How much is enough?
24 September 1999
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
I work as a dealer on an Indian reservation in
northern Michigan. One of the most common
mistakes I see is players getting ahead, then
giving all their winnings back to the casino.
Why do you think so many players are boneheads?
Anonymous for job protection.
One word, GREED. Too many players, when greed
sets in, keep upping the ante on what they want
to win. "Enough" is just over the horizon, and
like the horizon, it recedes when they approach
it.
This column always recommends having a
predetermined win plan. All players should set
loss limits and win goals. Without this money
management strategy, your typical player
generally becomes a casino statistic called the
"hold," a percentage of chips purchased by the
customer and then won back by the casino. All
too often, when the rapacity of a player goes
unchecked, the player's entire bankroll slowly
but surely reverts to the casino.
Dear Mark,
If a slot machine pays back with hot coins, does
that mean it's a hot machine? Sly G.
No, Sly, the temperature of the coins has
nothing to do with the machine's payback
percentage.
I remember years ago seeing a gentleman heating
up his coins with a hair dryer in the men's
bathroom. In questioning his gaming prowess he
replied with unwavering conviction that
inserting hot coins produced more winners
because the coins coming out of his favorite
machine were hot. My explanation that coins
falling out hot is due to the close proximity of
lights and other electrical components to the
hopper fell on deaf ears.
Dear Mark,
Is there any difference between the crap tables
of Nevada and those in Atlantic City? William B.
Excluding the ability in Nevada to take higher
odds on your line bets, the biggest difference
on the craps table layout in Atlantic City is
there is no big 6 or 8. When the player bets on
the big 6 or 8, the payoff is even money,
whereas it is 7-to-6 bet when either the 6 or 8
is wagered as a "place bet" in either state. The
latter is a much smarter wager.
Dear Mark,
I always feel awkward when I see a player
playing alone at blackjack and I want to play on
the same game. What do you suggest? Robin W.
When I see a player playing solo, especially
when his bet exceeds what I plan on wagering, I
ask him politely if he prefers to play
head-to-head with the dealer or would he mind
some company. This always seems to work.
Dear Mark,
I buy $50 worth of lottery tickets per week. How
long will it take for me mathematically to
finally hit the jackpot? Jenny S.
If, just if, Jenny, your genetic structure is
predisposed to longevity, you can plan on
winning the jackpot once every 7,000 years. Then
again, given enough opportunity ($50 per week),
any supernatural occurrence due to chance can
happen. This is what makes the lottery/gambling
so attractive.
Dear Mark,
I recently found your column on an internet site
in Stockholm, Sweden. I enjoy your historic
questions the most. I am doing a research paper
at the University about the introduction of
casino gambling in the state where you live,
Nevada. Can you tell me when it became a legal
enterprise? Stefan E.
A buckaroo politician for Humboldt County named
Phil Tobin presented the assembly bill in 1931
making gambling both legal and taxable. Governor
Fred Balzar, also known as "Friendly Fred,"
signed the open gambling law on March 19, 1931.
Coincidentally, on that same day Balzar signed
into law a bill that would drive tourism, he
thought, far more than gambling ever would: the
six weeks divorce statute.
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