Blackjack Wonder: "I won't quit 'till the chips hit my chin."    
-by Frank Z. Michaels © 2007
    
The man wasn't at my table.  But I wish he had been!  The guy kept betting "limit up", which is to say, he bet the table max every hand.
 A rather inebriated gentleman of about 40 years old was playing high-stakes Blackjack out of an 8 deck shoe, courtesy of a somewhat nervous dealer.  There must have been over $35,000. where he sat at his center spot, as I coming on for my evening graveyard shift.  And believe me, all the floor managers were quite attentive to his action.  Even the shift Pit Boss sundered over to make sure things were OK.
     The guy kept betting "limit up", on several spots at a time, too.  As is usual with tipsy players, they usually start pressing too hard, and lose whatever stake they had created.  Quick to make a buck, but quick to lose it , too.  But this guy was different.  It seemed like his stacks had force fields around them.  Over 10 slightly wobbly piles of black chips, growing higher and higher with every turn of the card.  He also kept one of the cocktail girls very busy (and very happy) with a one-hundred dollar drink tips...  read on

"Mr. Craps" to You. 
-by Marsha Hunt Flanders © 2008.
     
Stanley "Golden Arm" Fujitake set a Craps record on May 28, 1989, that is still untouched by today's players.  

This Hawaiian man came walking into The California Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas.  Three hours later he set a new record for the longest craps roll in history. It was a verified three-hour-six-minute roll, with 18 pass line wins and an estimated table win of about $750,000.  High-rolling craps players from all over downtown Vegas heard the news and came over to bet in this super streak, so Golden Arm wasn't the only big winner that day. Can you even fathom such a roll?  The noise from the cheers must have been deafening.
    
An interesting aside about "Mr. Golden Arm" is the club that sprang up after his famous roll.  Every year club members meet and and celebrate the "Master's" famous roll and to introduce new members to "The Golden Arm Club."  Do you suppose that there are special requirements to gain entry in the club?  Do you have to do a one-hour roll yourself?  Do you have to be able to cite Craps odds and pass some kind of special Craps test?  I suspect entry requirements are lax. 

Unfortunately, Mr. Fujitake has now passed on to the Great Craps Table In The Sky, so we'll never know many details about that famous day.  In addition to his famous 1989 roll, Stanley is rumored to...  read on
 

Roulette Wheel Bias
By Jake Earl © 2007

It is the dream of every gambler to have a system; a system that allows him to take a casino for a considerable amount of money.  For some people, it was no dream…

Albert R. Hibbs was a noted mathematician.  In 1949, he and fellow graduate student Roy Walford, took time away from school and went to Nevada.  Their aim was to study the roulette wheel bias of Las Vegas and Reno casinos, then exploit that mathematical “edge” and win big.  They were said to have made over $42,000. in their schemes. 

 The idea of a biased wheel is not new.  Because some roulette wheels are not properly balanced, the ball is often thrown into some areas more than others; more than random mathematical probability.  By studying the wheel and it’s results for a long period, certain numbers show a higher percentage of winners than others, and they are bet upon more frequently by those who gather and analyze this information.

 Joe Jagger was a British engineer who, in the late 1800’s, earned the title of: The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.  (Yes, he is a distant relative of Mick Jagger.)   Another gambler and possibly more famous still, was Charles Wells.  He too had the title.  Both gamblers found and exploited biased roulette wheels in Monte Carlo’s famed “Casino.”   Wells was also a con man responsible for bilking hundreds of people on bogus inventions.  He died broke in France, after having spent several prison terms in two different countries.

 As late as 1970, a woman named Carol Jarecki and her husband studied and played roulette wheels in Monte Carlo and San Remo, making a series of very successful runs on those biased roulette wheels.  So even in this “modern era” of gambling, it seems that there are still a few places where the roulette wheels are not checked nearly often enough.

The new way casinos avoid bias is by recording every spin on a computer program.  The program analyzes then reports any bias to casino management.  Once reported, the wheel is serviced and the bias is removed.  This system is used in only the larger casinos, but it’s a safe bet that even the smaller casinos would simply send you packing if you won too much.  Bias or no.
 

Straight Up: 3 Times in a Row
-by Mack  E. Green © 2006.

       In Roulette, it's easy to make a few bucks betting even money.  But as the player begins to seek higher rewards, it becomes much more difficult.  Inside odds of 2-to-1, 8-to-1, 17-to-1 and finally 35-to-1 wear out and grind down even the biggest bankrolls.  Roulette, it is fair to say, "ain't the easiest game in the casino." 

     I was playing during what must have been The Beau Rivage graveyard shift.  Even for a weekday night it seemed particularly quiet.  No big action at the Craps tables.  No high rollers working at the Blackjack tables either.  But that was certainly not true for the Roulette table.  That's where I was; playing Roulette.

 A gorgeous brunette walked over and dropped a twenty dollar bill in front of the croupier.  She seemed to be a bit nervous, but that's not unusual for first-time gamblers.  The croupier, working alone, made her change in four casino five-dollar chips, per her instructions.  She then put three of the four chips into her purse, and placed the remaining chip straight up on number thirty-six.  It was a long-odds bet (35 to 1) and probably her last before she returned to whatever city the next morning.  But as luck would have it's way...
read on
 
 

Dazzling Three Card Poker Run
by Mark French, © 2006

There are days you have good cards.  And there are days you have great cards.  One day at The Mirage in Las Vegas, I had what can only be described as “dazzling cards.”

Our vacation in Vegas had just begun.  It was March, 2003, and my wife, Diane, was still unpacking up in the room.  Now, I know better than to rush into things, but I wanted to test the gambling waters downstairs in that sumptuous casino.  Most gamblers (including me) don’t expect to have a fantastic run right out of the gate.  They usually think in terms of conservative “money management”, where you try to stretch your bankroll over many successive days.  Large bets and fast earnings are for later.

But that’s not what happened at the Three Card Poker table.  I started off with a twenty dollar bet on the “Ante” spot, and a ten dollar bet on “Pair Plus,” figuring that I could lose the top bet and still break even if I beat the dealer.  Wham!  I got a flush, so I obviously played the hand with another twenty dollars on the “Play” spot.  Luckily, the dealer managed to come up with King something.  Total won: $80.00.

“Nice start.” I said to myself.   read on