Games to Play When You Just Can’t Win

Sometimes it isn’t about the odds or the probabilities. It’s just dumb luck or the opposite of that. Once in a while you just can’t win, but you still want to play something. You could always bet on a sporting event and then watch it, but that may not be the action you want and the nice cocktail lady probably won’t be bringing you a bunch of free drinks. So what to do? An old favorite is the game of Pai Gow poker. It is a table game that moves at a pretty leisurely pace and, in addition to offering decent odds, it frequently ends up with you pushing with the dealer. That happens close to 50% of the time and, when it does, you get your bet back. The rules aren’t difficult and you can’t actually mess up anyway as you must play your cards a certain way. So it is a “no brainer” with a small house edge and you tend to win or lose very slowly. Worth trying. A couple other time killers with terrible odds but drink service and a bit of fun are the ancient game of keno and something rather new called Fortune Cup. Keno lounges are getting hard to find but, if you do, you can normally wager a $1 a game. You don’t often win but you can get some nice hits from time to time and plenty of refreshments while you wait. Fortune Cup is an updated version of the old Sigma Derby game and is showing up all over Las Vegas. For a $1 (sometimes less) a “race,” you can watch plastic horses run for the roses or something. It is surprisingly entertaining after a few beverages and the money drain is low, even less if you catch a long shot now and then. So check it out. Tomorrow we wrap up gambling week and talk about the elephant in the room: slot machines.