Casino Gambling by Mark Pilarski

Serial/parallel, Bet Glossary, and WSOP

Dear Mark, Let¹s say I am dealt four cards to a royal in video poker. I discard one and hope for the card that will give me a royal flush. My question is: is the card already behind the card I just discarded, or dealt from the top of a deck? Dylan F.

O.K., we¹ve said it. Jurisdictional gaming regulations do vary, from place to place, but most poker machines operate on a "serial" and not a "parallel" basis. "Huh?" Dylan says aloud, while thinking "Whaaa"? On the serial basis, cards are shuffled and dealt off the top of the virtual deck parallel basis, on the other hand, is where five cards are dealt face up, and five additional cards are then dealt unseen underneath the initial, face-up five< parallel to them, get it? So, Dylan, if it¹s serial, which it probably is, that next card is determined at the time of player interaction with (draw from) the top of a virtual deck, and not at the time of the deal and card placement behind your five initial cards. But either way you get those cards, Dylan, by gaming regulations in all legit casinos, they will be randomly drawn.

Dear Mark, Does the term "let it ride," mean "same bet," or, "parlay? Phil

Generally speaking, Phil, "letting it ride" is betting your original wager plus any winnings, making it more akin to parlaying than playing the same bet. But, letting a wager ride in certain gaming situations, for instance in craps, can also mean taking down some of your winnings. For example: You place a bet on the six or eight so you¹re paid $7 for every $6 you wagered. If the six hits, you¹d be sitting on $13 (your original bet plus winnings), so, if you were then to instruct the dealer to let it ride, she¹d toss you back $1 and keep $12 (increments of $6) on the six.

Dear Mark, Who came up with the idea of the World Series of Poker? Was it always played at Binion¹s? Leroy D.

Benny Binion himself came up with the concept for the World Series of Poker back in the 1950s, when he played host to a high-stakes poker game between Nicholas "Nick the Greek" Dandolos, whom many considered the world¹s best poker player, and Johnny Moss, a friend of Benny¹s from Texas. It wasn¹t until 1970 that Binion launched the first World Series of Poker tournament, with all the hoopla of crowning a "World Champion." Poker players from around the country descended like locusts on Binion¹s Horseshoe Hotel & Casino for a chance at the title. The tournament¹s first winner was determined by popular vote. Later, the tournament developed into its current format, a "freeze out" event, in which players are systematically eliminated until one player grins over a pile of all the chips. The World Series of Poker has been held at Binion¹s Horseshoe Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas since its inception, though this year is still up in the air after federal authorities shut down the Binion¹s due to $500,000 in unpaid employee benefits. Harrah¹s recently purchased property in Las Vegas, along with the "Horseshoe" brand name, as well as the rights to the popular World Series of Poker, so I anticipate, Leroy, the WSOP will crown its 35th World Champion of Poker.

Gambling quote of the week: "The most common Tell is the pulse of a man¹s neck. On a lot of people, the pulse in the neck is visible. If so, a man can¹t hide it, since nobody can control their heartbeat in stress situations. When you see a man¹s neck just throbbing away, you know he¹s excited, and usually he¹s excited because he is bluffing. I Made $1,000,000 Playing Poker (1979)

-------------------------
pilarski@markpilarski.com
http://markpilarski.com

Previous Columns

The Online Casinos below are not being endorsed By Mark Pilarski.

English Harbour is one of the finest casinos online. They offer you your own personalized start page, $35 free with a minimum first purchase of $35 and first rate software.The software must be downloaded, but the wait is well worth it.The largest slot machine jackpots on the internet.