Just whose money is it?
26 May 2003
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
If a slot player walks away from a machine
leaving credits in it, and someone else walks up
and plays those credits, is that okay? Are
credits fair game for everyone else? Nancy G.
According to them, and we all know who them is,
'taint yours. Luckily, if Sticky-finger is
caught, there is no soundproof room with a
glove-vice waiting. In fact, I have never heard
of any leftover-credits-playing culprit being
shown the door.
But that doesn't mean there are not naughty
charlatans who make a living scavenging the
millions lost each year by gamblers who forget
their stored credits (winnings).
Called "sea gulling" in gamblese, it is illegal
to purposively circle the casino looking for
orphan credits on a slot machine, or even change
on the floor.
I have seen player impostors given the heave-ho
(the dreaded permanent 86) for making a
full-time occupation of cruising the casino on
the lookout for easy pickings.
Clearly, you're not a casino conniver looking
for an easy score. But a tip to you and other
slot-playing patrons: before you walk away from
any slot machine, don't forget to press the
cash-out button. You might tattoo that bit of
wisdom on your thumbnail.
Dear Mark,
I was especially interested in a recent column
where you compare the three table poker games
and suggested Three Card Poker as being the
best. I interpret your message in this paragraph
to say that playing the "Pair Plus" option is
the best percentage-wise for the player. Am I
correct? Or, should we play both the Ante and
Pair Plus, then Play if we have a good hand?
Hilda R.
Ordinarily, Three Card Poker is a better play
than Caribbean Stud (-5.3%), better than Let it
Ride (-3.5%), and even better than Pai Gow Poker
(-2.5%).
As to the best bet in Three Card poker itself,
it depends, Hilda, on whether like your cards or
not; I'll rephrase that-on whether you should
like your cards. The house edge is 3.37% against
the Ante alone, but only 2.01% against your
Queen-6-4, if you decide to make the Play bet.
With a Pair Plus wager, the casino advantage is
slightly higher at 2.32%.
But just when you think you've got your juju
flowing over the low house edge of Three Card
Poker, take a quick look upstream. Most casinos
are now tightening the screws on Three Card
Poker by reducing the payoffs on straight
flushes and three-of-a-kinds. It's screamingly
worse on the Pair Plus payoffs. For example, by
making a crafty change on what you're paid for a
straight flush from 40-to-1 to 35-to-one, and
nibbling down three-of-a-kinds from 30-to-1 to
25-to-1, the house edge jumps to 4.58%, making
this originally good game go bad, way bad.
Stick exclusively to these payoffs on Pair Plus
wagers:
Straight flush: 40 to 1
Three of a kind: 30 to 1
Straight: 6 to 1
Flush: 4 to 1
Pair: Even money 1 to 1
Also, to avoid pocketbook piracy, make sure the
Ante Bonus payoff follows this schedule:
Straight flush: pays 5 to 1
Three-of-a-kind: pays 4 to 1
Straight: pays 1 to 1
Better yet, Hilda, think about giving
Mini-Baccarat a try, or even blackjack, using
perfect basic strategy. Each has a house edge
well under two percent, whipping all the table
games mentioned above.
Gambling quote of the week: "Essentially, expert
card counters know the right bet and the right
play at all times. Understandably, this doesn't
thrill the casinos." Michael Konik, The Man With
The $100,000 Breasts
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