Dear Mark,
I'm about to make my first trip to Las Vegas. Can you give me your favorite King Midas tip that will turn my trip into gold? Jerome S.

Why King Midas, Jerome? When I think of King Midas my thoughts turn toward greed. In Ovid's Greek tale, Midas was so greedy he wanted everything he touched to turn to gold. To his delight, his wish came true, and he proceeded to gild everything in sight. But like a rapacious player who wants to win every hand, his fate was tragic in the end. He killed his own beloved daughter with his magical touch.

But you probably don't give a hoot about some Roman poet's tale and only want a hot tip for success, so here's my favorite: Only make bets that have less than a two percent house advantage.
You didn't mention what type of casino games you prefer, Jerome, so I'll trumpet my favored plays below. All represent wagers that have a house edge of less than two percent.

Blackjack: With perfect basic strategy.
Video Poker: Again, using perfect basic strategy.
Craps: A pass line wager, odds on that pass line bet and placing the six or eight.
Baccarat: The bank or player hand.
Slots: Yes, even a cybernetic one-armed bandit can be a good play if it's advertised as a 98 plus percent return machine.

Horace once said: "Gold can be slave or master." So can the wrong casino wager.

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