Dear Mark,
Do casinos set higher-paying slot machines near on the aisle, or is this just a rumor?
Monica R.
Detroit, MI

The fundamental aim behind slot placement is to encourage more slot play and increase the play of patrons currently feeding the machines. I have interviewed many slot managers and no two are twins when it comes to slot mix strategy (placement of machines). For example, some slot managers border the pit area with tight machines to grab and keep every last dime from players leaving the table games, while others love to have losing pit players hear the merry sounds of loose, winning machines. When those losers walk from their blackjack action, the slot manager hopes they will deposit any remaining bankroll in a slot machine. The only good reason to play an end machine are for the creature comfort of stretching your legs, better access to a change person, snagging a cocktail server, and not having a player on both sides of you. If these slots seem to pay more, it is probably because many players believe the aisle-slot-scuttlebutt, and consequently, those machines receive more play.

Dear Mark,
Years back, I remember a casino paying double instead of 3-2 for blackjack if the player had a blackjack in spades. I don't see much of that wager anymore. Could it possibly be because the casino was losing too much money with this added bonus?
Cliff N.
St. Louis, MO

The bonus for a blackjack actually has some historical significance. The game of 21 got its name blackjack because in the early days players were rewarded extra if they got an Ace and Jack of spades as their first two cards. In a single deck game of blackjack, there are 1,326 possible two-card combinations, and paying the customer a tad bit more than 3-2 for a suited blackjack in spades won't harm the house's bottom line. It's probably that someone upstairs in marketing came up with the short-term promotion you saw and then pulled it once it had run its course. As for most casino side bets, if they are free, like the one you described, fine. But most side bets cost you money because of the typically high house advantage and should be avoided.

Dear Mark,
Allow me to describe the following hand: A Jack of diamonds, a King of spades, an Ace of clubs, plus a four and six of hearts. How many of the above high cards should I keep? I generally hold the three high cards.
Tina S.
Sacramento, CA

If your poker hand contains three jacks-or-better high cards, with no other value like matching suits, hold all three high cards IF no Ace is present. But in your query, you had an ace, and the ace hurts your hand as it reduces your chances of making a straight because one end is closed off. So with an unsuited ace and two high cards, discard the ace and draw three.

Dear Mark,
Why do they call the money wheel the big 6?
Carol R.
aol.com

It's called the big six because there is six different possible payoffs: twenty three $1 slots, 15 $2 slots, eight $5 slots, four $10 slots, two $20 slots, and one joker and casino logo slot, each paying off at 40 to one. So is the Big 6 worthy of your hard-earned money? I would advise against it, because the casino edge ranges from 14.8 and 24 percent. Take for example, Carol, the big payday, hitting either the joker or the casino logo slot. The chances of hitting them are 53 to one. With true odds, you should be paid $530 for a $10 bet. But all you will get back from the casino is $400. Who's the joker now?

Gambling thought of the week: The horse was so slow they paid the jockey time-and-a-half for overtime.

Got a question about gambling? E-mail Pilarski at: pilarski@dealmein.org · To order Mark Pilarski's award winning audio cassettes-laminated win cards package "Hooked on Winning" ($12.95 plus $2. S&H), call 1- (800) WINNERS.