CHOOSING A CASINO

Theoretically, one casino should be just like another. They art normally regulated by the local government and periodicallo checked by agents for compliance with the rules. They play tht "same" game. When the IBC initiated its first survey, we won. dered if the playing results would bear this out. They didn't. Thai first survey, in 1975, showed a 24 per cent difference in the ratic of winning sessions to total sessions for casinos with enough play ing reported for statistical validity. Club members in the Hiltob (Las Vegas Strip) won 64 per cent of their sessions, while members in the Dunes (also on the Strip) wan only 38 per cena of their sessions.

There are a couple of reasons that could explain the difference one fairly normal and obvious and the other sneaky and insidi ous. The first reason, as mentioned earlier, is that Blackjack he not yet stabilized as a casino game. Roulette, for example, is ver stable. The only difference in the games is the "European" who versus the "American" wheel. The European game has only ot zero while the greedier Americans have a double-zero whet Craps, a game that seems to have been around almost as long we have, shows essentially the same layout no matter where you play.

In Blackjack, each casino chooses which of the options de-scribed in Chapter Two it will allow and what restrictions it will place on those favorable to the player, such as doubling, splitting, or surrendering. The table below contains the options listed by effect on and importance to the player. The more significant op-tions are at the top of each list.casino is to question the dealer as to the options in effect and thc restrictions on any plays before putting your money out.

To help you plan your trips, the second table contains the play ing rules for the various Las Vegas casinos that the club member frequent. The information in this table is supplied courtesy o Stephen Goldberg and Arnold Snyder. You should use this list as a guide only, because playing rules may vary between the time this i; written and your trip. As you can see, the number of casinos in thi; part of the world is large enough that you should never have tc play under unfavorable rules. As in any business, the law of suppl; and demand should help the casinos see how unprofitable it is tc offer an inferior game.

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