Plastic or Paper
14 April 2000
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
During conversation with one of the many
rotating poker dealers at the Horseshoe in
Boosier City, he mentioned that the cards they
used for poker were essentially indestructible
because they were plastic and theoretically can
handle a lifetime of use. What is your
experience in dealing them, and why are they not
used in all table games as opposed to just
poker? John R.
The United States Player Card Co. of Cincinnati,
Ohio manufactures the majority of cards used in
casinos across America. Despite the use of high
quality paper, laminating and enameling, the
life of these wafer-thin pasteboard products is
quite short. On average, cards are changed on a
table game every hour, double decks every two
and on a shoe game every shift (eight hours).
Even with this limited lifespan, paper cards are
substantially cheaper than their plastic
counterparts and would be cost prohibitive to
put on all of the casinos blackjack tables.
In poker you need cards that stand up to wear
and tear as the player handles the majority of
the deck every hand. Additionally, concealment
of your playing hand in poker versus blackjack
is an issue, plus, plastic decks in poker rooms
are seldom changed during a shift.
Though plastic cards are indestructible and
their durability far surpasses that of a
standard playing card, they do get dirty and
need a regular cleaning. In the golden days of
gambling, cards were washed by hand, by dealers,
with seltzer water. Now they use card washing
machines.
My experience of using plastic cards is rather
limited-actually only twice-when a severe
snowstorm in Reno cancelled a card shipment over
the Christmas holidays. This depleted the pit's
inventory, and blackjack dealers used the
reserve from the poker room. Because I found
them much slicker than paper cards, harder to
handle because of their smaller size and flimsy
when shuffling, I'm not an aficionado of plastic
cards.
Dear Mark,
Over the last two years I have been on the
losing streak from hell. Every slot machine I
touch has been a loser. This past year alone I
have lost $5,000, which I might add, is more
than I can afford to donate to the casinos. My
question is, when does a player finally decide
enough is enough and quit playing slot machines?
Anita J.
Because my rule #1 of gambling is "only bet what
you can afford to lose," followed by, "the
smarter you play, the luckier you'll be," NOW is
that time. Consider in lieu of slots, making
wagers, within your means, on some of the
smarter bets I suggest weekly in this column.
Correspondingly, Anita, I would be remiss if I
didn't recommend finding an alternative form of
entertainment. I know of one player who when her
slot play went sour, rancid to the tune of
$10,000 in six months, quit gambling and became
what she calls a lawn hobbyist.
Now that's exchanging one form of manure for
another.
Dear Mark,
What are your thoughts on video craps? Michael
P.
Called Live Video Craps, this electronic version
of a dice game is offered by many casinos at 25¢
a roll. Cheap, yes, but don't expect the same
thrill and camaraderie as its table-game cousin
on a Saturday night. Plus the game has one
expensive waterloo. Excluding the 7, all numbers
become the point. That includes the 2, 3, 11 and
12. This gives the house a 5% edge on your pass
line bet. That, Michael, is notably higher than
the 1.4% advantage the casino holds on a live
game. For familiarity of the game of craps at
25¢ a pop, OK; but wager no more.
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