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Mark Pilarski Gaming Guru - Page 8  Deal Me In: The machine is random; it's the payout that's fixed8 May 2015
Dear Mark: I believe in the theory that slot machines do not act in a random manner, but are fixed to pay out at the leisure of casino management. I just can’t believe it can be any other way. Fred C. Total agreement here, Fred. Slot machines are fixed, but not for the reason you suspect. That said, with any luck, my parallel analogy should dispel your theory that slot machines are rigged. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Think of keno as a spectator sport4 May 2015
Dear Mark: My wife has an upcoming convention in Las Vegas, and I have decided to tag along. As I am from Vermont, where at least for now there are no casinos, my experience in gambling is very limited: none! Considering this, and with me needing to kill time, along with an unwillingness to spend a lot of ... (read more)
Deal Me In: A courtesy, or something more ominous?24 April 2015
Dear Mark: In a recent column you addressed a reader named Danny, who only likes to play on hand-shuffled games. Include me on that list. Where you find hand-shuffled games, I have noticed signage posted along these lines: “As a courtesy to the other players, no mid-deck entry." Interestingly, you never see this same sign at machine-shuffled games. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Appearances can be deceiving17 April 2015
Dear Mark: I have been a longtime, 20-year reader of your column. Your weekly column offers terrific material for us aspiring gamblers. I do strictly abide by your “make only bets that have less than a 2 percent house rule” with one exception. As you advise, I am always on the lookout for a single-zero roulette table where the house edge is cut in half. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Using this lotto write-off ruse is ill advised10 April 2015
Dear Mark: I have a tax liability from a slot jackpot win from this past November of $20,000. Because I have never won any sizable amount in the past, I didn’t do what you have suggested multiple times, that is, keep accurate records of my play. All I have is the tax form from the casino and no documented losses to offset that win. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: I'll be back3 April 2015
Dear Mark: Recently, someone who wrote you was frustrated with never winning at slots. Your answer was excellent but you left something out that is probably also adding to his frustration: gamblers, especially slot players in my opinion, are notorious liars about their gambling outcomes. Although the ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Only Nostradamus can predict when a machine is due to hit27 March 2015
Dear Mark: I always look forward to reading your answers and thoughts on the casino world. I do have one question that I have always wanted to ask and your recent answer to the fellow complaining that he always loses at the slots has stimulated me to ask. You mentioned that a slot machine might be programmed to return 88 percent of the wagered money back in wins. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Your chances of busting are not as great as you think20 March 2015
Dear Mark: Your reference to splitting 10s in the last round of a tournament reminds me of my favorite casino story: Dice isn’t my game (I have only one game — 21) but once I stopped by a dice table to witness the last roll in a tournament. One player, who was in the middle of the pack and not likely to win anything, put all his money on the boxcars prop bet. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: Gimmick bets are part of the game13 March 2015
Dear Mark: With “Fortune” Pai Gow Poker, how bad are the odds on the bonus fortune bet? Ray C. Pai Gow Poker is a hybrid of Chinese dominos, “Pai Gow” and American seven-card poker. Played with a standard 52-card deck plus a joker, it differs from the typical seven-card game in that you play against a banker, not against other players at the table. ... (read more)
Deal Me In: It's possible, but improbable, to hit the big kahuna6 March 2015
Dear Mark: I just returned from Las Vegas and noticed every casino offers banks of slot machines that offer those huge progressive jackpots. Do those machines ever pay the progressive jackpot or is that the casino's way of getting people to pump in more of their money? Gary C. The allure of progressive ... (read more)
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