Megabucks has hit again -- this time at the Las Vegas Hilton. An Asian tourist who wishes to remain anonymous won $8.7 million yesterday morning and walked away with a check for a quarter of a million dollars, the first of 25 annual installments.

This is Nevada's sixth Megabucks strike of 2000 and the fifth since the world record $35 million jackpot at the Desert Inn in late January. So far for the year, the statewide total for Megabucks is approaching $70 million.

When it comes to Poker games, Draw Poker is old school, 5-Card Stud is too rare to speak of, but 7-Card Stud is alive and well.

Stud demands strategy and skill and it takes a lot of play to develop the winner's edge. There are a lot of cards on the table, each street demands a different approach, and the betting can move from modest to sweat-breaking in minutes. It's a skill, memory and strategy game that can be exhilarating, punishing and even humiliating. Our strategy guide will help you enjoy more of the former and suffer less of the latter.

Read the article at http://www.winneronline.com/strategies/7cardstud.htm

One of the dangers of gambling online is the fact that there is no time pressure -- if you go to Vegas you typically spend a few days there so you try to cram it all in in a short space of time. When it comes time to leave, you're either ahead or you've lost, and I don't think too many people cut a vacation short because they won a sum of money. Many, many more extend their stay in the hope of recovering some of their losses, however.

When you're playing at an online casino, it's always there 24/7/365 -- you don't have to worry about catching your flight the next morning. The temptation is great to just leave any winnings in the casino so that you can play later, because when you cash out it usually takes a week or three to receive the funds -- and in doing so many people lose their winnings right back. RESIST THAT TEMPTATION!

Read the article at http://www.got2bet.com/articles/ltopart5.shtml

The American Casino Guide is one of those rare books -- the kind that actually saves you money! Published annually since 1992, this best-selling guide is jam-packed with detailed information on every casino/resort, riverboat and Indian casino in the U.S. plus information on how casinos differ from state-to-state; how slot and video poker machines work; which games offer the best odds; and comprehensive stories on blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat. It even provides actual slot machine payback percentages for every state's casinos.

Perhaps the best part of the guide is a special coupon section that provides over 60 casino coupons that offer more than $900 in savings at some of America's most well-known casinos.

You can order a copy at http://www.americancasinoguide.com/Order/order.shtml

The Suncoast Hotel & Casino will become the first Las Vegas resort to offer cashless slot play on most of its machines when it opens Sept. 1, according to a story by Reuters. Slot players will use vouchers to play the machines, although coin play will still be available.

"This is something we've seen that people want," said company spokesman Tom Mikovits. "They don't want to carry the coins around."

Suncoast is located in western Las Vegas near the suburb of Summerlin.

The Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development (MDECD) recently released figures for 1998 concerning the activities and spending patterns of tourists in the state. A significant element to the success and growth of Mississippi tourism is directly attributable to the gaming industry that began in 1992.

According to the study, over 35 percent of overnight visitors were attracted to Mississippi for the casino gaming opportunities.

Mississippi casinos have grown to employ almost 40,000 with payrolls approaching $1 billion. Direct tax payments by the casinos to state and local government now total over $310 million annually.

My wife and I just returned from a week's stay in Laughlin. Of course the stay was a cheap date and the gambling on the tables was relatively good.

The Hilton is celebrating their 10 year anniversary and as a result had various special payoffs. Odds on craps was 10X and will continue through the end of the month, I believe.

Best buffet (food-wise, not cost-wise) is Harrah's. Hilton's was quite bad. Still the best restaurant for fine dining (hands down) is the Gourmet Room at the Riverside. For a good fish fry, with a spectacular view of the valley, try the American Legion hall (open to the public). $6 per person. Nothing extravagant though, just nice people and good eats. -- DK

Today I had the pleasure of making travel arrangements for myself and two colleagues for the World Gaming Expo in Las Vegas this October. It always amazes me how hotel prices vary from agent to agent.

For example, for 4 nights at Paris Las Vegas, October 17-21, Travelscape.com quoted me $666. Tripreservations.com wanted $954 -- way too high. At the Park Place Web site (Park Place owns Paris Las Vegas, Bally's and other hotels) I could get the same room for $530. Not a bad price during a convention week but I've already stayed at Paris and would prefer to try something new.

Let's try Monte Carlo, home of Lance Burton. For this Travelscape wanted $786. I called the hotel directly to see if I could do better but they quoted me a ridiculous rack rate of $884. Tripreservations.com, which wanted way too much for Paris, quoted a very reasonable $506 for Monte Carlo. I booked it.

By the way, I noticed an excellent rate of $39 per night at Bally's for some September dates. As an added bonus, guests of Bally's get full access to the Paris' pool next door. Details at http://www.parkplace.com

SPORTS BETTING LINKS - Tons of free sportsbetting info plus gorgeous swimsuit models.
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Here's a quick link for those who wrote in looking for Mississippi casino info. Try the Mississippi Casino Guide. Your editor, Steve Johnson, .

See you next week!

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