The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 378

-J ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT i crmi lit; fa' fr if, 3" Feeling gaming-impaired? Take a class TJ Imperial Palace Gaming School instructor Brenda Ponticello, far right in dark jacket, watches as her students try their hand at what she's taught them. Many hotelcasinos now offer an array of free gaming classes. BY BOB YOUNG ver stroll past a crap table and get a headache from all those grids and numbers and baffling terms? Can't tell a "hard way" from "the Does the fast action at blackjack and roulette tables seem wildly exciting but impossibly intimidating? And what's up with those new card games with exotic newcomers can hone their skills before they belly up to the table, chips in tow. With expert instruction, casino games are easily mastered, not to mention fun and potentially profitable. No need to be shy, even if you're an absolute novice who can't tell a club from a spade.

It's impossible to embarrass yourself in a gaming class, says Brenda Ponticello, instructor at the Imperial Palace Gaming School. "Honestly, some of my students have never seen a card in their lives," Ponticello says. "Once, while we were practicing a live blackjack game, two of my students were actually confused over the different suits. They had no idea what they were. 'Ace of diamonds? King of clubs? Hearts and spades? What are Sometimes we have to start at the very Please see GAMING CIASSES, Page 104 names like Pai Gow and Caribbean Stud? Not to worry, high-roller wannabes.

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