Casino Gambling by Mark Pilarski

The Greatest Gambler who ever lived

Dear Mark, As one of your gambling quotes of the week, you used poker player Amarillo Slim. What ever happened to him? Is he still alive? Duke H.

Amarillo Slim Preston, the Guinness Book of Records holder for being in five Halls of Fame: poker, gambling, seniors, legends of Texas and legends of Nevada, is still with us, living it up in Amarillo, beatin¹ the tar style playing poker. There is a wonderful new memoir recently released by Amarillo Slim, with Greg Dinkin (who also wrote Poker MBA, another great read), entitled, Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People. In great detail, Slim and Dinkin chronicle Amarillo¹s winning ways and his larger-than-life-wagers like these classics. He won $300,000 from Willie Nelson in a televised match of dominoes, or remember when he beat Bobby Riggs out of $10,000 in a game of Ping-Pong played with frying pans as paddles? He also trounced a world champion ping-pong player with a Coca-Cola bottle, and even wooped Minnesota Fats in a game of pool using a broomstick as a cue. Not one to pass up a poker playing opportunity, Slim has played poker with Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and drug lords Pablo Escobar and Jimmy Charga brains than drug lords< always applying Slim¹s Top 10 Keys to poker success, which follow here at no extra charge.
1. Play the players more than you play the cards.
2. Choose the right opponents. If you don¹t see a sucker at the table, you¹re it.
3. Never play with money you can¹t afford to lose.
4. Be tight and aggressive; don¹t play many hands, but when you do, be prepared to move in.
5. Always be observing at a poker game. The minute you¹re there, you¹re working.
6. Watch the other players for "tells" before you look at your own cards.
7. Diversify your play so others can¹t pick up your tells.
8. Choose your speed based on the direction of the game. Play slow in a fast game, fast in a slow game.
9. Be able to quit a loser, and for goodness¹ sake, keep playing when you¹re winning.
10. Conduct yourself honorably so you¹re always invited back.

Sagacious advice from the Winner of the World Series of Poker in 1972 at Binion¹s Horseshoe (he still plays this tournament), and whom many call the greatest gambler who ever lived. I know you will enjoy, Duke, this fascinating new memoir. I surely did.

Dear Mark, Is it to the house¹s advantage, or the player¹s, when the dealer stays on a soft 17? Tom

To be a consistent winner in blackjack, Tom, you must play basic strategy and play only on games ... (are you listening?) ... only on games with the most favorable playing rules. A dealer¹s stay on a soft 17 is one such rule that is ALWAYS to the player¹s advantage. You have a built-in advantage of 0.20% when the dealer is forced to stay on a soft 17. And you, of course, then put on your suave and casual smile and go for the jugular.

Gambling quote of the week: "If there is anything worth arguing about, I¹ll either bet on it or shut up. And since it¹s no becoming for a cowboy to be arguing, I¹ve made a few wagers in my day. But in my humble opinion, I¹m no hustler. You see, neighbor, I never go looking for a sucker. I look for a champion and make a sucker out of him."

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

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