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Gaming Guru
Play where there's competition21 April 2000
Dear Mark, First, Sharon, let's get the easy stuff out of the way. Five-cent slots return less than 25¢ slots, which return less than $1 slots, and of course, less than the $5 machines. The reason those 5¢ slots pay you ________ (you fill in the space) is because they take the same amount of real estate in a casino as the other machines, plus cost as much, if not more (picture losers beating on them) to maintain. Oh, yes, a brief explanation of what I mean by "return." For every dollar inserted, the slot's computer is preprogrammed to give back a certain percentage to you, the player. It's that simple. As for where to play, Nevada slots in general give you more cluck-for-the-buck, but you'll find more coins dropping in your tray anywhere casinos slug it out for customers. Like anything else, you'll benefit most where there's competition. While we're at it, Sharon, let's examine the differences between the boats where you live, Illinois, and the gambling vessels in Iowa. Starting with the 5¢ slots, there is no competition. Illinois has only 40 nickel machines in the entire state compared to 642 in Iowa. Look for an average return of 87% on Iowa's 5¢ machines. As for the quarter circuit, in Illinois, expect an average payback of 91.6% compared to 91.8% across the river. And in Nevada, if you decide to make a gaming pilgrimage out west, your best play is the 92.2% payback on the 5¢ machines in Reno and the 95.7% average return on the 25¢ slots in downtown Las Vegas.
Dear Mark,
Feel safe, Morgan, that in your state,
Missouri, gaming operates under the strict Gaming Commission guidelines,
insuring that every chip will deliver random action each and every time
you insert a coin.
Dear Mark, Too easy, Bo. Since one of my greatest passions is open wheel racing (CART), my one wager would be on the Indianapolis 500, sitting in a sportsbook for three hours sipping free cocktails and watching grown men (and woman, Lynn St. James) making left-hand turns wasting methanol. The general public may not share the same fixation for boredom, so I would recommend plan B, a pass line wager on a craps game. Three specific reasons come to mind. First, it's a wager with a small house advantage (1.4%). Second, though playing perfect basic strategy at blackjack or video poker drops that casino edge even lower, a pass line bet requires limited (actually zero) knowledge. And finally, if you ask any craps player, Bo, they'll tell you craps is truly the fastest, most exhilarating game in the casino. With low table minimums and a modest pass line bet on the layout, I would agree. Recent Articles
Mark Pilarski |
Mark Pilarski |