Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 721

Robert Geake Ends Term as Racing Commissioner

Duty, honor, wisdom, calmness under fire, steady, smart and committed to service. This is what comes to mind when I think about Robert Geake, Michigan's Racing Commissioner. On Monday of this week, the Office of the Racing Commissioner held a reception honoring him for the job he has done for the past two years...read more

Grand Victoria Receives High Industry Honor

The Grand Victoria Casino deserves a tip o' the hat for being recognized for sponsoring one of the "Ten Best Casino Promotions of 2004". It was honored for the imaginative and highly successful "We'll Pay Your Bills" giveaway, which was held earlier this year. The award ceremony took place at this year's Global Gaming Exhibition, which was held in Las Vegas...read more

Max Rubin Invites Card Counters to Play

Some would say that Max Rubin was the maverick, even the radical in the panel discussion "Game Protection: Advantage Players" at the recent Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. I'd call him a voice of reason. How does Rubin deal with blackjack card counters in his role of training pit personnel at the Barona Valley Ranch Casino in Lakeside, Calif., near San Diego? "We don't just let them play," Rubin told the standing-room-only conference. "We invite them in." Some of you will know Rubin through is book, Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations ($17.95, Huntington Press), a favorite of mine in which he guides the smart player through ways to maximize casino comps...read more

Fun and (Table) Games: Try Blackjack

Anyone who's played kitchen table blackjack can sit down to the casino version of the game. Anyone can get lucky, too. But most novices would fare better by knowing four little facts. First, the goal isn't to get closer to 21 than the dealer...read more

The Outrigger

Here I was in Vegas, dealing at the Mint Hotel, doing a disc jockey show on weekends, and having the time of my life. I was living good, eating good, making friends, making money, walking around the casino like I owned the place. "There he is," I'd hear a change girl say to one of her friends...read more

Dice and the devil

Dear Mark, You might find this a bit weird, but my brother is obsessed with the number six and its religious implications. He never plays the six in roulette, the lottery, six or 66 in keno, nor will he play place the six in craps (as you often recommend) because of its association with the devil...read more

In California, The Fight Will Continue

Although California voters rejected two gaming initiatives on November 2, 2004, the political battles are far from over. Prop. 68 would have required tribes to agree to share their gaming revenue to keep their monopoly on casinos. Under compacts signed by former Gov...read more

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

'Tis the season to wander through the stores and malls and casinos to view the season's decorations... and Reno has its "cheer" on...the Reno Hilton is lit up red and green with a Happy Holiday message...the Reno skyline is equally red and green and it is an inviting sight. I received an e-mail survey form from the Reno Hilton the other day...read more

Last-Minute Gift Ideas--A Book For Gamblers

Sometimes a simple item geared to a person with specific interests or needs can be the perfect gift during the holidays or as a birthday gift. When it comes to the last-minute shopper, the perfect solution to the lack of time and the need to find that special gift, here are some suggestions that can save the day: The Last Honest Place in America by Marc Cooper (Paradise and Perdition in the New Las Vegas) (248 pages, hardbound, $24.95)...read more

Create a Game Plan

Going to the casino is not a "new age," "we are the world" kind of activity where the casino personnel and the players are singing from the same hymnbooks or chanting the same mantras. Far from it, casino gambling is far more primal than that, far more elemental, far more competitive...read more