Nevada Players Club Blog

I love table games – 3 Card Poker , Baccarat , Craps , Blackjack , Pai Gow , and Roulette - more than I do slots. I was raised by a dice rolling Father who sold his game systems and tutored players. While I know that long term you can never beat any casino game, I still love to play - sensibly. I know my limits, and I stick to them. Ideally, it takes a hefty starting bank to get into table games. There are exceptions. I’ve walked up to a table with $20 and left a half-hour later with a stack of cash. But that’s rare. By way of comparison, a player can make as much or more with 4 Card Keno as they do 3 Card Poker for a smaller initial investment. I really love 3 Card Poker, but at the $5 level, an ideal 3 Card win only pays $150 – 200. That’s for a 3-of-a-Kind or a straight flush. To win those “jackpots”, one needs to place a minimum $5 PAIR PLUS bet and the minimum ANTE bet. Most casinos have higher minimums, but you can find $5 tables at Silverton, South Point and elsewhere. S...

We enjoy watching those high roller videos where people play $25 -200 per slot pull and rack up hand pay after hand pay, but those folks are the exception, not the rule. Most players walk into a casino with a couple hundred dollars, hoping to stumble over a miracle. There aren’t many of those - but hope springs eternal. The key for me is to maintain my bank until I can lift off a substantial win. I start low and slow, then hope to build. How exactly? Mainly on 4 Card Keno with the maximum bet on just a few spots. Starting at a nickel machine, I may go all in while betting on 3-4 spots per board. The average payoff with 4 coins wagered on a 4-spot is 364 units. That’s $18 on a nickel machine, $36 at the dime level, and $91 on a quarter machine. Play at the level you’re most comfortable with, occasionally going out on a limb when you feel the timing is right. I know all about going out on a limb because I used to play Michelle Branch songs on the radio. But let's pretend I never sa...