Good advice can come from anywhere
Dear Mark,
I very much enjoy your helpful hints on casino gambling in your
columns, but I'm curious, what's the best advice you've ever heard
preached? Ned C.
In the casino business, the best admonition to get ahead is
"Never make suggestions." As for a gambling nugget,
the following voice of reason caught my attention while I was
walking down the Strip in Las Vegas.
A panhandler approached and asked if I had any loose change so
he could buy a hot dog. Unfortunately, spare change doesn't exist
in Las Vegas. Strategically positioned slot machines allow you
to travel light. But I guess I'm an easy mark for a hot dog story
so I gave him a nickel chip-casino talk for $5-that I had in my
coat pocket.
After his gratitude for my allowing him to bump up into buffet
dining, or whatever, he shared some of his best gaming wisdom.
"Go downtown to Binion's and make a pass line bet and take
those 10 times odds. It's one of the best bets in the house,"
he said.
Guess what, Ned? He's right on. The house advantage on this wager
is .018%. Those multiple odds he was talking about- zero casino
advantage. It's the line bet where the casino enjoys its slight
edge. And I mean slight. Expected mathematical loss on a $1 line
bet with $10 odds, about 4¢. But we can combat that too,
Ned. Throw in a few free drinks and pry a breakfast out of a floorman,
you're getting to the point where they're paying you to play.
Yes, advice comes from the funniest places.
Dear Mark,
Are the dice placed on the crap game ever inspected for imperfections
so the same number won't repeat itself? Steve B.
Because I can predict with 100% certainty that every casino
has at least one lazy pit boss-I was one-you can be assured that
the dice placed on the game are near perfect. The perks for this
idle behavior? Going up to the boss's office and inspecting dice.
This meant feet on the head honcho's desk, Oprah on the tube and
talking on the phone long distance to friends and family because
I knew the secret dial code. Oh, and inspecting dice with a micrometer
to make sure our dice were produced to a tolerance level of .0005
of an inch.
But we were the second line of defense. Dice makers who cut this
poly-sorbate plastic in lots of five or six deal in tolerances
of .0002, with imperfections discarded, making the random nature
of a dice throw a certainty.
By the way, Steve, no not you, Steve, my former boss Steve. You
never asked, but those long distance calls to Michigan were probably
mine.
Dear Mark,
On a trip to Las Vegas, I tracked each and every hand (see enclosed)
that I won and lost. As you can see I lost more hands (160 losses,
142 wins) than I won. How can you write in your column that when
playing blackjack the house edge is less than 1% when you lose
more often than win? Jon G.
Throw your chart away, Jon. Blackjack is a horrible game if
your foundation for winning is based on how many hands you actually
win. Excluding ties, a player loses approximately 53% of all hands.
However, the casino, bless their hearts, permits you to double
down and split hands after viewing the dealer up card. This allows
the player to get more money in the circle when conditions are
favorable. In addition, they give you that sweet 3 to 2 payoff
for a blackjack.
That is why, Jon, the casino has only a half percent edge over
the disciplined basic strategy player.