Southern Gaming & Destinations Magazine November 2011

Holiday Gift Guide for Gamers PAGE 34 VOLUME 13 | ISSUE 6 | NOVEMBER 2011

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Tony Bennett

SINGING SENSATION PAGE 10

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So u thern G aming and De s t in a t io n s

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INSIDE this ISSUE

On the Cover:

TONY BENNETT: 10

Sing ing Sensation

Feature Articles:

SPORTING SPECTACLES: 14

Top Moments in 2011 U.S. GAMING MECCAS: 20

Las Vegas vs. Atlantic City VIDEO POKER STRATEGIES: 26

Patterns in Pay Tables GIFT GUIDE 34 HOLIDAY FOR GAMERS 2011

TONY BENNE T T: Singing Sensation | 10

Tips & Columns:

VIDEO POKER: 12

Pay Schedules Part II CRAPS: 18 Darkside Don’t BLACKJACK: 24

How to Win BALLY TECHNOLOGIES: 44

Play for Fun Mobile Apps SLOT MACHINES: 48

Myths and Legends Revealed CRAPS: 50

A Communal Game HORSERACING: 54 How to SHOW a Profit TEXAS HOLD ‘EM: 60

Firing up the Game

Highlights & Hot Spots:

S P O R T I N G S P E C TA C L E S : Top moments in 2011 | 14

U.S. GAMING MECCAS : Las Vegas vs. Atlentic City | 20

CHURCHILL DOWNS: 32

Racing into Mississippi Gaming WINTER WINNINGS: 42

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino Biloxi, MS

DAY IN THE LIFE: 46 AIndiana Live! Casino

Shelbyville, IN

PROPERTY PROFILE: 52

Pearl River Resort Choctaw, MS

WINTER WINNINGS : BeauRivage Resort and Casino | 42 Vol um e 13 I ssu e 6

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FROM the EDITOR

What better way to finish another amazing year than with one of the legends of music and icons of Las Vegas, Tony Bennett on the cover? Ever since his first hit in the ’50s, Bennett has been a mainstay on the charts throughout the years. His latest accomplishment comes in conjunction with his 85th birthday in the form of a duets album featuring top recording artists such as the late Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. We are excited to highlight some of Bennett’s career milestones and look forward to enjoying more of his remarkable albums.

This year marked our best year since we began publishing in 1999. Thanks to our members, we continue to grow The Comps Club© coupon program by adding more coupons and special offers from casinos and racetracks throughout the South. We held the biggest casino culinary competition in the history of the South with the Casino Cook-off in Biloxi (congrats to Chef Chris Poplin from IP Casino Resort & Spa in Biloxi), and we had some amazing promotions including another great Summer Smoke-out Series presented by Horseshoe Casino Southern Indiana.

So, what does this mean for you? It means that our ultimate goal remains to provide our readers with a product that offers the best information on premium gambling properties, informative tips from the world’s top gamblers and coupons and special offers to enhance your gaming experience at every level. When you go on a trip to a casino or racetrack, it shouldn’t be a gamble. When we publish an article or review, you can assure it gets our seal of approval. The winning and losing part is up to you! We can’t guarantee you will win by reading Southern Gaming, but I can confidently say you will lose less by sticking with our writers’ tips!

In this issue, we once again have an array of tips, property reviews and articles we hope you find beneficial. Don’t miss our latest comparison between the two gambling meccas of the United States — Las Vegas and Atlantic City. We all know they both have casinos, but what else do they have? Las Vegas is a staple whenever gambling is mentioned, but what about Atlantic City? Over the past decade, the gambling destination of the East Coast underwent an incredible transformation with the addition of some premium properties and entertainment. Be sure to check out our review of them both and consider adding Atlantic City to your gambling bucket list.

Last but certainly not least, this issue also serves as your guide to making the holiday season even more enjoyable. We are excited to release our top holiday gifts for gamblers in our annual Holiday Gift Guide. Avoid the lines at the malls and take advantage of some of these great items. And, while my opinion might be biased, I feel the best gift you can give a gambler is a gift membership to The Comps Club — it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

For $29, they will get six-member coupon paks loaded with special offers and coupons, six issues of Southern Gaming and hopefully a more enjoyable gaming experience all because of you! For more information, call us at 1-877-582-9478, and we’ll get you set up!

Happy Holidays and, as always, if you can’t be good … be lucky!

G. Douglas Dreisbach General Manager

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Publisher Bisig Impact Group Chief Executive Officer Larry Bisig President & Creative Director Chip Dumstorf General Manager G. Douglas Dreisbach Marketing Coordinator & Managing Editor Courtney Bisig Accounting Peggy Harris Copy Editor Sara Havens Contributing Authors Linda Boyd Bonnie Britton Jennifer Cuthbertson Phil Hellmuth, Jr. Rudi Schiffer Frank Scoblete Henry Tamburin Jeremy White Letters to the editor, address changes and other correspondence should be sent to: Southern Gaming and Destinations 640 South Fourth Street Louisville, KY 40202 (502) 583-0333 Fax (502) 583-6487 e-mail: editor@southerngaming.com The goal of this publication is to help drive awareness of the ever-growing popularity of the gaming industry and to assist the gamer in enjoying their gaming experience to the fullest.

Southern Gaming and Destinations is published for those who seek the best in gaming and in life.

ON THE COVER: Musical sensation Tony Bennett talks about his beloved career- Page 10.

Southern Gaming and Destinations is produced bimonthly by Bisig Impact Group of Louisville, Kentucky. Copyright 2004 by Bisig Impact Group. All Rights Reserved. This publication is printed

by Publisher’s Printing Co., Inc. of Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Postage is paid in Lebanon Junction, Kentucky Opinions of columnists are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor does Southern Gaming and Destinations assume liability for claims of advertisers.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Southern Gaming and Destinations, 640 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202.

Vol um e 13 I ssu e 6

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on the Web ... Southern Southern Gaming Magazine is THE gaming authority of the South, and our website proves it by offering a wide variety of resources for the gamers of the South. Gaming-related news is posted daily, along with lotto results, sports odds, weather, concerts and more!

Be sure to check out the new digital version of Southern Gaming and Destinations Magazine by visiting SouthernGaming.com.

Bally Mobile “Play-For-Fun” Apps Bally is taking some of their most popular titles from the casino floor and putting them in the palm of players’ hands with the new mobile apps. Mobile versions of Cash Spin, Vegas Hits and Playboy Hot Zone are now available for download and have proven to be some of the most advanced and popular slot apps on the market. Just like the real game, these handheld versions mimic play mechanics like U-Spin gesturecontrol and feature-base gameplay, music and sound, jackpots and more.

The new mobile apps also feature social sharing functionality so that you can see all leaderboards and achievements for yourself and others. Some apps even allow players to download popular music featured in the games directly from iTunes. Another fun feature for both players and casino operators is that all of Bally’s play-for-fun game apps offer a GPS-enabled locator feature that will identify where players can find the real game at a nearby casino.

With more exciting titles like Triple Trouble Poker, Cash Wizard, Code Red, and Betty Boop’s Love Meter coming soon, Bally’s mobile apps are bringing the casino to the players and the players to the casino. Learn more about Bally’s mobile applications by reading the column on page 46.

Thank you to all who attended the 2011 Casino Cook-Off presented by Four Roses Bourbon. It was an evening to remember with the top four casino chefs in the Southeast competing to win the heart of the judges through their Gulf Coast meals. Chef Chris Poplin from IP Casino Resort & Spa was crowned champion with his Chilean Sea Bass and was named the first ever winner of the Casino Cook-Off competition. Southern Gaming would like to thank all of this year’s participants. We look forward to bringing you an even bigger and better event next year! Congratulations to Chef Chris Poplin!

See photos from the 2011 casino Cook-off on page 59!

WANT MORE? Southern Gaming’s Got It! Don’t forget to visit SouthernGaming.com for the latest gaming news, hot giveaways, gossip, entertainment and great tips. Don’t miss out... stay connected at SouthernGaming.com!

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nGaming.com

Concert Calendar

Here are some of the best upcoming concerts at your favorite casinos in the South. Visit SouthernGaming.com and use our Concert Connection Calendar to find concerts near you. You can search by location or date, and even buy your tickets!

N OV E M B E R : 4 Anthony Cools

Beau Rivage Casino

Resort & Spa (Biloxi) 1-888-566-7469 BeauRivage.com 4 Loretta Lynn

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com 4 Foghat & Blue Oyster Cult

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 4 Ronnie Milsap

Horseshoe Casino

Southern Indiana 1-866-676-SHOE Horseshoe-Indiana.com 4 Loverboy

Paragon Casino Resort 1-800-946-1946 ParagonCasinoResort.com 5 Charlie Murphy

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 5 Huey Lewis &

The News

Wind Creek Casino &

Hotel (Atmore) 1-800-826-9121 WindCreekCasino.com 5 Air Supply

Belterra Casino Resort 1-888-BELTERRA BelterraCasino.com 11 Mike Epps

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com 11 Styx

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com

11 Avery Michaels

Paragon Casino Resort 1-800-946-1946 ParagonCasinoResort.com 12 Herman’s Hermits

starring Peter Noone

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com 12 Lee Greenwood

Beau Rivage Casino Resort

& Spa (Biloxi) 1-888-566-7469 BeauRivage.com 18 Frankie Avalon

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com 19 Ray Stevens

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com 19 Chris Young

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 19 Loretta Lynn

Paragon Casino Resort 1-800-946-1946 ParagonCasinoResort.com 19 Willie Nelson

Pearl River Resort 1-866-44-PEARL PearlRiverResort.com 25 John Anderson

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com 25 Leon Russell

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 26 Sean Kingston

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com

26 Chris Cagle

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com

DECEMBER: 2 Daryl Hall & John Oates

Beau Rivage Casino Resort

& Spa (Biloxi) 1-888-566-7469 BeauRivage.com 2 Mel Tillis & Roy Clark

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com 3 Judas Priest

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 8-10 Brandon Bennett’s Elvis

Christmas Show

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 9 Martina McBride

Beau Rivage Casino Resort

& Spa (Biloxi) 1-888-566-7469 BeauRivage.com 9 Lee Greenwood

Belterra Casino Resort 1-888-BELTERRA BelterraCasino.com 10 Kenny Rogers

Pearl River Resort 1-866-44-PEARL PearlRiverResort.com 16 The Fab Four

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 16 Fat Boy South

Paragon Casino Resort 1-800-946-1946 ParagonCasinoResort.com

16-27 Spirit of Christmas

Beau Rivage Casino Resort

& Spa (Biloxi) 1-888-566-7469 BeauRivage.com 29 Jerry Jeff Walker

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 30 Barenaked Ladies

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 31 Bruce Bruce

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com 31 The Molly Ringwalds

IP Casino Resort & Spa 1-888-946-2847 IPBiloxi.com

JA N UA RY: 1 Kool & the Gang

Beau Rivage Casino

Resort & Spa (Biloxi) 1-888-566-7469 BeauRivage.com 6 The David Allan Coe Band

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi) 1-877-877-6256 HardRockBiloxi.com 6 Lewis Black

Beau Rivage Casino

Resort & Spa (Biloxi) 1-888-566-7469 BeauRivage.com

Want more? Southern Gaming’s Got It! Visit SouthernGaming.com for all your gaming needs.

Vol um e 13 I ssue6 7

FACTS and FU N

Did You Know?

Riddle of the Month:

1. Who played in the 2011 Women’s World Cup finals?

Why is a tennis game so loud?

A) United States and Brazil B) Brazil and Japan C) United States and Japan D) Germany and Brazil

2. In 2011, Derek Jeter became the 28th baseball player in history to reach what goal?

A) 3,000 hits B) 55 single season home runs C) 100 stolen bases D) 4,000 hits

The answer is listed on the bottom left corner of this page.

3. Who was the winner of the 2011 Casino Cook-off presented by Four Roses Bourbon?

A) Chef Chris Poplin, IP Casino Resort Spa B) Chef Glen Chapman, Casino Aztar in Evansville, IN C) Chef Abel Vergara, Seminole Coconut Creek D) Cheg Gunter Kilian, DiamondJacks Casino Bossier

Most points scored by a winning team in the Super Bowl, held by the San Francisco 49ers

120,000

5. What was the name of Tony Bennett’s first number one hit on the pop charts?

A) Blue Velvet B) Cold, Cold Heart C) Rags to Riches D) Because of You

119,000 55

A) James Buchanan B) Abraham Lincoln C) Andrew Johnson D) James Garfield

By the Numbers Gallons of water circulated per minute by the Mirage’s volcano in Vegas

4. Which president proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving day?

Got a joke or fun fact? E-mail it to jokes@southerngaming.com for your chance to win casino coupons from The Comps ClubTM!

Average number of fresh-cut Christmas trees grown by Florida growers each year

39,558 Population in Atlantic City as of the 2010 United States Census

"Did You Know" answers, below left 2

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1 Riddle of the Month Answer: Because the players raise a racquet!

"Did You Know" Answers: 1. C- United States and Japan, 2. A- 3,000 hits, 3. A- Chef Chris Poplin, IP Casino Resort Spa, 4. B- Abraham Lincoln, 5. DBecause of You

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Up to the challenge?

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The Sudoku Puzzle

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G A M E C O U R TES Y O F S U D O K U TO D AY. C O M

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Complete the grid so that each column, row and block of nine squares includes numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Answers on page 33

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tony bennett SINGING SENSATION

BY G . DOUGLAS DR E IS B A C H

Born in New York as Anthony Benedetto, he began performing in front of audiences when he was ten years old. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1944 for the final stages of World War II and served on the front lines in multiple enemy confrontations, describing it as having a front row seat to hell.

It was in the Army that he joined 314th Army Special Services Band and fell in love with being on stage. His first solo show was in 1949 in Greenwich Village with Bob Hope sitting in the audience. After the show, Hope was so impressed by the young up-and-coming star that he offered to take Benedetto on the road with him, suggesting he change his name to Tony Bennett. He agreed and just one year later he cut his first demo Boulevard of Broken Dreams and then signed with Columbia Records.

Duets: An American Classic featuring music icons such as Paul McCartney, Elton John and Barbara Streisand. Duets II returns with another all-star roster of artists as diverse as Lady Gaga, the late Amy Winehouse, Josh Groban, John Mayer and more.

After releasing nearly seventy albums throughout his career, Tony Bennett continues to produce hits, especially with his most recent best selling release titled Duets II. The album serves as an encore to his 2006 release of the three-time Grammy winning,

Southern Gaming caught up with the music legend to discuss everything from his favorite performances to his outlook on the music industry. We hope you enjoy it!

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T O N Y BE N N E T T has been recording since the 1950’s.

While Bennett has performed for millions around the world, one of his most played places in the 1970’s was Las Vegas where it was almost impossible to get tickets to his shows. Still today, he regularly performs in Las Vegas venues, most recently in July at The Pearl at The Palms Casino where he hit the notes that made him famous.

PH O TO CRED I T: CO L U MBIA RE COR DS

Over the years, there have been few musicians who have cracked the code of appealing to multiple generations. The list becomes even shorter when you consider solo performers. With that said, one name that continues to shine decade after decade is the one and only Tony Bennett, who has been gracing audiences and charting hit albums in every decade since the ‘50’s. His Facebook page has over 100,000 followers and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down at the age of 85. Not only is Bennett still a successful performer around the world, but he is also what some consider to be a Las Vegas icon and is regularly releasing new material to his fans.

Vegas that always makes it a very special place to perform - you feel like anything can happen.

SG: We are based in Louisville, KY...home of the Kentucky Derby. Have you ever been to the Derby? If so, when and tell us what you thought about it. Did you have the Derby winner?

TB: Actually I attended the Kentucky Derby several years ago as

they had commissioned me to paint their commemorative. I had a great time at the race and they treated us with such graciousness and hospitality.

SG: There are few musicians who can cross the demographic divide that you have. With the release of Duets II, it seems that you have accomplished this again. What was it like to work with the next generation of music artists?

PH O TO CRED I T: D AVI D BECKER

TB: I had a wonderful time recording the first Duet CD with artists who have established themselves firmly in contemporary pop such as James Taylor, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand, all for my 80th birthday. At the beginning of this year my son, and manager, Danny, came up with the idea of a follow up CD for my 85th birthday. We worked with a much younger but very talented group of performers such as John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Queen Latifah and of course Amy Winehouse. I was very impressed how professional and prepared these artists were. Many of them were not used to recording live in the studio with the other musician right there in the same room - but they all settled in and gave excellent performances.

SG: How has the music and entertainment audience changed over your career?

BE N N E T T P E R F O R M E D I N J U LY in Las Vegas at The Pearl at Palm’s Casino.

SOUTHERN GAMING: As one of the longest running music industry icons, what motivates you to continue to excel with your music and performances?

Tony Bennett: I am always motivated by great songs and having an audience who enjoys having those songs performed for them.

TB: When I got my first break with Pearl Bailey and Bob Hope

they told me they could get me started but it would take ten years just to learn how to walk on a stage properly. These days young performers don’t have the kind of circuit to “be bad before they get good.” With television and the Internet they are viewed by millions of people right from the very start and that is a lot of pressure. Fortunately for the ones who have had good training they will survive and have long careers.

SG: What is your favorite Las Vegas performance memory?

SG: What are your thoughts on today’s music culture? Do you like the way things are heading?

TB: We did a great show at the Sahara in 1964 and it was recorded

TB: I think with the advent of the iPod we have gotten to a much

live but we never released it. I am thrilled that Columbia will be including the live concert CD in a new boxed set collection coming out later this fall.

SG: What are some of your pre-performance routines?

TB: I was fortunate enough to have had the chance to study

with some great instructors under the GI Bill of Rights after I returned home from WW II. As a result I was able to learn the Bel Canto technique where I do certain exercises before a show.

If you don’t keep your voice in shape every day, then on the first day, you know it, on the second day the band knows it and on the third day the audience knows it.

SG: How do you like performing in Las Vegas?

healthier phase as it relates to music and how it is accessed. There was a time earlier in my career when rock n roll came in and kids were told this is your music and your parents listen to the other kind. Now all kinds of music is available on the Internet and you can explore and discover many genres of music. This is the way it should be - music is not a demographic, it’s an art form.

Got Tony?

Duets II and other Tony Bennett CD’s, Photos and more can be found at TonyBennett.com.

TB: There is a great energy and excitement to performing in Vol um e 13 I ssu e6 11

Video Poker Tips

Linda Boyd, a long-time table game player before turning to video poker, writes for Southern Gaming, Her book, “The Video Poker Edge,” includes free removable pay schedules and her free strategy cards for the most popular games.

The second edition with a 2010 publishing date is available at Amazon, Square One Publishers and bookstores. Kindle edition now available.

PAY SCHEDULES PART 2

BY L I ND A B OY D

In September’s issue of Southern Gaming, I gave pay schedule tips for the most popular video poker games. Here you’ll find the actual data that you can bring with you to your favorite casino.

Table 1.2: BP

Pay Schedules: The two key factors you’ll find in the pay schedules below are the game’s theoretical return (ER) and the variance (game’s risk). You will see the payouts for each winning hand on the device, but that won’t indicate the return or risk to your bankroll.

1. Jacks or Better (JOB): This is an excellent game if you can find a good version, like 9/6 JOB or an 8/5 JOB that’s progressive on the royal flush. The reason is that it’s got a low variance. That’s because you get a return of double your wager for two pairs, a frequent hand. I would personally not play any version less than 9/6 JOB unless it was either 9/5 or 8/5 progressive.

Table 1.1: JOB * Hand: 5-Coin Bet

9/6 JOB 9/5 JOB 8/5 JOB 7/5 JOB 6/5 JOB

Royal Flush

4000

4000

4000

4000

4000

Straight Flush 250

250

250

250

250

4 of a Kind

125

125

125

125

125

Full House

45

45

40

35

30

Flush

30

25

25

25

25

Straight

20

20

20

20

20

3 of a Kind

15

15

15

15

15

10

10

10

10

10

5

5

5

5

Hand: 5-Coin Bet

8/5 BP

7/5 BP

6/5 BP

Royal Flush

4000

4000

4000

Straight Flush

250

250

250

4 Aces

400

400

400

4 2s, 3s, or 4s

400

400

400

4 5s-Kings

125

125

125

Full House

40

35

30

Flush

25

25

25

Straight

20

20

20

3 of a Kind

15

15

15

Two Pair

10

10

10

Jacks or Better

5

5

5

Expected Return

99.17%

98.01%

96.87%

Variance

20.91

20.75

20.65

3. Double Bonus Poker (DB): Here’s a very popular game due to the increased payout for specific quad hands. Be aware that your bankroll will disappear more quickly if you get fewer quads than statistical expectations. That’s why the variance is higher than JOB games.

Table 1.3 DB 10/7 DB 9/7 DB

10/6 DB 9/6 DB 8/6 DB

Royal Flush

4000

4000

4000

4000

4000

Straight Flush

250

250

250

250

250

4 Aces

800

800

800

800

800

4 2s, 3s, or 4s

400

400

400

400

400

4 5s-Kings

250

250

250

250

250

*Note that all games on these tables are named by the per-coin payout for the full house and flush respectively. All other hands have the same payout, and that’s why they share a game name.

Full House

50

45

50

45

40

Flush

35

35

30

30

30

Straight

25

25

25

25

25

**Variance refers to the likelihood that you’ll run out of money or the game’s risk to your bankroll.

3 of a Kind

15

15

15

15

15

Two Pair

5

5

5

5

5

Jacks or Better

5

5

5

5

5

Two Pair Jacks Better

or 5

Expected Return (ER)

99.54% 98.45%

97.3%

96.15% 94.99%

Variance **

19.51

19.32

19.17

19.5

19.04

2. Bonus Poker: Like JOB, this game is excellent for preserving your bankroll, since it too pays double your wager for two pair. It’s a bit more exciting than JOB since you’ll receive more for certain quads (four-of-a-kinds). Be aware that there are many pseudo versions that pay just even money for two pair. That’s why it’s important to carefully check each line on the pay schedule.

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Hand: 5-Coin Bet

Expected Return 100.17% 99.11%

98.89% 97.81% 96.73%

Variance

30.4

28.25

28.55

30.78

30.59

Final Thoughts: There are still plenty of good video poker choices available at casinos scattered throughout the country. You may have to switch to a different game, say DB instead of JOB, to find a good version of a game.

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sporting spectacles TOP MOMENTS IN 2011

BY JERE M Y W HIT E

For Jeter, collecting the historic hit at Yankee Stadium made the moment even sweeter. Whether that would happen was a question mark going into the game against Tampa Bay. Jeter had been in a touch of a slump leading up to the breakout game in which he went 5-for-5. While the hit would have been dramatic regardless of locale, every Yankee fan in America wanted to see it happen on Jeter’s home turf.

PHOTO C RE DIT: GETTY I MA G ES

The crowd roared as Jeter collected the big hit in truly impressive fashion — with a home run. In fact, he’s only the second player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to get to 3,000 with a long ball (the other being the great Wade Boggs). Jeter, always a class act, humbly took the moment in stride.

N E W YO R K YA N K E E DE R E K J E T E R collected his 3,000th career hit this year.

Baseball, football, soccer, hockey, cycling, golf … 2011 pretty much had it all. This year, the sports world has certainly seen some exciting moments and it’s not even over yet! By the time this article is printed we’ll have a new World Series and World Series of Poker champion. But, for now, here’s a quick glance at 2011’s top sporting moments.

JETER’S BIG HIT

When Derek Jeter collected his 3,000th career hit against Tampa Bay on July 9th, he punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame. Not that the Yankees shortstop wasn’t already destined for Cooperstown — he sealed that deal long ago with an unprecedented mixture of class and talent — but the milestone is one that sports writers and fans alike recognize as an automatic pass to baseball immortality.

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When he reached 3,000 he passed up Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente for No. 27 on the all-time hits list. Jeter is the 28th player in MLB history to eclipse 3,000, and the fifth New York Yankee to do so (along with Boggs, Dave Winfield, Ricky Henderson and Paul Waner). In October 2011, Jeter was honored

by Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory when the museum unveiled a sculpture to honor the Yankee Captain and celebrated “Derek Jeter Day”. The longtime Yankees shortstop, joined elite company as he was just the fourth person honored with a statue at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. For more information, log on to sluggermuseum.com or call 502-588-7228.

RIVERA’S RECORD SAVE

Jeter’s milestone wasn’t the only one reached by a Yankee in 2011.

His teammate and future Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera, also secured his ride to Cooperstown when he became the all-time leader in saves in September.

The closer began his career in New York as a starting pitcher, but that role was short-lived. In his first outing he was pounded, and he was subsequently moved to the bullpen. Though no one could have known it at the time, the assignment turned out to be one of the wisest in Major League Baseball history. Over 16 seasons,

a nd a Nor t heast Div ision championship, t he Bruins entered the playoffs with high hopes. The Bruins downed t he Mont rea l C a nad ia ns , Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning in route to the finals berth.

PH O TO CRED I T: O PEL IKA -A U BU RN N E WS

In the finals, they fell back two games to none before busting out the offense with eight goals in game three. From there, Boston went on to win games four, six and seven to end the championship drought.

WORLD CUP MADNESS

In the world of soccer, nothing is more monumental than the World Cup. Thousands of fans flocked to Frankfurt, Germany, earlier this year to watch the T H E A U BU R N T I GE R S best women’s soccer teams on won the 2011 National Football Championship. Earth compete for greatness and eternal bragging rights. The U.S. Rivera has tallied his more than 600 saves with a commanding entered the tournament as the favorites — soccer insiders say the cut fastball.

2011 U.S. team was stocked with truly world-class talent. Along The media certainly made a big deal out of Rivera passing up with those heady expectations came intense pressure, and the Trevor Hoffman on the career saves list, but not to the level as American women handled it well in Germany with impressive was seen with Jeter’s accomplishment. That did not bother Rivera victories along the way to the finals. at all, however. A consummate class act and a quiet leader, he Japan, however, was a team playing for a nation on the mend. The wouldn’t have it any other way.

Japanese earthquakes earlier in the year left the nation’s people The most surprising thing about the closer’s performance? and its economy badly wounded. The country needed something He has managed to work his way into the record books with to lift its spirits, and its women’s soccer team did just that in the essentially one pitch. Rivera isn’t one to make hitters guess what’s World Cup final. coming. The overwhelming majority of the time he throws the Both teams played aggressively from the start as the world aforementioned cut fastball with power and control. When watched on. The U.S. seemed to be in control when it took a 2-1 you consistently post an Earned Run Average below 3.00 for 16 lead in extra time, but the final minutes belonged to Japan as the seasons, you know you’re doing something right.

U.S. lost control of its advantage.

BRUINS RUIN CANUCKS

Is there a better professional sports town in America than Boston? This much is certain: the argument against Beantown is anything but an easy one. From Ted Williams to Larry Bird, some of the sporting world’s brightest stars — not to mention the most rabid fans — have called Boston home.

The World Series Championship drought the city’s beloved Red Sox endured for 86 years until 2004 is the stuff of legend. But the BoSox have now claimed two titles in the past seven years. Those World Series runs left the National Hockey League’s Bruins at the bottom of Boston’s championship barrel. The last time Boston won the Stanley Cup before the 2011 run was in 1972, and with the Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots firing on all cylinders and bringing (multiple) recent titles to the city, fans were growing hungry for the Bruins to follow suit.

The team did just that in 2011 when Boston skated past the Vancouver Canucks winning four games to three in over the summer. After finishing the season with 103 points

The match ended in a 2-2 tie, which set the stage for penalty kicks. Japan won that bout 3-1, thereby earning victory in the most dramatic final in World Cup history.

TIGERS SHOW THEIR STRIPES

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has dominated college football’s landscape in recent years. The talent pool has been so deep in the league that many view the conference as the equivalent of the NFL’s farm system. In fact, the SEC is 7-0 in BCS title games and has claimed five straight titles .

Hence, it came as no surprise that yet another SEC team won the national title in 2011. The bigger surprise, to some at least, was which specific team from the league ended up hoisting the trophy.

Alabama entered the season as the conference favorite, but as the season went on it became apparent that the Crimson Tide’s in-state rival had the team to beat. Auburn had a roster rich with talent on both sides of the ball.

Vol um e 13 I ssu e6 15

So did the Oregon Ducks, who entered the title game ranked No. 2 in the nation (Auburn was No. 1). While many predicted a high-scoring affair, it ultimately came down to a last-second field goal that gave Auburn a modest 22-19 win.

ICONIC MATCHUP

Speaking of can’t-miss events, Super Bowl XLV featured two of the National Football League’s most iconic franchises. On one side was the Green Bay Packers, which featured a high-powered offense led by all-pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers. On the other side was the Pittsburgh Steelers, which boasted the league’s most feared defense.

When these two squads share the gridiron, the big-name players are everywhere. That showed on the field in February, when Green Bay won a thrilling matchup, 31-25.

Sports Illustrated called the Super Bowl “one for the history books,” and for good reason. Each franchise is steeped in history and both are an intricate part of NFL lore.

Each franchise has brought home multiple Lombardi trophies. And each team plays in a small market and still manages to compete each and every year.

under par (-16).

DIRK SCHOOLS LEBRON AND COMPANY

LeBron James created quite a stir following the 2010 NBA season when he very publicly made a spectacle of where he would play in 2011. A free agent at the time, James was rumored to be considering staying in Cleveland, joining the New York Knicks or flying south to Miami. Ultimately, the lure of South Beach was too strong to turn down, and James signed with the Heat.

Before the ink on the contract was dry, Miami fans were thinking about an NBA championship. The Heat’s 2011 lineup appeared unstoppable as James and Dwayne Wade would form the league’s most dominating duo.

It all came to an end for LeBron and company, however, in the NBA Finals. The Dallas Mavericks, led by all-world superstar Dirk Nowitzki, bested the Heat in six games to claim the title. It was a resounding and dominating performance for the Mavs and Nowitzki, who earned NBA Finals M.V.P. Following the finals, the question immediately became this: can LeBron and his boys get it done next year, or will this “Superstar Experiment” fizzle out?

PH O TO CRED I T: G ETTY I MA G ES

Green Bay jumped out to a big lead early with 14 first-quarter points. Pittsburgh came to life TOUR DE EXCITEMENT in the second stanza, where the Those who fol low c ycling w i l l Steelers outscored their opponent by unequivocally tell you that the 2011 a count of 10-7. The Steelers scored Tour de France was hands-down one again in the third quarter to pull of the most exciting installments of within four points, 21-17, and set the DI R K N O W I T Z K I the event ever. Over 22 days in July, stage for a thrilling fourth quarter. of the Dallas Mavericks led the team to the world’s most elite riders endured a Green Bay managed to hold on and an NBA title win over the Miami Heat. grueling course that demands strength, Rodgers, who was simply brilliant speed, teamwork and, above all, mental throughout the entire postseason, fortitude. In all, from start to finish, the course runs 2,130 miles. earned Super Bowl MVP honors. He finished the game with 304 Its steep climbs, frigid and slick mountain passes and harrowing yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-39 passing. descents are not for the faint of heart.

MCILROY DOMINATES FIELD

The golf world spent much of 2010 embroiled in Tiger Woods’ personal turmoil. The result that carried over into 2011 were questions, and plenty of them. Could Tiger ever return to the form that previously made him perhaps the best player in the sport’s history? Could Phil Mickelson continue carrying the load for the PGA? Would the U.S. Open be worth watching?

For casual fans of the game, “Who is Rory McIlroy?” became another question. And it was resoundingly answered on June 19 when the 22-year-old player destroyed the U.S. Open Field with a score of 16 under par. It was the most impressive outing in U.S. Open history, and it made McIlroy the Open’s youngest winner since Bobby Jones in 1923.

McIlroy, who hails from Northern Ireland, set 11 U.S. Open records, including lowest 72-hole total (268) and lowest total 16

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Though American superstar Lance Armstrong did not take part in the most recent Tour, the field had plenty of worthy storylines.

Could Alberto Contador, the most feared climber in the world, dominate the field for a back-to-back Yellow jersey finish? Could the Schleck brothers, Belgium’s Andy and Frank, work together to secure a victory?

The month-long cycling extravaganza came to a close on July 24 in Paris when Australia’s Cadel Evans, at the age of 34, won the 2011 Tour de France. Andy Schleck finished second for the second straight year, while his brother Frank came in third.

Will an American compete for a top spot in 2012? Stay tuned.

Jeremy White is a freelance writer and editor living in Southern Indiana. He regularly covers gaming, sports, food and business for a variety of regional and national publications. He has a degree in creative writing and journalism and frequently visits Las Vegas as well as local Kentuckiana gaming facilities.

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If you are a Darkside “Don’t” player, which means you are betting against the shooter making his “point,” you are the most disliked man or woman in the game of craps. And don’t kid yourself into thinking the other players realize that you are also playing against the house edge and not playing against them. That just isn’t so — to their mind, you are playing against them, and some may even think you are actually helping the casino win their money.

Frank Scoblete’s newest books are “Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines!” featuring advantage-play slots; “Casino Craps: Shoot to Win!” that comes with DVD showing unedited controlled throws; “Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players!”; and “Beat Blackjack Now!” All of them are available from Amazon.com, or at your favorite bookstore, or by mail order by calling 1-800-944-0406. For a free brochure, call the number.

CRAPS

Craps: Darkside Don’ts

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They see you with their own eyes betting the opposite of themselves at the game. They see you light up when the shooter sevens out. They see you collect money from the casino when the casino is collecting money from them. The other players, the Rightside “Do” players, are not thinking mathematically; they don’t care that the casino has an edge over the Darkside player — they don’t like you, and some of them despise you, and, yes, some even hate you.

That is often a lot to deal with.

That’s why Darkside players tend to be somewhat quiet at the tables. You rarely hear them cheering when a 7 is thrown. I’ve heard cheers of delight from Darkside players maybe 10 times in my more than two decades of play. Darksiders prefer to stay in the shadows.

Like Rightside players, however, the range of decent bets for Darksiders is severely limited. Most Darkside bets, to put it bluntly, stink. So let us go through them and see which bets a Darksider should make and which bets a Darksider should avoid.

The best Darkside bets reflect the best Rightside bets — Don’t Pass and Don’t Come. The house edge on these bets is a small 1.4 percent (or 1.36 percent if you count pushes in your equation). Such an edge means that for every $100 you wager on the Don’t Pass or the Come, your expected loss over time is $1.40.

For Rightsiders who never think in terms of Darkside bets, here is a quick primer. On the Come-Out roll, the Darksider wants a 2 or 3 to hit, thereby making him money. There are only three ways these two numbers can appear. The 12 is a tie. The Darksider loses on the 7 and 11 — and there are eight ways to make these two numbers. So this is where the house has a crippling eight-to-three edge over the Darksider and where the casino makes its money off them.

Once the Darksider gets on a number, the edge of casino over the “Don’t” player now reverses itself. Now the Darksider has an edge on every number since the 7 comes up six times and the other numbers come up somewhat less or far less. The 6 and 8 come up five times each, so

the edge for the Darkside bet on these numbers is six-to-five. The 5 and 9 come up four times each, so the edge is six-to-four or three-to-two. The 4 and 10 come up three times each, so the edge for the Darksider is sixto-three or two-to-one.

Frank Scoblete

Now here is the really bad news. If we establish a 1.5 percent house edge as the highest we should play against, the smart Darksider is left with only the Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets as the two bets in his or her arsenal. But don’t despair, like the Rightside player, the Darksider has the option of “laying” odds on his bets.

Laying odds means the player can put up extra money once the bet is on a number, and these odds bets have no extra house edge. However, laying the odds means the Darkside player is putting out more money to win less money.

The Darkside odds bet is $6 to win $5 on the 6 and 8; $6 to win $4 on the 5 and 9; $6 to win $3 on the 4 and 10. The best approach is to make your Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets low and maximize your odds. Keep in mind that the house edge is working only on the original Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets and not on the odds bets. So keep those small and keep the odds bets as high as you can afford.

How should a Darksider structure his attack? Personally I would only bet one bet per shooter. This eliminates the possibility that one hot shooter can wipe a Darksider off the board as he or she hits number after number and point after point. If you get on a number and the shooter knocks you off it, then wait for the next shooter. In this way, you will preserve your bankroll.

Yes, it is possible that you could run into a string of losses from successive shooters, but that occasion is highly unlikely. If you want to play your strongest game from the “Don’t” side, then do go with the one-bet-per-shooter method. You’ll save money and still be in the action.

As far as dealing with the Rightside players and their almost unanimous animosity, there is little you can do.

You can’t win them over. They will delight when they see you lose, and they will grumble and groan when they see you win. If that doesn’t emotionally bother you, then being a Darksider is no big deal.

In truth, you are playing against the house, just as the Rightsider is playing against the house — you are not playing against each other, but tell them that!

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u.s. gaming meccas LAS VEGAS VS. ATLANTIC CITY

BY G . DOUGLAS DR E ISB A C H

L A S V EG A S , N V

AT L A N T I C C I T Y, N J

hosts over 40 million visitors each year.

is a gambler's playground on the Atlantic shore.

So, you live in the South and you want to get away. You want to get on a plane and fly somewhere that will provide a vacation with great food, exciting entertainment and an energy that can’t be matched. You are looking for something unique and while gambling is a preference, it might not be a necessity. While I always recommend the Southern casino markets and gambling properties first, sometimes it is nice to try something new. So that is exactly what I did. As your personal traveling gaming guru, I hopped on a plane and made the trip to Las Vegas to experience all they had to offer…well at least all that could be experienced by one person in just two days! After that, I flew directly to Atlantic City where I found an oasis of unexpected glitz and glamour… what a gem! So, this is my personal view of the top two gambling Mecca’s in the country…Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

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Las Vegas. Sin City. The City of Neon. Whatever you call it, you can rest assured you are in for the time of your life. When Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Segal started creating this destination in the 1930’s and 40’s, do you think they ever imagined it becoming what it is now? Today, over 40 million people visit the city each year and the famous four miles of Las Vegas Boulevard feature nearly forty immaculate hotels, including nineteen of the top twenty-five largest hotels in the world. Within the confines of each property lies a world unique to each that houses the best restaurant, shows, shopping and of course, gambling. There are more celebrity chefs in some of the properties than there are in most states. There are shopping outlets that serve as collages for the best, and most expensive, brands in the world. And the shows, well, lets just say, there is something for everyone. There really isn’t anything you can’t get in Las Vegas.

With such a plethora of activities in the city, there are many choices depending on your budget. Las Vegas can be very affordable, but it can also be one of the most expensive places in the world. Whether you are jet-setting to McCarron Airport in your G5 ready to drop $100,000 on the blackjack tables, or coming in on the commercial flight looking for comps and free shows, there is no shortage of anything!

On this trip, we stayed at Caesars Palace where the marble lined main lobby, made famous by the hit movie The Hangover as well as several other films, welcoms guests with surreal murals from Roman times and a magnificent centerpiece of Caesar himself adorned with an ornate water feature. There are thirteen restaurants spread throughout the property with the popular Guy Savoy and Bradley Ogden locations conveniently located near the entrance to The Coliseum that plays home to the esteemed ‘residence’ shows of the property (Elton John, Celine Dion and Shania Twain, just to name a few). If the hotel, casino floor, restaurants and headliner entertainment aren’t enough to impress you, then maybe The Forum Shops will do the trick. The Shops serve as the city’s premier retail, dining and entertainment destination. They include 160 boutiques and shops, several restaurants and one of the most famous cigar shops in the world, Casa Fuente.

Our room was in the Octavius Tower and featured a nice sitting area overlooking the famous fountains of the neighboring Bellagio Resort. While the room had everything you would need including data ports for your computer and plush beds, the room is one place you won’t see very much of on your stay. Caesars Palace is the flagship property of the entire Caesars empire, and rightfully so. The Caesars Palace experience is first class all the way!

In addition to Caesars Palace, the newest kid on the famed Las Vegas strip is MGM’s Aria Resort & Casino located in the heart of City Center. The 4,004 room resort spans almost seventy acres and is located in the center of the Las Vegas strip. The architecture and design of the common areas was spacious, utilizing natural light and angled walls and ceilings to give it a contemporary feel.

One of the most unique things about this resort was the amazing 250-foot long and 24-foot high curved water wall that stretches across the front of the building and ‘dancing water’ features at the entrance. WET Design (creators of the Bellagio Fountains and the Mirage Volcano) once again accomplished the feat of creating an attraction that draws people in to watch in amazement. Once inside, a 150,000 square-foot casino floor flows in the center of restaurants, shops and the grand entrance. If you are a poker player, be sure to check out ‘Ivey’s Room”, where you can play against the pros and highest staked players in the world. With 16 restaurants, Aria is another place you really won’t want to leave.

We dined at Sirio Ristorante, located on the second floor just off of the casino floor, where we feasted on a White Truffle Feast fit for kings and gods. While there was a plethora of options to choose from, we were amazed at the level of this option that allows diners to experience a wide range of menu selections and wine varieties in one setting. Almost like a tapas dinner, yet sophisticated enough to let you endulge in each dish. We knew we were in for a treat when the server brought out an appetizer

portion of fried eggs with roasted zucchini julienne with five year aged parmigiano reggiano and shaved Alba’s white truffles. This was paired with a Gosset Grand Rose Champagne that led into the rest of the meal perfectly. The first course was homemade Tagliatelle pasta in a light butter sauce with white shaved truffle paired with a 2008 Etna Rosso, ‘Guardiola’ Tenuta di Terre Nere and a main course of a grilled veal chop with a wild mushroom demi glace, soft white polenta and sautéed spinach with white truffle. Once again, the wine pairing was spot on when the sommelier poured the 2008 Fuedi Di San Gregorio Primitivio Di Manduria. To finish the dining experience off right, we were treated to devil food cake with caramel zabajon, hazelnut gelato and fresh shaved white truffles with the chef’s amazing house cello tastings. Overall, the ambiance, food and service were all perfect and exceeded our expectations. Sirio is just one of many restaurants at the property. Be sure to check out Bar Masa & Shaboo, Jean Philippe Patisserie or Sage where you can feast on an array of creative plates in trendy dining rooms. In addition to the restaurants and attractions, the Spa and Pool area including Liquid Pool & Lounge will have everything to soak the day away. Aria is also home to latest Cirqu du Soleil’s latest masterpiece, Viva Elvis and the Elvis-themed bar appropriately called, Gold Lounge adorning The King’s gold records, replica furniture from Graceland and reserved sections for bottle service or larger groups.

The best views of Las Vegas are seen at night high above the street level. If you have ever flown into the city at night, you know what I am talking about. The best places to get this point of view are located on the top floor of Mandalay Bay featuring The Foundation Room, or the neighboring THEHotel with Mix Lounge. Both offer a high-end atmosphere with premium drinks, great energy and relaxed music in the early evening, turning into an electric night scene later with a balcony offering amazing views right down the strip from forty-three floors up. Both have a cover charge that hovers the twenty dollar range but it is worth it if you plan to stay for a couple of hours. Mandalay Bay is another jewel of the strip featuring its sister property, THEHotel that is a mirror image of its counterpart, and a Four Seasons Hotel that is in a league of its own. With over 3,000 rooms, almost twenty restaurants, two spas and a pool replicating a beach with waves and palm trees, there isn’t much left untouched. We got the opportunity to experience another tapas dinner at Fluer by Hubert Keller, home of the FleurBurger 5000, a Kobe beef patty topped with foie gras and black truffles with a special sauce made with more black truffles and served with a bottle of Petrus ($2,500 per bottle). Well, I can assure you that we did not get to sample the menu masterpiece, only about six people per year do! We did however enjoy almost twenty different tastings on the menu. Try the Oysters with a Margarita sorbet and orange puree, served on top of glass with the fog from dry ice pouring out, or a White Russian a la LN2, an ice cream that was made tableside using liquid nitrogen and Bailey’s. We were excited to see the next plate presentation, as each was better than the last. Some of our other favorites were Tuna Tacos with Serrano, cilantro and avocado cream, seared Foie Gras with sautéed spinach, wild mushrooms with a brandied cherry sauce and Braised Short Ribs that were so tender the meat practically fell off the bone. For the sweet ending, we enjoyed mini p,b &j’s that were about the size of a quarter and Vol um e 13 I ssu e6 21

served with chocolate macaroon, peanut butter cream, strawberry marmalade and rum iced milk as well as Warm Coconut Almond Cakes with coconut cream, kiwi sorbet and mango glee. Fluer exceeded all of our expectations. You can really see the creativity that lies in the mind of Hubert Keller.

hotels here as are in Las Vegas, you will find that the quality and convenience certainly lives up to expectations. There are eleven casinos spread out over two main districts- the Marina District and The Boardwalk. The first legal casino was Resort’s in 1978, but as history shows, there has been plenty of gambling and other popular pastimes in the area since pre-prohibition.

When in Las Vegas, it is hard not to get caught up in the We stayed at The Borgata Hotel and Casino’s cosmopolitan hotel, enormity of everything. It is all over the top, offering the very The Water Club, conveniently connected to the main property best of everything. When it comes to getting around, there is via a shopping promenade nowhere in the world that works featuring clothing outlets such as efficiently as Las Vegas. as Hugo Boss and Just Cavalli There are almost 8,000 taxi cabs • Did you know? as well as the luxurious jewelry in the city. Add the limos, buses of Hearts on Fire. The lobby is and monorail, and a trip to the • Bugsy Siegel named his casino, The Flamingo, after very contemporary with high other end of the strip or to the the long legs of his showgirl girlfriend. ceilings, accented lighting and downtown casinos is as easy • Vegas Vic, the enormous neon cowboy that towers fun water features throughout. as walking out of your hotel! over Freemont Street, is the world’s largest mechanical The spacious area serves as a However, one of the best ways to neon sign. nice pre-cursor for the rest of get around is by walking. Grab the 800-room resort. There is a cold beverage of choice and • Prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas despite what a lot also a 36,000 square-foot spa take in the sights and sounds. of people might believe. The nearest place it is legal is and five heated pools to keep There are countless places to sit 45-minutes away in Pahrump, Nevada. you busy, so be sure to pack your and people watch or duck in to • Elvis Presley performed 837 consecutive sold out swimsuit! Our room was on the make a few bets or refresh your shows in Las Vegas.

30th floor and had an amazing drink. One popular place is view overlooking a marina and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville • One acre of land on the Las Vegas Strip costs out into the endless Ocean. located right on the strip across approximately $30 million.

Equipped with every amenity from Caesars Palace. You won’t imaginable, the marble lined find much glitz and glamour shower area is what takes the here, but with Buffet playing cake. Not only is there a bench throughout the area, a bar and seat, but also two shower heads, some slot machines, all seems • Did you know? one regular one and one rainto be perfect. style shower head that is directly I could go on and on about all • The first Miss America pageant took place in Atlantic overhead. Like Las Vegas, we of the things to do in Las Vegas.

City in 1921. don’t want to focus on the rooms If you “Google Las Vegas” you too much, but this place is great • The street names from the game Monopoly are in will find plenty of reviews and and if you are going to get a Atlantic City except for one…Marvin Gardens. recommendations of the many room, this is what you want! ways to experience it all. One • In 1960, Chubby Checker first introduced “The Twist” The Borgata is home to six finething is for sure, if you visited The Rainbow Club in Wildwood, NJ…just minutes dining options including Bobby the city one hundred times, from Atlantic City.

Flay’s Steak and Wofgang every visit would be unique to • Resorts was the first casino to open in Atlantic Puck’s American Grille. We its own…and that is what keeps City on May 26, 1978. The property was originally opted for the lighter fare and people coming back. a refurbished 50-year old hotel called Chalfontedined at the premier Japanese So, after a flight back to the East Haddon Hall. restaurant, izakaya. Located Coast, I was eager to see what all just off of the casino floor, as • Hugh Hefner once had a Playboy Hotel and Casino of the buzz was about Atlantic are all of the restaurants, you in Atlantic City but had to sell it when he couldn’t City other than the fact that it walk down a short hallway over a get licensed. served as inspiration to the most glass floor accented by lights and popular board game in history, features that make you feel like Monopoly. The last time I was you are floating. The expansive here was in the early 1990’s and at the time, it didn’t seem like dining room is anchored on one side with a horseshoe shaped the kind of place you would visit for a glitz and glamour affair bar and an open kitchen and sushi bar on the other. While the but more for a night of gambling and that’s about it. But times menu featured sushi favorites like Spicy Tuna and Salmon rolls, have changed and so has the entire landscape of this playground there were also some clever surprises like the Eel Foie Gras, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The old properties are still Sea Urchin, Baby Dragon with soysheet, spicy tuna, salmon, there, and so are some new ones that rival the most elite hotels cucumber and avocado and the Spicy Japanese Scallop with in the world. While you won’t find near the amount of casinos or

Las Vegas

Atlantic City

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ARIA RESORT & CASINO is the newest MGM property on the Las Vegas strip. avocado, tempura crunch and cucumber. If you like to try a variety of different rolls and items, there are three fabulous sampler platters to choose from. One is a Sashimi Sampler featuring tuna, yellowtail, salmon, white fish and mirugai and the other is the izakaya Sampler that has a combination of sushi (tuna, yellowtail, salmon and white fish) and rolls (cucumber and avocado and spicy tuna.) In addition, you can let your fate be determined by the chef with the Chirasi, the chef’s personal selection of eight fish and shellfish selections. The service was quick, yet not pushy, and the overall ambiance and décor appropriately accented the menu items making for an enjoyable dinner.

The Borgata isn’t just known for their restaurants and neighbor property; they also play host to big name entertainers and have a great energized night life. The dance club at the property is called Mur Mur, and was packed with a younger crowd dancing to a dj spinning tunes. A live-music venue featuring cover bands is called The Gypsy Bar. For more casual cocktails, be sure to check out Longbar, B Bar or Level ONE. In addition, the casino boasts 4,000 slot machines, a variety of all of the table games and an 85-table poker room.

Since The Borgata is located in the Marina District with it’s neighbors the Golden Nugget and Harrah’s, we took a short cab ride over to the main attraction of the city- the four-mile Boardwalk lined with casinos and shops on one side, and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean on the other. One of the hottest spots along the famous stretch is The Quarter, located just inside the Tropicana Casino. Here you will find almost twenty restaurants and bars, a cigar and liquor store and dozens of shops. Popular recommendations were Cuba Libre and The Palm Restaurant while Ri Ra’s Irish Pub and Providence nightclub were the most popular nightspots. In addition to these, you can also enjoy The Rumba Lounge & Party Pit, 32 Luxe Lounge, Planet Rose

Kareoke, Tango’s lounge and more. If you are looking for a onestop-shop, The Quarter is the place to go.

We also highly recommend spending some time at The Pier Shops at Caesars Palace. Here you will find over 80 high-end retail and dining outlets including leading brands such as Tiffany, Gucci and Coach. There are also six restaurants ranging from seafood to burgers and an indoor three-story water, light and sound performance that is conducted every hour. Recreational activities include everything from biking and boating to golf at any of the thirty golf courses within a thirty minute drive.

So, while Atlantic City might not have as many casinos as Las Vegas, it is a viable alternative if you are looking to try something new. The pool areas are great, plus you’ve got the Ocean, and the restaurants are excellent. You won’t have any problems feeding your gambling itch either, so why not give it a try when considering your next gambling adventure…you just might be surprised and find a gem of a destination!

Southern Gaming's Preferred Hot Spots: Las Vegas Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino THEHotel Aria Resort & Casino Sirio Ristorante (Aria) Fleur by Hubert Keller (Mandalay Bay) The Foundation Room (Mandalay Bay) Mix Lounge and Restaurant

Atlantic City The Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa The Water Club by Boragata Tropicana Casino and Resort Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino Izakaya Japanese Restaurant (Borgata) The Pier Shops at Caesars Palace The Quarter at Tropicana The Boardwalk Vol um e 13 I ssu e6 23

BLACKJACK

Here are five tips to become a winning blackjack player: Learn the basic playing strategy.

Guessing on whether you should hit or stand is not a winning strategy for blackjack. Your first step is to learn the basic playing strategy, which tells you how to correctly play every hand dealt. The basic strategy takes into account only two pieces of information: the total of your hand, and what is the dealer’s upcard. For example, you are dealt a 10-6 and the dealer shows a 10. The basic strategy will tell you the best play is to surrender the 16; if surrender is not available, your next best play is to hit. By learning the basic playing strategy, you will reduce the house edge to less than 1 percent (the house edge depends on the number of decks of cards and the mix of rules ... for most games, you can reduce the house edge to a measly 0.3 to 0.5 percent). Here’s a tip if you find learning the complete basic strategy daunting: Learn Michael Shackleford’s simplified basic playing strategy, which was covered in issue No. 118 of my Blackjack Insider Newsletter (www.bjinsider.com).

Henry Tamburin is the editor of Blackjack Insider Newsletter (www.bjinsider.com), lead instructor for the Golden Touch Blackjack Course (www.goldentouchblackjack.com) and host of www.smartgaming.com. For a FREE three-month subscription to his blackjack newsletter, go to www.bjinsider.com/freetrial. To receive his FREE Casino Gambling Catalog, call 1-888-353-3234 or visit www.smartgaming.com.

Blackjack: Playing to Win

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Use a strategy card.

Using a strategy card when you play blackjack is perfectly legal. There are several commercially available, accurate and inexpensive blackjack strategy cards available. These color-coded, pocketsize cards are easy to use (see my online catalog at www.smartgaming. com). By referring to the strategy card, you will always have the correct strategy available.

Play only games that have good rules.

Not all blackjack games are the same. Some use a singledeck of cards, others might use two, six or even eight decks of cards. The playing rules might be different, and even how much you are paid for a blackjack might differ.

Here are some tips on what to look for.

Single-deck game: Many casinos will pay only 6-5 for a blackjack (instead of the traditional 3-2). Avoid playing any 6-5 game, because the house edge, even with basic strategy, is about 1.4 percent. (6-5 games are a rip-off, so avoid them!)

Double-deck games: The best rules for double-deck games have the dealers standing on soft 17 and players can double down after pair splitting (DAS). Games in which the dealer hits soft 17 are not as good but still acceptable (as long as DAS is available).

Six- and eight-deck games: The best rules have dealers standing on soft 17, players can double down

after pair splitting, and surrender or resplit aces is available. I would avoid any six- or eightdeck game where the dealer hits soft 17 (unless surrender or resplit aces are also available).

Scout the tables in the Henry Tamburin casino and check the rules before you sit down and play.

Don’t play with a CSM! A CSM is a continuous shuffling machine. You’ll find CSMs on six- and eight-deck games in many casinos.

CSMs are different from traditional automatic shufflers. With the latter, about 75 percent of the cards are dealt before the cards are reshuffled. With a CSM, the cards from each round (or two) are placed back into the shuffler. There is no pause in the action when a CSM is used, and the dealer can deal more hands per hour (which is bad for recreational players).

Choose a table that uses a traditional automatic shuffler (with discard tray) or the deal manually shuffles the cards (which is usually the case in singleand double-deck games).

Learn a simple card-counting system.

The basic playing strategy only reduces the house edge, it doesn’t swing the edge in the player’s favor. And progressive betting systems, where you bet more after you win (or lose) the previous hand, might be fun, but they won’t swing the edge in your favor. The only way you can swing the edge in your favor when you play blackjack is to increase your bet when you have the advantage prior to the next round. The only time this will occur is when the undealt cards contain a higher proportion of picture cards and aces compared to small cards, like 2-6. How do you know when the latter condition exists? You must learn to count the cards as they appear on the felt. Nowadays, there are simple card-counting systems for recreational players that be learned in less than an hour. The one I recommend is Speed Count. It’s easy to learn and, more importantly, easy to use in the casino. With Speed Count, you only have to keep track of six small cards (you just add one to your count when you see a small card during a round, and then after the round is over, you subtract one from your count for every player and the dealer). For more details about Speed Count, consult Frank Scoblete’s book, “Beat Blackjack Now!” or check out the “Speed Count” DVD at www.goldentouchblackjack.com.

If you follow the above steps, you’ll be playing with an edge when you play blackjack, meaning you will win more money than you lose over time.

For more free Blackjack tips, visit southerngaming.com/blackjack

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d vel an s Readers a r T ing & stination m a G est ing & De w d i

By M ern Gam South

The Best Gaming, Racing, Dining & Entertainment!

(800) 526-7223 hoosierpark.com *Recognition as one of Indiana’s top three in ten Midwest Gaming & Travel and nine Southern Gaming & Destinations categories in 2011 readers’ poll. Must be 21 years or older to enter casino. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT.

Just North of Indianapolis off I-69 at Exit 26!

ANDERSON 465 Indianapolis

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video poker strategies PATTERNS IN PAY TABLES

BY JO HN GR OC HOW S K I

If you’re serious about video poker, you know the drill. You’ve read a little about the games, maybe learned strategies for 9-6 Jacks or Better, or 10-7 Double Bonus Poker. You know that the numbers stand for the payoffs on full houses and flushes, so that a 9-6 game pays 9-for-1 on a full house and 6-for-1 on a flush.

And you know that games with lower pay tables give back less to players.

Then you find yourself in a casino that doesn’t have any of those pay tables you’ve learned about. The Jacks or Better games aren’t 9-6, they’re 8-5. The Double Bonus isn’t 10-7, it’s 9-6. Double Double Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild — name the game, and you’re finding something less than the pay tables you’ve learned as “full pay.”

What’s a player to do? It’s a common enough problem, one that a number of readers have pointed out via email: Jason: “I bought a video poker book, and it listed these amazing paybacks. It said 99.5 percent on 9-6 Jacks or Better, 100.2 percent on 10-7 Double Bonus Poker, 100.8 percent on full-pay Deuces Wild. I tried to memorize some of the strategies, and I was psyched. When my wife and I got to the casino, none of those games were there. The names were the same, but the pay tables were all different.”

Bob: “I was with a group and couldn’t find any good games. There was no question that I was going to play anyway. We were at the casino for the day, and I had the bug. Video poker was what I was going to play. I started wondering, though, if the strategies I’d learned were still right for those games.”

The most common way to change the payback percentage on video poker games is to change the returns on full houses and flushes. That’s why we refer to “9-6” Jacks or Better, or “10-7” Double Bonus Poker. Each unit a full house or flush return is dropped costs us a little over a percent of our return, given expert play. So while 9-6 Jacks or Better returns 99.5 percent with expert play, while 8-5 Jacks falls to 97.3 percent — the drops in both full houses and flushes yielding an overall 2.2 percent reduction in return.

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You can see the same pattern in other games with pay tables that start at a pair of Jacks The popular 9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker returns 99 percent with expert play, but the 8-5 version gives back only 96.8 percent. And while 10-7 Double Bonus Poker returns 100.2 percent with expert play, the 9-6 version drops to 97.9 percent, with a word of caution. Straights should pay 5-for-1 on Double Bonus, a unit more than on most video poker games.

If they pay only 4-for-1, you’re looking at another drop of a little more than a percent.

It’s up to you to decide whether to play the games with reduced returns. Video poker pros would avoid those games, but a casual player out for a little entertainment might well decide to settle in at a 97-to-98-percent game rather than playing the slots.

As for strategies, Bob was right to wonder if the lower pay tables demanded some adjustment on the players’ part. Changes in pay tables demand changes in strategy. Getting the most out of a game means changing the way you play.

One thing you’ll find is that changes in flush payoffs affect strategy much more than changes in full house payoffs. High enough flush returns enable us to be more aggressive about chasing three-card straight flushes, or even three-card flushes.

There’s little we can do to be more aggressive about chasing full houses. The only situation in which we’re clearly chasing a full house is drawing one card with two pairs on board, and we’re almost always going to make that play at any payback.

Let’s try a few sample hands, where the pay table makes a difference:

JACKS OR BETTER 4♠, 5♠, 6♠, Q♥, J ♥

When flush payoffs are higher, we chase a lot more three-card straight flushes. In 9-6 Jacks or Better, with flushes paying 6-for-1, holding the suited 4-5-6 has an expected value (EV) of 3.15 coins per five coins wagered, while holding the suited Queen-Jack, with a long-shot chance at a royal flush, has an EV of only 3.12 coins.

When the full house return drops, so do the EVS, but the average return on holding both pairs falls more than that on holding the Ace pair. If you’re playing 9-7-5 Double Bonus, the average return on holding Ace-Ace is 8.77 coins, compared with 8.40 on Ace-Ace-2-2.

Since there are no possible flushes coming into play here, the average returns on 9-6-5 Double Bonus are identical to those on the 9-7-5 game.

When the full house return drops below 10-for1, we hold a pair of Aces rather than two pairs.

That does not apply to pairs other than Aces. If it was Jack-Jack-2-2, for example, we’d hold both pairs on any Double Bonus Poker pay table.

K♦, Q♦, 9♦, J♠, 6 ♥

It’s a hairline call, and we go the opposite way when flush payoffs drop to 5-for-1. In 8-5 Jacks or Better, the EV is 3.07 on QueenJack, while it drops all the way to 2.96 on 4-5-6.

A♠, K♠, Q♣, 10♠, 5♠ It’s always tempting to go for the big one with three parts of a royal, and in 8-5 Jacks or better, we do just that. Holding AceKing-10 of spades has an EV of 6.18, topping the 5.43 for holding all four spades. But in 9-6 Jacks, that higher flush payoff turns things around, so that Ace-King-10-5 has an EV of 6.38 that nudges the 6.35 on Ace-King-10.

K♣, 10♣, 3♣, 8♠, 6♦ We’re really nitpicking on this one, getting down into the differences of a hundredth of a coin. Holding just the King on the 8-5 game gives us an EV of 2.29 coins per five wagered. If we’re playing the full-pay 9-6 game, we’ll hold King-10 and keep our fingers crossed. The higher flush payback nudges the value of holding an extra club up just enough that it’s worth taking the long shot at a royal flush draw.

DOUBLE BONUS POKER

It’s important to pay attention to the payoff in straights in Double Bonus, as well as those on full houses and flushes. So let’s specify the full-pay version as 10-7-5 Double Bonus, while looking at strategy changes when the games are 9-7-5 or 9-6-5 instead. If you see a 9-6-4 game, with that extra falloff in straights, Double Bonus is a game to avoid.

A♥, A♦, 2 ♥, 2♦, 6 ♠ It’s relatively rare to find a hand where the difference in the return on full houses makes a difference. There’s little we can do to force the pace on full houses. On most games, we’ll hold two pairs regardless of the full-house return.

There are some exceptions when four-of-a-kind bonuses start turning into large bonanzas, such as in Double Bonus where four Aces bring an 800-coin jackpot for a five-coin wager. This hand is a tough call in 10-7-5 Double Bonus Poker, but the better play is still to hold both pairs. A one-card draw for a 4-in-47 shot at a full house still is a better play than going for the Aces by a tiny margin, an 8.83 EV for holding Ace-Ace-2-2 edging out 8.82 on holding just the Aces.

A strategy card for 10-7-5 Double Bonus would tell you to hold the three-card double-inside straight flush, King-Queen-9 of diamonds.

There, we average a 3.26-coin return per five coins wagered, better than the 3.09 on the inside straight draw, King-Queen-Jack-9. On the 9-6-5 game, though, the EV remains 3.09 on the inside straight and drops to 3.06 on the straight flush draw.

2♥, 2♦, 3♣, 4 ♠, 5♥ One of the defining characteristics of Double Bonus Poker is that it pays 5-for-1 on straights — usually. That means we make many more straight draws than on other Jacks or Better games that pay only 4-for-1. On either 10-7-5 or 9-6-5 Double Bonus, we’d hold 2-3-4-5, with an EV of 4.26, over the pair of 2s, EV of 4.08 on 9-6-5 or 4.13 on 9-7-5.

But what if straights pay only 4-for-1? There are Double Bonus games that make that pay table change. Then we revert to holding the 2s. In a 9-6-4 game, the EV of 4.08 on the pair of 2s is far better than the 3.40 on the four-card straight.

DOUBLE DOUBLE BONUS POKER A♣, K♠, Q♥, J♠, 9♠

This is another straight flush dilemma, complicated by the reduction in flush paybacks. In 9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker, the better play is to hold King-Jack-9 of spades, with an EV 2.99 coins per five wagered. Holding Ace-King-Queen-Jack of mixed suits has an EV of 2.98 either way, so when flushes pay 6-for-1 we expect to get just slightly more by holding the three spades.

But the average return for holding the suited King-Queen-9 plummets to 2.78 coins when flushes pay just 5-for-1. So in 8-5 Double Double Bonus we hold the four unsuited high cards instead.

Q♥, J♥, 10♥, J♦, 5♦ Jackpot chasers will find tons of temptation in this hand.

Holding suited Queen-Jack-10 gives us a two-card draw for a royal flush, and we’re all wishing and hoping for royals. Not only that, holding those three cards brings a chance at King-high or Queen-high straight flushes, as well as other flushes and straights.

So is it worth breaking up that winning pair of Jacks to go for the gold?

As it happens, this is a borderline hand. In 9-6 Double Double Vol um e 13 I ssu e6 27

2♥, 2 ♠, J♠, 10♣, 10 ♠ There are so many variations in Deuces Wild pay tables and strategies that you practically have to be a Deuces specialist to keep up. The same hand can have several different “best” ways to play. This is one of those hands.

In full-pay Deuces Wild, recognizable mainly by its 5-for-1 payoff on four of a kind, the best play is to hold 2-2-10-10. That gives you a sure pay of 25 coins for a five-coin bet, with a onecard draw for five of a kind and a 75-coin payoff, leaving an EV of 29.26. It’s a dead heat in the Frome-coined “Illinois Deuces” game, which pays 3-for-1 on flushes instead of the 2-for-1 on the full pay game, while quads drop to 4-for-1 and full houses rise a unit to 4-for-1. Holding either 2-2-10-10 or 2-2-Jack-10 brings an average return of 24.68 coins per five wagered.

Bonus Poker, we’ll give up the sure winner, keep the three high hearts and hope for the best. Per five coins wagered, on the average we’ll get back 7.32 by holding Queen-Jack-10, better than the 7.23 on Jack-Jack. We add a lot of volatility in the process.

We’ll draw losing hands 69.9 percent of the time when we hold Queen-Jack-10. But the occasional big winners make that all worthwhile.

When we have to settle for 8-5 Double Double Bonus, it’s a better play to give up our royal dreams and hold onto the sure thing.

The lower return on full houses does drop the average return on Jack-Jack down to 7.18 coins per five wagered, but the reduced flush payback drops the return on suited Queen-Jack-10 even more, to 7.12 coins. So the player who wants the most out of the game changes strategy, and holds the pair of Jacks.

DEUCES WILD

There are about as many versions of Deuces Wild as there are paragraphs in this article, and they’re not as easy to sort by fullhouse and flush paybacks as other video poker games.

Let’s take three samples. Start with full-pay Deuces, the original pay table that returns 100.8 percent with expert play. Natural royals pay 250-for-1, but shoot up to a 4,000-coin jackpot with five coins wagered, just like most other games. Four deuces return 200-for-1, followed by 25-for-1 for a royal flush with wild cards, 15-for-1 on five of a kind, 9-for-1 on a straight flush, 5-for-1 on four of a kind, 3-for-1 on a full house, 2-for-1 on either a flush or a straight, and 1-for-1 on three of a kind.

The full-pay game is rare nowadays as casinos have weaned players onto lower-paying versions. One, nicknamed “Illinois Deuces” by the late video poker guru Lenny Frome, reduces fourof-a-kind pays to 4-for-1, but increases full houses to 4-for-1 and flushes to 3-for-1. Four of a kind is a common hand in Deuces Wild, and the increases on the other two hands can’t completely make up for the reduced pay on quads. That leaves a 98.9 percent game with expert play.

Another version, nicknamed “Colorado Deuces,” also drops four of a kind to 4-for-1. It makes up for a little of the shortfall by increasing five of a kind to 16-for-1 and straight flushes to 13-for-1, leaving a 96.3-percent game.

The pay table changes leave us with some strategy switches, if we really want to get those percentages.

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What about the game Frome called Colorado Deuces, where quads drop to 4-for-1, flushes stay at 3-for-1, straights at 2-for-1, but five of a kind rises to 16-for-1 and straight flushes soar from 9-for-1 to 13-for-1? The high straight-flush return makes 2-2-10Jack the best play, with a 25.53 EV to 25.11 on 2-2-10-10.

8♥, 8♠, 5♥, J♥, A♥ Low pairs are a pretty fair building block in Deuces Wild. With a pair of 8s to start, either of the remaining 8s or any of the 2s will give us three of a kind, it’s not a far stretch to four of a kind, and occasionally lightning will strike and we’ll wind up with five of a kind. In full-pay and Colorado Deuces, all that outweighs a once-card draw to a flush, which pays only 2-for-1 in those games.

But in Illinois Deuces, where we get 3-for-1 on flushes, we have to reverse our strategy, and hold the hearts.

For full-pay Deuces, the average return per five coins wagered is 2.80 coins on the pair and 2.55 on the four-card flush. In Colorado Deuces, it’s a little closer, at 2.62 vs. 2.55, in favor of the pair. But in Illinois Deuces, a commonly available game, the EV on the four hearts soars to 3.83 vs. 2.72 on the pair.

That extra payback on the flush dramatically changes our approach to this version of Deuces Wild, and on others that pay 3-for-1 on flushes. Among those is a game players have nicknamed “Not So Ugly Deuces,” which differs from Illinois Deuces in that it raises paybacks to 16-for-1 on five of a kind and 10-for-1 on straight flushes. At 99.7 percent with expert play, it’s a Deuces game worth seeking out.

I relayed much of this information to the players who emailed about changing strategies. “How in the world do you keep all that straight?” one wanted to know.

Actually, few can. Your best defense is to check out the games that are available where you’re going to play, and put in a little time on the computer. The VPFree2 database at www.vpfree2.com tracks the best pay tables throughout the country. Software such as Video Poker for Winners, Frugal Video Poker and WinPoker allow you to change pay tables so you can practice the games you’ll actually be playing.

Syndicated gaming columnist John Grochowski has been covering the casino industry for 17 years in his weekly column distributed to newspapers and websites. He is also the author of six books, including "The Slot Machine Answer Book" and "The Video Poker Answer Book". You can find him online at CasinoAnswerMan.com.

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Q: I was playing Caribbean Stud, and people were looking at each other’s hands. The dealer warned everyone to stop. Then the pit boss came over and said that wasn’t allowed, and if he saw it again, he’d void the hand and maybe even ask players to leave the table. Can you tell me why? It’s not like this is draw poker. You don’t get to draw any cards, so knowing your neighbors’ cards really doesn’t help you, does it?

Syndicated gaming columnist John Grochowski has been covering the casino industry for 17 years in his weekly column distributed to newspapers and websites. He is also the author of six books, including "The Slot Machine Answer Book" and "The Video Poker Answer Book".

You can find him online at CasinoAnswerMan.com.

Q&A

Q&A: with John G.

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A: Knowing what cards are out can make a difference in whether you bet a hand or fold it. In Caribbean Stud, you start with an ante, then if you like your cards, you may place a bet equal to twice the ante. In addition to your own cards, you see one dealer card that is turned face up. If you see cards from other players’ hands, that gives you additional information to base your decision on whether to bet.

For example, let’s say you have Ace-King-8-5-2 of mixed suits, and the dealer has a 6 face up. One of the provisions of basic strategy for Caribbean Stud is that you bet AceKing provided one of your other cards matches the dealer’s upcard, diminishing the possibility that he or she will have a pair to beat you. If you had no other information, you’d fold this hand.

But suppose you see the player on your right has a pair of 6s, and the player on your left has a 6. Now you know the dealer can’t have a pair of 6s — they’re all accounted for. The chances the dealer will beat you are diminished enough that it’s now worthwhile to bet the hand.

Casinos have policies against players showing each other their cards in every game in which extra knowledge makes a difference, including blackjack games that are dealt face down, Three Card Poker and Let It Ride. How strictly such policies are enforced vary from casino to casino.

Q: My wife and I go to a casino that has two kinds of quarter Double Double Bonus Poker. One is just the regular 9-5 game, while the other is an 8-5 game that has a royal flush progressive and a 50,000-coin jackpot on a sequential royal. Which is the better game?

A: Let’s take this in steps. Without considering the progressive jackpot or the sequential royal payoff, 9-5 Double Double Bonus Poker, in which full houses pay 9-for-1 and flushes 5-for-1, returns 97.9 percent in the long run with expert play, while 8-5 Double Double Bonus returns 96.8 percent.

Adding a sequential royal gives a very small boost to the 8-5 game, making its overall payback 97.02 percent.

The reason such a large jackpot gives has such a small effect on the payback percentage is the rarity of the hand.

One the average, one royal per 120 comes in sequence.

There are five positions for cards on the screen.

Multiply 5 times 4 times 3 times 2 times 1, and you’ll get the number of ways the cards can be ordered.

In 8-5 Double Double Bonus, we’ll draw a royal flush in sequence John Grochowski about once per 3.7 million hands. If we’re playing 500 hands per hour, that’s about 7,400 hours worth of play — look at it as a small miracle if you hit one. Some sources put the frequency at one sequential royal per 77,980,800 hands, but that assumes a bonus paid on the initial deal, with no draws.

The progressive jackpot on non-sequential royals makes more difference to the overall payback percentage. Figure on adding a bit more than about 1 percent to the overall payback percentage for every 2,000 coins above the base of 4,000 paid for a royal, given a five-coin wager.

At 5,800 coins — $1,450 on a quarter machine — 8-5 Double Double Bonus with a sequential royal jackpot is a 98 percent game, just edging past the 97.9 on 9-5 Double Double Bonus.

Which should you play? It depends on what you want from the game. The non-progressive game’s 9-for-1 return on full houses will give you a somewhat better chance at extended play. The sequential/progressive game will be a wilder ride, with more of its return tied up in rarer hands.

Q: What’s the worst bet on the tables? I’m thinking roulette, but my brother says some of the newer games are probably worse. What do you think?

A: Roulette has one of the higher house edges among table games, but it’s not the worst. The house edge on almost every bet on an American double-zero wheel is 5.26 percent. If you want to specify a single bet, then the five-number wager on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 is pretty awful, with a house edge of 7.89 percent.

That’s pretty bad, but things can be worse. Baccarat, a low house edge game if you stick to banker or player, spots the house a whopping 14.4 percent if you bet on ties. Craps cuts the house edge to the bone if you bet pass/come or don’t pass/don’t come, especially with free odds, but watch out if you bet any 7. On that proposition, the house clobbers you with a whopping 16.67 percent hammer.

That hurts, but is it the worst? If you’re playing in a casino that offers a Big Six wheel, be afraid — be very afraid.

Even the good bets are bad, with an 11.1 percent house edge if you bet on the $1 spaces. But if you go for the 40-1 payoff on the joker or the casino logo, it’s almost like giving your chips away. Would you believe a house edge of 24.1 percent? Among commonly available wagers, that’s probably the worst.

For more free gambling tips, visit southerngaming.com

Visions of Winning Dancing In Your Head Find your favorite game in more than 33,000 sq. ft. of fast-paced action here at Harlow’s Casino. To go along with more than 900 slots and video poker machines, Harlow’s also has all the thrills of the hottest table games. Whether you’re on a roll at our Craps tables, doubling down at our Blackjack tables or going all-in at our 3-Card Poker tables, we’ve got lots of great ways for you to win. And when you’re ready to ante up and test your skills against other players, grab a seat in our glamorous seven-table poker room. This holiday season, when you want the best of gaming - the best of everything - head to Harlow’s.

The Best of Everything General Info • 662.335.9797 Hotel Reservations • 866.524.5825

Harlow’s Hwy 82 • Just West of Greenville At the Foot of the Bridge harlowscasino.com

See our Players Club for details. Must be 21 to enter. ©2011 Harlow’s Casino Resort & Hotel. All rights reserved. Gambling problem? Call 888.777.9696.

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churchill downs RACING INTO MISSISSIPPI GAMING HARLOWS CASINO RESORT & HOTEL

BY RUDI S C HIFFE R

a veteran gaming executive, has been appointed as senior vice president and general manager of Harlow’s.

Meet Reggie Fullwood Fu l lwood is a West Point graduate who, during his service in the U.S. Army, worked as an operations research analyst and developed plans for moving t hou s a nd s of t roops a nd millions of dollars of equipment into combat zones. He also commanded a company of 15 Blackhawk attack helicopters that was on point for “Operation Uphold Democracy” in Haiti.

H A R L O W ' S C A S I N O R E S O R T & HO T E L Fullwood attained the rank of is now part of Churchill Downs Incorporated. captain before transitioning from active duty but continued When Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) recently acquired with the military as a reservist and ultimately retired as a major.

Harlow’s Casino Resort & Hotel, the more than century-old In addition to his impressive military credentials, Fullwood racing, gaming and entertainment company was seeking to brings a deep resume in the gaming industry to his new post. continue its diversification strategy. But the $138 million deal He previously served as vice president and general manager of changed the playing field down deep in the Delta, where the Ameristar Casino in Blackhawk, Colo., a $150 million operation.

Harlow’s property occupies 68 acres just outside of Greenville, His experience also encompasses a stint at Harrah’s Atlantic City, Miss. where he was in charge of several administrative and planning Now the casino can utilize the vast gaming experience of its departments. At Harrah’s, he also gained pit experience as vice parent company to fully maximize its potential in the Greenville president of table games. market and bring more competitive clout to the table. Shoring Even before Fullwood joined the Harlow’s team in July 2011, up its position, CDI also announced that Reginald Fullwood Jr., 32

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T H E C A S I N O AT H A R L O W ' S stretches over 33,000 square feet. he was faced with a daunting task: rebuilding what floodwaters damaged during the recent Mississippi River flooding.

wife, Kathi, and I have three great kids. They get the bulk our time and attention.”

“The foremost challenge we face short-term is to repair and renovate the assets Harlow’s lost in the recent flood when water levels hit record highs and destroyed our buffet room, event center and steakhouse,” Fullwood says. “These amenities are staples. Our buffet is operating from a temporary location, and a new, better steakhouse plan is being finalized. We hope to have these areas back in operation in the near future.”

It’s clear that Harlow’s is happy to have Reggie Fullwood join its growing family and looks forward to what the future holds now that he’s quarterbacking the Harlow’s team through recent challenges.

His first Harlow’s assignment is clearly an ambitious one, and “Reggie,” as his friends and associates call him, learned a lot about grit and determination while competing as an outstanding defensive back for the Black Knights of West Point. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that his role model is the great Bill Parcells, one of the NFL’s most outstanding coaches.

For reservations and more info on Harlow's Casino Resort & Hotel, visit HarlowsCasino.com or call 1-866-534-5825.

Rudi Schiffer is a former Associated Press editor and feature writer who currently hosts the "Goodtimes" radio show for Mississippi Casinos.

Known as "The Voice of Tunica," he is also a columnist for Jackpot Magazine and contributes articles to CasinoCityTimes.com.

“I admire his ability to get the maximum performance from his team through his sheer personality, high expectations and pursuit of excellence,” Fullwood explains. “Whether in sports or business, the ability to bring together a team, to inspire them to be part of something larger than themselves and reach the pinnacle of success, is what leaders strive to do.”

At West Point, Fullwood learned about teamwork, especially on the playing fields. He was part of two victorious bowl teams, the 1984 Cherry Bowl and the 1985 Peach Bowl. In 1986, his team won the Commander-In-Chief trophy with victories over Navy and Air Force.

Fullwood has a lot to offer Harlow’s guests, and he has already gotten down to business. Prior to the Mississippi River flooding, which temporarily closed the venue in May 2011, a February windstorm shuttered Harlow’s hotel after damaging the hotel’s roof and a large number of guest rooms. Renovations were completed last spring, and the hotel reopened all floors near the end of July.

With a new job and so much to accomplish while trying to sell his Colorado house and relocate, what does Fullwood do in his free time? “Family, family, family,” he emphatically says. “My

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Holiday

GIFT ‘Tis the Season To Be… Shopping!

The Holiday Season is upon us, which means it’s that time to fight the mall crowds and hour long lines just to find a picked over selection of gifts to choose from. Or…is it? Shopping during holiday season at the stores has become such a hectic experience, it takes away all the fun in getting that perfect gift for someone you love.

Why fight the traffic when you can find what you need right from your computer at home? Here at Southern Gaming, we know you are looking to find tthat great gift that will brighten your friends and families holiday season. Or, maybe you are the gamer who just might spend a little money on yourself this year! Indulge yourself in some of the hottest items on the market this year for gamblers across the nation. From fashionable apparel & accessories to personalized home accents, you can’t go wrong with these holiday ideas- all tailored to your one true love of gaming! So stay out of the cold weather, cozy up under your blanket, and find that gift that is just what you are looking for…right in your own home! We hope you can check off several of those on your holiday gift list!

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So uthern Gaming and De s t in a t io n s

GUIDE

for Gamers 2011

Horse Racing Terracotta Wine Cooler

Horseracing Etched Stemless Wine Glasses

Celebrate a great day of racing!

This attractive wine cooler will keep your favorite vintage at just the right temperature throughout the meal and celebration. The charging horse and jockey are hand-painted on a slipped cast terracotta vessel.

The glazed bottom helps keep the condensation off your table. Will hold any standard size bottle of wine.

Price: $58 Get it at: HorseandHound.com

Contemporary style stem-less wine glass with deep etched race horses. Fine Italian handblown glass, etched in the USA. Glass measures 4” wide, 4.75” tall, holds 23oz of your favorite red wine. Sold as a set of four with two different race horse designs.

Price: $128 Get it at: HorseandHound.com

Functional Poker Game Cufflinks Boring meeting? No problem, spin the dial on your wrist for a quick game of 5 card. The miniature dice are loose and sealed in a spinnable glass face. Accented with just the right amount of Vegas bling.

Warning: we can not be responsible for lost wagers and productivity.

Price: $200 per pair Get it at: Cufflinks.com

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E D I U G T F I G A Y D I O H

PH Hat Wear the champ’s hat, as seen all over ESPN, the WSOP and the WPT! High quality Flex-Fit with 2 sizes (S-M or L-XL), complete with “11” on one side & the PH chip on the back.

Price: $29.99 Get it at: PokerBrat.com or call 1-800-895-PHIL

Poker Brat Black Sturdy, reliable and classic, wear it to your home game, the Bellagio, or at your own kitchen table for the Sunday Million. This shirt is heavy duty cotton for the nononsenseplayer. Available in orange, black, and white.

Price: $24.95 Get it at: PokerBrat.com or call 1-800-895-PHIL

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Oakley Limited Edition Max Fear Light Fuel Cell Sunglasses The Polished Black frame carries icons of solar orange, and the earstems have neat graphics. To protect your eyes from the blinding rays of a sun in full blitz, the frame is matched with Black Iridium® lenses that balance light transmission to help you maintain color recognition.

Price: $150.00 Get it at: Oakley.com

Women’s Oakley Polarized Caveat Sunglasses The iconic aviator silhouette gets a fresh Oakley-style update in Caveat™. Up front, these ultra lightweight C5™ sunglasses are classically cool.

Turn sideways, and the sleek temple with modern cutout is ready to rock the runway.

Price: $200.00 Get it at: Oakley.com

H O L I D A Y G I F T G U I D E

Louisville Slugger Personalized Bats

Thoroughbred Oblong Tray

Personalized Louisville Slugger Bats are one of the world’s most unique gifts. Personalized bats come in a variety of colors and sizes. Bats can be personalized with the recipient’s favorite team logo, a special message or even their very own signature.

Price: Adult bats start at $60 Get it at: SluggerGifts.com

Galloping thoroughbred and jockey on both ends create the handles for this brilliant tray finished with a rope edging.

Cast in aluminum, using the ancient art of sand casting, each piece is hand polished to a permanent silvery finish that does not require regular polishing. 18”x6”, gift boxed.

This tray looks great engraved, as well!

Price: $49 Get it at: HorseandHound.com

Poker Face Long-Sleeve Tee

The “Poker Face” black, long sleeve shirt is a piece from the Tiffany Michelle Collection

by Black Ace. It is made with 100% fine jersey combed cotton for a soft, comfortable and stretchy fit.

Price: $36 Get it at: BlackAceClothing.com

Black Ace Poker Club T-shirt This club is for those who respect the game. Perfect for the casual Friday night game with your friends or for when you’re feeling like a poker pro.

Made with 100% fine jersey combed cotton for a perfect fit.

Price: $24.99 Get it at: BlackAceClothing.com

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E D I U G T F I G A Y D I L O H

Reel Deel Slots: Gods of Olympus Following the amazing line of Reel Deal Slots games, Phantom EFX brings you the next exciting installment: Reel Deal Slots: Gods of Olympus!

Dive into the Realm of the Gods and play 22 brand new slots with brand new features and bonus rounds. Gods of Olympus is fully compatible with Reel Deal LIVE providing full support for online play.

Have the power of the gods and the excitement of Vegas at your fingertips as you spin your way to the top of Olympus!

Price: $19.99 Get it at: PhantomEFX.com

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Reel 'em In! Slots Now you can play the Slot Machine that started it all, along with other WMS favorites not available in any other P.C. slot game... until now! Spin your way through many special features and bonus rounds. Earn achievements, track "Real World" and "Dream World" statistics, and unlock Slot after Slot, having a Blast along the way! Includes Brazilian Beauty, Enchanted Kingdon, Hot Hot Super Jackpot machines, Swords of Honor, Egypt and many more!

Price: $19.99 Get it at: PhantomEFX.com

The Comps ClubTM

by Southern Gaming & Destinations Since Southern Gaming Magazine launched the most rewarding membership program to date with The Comps Club, gamers have been able to cash in on special offers and discounts at properties throughout the South! In addition to match plays, free buffets and room discounts, members will also receive Southern Gaming & Destinations Magazine six times per year delivered directly to their mailbox. If you are already a member, purchase the Comps Club as a gift for someone else and receive a free set of coupons for your referral!

Price: $29 Get it at: SouthernGaming.com

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When you purchase Reel Deal Slots: Gods of Olympus and WMS Slots: Reel’em In! together at

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* Offer valid through Dec. 15, 2011

E D I U G T F I G A Y D I L O H

Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros' Way Praised by every prominent blackjack expert, Don Schlesinger's book answers virtually all of the thorny mathematical questions that have puzzled serious players for years. Loaded with a stockpile of strategies, innovative analyses and unique insights into the game, Blackjack Attack is quite the weapon!

Price: $24.99 Get it at: Amazon.com

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Beat Blackjack Now!

Keeneland's Ted Bassett: My Life

You can beat the game of Blackjack! Get a real edge over the house in several easyto-master steps using this breakthrough book by Frank Scoblete. Learn little known playing secrets that will actually reduce the house edge, and unique betting tactics to increase your monetary return.

This is the only blackjack book you’ll need to beat the casinos as an expert player.

Price: $16.95 Get it at: Amazon.com or call 1-800-944-0406

Ted bassett is one of the most respected figures within the global thoroughbred industry.

He has served as president of Keeneland Racetrack in Lexington, Kentucky, one of the most beautiful race courses on the globe. Bassett was also president of Breeders' Cup Limited during its greatest period of growth and has been very influential in the sport of horseracing. This book recounts Bassett's amazing journey with charm and humor, using firsthand stories to depict his fascinating life.

Price: $34.95 Get it at: Amazon.com

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Play for free at any of the qualifier tournaments listed below. Players who finish in the top 10% of each qualifier tournament will advance to the Grand Champion Event where one player will win a $500 seat to the tournament of their choice at any licensed, land-based poker room. The winner will also receive one free room for the night of the tournament. *Must be 18 years of age or older to play.

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winter wonderland BEAU RIVAGE RESORT & CASINO

T H E ' S P I R I T O F C H R I S T M A S' comes alive in the Beau Rivage Theatre December 16-27.

With the holidays quickly approaching, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino is kicking off the season in grand fashion with a variety of exciting holiday-themed events and entertainment. From even bigger casino promotions and specialty shows to exclusive dining options, you can’t go wrong taking a holiday vacation at the Beau Rivage.

When you walk through the expansive atrium lobby during the holiday season at Beau Rivage, you will be amazed at the intricate displays of fresh evergreen trees, glistening snow and the powerful presence of holiday cheer. It’s like you’re at home 42

Southern G aming an d De s t in a t io n s

with all of your typical holiday traditions, except much bigger and better! The sounds of Christmas will delight you as you stroll through the atrium glancing around at all the beautiful décor.

Holiday Shopping Extravaganza If you are having trouble tackling your shopping list this year, be sure to make it to the Beau for all your shopping needs from stocking stuffers to elaborate jewelry. Get a head start at this year's Holiday Extravaganza from December 15th - 17th! From 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. each day, Beau Rivage presents its annual Holiday Open House throughout its retail promenade. Enjoy

Winning Wonderland Infiniti Giveaway December 1-23 Mistetoe Money December 1-24 Holiday Shopping Extravaganza December 15-17 Spirit of Christmas December 16-27 For more information or to make reservations, visit BeauRivage.com or call 1-888-750-7111.

Play your way to more tickets until 8:00pm on December 23rd, when the earning period ends.

On Friday, December 9th, there will be drawings from 6-10pm for winnings of up to $5,000 in FREEPLAY. The Grand Prize drawing will take place at 10pm on the 23rd, when one lucky winner will have the choice of the 2012 Infinity M37 or $55,000 in FREEPLAY. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, December 6-21, guests can earn 2X points on all slot machines, including video poker machines. Get out to Beau Rivage December 1st and start earning your chances to drive away a winner!

Mistletoe Money

T H E AT R I U M AT T H E BE A U R I VAGE transforms into a Winter Wonderland. sampling complimentary goodies from the Roasted Bean, or bring your children to meet Santa Claus. You can even have Beau Rivage’s culinary team autograph a copy of the Biloxi Seafood Cookbook!

Beau Rivage’s 12 retail stores will offer special pricing on featured merchandise including “register to win” or “gift with purchase” programs in several retail outlets. More than a dozen trunk shows will take place during the event with representatives from Brighton, Vera Bradley, Tommy Bahama and many others.

At The Jewelry Box, get deals on the finest fashion accessories from Gucci, LAGOS and Charriol. Enjoy the artistic creations of Maurice Milleur at BR Collections, and Oakley Sunglasses at Bellini! And, of course, don’t miss out on all the deals at Capri, which will feature designs and accessories from Bob Kipperman, Lady Primrose and Pass Christian Soap Co.

Winning Wonderland Infiniti M37 Giveaway Have you always wanted to have a brand new luxury car wrapped in a big red bow for the holidays? Make your dreams come true during the Infiniti M37Giveaway December 1-23. All you have to do is become a member of M life Players Club to start earning entries. Offering guests hundreds of winning opportunities and special discounts, becoming a member takes only a few minutes and is well worth the goodies you get in return! In addition to the free entry you receive when you join the club, you can also earn additional entries for every 100 base points you earn on the slots.

You are probably used to Mistletoe getting you a kiss…but how about some extra cash?! When you play at the Beau Rivage from December 1st - 24th, you will earn $5 of Mistletoe Money for every 1,000 points you earn on the slots just by using your players card! Mistletoe Money vouchers can be used before noon on Christmas Day at The Jewelry Box, Capri, Bellini’s, BR Collections, da Milano, BR Emporium, BR ETC., $10.00 Store, Impulse, Actique, Waves and Fallen Oak. So, why not play the slots, get some Mistletoe Money vouchers, and head out to the Holiday Shopping Extravaganza? Sounds like a fun-filled weekend getaway, doesn’t it?

Spirit of Christmas in Beau Rivage Theatre Get in the holiday mood with the “Spirit of Christmas” – A dazzling New York-style spectacular featuring a talented cast, glittering costumes and the highest kicking chorus girls this side of the North Pole. This festive musical extravaganza will delight the entire family and take you on a nostalgic Christmas journey filled with good cheer. Experience the wonder that is the “Spirit of Christmas” at the Beau Rivage Theatre, December 16-27. “Spirit of Christmas” room packages starts at $45.00 per person and includes deluxe accommodations for one night and tickets to the show. Check online for exact dates and times…you won’t want to miss out on this spectacular show!

Beau Rivage makes celebrating the Holidays both affordable and fun for families, couples and any one wanting to celebrate the Holiday season in style! In the Spirit of Giving, Beau Rivage invites you to participate in all of their holiday promotions and special events. Bring your family out the week of December 16-24, when kids will receive free pictures with Santa and complimentary buffets! With special room rates and endless chances to win, why not take a Holiday Getaway to enjoy the spirit of Christmas at Beau Rivage?

For re s er v at ion s a nd more i n for m at ion, v i sit BeauRivage.com or call 1-888-567-6667.

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Bally Technologies PLAY FOR FUN MOBILE APPS Get your favorite casino games in the palm of your hand thanks to Bally Technologies! Bally has taken some of their most popular games from the casino floor and introduced them as “Play-For-Fun” on most smart phones (excluding Blackberry) and tablets such as iPad. Games that are already available are Cash Spin, Vegas Hits and Playboy Hot Zone. These have proven to be the most popular slot machines in the market, so why not bring them home to you? These handheld applications mimic the real games you are used to when playing at the casinos, with gameplay, sounds and jackpot features galore.

Bally’s apps are also including social sharing functionality, leader-boards, badges and achievements. You can even download some of the popular music that is featured in the games straight from your phone’s iTunes store. Playboy®Hot Zone™ is one such application that allows you to download the music you like while playing the game. While you are downloading the music you hear, play along with other users to get your spot on the leaderboard!

Helpful not only to Bally Mobile App users but also to casino operators is the GPSenabled locator feature. This amazing feature allows you to find a casino near by where you can play the real game. The app will locate the nearest property for you, and even give you a map and directions on how to get there. So, when you don’t have time to hit the casino for a long day of gaming, play on your mobile device, and when you do, use the app to tell you where to go!

How easy is that?

Another popular app is Cash Spin featuring a touch and drag feature that allows you 44

Southern G aming an d De s t in a t io n s

to spin the bonus wheel backwards, forwards, slow or fast. The app has innovative features such as U-Spin gesture-control that lets you spin the virtual bonus wheel for bonuses.

The app Vegas Hits allows you to enjoy the thrill of the Las-Vegasstyle slot machine anywhere you go. You can touch and drag to spin the wheels backwards, forwards, slow or fast, just like if you were at the casino playing the real thing because of the U-spin touch enabled wheel. With this new app you can win jackpots, free games or any one of 16 bonuses. The GPS-map locator on this app will help you find the nearest casino with the real game.The Playboy Hot Zone app allows you to experience the excitement of the Playboy Mansion anywhere you would like. With the tasteful eye-catching graphics combined with exciting life-like animations at the different win levels, this game is appealing to all genders.

The Playboy Hot Zone also features free games where Mr. Hefner and his bunnies come out to play. You can enjoy free games while listening to the very cool and hip “Battle without Honor or Humanity” music

by Tomoyasu Hotei. You can even use a special link to the music soundtrack to purchase the song.

Stay tuned for more Play-For-Fun Mobile apps from Bally Technologies, such as Cash Wizard, Code Red and Betty Boop's Love Meter. Bally promises to bring the hottest games from the casino floor to you at home!

For more information, visit BallyTech.com today!

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a day in the life CASINO AMBASSADOR INDIANA LIVE! CASINO

BY BON N IE B R IT T ON

I N DI A N A L I V E ! C A S I N O is the closest casino to Indianapolis, Indiana.

Indiana Live! Casino, the casino closest to Indianapolis that offers non-stop gaming action, fantastic food and a wide array of entertainment options all under one roof. The 233,000-squarefoot facility features approximately 2,000 high-tech slot machines and electronic table games including Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and Three-Card Poker, as well as a state-of-the-art Poker Room offering the best in Texas Hold’em.

For the third year in a row, Indiana Live! Casino has won numerous “Best of” awards in multiple categories that highlight property features and service-related categories in the Southern Gaming Readers’ Choice Awards, bringing its total number of first-place awards to 22.

Customer service is a high priority for Indiana Live! Casino employees. From their first day, employees are trained on multiple service principals to ensure every guest has a memorable experience.

One example of the excellent customer service at Indiana Live!

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is the Casino the Casino Ambassador program. One of the ambassador's is Matt Worton, otherwise known as the "Answer Man" or the "Goodwill Guy”.

Worton assists patrons with a wide variety of needs, ranging from finding their lost eye glasses, locating their favorite slot machine, recommending a meal at one of the casino’s three restaurants and many other requests. His favorite part of his job is when he gets to help celebrate winning big jackpots and promotions.

His strong southern accent is soothing, but he will quickly tell anyone who asks that he’s from Morristown, Indiana. A full-time student at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, he has been working toward a marketing degree while working as an Ambassador at Indiana Live! for nearly a year. Worton likes the fast-paced environment so much that he hopes to have a career in the gaming industry.

Worton never has a dull day. One minute, he’s helping with a marketing promotion where he celebrates with the guests as

P H O T O CRE D I T: I N D I A N A L I VE ! CA SI N O

Worton knows that sometimes, all it takes to put a smile on someone’s face is to greet them and give them a candy bar, some colorful beads or a T-shirt. When he isn’t handing out little goodies, Worton looks for people who aren’t playing with a Live! Rewards Card and talks with them about the benefits of signing up for the free card, the points they’ll earn while using it and what they can buy with the points.

“I was talking with a patron about our Live!

Rewards Card and he mentioned that he didn’t think he had as much luck when he played with his card in the machines,” said Worton. “He inserted his card and on his first spin, he hit a jackpot”. They both just smiled at each other.

THE CENTER BAR is located on the casino flood and is the hub of musical entertainment and jackpot celebrations!

Each day, Worton hits the floor excited to greet both travelers and local regulars alike. He answers a dozen or so questions within the first hour of his shift, hands out some free goodies and then heads to another winning machine to celebrate.

The floor is really hopping. Worton is listening closely to his radio to confirm the multiple locations of winning machines. He makes a split-minute decision to head to one of the current jackpots in the High Limits Slots area, where patrons can wager up to $100 per spin or relax in a lounge that includes slot machines offering $10 and $25 denominations.

PH O TO CRED I T: I ND I A NA L I VE! CA SI NO

It is there that Worton meets Harold and Patti Costello, who were on their way to see their son when they stopped at the casino to try their luck.

“We usually stop on the way,” said Costello. Worton was enjoying a pleasant conversation with Costello when he revealed that this was the third jackpot he hit that day. He even posed with Worton for a photo, and added, “Of course it’s exciting to win. I often do when we play here.”

Worton finishes his conversation with the Costello's and heads over to the next jackpot winner. He assists and casino Ambassador Matt Worton share a laugh. more patrons as he walks the floor and before he knows it, it’s time to head to the Center Bar stage they rush onto the Center Bar stage. He cheers on each guest as to help with that night’s promotion where a patron has a chance they drop a disc down a playing board for a chance to win up to win $60,000. to $500 in Free Slot Play. After helping out with paper work, he shakes hands and is off to a winnings machine that just hit for a It's all in a days work for Worton, and he likes the fact that no $3,000 jackpot. From there, he hurries over to another winning two days are ever the same. There are different promotions machine where a $3,000 jackpot lights up a screen. He offers his offered every day and he likes to be challenged by the variety of congratulations, but the patron politely declines having a picture questions he receives each shift. But, he will tell anyone who asks taken with the oversized check displaying his winning amount. him that his favorite part of his job is talking and celebrating “Out of every 20 or so jackpots, maybe only five will fill out the with patrons. He hopes that he will be able to secure a full-time consent form and allow me to take their picture,” Worton says. position at Indiana Live! when he graduates in the future, and Some people enjoy seeing their winning jackpot photo on the the property guests sure do hope to see him at their machine website and the Wall Of Winners located at the Indiana Live! sometime in the near future! garage entrance.

WINNER HAROLD COSTELLO

“It’s a fun environment to work in,” said Worton. “I get to meet so many people every day I come to work. I enjoy listening to the live music at Center Bar while I roam around the casino floor.”

For more information on Indiana Live! Casino visit IndianaLiveCasino.com or call 1-877-386-4463.

Vol um e 13 I ssu e6 47

Can a casino manager really push a jackpot button to reward a long-suffering customer? Are reel-spinners more trustworthy than video slots? The inner workings of slot machines remain a mystery to most players. Widely believed myths and rumors spring up to fill the void left by a lack of solid information.

Here I reveal some myths and their truths or falsehoods.

Syndicated gaming columnist John Grochowski has been covering the casino industry for 17 years in his weekly column distributed to newspapers and websites. He is also the author of six books, including "The Slot Machine Answer Book" and "The Video Poker Answer Book".

You can find him online at CasinoAnswerMan.com.

SLOTS

Slot Machines: Myths and Legends Revealed

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It is luckier to pull the handle on the slot machine than to hit the “max coins” or “play one coin” button.

False. On those slots that still have handles, it is no luckier to pull the handle on a slot machine than to hit the “max coins” or “play one coin” button. In the long run, it makes no difference whether you pull the handle or push the buttons. Your long-term payback percentage will be no different.

The short-term is another matter. Your result for one pull will be different if you pull the handle than if you hit the button — not necessarily better, and not necessarily worse. Just different. That’s because your timing in reaching for the handle will be different than your timing in pushing a button, and timing is everything to the random number generator that determines reel combinations.

It’s easier for slot manufacturers to manipulate video screens to give low paybacks than to manipulate physical reels.

False. It is no easier to manipulate results on video screens than on physical reels. Nowadays video slots and reel-spinners are programmed in much the same way.

The reels are just a representation of a mathematical game that’s being played by the computer in the machine’s core.

In fact, if the electronic record of a spin and what shows on the reels differ, casinos can and will allow the electronic record to supersede the reels. Often, in the case of large hand-paid jackpots, the electronic record must be verified before the jackpot is paid. Some state laws even bar the casino from paying a jackpot if the electronic record doesn’t match what shows on the reels.

In part, that’s an anti-cheating regulation. A player who finds a way to manipulate the reels would also have to find a way to manipulate the electronic record before stealing a jackpot — and that’s a tall order. Also, in states that expect gaming to be a cash cow and impose gaming taxes that range up to 70 percent of casino revenue, with no deductions for expenses, the states are going to make darn sure a jackpot is fairly won before taking the hit on their own bottom lines.

An individual player is more likely to hit a jackpot if the casino is crowded.

False. An individual player is no more likely to hit a jackpot if the casino is crowded. I once read a book in which the author John Grochowski advised slot players to play at peak times in busy casinos, because that’s when the most jackpots are hit. And it’s true. More jackpots are hit at peak times in busy casinos than when the casinos aren’t so busy.

Why? Because more machines are played more often at peak times. How does that affect my chances of hitting? Not at all.

Let’s say I’m in a casino with 1,000 slot machines, each programmed to pay off the top jackpot about once per 20,000 pulls. It’s Saturday night, so every machine is busy, all with steady players spinning the reels at about 500 pulls per hour. In two hours, the reels spin a collective 1 million times, and, if the machines hit right on the average, 50 jackpots are paid. One in every 20 players has a big payday. If I’m not one of them, I’ve at least seen a few jackpots paid.

Now let’s say I return early Wednesday morning. Only 100 slot players are in the casino, playing the same 500 pulls per hour as those on the busier night. In two hours, the reels spin only 100,000 times, only 10 percent as much as on the busy night. If the machines hit right on the average, only five jackpots are paid.

Fifty jackpots on the busy night. Five on the slow day.

But with only 100 players in the casino, those five jackpots mean one in every 20 players has a big payday — the same as on the busy night. My chances of being one of those to hit the jackpot are the same on the calm day as on the busy night.

After hitting a jackpot, it’s time to move to another machine, because the machine has to make up for the big payout.

False. After a machine has paid a big jackpot, it has no immediate need to make up for the big payout. The likelihood of hot and cold streaks is exactly the same as before you hit the jackpot. The likelihood of your hitting the jackpot again on the next pull is even the same as it was before your big hit. Slot machine results are as random as humans can program them to be. The programmed percentages will hold up over a very long time, but in the short term, a slot can just as easily pay 10, 50 or 200 percent of its average long-term return.

That’s just as true immediately after a jackpot as before.

For more free slot tips, visit southerngaming.com/slots

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As most of us know, craps is a primitive, communal game. Indeed, the craps table looks something like those ancient altars where animals and sometimes humans were sacrificed. Communities relied on such sacrifices to appease their gods and goddesses and/or to discover what the future held for their tribe and village. Today’s craps table sacrifices nothing more than a player’s money but, aside from Darkside followers of the “Devil number” (the No. 7), the craps table sings with combined thrills, hopes and energies. Usually when a shooter gets on a roll, everyone at the table makes money — yes, their small craps community at that single table has heard the glorious decision of their goddess, Lady Luck, and this decision delights them.

Frank Scoblete’s newest books are “Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines!” featuring advantage-play slots; “Casino Craps: Shoot to Win!” that comes with DVD showing unedited controlled throws; “Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players!”; and “Beat Blackjack Now!” All of them are available from Amazon.com, or at your favorite bookstore, or by mail order by calling 1-800-944-0406. For a free brochure, call the number.

CRAPS

Craps: A Communal Game

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Of course, in the normal run of a craps game, at a table with strangers or some friends, playing a random game, it really doesn’t matter who wins or loses money — you basically care about your bankroll. When you shoot the dice in a random game, you and everyone else at the table are rooting and praying and cheering and moaning as Lady Luck plays out her chaotic design, because the random game is all about luck and nothing else, unfortunately.

In short, it really doesn’t matter what happens in the aftermath of a good or bad roll — very few craps players feel good or bad for the bettors after a seven out. That’s the nature of the random game. No one has control of anything. Yes, of course, there are ploppies who are royal pains in the asses who think people are deliberately sevening out to screw them. These are people you need to ignore, if you can.

For controlled shooters, it is a whole different craps game. The group setting can be somewhat dangerous, especially when you first start playing with friends, new and old, at the tables — and most especially if you have told them (or bragged!) about your dice-control skills. The desire to perform in front of them can overcome your concentration and totally screw up your performance.

If you bomb in front of these people, will they think you are a crummy controlled shooter? Will they snicker at you or wryly smile that knowing smile that says, “Yes, you are one big bag of bull!”? The pressure is on, and such pressure can be quite distracting for many players.

Beth Dom and I have been there. Some players will come to the table, recognize us, and expect us to have devastating rolls every time we get the dice.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen that way. We’ve heard laughter and snickers when we have bombed out (yes, all dice controllers bomb out from time to

time). Some players have actually commented to the effect, “Haha, the dominator fails. It’s all bullshit! You all see that now!” Naturally, we don’t hear this when we are smoking the tables, but you get the idea.

Frank Scoblete Once you are known as a controlled shooter, a craps game is no longer a regular craps game. It is a whole different animal.

What about several controlled shooters getting together? How about those first few times? Are they tough? Well, absolutely.

When you start to get involved in a group setting, you and your dice-controlling friends have to make it very clear by saying over and over to each other, “I know you are a good shooter. It doesn’t matter what you do.

I understand the process and patterns of controlled shooting. Let’s have some fun. No sweat.” You say it to them; they say it to you. Say it a lot! Over time, you will get used to playing craps with each other, and the fear of failure will leave — and your success will become much greater than before, because you are now relaxed. Fear of failure tends to predispose us to failure.

Dom and I belong to a team that we call the “Five Horsemen” (which includes our instructions Stickman, Nick-at-Night, and Skinny), and it did take us some time to become completely relaxed playing with each other — that is human nature. You want to do well in front of your friends, and you shovel on a mountain of self-imposed pressure.

And, what about the five-count? Using the five-count on a friend, particularly if he hasn’t yet shot for that session or if his dice aren’t looking all that good, is not an insult to him. I’ve used the five-count on Dominator, and he’s used it on me. So it must be understood by all your friends (and by you) that it is not a slight if they and you use the five-count on each other. We believe that overall, when in doubt, use the five-count. Cautious is better than daring in advantage-play craps.

If you have taken the dice three or four times and nothing has happened, you are better off taking a break. Not succeeding on three or four turns in a row has a tendency to wear you out and wind you up. So a short break is in order. If you and your friends are doing well, going that one extra shooter to see if your streak continues would not be a bad thing. Sometimes long winning sessions can occur. The Five Horsemen once played for more than five hours because each of us was hot, and we stayed hot round after round.

For more free craps tips, visit southerngaming.com/craps

“I LIKE TO PLAY WHERE THEY HAVE REAL TABLE GAMES, REAL ODDS AND REAL ACTION.”

WWW.PEARLRIVERRESORT.COM

A DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS

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dining delights PEARL RIVER RESORT PHILADELPHIA, MISSISSIPPI

BY JENN IFE R C UT HB E R TS O N

Pe a rl R iver Re sor t i s a destination you don’t want to miss. In fact, it may take you several visits to soak up all the Choctaw-owned resort has to offer for your entertainment and spread over two magnificant casinos, the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino and the Silverstar Hotel & Casino.

The resort bursts with energya unique kind of energy. The core is the employees. The attitude, courtesy, hospitality, top notch customer service, and most of all the pride in where they work and what they do. You will find friendly smiles throughout the casinos and resort. Customer pleasing attitudes that make you feel at home and welcomed.

With eleven restaurants and delis to chose from, dining will become an enjoyable experience during your visit. Some of the best dining venues in the South are at Golden Moon and Silver Star Casinos.

Miko’s – This Fine Dining Steakhouse hosts an elaborate selection of fine wines and liquors. Chef Aaron Russell and his staff are a cut above in presenting impressive culinary delights and extraordinary service.

On your list of “must tries” check out The Seared Tuna Crostini. Chef Russell puts a new slant on Tuna Salad with Fresh Grilled Tuna Steak topped with Wasabi Aioli, shredded 52

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M I KO' S S T E A K H O U S E is home to Chef Russell's culinary delights. cooked egg and thinly sliced pickled red onion on a toasted Sour Dough Crostini. One of the house favorites and highly recommended is the Saffron Chowder, full of chunks of crab, lobster, and shrimp in a delicate saffron cream soup topped with a delicate flaky pastry for dipping. You will want to come back for more! Visit Miko’s and soak up the relaxing atmosphere and palate pleasing culinary creations.

Chef’s Pavillion Buffet - Silver Star Hotel & Casino – Enjoy a wide variety of ethnic and good old southern home cooking. Imagine someone’s grandma and skilled chefs coming together in the kitchen to bring you the best possible dishes and a variety of choices to make you want to come back for more!

Located in West Central Mississippi near Philadelphia, MS Pearl River Resort is also home to:

The Arena at the Golden Moon: The South’s latest

Concert Entertainment Destination and The Place to Be! Arena at Golden Moon Hotel & Casino can hold up to 10,000 patrons for a variety of special events ranging from concerts and comedy showcases to touring shows and exclusive, limited engagement performances.

Family friendly Geyser Falls Water Theme Park boasting 13 major water slides, wave pool, beaches and continuous fresh water river. Clear Water Key Beach – Cabana Rentals available – 8 acres of pristine white sandy beaches and crystal clear fresh water.

Award Winning Dancing Rabbit Golf Club has

over 14,000 yards of golf holes with two breathtakingly beautiful par 72 golf courses lined with azaleas, towering oaks and soaring pines along rolling hills. Five starting tees to accommodate all skill levels, elevated tees, bentgrass greens on the Azaleas course and championship Bermuda greens on the Oaks course. Playing at Dancing Rabbit is a true “Golf Experience” that provides serenity beyond your imagination. Courses designed by Tom Fazio and PGA Pro Jerry Pate.

Gaming – Extensive selection of penny slots, and

everything in between up to high limits, table games, and poker. There is something for everyone. Relax, kick back, have some fun.

Retail shops – Bonnie’s Lady Fashions, Cigars Et

Al, Silver Star Logo shop, Provisions, Bella Luna for breathtaking jewelry, Choctaw – Authentic Shop for handmade items, and more.

Kids enjoy Starcade – Arcade with state of the art games and entertainment just for kids.

The Villa – Walking through the iron gates to the Villa takes you across the globe to a sidewalk café somewhere in Europe.

The array of choices is a mix from Breakfast served all day, BBQ ribs, Sandwiches, to delicious tender steaks. Salad Bar is available with one of the best homemade chicken noodle soups ever! Try the Philly Cheese, light crispy onion rings, or tender mouthwatering BBQ ribs. The menu is varied and you just can’t go wrong with anything you order. Chef Jerry Borum and Sous Chef Gary invite you in 24 hours a day!

Dulce’s Gourmet Coffee Shop - Step back in time to an old timey drugstore with hand dipped ice cream cones, sandwiches, pastries, homemade candy, and gourmet coffees.

This is a must stop before you leave. Grab a bite for the road or just sit and enjoy the atmosphere and sip your favorite coffee brew. Try the homemade truffles and chocolate dipped pecan caramel delights. Yum!

T H E SH R I M P A N D G R I T S AT EC L I P S E is a special blend by Chef Malcolm Edwards.

Remo’s - At the Golden Moon –Walk in and you immediately feel you are in the “old neighborhood diner”. Friendly staff, Games on the TV’s, laughter, and good food. Chocolate Lovers… there is a “must have” for you here. It’s Chef Malcom Edward’s Double Chocolate Cheesecake! You will savor every bite! Unbelievable!

Eclipse – At the Golden Moon - A step above bistro! Offering fine steaks, seafood, poultry, extensive wine list and relaxing atmosphere. Menu includes from the grill prime center cut ribeyes, prime rib, filet mignon. Seafood choices are Hawaiian swordfish, grilled grouper, lobster tail, shrimp, catch of the day. Chef Malcom Edwards offers a delicious Shrimp and Cheesy Grits covered in a special blend mouth watering sauce that will win you over! The flavors are surprising and will have you asking for more. Try the Shrimp and Grits with a side of Fried green tomatoes or handmade jumbo crab cakes… hmmm Mentioned are only a few of your dining choices at Golden Moon and Silver Star Casinos of Pearl River Resort. You need to grab your calendar and your phone or go online and make your reservations today.

Pearl River is an experience! Dining, gaming, A-list entertainment, golf, spa, water park, shopping, luxury hotels, what more could you ask for? Come build your Pearl River experience today! Oh and bring your appetite!

For reservations, visit PearlRiverResort.com today!

Jennifer “Jen” Cuthbertson is a free lance writer and owner of Cuthbertson Media Group which has website portals and online communities for gaming destinations in the US. Her 5 online communities have been promoting tourism, bringing players and casinos together with information, advice, and reservations since 2001. Visit www.cuthbertsonmedia.com

Vol um e 13 I ssu e6 53

HORSERACING

For a seasoned player, the term “show bet” usually conjures up an image of a 97-year-old woman with a fist full of change shutting out several angry patrons who are trying to bet the late double. After all, in this new wagering realm of rolling pick 3s, guaranteed pick 4s, million-dollar pick 6s and 10cent superfectas, who in the heck is playing just a single horse to hit the board?

Eric Vaughn Floyd is a turf writer for various gaming publications and consultant to several nationwide media outlets in regards to the Triple Crown. Excerpts from his gambling memoir, “The Backstretch (My First Decade Playing the Game),” can be viewed at LULU.com.

Horseracing: How to Show a Profit at the Races

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A majorit y of griz zled horseplayers have traveled down the show-wagering road before and, for most the journey, probably transpired very early on in their gambling career. At first glance, the show bet seems like a very easy one to win, and a “green” player eager to find a “system” often inherently latches onto this cure-all elixir for poverty.

Selecting a runner that will finish in one of the first three positions sounds simple, but the unspoken curse of show betting is overconfidence. Another downfall of the show bet is not in the wager itself, but in the payoff that accompanies it. In show betting, it is very possible to cash a high percentage of tickets and still only cover the cost of a Racing Form, hot dog and parking fee. Of course, it does not immediately sink in that the show pool being split three ways combined with a 20-percent takeout erodes potential profits down to table scraps.

If a player wagered a sawbuck (that’s gambling slang for $10) into the show pool on three consecutive races netting payoffs of $2.60, $3 and $2.40, the total reward for much effort and patience would be $10. However, if the next runner one bets $10 on finishes up the track, the result for this four-race sequence in which one batted .750 equates to the famous song lyric: “And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler he broke even.” In short, what at first seemed like an applicable strategy now needs to be revamped.

Of course, the next logical step in a newcomer’s betting progression is to employ the show parlay. This method has undoubtedly been attempted by most of us, especially when we were down to our last $4. Bet all your money on a horse to show them, assuming you cash, let the total amount ride in the next race on a runner to show, and so on and so on until the premeditated financial goal is met.

I don’t care what anyone tells you, hitting five or six races in a row even when betting to show is tough to do. A few victories might be strung together, but inevitably a bettor will fall victim to a stumble at the break, traffic problems, disqualification or jockey error. The fact is on too many occasions a horse that looks terrific on paper

proceeds to take all the public’s money, but then for whatever reason, the beast simply doesn’t fire. We all should realize by now that horses are comprised of flesh and blood, not nuts and bolts. Running lines can Eric Floyd definitely encourage confidence in a wager, but, in the end, they guarantee nothing, and 1/9 shots do indeed finish last from time to time.

Rounding out a show bettor’s existence is the race where they bet on a 10-1 in the third spot only to see their underdog draw off and win by daylight. Patrons holding win tickets collect $22, while the reward for our sound handicapping but lukewarm confidence is a mere $4.40.

These are the races that trigger the metamorphosis of show bettors into win and exotic bettors. There comes a time that all of us realize fortunes aren’t made in the show pool, and playing it “too safe” at the races is simply like riding round and round on a carousel. If grinding it out in the show pool was a legit way to make a living, everyone would be doing it. We leave our infatuation of the show bet behind and begin looking for tactics that will allow us to pay off the mortgage.

The preceding paragraphs may give the impression that I am advising show wagering be left to retirees, but completely abandoning thoroughbred racing’s most conservative angle really isn’t a bright idea. Lending concentration to complex trifecta-wheel strategies and pick-6s is admirable, but if you want to know the truth, the lotto-like odds you’ll face trying to catch these puppies will break you beyond comprehension.

Actually, you will be surprised to hear that after more than a decade and a half at the track, these days I find myself kicking back and betting to show.

Let me tell you what a wise man told me — Less is more! It is time to revisit the show bet with a fresh outlook and modern mindset. Now understand that I am not advocating a one-dimensional plan of attack that revolves around the show wager. Instead, use an intelligent show-wagering methodology in correlation with present handicapping philosophies. Employing a multifaceted arsenal is the key to success in any business venture, and that’s what gambling on thoroughbreds needs to be viewed as. Believe it or not, under the right circumstances, there can be real value camouflaged inside the show pool, and paying attention to its dynamics might be all it takes to swing a balance sheet into the black.

For more free Horseracing tips, visit southerngaming.com/horseracing

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We hope to see you all next year at Southern Gaming's hot summer events!

AMING M ERN G AGA SUPER SMOKE OUT

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On September 29 we hosted a Super Smoke Out at Horseshoe Casino on a private party deck overlooking the Ohio River. It was a Smokin' good time!

mber 29, 201 pte 1 Se

ZINE’S

Southern Gaming recently wrapped up two phenomenal events at the best outdoor patios in Louisville, Kentucky. We announced the 2011 Casino Cook-off winner on September 24th in the first-ever live challenge in Biloxi, Mississippi. As part of Chefs of the Coast Culinary Weekend, the 2011 Casino Cook-off was presented by Four Roses Bourbon and was an actionpacked night of mouthwatering recipes from the South's top four casino chefs. Congratulations to Chef Chris Poplin from IP Casino Resort Spa for winning the competition!

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Southern Gaming’s Preferred Hot Spots

Southern Gaming and Destinations Magazine strives to recommend quality establishments located throughout the region to our readers. On this map, you will find an array of our preferred casinos, racetracks, racinos, hotels and restaurants we feel will deliver a quality experience and encourage you to consider them when you travel.

WANT COMPS? If you are a qualified casino player, let us know! We will connect you with our preferred player hosting company, CasinoRatedPlayers.com, who has relationships with casinos around the world. For more information, please e-mail comps@southerngaming.com or call 1-877-582-9478. Also, visit SouthernGaming.com/comps to fill out a Comp Request Form for assistance in setting up your next gaming trip.

1 Gulf Coast

Shula’s Steak House (Tampa)

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino (Biloxi)

1-813-286-4366

Fallen Oak Golf Course (Biloxi)

1-877-242-6464

Nevel Meade Golf Course (Louisville)

Miccosukee Resort & Gaming (Miami)

1-502-228-9522

Pat’s Steak House (Louisville)

Grand Biloxi Casino Resort Spa

Mardi Gras Casino & Racing (Hallandale)

Half Shell Oyster House (Gulfport & Biloxi)

Seminole’s (Coconut Creek, Hollywood & Tampa)

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Biloxi)

Watermark Grille (Naples)

1-888-750-7111

1-877-805-4657

1-877-55-SLOTS

1-800-WIN-2-WIN

1866-2CASINO

1-228-867-7001

1-877-877-6256

IP Casino Resort Spa

1-239-596-1400

5 Georgia

1-888-946-2847

The Horseradish Grille (Atlanta) 1-404-255-7277

Island View Casino Resort (Gulfport)

New York Prime Steakhouse (Atlanta)

1-877-774-VIEW

1-404-875-4242

Silver Slipper Casino (Bay St. Louis)

Soho Restaurant (Atlanta)

1-866-775-4773

The Shed BBQ (Ocean Springs) 1-228-875-9590

1-770-801-0069

6 Indiana Belterra Casino Resort (Vevay)

2 Alabama

1-888-BELTERRA

Riverside Casino (Wetumpka)

Casino Aztar (Evansville)

1-800-897-7198

1-800-342-5386

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail 1-800-949-4444

• Oxmoor Valley Golf Course (Birmingham) • Hampton Cove Golf Course (Huntsville) • Magnolia Grove Golf Course (Mobile) • Capitol Hill Golf Course (Montgomery) Wind Creek Casino & Hotel (Atmore)

Indiana Live! Casino (Shelbyville) 1-877-386-4463

7 Kentucky

The Faded Rose Restaurant (Little Rock) 1-501-663-9734

Hot Springs Visitors Bureau 1-888-SPA-CITY

Loca Luna Restaurant (Little Rock) 1-501-663-4666

Oaklawn Park Racing & Gaming (Hot Springs) 1-800-OAKLAWN

Southland Park Gaming & Racing (West Memphis) 1-800-467-6182

4 Florida Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room 1-386-252-6484

Derby Lane Race Track (St. Petersburg) 1-727-812-3339

1-502-894-8686

Seelbach Hotel (Louisville) 1-502-585-3200

Waterfront Restaurant (Covington) 1-859-581-1414

8 Louisiana Café Giovanni (New Orleans) 1-504-529-2154

Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino (Vinton) 1-800-589-7441

Fair Grounds Race Course (New Orleans) 1-504-944-5515

L’Auberge Du Lac Hotel & Casino (Lake Charles)

1-800-946-1946

1-866-676-SHOE

1-501-682-7777

Porcini Italian Restaurant (Louisville)

Hoosier Park Racing & Casino (Anderson) Horseshoe Casino Southern Indiana

Arkansas Departmet of Parks & Tourism

1-502-896-9234

1-866-580-7444

1-800-526-7223

1-800-826-9121

1-859-331-0770

Rising Star Casino Resort 1-800-GRAND-11

3 Arkansas

Oriental Wok (Fort Mitchell)

21C Museum Hotel (Louisville)

Paragon Casino Resort (Marksville) Shreveport/ Bossier Visitor’s Bureau 1-888-45-VISIT

9 Mississippi (Tunica) Gold Strike Casino Resort 1-888-24-KSTAY

Harrah’s Tunica

1-800-WIN-4-WIN

Brown Hotel (Louisville)

Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall

Churchill Downs (Louisville)

Hollywood Casino Tunica

877-217-6400

1-502-583-1234

1-800-283-3729

Equus Restaurant (Louisville) 1-502-897-9721

1-800-456-0711 1-800-871-0711

10 Mississippi Boka Homa Casino (Sandersville)

Galt House Hotel & Suites (Louisville)

1-866-447-3275

Golf Courses of Kenton County

1-866-534-5825

1-800-THE-GALT 1-859-371-3200

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse (Louisville) 1-502-584-0102

John Phillip’s Restaurant & Bar (Crestview Hills/N. KY) 1-859-344-0444

Keeneland Racecourse (Lexington) 1-800-456-3412

Lassing Pointe Golf Course (Boone County) 1-859-384-2266

Harlow's Casino Resort & Hotel (Greenville) Pearl River Resort (Philadelphia) 1-866-44-PEARL

11 Missouri Ameristar Casino St. Charles 1-800-325-7777

Argosy’s Alton Belle Casino 1-800-336-7568

Casino Queen

1-800-777-0777

Lumière Place Casino & Hotels 1-314-881-7777

River City Casino 1-888-578-7289

12 Nevada (Las Vegas) Aria Resort and Casino 1-866-359-7757

The Bellagio

1-888-987-6667

Caesars Palace 1-800-HARRAHS

Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant 1-702-364-5300

Golden Nugget

1-800-634-3454

Golden Gate Hotel & Casino

1-800-426-1906 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 1-800-473-7625 MGM Grand 1-877-880-0880 Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino 1-877-632-7800 Mirage Las Vegas 1-800-627-6667 Palms Hotel 1-866-942-7777 Paris Las Vegas 1-877-796-2096 The Venetian 1-877-283-6423 Wynn Las Vegas 1-888-320-WYNN Wild Wild West Hotel & Casino 1-800-6-STATIONS

13 Nevada (Laughlin) Aquarius Casino Resort 1-888-662-5824

Golden Nugget Laughlin 1-800-950-7700

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Southern G aming an d De s t in a t io n s

For comps and information on these facilities, visit www.SouthernGaming.com!

Gaylord Springs Golf Links (Nashville)

Harrah’s Laughlin Casino and Hotel

1-615-458-1730

1-800-427-7247

14 Nevada (Reno) Atlantis Casino Resort 1-800-723-6500

Circus Circus Reno Hotel & Casino 1-800-648-5010

Eldorado Hotel & Casino 1-800-879-8879

Hyatt Regency Resort Spa & Casino (Lake Tahoe) 1-800-233-1234 Peppermill Resort Spa Casino 1-866-821-9996

15 Ohio Blue Ash Golf Course (Cincinnati) 1-513-745-8577

Elks Run Golf Course (Cincinnati) 1-513-735-6600

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse (Cincinnati) 1-513-784-1200

Montgomery Inn Boathouse (Cincinnati) 1-513-791-3482

16 South Carolina Aunt Chilada’s Easy Street Café (Hilton Head) 1-843-785-7700

CQ’s Restaurant (Hilton Head) 1-843-671-2779

Golden Bear at Indigo Run (Hilton Head) 1-843-689-2200

Harbour Town Golf Course (Hilton Head) 1-843-363-4485

Hilton Head National (Hilton Head) 1-843-842-5900

Salty Dog Café (Hilton Head) 1-843-363-2198

17 Tennessee Bound’ry (Nashville) 1-615-321-3043

Cherokee Valley Golf Course (Memphis) 1-901-525-4653

Folk’s Folly (Memphis) 1-901-762-8200

Half Shell Restaurant (Memphis)

Bahamas Atlantis, Paradise Island 1-800-777-5848

1-901-682-3966

Rendezvous Barbecue (Memphis) 1-901-523-2746

Tsunami Restaurant (Memphis) 1-901-274-2556

Vanderbilt Legends Club (Brentwood) 1-615-790-1300

18 West Virginia Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races 1-800-795-7001

The Greenbrier (White Sulphur Springs) 1-800-453-4858

Mardi Gras Casino & Resort 1-304-776-1000

Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort 1-800-489-8192

Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino & Racetrack 1-304-232-5050

Check out SouthernGaming.com today!

Get the best gaming tips, reviews, gaming news, sports scores and odds, and more!

Don’t delay...you are just a click away!

Vol um e 13 I ssue 6

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Some years ago at the Bicycle Club casino in Los Angeles, there was a regular named Spencer Ouren. Spencer was on his way to becoming a poker legend before his untimely death in 1992. Spencer would sit down at the $80-$160-limit Hold ’em table and raise every hand in the dark to the maximum before the flop (he wouldn’t even look at his hole cards) for one round.

He did this every single time he sat down in a high-limit game.

Phil Hellmuth Jr. is an 11-time World Series of Poker Champion leading all poker players in the world. He has two New York Times best-seller books — “Play Poker Like the Pros” and “Bad Beats and Lucky Draws” — both of which can be found at Amazon.com. Phil’s books, blog, tips and more can also be found at PhillHellmuth.com. Chat and play with him at UltimateBet.com and learn about his new cell phone game at HellmuthHoldem.com.

POKER

Texas Hold ‘Em: Firing up the Game

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Players began to expect this seemingly suicidal move, and some of them would decide to re-raise with Spencer with a weaker hand than they would usually play. Others, realizing what was happening, would then call three bets with weaker hands than they normally would play.

Before long, all those in the game were caught up in playing hands they didn’t normally play. Spencer would thereby open up the game every time he sat down to play in it! Imagine what would happen. Often, the game might not have been worth playing in before Spencer sat down, because everyone was playing tight. Then out of nowhere, Spencer sits down and all this craziness begins.

The players at the table would be playing hands they didn’t normally play for large amounts of money preflop.

Invariably, some players would lose big pots with big pocket pairs like Q-Q, K-K or A-A. Some of these players would then “go on tilt” and begin to play outside their normal, more successful style of play. Spencer was very good at shaking up a game by giving everyone a lot of action in the first round.

Usually, playing this way was a losing proposition, but because everyone knew what was coming (and then began to play out of character), if Spencer could win just one pot, he stood a good chance of losing only a little bit for the whole round. After all, these were pretty huge pots for the first round. In any case, Spencer would then settle down after his “cap it in the dark” round and play super tight for a couple of hours afterward.

Invariably, the other players would continue to give Spencer too much action, and he was successful because of this. His unique brand of firing up the table — thus messing with the other players’ heads — by giving them a ton of action for one round is something worth looking into for even the greatest players in the world today.

Sometimes, it would be pretty expensive for Spencer, but he would calmly sit back and take his $3,500 “start-up cost” loss, knowing that everyone was now perfectly set up to be crushed for a couple of hours.

Spencer was thus a real master at “advertising” that he played weak hands. Usually, advertising costs money, but every marketing department in the world would

tell you that well-placed advertising eventually pays big dividends.

Stealing from Blind Stealers Stealing from the blind stealers is a very advanced Hold ’em play.

Phil Hellmuth, Jr. Personally, I like reraising players whom I suspect of stealing the blinds with a hand like any two cards then and above, such as 10-K or 10-Q. I also like re-raising with any ace. This play is a lot more effective if you re-raise in a better position than the original raiser.

Re-raising with 10-10 is a lot more solid than just reraising with 5-7 off suit, because you have a playable hand when you get called. Nonetheless, it is important to talk about stealing from the blind stealers with a really weak hand. I know a couple of world-class limit Hold ’em players who absolutely love to re-raise the “live” (weak) player in the game with nothing at all in their hand, in order to steal the pot from him or outplay him later on in the hand. This re-raise of the live player in the game also causes them to isolate themselves against the live player, because the re-raise usually drives the other players out of the pot. So the re-raise (three bet) of the live player isolates that player and gives the better player a chance to outplay him later on in the hand. And when you give this kind of extra action to the live player, he also gives you extra action, and believe me, he’s the fellow you want extra action from!

A lot of good things can happen when you re-raise the blind stealers preflop. If the blind stealer misses his hand, then he’ll often have to surrender his hand on the flop.

You can also get lucky and win a big pot when you hit your own hand re-stealing.

On the other side of the ledger, you can get yourself in a heap of trouble making a three-bet re-steal with a weak hand. If the alleged thief has your hand beat, you’ve already put in three bets too little purpose when you were losing, and he still has both position (when you re-raise out of the blinds) and just as good a chance as you do to hit something on the flop. It just seems counterintuitive that you should be putting in three bets with 5-7 just because you suspect someone is making a blind steal. Why not wait for a decent hand, one that is probably the best hand at the table preflop, before you three-bet it? This play may work best of all late in a Hold ’em tournament when your opponent is more likely to throw his hand away on the flop, rather than risk going broke with a weak hand on the flop. (If I seem to be sending mixed signals, that’s just poker — some advice is reliable, some is a crapshoot.)

For more free Poker tips, visit southerngaming.com/poker

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