Casino's don't mind an
infrequent winner
3 March 2000
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
I watched a gentleman on a blackjack table start
with $100 and beat the casino out of $4,500. It
didn't even faze the pit boss. I realize it
wasn't his money but shouldn't he have been more
concerned that someone beat the casino out of
$4,500 with so little invested? Rob B.
If the game is square, the casino shouldn't give
one iota when someone wins a huge sum of money,
even if he or she started with a meager
bankroll. It is not all that rare for a player
to take a hundred dollar bill and run it up to
four digits.
Casino operators realize they will suffer short
term losing streaks, even when every bet is in
their favor. Besides, Rob, casinos are retail
establishments. If none of the customers had any
chance of winning big, how long do you think
they could keep their doors open? They actually
prefer a few winners. Winners tell the 90 plus
percent who lose where they won it.
The way casinos guard against financial ruin
during a player's winning streak is to set
betting limits at the table. It is the "house
limit" that protects the casino bankroll against
a lucky assault by a hot gambler. Additionally,
the house knows the longer you gamble, the more
exposure you have to the casino's inescapable
casino edge.
The gambler's biggest advantage against the
house, Rob, is to quit on your own terms, not
the casino's. Unfortunately, few have the
internal fortitude to take the money and run.
Dear Mark,
Does the Megabucks machine that has a jackpot of
$1,252,000 and continually climbing in Reno have
the exact same jackpot in Las Vegas? Jim K.
Yes, Jim, they are exactly the same.
Megabucks is a statewide network of progressive
slot carousels linked together to produce huge,
dramatic jackpots. It was created by IGT to
challenge the big payoffs found in state
lotteries.
Each slot machine in the Megabucks network plays
independently. A small computer chip in each
machine monitors every coin played and
communicates that information electronically to
a mainframe computer at IGT's headquarters in
Reno. The central computer keeps track of every
Megabucks slot and maintains a constant tally of
the jackpot. Then the computer projects the
ever-changing jackpot total to all Megabuck
units where it is displayed on the digital tote
board.
Dear Mark,
The reason I enjoy your column so much is
because of your insider's view. You spent 18
years in the business. No other gaming columnist
I've read has. Was writing about casino gaming
an afterthought? Marshall G.
Someone once asked Nobel Prize winner William
Faulkner for his advice to a young and
struggling writer; he responded that the young
person should get a job as a janitor in a
whorehouse. I went into casino gambling
instead-it paid more.
Dear Mark,
The last time I went to Las Vegas was in 1963.
In December I'm going back to see what all the
hoopla is about. One problem; I'm a low-limit
gambler. Do nickel machines still exist? Marge
G.
You're in luck, Marge. Low rollers can still
enjoy the city of Lost Wages. There are 5,000
nickel machines at the Strip mega-resorts and
4,200 downtown.
Dear Mark,
It hasn't happened to me yet, but what should I
do if I'm ever dealt a natural royal flush? I
think I will panic and push the discard button
by mistake. Beverly M.
If your hand of destiny has been naturally
dealt, immediately press all five hold buttons,
followed by the draw button. Still nervous,
Beverly? Fear not. If any of the top three hands
are dealt naturally, most machines automatically
skip to the payoff mode, eliminating the
possibility of you hitting the wrong buttons.
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