Q. Now that Mayor Daley has changed positions again and says he wants
a casino for Chicago, what do you think? Is a casino in Chicago owned
by the city and state a good idea?
A.A., via e-mail
A. I rather suspect that the currently open license will go to a
suburban site--Des Plaines, perhaps?--and that adding a casino for
Chicago will take an act of the state Legislature to increase the number
of available licenses.
That's probably just as well. A single Chicago casino with the legal
limit of 1,200 gaming positions would be a minnow in Lake Michigan, and
multiple casinos or more gaming positions would require changes in
Illinois law.
There is little doubt that a Chicago casino, or even several Chicago
casinos, could be extremely successful. The bigger question is whether
the casino or casinos should be city/state-owned. In that matter, I have
serious reservations, starting with the question of regulatory
responsibility.
If the city and state own the casino, and the state regulates the
casino, isn't that a gigantic conflict of interest? Do I want to play in
a casino where the same body that owns the joint also is responsible for
making sure the slot programs are random, that the roulette wheel is in
balance or that card games are being played with a full deck? No, I do
not.
There are other potential problems. Building and outfitting a casino
requires large capital expenditures, and while a Chicago casino is
likely to succeed, the risk is not zero. Casinos have failed. And
forcing existing casinos, whose largest expense is the state gaming tax,
to compete against a city/state-owned operation tilts the odds pretty
heavily,
Still, it's the regulatory issue that makes my stomach queasy. The
potential for abuse is enormous when the owners and regulators are part
of the same overall body. It's a conflict of interest Illinois should
avoid.
Q. I am new to the gambling world due to a recent retirement. I have
heard there are systems to help you win at the slot machines. If this
is true, are there any you could recommend?
R.R., via e-mail
A. With rare exceptions, slot machines are not beatable games. I've
never seen a system that was worth the paper it was printed on, let
alone the cost to buy it.
Some bonusing games have points at which the edge swings slightly to the
player. For example, if you're playing dollar Piggy Bankin' machines and
the "bank" shows more than $20, there is a slight player edge.
Most bonus games offer no player edge. If you're interested in seeking
out the rare few, I'd suggest Charles Lund's book, Robbing the
One-Armed Bandits. Most players would be better off with a good
basic book on how slots work, such as Frank Scoblete's Break the
One-Armed Bandits or my own Slot Machine Answer Book.
As for systems that claim to beat the slots with money management
schemes and such, don't waste your money.
Q. I just returned from Treasure Island in Las Vegas and encountered a
puzzle when selecting a machine for some $1 Jacks or Better action.
They had a row of 8-5 games with a progressive payout for royal
flushes that was at the $5,400 level. Just across the aisle were 9-6
games with a fixed $4,000 payoff for the royal.
The gentleman next to me said you're better off at a 9-6 machine until
the progressive got to the $8,000 level. Is this correct?
J.S., via e-mail
A. Each 1,000 coins added to a royal flush adds about one-half percent
to the overall payback percentage. At $4,000 for a royal, 9-6 Jacks or
Better returns 99.5 percent with expert play, while 8-5 Jacks returns
97.3 percent. If the royal gets to $8,000, that adds about 2 percent, so
8-5 Jacks then would approach the point where it's as good as the 9-6
version.
Keep in mind that those payback percentages are with expert play over
the long haul. In the short term, you can do much better, or much worse.
And if the progressive jackpot is large enough to make the 8-5 game
about as good a percentage play as 9-6 Jacks or Better, that doesn't
necessarily mean it's the game you should choose. It's just as important
to know what you want out of the game. The higher payoffs on the more
frequently occurring full houses and flushes make 9-6 Jacks more of an
even-keel game. You can lose your money a lot faster on the 8-5 game.
The tradeoff is that if you get lucky and hit a royal on the progressive
game, you're walking away with a much bigger jackpot.
For more information about slots and video poker, we recommend:
The Video Poker Answer Book by John Grochowski
The Slot Machine Answer Book by John Grochowski
The Casino Answer Book by John Grochowski
Break the One-Armed Bandits! by Frank Scoblete
Victory at Video Poker and Video Craps, Keno and Blackjack! by Frank
Scoblete
Slot Conquest Audio Cassette Tape (60 minutes) with Frank Scoblete
Winning Strategies at Slots & Video Poker! Video tape hosted by
Academy Award Winner James Coburn, Written by Frank Scoblete
The Slot Expert's Guide to Playing Slots by John Robison
