Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with casino

Daddy needs a new game of choice...

who else — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:45:07 -0800

On a single round of betting at a casino what is the best odds? (One that doesn't require skill such as BJ or Poker. Something where I can just walk up and put a chip(s) somewhere like Roulette or Craps.) I know nothing about gambling but I was recently in Vegas for the first time and I thought I had better not come all this way and not gamble. So I bet on red/black which pays 1:1, and I figured it ought to be close to 50/50 odds minus the 2 zeros which gives the house a slight edge. Then my friend told me that if I bet on 1-12 and 13-24 at the same time I've got 24 out of 38 numbers covered and the total payout will still be 1:1 if I win on one of them and lose on the other.
Anyway, what's the best bet I can make?

Chinatown (NYC) bus to Foxwoods

dorisfromregopark — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:41:31 -0800

Info needed on taking the Chinatown (NYC) bus to Foxwoods. Friends, I will be travelling to the MGM Grand at Foxwoods a few weekends from now and, to get there, I am interested in taking the Chinatown bus from Manhattan. This website lists the beginning points for a few bus lines, but I cannot find any information beyond that. I called Foxwoods and they simply gave me the number for Lucky Star. I have not called Lucky Star yet, but their site does not mention the casino.

Does anyone have any experience with taking a bus from Chinatown to Foxwoods? A schedule and price would be most helpful (as well as any advice for when/where to buy tickets and arrive for departure).

Greyhound from the Port Authority is an option, but if a Chinatown bus is cheaper and quicker (no stops), then I'm compelled to go with the latter.

Question about casino record-keeping

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:06:38 -0800

Question about casino record-keeping. Let's say I need to prove what someone did at a major national casino on a certain day, approximately two years ago. The person used his player's club card on every game he played, and he used the player's club card to get comped on one meal. The more detailed information I can get about his activities, the better. My question is two-part: (1) Can I expect the casino to still have detailed records of what this person did, or would the records have been purged/destroyed by now? (2) What will it take to get the casino to release the records? (You can assume the person will sign a release for me to get the records, but will not go to the casino in person.)

How do casinos in Las Vegas get their glasses back?

hutta — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:36:46 -0800

How do casinos in Las Vegas get their glasses back when you walk them down the strip? Las Vegas seems to have no problem with you walking around on the street with any type of alcoholic drink, and there have been a few times I've inadvertently walked out of a casino with a whiskey glass and deposited it in a different casino when it was empty.

I usually feel bad about this, but I see many people doing the same, so I figure there must be some kind of system in place to deal with it. Maybe there is a glassware-sharing program, maybe the casinos agree to sort them and deliver them back to their rightful owners, or maybe losing glasses is just part of the overhead of running a casino and they're just written off.

Keeping my fingers crossed

mbd1mbd1 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:30:26 -0800

Do I have to show up in person at a casino sportsbook to redeem a winning futures bet? Back in September, I placed a futures bet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. If my team wins the NCAA basketball tournament in April, will I have to fly back to Vegas to redeem my ticket in person? Or can I mail it in, or redeem it online, or something else? Googling for anything gambling related is next to useless. I got Duke at 10:1, by the way - Go Devils!

I'm not paranoid, just curious.

qvtqht — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:26:23 -0800

Advanced facial recognition in Reno casinos? I recently spent three days in Reno, Nevada. Since there isn't much to do, I spent at least half an hour in just about every casino. I mostly just walked around, but I played some penny slots too.

At the first casino I entered on my first day there, I was approached by someone in less than 5 minutes and asked for my ID. This didn't happen again, not once, over the next three days!

Was this just a coincidence, or are the casinos cooperatively running some kind of automated facial recognition software that flags people who haven't been IDed yet?

I usually get carded by anyone who checks IDs, and I was dressed in jeans and T-shirt.

How do people climb the ranks working for a casino?

JamesJD — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:36:02 -0800

How do people climb the ranks working for a casino? Do casinos recruit at top schools? Is it mostly nepotism? Can you break in as a lawyer and eventually take control? Are you supposed to have a background in probability or advanced math? Are you supposed to have worked before as a card dealer?

I'm mostly just academically curious about the dynamics/hierarchy at casinos. I don't intend to work at one.

ANYTHING in Vegas...except a room at a casino hotel with a kitchen!

hal_c_on — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:28:44 -0800

VegasFilter: What hotel can I cook a dinner in? Yes, cooking a dinner in Vegas. No the basis for this isn't a radically different diet, a distaste for Vegas dining or anything like that. I'm going to Vegas soon, and I need a kitchen in my room (suite, villa, whatever the heck you want to call it) to cook a dinner. Thats all.

Here are the requirements that I have (which seem pretty basic, save the kitchen):

1. Its a casino hotel preferably ON the strip...if not, something close to the strip would be great as well.
2. Kitchen NOT a kitchenette or wet bar. I don't need all Viking appliances, but I dont want a microwave sitting atop a minifridge.
3. Multiple bedrooms connected to room is fine, but I DON'T want to pay something like $4,000/night for a fantasy suite at the Palms.

I simply can't find something that fulfills my requirements. I'm SURE there is an answer to this that doesn't require me to negotiate on the requirements above. I just can't seem to find it.

I have found TONS of places that fulfill 2 out of 3 requirements, but they don't have a kitchen or are out in BUFU and not connected to casinos.

So any help getting me closer to this room would be appreciated. And yes, I have called hotels directly and I still haven't found anything. I'm guessing there are a few people "in the know" about vegas on metafilter.

For a city where you can do anything...I'm kind of stumped, as are the reservations desks for the hotels I've called.

Thanks, mefites!

oddly tragic voting radio story

amtho — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:07:02 -0800

NPR-story-with-little-to-go-on-filter: Several years ago, I heard a radio story involving a tribal election in which one candidate was represented as being for re-investing funds in the tribe, while another was for direct payments to tribe members. An tribe member, interviewed, said he'd vote for the latter, although even he didn't think it was best for the tribe or for him in the long term -- because he wanted the cash. I think the interviewee said he's probably spend the money on alcohol or something like that. The funds were, I think, from a casino. The story may have been about how casinos do or don't benefit tribes, or it could have been about that particular tribe's election.

It struck me deeply how this sort of decision-making is so deeply ingrained in us that it's really, really difficult to get past it. The reporter may have been leading him a little, but the interviewee just ended up almost baldly stating that he was going to vote in a way that even he didn't think made sense. It was a weird moment.

This bit was toward the end of the article, I think.

Does anyone else remember this? I'm not sure how to search for it.

Common baby! Daddy needs a new pair of boots!

thetenthstory — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 04:42:45 -0800

What should I expect in the casinos in London? Is there a dress code depending on where I go? Should I be expecting the James Bond types or Vegas Vacation types?

Is there a slot-machine ambient tone?

pt68 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 18:15:45 -0800

Any information on the ambient tone that seems to emanate from many casino slot machine halls? It seems to be consistent from casino to casino, and I can't tell if it comes from the combined sounds of the machines, or if it is an underlying tone.

Online Casino?

SBMike — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:08:18 -0800

Anyone know of a good online game of casino? I'm looking for an online version of casino. Google isn't really helping because "casino" gets misinterpreted. Anyone know where I can find a version to play?

Vacation Filter - Panama City, Panama

maniactown — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:35:10 -0800

I'm going to Panama for a short (6 days) trip and am looking for recommendations for how to spend my time. Originally this was going to be a mostly sport-fishing centered trip, but the boat we were planning to visit was damaged in a recent storm and needs to be repaired. It looks like we'll be spending more time in or near Panama City, Panama than we originally planned and I'm looking for recommendations on what to do or see in the area. Bonus points for recommending good casinos that spread low- to medium-stakes No-Limit Texas Hold 'em poker games. Thanks!

How are casino cards designed?

ardgedee — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 06:05:40 -0800

I know somebody who has the opportunity to design casino-worthy playing cards. What does a playing card need? For whatever it's worth, the client is going to have their own trademarking on the cards, as part of a promotional campaign. The goal isn't to clone a casino's deck, but to design a deck that could be used in a hypothetical casino. The client will be providing design requirements, so this curiosity, not business research.

There are obvious design traditions. Presumed goals include inhibiting cheating by players and impling trustworthiness of the house. For example, casino decks have rotationally-symmetrical backs, presumably to make telegraphing and marking a little harder.

Are there commercial or regulatory standards for casino card designs, or does each casino have its own design requirements? If the latter, what design requirements are common to all/nearly all casinos?

How long to walk from Harrah's to the Venetian?

thinman — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:06:51 -0800

How far is it from Harrah's to the Venetian in Las Vegas? I'm heading to a convention being held in the Venetian. I have the option of staying there, or at Harrah's. If I stay at Harrah's, I get a little extra money for drinks and expenses. What I really want to know is how long it realistically takes to walk from a room in Harrah's to wherever the convention center is in the Venetian.

How to Get A Poker Table Reserved at a Casino?

plaidrabbit — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 17:54:44 -0800

GamblingFilter: How does a person reserve a poker room at a casino not in Atlantic City or Las Vegas? I may be helping my brother's best man plan his bachelor party/guys night out/what-have-you.

My brother and his friends are seminary students, so their list of vices are short - but a few drinks and poker are on there, so I'm trying to cater to this. However, I'm at a loss as to how I look into booking a table at a casino outside of Louisville, KY.

Their websites are no help, except telling me that they have tables and they're open.

So, what's the deal? Is there usually a minimum blind, requirements to up the blinds, time limits? Reservation fees if the blinds are low? Do some places even do this? Do I just give them a call? Help!

Best craps on OSX?

The Jesse Helms — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 16:31:35 -0800

Tonight, I lost it all on the hard eight. In an effort to become a better player, what's the best craps video game (or general casino game) for Mac OS X?

Casino sound loop for poker night?

cptnrandy — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 15:52:11 -0800

Help me jazz up poker night! I need a casino background sound loop for poker night. You know what I'm looking for - imagine you're sitting at a blackjack table in Vegas. You hear the ringing of the slots, the low murmur of voices, clinking of glasses. That distinctive sound of a casino. A fifteen minute section of sound that I could loop would be terrific.

looking for casino software

slogger — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 20:12:28 -0800

does anyone know of a good freeware version of craps for mac osx? im going to a casino with friends this weekend, and want to brush up on my craps skills. i've only played a few times with coaching, and would like to find a freeware simulator so i can learn the rules a bit better. any suggestions?

Do poker dealers pay to work?

Ugh — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 23:13:14 -0800

When I was at the Indian casino tonight, the dealer mentioned that he had to pay the casino to work there. Was this BS or standard casino procedure? He couldn't go into much detail but after one of the players at the table tipped him, he said something along the lines of him having to pay the casino a set amount to work each night, and then he was allowed to keep the tips. I honestly do not understand how he could make a living this way because the dealers I saw were averaging about $1 to $3 in tips an hour. I've heard of exotic dancers having to pay high-end clubs in order to dance there, but I didn't know this happened in casinos as well. This was at a $4/$8 limit hold em game if that matters. Was he totally BSing in order to get more tips?

You Wynn some, you lose some

Asparagirl — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:37:24 -0800

I'm going to be in Las Vegas this weekend with friends. Coincidentally, the new ultra-luxe Wynn casino and hotel is also opening there this weekend. The mainstream media has been "prohibited" from publishing photos of its super-secret interior until at least a week after the next issue of "Vanity Fair" hits the stands May 4th, since VF got some sort of exclusive deal with Wynn. But ordinary Vegas tourists--and, presumably, our cameras--will be allowed in starting this weekend. If I take and upload photos of the hotel's interior to my blog or to a site like ourmedia.org while I'm in Vegas, the photos will beat VF by several days and the mainstream media by almost two weeks. If I license the photos under a non-commercial Creative Commons license and won't be profiting from them, would/could I get sued for breaking the media embargo?

Online Casino Bonuses

Coffeemate — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:04:34 -0800

Is there any reason why this method of collecting bonuses from online casinos wouldn't work? It truly seems too good to be true. Assuming you bet the minimum, what are the odds of losing money overall? Is this something that one with little gambling experience and no online gambling experience could do?

big money wheel

amberglow — Tue, 22 Feb 2005 13:14:32 -0800

Where can i buy/rent a big money wheel (like an upright roulette wheel with black and white areas) like in casinos? NY area a plus.

Malware

Keyser Soze — Thu, 08 Apr 2004 00:05:35 -0800

Anybody else familiar with the program Golden Palace Casino? Its malware that is forced into your computer that is next to impossible to get rid of. In fact, I had to call them and they had to SEND ME a file to completely remove it. I asked to speak to their legal department, and they said they didnt have one. My question is:

Are there law firms fighting the rights of people receiving malicious software such as this, and do they have a website?