Bob Sweeney

Slot players can still find coins at Canyon

Mother’s Day was a huge success and players and guests enjoyed wonderful buffets across the gaming community.

The culinary workers, food and beverage employees, really do a great job across the casino front. The young ladies carrying their trays cover miles fetching water, coffee and drinks for players concentrating on their cards or slot machines. The gals get more grunts than they do thanks.

Remember to put a buck or two in the tray when they attend to your beverage demands. Put yourself in those high heels and think about walking around those cavernous casinos for eight hours for minimum wage and scraggly tips.

Same for the parking attendants who run their legs off bringing cars to all you winners loading up sacks full of cash as you leave, right, ha.

Win, or lose, save a few dollars for that waiter, waitress and dealer who makes this gaming possible. The management and owners can take the high risk of building, buying and operating the casinos, but the employees make it all happen for them and for us, the players.

Overall we just keep finding the food, service, dealers, machines, table games becoming very polished and well managed.

The pit bosses have become very professional in following the action, welcoming players, checking player’s cards for points and action time, and dealers keeping straight faces when players do weird things, like hitting sixes.

The new carpet in the Reserve Casino Hotel just feels luxurious when stepping off the elevator; the red plush carpet is very inviting to the completely remodeled facility in Central City.

Down in Black Hawk, the Canyon still has slot machines that will spit out those real metal coins. It is surprising how many of the senior slot players really enjoy the sound of those coins falling in the tray and scooping up the coins into buckets.

If you looking for a great French dip sandwich visit the cafe on the Canyon’s third floor. The green chili is also more than delicious, but wash your hands after scooping up all those coins that you just won in the old style slot machines.

When Leo fetches your parked car, give him a buck or two and you’ll find what goes around, comes around.

The new 500-room hotel has been announced at the Riviera location, parking garage coming down and new hotel rising to the Rockies.

Black Hawk has approved the project and construction will begin soon, new jobs and more people spending the night in town.

Also on another note, Ameristar has new owners.

www.central-citycnty.com

Get Ravved Up
Win a 2013 Toyota RAV4, plus up to $500 weekends in May. Earn weekly entries for cash drawings for just 150 base points each everyday through Monday, May 27. Fridays and Saturdays from 4-11 p.m. through May 25 we’ll hold drawings for cash prize and bonus entry combos. Keep your combo or trade it in to try and get more. Win up to 20 bonus entries each drawing, plus up to $250 cash. Or win the $500 cash prize at 11 p.m.

Sunday, May 26 – Combo drawings from 4-10 p.m., $500 at 11 p.m.

Memorial Day, May 28 – Combo drawings from 4 – 8 p.m., $500 at 11 p.m. and Grand Prize drawing at 10 p.m.

All entries go in the giant barrel for the Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. Grand Prize drawing for a brand new 2013 Toyota RAV4 courtesy of Stevinson Toyota. Five winners will try keys to see if they’ve won one of four $500 first prizes, or the RAV4 Grand Prize.

3X Entries Wednesdays
Get 3X entries for weekend cash or a 2013 Toyota RAV4 with all your play from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. on May 22, or for up to $5,000 in our 7^th Anniversary Progressive Party on Jule 7 for all your play 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on May 29.

Lucky 7 Anniversary Progressive
Win up to $1,500 weekends, or up to $5,000 on July 7. Enjoy $100 progressive drawings every half hour from 7 – 11 p.m. Fridays and from 1 – 5 p.m. and 7 – 11 p.m. Saturdays through July 6. If the drawn winner is not present, the prize rolls to the next drawing. Earn entries with just 150 base points, starting May 28. Entry barrel reset each week after the Saturday 11 p.m. drawing. A $700 prize will be added to the progressive for the guaranteed winner drawings Friday at 11 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Make My Multiplier Tuesday
Join us on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and enjoy a mystery multiplier on all your slot play. Starting at 10:45 a.m., we will select an hourly Hot Seat winner to spin the “Make My Multiplier Wheel” to find their cash prize and earn everyone in the casino up to 5X points on slot play for the next hour. Each hour we find a new winner and a new multiplier.

New Members
Guests who sign up at our Player‘s Club for a free club card will get a free spin, where they could win up to $1,500. New Members also receive $10 in Insta-Comp after earning 250 base points on their account on the day of signup.

Thursday Bingo
Enjoy free Bingo every Thursday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., with a $100 prize for each game. Players with a Player’s Card can pick up their Bingo card at the Player’s Club one hour before each game.

Senior Celebration
Guests aged 50 or better receive 2X points on play on Wednesday and Thursday all day, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m., plus 50% off purchases (up to $25 in one day) at the Retro Deli or Mid City Grill. Please note that 50% food discount cannot be combined with any other coupon or discount, and including the $7.99 prime rib special.

New Games
Try all of these new games in the Century Pit this May. Bet the Set “21” Progressive - Spice up your blackjack game with this progressive poker side bet. Super Front-Line Winner - Start a streak of 7’s or 11’s going and win big on our exciting new side bet for craps.

Sunday Poker Shootout
Poker players can earn a chance for a High Hand Shootout worth up to $100 every Sunday. Players can qualify Thursday – Saturday during live play by having the high hand of the hour. Each Sunday, qualifiers can win cash by having the highest hourly hand on Sunday. Prizes are determined and paid at 6 p.m.: 1^St Prize: $100, 2^nd Prize: $50, 3^rd Prize $25.

Sunlight Poker Bonus
$10 cash back for 3 hours play if seated between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday through Monday.

Food specials
We now offer three choices of lunch/dinners specials for $7.99 with Player’s Card.

Enjoy an 8 oz. slow-roasted prime rib accompanied by choice of potato with seasonal vegetables ($14.99 without card), or a half-rack of BBQ ribs accompanied by choice of potato and coleslaw ($12.99 without card), or a half-pound of steam shrimp accompanied by hushpuppies and coleslaw ($14.99 without card). Available in the Mid City Grill after 11 a.m. 

Enjoy spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, and included salad bar at the Mid City Grill after 11 a.m. every Monday, for just $7.99 with your Player’s Card.

Details differed, but here’s the nub. 1) Wait for five successive hits anywhere in the left-hand column of the layout or on 0 or 00. 2) Bet $500 each on the middle and right-hand columns because they’re “due.” 3) If the bet wins, quit with $500 profit. 4) If the bet loses — another hit in the left-hand column or 0 or 00 — the other two columns are “past due” so bet on them again.

Both players told me they figured the systems put the odds in their favor. Both claimed they’d been playing and were ahead. Both said the casinos were giving them freebies galore because the dumb dealers and pit bosses didn’t realize what was happening. And, both asked my opinion.

First, “waiting” for some sequence of events to indicate that a result is “due” is irrelevant. Roulette is a game of independent trials. On each spin of the wheel, the ball can land in any of 38 grooves with equal probability. Previous results don’t matter.

Second, betting $500 each on two columns has 63.16 percent chance of winning and 36.84 percent chance of losing; that’s odds of 1.71-to-1 for the player. Don’t mistake this for a positive expectation, though. The problem is that a loss is a $1,000 setback while a win is worth $500; that’s 2-to-1 against the player.

Effects of the disparity between 1.71-to-1 “for” and 2-to-1 “against” become clear considering the results of multiple bets.

In two spins, this system gives players 39.89 percent chance of winning twice and earning $1,000, 46.53 percent chance of winning once and losing once for a net loss of $500, and 13.58 percent chance of losing twice at a total cost of $2,000. There’s not only more chance of being behind than ahead, but the maximum possible profit is still just half the greatest conceivable loss.

Additional play makes the situation increasingly bleak. Consider five bets. Probability of profit is 10.05 percent for $2,500 and 29.31 percent for $1,000; likelihood of loss is 34.20 percent for $500, 19.94 percent for $2,000, 5.81 percent for $3,500, and 0.69 percent for $5,000. After 100 bets, the chance is only 23.27 percent of being ahead at all, compared with 76.73 percent of being behind. And after 1,000 bets, the chance of earning any profit is a mere 1.07 percent, contrasted with 98.93 percent of suffering a loss. Statistically, these last figures imply that for every hundred players betting this system a thousand times, one would be sure it was foolproof and the other 99 would be licking their wounds.

Last, there’s the question why the casino bosses hand out meals, rooms, transportation, and tasteless merchandise to solid citizens using this system. It’s because the 1.71-to-1 and 2-to-1 odds give the house a high 5.263 percent edge. So, when a player puts $1,000 total on two columns — win or lose — the casino chalks up a theoretical gross profit of $52.63. Averaged over many players, the laws of probability say this figure should accurately predict actual return — as, indeed, it does.

Casinos typically allocate 20 percent of the theoretical gross take on games to “incentives.” Bet the two columns for $500 each 10 times during a day. The casino calculates a $526.30 hold on the $10,000 action. At 20 percent, this gets you about $100 in “comps,” which actually cost the joint roughly $50 in “hard money,” leaving a fat $475 on the earnings ledger.

Oh yes. When players explain their systems and ask what I think, what should I say? If it’s not what they want to hear, they’ll argue with me. If I prevaricate or act impressed but don’t really respond, I’ll feel dishonest with myself. So, when feasible, I try to follow the philosophy of the immortal Sumner A Ingmark:

If asked an opinion, please exercise tact,

You’ll ruin a friendship by stating a fact.

www.black-hawk.isleofcapricasinos.com

“Hi do you have a system that can beat the continuous shuffle machines and if so which book?”

My first inclination was to answer with a cryptic:

“Play it the same way you would play baseball with a blindfold on.”

To each his or her own. You can play whatever games you want to play. We all have our preferences.

Me, I want a maximum amount of predictability. So I pick the games where I get this factor, for a maximum ability to win big.

The thing about blackjack that makes it the most winnable game in the house is its predictability. That’s why some casinos in recent years have tried introducing continuous shuffle machines. They destroy much of the game’s predictability.

Yes, there’s still a certain amount of intra-round predictability. For example, in a 6-deck game, there could never be more than 24 Aces dealt per round.

But that’s small solace. In a normal 6-deck game, those Aces could be expected to be fairly well spread out amongst the decks.

Not so with continuous shuffle games. The nature of the constant shuffling can rearrange the cards so that strange clumps of cards not often found in a hand-shuffled game start to appear. That makes for greater swings of imbalances making the game of blackjack into a game of chance.

Most blackjack players were attracted to the game, however, because the traditional game is not a game of chance.

I don’t even like the normal shuffle machine tables because I lose the advantage of following the cards through a shuffle, which is so easy to do with the methods I created for dealer shuffled games. Why would I sacrifice an edge to the house?

But continuous shuffle machine tables are even worse, needless to say, because you lose the round-to-round (inter-round) predictability.

If you’re someone who plays the game not caring whether you win or lose, then fine. But if you’re like me, looking to make some money and the more the better then you become more discriminating about the games you play. I don’t even like playing the multideck games anymore because they, too, are far less predictable than the pitch games – the single and double deck varieties.

Don’t forget – the game began, centuries ago, as a single deck game. And it was a single deck game until casinos in the 1960s began to realize they could limit your gains by adding more decks.

That’s their prerogative. I have my prerogative, too – I can be choosy about the games I play.

Frankly, I’m not even sure the question was from a player. Sometimes casinos want to see what advice I’m putting out. Because most players – without my  input – seem to understand that continuous shuffle machines put them at a great disadvantage and they don’t like them.

That’s why you don’t see a lot of those games. Because players don’t want to play them and casinos will get the message if they see those tables are empty.

For example, I remember when various digital blackjack games were introduced by some casinos in the late 1990s. They were like video games. You sat down at the table and every player had a screen where a virtual dealer “dealt” them the cards.

Only problem was, players quickly surmised that these were no better than the slots machines and blackjack players notoriously avoid those. Few sat down at the digital tables and even fewer came back to play them again. It was pretty clear there was no predictability – those games having been simulated by a computer’s random number generator – and they were programmed to beat the players in the long run.

I did not have to tell players not to play those games. Players are not stupid.

Given all that, I probably don’t have to tell you that continuous shuffle machine games are for less discriminating players and I have to believe they’re among the least popular of the casino blackjack offerings.

Hopefully those games will go the way of Digital 21. You won’t find me at those tables. But hey, to each his or her own.

Richard Harvey is a nationally-acclaimed blackjack strategies innovator, expert player, blackjack coach and bestselling author of Blackjack The SMART Way, Cutting Edge Blackjack, NEW Ways To Win MORE at Blackjack and Richard Harvey’s Blackjack PowerPrep Session. Have blackjack questions? Send them to rharvey@blackjackthesmartway.com. For more info see www.blackjacktoday.com.

Along with great gaming and casino fun, there’s plenty to do in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek. Check out the following while you’re in town.

BLACK HAWK

High Tea at the Stroehle House June 8, 2 p.m. Located at 231 Chase St., this quaint summer home for a pioneer family, was willed to the County Historical Society along with several family antiques and an 1859 Grand piano. Admission is $25 per person, reservations required. Call 303-582-5283.

CENTRAL CITY

Gilpin County History Museum Opens May 26, Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 228 E. High St., Central City.  New historical exhibit: Gilpin County: From Mining Camp to Home.Exhibits include Herndon Davis, Gilpin Tram Railway. Visit www.centralhistory.org for further information on hours of operation not listed below.

Other museums include: 

Washington Hall: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (All Teller, Opera and Thomas House tours leave from here.)

Coeur d’Alene Mine Shaft House

Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

The Thomas House,228 E. First High St. Greek revival style frame house built in 1874 around the entrance to a mine. House is furnished and decorated circa 1917.

Teller House, Opera House
123 Eureka St. Once billed as the most elegant hotel between Chicago and Mississippi, the Teller House is famous for The Face on the Barroom Floor (painting of a woman’s face) and elegant murals. Now used mostly for events. The Central City Opera House opened to rave reviews in 1932 and still holds an opera festival each summer.

Coeur d’Alene Mine Shaft House
Saturday and Sunday noon – 4 p.m. Other times by reservation. The mine operated from 1885 until it stopped production in 1940.

Madame Lou Bunch Day
June 15, noon, Main Street. Traditional daylong Central City event honoring Lou Bunch, the city’s last Madame. Includes brass bed races, historic costumes and costume contest, celebratory ball and awards. Bed races at 3 p.m.

‘Opera Inside Out’
June 18, 1-3 p.m., Williams Stables Theater (across the street from the Opera House). Discover the inner workings of opera at this family event.  Go backstage at the Central City Opera House, play interactive games and activities, and see a performance of family friendly opera scenes by the Central City Opera Ensemble Artists. Visit www.centralcityopera.org.

Central City Opera 2013 Festival
June 29 – Aug. 11, Eureka Street. Performances this summer include: Barber of Seville (June 29 – July 27), Our Town (July 6 – 28), Show Boat (Aug. 6 – 11). Tickets at www.centralcityopera.org, call 303-292-6500 or 303-292-6500.

CRIPPLE CREEK & VICTOR

Museums Open for the season May 25
Cripple Creek District Museum
Bennett Avenue at 5th Street, Cripple Creek, 719-689-9540, www.cripple-creek.org. Visitors can browse through five historic buildings – the 1893 Colorado Trading & Transfer Building, the 1895 Midland Terminal Railroad Depot, and a turn-of-the-century Assay Office.

Cripple Creek Jail Museum
136 W. Bennett Ave, Cripple Creek, 719-853-4653,www.cripple-creek.co.us/OutlawsandLawmenJailMuseum.aspx. Served as county jail for nearly 90 years, original cells intact. Displays include police logs from the 1890s, copies of early city ordinances and newspaper accounts of crimes both big and small.

Old Homestead Parlour House Museum
353 E. Myers Avenue, Cripple Creek, 719-689-9090,www.cripple-creek.co.us/OldHomesteadHouseMuseum.aspx. Once the purview of Cripple Creek’s elegant Madame Pearl DeVere and decorated like a 19^th century bordello, the house contains unique period artifacts.

Victor Gold Camp Ag & Mining Museum
100 S. 2nd Street, Victor, 719-651-5569, www.visitcripplecreek.com/…/victors-gold-camp-ag-mining-museum.

Victor Lowell Thomas Museum
500 Victor Ave., Victor, 719-689-5509, victorcolorado.com/museum.htm

Cripple Creek Cowboy Gathering
June 15-16, Teller County Fairgrounds. Includes rodeo, western dance (Brass Ass parking lot), chuckwagon cookout, performing Texas longhorn steers, cowboy poetry music and demolition derby. Visit www.cripplecreek.com.

‘Once Upon a Time in the West Art Show’
June 28 – July 7, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Cripple Creek Cripple Creek Heritage Center 9283 South Highway 67. Featuring Western art, including Native American, Cowboy, and Wildlife pieces. Call 877-858-4653 or 719-689-3315.

Donkey Derby Days
June 29 – 30, Bennett Avenue.  Parade and donkey race inspired by the town’s resident donkey herd. Games, live entertainment, heritage competitions and other family activities. www.visitcripplecreek.com.

www.famousbonanza.com

Spring into Cash Sweepstakes
$3,500 in cash drawings every Saturday between May 4 and June 22 and $17,500 in cash prizes during our Sweepstakes giveaway drawings on June 22.  Earn entries now.

2X Mondays
Earn 2X points all day on all machines, including video poker. $1 = 1 Point

99¢ Breakfast on Tuesdays and Fridays
Enjoy the Gambler’s Special Tuesday and Friday mornings at Millie’s Restaurant for just 99¢. Just show your Miner’s Club card to receive this offer. Dine in only*

3X Points on Penny Machines
Every Tuesday earn triple points on all penny machines. Come check out some of our new games.

Slot Tournament Wednesdays
FREE Slot Tournament every Wednesday at The Famous Bonanza. Come play between 1 – 5 p.m. Pays the top 8 scores.

Double points on Video Poker
Thursdays enjoy 2X Points on all video poker machines.

Black Jack Bonanza
Every Friday night come play in The Parlour for cash drawings from 8 p.m. – midnight, building to a $250 drawing at midnight. Ask your dealer for details.

Bonanza Baseball
Join us every Friday from 8 p.m. – midnight for cash drawings and good old-fashioned fun at the Bonanza Ballpark. Over $2,000 in cash prizes every Friday.

Join us on your Birthday
Come celebrate your birthday with the Famous Bonanza and Easy Street Casinos and receive 500 free points.  Players over 55 years of age will receive 800 free points.

New Players
Earn just 250 points on your first trip and receive a $10 meal voucher to either Millie’s or Stella’s restaurants.

The Parlour
We’ve moved. Join us on the lower level of The Famous Bonanza Casino where we offer 2 Deck pitch blackjack, roulette and 3-card poker. $5 minimum to $50 maximum on 2 Deck pitch Blackjack and $3 minimum and all shoe games.

*For complete details on any of our promotions check our website: www.famousbonanza.com

Spring into Cash Sweepstakes
$3,500 in cash drawings every Saturday between May 4 and June 22 and $17,500 in cash prizes during our Sweepstakes giveaway drawings on June 22.  Begin earning entries April 29.

2X Mondays
Earn 2X points all day on all machines, including video poker. $1 = 1 Point

99¢ Breakfast on Tuesdays and Fridays
Enjoy the Gambler’s Special Tuesday and Friday mornings at Millie’s Restaurant for just 99¢. Just show your Miner’s Club card to receive this offer. Dine in only*

3X Points on Penny Machines
Every Tuesday earn triple points on all penny machines. Come check out some of our new games.

Double points on Video Poker
Thursdays in March enjoy 2X Points on all video poker machines.

Join us on your Birthday
Come celebrate your birthday with the Famous Bonanza and Easy Street Casinos and receive 500 free points.  Players over 55 years of age will receive 800 free points.

New Players
Earn just 250 points on your first trip and receive a $10 meal voucher to either Millie’s or Stella’s restaurants.

Fun for Kids
Bring your children to the lower level of the casino to enjoy a wide variety of arcade games for our younger than 21 guests.

*For complete details on any of our promotions see the Miner’s Club.