Win yourself a brand-new Jeep! Drawn winners can play the Lucky Duck game and pick a duck to win some BIG prizes!
Claim your daily free entry and earn additional entries for every 25 Tier Points starting March 3rd.
All drawn winners will earn an entry to the Semi-Finale Drawing on May 25th at 10pm.
4 Slot Floor Sensations: Our Top Picks
Check out some of our favorite casino floors from around the region and what makes them great.
2 Casino Scene: Hot Happenings at Our Preferred Properties
Get the scoop on what’s happening at our preferred properties around the region.
8 Slot Spotlights: Today’s Top Slots
Check out some of the hottest new slot machines from the top manufacturers in the industry.
12 From Foal to the Winner’s Circle: The Journey of a Kentucky Derby Champion
Find out what the road to the winner’s circle looks like for a champion thoroughbred.
16 Video Poker: Promotional Trends
Stay on top of the rules and trends for promotions.
17 Texas Hold’em: Back to the Basics
Enjoy a crash course on the fundamentals of Texas Hold’em.
18 Craps: Betting Trends
Learn why betting trends is a bad trend.
19 Casino Knowledge: Q&A with John G.
The in’s and out’s of slot play the right way.
20 Sports Betting: Early Action
Future odds of major sporting events. Find the edge and make your play!
(D’Iberville, MS – Gulf Coast) Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort - If you are looking for a premier gulf coast resort with stunning views, decadent dining & dynamic gaming, look no further than Scarlet Pearl. The property claimed several top Readers’ Choice Awards including Best Casino Floor, Casino Personnel, Customer Service and more. With the Super Bowl upon us, and basketball in full swing, be sure to watch and wager on your favorite teams at the Scarlet Pearl Sportsbook featuring 23 HD screens including a 144-inch entertainment screen that is awesome! For more information, call 1-888-752-9772 or visit ScarletPearlCasino.com
(Vicksburg, MS) Ameristar Casino Hotel - Ameristar is committed to creating a magical experience for every guest, and that goes for their room rates too. In addition to AARP, AAA and other discounts, the property also honors a “Best Rate Guarantee” that ensures you will get the best possible rate when you book your room and if happen to find a lower rate within 24 hours of making your reservation, they will happily match the rate. Plus, don’t miss great live music weekly in the Bottleneck Blues Bar with a seating capacity of 300 and regularly hosts great rock, blues, country, and bands. For reservations and more information, call 1-601-630-3786 visit AmeristarVicksburg.com.
(Tunica, MS) Hollywood Casino Tunica – Get a taste of the glitz and glamor of the stars at Hollywood Casino Tunica. After checking out the amazing collection of memorabilia around the property, guests can enjoy the award-winning Fairbanks Steakhouse for one of the best dining experiences in the region and then stay in a 5-story tower overlooking the casino floor or the 8-story tower next to the largest indoor pool in Tunica. When it’s time for casino action, Hollywood Tunica has you covered with over 1,000 slots, almost twenty table games and a sportsbook to get in on the action for the biggest games. For more information, call 1-800-871-0711 or visit HollywoodCasinoTunica.com.
(West Memphis, AR) Southland Casino Hotel – Whether you are looking to play, stay, dine, or do all three, Southland Casino Hotel offers it all. Explore our expansive casino floor with 2,300 slot, 50 live tables, the Betly sportsbook and more. Southland offers eight dining options ranging from the elegant Ignite Steakhouse to the ultimate buffet experience at The Kitchens, and live entertainment at the Charred Oak Bourbon Bar, Chairman’s Bar, and Betly Sportsbar & Grill. For more information call 1-800-467-6182 or visit SouthlandCasino.com.
(Bowler, WI) North Star Mohican Casino Resort – As if you ever needed a reason for a gambling getaway, North Star certainly has plenty of them to ensure your stay is great from the second you step in the lobby. Guests enjoy great gambling with over 1,200 machines, plenty of table games including blackjack, Three Card Poker, Let it Ride, Craps and more. Also, book a room in their luxurious contemporary hotel or the 57-site RV Park with 20-30-and 50-amp service, pull thru sites, picnic table area and pet friendly. Also check out top entertainment and events at North Star including Blackberry Smoke (March 16) and Theresa Caputo (May 3 & 4). For more information and reservations, call 1-800-952-0195 or visit NorthStarCasinoResort.com.
When it comes to creating a perfect environment to entertain adults with a variety of wants and desires, casino resorts seem to have it figured out. From fantastic dining to the lavish luxuries like spas and cabanas, casinos offer their guests the best of the best to insure they are satisfied and keep coming back. We caught up with some of our preferred properties to find out about their casino floors, the variety of games they have and why their guests like to play there.
Hollywood Casino Tunica & 1st Jackpot (Tunica, Mississippi)
1-800-871-0711
HollywoodCasinoTunica.com
Casino Size:
• Hollywood: 55,000 square feet with 791 slot machines
• 1st Jackpot: 46,500 square feet with 651 slot machines
Director of Casino Operations: Andrew Lindberg (20 years in the gaming industry)
Casino Layout Description: The casino layout for both Hollywood and 1st Jackpot is open and airy, offering plenty of space between games and you’ll never feel crowded. We offer a great variety of newer and older style games so no matter what game you like to play, we have you covered.
Popular Machines: Over much of the last decade, Dragon Links has been the most popular game in the industry. With a great hold and spin feature, it offers fun and exciting gameplay with opportunities for big payouts.
Slot Machine Trends & Advancements: As the vendors would call it, perceived persistence
is something that is utilized by a lot of manufacturers and has increasing popularity. This is when there are growing icons or characters that to give the impression that a bonus round is coming and build up excitement from spin to spin. This is an additional feature that creates excitement when attempting to launch into a bonus round.
I feel that there are a lot of exciting improvements coming to the gaming industry that will continue to enhance the players’ experience. Whether it is manufacturers partnering with industries like Aristocrat has done with the NFL or simply increasing interaction with the player. We are awaiting a new game that allows you to essentially play the game show Deal or no Deal. Once
you launch the bonus round you will get to play the game as if you were on the show including picking cases and getting offers from the banker. This is an example of a new and exciting game we are adding to our casino floor.
Current Promotions:
Slot Play Frenzy – Sundays, 11AM to 11PM, for every 100 points earned, swipe at a kiosk and win up to $2,500 in PENN Slot Play.
Mystery Scratch & Win – Mondays, 10AM to 10PM, earn 100 points and swipe at a kiosk to win up to $1,500 in PENN Slot Play
Wednesday & Thursday Kiosk Games – 10AM to 10PM, earn 100 points and swipe at a kiosk to win up to $2,000 in PENN Slot Play
Friday & Saturday Drawings – For every 10 points earned throughout the week, earn an entry; drawings from 7PM – 10PM; entry multipliers on Tues/Thurs/Fri/Sat, Grand Prize Drawings on February 24th for appliances and electronics, Grand Prize Drawing on March 30th for up to $12,000
Southland Casino Hotel (West Memphis, Arkansas)
1-800-467-6182
SouthlandCasino.com
Casino Size: 99,859 square feet with 2,240 machines
Casino Manager: Jim Wilson - 16 years with Southland and 28 years in the gaming industry.
Casino Layout Description: We have a floor that is approximately two football fields long and there are no columns, so our guests have an unimpeded view of the entire gaming floor. We have worked to group games into areas so our guests can find their favorite game
easier. We have a Cashman area, a classic slot area, a video poker and keno area, a buffalo area, a dragon den, etc.
Popular Machines: Dragon Cash, Ultimate Fire Link, Buffalo Link, Dragon Link
Slot Machine Trends and Advancements: I think it is possible you will see AI integrated into slot machines of the future expanding how the machines play and the interaction the guests will have with the machines. It will be interesting to see how it develops. I also think the graphics will continue to evolve and more interactive games will grow as well with more multi line games instead of the old standard one line three-reel games. Players also like the ability to charge their phone at a slot machine and order a drink from the machine. So, the players’ convenience is important, and we will see more of that as well. The continued evolution of cashless gaming will also be interesting. It took a few years for guests to migrate from playing coins at the games to transition to paper tickets instead. There was a lot of pushbacks at first, however, guests are now all in with ticketing as they don’t have to carry buckets of coins with them anymore. It will be interesting to see how guests will transition to cashless games and go away from using currency.
Current Promotions:
10PM, the money will roll over to the next Friday. Second chance drawing at 10:30PM and five guests win $2,000 in Free Play. Receive one entry for every 500 points earned day of promotion beginning at 10AM.
Ameristar Casino Vicksburg (Vicksburg, Mississippi)
1-601-638-1000
AmeristarVicksburg.com
Casino Size: 70,000 square feet with 950 slot machines
Slot Manager: Eric Taylor- 22 years in the gaming business and 14 years at Ameristar.
$100,000 Embrace the Madness Giveaway – Saturday March 9,16, 23 & 30 270 winners will win a share of $100,000 in cash and free play. Earn entries daily. One entry every 24 points. 5X entries on Wednesdays and Thursdays
$75,000 Break the Bank Giveaway – Fridays 6PM – 10:30PM – Brak the Bank to win $5,000 in cash. One Free Entry. If no one breaks the bank by
Casino Layout Description: Our casino floor is designed to maximize player comfort with most slots configured into three and four game pods to give players more space and enhance the feel of privacy. Gone are the big, long banks of games with players elbow to elbow the feeling like you are in a warehouse. With the fourth largest gaming floor in Mississippi, we have a lot of casino gaming space and can strategically put “defined spaces” and sections together. For example, we have a video penny area, a High Limit room, a video poker section, reel slot area, a “classic favorite” section, and most recently we added an Aristocrat Lounge featuring the latest and greatest themes from Aristocrat Gaming.
Slot Machine Trends and Advancements: We see players liking the new bonus features such as hold and spin’s, free games, random wins, multipliers, and more are being added for excitement and to allow guests to play longer. As far as advancements in the industry, our property is the first in the Central Mississippi Region to offer three C’s technology on the slot machines, meaning guests can play Cashless, Cardless, and Contactless. This technology eliminates the need for a guest to have a physical player’s card and physical cash. They can set up the PENN Play App and Wallet, skip the cashier lines and ATM fees, and make deposits and withdrawals with their phone right to the game they want to play. Innovative technology can cause some hesitation with folks, but we’ve seen that guests really like it once they understand how to use it. It was not long ago that many people did not even have an email, but now they have multiple ways to communicate in the palm of their hand, and casinos are finding ways to use those cell phones to give offers and bonuses and enhance the guest experience.
Current Promotions: March through May: Lucky Duck JEEP Giveaway: Fifteen winners will be drawn on Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm to 10pm to play the Lucky Duck game for thousands in prizes and entries for the grand finale night when one lucky winner will drive away in a 2024 JEEP Wrangler!
Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort (D’Iberville, Mississippi – Biloxi Area)
1-888-752-9772
ScarletPearlCasino.com
Slot Manager: James Elrod - 8 years at Scarlet Pearl
Casino Layout Description: We have an open layout that spreads our floor out to maximize the space. When we accommodated for covid regulations we added a lot of squares and rounds and our players liked the separation it provided for them.
Slot Machine Trends and Advancements: Our most popular games are Dragon cash, Lightning cash, Buffalo triple power, Timberwolf Triple Power and Buffalo. I think we will start seeing more high bet penny
Phone charging stations are on most machines, and they are offering more advanced lighting and graphics so those trends will continue as well.
Island Resort & Casino (Harris, Michigan)
1-800-682-6040
IslandResortandCasino.com
Casino Size: 50,000 square feet with 1,154 machines
Slot Director: Terry Carlson – 30 years at Island Resort
Casino Layout Description: The gaming floor at Island Resort is player
friendly and accessible. We pride ourselves in keeping our floor up to date and fresh with the latest and greatest games and cabinets the gaming industry has to offer while still offering a wide selection of relic games. There is something for every type of player on our casino floor.
Slot Machine Trends and Advancements: Some of our customer favorites and strong performers are Lightning Link and Dragon Link by Aristocrat, Mystery of the Lamp by IGT, and Light and Wonders Ultimate Fire Link and Frankenstein. Some of the features that are popular are games with the hold and spin feature, perceived persistence and triple feature games such as Coin Combo by Light and Wonder, Shamrock Fortunes by AGS, Coin Trio by Aristocrat, and Egyptian Link by IGT. Players like games that offer many free spins such as China Shores Boosted Wins & Spins by Konami are also a customer favorite. Some of the advancements of slot machines that we have seen and like are the designs of the cabinets and the lighting features, cell phone charging port or wireless charging are both well received. Some of the trends that I see continuing are high quality graphics and animation that increase the entertainment value for the customer while playing. Adding unique bonus features and player interaction during game play is also becoming popular as well as cashless gaming, however, I do not think it is for everyone.
Current Promotions: Monthly Hot Seat Drawings including VIPs and Senior Days.
Top it Off Tuesday: Earn points and get free gas and Continuity promotions for free weekly gifts.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Sioux City, Iowa)1-844-222-7625 HardRockCasinoSiouxCity.com
Casino Size: 45,000 square feet with 658 machines
Casino Layout: Guests have given us great feedback on the layout, and we have provided more space for guests to play and space for their beverages and handbags. This has also increased the sightlines of the casino floor and really opened things up so people can view the memorabilia like Slash’s boots (from Guns and Roses) or Sammy Davis, Jr.’s pipes. We also have the table games pit running down the center of the gaming floor that features a ceiling with guitar frets. We are constantly updating the casino layout as we add new products throughout the year. We try to keep it fresh for our customers.
Slot Machine Trends and Advancements: It seems that slot machines and technology are ever changing but we continue to see Dragon link from Aristocrat remain a
popular game on the gaming floor. I would say that we have been seeing a steady decline in video poker players over the last five years, and more slot players, so we tend to adjust the percentage accordingly.
Current Promotions:
Fridays in March: Money Booth
Madness: Get in the booth and grab as much cash as you can. At each drawing time, five names will be selected to pick a mystery prize envelope that will determine which two winners will get a turn in the cash booth! All remaining winners will get $250 Free Slot Play.
Sundays in March: Lucky Loot: Swipe at a Rewards Center Kiosk between 7AM-10PM each Sunday to activate your point multiplier! Rock Star: 2X POINTS - Hall of Fame: 3X POINTS
– Legend: 4X POINTS - Double Platinum: 5X POINTS. Promotional points will be added after the conclusion of the promotion.
The clinking of coins, the thrill of the chase, the iconic “onearmed bandit” silhouette – slot machines have captured gaming enthusiasts’ imaginations for over a century. From their humble beginnings as mechanical marvels to their electrifying video game transformations that we see today, slot machines have undergone a fascinating evolution. The first modern slot machine was invented in San Francisco in 1895 by Charles Fey, a tinkerer who birthed the “Liberty Bell” that had three reels, ten symbols, and a jackpot of fifty cents – a far cry from today’s multi-reel, bonus-packed behemoths. Yet, this simple invention sparked a revolution.
Through the 20th century, slots grew in popularity, adorned with fruit symbols and offering payouts in gum or candy due to gambling restrictions. The iconic lever gave way to buttons, and electromechanical marvels paved the way for electronic dominance.
So, whether you’re a seasoned player or a curious newcomer, we hope you enjoy a look at some of the top machines from three of the leading manufacturers in the industry and can appreciate how they have evolved since Mr. Feys Liberty Bell.
Be on the lookout for IGT’s Mystery of the Lamp game under two titles, ‘Enchanted Palace’ and ‘Treasure Oasis’. Mystery of the Lamp leverages two highly popular game mechanics: a persistence feature and the lock and respin trigger. The Mystery of the Lamp bonus is played on 30 independent reels when the jackpot feature is active, allowing a player the chance to win one of five jackpots. Further adding to the gameplay experience, the mini, minor, and maxi jackpots can be awarded multiple times. Featuring rich Arabian-themed graphics, Mystery of the Lamp is an 80-credit cost-to-cover game available on IGT’s innovative PeakCurve49™ cabinet.
IGT is also excited about two new titles to join the popular Samurai 888™ family with Spin Sakura and Kenji. Offering a rich Asian-inspired art package, the new themes include an exciting wheel feature, super stacked symbols, and three persistence pots with special modifiers. Unique to the Samurai 888 Spin game is a wheel feature, which can be activated before every other feature and award credit prizes, extra free games, jackpots, and upgrades. Available on the sleek PeakCurve™49 cabinet, Samurai 888 Spin is a 25-payline, 98-credit cost-to-cover game.
Discover golden treasures with IGT’s Magic Treasures™ multi-
level progressive video slots featuring two complementary partner themes, Dragon and Tiger. Designed with rich Asian-themed graphics, this new take on the popular multi-pot persistence feature offers three corresponding bonus options: a progressive Money Ball bonus, jackpot bonus, and free games. Packed with a variety of opportunities for big wins with energizing animations, Magic Treasures Dragon and Tiger is a 50-payline, 80-credit cost-tocover game.
Stack Up Pays Island Riches (™) This exciting game has 243 tropical Ways to Win, but players are keeping their eyes peeled for surfboards for an innovative twist on progressive free games! Two golden surfboards in combination
with any colored surfboard will initiate the respective Free Spins Bonus! Stacked above the reels are Mini, Minor, Major, Grand, and Mega Free Spins, each keeping count of the awarded random expansions! Each number corresponds with the number of added reel expansions during Free Spins. The number of random expansions is dependent on just how many surfboards were collected throughout play and how long the meter has grown!
Treasure Lock Royal Tiger(™)
Treasure Lock Royal Tiger™ features three dazzling golden ingots that rest above the 25-line reels, each holding a special pay enhancement feature for the Lock and Spin bonus! Any single Lock and Spin scatter may trigger its corresponding ingot, or simply fly up to the ingot to increase the size and towering pile of gold it rests on. Golden ingot scatters may be triggered on their own or in combination of two or three
for even better bonuses! Bonus features include Multipliers, Credit Upgrades, and a Wheel for progressive and Jackpot awards.
Unwooly Riches™
Antics get a little unruly with some rather fleecy characters in Konami’s new Unwooly Riches™ slot series. Featuring a mischievous goat character called “Spice” and an angelic sheep character called “Sugar”, Unwooly Riches is a playful battle between dark and light forces—fighting for the most fun & rewarding wins. This slot offers a lot of fresh bonus features including a Re-spin event, Double Up event, center Wild Symbol, random multipliers, free games, and super free games.
Lucky Honeycomb Fortune™
Konami’s popular Lucky Honeycomb™ is back and
buzzing with excitement! Lucky Honeycomb Fortune Bags™ and Lucky Honeycomb Fortune Pots™ feature the bright smiling honeybee characters from the classic Konami game, but with new linked progressive jackpots and the triple bonus mechanic made popular by Dragon’s Law Fortune™. It’s a sweet slot adventure to a land flowing with honey, and money.
Hungry for a hit? Feast from a buffet of bonus events in the new Stuffed Coins slots. In addition to mystery events from the center Wild symbol, Stuffed Coins slots offer re-spin adventures to indulge and delight. In the top screens of the Stuffed Coins machines are rotating jackpot coin and multiplier coin symbols, which become redeemable during the a wheel spin event called the Big Coin Feature.
It’s the race that every “horse person” perpetually dreams of winning. In fact, if you combined the available spoils from every other prestigious route that is run throughout the calendar year, the pooled glory would still pale in comparison to that eternal title that is bestowed on the “First Saturday in May”. Alas, the odds against a thoroughbred cantering into that exclusive infield Winner’s Enclosure at Churchill Downs that is reserved specifically for the Kentucky Derby Champion are much more astronomical than you might think. It follows then that we now tag along on the journey an equine takes from conception, to being royally draped with a blanket of rich red roses.
There is an age-old adage in horse racing which goes, “Breed the best to the best and hope for the best!” Well, in the United States alone, billion-dollar thoroughbred breeding farms and stary eyed private owners attempt to literally live out this saying to the tune of approximately 20,000 foals per year. (To be a little more precise, The Jockey Club reported that around 17,300 foals were registered in 2022. Moreover, around 100,000 foals were registered worldwide.) Thus, we can now clearly see the first hurdle any potential Kentucky Derby Champion must clear. That is, not only winning the race to their mother’s egg (ovum), but then avoiding the 13% miscarriage rate which moderately curtails the overall thoroughbred racehorse community.
For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume that we now have in our possession a baby boy or girl (yes, three fillies have won the Kentucky Derby) that has “hit the ground” completely sound. It follows then that our little fuzzy “bundle of joy” will immediately enter a grooming process which will prepare them for the Sales Ring. While this process varies timewise according to who is prepping our “yearling” (a horse aged between one and two years old) we’re typically talking three to four months of elementary tutoring.
During this infantile season, our toddling thoroughbred will be primed not just physically, but also mentally for auction. See in the end, it all comes down to presenting a pristine pony who has the look of being a potential Champion. Hence,
only the best nutrition will be introduced in order that potential buyers are transfixed by both a blinding coat and luminous eye. By the same token, our yearling will spend lots of time around both barn hands and other young equines, so they become less and less bothered by boisterous environments. (Like the ones they will inevitably encounter at the sales pavilion.)
Having been involved on the ownership side concerning two racehorses that I bought into as yearlings, I can now write based on eyewitness experience. I’ll state straightaway that if you don’t have the patience of Job, go find another hobby. My first go around, it took over a year from the time my horse exited the sales ring, to the time he made his debut. In the interim one of the things that takes place is an initial breaking process at a training facility, (which just so you know, rarely runs smooth). In my case, “Air Marshal” was very unruly and refused to consistently take commands from his rider. Consequently, he was gelded (castrated). For those of you who are now wincing uncontrollably, hear me out. I assure you that gelding is a widespread and safe practice that purges the “wild side” of an equine by tapering testosterone. The only problem is, there can be a fairly long recovery period ahead of returning to an everyday training routine. After a two-year old hopeful gets their legs under them at a training facility, it is off to the racetrack to meet their trainer. Again, in my case, “Air Marshal” was shipped to Horseshoe Indianapolis where he was put under the care of a horseman named Ethan West. Not to be redundant, but here again
is where an augmented amount of patience comes into play. For starters, a conditioner will burn through several weeks just laying a “foundation” via a series of long gallops and say three-furlong (3/8 mile) workouts. Progressively “stretched out” over the course of several months, an aspiring racehorse will usually end up “drilling” six or seven furlongs (a furlong is an eighth of a mile) once per week until their trainer deems them to be “race ready”. Oh yeah, did I mention that this basic training often takes place in conjunction with an immeasurable amount of gate schooling, tank swimming and advanced mental disciplines?
One thing even a lot of die-hard thoroughbred racing fans don’t realize is that many aspiring racehorses that were purchased for more money than most of us make in a year never even compete in one single race! I am going to be extremely generous and tell you that only two out of every three equines purchased at auction (because of injury or just being too slow) wind up making a start (it’s probably less than that.) Therefore, if you get into this game and ultimately see your
horse’s name listed in black bold print somewhere inside the Daily Racing Form, you’ve already beaten the odds!
Continuing with our hypothetical scenario, let’s say that our twoyear old Kentucky Derby prospect is now ready to make their first start. (Note: the Kentucky Derby is restricted to three-year-old horses so we still have a long ways to go.) Now realistically, if a thoroughbred is considered “Derby worthy” they are going to debut at a marquee oval like say, Keenland Racetrack or Santa Anita Racetrack in something called a “Maiden Special Weight” race. (Without getting too technical, a “maiden race” is simply a race where none of the entrants have ever won.) Now I’m not saying that every eventual Kentucky Derby Champion has won at first asking, however, if said maiden doesn’t at least flash a thimble’s full worth of brilliance, you can go ahead and bury your “Derby Dream” next to the dandelions in the back yard.
If our two-year old “Daisy” goes on to graduate from the maiden ranks without breaking a sweat, our trainer then has some options relevant to how they can proceed. A
conservative approach might be to enter what is called an “Allowance Race” (a contest with certain conditions, but the competing horses cannot be “claimed” by other trainers like they could be in a “Claiming Race”.) A more aggressive approach might be to enter an ungraded (minor) stakes race or a Graded Stakes race. (Graded Stakes races make up the upper echelon of Thoroughbred Horse Racing and are ranked in ascending order of prestige as follows: G3, G2, G1.) If a horse wins or shows bigtime promise in a dirt route (mile or longer) Graded Stakes race towards the end of their two-year old season, you can bet your 401K that their connections will succumb to an untreatable condition Horse Racing Nation appropriately calls “Derby Fever”!
In that moment when the calendar flips to January 1st and juvenile “Derby Aspirants” morph into three-year-olds, the mad scramble to officially qualify for the “Run for the Roses” gets ratcheted up a notch. Incidentally, when I first started following Thoroughbred Horse Racing back in the late 90’s, the Kentucky Derby field (which is limited to 20 starters) was comprised of those racers who had accumulated the most purse monies via Graded Stakes races. In 2012 though, a new and much superior (in my opinion) qualifying “Point System” was introduced. So, throughout the early spring (and actually late fall but I’m trying to keep this streamline) there are certain marquee “Road to the Kentucky Derby” qualifying races where Kentucky Derby qualifying points are awarded to the contest’s first four finishers. Moreover, point totals increase as the races become
more prestigious. For example, Oaklawn Park Racetrack’s 2024 GIII Southwest Stakes awards 20 total Kentucky Derby qualifying points (10-6-4-2). Alternatively, Gulfstream Park’s 2024 GI Florida Derby awards 100 total Kentucky Derby qualifying points (50-25-1510). The “cutoff” point regarding how few points a horse can possess and still qualify for the Kentucky Derby has varied over the years but in 2023, Cyclone Mischief slid into the 20th qualifying position with 45 points.
Let’s imagine at this juncture that our supposed Kentucky Derby runner has enough qualifying points to enter the starting gate beneath the famed Twin Spires of Churchill Downs on the “First Saturday in May”. (I want to pause a second to intentionally state that 99% of career “Horse People”, who all literally work themselves to death, will never even come close to associating with a Kentucky Derby starter.) Well now, it just simply comes down to winning the most “rough and tumble” 1 ¼ mile race on God’s green Earth. See, year after year, I re-learn the following tragic lesson; the best horse in the field seldom wins the Kentucky Derby. Try to picture over 100,000 frenzied fans screaming in the direction of a starting gate that has just
launched twenty fledgling equines who are all looking to secure an advantageous racing position. It doesn’t take a Road Scholar to realize that this is the perfect recipe to birth exponential chaos. The fact is you don’t just need to be fast to win the Kentucky Derby. All told, you likewise need to be extremely lucky. This truth manifested its ugly mug once again in the 2022 Kentucky Derby when an 80-1 outsider named Rich Strike snuck up the rail in the shadow of the wire to vanquish the heavily favored Epicenter (4-1).
To put everything in a nutshell my friends, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning while being bitten by a Great White Shark than breeding or owning a Kentucky Derby Champion. That said, the next time you are fortunate enough to back a winner with respect to the “Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”, just remember that your pony had to quite literally “run through the raindrops” just to put a few extra bucks in your back pocket. With this in mind, maybe think about donating just a small portion of your Derby winnings next time out to one of the many accredited thoroughbred charities that rehome our equine friends after they have finished “giving it their all” inside the “Sport of Kings”!
In this column, we will cover some of the latest types of promotional events and tips to maximize your contest equity. Suggestions that were good in the past have changed with the shift in the events in vogue today.
Video Poker Promotional Trends: I’ve written about this topic in the past, but the rules have changed. Your best shot of winning is to be aware of the most current requirements in most casinos. You may wonder why these new directions apply to so many casinos. If I were to summarize in a single word, it would be “consultants”. There’s a relatively small pool of these casino advisers and they all seem to swim in the same direction.
Multiple Winners: In the past, casinos liked to emblazon outside lights with news of the big-give-away. It was an efficient way to get large numbers through the front door, much like past ads for the dollar buffet and Vegas World. However, times have changed, and players realize they have a better chance of meeting Elvis in the elevator than winning the pink Cadillac. Nowadays promos include several smaller but coveted prizes and, still, a long-shot chance of winning a big one.
Weighted Number of Entries: You’ll earn virtual entry tickets based on your amount of coin-in; the more money you run through a device or play at the tables the more tickets you’ll receive. Make sure VP is included since some full-pay games are excluded from comps, points and promos. (If you’re not sure ask at the slot club desk.)
Limited Time: Most casinos only give you a short time, around two or three minutes, to claim your prize. You should locate the drawing area and make sure you’re playing nearby any time you’re there for a promo.
Attendance Requirement: Most promos require that you are present to win, so you should swipe your player’s card at a casino kiosk as soon as you arrive. Along the same lines, once you have
registered you should stay for the entire drawing; it’s frustrating to learn that your name was called after you left.
Repeat Winners: You may think the contest is rigged because the same people win, but that won’t be the case. In reality, the high-rollers have significantly more equity because they have earned so many more entries than the average Joe.
Strict Adherence to Rules: Sometimes there’s a big crowd near the area where you claim your prize and it’s difficult to get through. This is especially true for the biggest prize, like a car. You should ask the staff before the drawings if contacting a staff member in the allotted time-frame allows you to claim the prize. If not make sure you are in a spot that allows you quick access.
Final Thoughts: You’ll still find some good VP plays (like 9/6 JOB with an ER of 99.5439% or 8/5 Bonus Poker, ER 99.1660%), but not as many as in the past. However you can expect casinos to continue to entice players into their house for a reason well-stated by gaming honcho Gary Loveman (Harrah’s Entertainment) at a G2E conference a few years ago. Paraphrasing Loveman’s words, the objective of management teams is to find creative ways to do more to attract players on a reduced budget. Promotional events that offer frequent players a reasonable expectation of winning, fits the bill. You can be sure that the new normal will continue to evolve as casino bosses try other methods of achieving the same results. One good way to increase your gambling odds is to make sure you are current on the “next best thing” so you can make informed decisions on where and how to play.
by LINDA BOYD
Phil Hellmuth Jr. is a 13time World Series of Poker Champion, leading all other poker players in the world. He is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, and his latest book, “Deal Me In,” is also widely popular. Visit philhellmuth.com to check out his clothing line, blog and exclusive gaming tips.
Texas Hold ‘em is the most popular poker game played in casinos today. It is a fairly simple game to learn, but literally will take a lifetime to master. While game play is straightforward, elements of bluffing, betting and reading your opponents are just a few of many tactics to use to scrape more pots in your direction. This column takes us back to the basics of the game to serves as a refresher course and get you back on track if you need it.
The most important decision you will make is made before you even leave your house. That decision is whether or not to play poker. If you are not prepared to play your best game and devote your full attention to your play, then you should stay away from the poker table. Your attitude and frame of mind can and will affect your decisions at the table.
“Check Raising” is when you check your hand and then raise after another player bets after you. In home games, the idea of check raising is considered sandbagging and is frowned upon or even not allowed. It is allowed in most casino poker rooms and is a powerful tool to help you extract more money from your fellow players.
Bad players are profitable and you want them in the game. Never berate or try to educate another player at the table. If you suffer a bad beat, just say “Nice hand” and move on. If you berate a bad player, you may drive them out of the game. If you educate them, they may play better next time.
A PLAYER WHO SEES THE FLOP AND IMMEDIATELY LOOKS AWAY OR GLANCES DOWN AT THEIR CHIPS HAS USUALLY MADE A HAND.
Playing casino poker is quite different from playing in a home game. There are certain procedures and protocols you will need to understand before you sit down to play. Rules can vary from one card room to the next. If you are unsure of the rules, ask the dealer or floor person. Don’t assume anything.
Don’t throw your chips into the pot; always place your bet in front of you. This way the dealer sees that your bet is correct. Once he or she has checked it, they will add it to the pot.
Don’t fold your hand if you can check. If everyone else checks, you get to see the next card for free. It might be the card that can turn your hand into a winner.
If you are out of chips, you announce that you are “all in” and you will only be eligible for the money in the pot up to that point. Any additional bets made by others will be put in a side pot. You will not be eligible for this pot even if you have the best hand. Instead, the side pot goes to the player with the highest hand amongst the players who put money in the side pot.
Never try to bluff more than two players at once. There will usually be someone who wants to “keep you honest.” In low limit games if there is even one calling station at your table, you should not bluff. (A calling station is a player who will not fold his hand and will stay in the hand to the end.)
If the pot is raised before it is your turn to act, you will have to call the original bet and the raise. This is known as cold calling. Unless you have a very powerful hand, you should fold. You need a stronger hand to call a raise than you do to initiate one.
Make it a habit to look at your hole cards (your face down cards) once and memorize them. This will allow you to act quickly when it is your turn and keep the game going. It will also prevent you from giving away any tells (hints about the cards you are holding) that may occur by looking at your cards.
The term “tell” is short for a telltale sign. It can be a voluntary movement that a player makes to try to deceive you or it can be an involuntary reaction to the cards. If you can learn to spot tells, you will be able to win some hands just by reading another player.
Craps is a table game with multiple bets, most of them awful, some are horrendous, and others are okay. Most players like to make Pass Line bets, which come out to a loss of $1.41 per $100 wagered. That means the house has a 1.41 percent edge on this bet – not bad at all.
Many players also like to place numbers (which means go right up on the numbers) and the house edges for this kind of bet go from decent (1.52 percent on placing of the 6 and 8); to terrible (4 percent on the 5 and 9) to suicidal (6.67 percent on the 4 and 10).
Many players also love to make what my mentor the late Captain of Craps called Crazy Crapper bets (see my book Casino Craps: Shoot to Win!). These are bets that come in with extremely high house edges ranging from single roll bets such as the Field (5.55 percent) to the Yo and 3 (11.11 percent) to the Big Red, also called Any Seven (16.67 percent) to multi-roll bets such as the Hard 4 and 10 (11.11 percent) and the Hard 6 and 8 (9.09 percent). These are just some of the many Crazy Crapper bets that lurk to undo the unwary, unwise and unaware craps player and as the Captain said, “You have to be crazy to make these bets.”
The most prevalent system used by craps players falls into the “trend betting” realm. There are positive and negative trend betting schemes, neither of which can give the player the advantage over the house.
The positive scheme, sometimes called the “hot number wager,” has the player looking for numbers that have frequently been hitting in the immediate past. Say you see a bunch of 6’s being rolled, you figure the 6 is a hot number and you then bet it. If you have noticed some Hard 6’s being rolled, then you throw your money out on the Hard 6. This form of betting can be used on any proposition (Any Craps, Field, Horn, Whirl) or single number (2, 3, 11, 12, etc.).
The negative scheme, sometimes called “the law of averages” or “due betting” postulates that numbers which haven’t been hitting are “due” to hit in order to make the probabilities work out. The detective Monk always wanted the universe to be balanced and that is what “due” theorists want as well. If the 11 hasn’t been hitting then it is going to come up soon to set everything in
balance. Therefore, the player puts his money on the 11.
Sadly, such betting systems cannot overcome the house edges on any bet a player makes. Each roll of the dice (unless the roller is a controlled shooter) is a random event. There is no force of nature telling numbers “Okay, bub, your time to come up is right now!”
Numbers that have been hitting can stop hitting or they can continue hitting. Numbers that haven’t been hitting can continue not hitting or they can start hitting.
The fact that the mathematical probabilities will begin to look as theory suggests when hundreds of millions of decisions take place does not allow us to accurately predict the “hot,” “cold” or inbetween numbers.
Yes, you can say that the 6 and 8 will come up more frequently than the 2 or 12 since there are five ways to make either the 6 or 8 and only one way to make either the 2 or 12. Still betting this fact does not overcome the house edge. Place the 6 and the house has a 1.52 percent edge, meaning your expected loss will be $1.52 per $100 wagered. That is an inexorable fact of gambling life.
The reason players love the idea of trends is recessed deep in our brains. We are patternfinding creatures, and we always want those patterns to have predictability. A savage prehistoric man walks along the river and a giant crocodile jumps up and eats him. His friends see this gruesome scene. They assume (the correct assumption) that walking by this river’s edge at this spot is dangerous and they avoid it.
Or this same group is walking in some treeshaded forest and beautiful fruit falls on the ground, they eat some, it is delicious, and they keep going back all the time to savor that forest’s delight.
Such pattern finding makes sense. So, we want pattern finding to work in casinos as well to overcome the house edge. It isn’t going to happen.
The best way to play craps is to make the low house-edge bets and forget the trends that have already happened. And that’s the truth.
by FRANK SCOBLETE
MOST PLAYERS LIKE TO MAKE PASS LINE BETS, WHICH COME OUT TO A LOSS OF $1.41 PER $100 WAGERED.
On the average, the house edge on slot machines is:
A. Higher than on table games
B. Lower than on table games
C. About the same as table games
On average, the house edge is higher on slot machines than on table games, so the answer is A. A craps player faces a house edge of 1.41 percent on the Pass Line. That means for every $100 a player bets, over the long run he or she can expect to lose $1.41. Per $100 wagered, an average blackjack player can expect to lose about $2, and one who learns basic strategy can narrow that expected loss to just 50 cents. A baccarat player can expect to lose $1.17 per $100 and if he bets on Banker, and $1.36 if he bets on Player.
to 500 spins per hour as an average for a steady player, and that equates to 10 times faster than roulette. That is based on betting $5 at a time for 40 spins of the roulette wheel compared to betting $.75 for each of 400 spins on a slot machine. You will risk $200 playing roulette and $300 playing the machine.
Sound money management at the slots:
A. Can help the player overcome the house edge
B. Can help the player narrow, but not overcome the house edge
C. Can help the player limit his losses
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
A QUARTER PLAY WILL LOSE $5 PER $100 WAGERED, AND THE DOLLAR PLAYER WILL LOSE $4 PER $100.
In exchange for the chance at bigger jackpots, slot players face a much bigger house edge. When we say on the average, based on slots in downtown Las Vegas, quarter slots return about 95 percent and dollar slots a little less than 96 percent, we are saying that the house edge is about 5 percent on quarters and 4 percent on dollars. So in the long run, a quarter play will lose $5 per $100 wagered, and the dollar player will lose $4 per $100. The house edge on some table games reach this high. Roulette players on an American wheel with both a zero and a double zero buck a house edge of 5.26 percent, and Caribbean Stud players lose about $5.22 per $100 wagered. Some bets in craps are even worse, including the proposition on Any 7, where the house edge is a whopping $16.67 for every $100 wagered.
Compared to a table game with a similar house edge, slot machines produce:
A. More casino revenue per hour
B. Less casino revenue per hour
C. About the same casino revenue per hour
Compared to a table game with a similar house edge, slots machines generally produce more revenue for the casino per hour. So the answer is
A. The reason is that we play a slot machine a lot faster than we play a table game. A roulette player at a busy table might only see 30 to 40 spins of the wheel per hour. Slot players who feed currency into bill acceptors on the machines and hit the “Max Bet” button again and again will see as many as 1,000 spins per hour. I usually use 400
Sound money management can help a player limit his loses, but it cannot overcome or even narrow the casino’s built-in mathematical advantage on the slot machine. I like to follow a few simple principles when playing the machines.
Play only with money you can afford to lose. Sure, you are going to win sometimes, and occasionally even have some big wins. But the most likely result each time we play is a losing session. When the inevitable losses come, you don’t want the rent, mortgage or food money going down the slot. Treat a day, or a few days, at the casino as an entertainment expense and nothing more. Then it is a thrill when you hit a jackpot and doesn’t really hurt you when you lose.
Play within your budget.
If you walk into a casino with $100, you don’t belong on a dollar slot machine. Losing streaks are part of almost every session on the slots, and you don’t want one bad streak to eat up your entire bankroll. You have to be able to weather the cold streaks if you want to be in the action when things warm up. How long you plan to play is a factor. Is your visit limited to a couple of hours? Then with a $100 bankroll, you might start off on quarter machines. Do you expect to make it last all day? Better head for the nickels and be prepared to take frequent breaks.
Take breaks.
Get up and stretch your legs. Watch the roulette wheel or the craps table for a few minutes. Go outside and get some fresh air. Don’t be a slot zombie.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: DENVER NUGGETS DEFEATED MIAMI HEAT 4 GAMES TO 1
150TH KENTUCKY DERBY MAY 4, 2024 – CHURCHILL DOWNS RACETRACK LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
2023 CHAMPION: MAGE AT 15/1
*All
**Odds
DEFENDING
UCONN DEFEATED SAN DIEGO ST. 76-59
*All Other 3-Year-Old Colts & Geldings 2/1
*Odds courtesy of Churchill Downs Inc. Future Odds Pool 3 Closing Odds. (All others higher than 40/1)
2024 MASTERS APRIL 11-14, 2024 – AUGUSTA NATIONAL AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
DEFENDING CHAMPION: JON RAHM -12
*All
**Odds
*All others are higher than 30/1
**Odds courtesy of VegasInsider.com in February 2024
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