Dear Mark,
I have always enjoyed
reading the history of the West and the free-spirited nature of its
participants. Is there any one quote that best describes a Nevadan's
attitude toward life? Gary H.
Former Nevada governor Grant Sawyer
perhaps explained it best while stretched poolside in a lounge chair at
the Flamingo. He said, "Our attitude toward life, save under the most
urgent provocation, is relaxed, tolerant and mindful that if others are
allowed to go on their way unmolested, a man stands a chance of getting
through by himself with a minimum of irritation."
Dear Mark,
Realizing that keno is a
sucker bet, I avoid donating money to the casino. Because the game is
relatively new here in New Jersey, few players know how bad the odds
are. I'm curious, how long has keno been played in Nevada? Carl H.
You're right, Carl. June 15, 1994, was
the date the New Jersey Casino Control Commission gave legal permission
to Atlantic City casino operators to pillage and loot their patrons
wallets via keno.
Out here in Nevada, keno appeared in 1936 when
Francis Lyden introduced the game at the Palace Club in Reno. With an
initial limit of $4,000, it was called "Race Horse Keno" with names of
horses assigned to each of the 80 numbers. As each game was called the
numbers were announced as "jockey number 55 on the Polish Prince."
In 1951, the "Race Horse" version was
dropped and the game became known simply as keno.
Dear Mark,
Taking your advice, I
now exclusively play mini-baccarat because of its low house edge. Per
your past column, I do avoid the tie wager and strictly bet back and
forth between the bank and player hand. I'm about to make a trip to Las
Vegas and was told that somewhere downtown one casino offers better odds
if you bet the bank hand. Where is it? Maggie C.
Betting the bank hand at Binion's
Horseshoe is where you get your decisive break. By lowering the
commission to four percent on winning bank hands (compared to the
standard five percent), the house edge drops to .6%, making it one of
the better bets in Nevada.
Dear Mark,
What are the odds of
hitting 15 straight football bets found on most parlay cards? Peter C.
Plan on playing about 33,000 parlay
cards, Peter. That is the odds of hitting 15 successive winning football
wagers.
Dear Mark,
I am making my first
trip to Las Vegas the early part of next year, not to gamble, but for a
convention. Where do you recommend I book reservations? Robin T.
I'm asked all the time where I like to
stay when visiting Las Vegas. Tough call, but if forced to pick one
place, it would be the Rio Suite Hotel. And I'm not the only one who
feels this way. Zagat Hotel and Restaurant Survey has given the Rio
numerous awards like best rooms, best dining, best service and best
overall in Las Vegas. The Rio has also earned the ranking of "the best"
in 10 categories in the Las Vegas Review-Journal most recent "Best of
Las Vegas Survey."
Dear Mark,
On the weekends when the
table limits get prohibitively high for my bankroll, I retreat to video
blackjack. There used to be a few video blackjack machines on the
riverboats but now they're all gone. What's the low limit player to do?
Jason M.
Even though live blackjack is the most
popular table game in the casino, video blackjack slots were some of the
worst performing machines on the riverboats.
Most have been replaced by other machines
that feed the casino coffers more. They still exist if you find a
Bally's Game Maker multi-game machine. On the Game Maker, of all the
assorted video games, blackjack tends to get the most play. Go figure.
