Playing it your way

26 November 2017

By John Grochowski

Some players know exactly what they want to play before their first casino visit. I know people who have practiced blackjack at home and wouldn't think of playing anything else.

For others, favorite games are an evolving thing. I asked a few readers who have written to me in the past about their favorites and how they chose them.

Jodie: I play a mix, but the game I usually go to first is Three Card Poker.

I started on slots. Most people do, don't they? After a while, I wanted to try new things.

Friends kept telling me the odds were better on the tables, so I tried to play blackjack. I HATED it! I was trying to learn, and every time I made a mistake, people got mad at me.

Three Card Poker was another matter. It was FRIENDLY. The game was easy, and if I made a mistake of when to play and when to fold, people tried to help me but they didn't get mad. Nobody told me I was costing them money.

Now I start at Three Card Poker, then mix in a little slots and video poker, and maybe try a little roulette. It's fun and low-stress, which blackjack WASN'T.

Bob: You've called me "Blackjack Bob," and blackjack is what I've played for 20 years or more. But before that, I was a craps player.

I was never in the service, but some of my best friends are ex-Army and Marines. They played craps and taught me how to play.

The first time I went to a casino, that was the game I knew and was comfortable with, so that's what I played. In fact, that was my game for four or five years.

But really, blackjack more suits my personality. I'm sociable enough, but it's more of a laid-back sociable. I like to think about what I'm doing. Craps is more high-energy than I am. Heck, as I get older, craps is A LOT more high-energy than I am. Let me sit back over a drink while I decide what to do with my cards.

Katy: I'm one of those who made the slots-to-video poker transition. Slots are fun, and I've had some nice jackpots, but let's face it, they do drain your money a little at a time.

One of the other women in my little breakfast group told me you win more often at video poker, so I decided to try it. She was right. You still lose more often than you win, but I feel a lot more like I have a chance every time I play.

I also found I like making the decisions and playing the cards. So now it's video poker for me.

Sig: My first time in a casino was with my wife, and we were just going to ease into things together.

We played slots. We played video poker. We gave roulette a try.

All the while, the big cheers were coming from the craps table. I had to see what that was all about. I watched for about five minutes, then took the plunge.

I didn't know what I was doing. I had no idea how pass worked. But I kept hearing this one guy put down money and say "six and eight," so I put down money and said "six and eight."

That's all I did for the next half hour or so, and it worked pretty well. So I'm a craps player. I know more about it now, but I don't play anything else.



Look for John Grochowski on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/7lzdt44) and Twitter (@GrochowskiJ).