Gamblers Guide to England with ten tips
Gambler's Guide to England with ten tips
Even, if you survive the 48-hour gaming, 99 percent of the clubs charge an admission fee ranging from $10 to $25. If you are a good player or you know one of the casino executives in a London club, then you might be able to get around the admission fee. Phone ahead to the club and mention that you are coming over. The casino executive can invite you in as an "honorary guest." That way you don't have to pay the admission. Or if you have played heavily in a club, don't be afraid to ask the boss to phone ahead to the next club so that you might be able to beat the admission price.
Nevada still has the finest casinos, entertainment, atmosphere, and style of handling players in the world, but the major clubs in London run a close second, though you, the tourist, still must take precautions that you wouldn't have to worry about in Nevada.
Once you have decided that you're going to gamble in England, you must quickly but very carefully choose the clubs where you want to register.
As I have advised for most non-Nevada gambling, stick strictly to the major clubs. Don't venture off the main trail into the small hit and run joints. They have small bankrolls and can't afford for you to win much. It is very tempting for them to pull a few shenanigans.
And the limits in most small clubs are low (about $50 tops), so you can easily lose a lot of money but you would need a fantastic lucky streak to win very much; and if you get stuck, the low limits may prevent you from ever getting even.
Just stay with the major clubs in the London area.
Another thing, in America and in most other gambling centers is the slang expression for a big bettor is "high roller." And a small player is called a "small player." Makes sense, but in England they call big bettors "big punters," and small bettors "small punters." So don't be surprised if you hear yourself, or some other player, referred to as a punter of one size or another. But the nickname for American tourists hasn't changed, no matter what casino you enter in any part of the world. We still are called "suckers."
Here are ten tips before stepping out on the town to gamble in England:
1. Don't worry about dress. Wear the same clothes you would during an evening of night clubbing in the States, but don't get too casual: tie and jacket for the man (or for the women, as the case may be).
2. Major clubs are open from 2 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays and to 3 a.m. Sunday beginning Saturday nights.
3. Don't cash traveler's cheques or American currency for English money in the casinos.
Banks generally give you a better rate of exchange so there's no sense getting the worst of it before you even make a bet.
4. If you just like to play slot machines then you might not want to waste money spending the entrance fee in London because major clubs are allowed only two slot machines which take only a 6-pence coin (about 12e) and often the two lonely machines have lines of people waiting to play them.
5. Expect to pay an entrance fee of up to $25 at each club, except a few. If you just want to tour a casino, it might save money to phone 'ahead and check if there is a fee.
6. London casinos aren't for boozers. No drinks are allowed near the gaming tables and the bars close by 11:30 p.m.
7. Don't worry about addresses because cab drivers know the locations of the major clubs. But be careful, because the cabbies and bellhops in some hotels might try to steer you to smaller outlying clubs so that they can get kickbacks from the club owners as a reward for luring tourists off the beaten track to the boondocks.
8. English casinos are very strict on credit.
Don't expect credit unless you have impressive references and credentials. For example you can't make "call" bets (a spur of the moment bet without immediately putting up cash) but must play with cash or go to cashier's cage and get some if you can.
9. Minimum and maximum bets vary among the clubs but generally speaking you can usually get by with a minimum bet of pence and £1 on 21 and craps in most games at most major clubs.
10. A final bit of advice: There's an English law that you can't taxed for the money you win, but our Internal Revenue boys consider, that to be a valid law only if you live in England.
