Oct. 6, 2003
Gambling: Money Mag

By STEVE FRIESS

Here’s a tip if you’re headed to Las Vegas: stay away from the slot machines near buffet lines. They’re set for fewer payouts because the casino gods know people there care about eating big, not winning big.

IT’S ADVICE LIKE this, sandwiched between articles on drinks, smokes and celebs, that fill Avery Cardoza’s Player, a new magazine launching this month. It aims to entertain—actor/gambling devotee Kevin Pollack is on the cover of the 100-page premiere issue—but education’s a major priority. “People have been playing for 20 years, and they still don’t know what they’re doing,” says Cardoza, a pro gambler who built a publishing empire on gambling-advice books.

But can this stuff be taught? Cardoza and his editor, Spy’s former editor in chief Jim Mauro, think so. You just have to want to learn. “A guy will go home and say, ‘I went to Vegas and lost $2,000—and I had a great time’,” says Cardoza. “I don’t exactly understand that.” That guy’s wife probably doesn’t, either. So to help the loser, Player suggests staying away from high-stakes poker games—that’s where the hardest-to-beat players are; always hitting on 16 in blackjack when the dealer shows a seven or higher, and shying from bets in the middle of the craps table because they carry the worst odds. The house always wins, but Cardoza’s message is that you shouldn’t let it prey on your incompetence as well. Good strategy. Any advice on how to find your way out of a casino?

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