Well hell, why not?

LGBTs should be able to do whatever we straights enjoy doing. Like gambling.

I guess that’s the thinking behind MGM Resorts (in Vegas) Fabulous Party Weekend on Aug. 12.

Since it is Las Vegas, after all, the Fabulous fun will begin with gambling.

The men from Thunder from Down Under, Australia’s answer to the Chippendale Dancers, will be hosting a blackjack tournament at MGM Resorts’ Excalibur Casino.

Thunder from Down Under performs nightly at the Excalibur and will surely be a huge hit with most elements of the LBGT gang – not to mention bringing whole new meaning to the words “variations.”

Beyond the blackjack and slot tournaments, LBGTs buying an entertainment package to the weekend will be bogged down with casino-sponsored Fabulous events including (just to name a few) private parties at ROK Vegas and Studio 54, fashion events, and quite naturally, a Lady Gaga concert at the Grand.

Fab.

From media sources in Harrisburg, Pa., we heard a story about a Harrisburg man who claimed he cheated at Hollywood Casino last week.

Claudie Kenion, 41, said he cheated at the blackjack table.

“Other people was cheating, I just followed suit to be honest,” Kenion told TV station 27.  “A lot of people were doing it. I did it.  I didn’t think nothing of it.  I didn’t think it would be no formal charges pressed or nothing.”

Guess he was wrong about that one.

He was arrested by state police and charged with a new violation aimed at table games called Title 4, Prohibited Acts.

The fine is pretty substantial too. A fine of $75,000 to $150,000 and up to five years in prison for the first offense.

That’s not too cool.

Kenion said he was shocked he was charged.  He said he thought he would simply be asked to leave the casino.

“I thought I was gonna be kicked out,” Kenion said.  “If I knew there was any charges being pressed I would have never did it.  I would have never did it.”

A lesson learned. Casinos don’t screw around.

Captain Tim Allue, Director of the PA State Police Gaming Enforcement Office said anyone who believes that cheating at a table game isn’t a serious offense is “making a serious mistake.”

“I don’t know why anyone would think they could go into a convenience store and steal something and walk out the door and be told ‘Oh well, please don’t come back,” Allue said.

What did he do? In the police report, Kenion increased his bets by at least one chip when he realized he had a winning hand and the dealer wasn’t looking.  They said surveillance video shows he did it 13 times.

Here is clue, players:  anyone who sits down at a table game should expect that they are being closely watched.

Kenion said his story should serve as a cautionary tale to other gamblers.

“I was wrong,” he said.  “I was wrong.  I took advantage of it.  I was wrong.”

Still, Kenion said he has hired a lawyer and plans to fight the charges.

Good luck, dude.

Just heard about this pretty awesome game that combines the best aspects of video poker and blackjack.

Compay is InterCasino (check them out on the web if you don’t believe me), and the game is called “Multi-Hand Video Blackjack.”

Here is how it works, as I understand it: a player may choose to play one, three or five standard blackjack hands.

The dealer can play with three, five, 10 or 50 hands. This thereby gives the player between three and 250 game results on a single “hand.”

Standard blackjack rules are  the norm in Multi-Hand Video Blackjack.

A blackjack hand pays 3:2, clearly making for some huge payouts in the 250-hand game. Dealer must stand on soft 17 and hit all 16s.

Betting in the game is presented in slightly complex fashion, but it basically works the same as in a multi-payline video slot game.

The number of “game results” is calculated by multiplying the player hands times dealer hands.

Check the web for more details on this.

As for strategy, in the multi-hand game, you may employ a standard odds card, but you  won’t want to surrender at all (more dealer hands mean more winning hands for the player) and doubling down must be strictly standard. But basically Multi-Hand Video Blackjack is still blackjack – just a lot of it at once.

Sounds awfully cool.

Kind of like a day trader on Wall Street, eh?

It’s all about money management.

I know. I know. It’s difficult to conceive when you’re at the table, having fun. Drinking. Card counting. [We hope]

But using proper strategy is the absolute best blackjack money management tip you can know.

If you’re playing blackjack online…find a strategy chart and use it while playing.

Contrary to what some people say, you are actually better off bringing a large bankroll to the table.

Blackjack involves lots of variance so you could lose several bets in a row, and then win several wagers in a row.

This said, you need to have enough cash to withstand the downswings and get back on the winning track.

Best thing is to have at least 30-40 times the amount you’ll be betting. So if you bet $5 a hand, you should have $150 in your bankroll.

Know when to quit.

It’s very important that you know when to walk away either during a winning or losing session.

So if you’re up on the casino by 20 bets, you should put away 10 of those bets to ensure a profit.

You can continue playing with the other 10 bets, but once they’re gone, walk away from the table.

Likewise, if you are down 20 bets, it’s time to pack up and go do something else.

Like have some dinner. See a show. Go to another game.

Just break the spell.

I’m not a shill for online casinos (although I like quite a lot of them and I DO play), so I am not going to mention where you can play Perfect Pairs.

Google the words and you’ll find it.

Meanwhile, it’s certainly an interesting way to play and bet.

You place a bet in the perfect pairs spot on the blackjack table.

By doing that you are placing a side bet that the first two cards dealt to your hand will be a pair.

If the cards are not pairs you will loose your wager, if they are pairs the hand will continue and when it finishes you will win your wager and get paid out at 5, 10 or 30 times your wager depending on what type of perfect pair you are dealt.

That’s certainly an interesting play, I would say.

The breakdown for the perfect pairs are as follows:

• Perfect Pairs pays 30 to 1 (ie. two (2) Jacks of Diamonds)
• Colored Pairs pays 10 to 1 (ie. one Jack of Diamonds, one Jack of Hearts)
• Mixed Pairs pays 5 to 1 (ie. one Jack of Diamonds, one Jack of Clubs)

Here’s an example.

You play a $25 game.

And put down $25 on Perfect Pairs. [You can put down a different amount, by the way...doesn't have to match the $25]

Say, now you get a pair of fives. You eventually win the hand by hitting 21.

Total bet was $50.

But I won $175. Perfect paid winnings for this hand were $175 – $25(wager) – $25(winnings for hand) = $125 or 5 times my original wager.

Pretty cool, huh?

So check it out.

I certainly have NOT told you everything you need to know. But I just wanted to alert you to a nice way to make big money with side bets.

OK?

Let me know how you do.