Dear Mark,
My friend believes that
many of the Vegas casinos pump oxygen through the air conditioning
system to enrich the air. The purpose is to keep you from sleeping as
long and therefore gambling more. I didn't notice any difference in my
sleeping habits, but still, my friend insists he's right. Is he? Colin I.
Colin, your friend is full of, of, of,
OK, I'll be nice, baloney. What comes to mind every time I hear this
rumor are the three Apollo astronauts who died when a small spark
combined with oxygen ignited their space capsule creating one of NASA's
worst disasters.
According to my neighbor Dick (Captain,
South San Francisco Fire Department), "pumping oxygen into a casino
would be a tremendous fire hazard that would greatly increase the
flammability of all other objects. Any small fire, anywhere in the
hotel, would be fanned and magnify itself by pumped oxygen." As for the
risk/reward opportunity, no casino would ever entertain the thought.
Of course that doesn't mean the casino
doesn't have its share of tricks to part bettors from their cash.
Casinos spend tens of thousands of dollars each year studying whether
scents, interior design (yes, even that gaudy carpeting) or trying to
keep light off the foreheads of customers-which is draining on them from
an energy standpoint-will make players stay and play more. If somehow a
casino could figure out how to keep each and every patron playing just
five more minutes a night, it would add millions to a casino's gross
each year.
Now back to this ridiculous rumor of
pumping oxygen, Colin. It does have a starting point. I believe ground
zero comes from Mario Puzo's book, Fools Die, where the practice
of pumping oxygen was written by Puzo regarding the mythical Las Vegas
casino Xanadu. I guess your friend translated this fictional work into
reality, but hey, Colin, maybe casinos one day will try decreasing the
oxygen to disorient the players even more than they already are.
Dear Mark,
What is the most popular
slot machine in the casino? Tara C.
The bulk of the lucrative slot business
has been the exclusive territory of one manufacturer, International Game
Technology (IGT). Their bread-and-butter comes from the most popular
machine in America: the Red, White and Blue reel slot. And what makes
the Red, White and Blue so popular? Player appeal.
People flock to the colors that represent
America. Players also love the paytable that offers plenty of low and
midrange hits with enough high-end hits to keep them coming back for
more.
Note here, Tara, that the above
description of "hit rewards" comes from IGT company literature, not me.
Because most slots typically have a casino advantage well above my
recommended two percent, avoid putting those Red, White and Blue
machines in your playing arsenal.
Dear Mark,
In my favorite casino,
the Caribbean Stud progressive tote is at $55,200 for a royal flush. How
good a wager, and when is it mathematically in my favor? Jimbo M.
Sorry, Jimbo, I can't recommend this
wager to anyone. First, note there are 2,598,960 possible poker hands
using a standard 52-card deck. Now divide that figure by four (the
different suits) and you'll come up with 649,740. Because you don't get
to draw any cards in Caribbean Stud, this mathematically is the odds of
hitting a royal. Jimbo, one in 649,740 is too big a differential from
the $55,200 they plan on paying you for me to endorse this play.
