The Man with the Midas
touch
13 September 2004
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
I saw your column today and you asked if anyone
in Reno remembers the person who hit the three
royals at a Raley's market some time back. I do
live in Reno and remember the story published in
the Reno Gazette Journal. The man hit one royal
and while he was waiting for the payoff, moved
to another machine where he hit another royal,
he then moved to a third machine and hit
another. I do not recall the article saying
whether he played other hands at each machine
before the royal being hit. Sue B.
Timothy Bauer, at the Washoe County Library Reno
Periodicals Dept., e-mailed me the following
after reading my column last week.
Mark:
I work at the Washoe County Library and saw your
article asking for particulars about the lucky
person who hit three consecutive royal flushes.
I found the article in our clipping files. It
made the Reno Gazette Journal on Tuesday,
September 7, 1993.
Stevey Tyler hit the three royals at Scolari's
Food and Drug on Lakeside Court. He hit
three-$4000 royal flushes on separate video
poker machines. This event happened on Sunday
afternoon Sep 5, 1993. The Nevada Gaming Control
Board investigators closed the machines for an
inspection Monday morning, but found no evidence
of tampering.
Thank you, Timothy for settling all but one
facet of last weeks column, that being, the
clipping doesn't specify if Mr. Tyler hit the
improbable: three consecutive royal flushes.
Possibly Mr. Tyler can drop me a line with the
particulars.
Dear Mark,
You, along with other gaming writers, recommend
hitting my hand of 16 when the dealer is showing
a seven. Seems staying pat and not busting,
especially with a 16 against a seven, is the
smarter play. Do you concur? Larry D.
The smart play, Larry, is to always hit your 16
against a dealer showing a seven, and here's
why.
When dealt a 16 against an upcard of a seven,
you have two logical plays: hit or stand.
Simulating these playing conditions with
millions of hands on a computer will illustrate
that you will win approximately 34% when you hit
and only 27% of the time if you stand.
Nevertheless, though hitting gains you roughly
7%, the dealer is still most likely going to
beat you. All we are recommending is minimizing
your losses by hitting versus standing.
Dear Mark,
In craps, which is a better play for the player,
a Hardway 6 or 8 or the Big 6 or 8? Zack M.
Neither, Zack, as both of the wagers mentioned
are sucker bets, each commanding the same 9.1%
casino advantage.
You can only get the best of craps by making
bets that have a low house edge, for instance, a
pass line wager or placing the 6 or 8, increase
you bet size as you win consecutive wagers, and
learn to pocket your winnings, the toughest part
of the three.
Betting a Hardway 6 or 8 or the Big 6 or 8 are
excellent wagers for throwing your hard-earned
money away.
Gambling quote of the week: "Psychologically,
the one element of the game that keeps the slot
devotee tied to the machine is the possibility,
no matter how remote, of hitting the jackpot.
The promise of the monster, life affirming win,
the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the
philosopher's stone that can cure all their
ills, pay off all their debts, and smooth the
path of life forever, and ever, and ever."
-Gambling For Dummies
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