A Nevada perspective from
a chaise lounge
7 January 2000
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
I have always enjoyed reading the history of the
West and the free-spirited nature of its
participants. Is there any one quote that best
describes a Nevadan's attitude toward life? Gary
H.
Former Nevada governor Grant Sawyer perhaps
explained it best while stretched poolside in a
lounge chair at the Flamingo. He said, "Our
attitude toward life, save under the most urgent
provocation, is relaxed, tolerant and mindful
that if others are allowed to go on their way
unmolested, a man stands a chance of getting
through by himself with a minimum of
irritation."
Dear Mark,
Realizing that keno is a sucker bet, I avoid
donating money to the casino. Because the game
is relatively new here in New Jersey, few
players know how bad the odds are. I'm curious,
how long has keno been played in Nevada? Carl H.
You're right, Carl. June 15, 1994, was the date
the New Jersey Casino Control Commission gave
legal permission to Atlantic City casino
operators to pillage and loot their patrons
wallets via keno.
Out here in Nevada, keno appeared in 1936 when
Francis Lyden introduced the game at the Palace
Club in Reno. With an initial limit of $4,000,
it was called "Race Horse Keno" with names of
horses assigned to each of the 80 numbers. As
each game was called the numbers were announced
as "jockey number 55 on the Polish Prince."
In 1951, the "Race Horse" version was dropped
and the game became known simply as keno.
Dear Mark,
Taking your advice, I now exclusively play
mini-baccarat because of its low house edge. Per
your past column, I do avoid the tie wager and
strictly bet back and forth between the bank and
player hand. I'm about to make a trip to Las
Vegas and was told that somewhere downtown one
casino offers better odds if you bet the bank
hand. Where is it? Maggie C.
Betting the bank hand at Binion's Horseshoe is
where you get your decisive break. By lowering
the commission to four percent on winning bank
hands (compared to the standard five percent),
the house edge drops to .6%, making it one of
the better bets in Nevada.
Dear Mark,
What are the odds of hitting 15 straight
football bets found on most parlay cards? Peter
C.
Plan on playing about 33,000 parlay cards,
Peter. That is the odds of hitting 15 successive
winning football wagers.
Dear Mark,
I am making my first trip to Las Vegas the early
part of next year, not to gamble, but for a
convention. Where do you recommend I book
reservations? Robin T.
I'm asked all the time where I like to stay when
visiting Las Vegas. Tough call, but if forced to
pick one place, it would be the Rio Suite Hotel.
And I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Zagat Hotel and Restaurant Survey has given the
Rio numerous awards like best rooms, best
dining, best service and best overall in Las
Vegas. The Rio has also earned the ranking of
"the best" in 10 categories in the Las Vegas
Review-Journal most recent "Best of Las Vegas
Survey."
Dear Mark,
On the weekends when the table limits get
prohibitively high for my bankroll, I retreat to
video blackjack. There used to be a few video
blackjack machines on the riverboats but now
they're all gone. What's the low limit player to
do? Jason M.
Even though live blackjack is the most popular
table game in the casino, video blackjack slots
were some of the worst performing machines on
the riverboats.
Most have been replaced by other machines that
feed the casino coffers more. They still exist
if you find a Bally's Game Maker multi-game
machine. On the Game Maker, of all the assorted
video games, blackjack tends to get the most
play. Go figure.
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