Extrasensory behavior on
a dice game doesn't work
1 January 1999
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
When I shoot craps, I have the feeling that a
hot roll will always be stopped by a change in
the dealers, someone touching the dice, someone
crowding the shooter or the dealer giving out
the two dice on a seven, eleven or craps. Is
this my imagination or is there any kind of
truth to it? Doug C.
With all due respect, Doug, your false-premise
gambling beliefs are based on an illogical point
of view. All too many players use the
dial-a-psychic approach on the next toss of the
dice when something whimsical happens on the
game. I believe the true answer lies in the
definition of the word superstition.
Superstition: groundless belief in a
supernatural agencies; a popular belief held
without reason.
Dear Mark,
I was wondering, isn't it better to play on a
loose jacks or better 6/5 video poker machine
than on a very tight full-pay jacks or better
9/6 video poker machine? Stanton T.
No such animal exists in the green felt jungle.
Because every hand is dealt randomly, tightness
and looseness of a video poker machine are
strictly based on the machine's paytable. A 6/5
paytable (6 coins returned for a full house, 5
for a flush with one coin inserted) would be
considered tight, no, very tight; whereas a 9/6
machine (9 for a full house, 6 for a flush)
would be loose.
Dear Mark,
What is the dumbest thing you ever did in a
casino? James C.
Facetiously, working in one for 18 years. I
burned out so many times they started calling me
"Refried Pilarski."
More seriously, my early dabblings in gambling
where those of your typical player- playing all
the wrong games, the wrong wagers on those
games, the wrong way. Ten spot Keno, 15 team
sports parlay cards, field bets on a crap game,
the Big 6; that was me, making grade school
wagers on a limited pay grade (my salary).
Dear Mark,
What are the chances of any one number showing
up four times in a row on a roulette table?
Anita G.
On a double-zero game, once every 2,085,136
spins. As a matter of fact, Anita, I saw it
happen once, not with one croupier, but with
three separate dealers. I was a pit boss at
Bill's Lake Tahoe Casino when dealer A spun the
number 25. After making his payoffs he went on
his break and dealer B stepped in to spin 25
twice consecutively. She was relieved to go home
for the evening, then dealer C immediately
twirled 25 again. A sleuth roulette player would
have immediately jumped on this game, figuring
it was a biased wheel in need of repair. In this
instance it was hardly worth mortgaging the
house. Single-zero never appeared again over the
next seven hours of my shift, nor were any of
the numbers in its wheel section coming up with
abnormal frequency.
Dear Mark,
Why is it that when a slotmechanic opens a slot
machine the machine stops paying? Is there any
hanky panky going on? Timothy C.
No need to worry, Timothy. A slot machine is
usually opened to fill the hopper with more
coins or to check for an internal malfunction.
The random number generator continues to work
even when the slot attendant opens the door.
This should not affect the casino keeping "up
to" 20¢ of every dollar you put in.
If you feel uncomfortable playing a previously
opened machine, you can always move your hind
end to another stool.
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