 
Off
to the races via a satellite wagering
facility
Dear
Mark,
I find horse racing one of the most
enjoyable forms of casino gambling.
For just $2 I can sit in an air
conditioned race book and watch
simulcast races from all across
America. Wow! Any advice for a newbie
horse player? Robert A.
I'm
with you, Robert. A splash of stimulation
and a $2 wager on a long-shot equine
overdue for the glue factory can
be an inexpensive diversion from
a $25 minimum blackjack game. At
$2 that is. But with Nevada's race
books offering only pari-mutuel
wagering, Robert, the house does
hold an 18-22% edge on any straight
bet you make at the sports book
window.
That
said, pony players in the know-not
me, I go by the horse's biorhythms-believe
the following factors are essential
to your chances of picking winners.
1.
knowledge of breeding
2. physical specifications of the
race track (length, turns, surface,
drainage, etc.)
3. track bias in the horse's previous
starts
4. jockey skills
5. trainer skills
6. current form of the horse
7. how the horse likes track conditions
8. horse's ability at today's distance
9. predicted pace of the race
10. how to read a program or a Daily
Racing Form
11. etc., etc., etc.
It
was our beloved first president,
George Washington, himself a racehorse
owner who once said, "Horse
racing is the child of avarice,
the brother of iniquity, and the
father of mischief."
Gitty
up!
Dear
Mark,
I like to plunk down bets on the
"Big 6," that carnival
type wheel you will find in most
casinos. What are the house odds
on that game? Gary R.
You
do realize, Gary, that you plunk
and the dealer snatches. All six
wagers on the Big 6 carry a steep
house edge. That casino advantage
is as follows: 11.1 percent on the
$1 spot, 16.6% on the $2, 22.2%
on the $5, 18.5% on the $10, 22.2%
on the $20, and 24% on either joker.
By betting a steady diet of Big
6 wagers, Gary, you will run out
of air speed and altitude quickly.
Dear
Mark,
If, like you say, the house has
only a 1.4% advantage on a pass
line bet, how can the casino make
any money by offering that wager?
Jordan P.
It
doesn't matter who wins this one
bet but who ends up with all the
money. The casino realizes few players
are sophisticated enough to restrict
their craps betting to just smart
wagers.
But let's look at the bet in question,
Jordan: a pass line wager. If you
were to play 100 bets on the pass
line, you can expect to win about
49 times and lose the other 51.
The casino will gladly take this
itty-bitty 49/51 ratio and multiply
it by thousands of decisions daily,
weekly and yearly, and guarantee
themselves a generous long-term
profit.
Dear
Mark,
Does the Megabucks machine pay back
the same as regular $1 slot machines?
Mary K.
Notta
chance, Mary. By offering the player
a shot at slot immortality, Megabucks
shakes you down on the smaller payoffs.
It is Megabuck's progressive bonus
that allows you to fantasize champagne
wishes and caviar dreams. On average,
Megabucks returns slightly less
than a 90% payback while the typical
$1 machine in Nevada averages more
than 95%.
Dear
Mark,
When I hear cheering coming from
a crap game, does that mean it's
a hot game ready for me to dive
right in? Bruce T.
Not
necessarily, Bruce. The dice might
have been sizzling before you come
aboard, but that doesn't mean they
will stay heated because you're
now there. The reason is that your
dice timeline-the period you're
on the game-is different from the
earlier players. Understand, Bruce,
when you join a game in progress,
you initiate your own personal sequence
of rolls, with the dice possibly
going cold from that moment on.
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