Page 31 - September 2011 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Bill Burton: About Gambling
TFeels Like the First Time
hey say that you never forget your rst time: your rst love, your rst car, etc. We remember a rst time simply because it is a completely new experience, so it has more of an emotional impact on our brains. is is how we learn. First time experiences can be pleasurable, so we
want to repeat them; or, they may be unpleasant, so we want to avoid them.
I started checking the pay tables on a few of the video poker machines that were unoccupied. I carry a reference chart on my iPhone so I can determine the payback of any video poker game. I found a game called White Hot
Aces that had the highest pay table available. e game was very similar to the Bonus Poker game I usually play. e di erence was that it paid one coin for two pair instead of two. However, the four aces and four-of-a-kind for the low cards paid triple the amount of the regular Bonus Poker game. I determined I could use a modi ed Bonus Poker strategy to play the game.
On my second hand, I hit a four-of-a-kind, and that was just the beginning of a magical night. By the end of my session a few hours later, I had hit the quad aces several times, along with a royal ush and a dozen other four-of-a- kind hands. I had just had my biggest winning video poker session ever.
As I was cashing out, I was momentarily taken back to that day on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City three decades ago, when I felt the excitement of my rst casino win. What began as a routine night at the casino will now be one of my most memorable casino experiences. And it all happened because I decided to play a new game.
Now, I’m not suggesting that playing a new game will make you a winner. But it can add a little variety to your casino visit. Many players get stuck in a rut of going to the same casino, and playing the same machine over and over again, without ever trying anything new or di erent. If your casino trips have become a little routine, you might be ready for a change. And if you get lucky, you might just have a very memorable experience.
Until next time, remember: “Luck comes and goes.. Knowledge Stays Forever.”
Bill Burton is the author of 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets and Get the Edge at Low Limit Texas Hold’em available online at billburton.com. Burton is also an instructor for Golden Touch Craps: thecrapsclub.com.
I can vividly recall my rst trip to a casino, even though it took place over 30 years ago. I was living in Connecticut, and the nearest casino was in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where casino gambling had just become legal. My rst excursion to the casino was a bus trip that consisted of a ve-hour drive with an eight-hour stay, and then a ve-hour return trip back home. We left at 5 a.m., and arrived home around 1 a.m. the following
morning. When we rst
arrived at the casino in the
morning, we were given a
ve-dollar food voucher and
a roll of quarters, and then
we were on our own.
My two friends and I had never been to a casino before, and we knew nothing about how to play any of the casino table games. We did know how to play the slot machines, so we played them one quarter at a time while we took in the glitz and glamour of the casinos.
We decided we would visit all seven of the casinos on the Atlantic City Boardwalk that day, playing a few dollars in
the slot machines at each one.
When we arrived at the Golden Nugget, which was the
last casino at the end of the Boardwalk, we only had about twohoursbeforewehadtobebackonthebus.Wedecided to just go in and take a quick look around before heading back. I had lost about $30 gambling that day, but decided I would play a few dollars more. On my third spin I hit a
jackpot which paid me $100 for my single quarter. I can still remember the rush of adrenaline and the excitement I felt with that win. It was that win on my rst trip that got me interested casino gambling.
Over the years, I have learned how to play many di erent casino games. I don’t enjoy all of them, and I obviously want to play games that have the lowest house edge allowing me
the best opportunity to win. But I primarily go to the casino for entertainment, so I enjoy playing several di erent games.
I found that my desire to try new games has allowed me to have more variety during my casino visits. I feel that playing the same game every time I go to the casino can take some of the enjoyment out of my visits. Sure, I have my favorite games, but occasionally I want something new and fresh that will allow me to
experience that “ rst time” feeling.
A few months ago, I was teaching a seminar down South,
and was staying at one of the casinos for several days. On Saturday night, after I had dinner, I wanted to play for a while, but when I entered the casino I noticed it was extremely crowded, and the seats at the tables games that I usually play were all taken—as were the seats at most of the video poker machines that I usually play. I decided that I should look for something new.
“Over the years, I have learned howtoplaymanydifferentcasino games. I don’t enjoy all of them, and I obviously want to play games that have the lowest house edge allowing me the best opportunity to win. But I primarily go to the casino for entertainment, so I enjoy playingseveraldifferentgames.”
SEPTEMBER 2011
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
PAGE 31