Mission accomplished
25 February 2000
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
I go to Atlantic City about two times a month,
stay overnight and lose a bundle. I just love
it. My question: I play a "Reel-em-in" 25-cent
slot machine. Now you can bet up to 45 quarters
on these machines. Well, after losing so much
money, I found these same machines in the nickel
denomination. Now I find that I can play 45
nickels and it is only $2.25 a hand compared to
$11.25 a hand on quarter machines. Would it be
better to play a dollar slot with 2 coins in
($2) or play the nickels at $2.25 with 45
nickels in? Same with the quarter slots. Play
with 45 quarters at $11.25 a hand or play a $5
slot with 2 coins in ($10.00)? I always thought
the higher the denomination machine, the better
your chances of winning. Please give me your
feedback. Loretta K.
You have many questions, Loretta, but let's
start with "lose a bundle and just loving it." I
can't help but think: are you really having fun
when you're losing? Taken as known, the casino
has but two goals: separate you from your money
and put a smile on your face. Evidently with you
they have achieved their objective.
Your style of play creates this scenario. Insert
multiple coins, play for a short while, lose, go
home.
Essentially, you are aggravating an already bad
situation by risking more, at a much faster
rate, on a game with a high negative
expectation. For every dollar you insert,
Loretta, the casino is going to keep around nine
cents, and it doesn't matter whether you pump in
5 or 45 quarters. This is a certainty for two
reasons. First, slot machines are pre-programmed
to return a certain percentage to the player and
second, New Jersey casinos, by law, make public
the average percent of each wager that is
returned to the player.
Quarter machines (25¢) in Atlantic City return
on average 90.5 cents of each dollar played
compared to 91.7 on a dollar machine. Hardly a
break on the Jersey Shore when you bump up to a
higher denomination machine.
Furthermore, weigh the 90.5¢ return on Jersey's
quarter machines against the following gaming
jurisdictions and you'll notice that Atlantic
City slot machines are no bargain: Colorado
94.1; Illinois 92.4; Iowa 92.4; Nevada 94.7.
My gambling recommendation to you is as follows.
Bet a whole lot less, like nickel or quarter
machines with a five coin maximum, or make
nominal wagers on some of the smarter bets I
suggest weekly in this column. Then, write me
back and let me know how much more you enjoy
gambling when you break even for a trip or,
better yet, actually win and put a few of the
casino's dollars in your purse.
Dear Mark,
I would like to know the correct basic strategy
play for a soft 18. I learned that when one has
an ace/seven, the smart play is to stand on a
dealer's 2, 7, 8, and hit all others. With my
limited mathematical skills, I have come to
accept this as correct. However, I still get
looks from dealers when I play out the hand.
What do you think? Steve L.
Your play is nearly correct. An ace-seven is one
of those tricky hands about which numerous
experts disagree. The general consensus is to
stand on 2, 7, 8; double down when playing rules
allow it against a 3-6; and hit against a 9 or
10 count card. But against an ace the pros are
nearly divided between hitting and standing. I
side with the half that recommends hitting
versus standing when fronting an ace.
|
