Casino's don't mind an infrequent winner
Dear Mark,
I watched a gentleman on a blackjack table start with $100 and
beat the casino out of $4,500. It didn't even faze the pit boss.
I realize it wasn't his money but shouldn't he have been more
concerned that someone beat the casino out of $4,500 with so little
invested? Rob B.
If the game is square, the casino shouldn't give one iota
when someone wins a huge sum of money, even if he or she started
with a meager bankroll. It is not all that rare for a player to
take a hundred dollar bill and run it up to four digits.
Casino operators realize they will suffer short term losing streaks,
even when every bet is in their favor. Besides, Rob, casinos
are retail establishments. If none of the customers had any chance
of winning big, how long do you think they could keep their doors
open? They actually prefer a few winners. Winners tell
the 90 plus percent who lose where they won it.
The way casinos guard against financial ruin during a player's
winning streak is to set betting limits at the table. It is the
"house limit" that protects the casino bankroll against
a lucky assault by a hot gambler. Additionally, the house knows
the longer you gamble, the more exposure you have to the casino's
inescapable casino edge.
The gambler's biggest advantage against the house, Rob, is to
quit on your own terms, not the casino's. Unfortunately, few have
the internal fortitude to take the money and run.
Dear Mark,
Does the Megabucks machine that has a jackpot of $1,252,000 and
continually climbing in Reno have the exact same jackpot in Las
Vegas? Jim K.
Yes, Jim, they are exactly the same.
Megabucks is a statewide network of progressive slot carousels
linked together to produce huge, dramatic jackpots. It was created
by IGT to challenge the big payoffs found in state lotteries.
Each slot machine in the Megabucks network plays independently.
A small computer chip in each machine monitors every coin played
and communicates that information electronically to a mainframe
computer at IGT's headquarters in Reno. The central computer keeps
track of every Megabucks slot and maintains a constant tally of
the jackpot. Then the computer projects the ever-changing jackpot
total to all Megabuck units where it is displayed on the digital
tote board.
Dear Mark,
The reason I enjoy your column so much is because of your insider's
view. You spent 18 years in the business. No other gaming columnist
I've read has. Was writing about casino gaming an afterthought?
Marshall G.
Someone once asked Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner
for his advice to a young and struggling writer; he responded
that the young person should get a job as a janitor in a whorehouse.
I went into casino gambling instead-it paid more.
Dear Mark,
The last time I went to Las Vegas was in 1963. In December
I'm going back to see what all the hoopla is about. One problem;
I'm a low-limit gambler. Do nickel machines still exist? Marge
G.
You're in luck, Marge. Low rollers can still enjoy the city of Lost Wages. There are 5,000 nickel machines at the Strip mega-resorts and 4,200 downtown.
Dear Mark,
It hasn't happened to me yet, but what should I do if I'm ever
dealt a natural royal flush? I think I will panic and push the
discard button by mistake. Beverly M.
If your hand of destiny has been naturally dealt, immediately
press all five hold buttons, followed by the draw button. Still
nervous, Beverly? Fear not. If any of the top three hands are
dealt naturally, most machines automatically skip to the payoff
mode, eliminating the possibility of you hitting the wrong buttons.