The
name is Bond, James Bond
Dear Mark,
You answered a question by stating that the most popular
number played on a roulette wheel was 17 and reasoned that
this was so because it was located in the center of the
layout and everyone could reach it. I guess my point is
that it is likely that other factors add to the "appeal"
of 17 for the masses. I suggest that its popularity is based
somewhat on the James Bond films where he bets "17
Black." Just a hunch, but I know many players who bet
this way. Jimmy H.
Correct you are, Jimmy. Bond did enjoy both baccarat and
roulette as a way to relax and unwind after saving the world.
And yes, players drinking martinis, shaken not stirred,
tend to follow his pattern of play.
Besides birthday and anniversary dates, many players choose
numbers used in the movies, from record LPs (the Beatles;
number 9, number 9, number 9), even after a player's favorite
athlete. Popular in northern Nevada when I dealt the game
was 16 Red, Joe Montana's jersey number and color.
Getting back to Her Majesty's favorite secret agent: The
most popular number in the movies is not 17, even if it
was a favorite of Ian Fleming's Bond, but 22. You'll see
it played at pivotal points in "Casablanca," "The
Sting" and "Lost in America."
Also of little note, 22, my personal favorite, was the first
number called at Bill's Casino at south Lake Tahoe when
it officially opened on July 1, 1987 at 7:01 p.m. And who
(brag mode ON) called that first number? Yours truly (brag
mode OFF). One player had a $25 chip on it and won $875.
Dear Mark,
I am having a minor dispute with a friend about 'jack's
or better' five card draw.
Is there usually (obviously house rules vary from place
to place, but in general) a requirement to prove you have
a pair of jacks or better to open? When I learned this game,
there was no such requirement and you could actually bluff
the open. My friend now tells me that this is not the case
and penalties like matching the pot are usually imposed
if the opener does bluff. What is your experience on this
issue? John K.
When I was growing up, John, if I misplayed a hand in pinochle,
fraudulently or not, the chastening was not only getting
the heave-ho from the game but castigated for piss-poor
play and an additional penalty of washing all the dishes.
This is how I learned that honesty prevails in card play.
But I'm writing about a friendly, or in my case, a hostile
game environment at the kitchen table where local rules
apply.
In casino poker rooms, they don't offer a jack's or better
game for one simple reason. SHOW ME THE MONEY! Casinos can't
pay the lighting bills on the many dead hands that a Jack's
or better game would create. You can't 'rake' a pot that
isn't there. The rake, the money that the card room charges,
is usually a percentage or flat fee taken from the pot after
each round of betting. Every time a dealer pitches out a
hand, your miserly casino owner wants a piece of the action.
As for home rules, I've heard of everything from matching
the pot to forfeiting the hand, and in a worst case senerio,
the bucking up for all the booze and burgers.
So in the future, John, let whoever is gracious enough to
let you spill beer and chip dip all over their carpet make
the rules of the house. |
No
Eggheads 
Allowed