Dear Mark,
In some of your columns, you mention the word "grind." What do you mean by that?
Steve R. Walled
Lake, MI

In the language of casino gambling, Steve, grind can be used in a variety of ways. A grind player is generally a term associated with a low roller. A grind joint is a casino that caters to these low rollers. Then there is the grind down. This is where the casino eventually wins all the player's money due to the built-in advantage it has on all wagers. Finally, the grind system. This is any system used by a player that attempts to win small amounts frequently against the casino. Unfortunately, the latter is highly unlikely.

Dear Mark,
I was on a crap game recently, and the stickman kept yelling out "another continental breakfast." What was he talking about?
Bob D. Reno, NV

Two rolls and no coffee. This is when the shooter rolls the point followed immediately by 7 out, line away. Not a cold breakfast, Bob, but a lifeless crap game.

Dear Mark,
I was recently at a garage sale where the host had a slot machine for sale that sort of looked like a cigarette machine. Was he really selling a slot machine?
Dave M. Concord, CA

On January 2, 1951, President Truman signed the Johnson Act effectively ending the open operation of slot machines in America except Nevada. Companies like J.H. Keeney, already a pinball and arcade machine maker, tried beating the Johnson Act by fashioning the Keeney Mountain Climber upright that resembles today's cigarette vending machine. Visually it did get around the laws governing mechanical 3-reel slots, and yes, Dave, it is a true one-armed bandit.

Dear Mark,
Almost every weekend I visit the casinos in Joilet. My brother-in-law believes they tighten the slot machines on weekends because the crowds are much larger. How do I know for sure that a casino won't change the return on their machines?
Randy C.
Chicago, IL

Fear not, Randy. Illinois, having rigid gaming regulations, requires two keys just to open a slot machine. One is held by a casino employee, the other by a state gaming regulator. This prevents changes in a machine's payout rate.

Dear Mark,
Next month I have a business trip planned for New Haven, CT. I have some free time available and will do some gambling at Foxwoods. Do they offer the same games that normally exist where I play-Reno?
David Z.
Orinda, CA

Anything and everything that you would find in Reno, David, minus sports betting. Games offered at Foxwoods are: blackjack, roulette, craps, big-six wheel, bingo, poker, baccarat, mini-baccarat, simulcast pari-mutuel betting, Caribbean stud poker, pai gow poker, red dog, pull tabs and chuck-a-luck.

Dear Mark,
At a collectible show here in St. Louis, I saw a display of casino chips. One that I found intriguing was a $25 Ty Cobb chip. Do you know where I can find one? Also, do you collect casino chips?
John R.
St. Louis, MO

You can find that baseball's legendary Georgia Peach's collectable chip at the Las Vegas Club, a sports casino in downtown Las Vegas. As for your second question, John, yes, I do collect chips with smart wagers and then turn them in for cold hard cash at the cashier's cage. As to your second question, John, "Do I collect chips?" NO! I do not collect chips that cost the casino around 70¢ to produce.

Gambling thought of the week: "Gambling is a principle inherent in nature." -Edmund Burke, House of Commons speech (1780)