I know that slot machines are the worst game to play at a casino. Be it as it may, does it make any difference if I pull the handle or press the spin button? Julie J.

Right off, Julie, there’s many a goofier flunkey wager than slots in the casino, like the wheel of fortune, keno, certain crap table wagers, or parlay bets in the sports field. Even a “loose” slot machine pays off better than does shabby play at blackjack. As for pulling the handle as opposed to pushing “spin reel,” neither will alter your probability of winning. Each method gives a random outcome.

Dear Mark,

I have seen slot systems advertised in the classified section of our local newspaper. Do you think there truly is a system that exists that can beat the slots? Millie F.

There is no system for slots, or any other casino game for that matter, which can beat a game, based on pure chance. There are plenty of quacksalvers advertising, and selling to the naive, systems they claim can beat such games of luck as the lottery, roulette, keno, and slots. But it’s better to save your hard-won money, Millie, than to help Snake-oil Sam pay for a TV spot or a $6 newspaper classified. It is impossible to beat the house at games of chance with any system bought from some charlatan advertising in your local paper.

Dear Mark,

In Joker Poker, what happens if I create the wrong hand using my Joker and accidentally discard a card that would create a straight, flush or, God forbid, a Royal? Kim K.

Joker Poker is a popular video poker Sbobet game where 53 cards make the deck instead of the normal 52. The extra card, of course, is a Joker acting as a wild card. The Joker can be used as an alternate for a card of any suit or denomination to complete a winning hand. No need, Kim, to worry about misplaying your hand. You’re actually just setting things up for the computer to play the hand, and the computer automatically assigns the highest possible suit and value to the Joker, giving you the highest possible payout for the cards you are holding.

Dear Mark,

What do you think about playing craps this way? You wait until the shooter makes two consecutive passes and then bet against him. For example: The odds of a shooter making a pass at craps are about 50-50, but the odds against a shooter making three passes in a row are around 7-1. Therefore, with odds against the shooter at 7-1, and the shooter just made two consecutive passes, now would be the right time to bet against him. Am I missing something playing this way? Jerry C.

Yes, Jerry, youıre missing the big picture by not understanding that each roll of the dice is a self-contained event, independent of and unrelated to any past or future occurrence. Your math is right: the odds against three passes in a row are about 7-1, but you are not wagering against three past events (those consecutive passes). You are betting against an as-yet-unborn event – the next pass. The odds on the next roll always remain the same. Dice, Jerry, have neither memory nor clairvoyance, unless, of course, they are loaded. What happened on the last toss does not influence the next throw. Another thing, Jerry. What happens to your system if the shooter rolls craps on the come-out? You lose, friend! If a 2, 3, or 12 were to roll it wouldnıt matter how many consecutive passes you wait for before betting.

Gambling thought of the week: “Iım naturally paranoid. When I play cards with my kids I always cut the deck. All gamblers are paranoid, though they call it superstition.” – Mario Puzo, Inside Las Vegas (1976)