Local gamblers can choose from four tribal casinos A losing proposition that's fun

Nov 14, 2008 (The News Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- LOW | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- The Puget Sound region offers gamblers dozens of casinos, from the small-town mom-and-pop cardroom to the large, swanky, Vegas-like gambling hall. Some offer a few card tables and a poker room, while others invite high rollers to play at $25 slot machines and $500-limit blackjack games.

From Marysville to Lewis County, from Shelton to North Bend, gamblers have the chance to test their luck against rolling dice, spinning balls, turning wheels, three-card poker hole cards and the Texas hold'em flop. For some, the game is bingo, for others, it's the newest, loudest, most colorful slot machines.

We visited four tribal casinos popular with South Sound players.

EMERALD QUEEN IN TACOMA

Address: 2024 E. 29th St., Tacoma.

Hours: Closed 6 a.m.-10 a.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; open all other times.

Affiliation: Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

Games: Table games, slot machines.

Rewards: No well-organized players' rewards program. Recent policy change by tribal council decreed that complimentary meals must be consumed on site -- so no doggie bags for complementary diners. If you feel you deserve a comp, notify a staff member. One official says slot players are rewarded by better machine odds.

Entertainment: The I-5 Showroom features regular headline acts. Tonight and Saturday, Sinbad performs. Next weekend, it's the Smooth Operators, and on the 29th it's cage fighting. Foreigner comes in January. The Bridge Nightclub features bands Fridays through Mondays.

Vibe: High energy, brightly lit, fast action.

Web site: www.emeraldqueen.com.

EMERALD QUEEN IN FIFE

Address: 5700 Pacific Highway E., Fife.

Hours: Closed 6 a.m.-10 a.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; open all other times.

Affiliation: Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

Games: Slots and keno only.

Rewards: Although some players have complained, the tribal council has decreed that no complimentary meals or leftovers from complimentary meals may be taken from the premises. Now, all reward-based food must be consumed on site. If you feel you deserve a comp, notify a staff member.

Bonus: An adjacent hotel offers a special rate for visitors who attend a concert at the sister casino showroom. A new parking garage helps accommodate crowds. A 35,000-square-foot gaming area is scheduled to open in February.

Entertainment: None.

Vibe: Low-key, senior friendly. Nonsmoking area available.

Web site: www.emeraldqueencasino.com.

MUCKLESHOOT CASINO

Address: 2402 Auburn Way S., Auburn.

Hours: Open 24 hours a day.

Affiliation: Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.

Games: Table games, slot machines, regular poker tournaments; nearby bingo hall offers seats for 1,200 players.

Rewards: Muckleshoot Preferred Players Club offers a cash-back policy for regular play. Accumulated points can go toward onsite meals or items (ranging from a cordless screwdriver to an all-terrain vehicle) available from an online catalog.

Entertainment: Club Galaxy offers programs ranging from the tribute show "Legends" to entries from the world of Top 40, R&B, soul and jazz.

Vibe: Big, busy. Nonsmoking area available. Sweet shop offers tasty ice cream.

Web site: www.muckleshootcasino.com.

RED WIND CASINO

Address: 12819 Yelm Highway, Olympia

Hours: Closed 5 a.m.-9 a.m. Mondays-Wednesdays; open all other times.

Affiliation: Nisqually Indian Tribe.

Games: Table games, slot machines.

Rewards: Cash and prize drawings for Rewards Club members; points can be redeemed at restaurants, the gift shop or the Rez Mart for gasoline. Seniors and active military receive discounts. A current promotion offers a chance to win a $10,000 Lowe's gift card.

Entertainment: The Coho Cabaret features acts ranging from hypnotist Ron Stubbs to an Elvis tribute, from big-hat country to heart-thumpin' funk.

Bonus: Craps players will appreciate the 10-times odds bets.

Vibe: Small-town friendly. Nonsmoking area available. Interesting little gift shop.

Web site: www.redwindcasino.com.

You've come to gamble, after all. That implies risk. And when you play at a casino -- whether a tribal casino or a minicasino -- the house has an advantage. You may get lucky, but over time you will lose money. The odds are not in your favor, whatever game you play.

So if you go, go with the idea that you'll enjoy yourself. This is an opportunity to be with friends (or strangers), and it's a time to test yourself against the whims of chance.

Here's a rough guide -- and a few tips -- to some of the games you'll find at tribal casinos in the South Sound.

SLOT MACHINES

Typically, casinos will say that their machines pay back up to 96 percent of the money that goes in. These numbers are not independently verifiable, nor do they particularly matter. The proposed payback is made over a lifetime, not necessarily when you're sitting down to play. The newer machines take cash instead of a ticket, so it's even easier to spend your money.

Frankly, there's no such thing hereabouts as a "hot machine." You're playing against a central computer that doesn't really care whether you're playing Cleopatra or Little Green Men, Double Dolphins or the Queen of Sheba.

Tip: Play the machine you think is fun to play, so that when you lose you'll have enjoyed the experience.

BLACKJACK

You get two cards which you hope add up to 21, as with an ace plus a face card or 10. You can ask for more cards, but if your total goes over 21, you lose. You won't know what the dealer has until the end.

Tip: Always split 8s. Never take insurance.

CRAPS

Purists argue (some say mini-baccarat, some say blackjack), but I contend this is the game where you can get the best odds in the house. Basically, the person with the dice will initially establish a point (four, five, six, eight, nine or 10) by throwing that number, and players will win if the established point is repeated. Players will lose if a seven is thrown before the established point is repeated.

There are many variations. The game, although simple, seems fast and confusing to the beginner. Dealers will gladly help, as will other players at a table. Avoid the most obvious bets on the table (Field, Big 8 and Big 6, Any Craps, Horn, hard ways) which carry a high house advantage.

Best simple strategy: $5 on the Line, full odds, two Come bets, full odds. If you're feeling lucky, put a place bet on the six and/or the eight, betting in increments of $6.

Local note, for those in the know: The Red Wind Casino offers 10-times odds (you can wager up to 10 times your original Line or Come bet and receive better odds), the best in the region. The Emerald Queen and the Muckleshoot casinos offer two-times odds, although Muckleshoot dealers will take a $20 odds bet after betting $6 flat.

Tip: Keep your hands away from the table when the dice are being thrown. If you're reaching down to make a bet, and the dice hit your hands, everybody at the table will hate you forever -- or at least for five minutes.

ROULETTE

The dealer spins a little ball onto a spinning wheel. You can bet on any number -- or several combinations of numbers -- between 00, 0 and 36. The house has an advantage on any bet you make.

The fact is (I'm sorry, system players) there are no patterns on an honest wheel. The ball has no memory of what has gone before.

Tip: Pick a number, and surround it. Repeat until you're broke.

Caveat: OK, sometimes you can spot a dealer who seems to spin the ball in such a way, or at a certain point in the wheel's revolution, that a pattern will emerge. But if you've got the time to wait that one out, you might as well go play pai gow.

PAI GOW

A slow way to lose your money. The dealer and the player get their own seven-card hands from which they pick the best two-card and five-card hands. Usually, the game ends in a tie. If you win, the house takes a commission. Before receiving your cards, you can make a bonus bet. Whenever you see the term "bonus bet," you can be assured that house has a high advantage.

Tip: You're probably not going to get a seven-card straight flush. Learn how to play craps instead.

BACCARAT

Like its French cousin chemin de fer, this game requires no skill whatsoever. Players may bet on the bank hand or the player hand, with both attempting to reach a total of nine points. As with roulette, there are no predictable patterns -- and casinos do very well, thank you very much, catering to players who believe otherwise.

Tip: Bet the bank.

KENO

Not unlike bingo, dealers randomly pick 20 balls from 80 possible candidates. Bettors mark a card and predict which numbers will be chosen. The card may be marked with hundreds of variations of numbers, none of which will likely result in a profit. The house loves keno players.

Tip: Bet seven single numbers, all possible ways, at 10 cents a way. Or bet your birthday, your age, the date of your wedding anniversary and the first three digits of the balance of your 401(k) account. It doesn't matter. Unless you're lucky, you won't win.

know the lingo

You might hear some strange words when you visit a casino. Here's what they mean.

Monkey: In a card game, a face card.

Toke: A tip for the dealer.

Comps: Complimentary meals or other gifts by casinos to players.

System: Everybody has one. None of them actually work.

Action: The amount of money in play.

Aces, midnight: In dice, a roll of two ones or two sixes. It's never "snake eyes" or "boxcars."

Nickel, quarter: $5 and $25 (a "dime," however, is usually $1,000)

White, red, green, black, pink: Chips denominated at $1, $5, $25, $100, $500

Color up: To change a pile of chips (i.e. 40 red) into fewer chips (i.e. two black)

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