Casino Gambling FOR DUMmIES ‰ by Kevin Blackwood Foreword by Max Rubin Author of Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page iii 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page ii Casino Gambling FOR DUMmIES ‰ 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page i 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page ii Casino Gambling FOR DUMmIES ‰ by Kevin Blackwood Foreword by Max Rubin Author of Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page iii Casino Gambling For Dummies ® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006926109 ISBN-13: 978-0-471-75286-8 ISBN-10: 0-471-75286-X Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/SZ/QW/QW/IN 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page iv Dedication I dedicate this book to my father, Malcolm. He taught me long ago the value of a dollar and how to be a smart gambler — lessons that have served me well in life. About the Author Growing up in a conservative small town along the Maine coast, Kevin Blackwood never anticipated visiting Sin City. With aspirations of becoming a college professor, he traveled the usual roads of academia, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in religious education and Biblical history. His journey took a sudden detour in 1984. While working on his doctorate at the University of Oregon, he learned how to count cards and started playing blackjack on weekends. His studies began to pale in comparison to the excit- ing world of gambling. And one day, after a futile effort to find a parking spot on the crowded campus, he bagged his plans to teach church history, quit school — and headed to Las Vegas. Since then, Blackwood has lived what many would consider the American dream, earning big bucks while working only part-time, winning consistently at blackjack tables all over the world. More recently, he has jumped on the Texas Hold’em bandwagon, with several poker tournament wins under his belt. His unusual life experiences inspired Blackwood to write a novel, The Counter (Wooden Pagoda Press). In addition, he is the author of Play Blackjack Like the Pros (HarperCollins), the most comprehensive guide to becoming a win- ning blackjack player. He has also written for magazines, including Casino Player, Midwest Gaming and Travel, Blackjack Insider, and Gambling.com. His TV appearances include the World Series of Blackjack (semifinalist 2005) and the Ultimate Blackjack Tour (finalist 2006). Blackwood lives in Oregon with his wife of 25 years. They have two sons in college and a 22-year-old feline that is the most worshipped cat since the golden era of the pharaohs. You can reach Kevin by e-mail at Kevin@ kevinblackwood.com . 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page v Author’s Acknowledgments Any good book is always a collaborative effort. Several people took time out of their busy schedules to offer tips, suggestions, and insights. These include ߜ Annie Duke, not only a great poker player but a superb writer. ߜ Phil Hellmuth, a poker icon and the gold standard for any aspiring tour- nament player. ߜ Howard Lederer, perhaps the most admired and respected name in poker. ߜ Antonio Esfandiari, a flamboyant poker player who let me tag along for a rare peek at how a world-class mind operates. ߜ Russ Hamilton, the 1994 WSOP champion and a terrific all-around gambler. ߜ Scott Fischman, one of the brightest young stars in poker. ߜ Anthony Curtis, publisher of Las Vegas Advisor, and a man who always has the answer for any question in the world of gambling. ߜ Michael Shackleford, gifted mathematician and author of Gambling 102, who allowed me to use several examples from his excellent Web site, www.thewizardofodds.com. ߜ Max Rubin, one of the funnier and more colorful people I know, who wrote the foreword and let me adapt ten principles from his book, Comp City (Huntington Press) for Chapter 22 of this book. ߜ Jake Soroka, an integral part of the great team at Bodog Casino, who sup- plied several screen shots for this book. ߜ Barry Meadow, a great writer who generously loaned me several books to aid in my research. I regret that we’ve never worked together on a project. ߜ Michael Traum, public relations manager of John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino, who provided screen shots, illustrations, and several helpful items on keno and bingo. ߜ Rod Wood, who shared tips on video poker. ߜ Barney Vinson, a fellow author who contributed a great roulette story for this book. ߜ Steve C., who reviewed the chapters on slots and video poker. ߜ Barry Finn, who corrected some mistakes in the poker chapter. ߜ Tom Grieder, for sharing information from his research trips. 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page vi ߜ Tim and Justin Wood, who helped set up the book’s graphs and charts. ߜ Tony Delise, director of slots at John Ascuagua’s Nugget, for helping on keno and bingo. ߜ Mickey, who opened his home to me, and Tiffany Whitney, who helped me start the early chapters. ߜ My agents, Matt Wagner (Fresh Books) and Frank Scatoni and Greg Dinkin (Venture Literary) deserve a big thank-you for making this project happen. Also, Betsy Sheldon, Tracy Boggier, Chad Sievers, and Pam Ruble helped polish this book. Thanks to Larry Barker for doing the technical editing and Stanford Wong for suggesting my name to author this book. ߜ Some excellent writers provided invaluable assistance, including Fara Kearnes, Rusty Fischer, Mark Salley, and Swain Schep. I doubt I could have finished the book without them, and the text is markedly better because of their efforts. Fara worked on several chapters in this book, and Swain contributed some much-needed humor. Mark has now helped me on all three of my books, and I greatly appreciate his long-term friendship. ߜ But the biggest thank-you goes to my wife, who reviewed nearly every chapter and gave great critique and feedback. Though not a gambler, she took a big risk marrying me. 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page vii Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Chad R. Sievers Contributor: Betsy Sheldon Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Copy Editors: Melissa Wiley, Pam Ruble Editorial Program Coordinator: Hanna K. Scott Technical Editor: Larry Barker Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan, Nadine Bell Cover Photos: © Steve Mason/Getty Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Tera Knapp Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Andrea Dahl, Mary J. Gillot, Stephanie D. Jumper, Barbara Moore, Shelley Norris, Barry Offringa, Brent Savage, Lynsey Osborn, Alicia B. South Proofreaders: John Greenough, Leeann Harney, Techbooks Indexer: Techbooks Special Help: Josh Dials, Kristin DeMint Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page viii [...]... issues, including essential tax-reporting info Chapter 5 identifies casino gambling etiquette so you don’t make a gambling faux pas Chapter 1 Casino Gambling 101: The Inside Scoop In This Chapter ᮣ Entering the world of casino gambling ᮣ Tallying up the casino s many offerings ᮣ Pinpointing casinos on the gambling map ᮣ Testing your gambling aptitude I was a big golf fan during the game’s golden age,... yourself, and get ready for a positive — even profitable — gambling experience 2 Casino Gambling For Dummies About This Book If you’re heading to Vegas, Atlantic City, your nearest riverboat gambling haven, an ocean cruise, or anywhere casino bets are buzzing, then this is the book for you From blackjack to baccarat, from sports betting to slot strategies, I give you the essential information to help you... horses .16 Gambling Near and Far: Where to Find Casinos .17 Nevada: Viva the gambling state! .17 Atlantic City: Vegas of the east 18 Diving into on-the-water gambling .19 Indian gaming: Cashing in on less glitz 19 Beyond the borders: Gambling abroad .20 Betting on the Internet .20 Measuring Your Gambling IQ 21 xii Casino Gambling For Dummies Chapter... that flush?) The second appendix provides additional resources for delving deeper into casino gambling Icons Used in This Book Icons are a signature feature of For Dummies books They help draw your eye to specific types of information And after you have read the book, the icons provide a great guide for a final review before hitting the casino This bull’s-eye denotes a suggestion that can potentially... Information after this icon can help you understand the odds behind casino bets Educated gamblers choose the best games and bets, greatly increasing their chances of coming home a winner 5 6 Casino Gambling For Dummies Where to Go from Here The best place to begin is Part I because it sets up the remaining chapters This section covers the gambling basics, orients you to casinos, and tells you how formidable... xix xx Casino Gambling For Dummies Rolling on the River (or Lake) 312 Exploring Native American Casinos 313 Collecting Chips in Connecticut .313 Striking Gold in California 314 Finding Hidden Treasures in the Caribbean .315 Joining the Jet Set 315 Chapter 20: Ten (Or So) Common Casino Gambling Mistakes to Avoid 317 Gambling. .. sports books in order to place bets on your favorite sports team or horse Part IV: Taking Casino Gambling to a Different Level This part is short, but it has valuable information Although most of the book focuses on casino gambling, I offer a chapter in this part on online casino gambling The chapter includes guidelines for staying out of trouble in that Introduction murky yet potentially profitable arena... Glance Foreword xxi Introduction 1 Part I: Casino Gambling Basics: Everything You Need to Know to Start 7 Chapter 1: Casino Gambling 101: The Inside Scoop .9 Chapter 2: Taking a Quick Stroll Through the Casino 25 Chapter 3: Probability, Odds, and a Bit of Luck: What You Need to Succeed 39 Chapter 4: Managing Your Money in a Casino 53 Chapter 5: Minding Your Gambling. .. open to the sport of casino gambling I make the following assumptions about you, my dear reader: ߜ You’re preparing for an upcoming visit to a casino and want to understand the basics and correct protocol before entering that foreign world ߜ You may be familiar with most games, but you simply want some tips to improve your performance and skills ߜ You want to win when you gamble in a casino ߜ You also... introduces the fast-paced, adrenalinepumping world of casino gambling The first chapter offers a sneak preview of what to expect in Casino Gambling For Dummies Chapter 2 helps you find your way around a casino and introduces you to the key players Chapter 3 provides a quick overview on probability, odds, house edge, and luck so you have a strong foundation before you start playing Chapter 4 focuses on important . 3:07 PM Page ii Casino Gambling FOR DUMmIES ‰ 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page i 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page ii Casino Gambling FOR DUMmIES ‰ by Kevin Blackwood Foreword by Max. available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2006926109 ISBN-13: 97 8-0 -4 7 1-7 528 6-8 ISBN-10: 0-4 7 1-7 5286-X Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/SZ/QW/QW/IN 01_75286x. ABCs of B-I-N-G-O 238 Setting the scene: The cast, crew, and props 238 Playing B-I-N-G-O down the line 240 Spicing up cover patterns 241 Uncovering bigger prizes with coverall 242 Calling Forth