A Nevada perspective from a chaise lounge
Dear Mark,
I have always enjoyed reading the history of the West and
the free-spirited nature of its participants. Is there any
one quote that best describes a Nevadan's attitude toward
life? Gary H.
Former Nevada governor Grant Sawyer perhaps explained
it best while stretched poolside in a lounge chair at the
Flamingo. He said, "Our attitude toward life, save
under the most urgent provocation, is relaxed, tolerant
and mindful that if others are allowed to go on their way
unmolested, a man stands a chance of getting through by
himself with a minimum of irritation."
Dear Mark,
Realizing that keno is a sucker bet, I avoid donating money
to the casino. Because the game is relatively new here in
New Jersey, few players know how bad the odds are. I'm curious,
how long has keno been played in Nevada? Carl H.
You're right, Carl. June 15, 1994, was the date the New
Jersey Casino Control Commission gave legal permission to
Atlantic City casino operators to pillage and loot their
patrons wallets via keno.
Out here in Nevada, keno appeared in 1936 when Francis Lyden
introduced the game at the Palace Club in Reno.
With an initial limit of $4,000, it was called "Race
Horse Keno" with names of horses assigned to each of
the 80 numbers. As each game was called the numbers were
announced as "jockey number 55 on the Polish Prince."
In 1951, the "Race Horse" version was dropped
and the game became known simply as keno.
Dear Mark,
Taking your advice, I now exclusively play mini-baccarat because
of its low house edge. Per your past column, I do avoid the
tie wager and strictly bet back and forth between the bank
and player hand. I'm about to make a trip to Las Vegas and
was told that somewhere downtown one casino offers better
odds if you bet the bank hand. Where is it? Maggie C.
Betting the bank hand at Binion's Horseshoe is where you
get your decisive break. By lowering the commission to four
percent on winning bank hands (compared to the standard
five percent), the house edge drops to .6%, making it one
of the better bets in Nevada.
Dear Mark,
What are the odds of hitting 15 straight football bets found
on most parlay cards? Peter C.
Plan on playing about 33,000 parlay cards, Peter. That
is the odds of hitting 15 successive winning football wagers.
Dear Mark,
I am making my first trip to Las Vegas the early part of next
year, not to gamble, but for a convention. Where do you recommend
I book reservations? Robin T.
I'm asked all the time where I like to stay when visiting
Las Vegas. Tough call, but if forced to pick one place,
it would be the Rio Suite Hotel. And I'm not the only one
who feels this way. Zagat Hotel and Restaurant Survey has
given the Rio numerous awards like best rooms, best dining,
best service and best overall in Las Vegas. The Rio has
also earned the ranking of "the best" in 10 categories
in the Las Vegas Review-Journal most recent "Best of
Las Vegas Survey."
Dear Mark,
On the weekends when the table limits get prohibitively high
for my bankroll, I retreat to video blackjack. There used
to be a few video blackjack machines on the riverboats but
now they're all gone. What's the low limit player to do? Jason
M.
Even though live blackjack is the most popular table game
in the casino, video blackjack slots were some of the worst
performing machines on the riverboats.
Most have been replaced by other machines that feed the
casino coffers more. They still exist if you find a Bally's
Game Maker multi-game machine. On the Game Maker, of all
the assorted video games, blackjack tends to get the most
play. Go figure.
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