Casino gamblers: Odds-on favorites to fail

Imagine this sign in a casino:

"Attention all keno players. The house has at least a 25 percent advantage over the player. For all you 10-spot players, the odds of picking 10 out of 10 are an incredible nine million to 1. Do you really think you've got a chance?"

In his book, "Casino Gambling Behind the Tables" (Gollehon $7.99), author John Alcamo explained that such signs would be commonplace if the casinos were to explain how difficult it is to win at any house game.

In his 235-page paperback, Alcamo, 52, a former Atlantic City gaming columnist, told every casino player exactly what he doesn't want to hear: That it's virtually impossible to beat the house at any game -- including blackjack.

"That's why casinos love to load up gift shops with books that tell you can beat the house at blackjack. Knowing the basic strategy, and at least something about card-counting, can give you a slight advantage over the house, but only on rare occasion," Alcamo said.

He interviewed hundreds of casino executives and players -- many of them in Las Vegas. A downtown pit boss had this to say about card counting:

"Right now there isn't a player in the world who can beat this game with any consistency. I wouldn't have said that 30 years ago, when casinos dealt single-deck games down to the last card."

Today, the pit boss explained, casinos have wised up, and they employ several "counter measures" including limiting betting spreads; shuffling up when a player tries to greatly increase his bet; employing more and more multiple-deck shoe games rather than single- and double-deck games; and moving up the cut cards in those multiple decks so players see fewer cards before the shuffle.

Alcamo learned from the counters themselves that these measures, along with the sophistication of many floor supervisors, have made it much more difficult to count cards in any casino.

"I know of no one who has gotten rich playing this game," a card counter told Alcamo. "As for myself, I made what you might call a meager living playing the game. Today, I think the best a player could hope for is to supplement a regular income by playing a little blackjack. And even that's very, very, iffy, to say the least."

But what about all those books touting that with optimum play, anyone can beat the game of blackjack?

"We like all those books and all the claims about being able to beat the game and about card-counting," the card counter said. "If I'm talking to the public or doing a newspaper interview, for example, I'll tell everyone that this game can be beaten, that we worry about it, that we watch for card-counters. Fact is, if I'm talking off the record, blackjack today isn't at all like like it was years ago, because we've got good counter measures in place now. We're not afraid of anyone."

The same is true for other table games and slot machines.

"Your readers won't like hearing this," a casino host said in the book, "but the slots and table games are virtually unbeatable over the long term. Why? Because when the odds are against you on every bet in a game, there is no system in the world that can consistently beat the game."

With this in mind, Alcamo offered survival tips to casino players who are looking to avoid the traps casinos employ to entice gamblers into losing all their money.

Foremost, Alcamo explained, is proper attitude.

"Often, a player will say he has $500 to lose, which is entirely the wrong attitude," he said. "The smart player goes into a casino with a positive attitude. This alone can spell the difference between winning and losing."

Money management and discipline also are very important.

The author advised all players to set limits, to play within their means, to avoid the practice of doubling or tripling their first few winning bets, to quit when they're ahead and to never, ever play to get even.

"The smartest thing to do is walk," one pit boss said in the book. "If you can't leave the table, at least reduce the size of your bet."

Alcamo explained that the foundation of a casino's bottom line is built by all the players trying to get even. Just avoiding this trap can save the recreational gambler a bundle.

"The most important thing is to be in the right frame of mind when you play any game," Alcamo said, explaining that video poker players should be more concerned about pay-outs for flushes and full houses than jackpot amounts.

"You shouldn't be thinking about jackpots. The casinos like to put you in a jackpot mentality. I can't tell you how many times I've seen players with 600 or 700 credits throw it all away playing for a jackpot. Hey, on a $1 machine, that's $600 or $700. Cash out and go home!"

Alcamo said the credit meter is just one of many casino innovations designed to keep players at machines. Instead of telling the player he has so many quarters or dollars, he has credits. It tends to turn the player's attention away from the money.

"Push that cash-out button when you're ahead," Alcamo wrote. "Remember, it's money that's displayed on the meter, not credits."

Another casino invention that turns the players' attention away from the money is the "comp" or complimentary gift to players.

"No other business in the world is more willing to give out free lunches, gourmet dinners, show tickets, rooms, suites, limo rides, travel expenses and other amenities," Alcamo wrote. "All the casino asks in return is that you play and play and play at its tables."

The author explained that because comps are awarded on the basis of how much time is spent at the tables, more often than not the casino player loses many times the value of the comp.

"Some people walk up and make five $100 bets and then ask for a comp. But the pit bosses don't go by that. They go by how many hours your rear end is glued to that chair," Alcamo said. "When you gamble, you should play for money, not for comps."

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