Time Out Chicago; Features article; Gambling tips

Time Out Chicago / Issue 128: August 9–15, 2007

The Gambling Issue
Easy money
Don’t go all in without studying these sure-fire hints.
By TOC staff
Despite many of our less-than-stellar efforts in the casinos, we managed to pick up a few tips on the most popular games from some experts, gaming industry workers and a few amateur players who’ve lost a lot of money, but picked up some tricks along the way.

By: Gretchen Kalwinski
Roulette
Keep it simple
A guy who is "a gambling expert, if 'expert' means someone who's lost a shitload of money gambling" reports that, “Roulette has 800 ways to bet, so the best thing you can do is bet on red or black, since you’ll win half the time. But the payout’s lousy.”

Play the odds
An executive at a gambling-machine company says to, “Try to find a single-zero roulette table—called European roulette. The ‘house’ edge or advantage is almost half of a double-zero table.”

Slots
Give yourself some credit
“Don’t leave a machine with credits in it,” says that same executive. “I’ve walked hundreds of casino floors throughout the world and I am constantly amazed at the number of machines I’ve found with credits remaining.”

Butt in
A library worker and blackjack ace lets us in on a slots secret; “My partner’s stepmom, a.k.a. the Lurker, is an astonishingly successful slots player. She says machines with ashtrays full of mashed-up cigarette butts are ready to pay out, since ‘someone was getting really frustrated pouring money into it.’ ”

Tip for a tip-off
“I’ve heard some machines are programmed to win," our former Lake Tahoe casino worker source divulges, "So, tip the person working in slots and ask them to suggest machines. The casinos won’t put those machines in really obvious spots, so avoid the really huge machines.”

Just say no
A law student and semi-professional gambler snarks, “Don’t play slots because people will see you, and you’ll look like an idiot for playing the slots.”

–Gretchen Kalwinski