PIONEER TERRITORY GAMING
One
of the first things Pioneer Territory visitors (the ones over 21, that is)
notice when they step into a casino is that things sure ain’t what they used to
be in the days of the “one-armed bandit.”
Today’s
slot machines still have the slot for your coin, of course, but those spinning
reels are now likely to be computer-generated images. There’s no difference in
the way you feel when they line up, however.
Of
course, the real fun of the Pioneer Territory casino is in playing against a
real, live dealer - especially since dealers are some of the most entertaining
characters you’ll ever meet.
Whatever
your game, you’ll find something to like in Pioneer Territory’s casinos. Good
Luck!
BLACKJACK (21)
Blackjack
is the prototypical Nevada table game. Your goal is to come up with a card
combination which equals 21, without going over (“busting”). Following your
ante (initial bet), the dealer gives each player two cards and deals two to
herself. If she pulls an ace and a face card - 21, with the ace counting as
eleven and the face card 10 - the game is over. If she has anything else, play
goes around the table, and you are allowed to draw as many cards as you want
(“hit”) until you’re as close to 21 as you dare to get. If you go over 21,
surrender your cards and wait for the next round. If you should de dealt a 21
in your first two cards, show them to the dealer: you’re a winner! After all
players have been dealt their cards, the dealer reveals her hand, and anyone
closer to 21 than she is declared a winner. If you tie (“push”), you keep your
bet. Aces count as eleven or one (the player decides which), face cards are
always 10, and all other cards play at their face value.
POKER
Whether
it’s played live or machine-generated, poker is king in Nevada casinos, and new
variations of the grand old game seem to arrive daily. At its heart, it’s the
same old game you’ve always played, whether stud (five cards only) or draw
(where you toss out your unwanted cards and receive new ones from the dealer).
Some casinos have poker rooms, where you compete against other players in the
grand Old West tradition, and the past few years have seen an upsurge in
variations like Let It Ride and Caribbean Stud, where a dealer presides over
the game, and your payoff is based upon the strength of your hand. Rules are
posted at all the tables, and the dealer will cheerfully explain anything you
may not understand.
CRAPS
Hear
all that whooping and hollering around the casino? It’s usually coming from the
craps table. A numbers game played with dice, with and against your fellow
players, craps is complex, but undeniably exciting. Very basically, if you hit
seven or eleven on your first roll of the dice, you’re a winner, and you
continue rolling to establish a “point” - that is, a number you will be
attempting to match on subsequent rolls; a two, three or twelve and you lose,
although you maintain control of the dice in an attempt to roll your
all-important “point.” You continue to roll the dice until you roll a seven, at
which time the dice moves on to the next player.
ROULETTE
Easy
to play, and one of the most exciting games in any casino, this is a favorite
pastime for many reasons, chief among them the variety of options available on
any whirl of the wheel. You can pick a single number, a group of numbers, a
color (red or black) and many other combinations and propositions on every
single game. Your dealer will gladly explain the intricacies of roulette to you,
but as to the basics: you’ll be playing right out of the gate.
KENO
An
ancient Asian game, Keno is fun, extremely easy to learn and infinite in its
possibilities. You pick up to 20 numbers out of the 80 on your Keno card, and
you are paid by virtue of how many come up in the random selection made when
the dealer turns on the Keno machine, the plastic numbered balls dance in the
jet of air, and 20 winning numbers are selected and posted on a tote board, or
television monitors scattered about the casino. Huge payoffs are possible,
depending upon how many of your numbers are drawn.