Casino Entertainment Basics

Casinos have recently been popular as locations for movies like “Oceans 11”, however slot machines and roulette tables have been identified with them since long. Besides all other things casinos are excellent one-stop locations for a variety of entertainment options. People believe casinos attract famous name entertainment found only in large cities or exclusive shows nowhere else found.

Short-term performances hosted by casinos; include pop groups in between their tours or permanent or extended run shows. Latest trend being, to build larger million dollar theaters, designed specifically for a single show.

Some acts are associated pretty closely with casinos. Penn & Teller, Cirque du Soleil, and David Copperfield though also known for TV shows and live performances, are yet still known for their casinos only. To get a newer audience base casinos are looking for more entertainment options. Cabarets though shall remain as a prominent option Broadway shows are troop setting up at casinos.

Family oriented options are also being tried as an option and are becoming popular, as some casinos are eager to be known as destinations for family vacation. A lot of shows with high adult content have been modified to make them acceptable for a younger audience also.

However casinos shall always keep there original moneymaking shows intact, despite all the changes creeping in. Big name singers like Celine Dion and Elton John are joining the band of performers, signing long-term contracts with casinos. Sports fans gathering for boxing shows remain a constant Friday night fixture. Showgirls and casinos shall always be one steady relationship.

It is seen as an extension to the existing work they are doing. This can be technically termed as value addition or sales promotion. Whatever one may call it but the fact remains that the sole purpose of this exercise is to get the masses to the casinos. Many of the casinos are trying to create the scenes of the past in front of the customers giving them a nostalgic sense. So you might end up sitting with the pharos at the dinner table or might be found playing with the dukes and the duchess’.

The major shows in the world are coming to the casinos. This is not only popularizing the casino culture but also vitalizing the experience of the customers who come to seek entertainment with betting. The pricing of these has been made affordable to attract more and more people from the various strata of the society. Incentives to the children are acting as promotional methods and are very successful. Adding to all these are the glamorous events like boxing fixtures etc. that take place at the gambling hubs.

All one can imagine is that the gambling related travel becoming the mainstay of tourism. If so happens the whole world will have to change their brochures and include entertainment providing casinos as their Unique Selling Proposition. Gambling is here to stay and the more glamorous it is made the more following it will have. if you can bring them to the casino you can make them throw some money on the table.

Casino Psychology

Casinos don’t gamble! But their guests do. The decor and ambiance of a casino is not a gamble that maybe the guests will like it. Everything is well thought out and designed to encourage the casino guests to stay and enjoy themselves. So what are these little gems which keep casinos hitting the jackpot and getting people through their doors?

Any visitor to Las Vegas or a large casino around the world will realise that once they walk through the doors they exit reality and enter a luxurious dreamland. The flashing lights and bright colours get would be gamblers into a trance/euphoric state. So how can a casino be designed in such a way that it encourages people to gamble more and for longer?

By playing the tables in Las Vegas or other large casinos it can be disorienting experience. This is due to the lack of clocks and natural daylight. No watches on dealers, no windows but fresh oxygen, bright lights and the chance to win a million and change your life forever. Players are not able to distinguish between night and day inside the heart of a casino.

Some casinos offer free drinks and snacks to keep players happy so that they are unlikely to move from where they are. Extra oxygen being pumped in to some casinos helps keep players alert and wide awake into the early hours of the morning. I have also heard that pheromones have allegedly been released from US machines to encourage aggressive gambling. But this seems a bit overambitious.

There's nothing like an almost win to encourage a player to keep putting coins into the slot machine or laying their chips on the table. An almost win will get a player to over-estimate their chances of winning. I suppose they think oh! I almost won if I play a bit longer this machine is going to pay out! When a gambler feels their skill can influence the outcome of the game like: throwing the dice they get a feeling of control and power which develops that keeps them gambling longer.

There is also the option of loyalty cards. Sun International has the (Most Valued Guest) MVG card and other casinos have their own version of something similar. From them the casino staff gets to know more about their regular players. What they like, how regularly they play, which of the machines is their favourite, what they like to eat and drink on the floor, when they have won and when its their birthday so they can be made a fuss over. The more you play the better discounts you get. Ideally players want to progress to something like a gold card where they get the biggest discounts and are the first to be invited to big tournaments.

If you get enough points on your card players are then entitled to lots of vouchers for free meals, free transport, free entertainment, free drinks and even free hotel rooms. I am sure it is the pleasure and power principle which keeps people coming back to casinos.

US Casino History

The casino in the United States has a long and often illustrious history. Gambling plays a part in American history from the beginning of the colonies, in the lore of the Wild West, in the history of the underground bars during prohibition, and more. Laws concerning gambling have changed over time, with growing prohibitions against gambling followed by a relaxing of laws.

Attitudes toward gambling varied in the early American colonies. Puritan-founded colonies, not surprisingly, disapproved most strongly of all forms of dice, cards and gaming. Colonies founded by the English were quite tolerant of gambling, and it was treated as an innocent pastime. By the early 1800’s, gambling, and even gaming houses, or casinos, had evolved in the newly founded United States. New Orleans, in particular, was a center for gambling, and casinos and saloons in New Orleans evolved games we still link with the old west, including poker and blackjack.

During the California gold rush, gambling was both legal and widespread, as government offices regulated and licensed the saloon and the casino. Faro, bluff, and dice games were popular. While New Orleans had been the gambling capital of America forty years earlier, San Francisco replaced it as the main site for gambling and casinos due to the free flowing gold of the California gold rush.

During the period between the late 1850's and early 1900's, California progressively criminalized gambling. It remained legal in Nevada until 1910; however, the casino never reached the glory in Nevada that it had in San Francisco. Gambling was also criminalized elsewhere in the country during this period. Needless to say, gambling did continue, but it was a phenomenon kept behind closed doors. During the era when gambling was widely illegal, casinos remained in operation in speakeasies, private clubs, and more.

Gambling once again began to be legalized in 1931, starting with Nevada. During the 1930's, some 21 states legalized racetrack gambling. Gambling continued in Nevada, and with low stakes bingo elsewhere. Casinos began to spring up in Atlantic City, NJ in the late 70's. In 1987, the Supreme Court made a fundamental decision allowing gambling on Native American reservations, and in the years since, casino gambling has spread throughout the country with modern and thriving casinos in many states. Riverboat casinos began to spring up on major rivers in many states during the same period, bringing gambling full circle to its early roots with riverboat gamblers on the mighty Mississippi in the early 1800's.

Casino Surrender

Boyd Gaming Legendary Stardust Resort & Casino First To Offer Innovative Blackjack Game in Las Vegas

Casino Gaming, LLC officially launched a new Blackjack game called “Casino Surrender” that is now available at the Stardust Resort & Casino. Casino Surrender is a Blackjack winning option that forces the casino to surrender, making a player an automatic winner against the house.

Casino Surrender does not change the traditional game of Blackjack. When playing Casino Surrender, normal Blackjack rules apply but with an additional winning option. That option applies when: a player is dealt a two-card 20 and the dealer’s up card is a 10-value card and the dealer does not have Blackjack; that player now has the winning option to force the casino to surrender and automatically win by keeping the original bet and in addition, winning half the amount of the original bet.

For example, a player bets $100 and is dealt a two-card 20. If the dealer’s up card is a 10-value card and the dealer does not have Blackjack, that player has the option to force the casino to surrender and win. Therefore the player keeps the original $100 bet and wins $50.

This new option is similar to the Insurance option currently available, but is a better percentage bet for the player.

“We believe Blackjack players, informed with the facts, would choose to sit at a Blackjack table with Casino Surrender instead of a standard Blackjack table because players will have the option to consider taking Casino Surrender at no additional risk,” said Frank Mugnolo, developer and owner of Casino Surrender. “It is the same ‘traditional’ Blackjack game with an added option for winning. The Blackjack layout for Casino Surrender is exactly the same as the regular Blackjack layout with an added ‘Casino Surrender’ logo printed on it.”

When playing Blackjack, and the dealer’s up card is a 10-value card, the player has to assume that the dealer has 20. Statistics show that when a player has a two-card 20 and is facing a dealer’s 10-value card, the players will lose or push almost 50 percent of the time. With Casino Surrender, the player now has a 100 percent assured winning option against the house when facing a dealer’s 10-value card without the hand being Blackjack.

Finding Casino Jobs

Conducting a casino job search is very similar to conducting any other type of job search. The first thing you need to do is determine what kind of work you are looking for and where you would like to work.

Many casinos are located in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, but these are not the only places where you can find casino work. If you have the freedom to relocate to take a casino job, this means that you can consider more opportunities, but you may be able to find work at a location near you, too.

Once you have an idea of what type of work you are interested in and where you would like to work, you need to make sure your resume is up to date. Even if you have spent some time on it recently, take another look to see where you can make a point of mentioning any hospitality or customer service experience you have.

Casinos are looking for staff members who are interested in providing exemplary customer service, and who are comfortable interacting with guests from many types of backgrounds. No two days working at a casino will be the same, and it takes a certain kind of person to be as polite at the end of a shift as when they arrived for work.

The Internet can be a wonderful tool for job seekers. If there is a specific casino you are interested in, you can surf over to that company's web site to see available positions. You will either be asked to submit an online form or to apply by e-mail.

Do make a point of applying for a job in the way the prospective employer specifies. Being able to follow instructions is an important part of working in a casino and failure to do so may mean that your application will not be considered.

Another option when looking for casino work online is to check one of the major job boards, such as Monster. To get an idea of what positions are available, simply type the word "casino" into the search box and press "Enter." You also have the option of searching for a specific job title using the word "casino" as a keyword. These sites will also let you narrow your search to a certain location so you are not seeing search results outside of your target area.

An employment agency may be able to help you find work at a casino as well. Since the agency screens applicants before sending them on to an interview with the employer, you may find it easier to get hired by using this method. Consider working for a casino through an agency on a temporary basis; this gives you the chance to show the casino management what you can do, and it also gives you the opportunity to decide whether that is the right working environment for you.

When it comes to looking for work, at a casino or in any other industry, don't discount the value of good, old-fashioned networking. Tell everyone you know that you are interested in getting a job at a casino and what kind of work you are looking for. If anyone gives you a tip about somewhere you should be looking, make a point of following up on it quickly. If you wait too long, you may find the position you are interested in is already filled.

There are many ways to search for work in a casino. Why don't you try a combination of techniques to increase your chances of being hired?

Gambling in casinos

In most jurisdictions worldwide, gambling is limited to persons over the age of license (18 or 21 years of age in most of the United States and 16 to 21 in most other countries where casinos are permitted).

Customers gamble by playing slot machines or other games of chance (e.g., craps, roulette, baccarat) and some skill (e.g., blackjack, poker) (for more see casino games). Games usually have mathematically-determined odds that ensure the house has at all times an advantage over the players. This can be expressed more precisely by the notion of expected value, which is uniformly negative (from the player's perspective). This advantage is called the house edge. In games such as poker where players play against each other, the house takes a commission called the rake. Casinos often give out free items, known as comps to people who are gambling. Often, in most casinos, the more money a player uses the more benefits or comps the player get.

History of casion

The precise origin of gambling is unknown. The Chinese recorded the first official account of the practice in 2300 B.C., but it is generally believed that activity of gambling, in some way or another, has been seen in almost every society in history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to Napoleon's France and Elizabethan England, much of history is filled with stories of entertainment based on the games of chance.

In American history, early casinos were originally known as saloons. The creation and importance of saloons was greatly influenced by four major cities; New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to, drink with, and often gamble with. During the early 20th century in America, gambling became outlawed and banned by state legislation and social reformers of the time. However, in 1931, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, and Las Vegas, presently known as "Sin City", spawned America's first official casinos. Soon after, in the state of New Jersey, Atlantic City joined the Casino industry in 1978 to become America's second largest gambling city.