Dear Mark: I
would like to share the following with your
readers. Recently I lost over $500 in one
session, get this, playing penny slots. I
don’t believe I have ever lost that much
playing nickels, or even quarters. Being
frugal just doesn’t work in the casino.
Timothy H.
Thanks for sharing,
Timothy. The answer here is pretty simple. A
“penny machine “ isn't a penny machine if
you play 25 coins per line. Really, how hard
is it to bet a buck or more a spin on a
penny machine? It isn’t.
Unfortunately, the
lower denomination machines are taking more
and more space on the casino floor, and all
penny slots offer a minimum bet of more than
one unit. Most players get bored easily at a
penny a pop, then gung-ho trigger happy for
the Play Max button, and voila, they’re $500
in the hole.
Dear Mark: I just
saw the movie 21. Did I hear right that
during one scene someone said that splitting
8s against a 10 was for suckers. Doesn’t
that run contrary to your writings that you
should always split 8s? Rob B.
I’ve yet to see the
movie 21, based on the book Bringing Down
the House by Ben Mezrich, but had I been
an advisor on that film, I probably would
have caught that dialog error, had it
appeared in the script, and suggested a
change.
What you're really
doing when you split 8s is breaking up a 16,
the worst possible hand you can have in
blackjack. When you split 8s, you will lose
$44 for every $100 wagered. If you were just
to hit the hand, you would lose $51 for
every $100 bet. You may not necessarily
always put extra jingle in your pocket by
splitting 8s, but you will jingle louder and
longer if you split 'em.
I’ll stand firm, Rob,
as would most blackjack writers, that the
correct strategy is to split 8s against a
10. The lone exception on splitting 8s is
that when surrender is allowed, you do it
against an ace, if the dealer hits a soft
17.
Dear Mark: After
the point has been established, why won’t
the casino allow you to make a Don’t Pass
bet? They do on the Pass Line. Sid D.
If they, they being
the current casino owners, allowed you to go
right up on the numbers without having to go
through an initial placement on the Don't
Pass line, they would be turning over the
keys to the front door to the future casino
owner, that being you.
Here’s the
arithmetic. On the come-out roll, when you
first place a Don't Come bet, the house has
eight ways to win if the 7 or 11 appear, and
will lose only 3 ways if the 2 and 3 (the 12
being a push) are thrown. But once a number
has been established, the player has a
substantial edge over the house: six to five
on the 6 and 8, three to two on the 5 and 9,
and two to one on the 4 and 10.
They, and now that we
know who they really is (or are), have no
problem letting you make a Pass Line bet
once a number has been established because
that wager is paid off at even money. They
have a large edge on this bet since before a
number has been established, the player has
eight ways to win if the 7 or 11 are rolled,
but has four chances of losing if the 2, 3,
or 12 appear.
Gambling Wisdom of
the Week: "Luck is a lady but--as with
all ladies of class--she chooses her lovers
imperiously." --Lyle Stuart
