Anytime is the right or wrong time to play
January 30, 2009
Dear Mark: Is
there any good time to play slots. For instance,
day versus night, weekday versus weekend? It
seems you see more jackpots hit on the weekends.
Dusty E.
Your chances of winning, Dusty, have nothing to
do as to when you play. Casinos don’t tighten or
loosen machines at a whim or with moon rise.
That doesn’t mean that there are
not better times to play. Some players don’t
like crowds, so weekday play suits them fine. In
addition, your favorite machine’s availability
is better on weekdays. Just try getting on a
single bank Wheel of Fortune quarter slot on
Saturday night. It’s not going to happen. Then
there are those who love crowds, smoke, and
pushy players. Okay, I’m bringing my past
employment to the table, but there are players
who do enjoy the liveliness of a crowded casino.
The reason, Dusty, why you’ll note more players
hitting jackpots on the weekends is because more
people happen to be playing then, but that has
absolutely nothing to do with your chances of
winning, or theirs.
Dear Mark: Recently on a crap game, I
suggested to a player, as you have always
recommended, to just stick with the pass line
and forget about all the wacky bets he was
making. He rudely told me to mind my own
business. I was just trying to help a poor soul
who ended up losing all his money. Did I do or
say something wrong? Gerald C.
You probably in the future want to avoid being a
kibitzer -- that fellow player who offers
unsolicited advice about how to play. Even
though the Great Kibitzer in the Sky would give
you a high five on that advice, Gerald, the High
Eminence of Diplomacy would remind you that
cantankerous players will always end up blaming
you when they lose.
Dear Mark: What amount of dollar play
rewards a blackjack player with comps to a
casino’s restaurant? I’m typically a $5-$25
player. Marty B.
Even as a $5-$25 player, Marty, you can get your
fair share of goodies, at least when it comes to
food and drink. What you are asking for is
called a “soft” comp, which can be cocktails,
restaurant expenses and shows that the casinos
produce themselves. They are relatively easy to
get because casinos technically purchase them
wholesale and bill them to a comp account
retail.
“Hard” comps are reimbursements for airline
tickets, golf, concerts, off-site casino shows
or anything else that would cost the casino real
out-of-pocket dollars. Those hard comps have to
see a lot more action on your part to become
yours.
Every casino has different standards and
policies towards rewarding comps to table game
players, but if you planned on playing in the
$5-$25 level for at least a couple hours, when I
played pit boss, we would have gladly comped
your play with a feeding frenzy at our buffet.
Because comps are not automatically flung at
table games players, you have to do your part.
Ask for them. One thing I wasn’t good at was
reading minds, or sniffing out the hungry
pheromones spread by starving players.
Dear Mark: My friend and I read your
column religiously and have a bet on if you do,
or don’t, play the lottery. I say no, he says
yes. Tim J.
If you are you asking, “Do I play occasionally,
like twice a week,” the answer is, absolutely
not. But do I dabble in $3 worth of Quick Picks
occasionally for a once-in-a-lifetime
possibility of flanking a never-in-our-lifetime
probability. Yep.
With my background of evaluating odds in every
playing situation, I confess, I do play, but
only when the jackpot exceeds the true odds of
hitting either the Mega Million, which is 1 in
175,711,536, or Michigan’s Classic Lotto 47 when
it’s over $10,737,573.
Gambling wisdom of the Week: "The
dice goad like hooks and prick like whips; they
deceive and torment. They are coated with
honey." --Better's Lament, Rig Vada Hyme
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