Trip to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico – February 3, 2006

From the Wizard..

You may remember from the last newsletter I participated in the Las Vegas Marathon last month, and since then I've been working to maintain at least half the fitness level I achieved that day. I run a familiar 6-mile training route once or twice each week, and just two weeks ago, I completed a 15-mile loop at Red Rock. My goal is to return to mountaineering now that I don't have to sustain my running regimen of 40 miles weekly.

On the betting side of things, I have been delving into the props for the Super Bowl. Alas, I was away for the three days right after the conference championships, which is when most sportsbooks released their odds. The lines at Harrah's and the Palms seemed quite generous, offering substantial advantages on several bets. Regrettably, I wasn't able to seize these opportunities. When I returned to the betting window days later, all the favorable odds had vanished. It was quite disheartening to be informed, bet after bet, that the lines had shifted against me to a point where they were no longer worthwhile. I'd like to commend the Las Vegas Hilton, though; their lines this year were excellently set. I've been saving up all year for this occasion, and I'm starting to doubt I'll even wager half of my budget.

Earlier this month, Bluejay and I had the chance to visit the Bodog offices, and he'll share more about that experience shortly.

Trip to San Jose, Mexico

Recently, my wife, our two children, and I took a six-day vacation to San Jose, Mexico, located on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, about 30 kilometers from Cabo San Lucas. I had won a week-long stay in a condo from the Gambling Federation during a charity auction at the Global Interactive Gaming Congress and Expo in Montreal last July. I was the only bidder willing to meet the $1000 minimum. The condo was situated right on the beachfront in a lovely complex just outside San Jose. We were next door to a Canadian artist, who turned out to be very pleasant and enjoyable to talk to. Instead of sharing my entire trip, let me just highlight some key takeaways. Brent Heighton San Jose is a quaint, older town that maintains a peaceful vibe. It's a friendly place, though you'll find limited activities aside from shopping and dining.

1. Cabo San Lucas has been heavily commercialized for tourists. In my view, it serves as a tourist magnet aimed at cruise ship visitors and sport fishing enthusiasts. The place is bustling and loud, with vendors at every corner trying to entice you to join time-share presentations. The town is filled with bars, restaurants, high-end boutiques, and even familiar chain stores like Home Depot and Costco.
2. One activity that is essential while in Cabo San Lucas is taking a boat tour around the famous arch and nearby beaches. You'll find numerous sellers along the boardwalk offering rides for about $10 per person.
3. I personally found snorkeling at Santa Maria Bay, which lies between San Jose and Cabo San Lucas, immensely enjoyable. There were schools of large fish on the right side. Brent Heighton, who I mentioned earlier, suggested taking a water bottle filled with bread to attract the fish. Instead, I used leftover French fries from my lunch in Cabo. As soon as I entered the water and began to feed them, I was surrounded by hundreds of sizable fish, each about a foot long. It was so overwhelming that I could barely see anything but fish all around me. Even after the fries were finished, they continued to follow me.
4. Avoid carrying large amounts of U.S. currency or traveler's checks. Although the current official exchange rate was $1 to 11.6 pesos, I found myself in a bind at nearly 90% of locations, where I was only offered a 10 to 1 exchange rate. Looking back, I realize I should have withdrawn pesos from the airport ATM. While I would have faced a foreign ATM fee, the rates for converting currency at ATMs tend to be far more favorable. I likely lost around $100 due to the terrible rates in stores, while an ATM fee would have only cost a few dollars. Plus, having local currency makes you look more knowledgeable.
5. The travel guides I consulted were overly cautious regarding food and beverages. For instance, they advised against consuming anything with ice or dishes containing lettuce. However, my family and I ate and drank everything we encountered without any issues, although I suspect it helped that we opted for nicer establishments.
6. The airport road is a significant time-saver for trips to and from the airport and travels through some breathtaking scenery. It’s well worth the small fee.
7. A simple phrase that can help you deal with persistent time-share salespeople is to say you already own one.
8. Overall, I had a wonderful and rejuvenating experience. The beaches were stunning, and the water was ideal for swimming, even in December. Since Cabo is just a two-hour direct flight from Las Vegas, I certainly look forward to going back soon.

Harrods is running a promotion connected to your

Ask the Wizard!

Here"s an excerpt from the newest Ask the Wizard , column #152.

game, where a winning streak of five hands or bets in a row rewards you with a refund of the lowest wager made in that series. Since I flat-bet, this effectively allows me to recover one of my wagers. Should I have opted for a different game to participate in this promotion? Roulette is off the table, but all other games at Harrods are eligible. Thank you, Mick from Port Kembla Ties Win Blackjack I appreciate your participation. Yes, Ties Win Blackjack was indeed a great option for this promotion. The chance of a full win stands at 43.314%, while a half win is 8.75% and the likelihood of a loss is 47.936%. Thus, the overall probability of achieving any form of win is 52.064%. To achieve five consecutive wins results in a mere 0.52064, equating to 3.825%. If you flat bet, this yields an additional return of 3.825% for players. The typical house edge is 0.247%, which means under this promotional offer, players enjoy an advantage of 3.5785%. However, I couldn't find any mention of this promotion on the casino’s website, and considering my usual 2-3 week delay in receiving email responses, it's likely no longer available.

I've been quite busy as the Wizard. Here’s what’s new on the website:⁵— I came across this variation of video poker in Mesquite that pays 800 for four aces.

(Read more Ask the Wizard .)

What"s new on the site

— This is a newly developed poker game by Shuffle Master. It took me several months of analysis, so I hope you’ll take a moment to check it out.

• Ask the Wizard — Columns #149 , #150 , #151 , and #152 .
• Royal Aces Bonus Poker My collection of license plates (link removed) — This is featured on my personal website rather than Wizard of Odds and isn’t related to gambling, but I thought I’d share it nonetheless.
• Ultimate Texas Holdem Every month, I randomly select one newsletter subscriber to receive a complimentary copy of my book,
• . This month’s recipient is Bob Hann . (Bob Dancer was very close!) Keep an eye out, you might be next month’s lucky winner.

Free book drawing winner

Until we meet again, aim high with your expectations. Gambling 102 Last week, the Wizard and I visited the offices of Bodog to observe their operations and meet additional team members. We had previously engaged with many of their important staff in Las Vegas, but this visit allowed us to connect with even more and to see their workplace in real-time. Everything was very impressive, particularly their customer service area, where we could witness how effectively Bodog representatives managed incoming customer queries. Overall, this experience reinforced our belief that we selected one of the premier online gaming operators to partner with us. Many gaming websites have a tendency to advertise everyone, but we take pride in our selective approach.

You can thank the Wizard for convincing Bodog to enhance the odds on their games. Now, the field bet in their craps game pays triple on a roll of 12, and the Tri-Card Poker game pays 30 to 1 for getting three of a kind. Additionally, Bodog continues to provide an incredible 99.95% return on Pick 'em Poker.

From Michael Bluejay..

The Wizard and I visit Bodog

Bodog is also introducing several new games in their download version, including:

Six new 20-line slot games: Rain Dance, Red Sands, Mister Money, Sunken Treasure, Tiger Treasure, and Vikings Voyage.

Caribbean Hold'em Poker, which is a sibling game to the already popular Caribbean Stud Poker. Players engage in a variation of Texas Hold'em against the casino. A player can win a progressive jackpot with a Royal Flush from the initial five cards (two player cards and three community cards) and also has the opportunity to earn an optional bonus linked to a progressive jackpot by having at least a Flush with a hand that beats the dealer. Caribbean Hold'em Poker and Caribbean Stud Poker share a progressive jackpot, allowing for rapid accumulation.

• Bonus Bingo, inspired by traditional bingo games. It features impressive graphics and animation. Players can engage with up to four 25-spot bingo cards, attempting to form specific patterns by matching the 44 drawn bingo balls. Bonus Bingo introduces unique elements beyond traditional play, such as multipliers, scatter wins, and a bonus round that activates when players collect five Joker balls. To achieve this, a player needs to typically participate in around 250 games using all four cards.
• Web-based players will also find three exciting new video poker games: Bonus Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker Deluxe, and Joker Poker. Furthermore, Bodog has made enhancements to its poker software, introducing numerous improvements, one of which is a unique feature: after selecting your seat, all player positions rotate, so your position is directly in front of you, mimicking a real-life setting.
• Bluejay’s Internet Tip of the Month: Creating Secure Passwords

Here’s one of my top-tier tips that has never been published before.

Many users opt to use the same password across all their online platforms. While this is undoubtedly convenient, it's also quite unsafe. Relying on one single password means that if a rogue employee from any website you’re affiliated with decides to act maliciously, they could potentially access all of your accounts. It’s much safer to have a unique password for every site, but that means you'll have to maintain a lengthy list of passwords to refer to each time you log in, which can be quite cumbersome.

So here’s my solution: Formulate passwords by using the initials of the website along with additional characters. This way, you will have a distinct password for every site, and you'll remember them without needing to look anything up.

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Journey to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico -- February 3, 2006

I completed the Las Vegas Marathon just last month, and ever since, I've been working hard to maintain a semblance of the fitness I had on that day. I stick to my usual 6-mile training route once or twice each week and recently tackled the 15-mile Red Rock circuit. My goal is to return to mountaineering now that I am no longer committed to running 40 miles weekly.

In the realm of betting, I've been diving deep into the analysis of Superbowl prop bets. Unfortunately, I was away for three days right after the conference championships, which is when most sportsbooks released their odds. Places like Harrah's and the Palms had some enticingly easy lines, offering great opportunities on certain wagers. Sadly, I missed out; by the time I arrived to place my bets a few days later, all the advantageous lines had disappeared. It was disheartening to continually hear that the odds had shifted unfavorable to my previous calculations. I must commend the Las Vegas Hilton for their well-structured betting lines this year. I've been putting aside money all year for this occasion, but at this rate, I doubt I will even wager half of what I've saved.

Written by: Michael Shackleford