01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page iii Casino Gambling FOR DUMmIES‰ by Kevin Blackwood Foreword by Max Rubin Author of Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page ii 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page i Casino Gambling FOR DUMmIES‰ 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page ii 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page iii Casino Gambling FOR DUMmIES‰ by Kevin Blackwood Foreword by Max Rubin Author of Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page iv Casino Gambling For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006926109 ISBN-13: 978-0-471-75286-8 ISBN-10: 0-471-75286-X Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/SZ/QW/QW/IN 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page v Dedication I dedicate this book to my father, Malcolm. He taught me long ago the value of a dollar and how to be a smart gambler — lessons that have served me well in life. About the Author Growing up in a conservative small town along the Maine coast, Kevin Blackwood never anticipated visiting Sin City. With aspirations of becoming a college professor, he traveled the usual roads of academia, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in religious education and Biblical history. His journey took a sudden detour in 1984. While working on his doctorate at the University of Oregon, he learned how to count cards and started playing blackjack on weekends. His studies began to pale in comparison to the excit- ing world of gambling. And one day, after a futile effort to find a parking spot on the crowded campus, he bagged his plans to teach church history, quit school — and headed to Las Vegas. Since then, Blackwood has lived what many would consider the American dream, earning big bucks while working only part-time, winning consistently at blackjack tables all over the world. More recently, he has jumped on the Texas Hold’em bandwagon, with several poker tournament wins under his belt. His unusual life experiences inspired Blackwood to write a novel, The Counter (Wooden Pagoda Press). In addition, he is the author of Play Blackjack Like the Pros (HarperCollins), the most comprehensive guide to becoming a win- ning blackjack player. He has also written for magazines, including Casino Player, Midwest Gaming and Travel, Blackjack Insider, and Gambling.com. His TV appearances include the World Series of Blackjack (semifinalist 2005) and the Ultimate Blackjack Tour (finalist 2006). Blackwood lives in Oregon with his wife of 25 years. They have two sons in college and a 22-year-old feline that is the most worshipped cat since the golden era of the pharaohs. You can reach Kevin by e-mail at Kevin@ kevinblackwood.com. 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page vi Author’s Acknowledgments Any good book is always a collaborative effort. Several people took time out of their busy schedules to offer tips, suggestions, and insights. These include ߜ Annie Duke, not only a great poker player but a superb writer. ߜ Phil Hellmuth, a poker icon and the gold standard for any aspiring tour- nament player. ߜ Howard Lederer, perhaps the most admired and respected name in poker. ߜ Antonio Esfandiari, a flamboyant poker player who let me tag along for a rare peek at how a world-class mind operates. ߜ Russ Hamilton, the 1994 WSOP champion and a terrific all-around gambler. ߜ Scott Fischman, one of the brightest young stars in poker. ߜ Anthony Curtis, publisher of Las Vegas Advisor, and a man who always has the answer for any question in the world of gambling. ߜ Michael Shackleford, gifted mathematician and author of Gambling 102, who allowed me to use several examples from his excellent Web site, www.thewizardofodds.com. ߜ Max Rubin, one of the funnier and more colorful people I know, who wrote the foreword and let me adapt ten principles from his book, Comp City (Huntington Press) for Chapter 22 of this book. ߜ Jake Soroka, an integral part of the great team at Bodog Casino, who sup- plied several screen shots for this book. ߜ Barry Meadow, a great writer who generously loaned me several books to aid in my research. I regret that we’ve never worked together on a project. ߜ Michael Traum, public relations manager of John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino, who provided screen shots, illustrations, and several helpful items on keno and bingo. ߜ Rod Wood, who shared tips on video poker. ߜ Barney Vinson, a fellow author who contributed a great roulette story for this book. ߜ Steve C., who reviewed the chapters on slots and video poker. ߜ Barry Finn, who corrected some mistakes in the poker chapter. ߜ Tom Grieder, for sharing information from his research trips. 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page vii ߜ Tim and Justin Wood, who helped set up the book’s graphs and charts. ߜ Tony Delise, director of slots at John Ascuagua’s Nugget, for helping on keno and bingo. ߜ Mickey, who opened his home to me, and Tiffany Whitney, who helped me start the early chapters. ߜ My agents, Matt Wagner (Fresh Books) and Frank Scatoni and Greg Dinkin (Venture Literary) deserve a big thank-you for making this project happen. Also, Betsy Sheldon, Tracy Boggier, Chad Sievers, and Pam Ruble helped polish this book. Thanks to Larry Barker for doing the technical editing and Stanford Wong for suggesting my name to author this book. ߜ Some excellent writers provided invaluable assistance, including Fara Kearnes, Rusty Fischer, Mark Salley, and Swain Schep. I doubt I could have finished the book without them, and the text is markedly better because of their efforts. Fara worked on several chapters in this book, and Swain contributed some much-needed humor. Mark has now helped me on all three of my books, and I greatly appreciate his long-term friendship. ߜ But the biggest thank-you goes to my wife, who reviewed nearly every chapter and gave great critique and feedback. Though not a gambler, she took a big risk marrying me. 01_75286x ffirs.qxp 6/13/06 3:07 PM Page viii Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.