Baseball is a team sport popular in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and East Asia. The modern game was developed in the United States from early bat-and-ball games played in Britain, and it has become the national sport of the United States. It is a ball game in which a pitcher throws (pitches) a hard, fist-sized ball past the hitting area of a batter. The batter attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth, cylindrical bat that in professional baseball must be made out of wood. A team scores only when batting, by advancing counter-clockwise past a series of four markers called bases arranged at the corners of a diamond. Each base is 90 feet from the previous base. Baseball is sometimes called hardball to differentiate it from similar games such as softball.
Statistics
As with many sports, and perhaps even more so, statistics are very important to baseball. Statistics have been kept for the Major Leagues since their creation, and presumably statistics were around even before that. General managers, baseball scouts, managers, and players alike study player statistics to help them choose various strategies to best help their team.
Traditionally, statistics like batting average for batters—the number of hits divided by the number of at bats—and earned run average—approximately the number of runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings—have governed the statistical world of baseball. However, the advent of sabermetrics has brought an onslaught of new statistics that perhaps better gauge a player’s performance and contributions to his team from year to year.
Some sabermetrics have entered the mainstream baseball statistic world. On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a somewhat complicated formula that gauges a hitter’s performance better than batting average. It combines the hitter’s on base percentage—hits plus walks plus hit by pitches divided by plate appearances—with their slugging percentage—total bases divided by at bats. Walks plus hits per inning pitched (or WHIP) gives a good representation of a pitcher’s abilities; it is calculated exactly as its name suggests.
Also important are more specific statistics for particular situations. For example, a certain hitter’s ability to hit left-handed pitchers might cause his manager to give him more chances to face lefties. Some hitters hit better with runners in scoring position, so an opposing manager, knowing this statistic, might elect to intentionally walk him in order to face a poorer hitter.
Popularity
Baseball is most popular in East Asia and the Americas, although it is also popular in South America mainly in the northern portion of the continent as well as Brazil. In Japan, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Panama, Venezuela, Nicaragua, South Korea, and Taiwan, it is one of the most popular sports. The United States is the birthplace of baseball, and there it has long been regarded as more than just a “major sport” – it has been considered, for decades, the national pastime and Major League Baseball has been given a unique monopoly status by the United States Congress. Although three of the four most popular sports in North America are ball games — baseball, basketball and American football — baseball’s popularity grew so great that the word “ballgame” in the United States almost always refers to a game of baseball, and “ballpark” to a baseball field (except in the South, where “ballgame” is also used in association with football).
Baseball has often been a barometer of the fabled American “melting pot”, as immigrants from different regions have tried to “make good” in various areas including sports. In the 19th century, baseball was populated with many players of Irish or German extraction. A number of Native Americans had successful careers especially in the early 1900s. Italians and Poles appeared on many rosters during the 1920s and 1930s. Black Americans came on strong starting in the late 1940s after the barriers had been lifted, and continue to form a significant contingent. By the 1960s, Hispanics had started to make the scene, and had become a dominant force by the 1990s. In the 21st century, East Asians have been appearing in increasing numbers.
While baseball is perhaps the most popular sport in the United States and is certainly one of the two most popular along with football, it is difficult to determine which is more popular because of the wide discrepancy in number of games per season. For example, the total attendance for Major League games is roughly equal to that of all other American professional team sports combined, but football gets higher television ratings, both a function in part of the long (162-game) baseball season and short (16-game) football season.
Organized leagues
Baseball is played at a number of levels, by amateur and professionals, and by the young and the old. Youth programs use modified versions of adult and professional baseball rules, which may include a smaller field, easier pitching (from a coach, a tee, or a machine), less contact, base running restrictions, limitations on innings a pitcher can throw, liberal balk rules, and run limitations, among others. Since rules vary from location-to-location and among the organizations, coverage of the nuances in those rules is beyond this article.
Following is a list of organized leagues:
Youth Leagues
Little League, a youth program, headquartered in Williamsport, Pennsylvania (USA).
Pony Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in Washington, Pennsylvania (USA).
Dizzy Dean Baseball a youth program in the USA.
American Legion Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.
USSSA Baseball a youth and adult program, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri (USA).
Ripken Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland (USA).
Babe Ruth League, a youth program, headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey (USA).
Moberly Midget League a youth program headquartered in Moberly, Missouri (USA).
High School
In the USA, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and each state association governs the play of baseball at the high school level.
Collegiate Level
List of Collegiate Summer Baseball Leagues
NCAA, including NCAA Division I and the College World Series, are collegiate level baseball programs played in the USA.
National Club Baseball Association (NCBA)
International Competition
Many international baseball events are coordinated by the International Baseball Federation, including The World Cup and The World Baseball Classic.
As an Olympic sport, see earlier section on the status of baseball in the Olympic games, and the article “Baseball at the Summer Olympics.”
Semi-professional baseball
National Semi-Pro Baseball Association
Professional baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States;
Minor League baseball in the United States;
Independent Baseball
Negro League baseball, defunct since 1958, in the United States.
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Mexican Baseball
Japanese Baseball
Taiwan professional baseball
Korean Baseball Organization (KBO)
Australian Baseball
There are also smaller professional leagues in China, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and many others.
Picture of Fenway Park. Part of the “Green Monster” can be seen on the right side of this picture
References
Joe Brinkman and Charlie Euchner, The Umpire’s Handbook, rev. ed. (1987)
Bill James and John Dewan, Bill James Presents the Great American Baseball Stat Book, ed. by Geoff Beckman et al. (1987)
Bill James, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, (ISBN 0743227220)
Robert Peterson, Only the Ball Was White (1970, reprinted 1984)
Joseph L. Reichler (ed.), The Baseball Encyclopedia, 7th rev. ed. (1988). (since 1871)
Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig, The Image of Their Greatness: An Illustrated History of Baseball from 1900 to the Present, updated ed. (1984)
Lawrence S. Ritter (comp.), The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It, new ed. (1984)
David Quentin Voigt, Baseball, an Illustrated History (1987)
Charles Euchner, The Last Nine Innings: Inside the Real Game Fans Never See (2006)
Jeff MacGregor, The New Electoral Sex Symbol: Nascar Dad, The New York Times (January 18, 2004)
Michael Mandelbaum, The Meaning of Sports, (PublicAffairs, ISBN 1-58648-252-1).
Diamonds of the North: A Concise History of Baseball in Canada by William Humber (Oxford University Press, 1995).
Old Time Baseball and the London Tecumsehs of the late 1870s by Les Bronson, a recorded (and later transcribed) talk given to the London & Middlesex Historical Society on February 15, 1972. Available in the London Room of the Central Branch of the London Public Library.
Journal of Sport History (1988), A Critical Examination of a Source in Early Ontario Baseball: The Reminiscence of Adam E. Ford by UWO Professor Robert K. Barney and Nancy Bouchier.
The Beaver, Exploring Canada’s History October-November 1994, Baseball’s Canadian Roots: Abner Who? by Mark Kearney.
The Northern Game: Baseball the Canadian Way by Bob Elliott (Sport Classic, 2005).
‘The 1948 London Majors: A Great Canadian Team by Dan Mendham (unpublished academic paper, UWO, December 7, 1992).
An Eight-Page Indenture/ Instrument #33043 between The London and Western Trusts Company Limited, The Corporation of The City of London and John Labatt, Limited, dated December 31, 1936, and registered on title in the Land Registry Office for the City of London on January 2, 1937, conveying Tecumseh Park to the City of London along with $10,000 on the provisos that the athletic field be preserved, maintained and operated “for the use of the citizens of the City of London as an athletic field and recreation ground” and that it be renamed “The John Labatt Memorial Athletic Park.”
Heritage Baseball: City of London a souvenir program from July 23, 2005, celebrating the history of Labatt Park and London, Ontario’s 150th anniversary as an incorporated city.
The U.S. Open is a prestigious Grand Slam tournament.
Tennis is a sport played between either two players (“Singles”) or two teams of two players (“doubles”). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a ball, a hollow rubber ball covered in felt, over a net into the opponent’s court. In some places tennis is still called lawn tennis to distinguish it from real tennis (also known as royal tennis or court tennis), an older form of the game that is played indoors on a very different kind of a court. Originating in England in the late 19th Century, the game spread first throughout the English-speaking world, particularly among the upper classes. Tennis is now an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society, by all ages, and in many countries around the world. Except for the adoption of the tie-breaker in the 1970s, its rules have remained remarkably unchanged since the 1890s. Along with its millions of players, millions of people follow tennis as a spectator sport, especially the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Manner of play
The court
The dimensions of a tennis court, in metric units.
Tennis is played on a rectangular, flat surface, usually of grass, clay, or concrete. The court is 78 feet (23.77 m) long, and its width is 27 feet (8.23 m) for singles matches and 36 feet (10.97 m) for doubles matches. Additional clear space around the court is required in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the posts, and 3 feet (914 mm) high in the center.
Types of Courts
There are three main types of courts. Depending on the materials used for the court surfaces, each surface provides a difference in the speed and bounce of the ball, which in turn can affect the level of play of the individual players. The three most common types of courts that are used for play are:
Clay court
Grass court
Hardcourt
Some players are clearly more successful on certain surfaces than on others and become known as, for instance, a “grass-court” or “Clay-court specialist”.
Hardcourt encompasses many different surfaces ranging from old-fashioned concrete courts, to coated asphalt, to wooden gymnasium surfaces, to artificial grass similar to AstroTurf.
Clay courts are considered “slow”, meaning that balls first lose speed as they hit the court and then bounce relatively high, making it more difficult for a player to hit an unreturnable shot, called a winner. On clay courts, line calls are easily reviewable because the ball leaves a visible mark.
Hardcourts and grass are “fast” surfaces, where fast, low bounces keep rallies short and where hard-serving and hard-hitting players have an advantage. Grass courts add an additional variable, with bounces depending on how healthy the grass is and how recently it has been mowed.
For the Grand Slam tournaments, different kinds of courts are used: The U.S. Open and Australian Open use hardcourts, the French Open is played on clay, and Wimbledon is played on grass.
Two players before a serve.
Play of a single point
The players (or teams) start on opposite sides of the net. One player is designated the server, and the opposing player, or in doubles one of the opposing players, is the receiver. Service alternates between the two halves of the court.
For each point, the server starts behind his baseline, between the center mark and the sideline. The receiver may start anywhere on his side of the net, usually behind the service box. When the receiver is ready, the server will serve.
In a legal service, the ball travels over the net (without touching it) and into the diagonally opposite service court. If the ball hits the net but lands in the service court, this is a let service, which is void and the server gets two more serves. If the first service is otherwise faulty in any way, wide, long or not over the net, the serving player has a second attempt at service. If the second service is also faulty, this is a double fault and the receiver wins the point. However if the serve is in then it is considered a legal service.
A legal service starts a rally, in which the players alternate hitting the ball across the net. A legal return consists of the player or team hitting the ball exactly once before it has bounced twice or hit any fixtures. It then travels back over the net and bounces in the court on the opposite side. The first player or team to fail to make a legal return loses the point.
Scoring
A tennis match usually comprises one to five sets. A set consists of a number of games, and games, in turn, consist of points.
Matches consist of an odd number of multiple sets, the match winner being the player who wins more than half of the sets. The match ends as soon as this winning condition is met. Some matches may consist of five sets (the winner being the first to win three sets), while most matches are three sets (the winner being the first to win two sets).
A set consists of a sequence of games played with service alternating between games, ending when the count of games won meets certain criteria. Typically, a player wins a set when he wins at least six games and at least two games more than his opponent. It has become common, however, to play a “twelve-point tiebreak” or “tiebreaker” when each player has won six games. A tiebreaker, played under a separate set of rules, allows one player to win one more game and thus the set, to give a final set score of 7-6.
A game consists of a sequence of points played with the same player serving, and is won by the first player to have won at least four points and at least two points more than his opponent. The running score of each game is described in a manner particular to tennis: scores of zero to three points are described as “love” or “zero”, “fifteen”, “thirty”, and “forty” respectively. When at least three points have been scored by each side and the players have the same number of points, the score is “deuce”. When at least three points have been scored by each side and a player has one more point than his opponent, the score of the game is “advantage” for the winning player. During informal games, “advantage” can also be called “ad in” or “ad out”, depending on whether the serving player or receiving player, respectively, is ahead.
A game point occurs in tennis whenever the player who is in the lead in the game (the smallest unit of play) needs only one more point to win the game. The terminology is extended to sets (set point), matches (match point), and even championships (championship point). For example, if the player who is serving has a score of 40-love, he has a triple game point (triple set point, etc.).
A break point occurs if the receiver, not the server, has a game point. It is of importance in professional tennis, since service breaks happen less frequently with professional players. It may happen that the player who is in the lead in the game has more than one chance to score the winning point, even if his opponent should take the next point(s). For example, if the player who is serving has a score of 15-40, the receiver has a double break point. Should the player in the lead take any one of the next two points, he wins the game.
For two years before the Open Era, in 1955 and 1956, the United States Pro Championship in Cleveland, Ohio was played by the Van Alen Streamlined Scoring System (VASSS) rules, created by James Van Alen, who later invented the tie-breaker. The scoring was the same as that in table tennis, with sets played to 21 points and players alternating 5 services, with no second service. The rules were partially created in order to limit the effectiveness of the powerful service of the reigning professional champion, Pancho Gonzales. Even with the new rules, however, Gonzales beat Pancho Segura in the finals of both tournaments. Even though the 1955 match went to 5 sets, with Gonzales barely holding on to win the last one 21-19, apparently it took only 47 minutes to play. The fans attending the matches preferred the traditional rules, however, and in 1957 the tournament reverted to the old method of scoring.
Officials
In serious play there is an officiating chair umpire (usually referred to as the umpire), who sits in a raised chair to one side of the court. The umpire has absolute authority to determine matters of fact. The chair umpire may be assisted by line umpires, who determine whether the ball has landed within the required part of the court and who also call foot faults. There may also be a net umpire who determines whether the ball has touched the net during service. In some open-tournament matches, players are allowed to challenge a limited number of close calls by means of instant replay in order to have the call overturned. In clay-court matches, a call may be questioned by reference to the mark left by the ball’s impact on the court surface.
Ball boys or girls (who are usually children) may be employed to retrieve balls, pass them to the players, and hand players their towels. They have no adjudicative role. The referee, who is usually located off the court, is the final authority on the rules.
In some leagues players will make their own calls based upon the honor code. This is the case for many high school and college level matches.
Miscellaneous
Convention dictates that two players shake hands at the end of a match.
A tennis match is intended to be continuous. Stamina is a relevant factor, so arbitrary delays are not permitted. In most cases, service is required to occur no more than 20 seconds after the end of the previous point. This is increased to 90 seconds when the players change ends (every two games), and a 120 second break is permitted between sets. Other than this, breaks are permitted only when forced by events beyond the players’ control, such as rain, damaged footwear, or the need to chase an errant ball.
Balls wear out quickly in serious play, and therefore are changed after every nine games. The first such change occurs after only seven games, because the first set of balls is also used for the pre-match warm-up. Continuity of the balls’ condition is considered part of the game, so if a re-warm-up is required after an extended break in play (usually due to rain) then the re-warm-up is done using a separate set of balls, and use of the match balls is resumed only when play resumes.
Wheelchair tennis can be played by able-bodied players as well as people who require a wheelchair for mobility. The use of legs or feet is then prohibited, and the player is required to remain seated in the wheelchair. There is an exception for those who are only able to propel themselves using a foot. In wheelchair tennis, in which the players move in wheelchairs instead of using legs, an extra bounce is permitted. This rule makes it possible to have mixed wheelchair and legs matches. It is possible for a doubles team to consist of a wheelchair user and a legs user, or for a wheelchair user to play against a legs user. In such cases, the extra bounce is permitted for the wheelchair users only.
Another, informal, tennis format is called “Canadian doubles” (also referred to as “American Doubles” in Australia, and “Australian Doubles” in Canada). This involves three players, with one person playing against a doubles team. For the single player, singles-court rules apply (such that the ball must be within the singles-court lines) but on the side of the doubles team, doubles-court rules apply (the alleys are considered in). The scoring is the same as a regular game. This format is not sanctioned by any official body and is only played when a fourth player is not available for normal doubles.
Lastly, there is a tennis formation called “Australian doubles” in which both players on the same team line up on the same side of the court, with one player at the net and one in the backcourt. The one in back will generally move to the vacant side of the court after the point begins, which forces the opposing player to hit the ball down the line. This formation also allows the player at the net to poach more easily.
Other Rules of Play Used in American College Tennis
As of 1999, in Division I tennis at the college level, a let service is considered playable. This rule change was made to prevent receivers from falsely claiming a valid service to be a let, which is a call that cannot be overruled. Thus, a service that hits the net before landing in the service box is a playable shot, and must be returned by the receiver. Otherwise, the receiver loses the point.
Other Rules of Play Used in American High School Tennis
During high school tennis team matches players may have to follow a few different rules:
Pro set: Instead of playing best out of three sets, players may play one pro set. A pro set is first to 8 games instead of 6. All other rules apply.
Super tie-break: This is played sometimes after players split sets (Each wins one set). It decides who wins instead of a third set. This is played like a regular tie-break but you go to ten instead of seven.
No-ad: You play through the match without any ads. When the game is at deuce the receiving player has the option to choose what side of court (either the deuce side or the ad side) they want to receive the serve for the final game-deciding point. The first player or team to four points wins the game.
Tournaments
Tournaments are often organized by gender and number of players. Common tournament configurations include men’s singles, women’s singles, doubles (where two players of the same sex play on each side), and mixed doubles (with a member of each sex per side). Tournaments may be arranged for specific age groups, with upper age limits for youth and lower age limits for senior players. There are also tournaments for handicapped players. In the four grand slams, the draw (the maximum number of players allowed in a particular category of the tournament) is 128 people.
Players may also be matched by their skill level. According to how well a person does in sanctioned play, he or she is given a rating (examples from the U.S. system called the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP): 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, etc.) which is adjusted periodically to maintain competitive matches.
The Gold Coast Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located in Las Vegas, Nevada. This locals casino is owned an operated by Boyd Gaming Corporation. It’s located about 2 blocks west of the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel has 711 rooms, a 70 lane bowling center open to the public, and a bingo room.
History
Built in 1986, it was the second major resort built on the west side of I-15.
The property received a major upgrade in 2002 that provides additional space for parking, restaurants and gaming.
Also, current singer for the band The Killers, Brandon Flowers, used to work as a bellhop here.
Jeff Tanita also dealt craps there.
Attractions
Shuttle service between the Gold Coast and The Orleans. Approximately every 15 minutes.
All poker games require some forced bets in order to create an initial stake for the players to contest. The requirements for forced bets, and the betting limits of the game (see below) are collectively called the game’s betting structure.
Ante
An ante is a forced bet in which each player places an equal amount of money or chips into the pot before the deal begins. In games where the acting dealer changes each turn, it is not uncommon for the players to agree that the dealer provides the ante for each player. This simplifies betting, but causes minor inequities if other players come and go or miss their turn to deal.
Blinds
A blind or blind bet is a forced bet placed into the pot by one or more players before the deal begins, in a way that simulates bets made during play. The most common use of blinds as a betting structure calls for two blinds: the player after the dealer blinds about half of what would be a normal bet, and the next player blinds what would be a whole bet. Sometimes only one blind is used, and sometimes three. In the case of three blinds (usually one quarter, one quarter, and half a normal bet amount), the first blind goes “on the button”, that is, is paid by the dealer.
For example, in a $2-$4 limit game, the first player to the dealer’s left (who, if not for the blinds, would be the first to act) makes a blind bet of $1, and the next player in turn posts a big blind of $2. After the cards are dealt, play begins with the next player in turn (third from the dealer), who must either call $2, raise, or fold. When the betting returns to the player who blinded $1, he must equal the bet facing him (toward which he may count his $1), raise, or fold. If there have been no raises when action first gets to the big blind (that is, the bet amount facing him is just the amount of the big blind he posted), the big blind has the option to raise or check. This right to raise (called the option) occurs only once: if his raise is now called by every player, the first betting round closes as usual.
In some fixed-limit and spread-limit games, the big blind amount may be less than the normal betting minimum. Players acting after a sub-minimum blind have the right to call the blind as it is, even though it is less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called completing the bet. For example, a game with a $5 fixed bet on the first round might have blinds of $1 and $2. Players acting after the blind may either call the $2, or raise to $5. After the bet is raised to $5, the next raise must be to $10 in accordance with the normal limits.
When a player in the blinds leaves the game
When one or more players in the small or big blinds leaves the game, an adjustment is required in the positioning of the blinds and the button. The two most common tournament rules for handling this situation are the dead button and the moving button rules. In online card rooms, a simplified moving button rule is usually employed. Note that other variations on these rules exist.
Dead button rule
Under the dead button rule, the big blind is posted by the player due for it, and the small blind and button are positioned accordingly, even if this means the small blind or the button is placed in front of an empty seat, giving the same player the privilege of last action on consecutive hands.
If the small blind busts out (leaves the game), the button moves to the seat vacated by the eliminated small blind. The player who was the big blind now posts the small blind and the player to his left posts the big blind. Since the button is now located at an empty seat, the player who was the button will, in effect, be the button once again.
If the big blind busts out, the button moves to the player who was the small blind and the player to the left of the eliminated big blind posts the big blind. There is no small blind for that hand. On the following deal, the button moves to the empty seat vacated by the eliminated player and the two players to the left post the normal blinds. Since the button is now located at an empty seat, the player who was the original small blind will, in effect, be the button once again.
If both blinds bust out, the same player will effectively be the button three hands in a row. The button moves to the now empty seat vacated by the eliminated small blind and the player to the left of the eliminated big blind posts the big blind. There is no small blind for that hand. On the following deal, the button moves to the next empty seat (the seat vacated by the eliminated big blind player) and the two players to the left post the normal blinds.
Moving button rule
Under the moving button rule, the button always moves forward so that a player never has the right to act last for two consecutive hands. The blinds adjust accordingly, which may result in more than one small blind, and/or more than one big blind being posted in a given hand.
These rules are always followed when assigning the blinds:
The button always moves forward to the next seat occupied by a player.
The player two seats to the left of the button always posts a big blind, as well as any players that the big blind has skipped past.
Any player that posted a big blind in the previous hand, must post a small blind.
For the following examples, consider a hand just finished with Alice, Bob, Carol, David, and Ellen seated in order after the previous hand’s dealer. Alice was the small blind in the previous hand, and Bob was the big blind.
Under normal conditions, Alice will have the button the next hand, Bob will post the small blind, and Carol will post the big blind.
If Alice busts out, or steps away from the table, the button will skip past the vacated seat to Bob. Bob will post his small blind on top of the button. Carol and David will both post big blinds.
The subsequent hand, Carol will have the button. Carol and David will both post small blinds, and Ellen will post the big blind.
If Bob busts out or leaves the table, the button will move to Alice. Carol and David will both post big blinds.
The subsequent hand, Carol will post a small blind on the button. David will post a small blind and Ellen will post the big blind.
If Alice and Bob both bust out, or step away from the game, the button will skip ahead to Carol. Carol, David, and Ellen will all post big blinds.
The subsequent hand, David will have the button. Carol will post a small blind behind the button, as well as David and Ellen posting small blinds, and the player after Ellen posting the big blind.
The moving button system can cause irregular blinds for several hands after a player leaves the game, and further complications can arise if players bust out on consecutive hands. However, the blinds will always eventually resolve to their normal positions.
Simplified moving button rule
Under the simplified moving button rule, normally used in on-line card rooms, the button always moves forward to the next player and the small and big blinds post in the two seats to the left of the button. Players may miss blinds.
When there are only two players
The normal rules for positioning the blinds do not apply when there are only two players at the table. The player on the button is always due the small blind, and the other player must pay the big blind. The player on the button is therefore the first to act before the flop, but last to act for all remaining betting rounds.
A special rule is also applied for placement of the button whenever the size of the table shrinks to two players. If three or more players are involved in a hand, and at the conclusion of the hand one or more players have busted out such that only two players remain for the next hand, the position of the button may need to be adjusted to begin heads-up play. The big blind always continues moving to the left, and then the button is positioned accordingly.
For example, in a three-handed game, Alice is the button, Bob is the small blind, and Carol is the big blind. If Alice busts out, the next hand Bob will be the big blind, and the button will skip past Bob and move to Carol. On the other hand, if Carol busts out, Alice will be the big blind, Bob will get the button and will have to pay the small blind for the second hand in a row.
Bring-ins
A bring-in is a type of forced bet that occurs after the cards are initially dealt, but before any other action. One player, usually chosen by the value of cards dealt face up on the initial deal, is forced to open the betting by some small amount, after which players act after him in normal rotation.
The bring-in is normally assigned on the first betting round of a stud poker game to the player whose upcards indicate the poorest hand. For example, in traditional high hand stud games and high-low split games, the player showing the lowest card pays the bring-in. In low hand games, the player with the highest card showing pays the bring-in. The high card by suit order can be used to break ties if necessary.
In most fixed-limit and some spread-limit games, the bring-in amount is less than the normal betting minimum. The player forced to pay the bring-in may choose either to pay only what is required or to make a normal bet. Players acting after a sub-minimum bring-in have the right to call the bring-in as it is, even though it is less than the amount they would be required to bet, or they may raise the amount needed to bring the current bet up to the normal minimum, called completing the bet. For example, a game with a $5 fixed bet on the first round might have a bring-in of $2. Players acting after the bring-in can either call the $2, or raise to $5. After the bet is raised to $5, the next raise must be to $10 in accordance with the normal limits.
In a game where the bring-in is equal to the fixed bet (this is rare and not recommended), the game must either allow the bring-in player to optionally come in for a raise, or else the bring-in must be treated as live in the same way as a blind, so that the player is guaranteed his right to raise on the first betting round if he chooses.
Straddle bets
A straddle bet is an optional (voluntary) blind bet made by a player before receiving his cards. Straddles are only used in games played with blind structures. Straddles are normally not permitted in tournament formats.
Live straddle
The player immediately to the left of the big blind may place a live straddle blind bet. The straddle must be a raise over the big blind. A straddle is a live bet; the player placing the straddle effectively becomes the “bigger blind”. Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle. If action returns to the straddle without a raise, the straddle has the option to raise. The player to the left of a live straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle.
Mississippi straddle
A Mississippi straddle buys last action before the flop. House rules permitting Mississippi straddles are common in the southern United States. Usually, a Mississippi straddle can be made from any position, although some house rules only permit the button or the player to the right of the button to place a Mississippi straddle. Like a live straddle, a Mississippi straddle must be at least the minimum raise. Action begins with the player to the left of the straddle. If, for example (in a game with $10-$25 blinds), the button puts a live $50 on it, the first player to act would be the small blind, followed by the big blind, and so on. If action gets back to the straddle with no raise, the straddle has the option of raising. The player to the right of a Mississippi straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle.
Sleepers
A sleeper is a blind raise placed from any position at the table other than under the gun.
In the United States, the public and private availability of slot machines is highly regulated by state governments. Many states have established gaming control boards to regulate the possession and use of slot machines. Nevada is the only state that has no significant restrictions against slot machines both for public and private use. In New Jersey, slot machines are only allowed in hotel-casinos operated in Atlantic City. Several states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri) allow slot machines (as well as any casino-style gambling) only on licensed riverboats or permanently anchored barges. For a list of state by state regulations on private slot machine ownership, see U.S. state slot machine ownership regulations.
Native American casinos
Native American casinos located in reservations are not permitted to have slot machines unless the tribe first reaches a pact with the state in which it is located (per Indian Gaming Regulatory Act). Typically, a pact entitles the state to receive a percentage of the gross revenue from slot machines.
Slot machine classes
Some states have restrictions on the type (called “class”) of slot machines that can be used in a casino or other gaming area. “Class III” (or “traditional”) slot machines operate independently from a centralized computer system and a player’s chance of winning any payout is the same with every play. Class III slots are most often seen in Nevada or Atlantic City and are sometimes referred to as “Vegas-style slots”.
“Class II” slot machines (also known as “Video Lottery Terminals” or “VLTs”) are connected to a centralized computer system that determines the outcome of each wager. In this way, Class II slot machines mimic scratch-off lottery tickets in that each machine has an equal chance of winning a series of limited prizes. Either class of slot machines may or may not have a player skill element.
Some Class II game characteristics 1) The player is playing against other players and competing for a common prize. 2) There is certain to be a winner in each game. The game continues until there is a winner. 3) In a given set there are a certain number of wins and loses. Once a certain combination has happened it cannot happen again until a new batch is initiated. This is most obvious in scratch card games that come in a pack. Once a card has been pulled those winning combinations cannot occur again until a new pack of cards is installed. One game is dependent on previous games. 4) The player must be an active participant. They must recognize events as they occur and must recognize when they have won and announce their winning. Bingo is an excellent example here. 5) All players play from the same set of numbers as they are announced.
Some Class III game characteristics 1) The player is playing against the house. 2) There is a very real possibility that the player may lose the game. 3) Each game is independent of previous games. Any possible outcome can occur in any game. 4) Wins are announced automatically.
In general a game must have all characteristics of a Class II game to be a Class II game. Any characteristic of a Class III game makes it a Class III game. The casino pays a fee to the state for each Class III game and can only purchase so many Class III licenses. There is no such restriction for Class II games. Class II games are not so nearly regulated by the state.
Slot clubs
Many American casinos offer free memberships in “slot clubs”, which return a small percentage of the amount of money that is bet in the form of “comps” (complimentary food, drinks, hotel rooms, or merchandise), or sometimes as cash back (sometimes with a restriction that the cash be redeemed at a later date). These clubs require that players use a card that is inserted into the slot machine, to allow the casino to track the player’s “action” (how much the player bets and for how long), which is often used to establish a level of play that may make a player eligible for additional comps. Comps or cash back from these clubs can make a significant difference in the maximum theoretical return when playing slot machines over a long period of time.
Row of slot machines inside Las Vegas airport.
Australia
Generally referred to as poker machines or pokies, but officially known as ‘Gaming Machines’, Australia has one of the highest concentration of poker machines per head of population in the world, with changes in regulations leading to a profusion of poker machine venues across the country. Various objectors, including many branches of the clergy and also charities for the poor, have criticized the spread of the machines, as they claim that it has led to a huge rise in the levels of “problem gambling” – gambling to a level that causes financial and social stress to the gambler and their families, as well as the general levels of gambling.
Australian-style poker machines use video displays to simulate (usually) five physical reels. These machines also have additional bonusing and second-screen features such as free games and bonus levels. They also allow for multiple lines (up to 50) or multiple ways (up to 243 ways) to be played. This higher level of complexity has meant that greater revenues can be obtained by operators, but also that the potential for problem gambling to develop is increased.
Poker machines are found in casinos (approximately one in each major city) as well as pubs and clubs (usually sports, social, or RSL clubs). This greater accessibility is also seen as a potential contributor to problem gambling.
The first Australian state to legalize this style of gambling was New South Wales in 1956 when they were made legal in all registered clubs in the state.
Laws governing gambling in Australia are controlled at the state level and as such, they vary from state to state. In the state of Queensland gaming machines in pubs and clubs must provide a return rate of 60% while machines located in casinos must provide a return rate of 90%.
Queen of the Nile (manufactured by Aristocrat), one of the most popular Australian poker machine games, also very popular in some American casinos
United Kingdom
Slot machines are usually known as fruit machines and AWP (Amusement with Prizes) in Britain. Fruit machines are commonly found in pubs, clubs, arcades, and some take-away food shops. These machines commonly have 3 or 6 reels with around 16 or 24 fruit symbols printed around them. These reels are spun, and if certain combinations of fruit appear, winnings are paid from the machine, or subgames are played. These are very similar to slot machines seen in casinos and elsewhere around the world, but the term “fruit machine” is usually applied to a type of machine more commonly found in pubs and arcades. These games have lots of extra features, trails and subgames with opportunities to win money, usually more than can be won from just the reels. However, the jackpots from these fruit machines are strictly limited.
Currently in the UK, the cost of an individual game may not exceed 50p. The maximum payout for a individual game depends on the type and the location of the machine, but is typically £25 in pubs where people under the age of 18 are not allowed entry. It is known for machines to payout multiple jackpots, one after the other (this is known as a streak) but each jackpot requires a new game to be played so as not to circumvent the maximum payout. The minimum payout percentage is 70% in Britain, with pubs often setting the payout at around 78%. Private members clubs are allowed “club machines”, which have higher jackpots and are allowed to charge more per game.
These machines also operate in a different fashion to American slot machines; whereas slots are programmed to pay a percentage over the long-run, there is no reason why a jackpot cannot be paid straight after one has already been won – this is because over the long-run the percentage payout will be the same. However, in the UK, a fruit machine takes on an amount above its payout percentage before winning, so if a payout is 95%, a machine will make the player lose £10 before paying out £9.50. As such, it is sensible to watch for people playing these machines but not winning as the likelihood of a win increases. This, however, is called Sharking.
This type of fruit machine is popular across Europe (in the countries where they are legal), and very popular in countries such as the Czech Republic, Russia, and Ukraine.
It has been alleged by the Fairplay campaign that UK fruit machines employ fraudulent techniques in which gambles and chances which appear to be random are in fact pre-determined and cannot be affected by player choices. 1
…at this point, you’ll have gambled the win up to £25. However, the machine doesn’t want you to gamble any further. If from the 5 you select “High”, the machine will spin in a 3 and you’ll lose. If, on the other hand, you select “Low”, the machine will spin in a 9 and you’ll lose…
The claims centre around the emulation of fruit machine hardware on computers, which allow for the machines RAM state to be saved at a particular point and replayed making a different choice. The fruit machine industry has hit back at the allegations. Currently the issue has supposedly been considered by the UK Gaming Board (now the Gambling Commission) and warning notices and possibly modifications are to be put in place, though it is unclear as to whether this has happened. This is infact the law now in the UK and all machines carry a warning notice informing the user that the machine may at times offer the player a choice in which they have no possible chance to win.
Japan
Japan has a relatively new involvement in slot machines, roughly since after the American occupation during the World War II era. Most machines can be found in Pachinko parlors and the adult sections of amusement arcades, known as game centers.
The machines are regulated with IC chips, and has six different levels changing the odds of a “777″. The levels provide a rough outcome of between 90% to an astonishing 160% (200% if using skills). Indeed, the Japanese slot machines are “beatable”.
Despite the many varieties of the machines, there are certain rules and regulations put forward by a commission. For example, there must be three reels. Also, all reels must be accompanied by buttons which stop these reels, etc.
Common misunderstandings
“Hot” and “Cold” machines
Standard slot machines do not get “hot” or “cold”. The odds of hitting a winning combination are determined by a random number generator contained in the machine’s software and is exactly the same with every spin. Such slot machines are never “due to be hit” if they haven’t paid out a jackpot in a while. (Exception: UK-style AWP machines are progressive which means chances of winning will increase over time if the machine has not paid any wins out. Many also “force” wins on players in order to meet the payout percentage).
Placement
There is a science to the placement of slot machines on the gaming floor, but the highest paying machines are not necessarily placed in high-traffic areas. Typically, machines of similar payback percentages are grouped together, with 1% or less difference from machine to machine in the group.
Payout changes
In most jurisdictions, casinos cannot alter the machine’s payout percentage by time of day, day of week, or remotely via a computer.
Using a slot club card does not affect the machine’s payout percentage. The card just allows the casino to keep track of the amount wagered by a player and issue complimentaries accordingly.
Missed opportunities
You leave a machine. Another player comes up and immediately hits a jackpot. You think, “If I had played just one more time, I would have won that jackpot.”
A machine returns a higher jackpot for playing more coins. You play fewer coins, and a winning combination appears. You think, “If I had played more coins, I would have won more money.”
In both cases, you did not “miss” an opportunity to win. The results of modern slot machines depend on exactly when you play them. It is very unlikely in either case that you would have received the same result if you had played just one more time or just one more coin.
The Fremont Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. It is one of the casinos owned by Boyd Gaming Corporation. The hotel provides 447 rooms and the casino offers 32,000ft² of space.
History
The Fremont hotel opened on May 18, 1956 as the tallest building in the state of Nevada.
Wayne Newton made his start in Las Vegas at the Fremont.
Film history
Many scenes from the Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn movie Swingers were filmed inside the Fremont, including their games of blackjack, and breakfast in the casino’s Paradise Buffet.
Players in a poker game act in turn, in clockwise rotation (acting out of turn is a breach of etiquette and can negatively affect other players). When it is a player’s turn to act, the first verbal declaration or action he takes binds him to his choice of action; this is to prevent a player from changing his action after seeing how other players react to his first action.
A player may fold by surrendering his cards (some games may have specific rules–for example, in stud poker one must turn one’s upcards face down). A player may check by rapping the table or making any similar motion. All other bets are made by placing chips in front of the player, but not directly into the pot (this is called “splashing” the pot, and is also a breach of etiquette, because it prevents other players from verifying the bet amount).
Open
The act of making the first voluntary bet in a betting round is called opening the round. On the first betting round, it is also called opening the pot. Some poker variations have special rules about opening a round that may not apply to other bets. For example, a game may have a betting structure that specifies different allowable amounts for opening than for other bets, or may require a player to hold certain cards to open.
Call
To call is to match a bet or raise. A betting round ends when all active players have bet an equal amount or no opponents call a player’s bet or raise. If no opponents call a player’s bet or raise, the player wins the pot and the hand is over.
The second and subsequent calls of a particular bet amount are sometimes called overcalls. A player calling a raise before he or she has invested money in the pot in that round is cold calling. For example, if in a betting round, Alice bets, Bob raises, and Carol calls, Carol “calls two bets cold”. A player calling instead of raising with a strong hand is smooth calling, a form of slow play.
In public card rooms and casinos where verbal declarations are binding, the word “call” is such a declaration. In particular, the practice of saying “I call, and raise $100″ is considered a string raise and is not allowed. Saying “I call” commits you to the action of calling, and only calling.
Check
If no one has yet opened the betting round, a player may check, which is equivalent to calling the current bet of zero. When checking, a player declines making a bet; indicating that he does not choose to open, but that he wishes to keep his cards and retain the right to call or raise later in the same round if an opponent opens. In games played with blinds, players may not check on the opening round because they must either match (or raise) the big blind or fold. A player with a live big blind who chooses not to exercise his right to raise is said to check his option. If all players check, the betting round is over. A common way to signify checking is to tap the table with a fist or an open hand.
Raise
To raise is increase the size of the bet required to stay in the pot, forcing all subsequent players to call the new amount. If the current bet amount is nothing, this action is considered the opening bet. A player making the second (not counting the open) or subsequent raise of a betting round is said to reraise.
Standard poker rules require that any raise must at least equal the amount of the previous raise. For example, if a player in a spread-limit or no-limit game bets $5, the next player may raise by another $5 or more, but he may not raise by only $2, even if that would otherwise conform to the game’s betting structure. The primary purpose of this rule is to avoid game delays caused by “nuisance” raises (small raises of large bets that do not affect the bet amount much but that take time). This rule is overridden by table stakes rules, so that a player may in fact raise a $5 bet by $2 if that $2 is his entire remaining stake.
In most casinos, fixed-limit and spread-limit games cap the total number of raises allowed in a single betting round (typically three or four, not including the opening bet of a round). For example in a casino with a three-raise rule, if one player opens the betting for $5, the next raises by $5 making it $10, a third player raises another $5, and a fourth player raises $5 again making the current bet $20, the betting is said to be capped at that point, and no further raises beyond the $20 level will be allowed on that round. It is common to suspend this rule when there are only two players betting in the round (called being heads-up), since either player can call the last raise if they wish. Pot-limit and no-limit games do not have a limit on the number of raises.
Fold
To fold is to discard one’s hand and forfeit interest in the current pot. Folding may be indicated verbally or by discarding one’s hand facedown into the pile of other discards called the muck. In stud poker played in the United States, it is customary to signal folding by turning all of one’s cards face down. In casinos in the United Kingdom, a player folds by giving his hand as is to the “house” dealer, who will spread the hand’s upcards for the other players to see before mucking them.
It is a serious breach of etiquette to fold out of turn, that is, when it is not the folding player’s turn to act, because this can harm other players. For example, if there are three players remaining and the first player in turn bets, the third player folding out of turn gives valuable strategic information to the second player (who is in turn at this point), to the detriment of the bettor. In some games, even folding in turn when a player is entitled to check (because there is no bet facing the player) is considered an out of turn fold since it gives away information to which other players would otherwise not be entitled. Finally, if a player folds out of turn in a stud poker game, the player in turn may demand that his upcards remain exposed until he has completed his turn. When folding, concealed cards should not be exposed unless no further betting is possible in the hand (i.e., unless the fold awards the pot to the only remaining player). A player is never required to expose his concealed cards when folding prior to the showdown.
It is a common belief that the odds on a machine have something to do with the number of each kind of symbol on each reel, but in modern slot machines this is no longer the case. Modern slot machines are computerized, so that the odds are whatever they are programmed to be. In modern slot machines, the reels and lever are present for historical and entertainment reasons only. The positions the reels will come to rest on are chosen by a Random Number Generator (RNG) contained in the machine’s software. This is called “virtual reel” technology.
The RNG is constantly generating random numbers, at a rate of thousands to millions per second. As soon as the lever is pulled or the “Play” button is pressed, the most recent random number is used to determine the result. This means that the result varies depending on exactly when the game is played. A fraction of a second earlier or later, and the result would be different.
Payout precentage
Slot machines are typically programmed to pay out as winnings between 82 to 98 percent of the money that is wagered by players. This is known as the “theoretical payout percentage”. The minimum theoretical payout percentage varies among jurisdictions and is typically established by law or regulation. For example, the minimum payout percentage in Nevada is 75 percent and in New Jersey is 83 percent. The winning patterns on slot machines, the amounts they pay, and the frequency at which they appear are carefully selected to yield a certain percentage of the cost of play to the “house” (the operator of the slot machine), while returning the rest to the player during play. Suppose that a certain slot machine costs $1 per spin. It can be calculated that over a sufficiently long period, such as 1,000,000 spins, that the machine will return an average of $950,000 to its players, who have inserted $1,000,000 during that time. In this (simplified) example, the slot machine is said to pay out 95%. The operator keeps the remaining $50,000.
A slot machine’s theoretical payout percentage is set at the factory when the software is written. Changing the payout percentages after a slot machine has been placed on the gaming floor requires a physical swap of the software, which is usually stored on an EPROM but may be downloaded to Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) or even stored on CD-ROM or DVD depending on the technological capabilities of the machine and the regulations of the jurisdiction. Based on current technology, this is a time consuming process and as such is done infrequently. In certain jurisdictions, such as New Jersey, the EPROM is sealed with a tamper-evident seal and can only be changed in the presence of Gaming Control Board officials. Other jurisdictions, including Nevada, randomly audit slot machines to ensure that they contain only approved software.
In many markets where central monitoring and control systems are used to link machines for auditing and security purposes, usually in wide area networks of multiple venues and thousands of machines, player return must usually be changed from a central computer rather than at each individual machine. A range of percentages are preprogrammed into the game software and selected by configuring the machine remotely.)
In 2006, the Nevada Gaming Commission began working with Las Vegas casinos on technology that would allow the casino’s slot manager to change the game, the odds, and the payouts remotely via a computer. The change cannot be done instantaneously, but only after the selected machine has been idle for at least four minutes. After the change is made, the machine must be locked to new players for four minutes and display an on-screen message informing potential players that a change is being made. ref)
Linked machines
Often machines are linked together in a way that allows a group of machines to offer a particularly large prize, or “jackpot”. Each slot machine in the group contributes a small amount to this progressive jackpot, which is awarded to a player who gets (for example) a royal flush on a video poker machine, or a specific combination of symbols on a regular or 9 line slot machine. The amount paid for the progressive jackpot is usually far higher than any single slot machine could pay on its own.
In some cases multiple machines are linked across multiple casinos. In these cases, the machines may be owned by the machine maker who is responsible for paying the jackpot. The casinos lease the machines rather than owning them outright. Megabucks may be the best known example of this type of machine. Megabucks Nevada starts at $7,000,000 after a jackpot. The new penny Megabucks video game has a jackpot that starts at $10,000,000.
Slot machines that are not linked to a large regional jackpot such as Megabucks usually have higher payout percentages, as linked machines have to take into consideration the large jackpot amount into their payout percentage calculations.
Near-miss programming
Because the reel display of modern slot machines is controlled by computer software, it is possible to make the slot machine frequently display combinataions that are close to winning combinations. For instance, if the jackpot combination is “7-7-7″, a slot machine could be programmed to frequently display “7-7-(non-7)”. This can fool the player into thinking they “almost won”, teasing them into playing more often.
This practice of showing combinations that are similar to winning combinations more frequently than would occur randomly is called “near-miss” programming. It has been ruled illegal in the U.S. states of Nevada and New Jersey. The Nevada Gaming Commission did review some machines with this type of programming and refused to authorize them.
There is a related phenomenon that is also sometimes called “near-miss”. The chance of a winning combination appearing on a payline is controlled by the winning percentages programmed into the slot machine. However, the combinations appearing above and below the payline are all roughly equally randomly distributed. This means it is much more likely that a “winning combination” will appear above or below a payline than on the payline. Using the same example above, it is much more likely that a “winning combination” of “7-7-7″ would appear on a line above or below the payline than the chance that it would appear on the payline.
The issue of a near-miss above or below the payline was also investigated by the Nevada Gaming Commission. They ruled that this was legal, so long as the “near-miss” above or below the payline was not specially programmed. In other words, the “near-miss” must be just as likely to occur as any other combination. The machine cannot be specially programmed to show “winning combinations” more frequently than other combinations above or below the payline. [2]
Four QueensFacts and statistics Address: 202 East Fremont Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Opening date: 1966
Casino type: Land-Based
Theme: Victorian Carnival
Owner: TLC Casino Enterprises, Inc.
No. of rooms: 690
Total gaming space: 50,000 ft²
Signature attractions: Queen’s Machine
Notable restaurants: Hugo’s Cellar,Magnolia’s
Years renovated: 1976, 1977, 1981, 1999
Website: The Four Queens
Coordinates: 36°10’11″N 115°8’37″W
The Four Queens Hotel and Casino is located in downtown Las Vegas on the Fremont Street Experience. Home to the Queen’s Machine, the world’s largest slot machine, the 690 room hotel and 40,000 square foot casino is owned and operated by TLC Enterprises, which acquired the property from the Elsinore Corporation in 2003.
History
Construction began on November 16, 1964, opening in 1966. The casino is named after the builder Ben Goffstein’s four daughters, Faith, Hope, Benita, and Michele. It originally contained only 120 rooms and a 20,000 square foot casino.
In 1976 the casino expanded to 33,000 square feet and changed decor to be warmer.
Today the casino occupies the entire block comprised of Fremont St, Casino Center, Third Street, and Carson Avenue. The Four Queens was also a partner in renovating the downtown area and creating the Fremont Street experience.
In April 2007 the Canyon Club opened at the Four Queens providing the first downtown casino club.
Bonus is a special feature of the particular game theme, which is activated when certain symbols appear in a winning combination. In the bonus, the player is presented with several items on a screen from which to choose. As the player chooses items, a number of credits is revealed and awarded. Some bonuses use a mechanical device, such as a spinning wheel, that works in conjunction with the bonus to display the amount won.
Candle is a light on top of the slot machine. It flashes to alert the operator that a hand pay is requested or that there is a problem with the machine.
Carousel refers to a grouping of slot machines.
Coin hopper is a container where the coins that are immediately available for payouts are held. The hopper is a mechanical device that rotates coins into the coin tray when a player collects his credits/coins (by pressing a “Cash Out” button). When a certain preset coin capacity is reached, a coin diverter automatically redirects, or “drops”, excess coin into a “drop bucket” or “drop box”.
Credit meter is a visual display of the amount of money or credits on the machine.
Drop bucket or drop box is a container located in a slot machine’s base where excess coins are diverted from the hopper. Typically, a drop bucket is used for low denomination slot machines and a drop box is used for high denomination slot machines. A drop box contains a hinged lid with one or more locks whereas a drop bucket does not contain a lid. The contents of drop buckets and drop boxes are collected and counted by the casino on a scheduled basis.
Hand pay refers to a payout made by a slot attendant or cage, rather than the slot machine. A hand pay occurs when the amount of the payout exceeds the maximum amount that was preset by the slot machine’s operator. Usually, the maximum amount is set at the level where the operator must begin to deduct taxes. A hand pay could also be necessary as a result of a short pay.
Hopper fill slip is a document used to record the replenishments of the coin in the coin hopper after it becomes depleted as a result of making payouts to players. The slip indicates the amount of coin placed into the hoppers, as well as the signatures of the employees involved in the transaction, the slot machine number and the location and the date.
Low Level or Slant Top slot machines include a stool so you can sit and play. Stand Up or Upright slot machines are played while standing.
Optimal play is a payback percentage based on a gambler using the optimal strategy in a skill-based slot machine game.
Payline is a straight or zig-zagged line that crosses through one symbol on each reel, along which a winning combination is evaluated. Classic spinning reel machines usually have up to nine paylines, while video slot machines may have as many as fifty.
Rollup is the process of dramatizing a win by playing sounds while the meters count up to the amount that has been won.
Short pay refers to a partial payout made by a slot machine, which is less than the amount due to the player. This occurs if the coin hopper has been depleted as a result of making earlier payouts to players. The remaining amount due to the player is paid as a hand pay.
Tilt In the old mechanical days, slot machines had tilt switches. Any kind of mechanical failure (door switch in the wrong state, reel motor failure, etc) is still called a “tilt”. Just a historical thing.
Theoretical Hold Worksheet is a document provided by the manufacturer for all slot machines, which indicates the theoretical percentage that the slot machine should hold based on adequate levels of coin-in. The worksheet also indicates the reel strip settings, number of coins that may be played, the payout schedule, the number of reels and other information descriptive of the particular type of slot machine.
Weight count is an American term, referring to the dollar amount of coins or tokens removed from a slot machine’s drop bucket or drop box and counted by the casino’s hard count team through the use of a weigh scale.
Pay Table
Each machine has a table that lists the number of credits the player will receive if the symbols listed on the pay table line up on the pay line of the machine. Some symbols are wild and will pay if they are visible in any position, even if they are not on the pay line. Especially on older machines, the pay table is listed on the face of the machine, usually above and below the area containing the wheels. Most video machines display the pay table when the player presses a “pay table” button or touches “pay table” on the screen; some have the pay table listed on the cabinet as well.
The Flamingo Las Vegas is owned and operated by Harrah’s Entertainment and is located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The property offers a 77,000 ft² (7,200 m²) casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms. The hotel is sometimes referred to as the pink hotel from the pink neon on the building similar to the color of flamingos. The 15 ac (61,000 m²) site is landscaped in a Caribbean theme, with the central area housing an exhibit of flamingos and penguins as part of a wildlife habitat.
The Flamingo has a Las Vegas Monorail station at the rear of the property.
History
The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino (as it was originally named), had only 77 rooms when it was built and opened by Bugsy Siegel and his partner Meyer Lansky on December 26, 1946. “The Flamingo” was named after the pet name for Virginia Hill, that name given to her by casino dealers in Mexico because of her exibitionist style of dancing; Hill would raise her skirts to show off her long legs while swinging her flaming red hair. Funding for the casino came from mob money and it was conceptualized and its construction was supervised by Bugsy. When it had been discovered that Bugsy was skimming money from the building funds, his death was ordered and management for the casino changed hands. The Flamingo changed names to The Fabulous Flamingo on March 1, 1947.
The Flamingo hotel boasted lavish shows and glorious accommodations for its day. The casino became well known for its comfortable, air conditioned rooms, beautiful gardens and fabulous swimming pools. The Flamingo helped popularize the concept of offering a “complete experience” as opposed to simple gambling.
Kirk Kerkorian acquired the property in 1967.
The hotel was acquired by the Hilton Corporation in 1972 and became the Flamingo Hilton in 1974. The last of the original Flamingo Hotel structure was torn down on December 14, 1993 and the hotel’s garden was built on the site, complete with a plaque to Bugsy Siegel.
In the 1998 spin off of Hilton’s gaming operations ownership was changed to Park Place Entertainment which was renamed to Caesars Entertainment in 2004.
In September 1999 the Flamingo Hilton and its sister property in Laughlin, Nevada ended their long standing relationship with Hilton Hotels. The Hilton name was removed and the property was renamed to Flamingo Las Vegas.
To enhance the hotel’s Caribbean theme, a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant was opened in 2004.
In 2005 Harrah’s Entertainment purchased Caesars Entertainment and the property became part of Harrah’s Entertainment company.
Toni Braxton replaced Wayne Newton as the Flamingo’s new headlining act on August 3, 2006. The show, Toni Braxton: Revealed, ran through April 7, 2008. Although scheduled to run until August 2008, the show was canceled early due to Braxton’s health problems.
Film history
The 1960 version of Ocean’s Eleven was filmed here. Also a flashback sequence from the 2001 version of Ocean’s Eleven was filmed at Flamingo.
Anaconda is a variety of the card game Poker, also called “Pass The Trash Poker.”
Simple Play
This version of the game is also called “3-2-1 Anaconda” or “3-2-1 Left.”
Each player is dealt 6 cards. They then each select 3 cards to be passed to the player on their left. These cards are simply set on the table near their left-most opponent. No players get to see their new 3 cards until everyone has made a pass. Afterward, the players repeat the process, only with 2 cards, then again with 1 card. Players then discard 1 card to make their best 5-card Poker hand.
In this version of the game, up to 8 people can play, passing out a total of 48 cards and having 4 left over. A 9th person can be added with the use of both Jokers as Wild cards.
Betting
Betting can be included in the simple version of the game. Set up general Poker staples such as the dealer button, blinds, and/or antes. Have a round of betting occur before the first pass of 3 cards, then again after every card pass is made, and ending with a showdown if necessary. If a player folds at anytime, then they are no longer involved in card passing.
Variations
Anaconda can be changed in many possible ways, such as:
Altering the amount of starting cards (7 cards is common).
Altering the amount of cards passed.
Altering who the cards are passed to, possibly per round.
Incorporating Joker cards.
Including only one betting round & showdown after all passing rounds.
Removing all betting rounds and playing without money/chips.
A person playing a slot machine purchases the right to play by inserting coins, cash, or in newer machines, a bar-coded paper ticket (known as “ticket in/ticket out” machines), into a designated slot on the machine. The machine is then activated by means of a lever or button, or on newer machines, by pressing a touchscreen on its face. The game itself may or may not involve skill on the player’s part — or it may create the illusion of involving skill without actually being anything else than a game of chance. The object of the game is to win money from the machine. The game usually involves matching symbols, either on mechanical reels that spin and stop to reveal one or several symbols, or on a video screen. The symbols are usually brightly colored and easily recognizable, such as images of fruits, and simple shapes such as bells, diamonds, or hearts.
Most games have a variety of winning combinations of symbols, often posted on the face of the machine. If a player matches a combination according to the rules of the game, the slot machine pays the player cash or some other sort of value, such as extra games.
There are many different kinds of gambling slot machines in places such as Las Vegas. Some of the most popular are the video poker machines, in which players hope to obtain a set of symbols corresponding to a winning poker hand. There are standard 5-card draw machines, all the way up to 100-play machines, where you can play 100 hands at a time.
Becoming more popular now are the 9 line slots. Usually these are themed slots, with graphics and music based on popular entertainers or TV programs (Addams Family, I Dream of Jeannie, etc.) with a bonus round. Most accept variable amounts of credit to play with 1 to 5 credits per line being typical. The higher the amount bet, the higher the payout will be.
Of course, there are the standard 3 – 5 reel slot machines, of various types. These are the typical “one-armed bandits”.
One of the main differences between video slots and reel slots is in the way payouts are calculated. With reel slots, the only way to win the maximum jackpot is to play the maximum number of coins (usually 3, sometimes 4, or even 5 coins per spin). With video slots, the fixed payout values are multiplied by the number of coins per line that are being bet. In other words: on a reel slot, it is to the player’s advantage to play with the maximum number of coins available. On video slots, it is recommended to play as many individual lines as possible, but there is no benefit to the player in betting more than one credit per line with regards to calculating the payout amounts. (There are some isolated cases where a video slot machine requires the maximum number of credits per spin to be inserted to win the largest payout, but those are the exception.) An example: On the “Wheel of Fortune” reel slot, the player must play 3 coins per spin to be eligible to trigger the bonus round and possibly win the jackpot. On the Wheel of Fortune video slot, the chances of triggering the bonus round or winning the maximum jackpot are exactly the same regardless of the number of coins bet on each line.
Larger casinos offer slot machines with denominations from $.01 (penny slots) all the way up to $100.00 or more per credit. Large denomination slot machines are usually cordoned off from the rest of the casino into a “High Limit” area, often with a separate team of hosts to cater to the needs of the high-rollers who play there.
Slot machines common in casinos at this time are more complicated. Most allow players to accept their winnings as credits, which may be “spent” on additional spins.
In the last few years, new slot machines commonly known as “multi-denomination” have been introduced. In a multi-denomination slot machine, the player can choose the value of each credit wagered from a list of options. Based upon the player’s selection, the slot machine automatically calculates the number of credits the player receives in exchange for the cash inserted and displays the amount of available credits to the player. (For example, a player could choose to wager one dollar per game on a nickel slot machine.) This eliminates the need for a player to find a specific denomination of a particular slot machine; they can concentrate on simply finding the machine and setting the denomination once they decide to play.
Recently, some casinos have chosen to take advantage of a concept commonly known as “tokenization”: 1 token buys more than one credit. A casino can configure slot machines of numerous different denominations to accept the same type of token. (For example, all penny, nickel, quarter, and dollar slot machines could be configured to accept dollar tokens.) This significantly reduces a casino’s inventory costs and coin handling costs. A tokenized slot machine automatically calculates the number of credits the player receives in exchange for the token inserted and displays the amount of available credits to the player. When a player chooses to collect his credits (by pressing a “Cash Out” button), the slot machine will automatically divide the number of credits on the credit meter by the value of one token and return the result to the patron. Any remainder is known as “residual credits” and cannot be collected. Residual credits must be either played or abandoned.
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In poker, a bad beat occurs when a hand, which was at one time a big favourite to win, loses. Typically the term is only applied in this way when the player holding the eventual winning hand misplayed it spectacularly.Alternatively, the term is also applied when a particularly strong hand loses to an even stronger one. In some casinos there is a “bad beat jackpot” awarded whenever a player suffers a particular beat.
A typical example of the first type of bad beat, in No Limit Texas hold ‘em:
Alice (the hero) holds A♦ A♣ – pocket aces, the strongest possible starting hand.
Bob (the villain) holds Q♣ 8♥ – a weak hand.
The players have the same amount of chips. Before the flop, Alice raises to 15 times the big blind, placing a fifth of her stack in the pot, and only Bob calls. The flop comes A♥ 8♠ 7♠. Although Alice has the nuts at this point, making 3 aces, she is concerned about possible draws to a straight or flush, and goes all-in with a bet that is twice the size of the pot. Bizarrely, Bob, who has only middle-pair, calls.
At this point, Bob’s chances of winning are precisely 1 in 990. [1] He can only win if both the turn card and the river card are eights. Since this is a bad beat story, the turn and river naturally bring precisely that, and Bob scoops the pot, leaving Alice cursing Bob’s appalling play – he should not have called such a big bet before the flop, nor on the flop.
Reacting to bad beats
Bad beats can be infuriating, but mathematically “Alice” actually wants “Bob” to play in this manner. Bob took a gamble that should not have worked; his odds were 989-to-1 against. It worked this time, but if he continues to play in such a careless manner, he will almost certainly lose more than he wins. He is essentially giving away his money—and if Alice is careful, it will all go to her. Thus, the more stoic poker players accept bad beats as an unpleasant but necessary drawback to a tactic that works the vast majority of the time (989 of 990 instances, in this case). Nevertheless, a bad beat is often a profound psychological blow, and can easily lead to a player going on tilt. Professional player Phil Hellmuth, among others, is notorious for his pronounced reactions to bad beats.
In online poker rooms, bad beats often lead to accusations that the random number generator is “rigged”, even though such beats occur in offline games.
Bad beat jackpot
A bad beat jackpot is a prize that is paid when a sufficiently strong hand is shown down and loses to an even stronger hand held by another player. Not all poker games offer bad beat jackpots, and those that do have specific requirements for how strong a losing hand must be to qualify for the jackpot. For example, the losing hand may be required to be four-of-a-kind or better. There may be additional requirements as well. For example, in Texas hold ‘em there is usually a requirement that both hole cards play in both the losing and winning hands. These rules vary from one cardroom to the next.
Bad beat jackpots are usually progressive, often with a small rake being taken out of each pot to fund the jackpot (in addition to the regular rake). When the jackpot is won, it is usually split among all players sitting at the table at the time of the bad beat, including players that folded their hands (usually a 25% share), with the largest shares of the jackpot going to the players holding the winning (usually 25%) and losing hand (usually 50%). Because such bad beats are rare, jackpots can grow to be quite large, sometimes reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York developed a gambling machine in 1891 that could be considered a precursor to the modern slot machine. It contained 5 drums holding a total of 50 card faces and was based on poker. This machine proved extremely popular and soon there was hardly a bar in the city that didn’t have one or more of the machines bar-side. Players would insert a nickel and press a lever, which would spin the drums and the cards they held, the player hoping for a good poker hand. There was no direct payout mechanism, so a pair of Kings might get you a free beer, whereas a Royal Flush could payout cigars or drinks, the prizes wholly dependent on what was on offer at the local establishment. In order to make the odds better for the house, two cards were typically removed from the “deck”: the Ten of Spades and the Jack of Hearts, which cut the odds of winning a Royal Flush by half. The drums could also be re-arranged to further reduce a player’s chance of winning.
The first “one-armed bandit” was invented in 1887 by Charles Fey of San Francisco, California, who devised a much simpler automatic mechanism [1]. Due to the vast number of possible wins with the original poker card-based game, it proved practically impossible to come up with a way to make a machine capable of making an automatic pay-out for all possible winning combinations. Charles Fey devised a machine with three spinning reels containing a total of five symbols – horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell, which also gave the machine its name. By replacing ten cards with five symbols and using three reels instead of five drums, the complexity of reading a win was considerably reduced, allowing Fey to devise an effective automatic payout mechanism. Three bells in a row produced the biggest payoff, ten nickels. Liberty Bell was a huge success and spawned a thriving mechanical gaming device industry. Even when the use of these gambling devices was banned in his home State after a few years, Fey still couldn’t keep up with demand for the game elsewhere.
Another early machine gave out winning in the form of fruit flavoured chewing gums with pictures of the flavours as symbols on the reels. The popular cherry and melon symbols derive from this machine. The “BAR” symbol now common in slot machines was derived from an early logo of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company. In 1964, Bally developed the first fully electromechanical slot machine called Money Honey.
Albert Einstein is reputed to have stated, “You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it.”
And yet, the numerous even money bets in roulette have inspired many players over the years to attempt to beat the game by using one or more variations of a Martingale betting strategy, wherein the gamer doubles the bet after every loss, so that the first win would recover all previous losses, plus win a profit equal to the original bet. As the referenced article on Martingales points out, this betting strategy is fundamentally flawed in practice and the inevitable long-term consequence is a large financial loss. There is no way such a betting strategy can work over the long term. Another strategy is the Fibonacci system, where bets are calculated according to the Fibonacci sequence. Regardless of the specific progression, no such strategy can ever overcome the casino’s advantage; players trying them will inevitably lose sooner or later.
While not a strategy to win money, New York Times editor Andres Martinez described an enjoyable roulette betting method in his book on Las Vegas entitled “24/7″. He called it the “dopey experiment”. The idea is to divide your roulette session bankroll into 35 units. This unit is bet on a particular number for 35 consecutive spins. Thus, if the number hits in that time, you’ve won back your original bankroll and can play subsequent spins with house money. If your number never hits – well, it can take a great deal of time to spin the wheel 35 times; think of the fun you’ll have in that time! In practice, this dopey experiment often results in funny looks from the dealer at first; soon, however, every gambler at the table will be putting money on your number. This turns roulette into a group activity that can rival craps for cheers when the number hits. However, there is only a (1 − (37 / 38)35) * 100% = 60.68% probability of winning within 35 spins (assuming a double zero wheel with 38 pockets).
There is a common misconception that the green numbers are “house numbers” and that by betting on them one “gains the house edge.” In fact, it is true that the house’s advantage comes from the existence of the green numbers (a game without them would be statistically fair) however they are no more or less likely to come up than any other number.
Various attempts have been made by engineers to overcome the house edge through predicting the mechanical performance of the wheel, most notably by Joseph Jagger, the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo in 1873. These schemes work by determining that the ball is more likely to fall at certain numbers. Claude Shannon, a mathematician and computer scientist best known for his contributions to information theory, built arguably the first wearable computer to do so in 1961 [1].
To try to prevent exploits like this, the casinos monitor the performance of their wheels, and rebalance and realign them regularly to try to keep the result of the spins as random as possible.
More recently Thomas Bass, in his book The Newtonian Casino 1991, has claimed to be able to predict wheel performance in real time. He is also the author of The Eudaemonic Pie, which describes the exploits of a group of computer hackers, who called themselves the Eudaemons, who in the late 1970s used computers in their shoes to win at roulette by predicting where the ball would fall.
In the early 1990′s, Gonzalo Garcia-Pelayo, realizing that most roulette wheels are not “perfect”, used a computer to model the tendencies of the roulette wheels at the Casino de Madrid in Madrid, Spain. Betting the most likely numbers, along with members of his family, he was able to win over one million dollars over a period of several years. A court ruled in his favor when the legality of his strategy was challenged by the casino.
In 2004, it was reported that a group in London had used mobile cameraphones to predict the path of the ball, a cheating technique called sector targeting. [2] In December 2004 court adjudged that they didn’t cheat because their special laser cameraphone and microchip weren’t influencing the ball – they kept all £1.3m. [3]
Betting Only on Red
One conceivable strategy would be to bet on the ball landing in a red space for a certain number of spins, for example, 38.
There are 18 red spaces on a roulette table with 38 total spaces. Dividing 18 by 38 yields a probability of landing on red of 47.37%. This probability can be used in a binomial distribution and made into an approximate standard normal distribution.
Doing so indicates that, if one were to spin the wheel 38 times, there is a 99% probability that the ball would land on red at least 10 times. There is an 83% probability that in 38 spins, the ball will land on red at least 15 times. Out of 38 spins, there’s a 50% chance that 18 will be red.
However, the break-even point is 19 spins, since the bet on red is 2:1, and the probability of 19 red spins in 38 is only 37%. This indicates the difficulty of winning by only betting on red.
The results occur because, as indicated by the 18 divided by 38 equals 47.37% figure, the ball will land on red less than half the time. This percentage applied in the binomial and standard normal distributions creates the vast divide in probability from 18 red spins to 19 red spins out of 38 spins. Basically, it is very unlikely for anyone to spin much more than 18 red spins out of 38 spins.
Betting multiple times
This type of bet is a combination of the red bet and the martingale system. Except this bet also includes the odd. What you do is you start off with a bet of 1 on each the red and the odd (or you can do the black and even). You treat each bet seperately. When one bet loses, you double it. When one bet wins, you set it back to 1. The reason that this technique keeps you in the game so long is that there is a 25% chance of you winning both the red and the odd and theres a 50% chance that you will break even. Of course in order for this method to last, you would need an unlimited source of money.
Famous Bets
In 2004, Ashley Revell of London sold all of his possessions, clothing included, and brought US$135,300 to the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas and put it all on “Red” at the roulette table in a double-or-nothing bet. The ball landed on “Red 7″ and Revell walked away with his net-worth doubled to $270,600.
In the 1942 film Casablanca, Rick’s Café Americain has a trick roulette wheel. The croupier can cause it to land on 22 at will. Rick (Humphrey Bogart) urges a Bulgarian refugee with whose case he becomes sympathetic to put his last three chips on 22 and motions to the croupier to let him win. After the man’s number dramatically comes up, Rick tells him to let it all ride on 22 and lets him win again. Although the details are not mentioned in the film (the croupier only notes that they are “a couple of thousand” down), it appears that Rick has given the man 3675 (3*35*35) francs.
In the music video for Palace & Main by Kent, guitarist Harri Mänty goes to Las Vegas and bets the entire video budget on black. He wins, and the profits were donated to charity.
In the third part of the 1998 film Run, Lola, Run, Lola uses all her money to buy a 100-mark chip. (She is actually just short of 100 marks, but gains the sympathy of a casino employee who gives her the chip for what money she has.) She bets her single chip on 20 and wins. She lets her winnings ride on 20 and wins again, making her total winnings 100,000 marks.
The Excalibur Hotel/Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip at 3850 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of the large casinos owned by the Mandalay Resort Group. As of June 2004, the Mandalay Resort Group was purchased by MGM Mirage adding this hotel to its vast array of properties on the Strip.
Excalibur, named for the mythical sword of King Arthur, uses the Arthurian theme in several ways. Its facade is a stylized image of a castle, with a wizardlike figure representing Merlin looking out from a high turret.
The Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection, where the property sits, is very busy, so pedestrians are not allowed to cross at street level. Instead, Excalibur is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to its neighboring casinos to the north (the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, across Tropicana Avenue) and to the east (the Tropicana Resort & Casino, across the Strip). There is also a free tram that connects Excalibur to its sister Mandalay Resort Group hotel-casinos to the south, the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.
History
The Excalibur opened on June 19, 1990. It was one of many new, modern Las Vegas hotels that featured children’s attractions, such as an arcade and a small medieval style roller coaster. Another feature of the Excalibur that is prominent in many of today’s Las Vegas hotels is a large family swimming pool.
In February 2003, the Las Vegas area received over 3 inches of rain. In turn the 18th floor of the Excalibur Hotel was evacuated. The fire alarms were triggered when rain entered the rooms. This is a design flaw of the building. To date this has not been repaired.
On March 21, 2003 the largest Megabucks Jackpot, as of that time, was hit at the Excalibur. The jackpot was for $39,713,982.25.
On April 26, 2005, the Excalibur, along with the other hotels of the Mandalay Resort Group, was purchased by rival MGM Mirage.
Some restaurants and other areas have Arthurian names, such as the Roundtable Buffet, Sir Galahad’s Prime Cuts, The Steakhouse of Camelot, and Regale Italian eatery, or reflect a broader “Merrie Olde England” theme, such as the Sherwood Forest Cafe. A long-running show, the “Tournament of Kings,” features simulated medieval jousting. Regale was originally called “Lance-a-lotta Pasta” and was more family/child oriented than Regale, which is more upscale.
A few years after opening, Excalibur introduced a free nighttime show in the moat near the resort’s main entrance. A dragon would emerge from under the main entryway bridge and do battle with the wizard, Merlin. After a few years of operation, this attraction was discontinued.
In June of 2007, the Dick’s Last Resort chain opened a restaurant in the Excalibur. Accompanying this addition, the iconic figure of Merlin visible from Excalibur’s exterior was replaced by the image of “Slick Dick” from the restaurant chain’s logo.
Like many other hotels on the Strip, the Excalibur features a wedding chapel. The chapel offers themed medieval weddings complete with renaissance period costumes.
The hotel has opened a spa near the pool.
In 2007, the pool area was closed for renovation. Most of the parking area to the east of the parking garage was gated off for the expansion of the pool area. The new pool construction was originally started in fall, 2006 in the hopes of being completed for the summer of 2007 but there were delays so the new pool is now slated to open for summer, 2008. Excalibur recently added on their official website that the pool is now open saying “We’ve doubled the size of our pool, adding cabanas, fire pits, sun decks and a secluded relaxation pool. And our new poolside restaurant, DRENCHED, is the perfect place to quench your thirst, and your appetite.”
A deal in which every (or almost every) seated player called the first opening bet.
fast
Aggressive play. I was afraid of too many chasers, so I played my trips fast.
feeder
In a casino setting, a second or third table playing the same game as a “main” table, and from which players move to the main game as players there leave. Also called a “must-move table.”
fifth street
The last card dealt to the board in community card games.
The fifth card dealt to each player in stud poker.
fill, fill up
To successfully draw to a hand that needs one card to complete it, by getting the last card of a straight, flush, or full house. Jerry made his flush when I was betting my kings up, but I filled on seventh street to catch up.
final table
In a multi-table tournament: to remain in the game long enough as to make it to the last round of players that can fit at one standard tournament table (usually 9 or 10 players).
fire
To make the opening bet of a round, following the same analogy by which chips are called “ammo”. I called Ken’s bet on fourth with a draw, but I bricked, and when he fired again I had to fold. or I think Randy suspected my earlier bet was a bluff, but when I fired a second shot he let it go.
fish
An unskilled player, or an otherwise skilled player playing carelessly.
To risk money on a long-shot bet
five of a kind
A hand possible only in games with wild cards, defeating all other hands, comprising five cards of equal rank.
flash
To show the bottom card of the deck while shuffling.
To show one or more downcards from one’s hand. After everyone folded, Ted flashed his bluff to the other players.
flat call
A call, in a situation where one might be expected to raise. Normally I raise with jacks, but with three limpers ahead of me I decided to flat call.
float
To call a bet with an inferior hand, with the intention of bluffing on a later betting round.
floorman, floorperson
A casino employee whose duties include adjudicating player disputes, keeping games filled and balanced, and managing dealers and other personnel. Players may shout “floor!” to call for a floorperson to resolve a dispute, to ask for a table or seat change, or to ask for some other casino service.
flop game
A community card game.
flush
A hand comprising five cards of the same suit.
forced-move
In a casino where more than one table is playing the same game with the same betting structure, one of the tables may be designated the “main” table,and will be kept full by requiring a player to move from one of the feeder tables to fill any vacancies. Players will generally be informed that their table is a “forced-move” table to be used in this way before they agree to play there. Also “must-move”.
forward motion
A house rule of some casinos states that if a player in turn picks up chips from his stack and moves his hand toward the pot (“forward motion with chips in hand”), this constitutes a commitment to bet (or call), and the player may not withdraw his hand to check or fold. Such a player still has the choice of whether to call or raise.
fouled hand
A hand that is ruled unplayable because of an irregularity, such as being found with too many or two few cards, having been mixed with cards of other players or the muck, having fallen off the table, etc.
four-flush
Four cards of the same suit. A non-standard poker hand in some games, an incomplete drawing hand in most.
four of a kind
A hand containing four cards of equal rank. Also “quads”.
four-straight
Four cards in rank sequence; either an open-ender or one-ender. A non-standard poker hand in some games, an incomplete drawing hand in most. Sometimes “four to a straight”.
fourth street
The fourth card dealt to the board in community card games. Also “turn”.
The fourth card dealt to each player in stud.
free card
A card dealt to one’s hand (or to the board of community cards) after a betting round in which no player opened. One is thereby being given a chance to improve one’s hand without having to pay anything. I wasn’t sure my hand was good, but I bet so I wouldn’t give a free card to Bill’s flush draw.
freezeout
A winner-take-all tournament. That is, a game in which play continues until one player has all the chips.
full, full boat, full hand, full house
A hand with three cards of one rank and two of a second rank. Also “boat”, “tight”.
full bet rule
In some casinos, the rule that a player must wager the full amount required in order for his action to constitute a raise. For example, in a game with a $4 fixed limit, a player facing an opening bet of $4 who wagers $7 is deemed to have flat called, because $8 is required to raise.
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Picture of Fenway Park. Part of the “Green Monster” can be seen on the right side of this picture
Row of slot machines inside Las Vegas airport.
Queen of the Nile (manufactured by Aristocrat), one of the most popular Australian poker machine games, also very popular in some American casinos
