The best fringe benefit from my job hosting Kimo's Vegas - Las Vegas Radio Talk Show is meeting the people we see on TV or who write the books we read. They have all been gracious to allow me to interview them. What I find most interesting is the contrast in expert opinions.

Anthony Curtis

Take Anthony Curtis - The Las Vegas Advisor for example. Like us he is truly a fan of Las Vegas. In a past life he must have lived in Hawaii because he is full of the Aloha Spirit. His website has thousands of members and is one of the best Vegas portals you'll find. He runs a publishing company that specializes in gaming books and he is a well known columnist and TV personality. One of the problems with all this success is that he does not get to play much anymore... partially from notoriety but mostly it's an issue of time. When he plays or gives advice about playing he is all business. He recommends playing games with the lowest house edge and becoming proficient at that game before risking any money. This calculated no nonsense approach to gambling is solid advice and a philosophy that is shared by many.

So now that you feel guilty about dropping a $100 in the Megabucks machine let me share what I learned from Max Rubin. His book Comp City was the first tutorial on how to work the casino comp system. You've seen him on TV many times and now he is hosting The Ultimate Blackjack Challenge television series.

Max Rubin

Max is a professional gambler too but his advice is you're on vacation... and vacations are supposed to be fun. If you wanna play a little slots or roulette if its fun to you why not?

What's the difference between the two philosophies?

If your goal is to play with the greatest advantage possible and you're willing to learn the games well enough to cut the house edge to the smallest fraction then Anthony's philosophy is perfect for your vacation.

If you're in Vegas to have a good time and thinking about house advantage, expected value, theoretical win, pay tables, true odds sounds like work then don't do it. Don't think about it and don't even worry about it.

Then end result will probably be the same... we all go to Vegas with the dream of winning and the reality of losing.

Bill Burton

Which brings us to Bill Burton the author of 1,000 Best Gambling Secrets, he says we have the ultimate tool against the casinos... we can stop at any time.

Casino executives know this and they design the casinos with no clocks or windows and put carpeting on the floor with patterns so distracting it forces you to look up. And that's why casino floor plans are designed like mazes but that's the subject for another month.

Listen to these interviews at www.KimosVegas.com and get more Kimo's Vegas on Sports Radio 1420am, in MidWeek and with Brickwood Galuteria on Hawaiian105KINE.

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