Dear Mark,
My friend and I are
long-time day trippers to Atlantic City. We have a couple of sandwiches
riding on the outcome of this wager. As you can tell we're not big
bettors. Our question is; who was the first player to make a wager in
Atlantic City? I believe it was Frank Sinatra, whereas my friend thinks
it was another member of the Rat Pack, Dean Martin. Who's right? Marvin
K.
Neither of you wins the light repast. It
was a $10 pass line bet by Steve Lawrence that made Atlantic City
gambling history on Memorial Day, 1978.
Incidentally, did you know that the
invention of sandwich is directly related to gambling? No kidding! The
next time you're enjoying a double cheddar, large fry and an Oreo cookie
shake, thank the Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792). He loved to gamble so
much he had his cortege bring him meats, bread and cheese so he wouldn't
have to abandon the gambling parlors. Hence, the sandwich.
Dear Mark,
Is blackjack still the
number one game in Las Vegas? It seems I'm seeing fewer and fewer 21
tables and more and more slots. Grant G.
If I could be "Gambling Czar" for just
one day, collecting casino profits on just one game, it would not be the
casino win at blackjack but of the 25¢ slot machine. Yes, the quarter
machine takes in more in net profit for the casino ($2.6 billion in
Nevada) than blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, keno and the sports
books combined.
Yes, Grant, you are astute in you
observations. Vegas is becoming an adult pinball palace.
Dear Mark,
When you have a 16 in
blackjack, would you advise surrendering against a face card? Also could
you please explain the difference between early and late surrender? Sara
G.
Surrender is an option in which the
casinos allow players to "surrender" half their original bet total after
they have examined their first two cards and have viewed the dealer up
card.
If the casino's blackjack rules permit
surrender, jump on their offer. Let's face it, Sara, a 16 is a garbage
hand faced off against a 10. The best move when dealt dealer debris is
to relinquish half your bet. Never, Sara, think of surrender as giving
up half your wager, just getting back half your probable loss.
Early surrender permits a player to
relinquish half her wager even if the dealer has a blackjack. With late
surrender, if the dealer possesses a blackjack, the player loses her
complete bet.
Dear Mark,
With all the different
types of video poker machines to select from, how's a customer to choose
which machine to play? Gerry B.
There are more than a hundred different
video poker machines to choose from. Games like Joker Poker, Louisiana
Jacks, Gator Poker, etc., offer you a supermarket selection, but all
have different paytables needing distinct playing strategies.
I recommend learning and limiting your
play to two, like my favorites, Deuces Wild and Jacks-or-Better.
Dear Mark,
What are your thoughts
regarding those shuffling machines found on blackjack games? Carrie C.
No aficionado of shuffling machines here,
in spite of these shuffle mechanisms finding wide acceptance by casino
operators and players alike. With a Shufflemaster, a leading industry
shuffle machine, dealers do not have to waste time manually shuffling
cards. From the casino perspective, time is money. The more hands per
hour the better. From a player's perspective speed kills in a casino
environment. The more time you are exposed to the house advantage, the
more it will wreak havoc on your bankroll.
I recommend finding a
table with the fewest decks possible. This forces the dealer to
constantly shuffle and not expose you to any casino edge while shuffling.
