Where to practice

11 May 2019

By John Marchel

When it comes to learning and practicing your game, the ideal place to do it is at home. It is a lot cheaper to learn about your game — or even a new one, whichever one it is — in the comfort of your own home then it is in the casino.

When first learning a new game, you are bound to make some mistakes and be slow in learning all the ins and outs. That is common when learning a new skill. I do recommend you take the short classes the casinos will sometimes offer during the day. They normally will have classes on craps, blackjack and poker. They will sometimes offer Three Card Poker, Pai Gow and Let it Ride.

During those classes, it’s a great time and place to ask all kinds of questions of the instructor/dealer. Those short classes will help you learn the rules and the players' options, but they should be considered a small part of your learning experience.

In real estate, the three key words are location, location, location. When it comes to playing casino games, they're practice, practice, practice.

Now knowing what game you want to learn, get yourself a deck of cards, a set of dice or even one of those small plastic roulette wheels you find in game stores. You need to practice your game so you know what your next action will be or how much your next bet will be without even thinking about it.

You need to practice enough that your actions become good habits. In addition, today you can find lots of inexpensive and very good computer games on the market or on the web that provide excellent programs, many of them free, to play and practice on.

Use all the tools available to you, such as the internet, magazines, newsletters and books about your favorite game or new ones you want to learn about. Remember, we know that the “school of hard knocks” is the best school, but when it comes to gambling, it is also the most expensive one. Therefore, you should do most of your reading, studying and practicing at home, not at the casino.

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW

• It’s been documented that solitaire is the most widely played game around the world.

• A Pueblo Colorado man won the state jackpot just three years after he won $1.3 million in the same lottery. The $3.4 million latest prize was for the 20 December 2006 drawing.

• Monaco, the home of the famous Monte Carlo casino, has what may be considered a “small” army. It consists of only 109 men.

• There is a sales tax on most things in Nevada; however, there is no personal income, estate, franchise, utility, gift, inventory, inheritance or corporate tax on residents.

• Las Vegas is the only place in the world where Elvis (impersonator) can marry you at a drive-up window in a pink Cadillac and be available 24-hours a day.

• The name Pai Gow is Chinese for “makes nine” which represents the lowest hand that one can make in that game.

• The marquees of the 50 largest casinos and hotels in Las Vegas use enough electricity to run more than a thousand average U.S. homes.

• Do you like buffets? Las Vegas has over 50 to choose from.

• There are dozens of games to play in a casino in Las Vegas. However, the number one game played by more players every year is the 25-cent slot machine.

• In many Western World casinos, the number 13 position at baccarat will not be listed. It is considered unlucky; therefore, it will skip from No. 12 directly to No. 14.

• In 1909, the territories of New Mexico and Arizona were forced by the federal government to outlaw gambling if they wanted to become states.

• Cockfighting, which dates back to ancient Greece and Roman times, was banned in England in 1834. The last state in the U.S. to ban it was Louisiana in June 2007.