How gambling and Arby's are historically related
Dear Mark,
My friend and I are long-time day trippers to Atlantic City. We
have a couple of sandwiches riding on the outcome of this wager.
As you can tell we're not big bettors. Our question is; who was
the first player to make a wager in Atlantic City? I believe it
was Frank Sinatra, whereas my friend thinks it was another member
of the Rat Pack, Dean Martin. Who's right? Marvin K.
Neither of you wins the light repast. It was a $10 pass line
bet by Steve Lawrence that made Atlantic City gambling history
on Memorial Day, 1978.
Incidentally, did you know that the invention of sandwich is directly
related to gambling? No kidding! The next time you're enjoying
a double cheddar, large fry and an Oreo cookie shake, thank the
Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792). He loved to gamble so much he had
his cortege bring him meats, bread and cheese so he wouldn't have
to abandon the gambling parlors. Hence, the sandwich.
Dear Mark,
Is blackjack still the number one game in Las Vegas? It seems
I'm seeing fewer and fewer 21 tables and more and more slots.
Grant G.
If I could be "Gambling Czar" for just one day, collecting
casino profits on just one game, it would not be the casino win
at blackjack but of the 25¢ slot machine. Yes, the quarter
machine takes in more in net profit for the casino ($2.6 billion
in Nevada) than blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, keno and
the sports books combined.
Yes, Grant, you are astute in you observations. Vegas is becoming
an adult pinball palace.
Dear Mark,
When you have a 16 in blackjack, would you advise surrendering
against a face card? Also could you please explain the difference
between early and late surrender? Sara G.
Surrender is an option in which the casinos allow players to
"surrender" half their original bet total after they
have examined their first two cards and have viewed the dealer
up card.
If the casino's blackjack rules permit surrender, jump on their
offer. Let's face it, Sara, a 16 is a garbage hand faced off against
a 10. The best move when dealt dealer debris is to relinquish
half your bet. Never, Sara, think of surrender as giving up half
your wager, just getting back half your probable loss.
Early surrender permits a player to relinquish half her wager
even if the dealer has a blackjack. With late surrender, if the
dealer possesses a blackjack, the player loses her complete bet.
Dear Mark,
With all the different types of video poker machines to
select from, how's a customer to choose which machine to play?
Gerry B.
There are more than a hundred different video poker machines
to choose from. Games like Joker Poker, Louisiana Jacks, Gator
Poker, etc., offer you a supermarket selection, but all have different
paytables needing distinct playing strategies.
I recommend learning and limiting your play to two, like my favorites,
Deuces Wild and Jacks-or-Better.
Dear Mark,
What are your thoughts regarding those shuffling machines found
on blackjack games? Carrie C.
No aficionado of shuffling machines here, in spite of these
shuffle mechanisms finding wide acceptance by casino operators
and players alike. With a Shufflemaster, a leading industry shuffle
machine, dealers do not have to waste time manually shuffling
cards. From the casino perspective, time is money. The more hands
per hour the better. From a player's perspective speed kills in
a casino environment. The more time you are exposed to the house
advantage, the more it will wreak havoc on your bankroll.
I recommend finding a table with the fewest decks possible. This
forces the dealer to
constantly shuffle and not expose you to any casino edge while
shuffling.