Index I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X

• Do Casinos Cheat
  --Dear Mark,
  I have always been a bit suspicious of casinos and especially their ability to cheat players. Come clean, Mark. Do the casinos tell the dealers to cheat the customer? Ron T...more>>

• Do two-year-olds gamble? You bet they do!
  -- Dear Mark,
  Do you think that kids who play arcade video games are being pre-programmed to gamble since the slot machines of today are video based? Ronnie M...more>>

• Don't Quit Your Day Job
  -- Dear Mark,
  In a past column, you stated that video poker has a return of 99 percent to the smart player and can be mathematically one of the best bets in the casino. My question is this. If I combine my passion for the game, a low house advantage and jackpots that run more than $1,000, is there any possibility that I could make a living playing video poker? Ted L...more>>

• Some do's and don'ts before your trip to Vegas
  -- Dear Mark,
  Next month I am flying to Las Vegas for the first time. Not only is it my first trip to Nevada but also my first visit to a casino. Any do's and don'ts you could recommend before I go? Mary S...more>>

• Extrasensory behavior on a dice game doesn't work
  -- Dear Mark,
  When I shoot craps, I have the feeling that a hot roll will always be stopped by a change in the dealers, someone touching the dice, someone crowding the shooter or the dealer giving out the two dice on a seven, eleven or craps. Is this my imagination or is there any kind of truth to it? Doug C...more>>

• My favorite cee-ment ponds
  -- Dear Mark,
  My sister and I love to spend the day by the pool before we take in a little gambling in the evening. Since we are going to Las Vegas next month, do you have any recommendations of hotels that offer decent pools? Faye K...more>>

• Finder's keepers losers weepers?
  -- Dear Mark,
  You always say check your machine for credits before you leave. Is it true that if I went to play a machine and there were credits left on it by someone I could get in trouble with the casino? Beri W...more>>

• Fiscal ruin possible when you select the wrong machine
  -- Dear Mark,
  Well, now that you've got me "Hooked on Winning" (I bought your tapes, good stuff), I have a follow-up observation and a question. I took a well-deserved day off from work yesterday and hit the two Indian casinos here in Connecticut (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun). My goal was to restrict myself exclusively to video poker. First, you are right on the money in your observation that you have to LOOK for a 9/6 machine, at least in the 25¢ and 50¢ denominations. I found a 25¢ 9/6 machine "buried" in a bank of machines at the Mohegan Sun and had real good luck with it. I encountered my first 8/5 progressive machine at Foxwoods, but I was surprised to see it was NOT a jacks-or-better machine. Rather, it was a two pair or better machine. So instead of having a payoff with just a high pair, a player needed two pairs to get a return. Is this typical of an 8/5 progressive machine or would you say this is player adverse? Mike K...more>>

• Gambler's Ruin
  -- Dear Mark,
  Casino Windsor has high table minimums and low table maximums. Is this a player advantage? Danny B...more>>

• How gambling and Arby's are historically related
  -- Dear Mark,
  My friend and I are long-time day trippers to Atlantic City. We have a couple of sandwiches riding on the outcome of this wager. As you can tell we're not big bettors. Our question is; who was the first player to make a wager in Atlantic City? I believe it was Frank Sinatra, whereas my friend thinks it was another member of the Rat Pack, Dean Martin. Who's right? Marvin K...more>>