Gambling City

We are Cash Back

Spread Your Play Around




Author: Mark Pilarski


Dear Mark: When playing at a gambling destination where there are numerous casinos, how many different Player’s cards do you recommend I get? J. B.

I would recommend at least three individual casinos where you are a rated player and have one of their Player’s cards. Casinos all too often change their comp guidelines and host crew. When doing so, changes might occur not to your liking. If you have multiple casinos that you enjoy, you will never have to worry that any remodeling of their comp policy will ruin your gambling experience. Every casino offers individual bargains at different times of the day, week, month or year. By widening your action, you can get goodies galore 24/7, 365 days a year.

Dear Mark: I personally am not a gambler, but I thoroughly enjoy your column. I find it very enlightening. Between your column in our local newspaper, and TV shows like the World Poker Tour, I get my engrossment with gambling fulfilled without spending a dime, although this leads me to a question about Las Vegas. This August, I will be going to the PGA Fall Expo and will get my fair share of golf in. For someone who doesn't gamble, any suggestions for a Foodie like me? B. W.

Thank you, B.W., for your kind words.

I would advise anyone heading to Las Vegas, that you should always have a fame plan for other activities like shows, dining, shopping, sightseeing, the health club, or in your case golf. Make it an pleasurable, entertaining trip, and not all gambling.

What the Mothership offers best, B.W., is that there are more quality dining opportunities than just about any other place in the world, so don't be sparing with your food budget. Enjoy Las Vegas for it's fine food experience. You are not coming to Vegas because they have an In-N-Out Burger -- readers on the Left Coast know exactly what I’m talking about -- but to sample some incredible buffets, steakhouses or sushi restaurants. Some of the greatest chefs in the world now own restaurants in Las Vegas, so you, B.W., being the food fancier that you are, should certainly budget some money for the ultimate feeding free for all.

As for a culinary dissertation on which is the best place to dine, I will defer to the reviews from Yelp, or Foodies, like you. Oh, and for those leaving Vegas with only loose change in their pockets, for that In-N-Out Burger fix, have your cab driver stop at one of their nine locations on your way to McCarran airport.

Dear Mark: In your answer to one of your questions, you have written that the IRS allows you to write off your losses, which, for most part, are greater than your winnings. The losses however can't surpass your winnings. I have had two clients that question this position. R. F.

What I meant by “losses exceeding winnings,” was that most people primarily lose over the period of a year, not win. In essence, I was simply saying that no gambler ever beats the casino over the long run.

Readers know (and may be tired of me saying) that you CAN balance your casino jackpot wins against other gambling loses, just as long as you itemize your deductions and do not take the standard deduction on your income tax return. Gambling losses can only counterbalance gambling winnings, and not any other source of income, during that same tax period. Moreover, you may not carry losses forward, or back, to any other tax year.

Gambling Wisdom of the Week:
"Get this through your head; slot machines, dice, cards, or any other gambling device, have no memory! They do not remember past results and they don't give a crap whether you win or lose." --VP Pappy

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