 
Las
Vegas is Cheapskate City
Dear
Mark,
I received an advertisement in the
mail that offered a book of coupons
that I can use on my next trip to
Las Vegas. They wanted $4.95 for
$200 worth of coupons. Is that a
good deal? Terry C.
Save
your money, Terry. Not only is Las
Vegas the hot dog and shrimp cocktail
capital of the world, but for the
coupon clipper, Las Vegas is the
"half-off" city. Everywhere
you look, or go, newsstands will
be loaded with, and hawkers passing
out, coupons with the latest bargains
in Las Vegas. The favorite of many
who journey to Vegas is What's On
in Las Vegas. With a 130,000-per-issue
circulation, you will find this
FREE, coupon-laden publication everywhere.
I'll be forthcoming here, Terry.
I'm a big time tightwad. I won't,
nor should you, pay full price for
anything.
Dear
Mark,
I have two blackjack questions for
you. First, what is the house advantage,
if any, if I use a never-bust system
against the dealer? Also, is it
better to play on a blackjack game
where the dealer hits a soft 17
or stands? Thomas D.
Over
the years I've seen many losing
players employ this never-bust strategy.
Right off the top, they're giving
the house a 5% edge. Strict basic
strategy, which obviously recommends
hitting plenty of stiff hands, cuts
the house edge to a half of one
percent on the six-or eight-deck
games that you'll find in the Chicago
area. Use it, or plan on losing
it-all.
When you play a game in which the
dealer hits a soft 17, you give
the house an additional two-tenths
of one percent. With a soft 17 showing,
an Ace, 2, 3 or 4 improves the dealer's
hand and a 10, Jack, Queen or King
leaves it of equivalent value. Eight
of every 13 cards, Thomas, either
improves the dealers hand or it
stays the same. If any of the other
five cards are drawn, the dealer
still has a chance to convalesce
his hand with another draw.
For the above reason, Thomas, basic
strategy dictates that you the player
should always hit a soft 17, or
double down against a dealer who's
showing a 3, 4, 5, 6.
Dear
Mark,
Could you please give a brief description
of the rules for Let It Ride? Hugh
G.
Let
It Ride is based on the all-American
game of five-card stud poker. The
game begins with every player placing
three equal wagers on their individual
betting circles. The object of the
game is to get a winning poker hand
(10s or better) using your three
cards plus the dealers two "community"
cards. Your three cards are dealt
face down, and the two community
cards are placed face down in front
of the dealer.
After looking at your three cards,
you may ask to have your bet returned
or "let it ride," depending
on whether your cards show the possibility
of a winning hand. Then the dealer's
first community card is turned over,
and again you can ask for your bet
back or let it ride. Finally, the
second community card is turned
over, completing both the player's
poker hand and the game. Your third
bet, a contract wager, is committed
to play and can't be returned. The
dealer then pays all the winning
hands according to a payout schedule.
The higher the rank hand, the greater
the payoff, with a royal flush paying
1,000 to one.
The game is fairly simple, Hugh,
but because 70% of the hands are
outright losers, the house edge
(3.5%) is well above my recommended
maximum of 2%. I recommend you stick
with some of the better bets that
the casino has to offer.
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