KENO: The game originally was called Race Horse Keno. The player marks a series of favorite numbers between one and 80 that appear on the blank KENO ticket. Twenty numbered balls are drawn. The amount of money won depends upon the type of ticket played, the money bet and how many of the player's numbers are among the 20 drawn. Multiple tickets may be played on a single keno game.

CRAPS: The player with the dice throws the "come out roll." If the shooter rolls 7 or 11, players with money on the "PASS LINE@ win. If the player rolls craps -- 2, 3 or 12 -- the house wins money bet on the "PASS LINE@ on the "come out roll." The player continues to roll to make a point which can be any number except 7 or 11. The point is marked with a round puck. If the player rolls the point before rolling "7," those betting on the "PASS" and "COME" lines win. If the player rolls "7" before rolling the point, the house wins all the money on the "COME" line and those who gambled on the ADON=T PASS@ and ADON=T COME@ lines also win. There are many other table bets and possible bets on craps.

ROULETTE: The roulette table has 36 numbers plus a green zero and a green double zero. Some Las Vegas casinos have included the European roulette layout with only one green zero. Half of the 36 numbers are red and half are black. The winning number is determined when the pearl-like ball drops into a slot of the spinning roulette wheel. While the ball is spinning the player may place bets. The options are to bet single numbers, red and black numbers, odd and even numbers or on groups of numbers which are clearly marked on the table as 1 to 18, 19 to 36 or numbers which are aligned on the layout of the table. The odds on roulette range from 35 to 1 to even money. If the player wins by betting on a single number, for example, the winner is paid $35 for every $1 wagered.

BACCARAT: This game, pronounced Ba-Ca-Rah, is similar to "chemin de fer" in some countries.

It is played with eight complete decks of cards which are shuffled by the dealer or "croupier" and placed in a special box called the "shoe." The object of the game is to come as close to the number nine as possible. Face cards and tens, or any combination of cards totaling 10, count as nothing. The ace is counted as one, the deuce as two, etc. The player with the "shoe" is considered the banker. The person holds the "shoe" and continues to be the banker as long as the bank hand wins. When the player's hand wins, the "shoe" is then passed to the next player who then becomes the banker. A player may pass the "shoe" if desired. The cards are dealt from the "shoe" by the person acting as the banker.

BLACKJACK "21": The object of blackjack, or 21, is to draw cards that add up to 21, or as close to 21 as possible, without going over the magic number. The dealer gives each player two cards and deals two cards for the house -- usually one face down and the other face up. Everybody at the table plays against the dealer. After each player has asked for as many cards as he or she wants, the dealer turns up the hidden card. The dealer must "hit" or draw additional cards if the first two cards total 16 or under. If the house's first two cards are 17 or over, the dealer must stand and can not draw additional cards. In blackjack, queens, jacks, kings and 10s count as 10. Aces count either as 1 or 11, whichever the player chooses. A king and an ace, for example, would total 21 and would be a blackjack. When the dealer and the player tie, it is a standoff or Apush@ and nobody wins. If the player's cards total a higher number than the dealer's but are 21 or under, then the player wins. If the situation is reversed, then the house wins.

PAI GOW: Pai Gow originated in ancient China. It is a game in which 32 dominoes are shuffled by the dealer and then placed in eight stacks of four each. Up to eight players are dealt one stack. The object of the game is to set the four dominoes into two pairs for the best "ranking" combinations. The rankings follow no numerical pattern, but depend only on symbolism of the dominoes. Most casinos have charts which show the ranking combinations. The combinations are ranked highest to lowest, one to twenty. The first sixteen combinations are pairs (Chinese Bo). The highest ranking is an unmatched pair called Gee Joon. There are also wild dominoes, the 3 and the 6, that make the "supreme" combinations over any pairs. The next two combinations that are lower than a pair, but higher than nine are called Wong and Gong. Without a pair, the winning hand will often depend on the ranking of a single domino. The house banks the first hand and starts the game by throwing three dice, the total of which indicates which player is to get the first stack of dominoes. The remainder are dealt in rotation. Eight hands are always dealt. After the house banks the first hand, the next player counter-clockwise, may bank the game if he desires. The house also retains the right to refuse any player who does not show sufficient funds to be the bank. The house will bank all funds unless a player qualifies. On every winning hand, the house retains 5 percent of the winnings.

PAI GOW POKER: This game is a combination of poker and Pai Gow. It is played with an ordinary deck of 52 cards plus one joker. The joker is used as an ace or to complete a straight or flush. Players are dealt seven cards each, which are then arranged into two hands. One hand will contain five cards and is known as the "high hand." The second hand contains two cards and is the "low hand." The object of the game is to win the bet by having both the high and low hands rank higher than the respective hands of the banker. The ranking is determined by traditional poker rules. If both hands rank lower, the wager is lost to the banker. If either hand wins while the other loses, then the wager is a "push" and is refunded. The house handles all bets and charges a 5 percent commission on all winning wagers.

Courtesy of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority News Bureau

Copyright 2001 by TheWBALChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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