Jeff Haney on a guide that provides gambling information and offers you can’t refuse

Monday, May 1, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

The 2006 American Casino Guide ($16.95) is available at the Gambler's Book Shop, 630 South 11th St., 382-7555.

For a complete list of coupons, visit americancasinoguide.com.

Las Vegas residents, by reputation, have a collective gambling IQ higher than that of the general population.

Locals are supposed to have a better grasp than tourists on the gambling games people play, as well as a propensity to seek out casinos offering good deals - or, in betting parlance, "positive-expectation plays."

If that really is the case, then the superb 2006 American Casino Guide ($16.95), written and edited by Steve Bourie, should be a citywide best seller.

The annual guide contains detailed information on gambling resorts and destinations throughout the country, short primers on casino games, and - most significantly for savvy bettors - an excellent assortment of coupons.

If you're a sharp gambler or aspire to become one, I can't imagine why you wouldn't pick up a copy of this book each year.

Following is a sampling of the guide's notable Las Vegas coupons:

The best

For my money, the best coupons in the book are issued by the Rampart Casino in Summerlin and the Cannery on Craig Road in North Las Vegas.

Both casinos offer a 50-coin bonus for hitting four-of-a-kind in video poker in denominations of five cents through $1. This promotion offers the most value to dollar players.

If you play the Rampart's good deuces wild machines when the casino is offering double points for slot club members, your expectation is already perhaps $6 an hour long-term, depending on how quickly you play and how many mistakes you make. So the coupon gives you $50 on top of that when a four-of-a-kind comes along. Even after tipping the attendant $5, and having paid $16.95 for the book, you're already way ahead on that play alone.

Likewise, the Cannery offers $1 bonus poker that's essentially a break-even game for knowledgeable players when the casino is offering five times points. That's another $50 in expected gain (well, $45 after tipping).

Both the Rampart and the Cannery also have $10 table-game match-play coupons in the American Casino Guide. With a $10 match play, you bet $10 with the coupon and get paid another $20 (rather than just $10) if you win. If you lose, you're out $10.

The expected value of a $10 match play is about $4.70 at blackjack and about $4.78 at craps, according to the Web site wizardofodds.com.

The Rampart and the Cannery should be commended for giving action to get action, as they say in poker.

Nevada Palace offers similar coupons, paying a 40-coin bonus for a four-of-a-kind and offering a $5 match play.

Other good ones

Ellis Island offers a $10 match play that's supposed to be good on any table game, although when I tried to use mine at craps, the dealer shoved it back at me and yelled, "Blackjack!" When I showed him the fine print that says the coupon is good for "blackjack, craps or roulette," he glared at me and again barked, "Blackjack!" Finally accepting that I was no match for his eloquently stated, logically coherent argument, I used the coupon at the blackjack table with no problem.

Poker Palace and Terrible's both have a $10 blackjack match play. The Hard Rock offers a coupon good for a $10 match play, $10 in slot machine play and a shot glass or deck of cards.

The Suncoast and the South Coast each offer a free buffet for hitting four-of-a-kind at video poker.

Possibly worthwhile

The guide includes myriad 2-for-1 coupons for buffets and shows around town, and $5 match plays at casinos including Jerry's Nugget, the New Frontier and the Sahara.

The Palms offers $10 in slot play, but only for new slot club members. The Suncoast offers 1,000 bonus points (about $3), but only for new slot club members.

Less than mediocre

One coupon stood out as pretty lame. The Riviera offers a 7-for-5 match play, meaning you bet $5 and get paid $7 rather than $5 on a winner. The Riv couldn't go the extra mile and spring for a full-fledged $5 match play?

The worst

The only bad experience I had came last year when Casino MonteLago flat-out refused to accept a $20 match play from the 2005 American Casino Guide, offering no explanation. Guess they wanted to save that estimated $9.40.