Whenever I see a transpositional mistake or an editor's correction in
Casino Player Magazine, I often wonder whether the mistakes were made
by the author (or proofreader) or during the editing and page
formatting process . I think three errors in a thousand word or less
article is unacceptable. Do you think three mistakes are unacceptable?
I had the pleasure of reading Bob Dancer's Video Poker Spotlight
article this month about getting the best return by factoring in
Bonus Reward Credits to the ER and getting the host to pick up the
balance of trip expenses after all of the Reward Credits have been
exhausted (at Harrah's Properties).
Comparisons were made between 9/6 JoB vs. NSU Dueces Wild. The
comparisons took into account the ER of the game plus the value of
the base Reward Credits plus the value of the Bonus Reward Credits.
The cash value of the Reward Credits was determined by number of
points required to purchase either a $250.00 or $500.00 Debit/ Gift
Card. The examples given were based on the Reward Credit system used
at the Harrah's Properties (which discontinued the RFB system of
comping).
It was a wonderful, elegant article where all of the values and
mathematical computations were written out clearly (in Parenthesis).
Unfortunately, the reading experience became less pleasurable early
on when the paragraph following the 1st set of EV computations stated
conclusions that were exactly the opposite of what the numbers
proved. The author (or editor) had transposed "9/6 Job" and "NSU
Deuces" in the sentence stating which game had the higher EV (all
other things being equal: coin in/ number of hands per hour, etc.).
The second mistake was more a matter of semantics than an error: Mr.
Dancer referred to the Debit or Gift Card (purchased with Reward
Credits)as a "Credit Card." In the Northeastern United States, we are
very particular about referring to a card that is a cash equivalent
as a "Debit Card" or a "check card" because many merchants will give
us cash back on a transaction when using those cards. (Also, we are
not charged interest or cash advance fees with a "debit" card as we
would be with a "credit" card.
Perhaps "gift card" is the best term because it alerts the user to
special restrictions that apply to such cards. The value of the card
does not accrue interest (like an interest checking account) but
after a year may carry a service charge for an unused balance. Also,
when a "gift card" is lost, it is like losing cash. (I don't believe
you can stop payment on it or have a replacement issued.)
The third mistake was a matter of syntax: incorrect verb conjugation.
The word "pay" was used instead of "paying". The sentence did not
make sense unless you changed the word from "pay" to "paying".
All the other articles in the latest issue of Casino Player had a
brief biography of the author and his webpage address at the end of
the article: Henry Tamburin; Kevin Blackwood; Nestor Basil. However,
this month, no mention of Bob Dancer's Books or Website or a 1-800
number. Instead, there was a half-page article for the Peppermill
Casino. Why is Mr. Dancer not receiving the same "free advertising"
in his byline as the other authors? Do you think he left it out
intentionally pending the release of his new software strategy-
trainer product? Perhaps it is the author's responsibility to keep
the article's word count down to save room for his bio.
William E.