So Many Games, So Little Time

6 March 2021

By John Marchel

There are at least 18 gambling games available in most large Las Vegas type casinos. Many of them are simple to play like slots, and wheel of fortune, some are harder like craps and Par-Gow Poker. Here is a list of some of them:

Slot machines, big-six-wheel, blackjack, craps, 3-card poker, 4-card poker, roulette, Let-it-ride, California stud, Spanish 21, keno, bingo, poker, video poker, Pai-Gow poker, baccarat, sports betting, horse racing. Overseas, you also find additional games that are not played in the USA. Most games in casinos are classified as “games of chance.” However, only five of them are “games of skill” such as blackjack, poker, video poker, sports betting and horse racing.

As part of your education, take the free lessons the casinos provide during the day. Go to your local library or bookstore and get some books on your favorite game. Look on the Internet for experts and good information. Each one will help improve your skill at the casino.

Roulette and craps are fun games for the short run, but in the long run, the house always has the advantage. When playing these games, play the simple bets; at roulette bet the outside spaces, columns, and colors or the high – low numbers, you will have a better chance than betting straight numbers. At craps, stick to the pass line with odds. The 4 and 10 and 5 and 9 have too high a house edge against you, and be sure to stay away from the wheel of fortune. The house edge starts at 11 percent and goes as high at 24 percent against you.

There are a lot of games available in the casino. Take your time, look at some of them, but don’t play them until you are a little knowledgeable about them. Start with small wagers and gain some experience. Continue to read the daily expert articles on the Casino City Times Gurus section. Knowledge will make you a winner.

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW

• According to a Simmons Research study on gambling in Las Vegas and Atlantic City: People with an average household income of $100,000 to $149,999 are the most likely to visit a casino in Atlantic City or Las Vegas at least three times a year.

• When Resorts casino opened in Atlantic city in 1978 the most expensive item in the hotel gift shop was a toy slot machine, retailing for $49.95. And it’s still the most expensive item, though now the price is $74.

• When Benny Binion opened the Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas he set the craps limit at $500 which was 10 times the maximum of any other casino in town.

• Gamblers have wagered more than $1 billion at Pennsylvania casinos in the 90 days since they started opening in November 2006, state officials announced.

• Once when playing poker in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, Bat Masterson won a gold mine. However, he lost it the next day in another poker game.

• The stick used by the dealer to move the dice around the craps table is also known as a “whip.”

• It’s known that Julius Caesar, Claudius, Caligula and Nero all sold women slaves to pay off their gambling debts.

• It can be tough sometimes when you gamble and not have the funds to pay your debts. There are reports that gamblers in ancient Egypt were sent to quarries to work off their debts.

• “Racinos” are horse or greyhound race tracks which have casinos. In 1990, West Virginia pioneered the racing concept when MTR Gaming Group was allowed to introduce video lottery terminals (VLTs) to Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in Chester.

• In 2017, for the first time, tribal casinos (508) in the US, outnumbered commercial casinos (460).