Frank Mugnolo, president and CEO of Casino Gaming LLC in southwest suburban Broadview, had an idea a few years ago for an option players could exercise in select situations at blackjack tables.
If a player is holding a two-card 20 (10/10 or A/9) and the dealer is showing a 10-value up-card (no blackjack), the player could elect not to play out the hand in return for keeping the original bet and being paid half its value in winnings.
He called his bet "Casino Surrender" and began to market it to casinos around the country in spring 2005. It was successful but never took off the way Mugnolo had hoped.
One of the obstacles, he theorized, was that too many people confused it with standard "surrender," an option offered at some casinos that permits players to salvage half their original bet for not playing out a hand, which is at a mathematical disadvantage against the dealer's up card.
Earlier this year Mugnolo renamed the bet "Automatic Win," capturing its true essence -- and branding the bet with an identity all its own.
That was the key. A recent surge in acceptance has seen the option picked up by casinos around the country, including the Chicago area.
Automatic Win has been added to all of the blackjack tables at Harrah's Joliet and Resorts East Chicago.
In addition, it is being offered at Harrah's in Metropolis, Ill.; Caesars in Indiana, and Orleans in Las Vegas. Tropicana soon may be the first casino in Atlantic City to have it. Even two riverboat properties in Louisiana recently signed on.
It's easy to identify tables that offer the option. Just look for a small gold colored placard with the words "Automatic Win."
Casino owners like Automatic Win because players stand to win 55.46 to 58.53 percent of the time when they're holding a 20 against the dealer's 10. Getting players to accept it instead of playing out a hand they have a statistical advantage to win is in favor of the house.
There's something in it for players as well, especially those who keep track of the cards that have been dealt. Gaming Laboratories International in Lakewood, N.J., determined that when the count is at plus-four or higher, accepting Automatic Win increases the player's return by up to 0.2299 percent.
For the majority who don't play the game at that advanced level, Automatic Win is a proposition of give and take. There's a price to pay for eliminating the gamble and accepting an automatic win amounting to 50 percent of your bet.
It's particularly attractive in the high-limit rooms where an automatic win is enticing for gamblers who bet hundreds of dollars on every hand.
For those inclined to take even money on a blackjack versus a dealer's ace, which statistically equates to the ill-advised insurance bet, Automatic Win stands tall as a better, more flexible proposition.
Turning his attention to dice, Mugnolo unveiled an imaginative new craps wager at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas last month -- details next week.
Casino news
Holiday promotions at Blue Chip Casino Hotel in Michigan City include tomorrow's Stocking Stuffer giveaway, which features a $500 cash giveaway every hour from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. A lucky Prime Rewards player's club member will win $5,000 at a 3 p.m. drawing, followed by a drawing for $25,000 cash at 10 p.m.
From the "don't gamble with accuracy" department: An item in last week's "Casino News" listed an incorrect drawing time for the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway at the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Ill. Drawings are held every Monday through Thursday now through Dec. 20 at 3 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m. Twelve winners will be selected each day to play a grand prize game for cash and great prizes.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at jbrokopp@comcast.net.
