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.
Neither
of you wins the light repast. It was a $10 pass line bet
by Steve Lawrence that made Atlantic City gambling history
on Memorial Day, 1978.
Incidentally, did you know that the invention of sandwich
is directly related to gambling? No kidding! The next time
you're enjoying a double cheddar, large fry and an Oreo
cookie shake, thank the Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792). He
loved to gamble so much he had his cortege bring him meats,
bread and cheese so he wouldn't have to abandon the gambling
parlors. Hence, the sandwich.
Dear
Mark,
Is blackjack still the number one game in Las Vegas? It
seems I'm seeing fewer and fewer 21 tables and more and
more slots. Grant G.
If
I could be "Gambling Czar" for just one day, collecting
casino profits on just one game, it would not be the casino
win at blackjack but of the 25¢ slot machine. Yes,
the quarter machine takes in more in net profit for the
casino ($2.6 billion in Nevada) than blackjack, baccarat,
craps, roulette, keno and the sports books combined.
Yes, Grant, you are astute in you observations. Vegas is becoming an adult pinball palace.
Dear Mark,
When you have a 16 in blackjack, would you advise surrendering
against a face card? Also could you please explain the difference
between early and late surrender? Sara G.
Surrender
is an option in which the casinos allow players to "surrender"
half their original bet total after they have examined their
first two cards and have viewed the dealer up card.
If the casino's blackjack rules permit surrender, jump on
their offer. Let's face it, Sara, a 16 is a garbage hand
faced off against a 10. The best move when dealt dealer
debris is to relinquish half your bet. Never, Sara, think
of surrender as giving up half your wager, just getting
back half your probable loss.
Early surrender permits a player to relinquish half her
wager even if the dealer has a blackjack. With late surrender,
if the dealer possesses a blackjack, the player loses her
complete bet.
Dear
Mark,
With all the different types of video poker machines to
select from, how's a customer to choose which machine to
play? Gerry B.
There are more than a hundred different video poker machines
to choose from. Games like Joker Poker, Louisiana Jacks,
Gator Poker, etc., offer you a supermarket selection, but
all have different paytables needing distinct playing strategies.
I recommend learning and limiting your play to two, like
my favorites, Deuces Wild and Jacks-or-Better.
Dear
Mark,
What are your thoughts regarding those shuffling machines
found on blackjack games? Carrie C.
No
aficionado of shuffling machines here, in spite of these
shuffle mechanisms finding wide acceptance by casino operators
and players alike. With a Shufflemaster, a leading industry
shuffle machine, dealers do not have to waste time manually
shuffling cards. From the casino perspective, time is money.
The more hands per hour the better. From a player's perspective
speed kills in a casino environment. The more time you are
exposed to the house advantage, the more it will wreak havoc
on your bankroll.
I recommend finding a table with the fewest decks possible.
This forces the dealer to
constantly shuffle and not expose you to any casino edge
while shuffling.
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