Page 22 - February 2007 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Bill Burton: About Gambling
INavigating Your Way in the Casino
love technology and new gadgets. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier and more fun, but it can also make it more complicated. Before I left the house the other day, I realized that my cell phone, wireless Bluetooth headset and iPod all needed charging at
Find the Denomination You Want to Play with Slot Candles
ere is a single light on top of every slot machine. ese are called slot candles, and the color of the light tells you the denomination of the slot machine. Since many new slots are multi-denominational, the color of the slot candle will be the lowest amount. In most cases slot candle colors are: White for pennies, Red for nickels, Yellow for quarters, Gold for fty cents and Blue for dollars. If you look at the slot candles as you walk around the casino, you can quickly nd the
denomination of the slot you want to play.
Use the Help Screen
All video slots have a help screen. is help screen is your “road map” for the game. If you choose a game you have never played before, it’s a good idea to spend a minute looking at the help screen. It contains a wealth of information. It is usually found on the bottom of the left part of the screen. It shows pay lines for the game and explains how symbols must line up for a winning spin. e help screen shows the pay table and how much each symbol is worth. If the game has a bonus round, the help screen also explains which symbols activate the bonus.
Unfortunately, there is no GPS to navigate your way around the new slot machines, but looking at the slot candles and reading the help screen before you play will help you from feeling lost.
Until next time, remember: “Luck comes and goes... Knowledge Stays Forever.”
Bill Burton is the Casino Gambling Guide and columnist for the Internet portal About.com, located at http://casinogambling.about.com. He is the author of 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets and Get the Edge at Low Limit Texas Hold’em available online at www.billburton.com. He is also an instructor for Golden Touch Craps, http://www.thecrapsclub.com.
WEDNESDAYS at 3 p.m.
$1,000 Blackjack Tournament
Buy-in $15, and $1,000 guaranteed in cash prizes.
THURSDAYS through March 13, 2007
NCAA Table Games Promotion
Earn one entry with each blackjack and for speci c winning hands on other table games. Drawings will be held every hour starting at 4 p.m. on March 13th, and the Grand Prize drawing will be held at midnight for two tickets to both semi- nal games and two tickets to championship game, airfare, lodging, transportation and $1,000 in spending cash. Must be present to win.
WEDNESDAY, February 14th Queen of Hearts Promotion
Valentine’s Day from noon to 2 p.m., 4 p.m.–6 p.m., and 8 p.m.–10 p.m., receive bonus payouts for winning hands with the Queen of Hearts on all table games.
the same time.
When I got into my car, I a GPS navigator that I got for Christmas. is item is one phenomenal tool. You just enter the address of where you want to go, and it directs you—turn by turn—to your destination. If you make a wrong turn, it automatically recalculates where you are, and adjusts the directions to get you back on course.
I started thinking how great it would be to have a navigating system that could guide and direct me in all situations. For instance, it would be nice to have one in some of the casinos I visit. It’s easy to get lost in some casinos especially if you are visiting for the rst time or only occasionally. You may nd yourself looking over a vast sea of slot machines and wonder which one to play.
Years ago it used to be
were the “reel” type and there was a limited number
pluggedinmylatestgadget,
of choices. ey were all basically the same and were easy to play. You
“Technology has made new video slots more fun and much more entertaining. There are literally hundreds of different games to choose from. Each one has a different theme with a multitude of symbols on the video reels. But you may find
could determine the denomination and type of machine by reading the glass on the front of the slot. is is not the case now with some of the new video slots.
Technology has made new video slots more fun and much more enter- taining. ere are liter- ally hundreds of di erent games to choose from. Each one has a di erent
yourself lost trying to figure theme with a multitude of symbols on the video
out how to play the game. Many new games contain a base game and some bonus round which is activated by
certain symbols.”
reels. But you may nd yourself lost trying to gure out how to play the game. Many new games contain a base game and some bonus round which is activated by certain symbols.
easy. Most slot machines
Here are a few suggestions that may help you find your way if you feel lost playing
February 2007 Tournaments
FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO
FRIDAY, February 2nd from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
$15,000 Big Game Slot Tournament
Register between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on the casino oor. Every player gets to guess the score of the Big Game on Super Sunday for a share of $5,000!
SOBOBA CASINO
MONDAYS
Match Maker Promotion
Bonus payouts for pairs on all blackjack games.
video slots.
Page 22
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
February 2007
Tournaments About Gambling with Bill Burton