Dear Mark,
I work as a dealer on an
Indian reservation in northern Michigan. One of the most common mistakes
I see is players getting ahead, then giving all their winnings back to
the casino. Why do you think so many players are boneheads? Anonymous
for job protection.
One word, GREED. Too many players, when
greed sets in, keep upping the ante on what they want to win. "Enough"
is just over the horizon, and like the horizon, it recedes when they
approach it.
This column always recommends having a predetermined win
plan. All players should set loss limits and win goals. Without this
money management strategy, your typical player generally becomes a
casino statistic called the "hold," a percentage of chips purchased by
the customer and then won back by the casino. All too often, when the
rapacity of a player goes unchecked, the player's entire bankroll slowly
but surely reverts to the casino.
Dear Mark,
If a slot machine pays
back with hot coins, does that mean it's a hot machine? Sly G.
No, Sly, the temperature of the coins has
nothing to do with the machine's payback percentage.
I remember years
ago seeing a gentleman heating up his coins with a hair dryer in the
men's bathroom. In questioning his gaming prowess he replied with
unwavering conviction that inserting hot coins produced more winners
because the coins coming out of his favorite machine were hot. My
explanation that coins falling out hot is due to the close proximity of
lights and other electrical components to the hopper fell on deaf ears.
Dear Mark,
Is there any difference
between the crap tables of Nevada and those in Atlantic City? William B.
Excluding the ability in Nevada to take higher odds on your line bets, the
biggest difference on the craps table layout in Atlantic City is there
is no big 6 or 8. When the player bets on the big 6 or 8,
the payoff is even money, whereas it is 7-to-6 bet when either the 6 or
8 is wagered as a "place bet" in either state. The latter is a much
smarter wager.
Dear Mark,
I always feel awkward
when I see a player playing alone at blackjack and I want to play on the
same game. What do you suggest? Robin W.
When I see a player playing solo,
especially when his bet exceeds what I plan on wagering, I ask him
politely if he prefers to play head-to-head with the dealer or would he
mind some company. This always seems to work.
Dear Mark,
I buy $50 worth of
lottery tickets per week. How long will it take for me mathematically to
finally hit the jackpot? Jenny S.
If, just if, Jenny, your genetic
structure is predisposed to longevity, you can plan on winning the
jackpot once every 7,000 years. Then again, given enough opportunity
($50 per week), any supernatural occurrence due to chance can happen.
This is what makes the lottery/gambling so attractive.
Dear Mark,
I recently found your
column on an internet site in Stockholm, Sweden. I enjoy your historic
questions the most. I am doing a research paper at the University about
the introduction of casino gambling in the state where you live, Nevada.
Can you tell me when it became a legal enterprise? Stefan E.
A buckaroo politician for Humboldt County
named Phil Tobin presented the assembly bill in 1931 making gambling
both legal and taxable. Governor Fred Balzar, also known as "Friendly
Fred," signed the open gambling law on March 19, 1931. Coincidentally,
on that same day Balzar signed into law a bill that would drive tourism,
he thought, far more than gambling ever would: the six weeks divorce
statute.