Games of Chance!

[Bebop]

I know Vegas has changed a lot and I am sure it has it's pleasant side. I might be coming at it from a different perspective. I have a cousin that is a cop there and his influence may have taken hold of my perspective. Maybe I should visit with and open mind.

Mt. Charleston is a wonderful place to explore. My wife lived there as a child in the 60's and has great memories.

 

[John in Covina]

I know Vegas has changed a lot I have a cousin that is a cop there and his influence may have taken hold of my perspective.

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Remember that in most big cities an officer of the law sees a daily grind of the worst of humanity and few truly wonderful things to report. SO from that perspective there would not be many places that are simply beautiful places to live at all. Trouble comes whether you look for it or not, I have friends that ran into problems in LV just as I have had friends mugged at gun point in NYC. I'd say it pays to know where not to be and when.

Like most places, you should not be flashing a wad of cash and wearing a ton of jewelry, that can attract trouble. Those looking for amourous get together with ladies of the evening are also asking for problems. When ever there is lots of money and excitement, it draws those whose intentions are no good, so keep your wits about you.

As a former NYer with NYC experience, I know to keep aware and can have a good time at the same time.
It is also better to be in a group.
When traveling it pays to be aware, it is easy to make mistakes and there is often enough someone willing to take advantage of the distracted traveler.

 

[fernande]

I agree with everyone! when I was gambling the most- I was in my "wild college" days- I guess that is the silliness/craziness/irresponsibility of youth!

Now days, my husband can't even get me to go to a coffee shop for an iced coffee- I'd rather make it at home and save the $3.50. I shudder at my more "free wheelin'" spending habits of the past.

but- when I won my previously mentioned blackjack hands- a great deal of the money I spend investing in VINTAGE - ( I bought a bunch of Greta Garbo's personal clothing at auction) ha- so at least one great thing came from it!.

and yes, nothing is more depressing than being at a casino at say---4:30 in the morning. Its really really sad.

I absolutely love Vegas- but not really for the gambling- the certain over the topn-ess of it all- appeals to me. I'm a big fan of Steve Wynn- ?( as any businessperson/entrepreneur is.)

I think poker has gotten so popular because it appeals to the "risk taker" in all of us - I think because there is more interaction between the players and less from the house- people feel like they are more "in control" of their destiny- which I guess in some fraction is true-

 

[dashiell]

As children, my brother and I would bet our school lunch milk (the chocolate cartons from the cafeteria) on boxing matches. I believe I instigated the arrangement to stop him from taking my milk outright.

Beyond that, I recall betting lunches on football and US football at university. I don't recall any betting since.

I've never been to a casino! They seem so bright and flashy ...

 

[Diamondback]

When I go into the casinos--only in Vegas--every dollar I put down is written off as an "entertainment expense", no recovery expected.

Single-deck blackjack's about the closest to in-your-favor you'll see, particularly in one scenario:
I once saw a coupon (I wasn't yet legal) in one of those tourist coupon-books the hotels give out for "present this at any blackjack table and receive a free Ace"--if I ever see another, I plan to bet half the wad (my "entertainment budget") right there. (Calculation: 4 each K/Q/J/10, all of which are 10-value cards, which is 16/52 chance of Blackjack. If we revise that to beating 17--dealers must stand at 17--that adds 4 each 8 and 9, bringing our chances to 24/52. Or, we could get another ace, which is why we only bet half the wad--split, and then we've got those same numbers twice.)

 

[fernande]

Exactly Diamondback- single deck blackjack- is where its at!

that's how I won all the dough!

 

[Diamondback]

Former accounting student, what can I say... Adding the possibility of 4 aces for a split, with one of those coupons it's a 28/52--the casinos probably wised up to guys like me, which is why I haven't seen one of those things since... or maybe I had seen it in Reno instead of Vegas.

(Yes, there are a whole lotta things where I'm a "Former _____ Student"--I took classes in a lot of different things before I became a history major...)

 

[Smyat]

I do play poker; however, that's much more a game of skill than chance.

Ayup. "Never bet on the odds, son. Skill is much more fundamental." - W.W. Smith

I love poker but I'm a traditionalist - don't care for 'leventy foofy variations and I absolutely loathe the new, TV-driven forms like Hold 'Em.

5-card stud. 7-card stud. Draw. Shotgun. That's poker.

Since I'm outvoted about 180 million to one, I don't play poker any more. My small circle of player-friends not only turned to Hold-'Em, but the awful TV-glam speed-hand versions thereof.

*Sigh*.

 

[Smyat]

Single-deck blackjack's about the closest to in-your-favor you'll see...

Blackjack is the only game in the house where skill alone gives you an edge. Every other game depends critically on chance. (I discount poker, which should never, ever be played in a casino.)

 

[dostacos]

I don't do games of chance.

I do play poker; however, that's much more a game of skill than chance.

Is this a game of chance?

"No, not the way I play it." WC Fields

When I hit the casinos, I will maybe it the slots, very minimum betting specific amount like $20 in quarters if I bet at all.

I usually go to Reno or Vegas on business conventions, and actually go to the sessions.

TRIVIA ALERT: Orthopedic Surgeons do not have meetings in Vegas, it is said they did not spend enough on wine women & song so they don't want them to book there anymore. Sourcem my Chief of Staff

 

[Smyat]

TRIVIA ALERT: Orthopedic Surgeons do not have meetings in Vegas, it is said they did not spend enough on wine women & song so they don't want them to book there anymore. Sourcem my Chief of Staff

There's an old trope about Baptist conventions - they arrive in town with the ten commandments in one hand and a $20 in the other, and when they leave neither one is broken.

We did an event this summer that overlapped the end of a major such conference and the hotel staff was grumbling that the above was actually true - at least, the second part of it.

 

[Doh!]

Why, I won $1.70 just last night in a poker game!

Granted it was only a $5.00 buy-in amongst friends, but it beats losing.

 

[Chanfan]

I like, conceptually, slots - just due to the button pushing, noises, and such. If I end up at a Casino for some reason - I typically don't go there on my own accord - I will sometimes play them, usually the low end ones, with a pre-determined amount of cash that I have decided I've "spent".

Otherwise, in the late 80's, I did enjoy a trip to Vegas - practically every hotel had a nice video arcade, and I spent like a mad-man in them. It was a nice feeling to spend waaaay more than I would be willing to at home, yet feel like I was saving money over gambling. I've been a few times for weddings and business trips. In my mind, there's quite a bit to do other than gamble (shows, food, just gaping at the over the top-ness of it all), so I wouldn't turn it down as a vacation spot.

In the past, I did like a good nickel ante poker night with friends - playing the various draw poker variations from serious to silly as struck our mood for the night. Nowadays, it seems you can't get away from (the modern) Texas Hold 'Em tournament style. I do have a friend that's been trying to get me to play, but I'm not that big a fan of it for some reason. I do generally only like playing for just enough money to make folks take things with a modicum of seriousness (that allows bluffing to work, and such), but not enough that anyone would feel sore about losing it.

And anyway, if I'm going to be concentrating on a game all evening, I tend to like (non-gambling) board games - not risk or monopoly, but considerably more complex (and undoubtedly nerdy) ones.

 

[LocktownDog]

I work at a casino. But here in Nevada, that's where the money is. You wouldn't believe the number of people I see on a daily basis that are completely out of control. So many of these folks come in with their entire paychecks and cash them, hoping to win a little bit. They invariably lose their grocery money. Or the moms who drag their little ones "just for 10 minutes or so." But I gotta say that most of the gambling addicts play the machines ... whether it is slots or poker. Those that play the table games may lose quite a bit in one sitting, but they're not there every night spending their kid's christmas money. Those sitting at the sportsbook tend to have a higher average age ... 55+ in my establishment. They sit and smoke their cigars and play a couple of dollars here or there. Those guys are also the biggest tippers and the friendliest folks around.

I'm not much of a gambler. However, I have been known to put a few dollars down on ball games and races. Once I get my tickets though, I walk away and check them at the end of the day. I just can't sit and waste my time by watching all the board stats. Going to the races themselves is completely different. I love sitting there drinking a beer and eating a dog while watching those fillies run! I especially like those grounds that allow you a closer look at the horses prior to the race. I worked for a few years at a horse farm for thoroughbred racers. You can tell a lot more about a horse, if you can get close enough to see the attitude in their eyes.

Richard

 

[staggerwing]

Horseracing, poker, craps - and I make money on all three. While the first two are games where skill plays a role, craps is pure chance. Still, I nearly always finish ahead on a day-to-day basis and am up in the long run. I've tried blackjack, studied card counting techniques, and ... still lose!

 

[Twitch]

When I happen to find myself in Vegas I enjoy the people watching. I don't gamble. The endless drama is amazing as all sizes, types and sorts of people of varying attractiveness or down right ugly entertain you for free as they play out their wierd lives like some sort of reality show.

 

[John in Covina]

Horseracing, poker, craps - and I make money on all three. While the first two are games where skill plays a role, craps is pure chance. Still, I nearly always finish ahead on a day-to-day basis and am up in the long run. I've tried blackjack, studied card counting techniques, and ... still lose!

***************
Horse racing is more pure chance because anything can happen in a horse race. Craps does have a skill level of knowing what is the odds and the better bets, PLUS there are those that with a fair amount of practice can influence (control) the dice so the throws are much less random than is normally thought. 21 has some skill to it also, and without card counting offer only a slight house edge if you use perfect play.

The secret is that the house does not payoff at true odds in many bets giving them an edge over the player. This edge is in truth a billing system for all that entertainment. While you can make money at the casino, for most people over time the house edge will take back all those winnings and thensome depending on how much you play.

In craps it is believed that there are natural dice controllers, the record stands at 118 rolls over 3 hours with out a seven out. If there ever was a time to press your bets!

 

[Undertow]

I don't gamble merely because I can't afford to but I certainly love watching table games! I like to go to a casino and just watch other people lose their hats at Black Jack or Roulette.

If I were to play, I think I would play either of the two games listed above.

By the by, I don't consider slot machines "gambling". They're just a video game you throw money at. Occasionally, you can get a few bucks back, but that's just like hitting the restart button on the Nintendo.

 

[nyx]

I like to watch the table games too, but I once spent an hour watching a craps table, and I still have no idea what was happening lol I've been to Vegas twice for Viva Las Vegas and had a good time, but mostly I stick to penny slots myself. I don't expect to win, but I get a few hours of entertainment out of 20 bucks and you get free drinks!

We have casino riverboats near me in Indiana, but I try to stay away. I only go about once a year with my sister, because I can definitely see myself going overboard (my mom's a compulsive gambler, ugh). Don't know if it's genetic, but not taking any chances. Besides, at the riverboats, you don't get free drinks

 

[John in Covina]

Craps Anyone?

Craps is that table where you're more likely to see jumping up and down, hear all sorts of shouting and actual cheering at times. It is a complicated game as games go. The regular tables have a cashier, two dealers and a stickman to try to keep things straight and above board. Usually one of the floorguys has his (or her) eyes on the goings on at the craps table too.

So what is the fuss all about? Dice and the odds of throwing a certain number or numbers. Craps has been around a while and has predicessors that go back to BC or before the common era as others may say.

With the dice, they are precision casino dice, made to tight standards. The six sides numbered 1 to 6 giving you from 2 to 12 on any roll. Seven has the greatest number of combination of the dice and as the numbers preceed higher or lower the combinations become less and less. So 7 is the most likely number to turn up.

On the shooters first roll after selecting two die from those offered, the shooter must toss the dice so they hit the side wall before coming to a rest. Not hitting the side will be first admonished then they will not allow you to be a shooter if you keep it up. Any way If you roll a 7 or 11 right off, you win on your PASS LINE BET. To go with the PASS LINE bet is considered RIGHT WAY betting.) The initial bet, you need to make to play. If the roll is a 2, 3, or 12 then you lose. If you roll a 4,5,6,8,9,or 10 that number becomes your POINT. If you roll a point number you can then make all sorts of complicated bets and some easy ones. Now the idea is to roll your point and in the mean time any other number BEFORE you roll a SEVEN.

You can take odds on the pass line for this point number, which is considered a good bet. A PLACE bet is the next step up in risk taking for most players, it is the line of numbers above the word COME where the point number itself is indicated by a puck that says ON. Those bets are ratios so it is in increments of $5 or $6 bucks. All those center bets with hard ways are interesting but they don't pay of as well giving the house an edge higher than you may wish to engage in.

As someone rolls the dice several times a variety of bets can come up and for the uninitiated heres where it can get very complicated staying abreast of these bets.

There are rules for etiquette and superstisions surrounding the game so a complete boning up with a book or video would be helpful as not to cause the ire of player and dealer alike. If the casino offer lessons go and join in , it will be fun, sometimes they have lessons on one of the channels on the tv in the rooms.

if the table is cold you can take (Wrong way) the DON'T PASS way but it is a bit more complicated than the regular Pass line betting.

It is a fast game, but if you concentrate of the more simple and better bets you can have a lot of fun.

I play it because of the story my dad used to tell about winning at craps something like $1800 on the troop carrier heading for England in WWII. Also because it is condsidered a great game by the old timers.

I played first at the Sands with the retirees while visiting Vegas for the Soldier of Fortune convention around 1987. Had a great time and got some advice from an old timer that reminded me of Hyman Roth. "All the bets in the center are for chumps, don't waste your money!" (The center section directly in front of the stickman.) I won enough to go to the 4 star restaurant in the Sands for dinner that night, The Regency, had a great meal and some fantastic memories.