GAMING
on a roll To Tell The TruTh las vegas casino mYtHs busted bY matt Jacob
From the moment Bugsy siegel arrived on the strip, las Vegas has used intrigue and legend as successful marketing tools to attract visitors, right down to perpetuating the notion for decades that siegel invented the strip (he did not). nowhere has Vegas mythology been more prevalent than inside its casinos, where gamblers frequently fall victim to such folklore as lucky slot machines and “hot” dealers—that is, when they’re not preoccupied with suspicion that the house will do anything to enhance its edge. Allow us to once and for all separate casino fact from fiction, so that the next time you hit the tables in las Vegas, you can do so with a clear mind … at least until the comped drinks start flowing. THE AIR UP THERE ever wonder why, when it’s 3 a.m. and you’re six hours into a marathon gambling session, that you feel as alert as you did at 3 p.m.? they have to be pumping oxygen into the casino to keep you awake, right? Wrong. to do so would create a major fire hazard. this isn’t to say casinos don’t play mind games, though. From carpet patterns to ceiling heights to infusing the airconditioning system with near-undetectable pleasant scents, casino operators are in the business of constructing an environment that attracts (and retains) gamblers.
128 / vrated.com
DEAL OR NO DEAL no casino game has spawned more myths than blackjack. two of the big ones: Playing third base (the seat to the dealer’s immediate right) controls the fate of everyone at the table, and poor play on the part of amateurs— hitting when you’re supposed to stand, and vice versa—affects your results. Both are false.
in fact, incompetent play helps you as often as it hurts you—it’s just gamblers are more apt to remember the latter. About the only blackjack fable that is true comes from the other side of the table: Pit bosses do believe dealers can have hot and cold streaks, and will switch them out accordingly. But that’s as much in their head as it is in yours.
INSIDER INTEL / despite what Hollywood might have you believe, it is not illegal to count cards in blackjack—you can’t get arrested. You can, however, be asked to leave (casinos have a right to decline to gamble with you). as for those backroom beatings of card-counters you see in the movies? that absolutely was not a myth in the old days. today, it is a myth … for the most part.
RICK SEALOCK
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE of all the kitschy las Vegas souvenirs sold around town, it’s amazing one of them isn’t a t-shirt that says, “i went to Vegas and played a slot machine that was overdue for a jackpot, and all i walked away with was this lousy shirt.” While library books and mothers-to-be can be overdue, there’s no “due” factor when it comes to slot and video-poker machines, as every spin is independent. one thing that is true: over time, every machine will run “hot”—and “cold.” it’s just impossible to predict when.