The name is Bond, James
Bond
25 June 1999
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
You answered a question by stating that the most
popular number played on a roulette wheel was 17
and reasoned that this was so because it was
located in the center of the layout and everyone
could reach it. I guess my point is that it is
likely that other factors add to the "appeal" of
17 for the masses. I suggest that its popularity
is based somewhat on the James Bond films where
he bets "17 Black." Just a hunch, but I know
many players who bet this way. Jimmy H.
Correct you are, Jimmy. Bond did enjoy both
baccarat and roulette as a way to relax and
unwind after saving the world. And yes, players
drinking martinis, shaken not stirred, tend to
follow his pattern of play.
Besides birthday and anniversary dates, many
players choose numbers used in the movies, from
record LPs (the Beatles; number 9, number 9,
number 9), even after a player's favorite
athlete. Popular in northern Nevada when I dealt
the game was 16 Red, Joe Montana's jersey number
and color.
Getting back to Her Majesty's favorite secret
agent: The most popular number in the movies is
not 17, even if it was a favorite of Ian
Fleming's Bond, but 22. You'll see it played at
pivotal points in "Casablanca," "The Sting" and
"Lost in America."
Also of little note, 22, my personal favorite,
was the first number called at Bill's Casino at
South Lake Tahoe when it officially opened on
July 1, 1987 at 7:01 p.m. And who (brag mode ON)
called that first number? Yours truly (brag mode
OFF). One player had a $25 chip on it and won
$875.
Dear Mark,
I am having a minor dispute with a friend about
'jack's or better' five card draw.
Is there usually (obviously house rules vary
from place to place, but in general) a
requirement to prove you have a pair of jacks or
better to open? When I learned this game, there
was no such requirement and you could actually
bluff the open. My friend now tells me that this
is not the case and penalties like matching the
pot are usually imposed if the opener does
bluff. What is your experience on this issue?
John K.
When I was growing up, John, if I misplayed a
hand in pinochle, fraudulently or not, the
chastening was not only getting the heave-ho
from the game but castigated for piss-poor play
and an additional penalty of washing all the
dishes. This is how I learned that honesty
prevails in card play. But I'm writing about a
friendly, or in my case, a hostile game
environment at the kitchen table where local
rules apply.
In casino poker rooms, they don't offer a jack's
or better game for one simple reason. SHOW ME
THE MONEY! Casinos can't pay the lighting bills
on the many dead hands that a Jack's or better
game would create. You can't 'rake' a pot that
isn't there. The rake, the money that the card
room charges, is usually a percentage or flat
fee taken from the pot after each round of
betting. Every time a dealer pitches out a hand,
your miserly casino owner wants a piece of the
action.
As for home rules, I've heard of everything from
matching the pot to forfeiting the hand, and in
a worst case senerio, the bucking up for all the
booze and burgers.
So in the future, John, let whoever is gracious
enough to let you spill beer and chip dip all
over their carpet make the rules of the house.
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