: When playing video poker would you suggest staying with Jacks or Better or are there better machines to play? Tim F. There are more than a hundred different video poker variations to choose from, Tim, games like Jacks, Joker Poker, Deuces Wild, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, ... (read more)Deal Me In: Slots just don't work like thatDear Mark: My stepmother likes to play the slots, and she does quite well at times. She believes starting off the day by putting in a $100 bill in her favorite slot machine--rather than several $20s--produces more, larger payouts. Any truth to this? Jeff J. In the book, The Gambler, Fyodor ... (read more)Deal Me In: The quicksand known as Gambler's FallacyDear Mark: I know you don't believe in the doubling up theory after a loss in blackjack, but after I have seven or eight losses in a row, wouldn't betting more be warranted, if not just for the due factor? Jim K. Your compass is off, Jim, if it reliably shows your viewpoint regarding sequences in gambling. ... (read more)Deal Me In: Multi-line/multi-coin slots welcome all walletsDear Mark: I like to play multiple line slot machines in AC, but it seems the amount I bring to the casino does not lend itself to these type machines. I am a 25-cent machine player with usually $200 to play with for four hours. I seem to run out of money before the four hours elapse, so my question is, ... (read more)Deal Me In: The Good SamaritanDear Mark: About a month ago, I was playing the 5¢ slots and lost about $20. When I took my player's card out, I noticed the machine next to me (no one was playing while I was there) had a ticket sticking out. I took the ticket, without looking at the amount, and asked a man and women standing in line at the cashier's cage if they were on that machine. ... (read more) |
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