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Some coaches do not care if they lose a preseason game, while some coaches hate to lose any game at all – even exhibition games. This is a good time to look for a team that’s coached by a guy who has a stated goal of winning the game. Some coaches are looking to establish a winning atmosphere in a particular role - at home, on the road, against superior competition, etc. Again, this would be a situation to back such a head coach and his team. New coaches are taking their first tour as captain of the ship. These rookie coaches are naturally eager to get that first “W” under their belt to prove to themselves, the team owner, and the rest of the league they can win, even if it’s just a preseason game.

On the other hand, some “new” coaches aren’t new at all. Veteran head coaches that are simply changing cities do not figure to make winning an exhibition game a high priority.

Other “Play ON” situations involving head coaches in the NFL preseason:

* A team with a new head coach or assistant that was previously with his new team’s current opponent. This situation is especially strong if the coach left with a bitter taste in his mouth and/or his new team is an underdog. These coaches know their ex-team and ex-players very well, and if the schemes they left behind are still in tact, they will have a a huge gameplanning edge.

* A team with a coach that is gameplanning for his opponent. Most coaches don’t do this for a preseason game, but if a coach is studying films of an opponent’s schemes and plans plays to attack those specific schemes, he is playing to win.

* A coach that has a rivalry with another coach and wants to beat him. When there is bad blood between 2 coaches, expect an extraordinary exhibition game between them.

* A coach in a historically strong preseason situation. Some do better at home, on the road, as an underdog, or even a favorite.

* A coach whose job is on the line. Coming off a poor year and on the hot seat, such a coach will tend to be more motivated than one who knows he has job security.

Finally, play ON a coach that is gaining an advantage for his team by not adhering to the preseason “formula” which is as follows:

Game One - Starters go a couple of series or about one quarter; top backups into the second half; then mostly reserves, rookies and free agents the rest of the way.

Game Two - Starters go most or even (or all) of the first half; backups deep into the third (or early fourth) quarter; reserves the rest of the way.

Game Three - This is usually a team’s main dress rehearsal for opening day. Starters play one-half to three-quarters of the game, backups most of the rest of the way; reserves see action depending mostly on the situation.

Game Four - This is often a “throwaway” game for coaches, who are usually much more concerned about their opening-day opponent than they are about this practice finale. Starters often play only a couple of series or so; maybe less; some maybe not at all. Any key players with nagging injuries will be held out. Backups and reserves play the majority of the game, with promising youngsters getting one final chance to win a spot on the roster.

Some coaches like to start out the preseason with a win, and then look at their players in the other games. Some like to get 2 wins before relaxing and looking at players. Some may use the 2nd game as the regular season dress rehearsal instead of the 3rd. Some coaches may feel it’s very important to win the last exhibition game for the sake of momentum.

An example of taking a coach’s approach to a preseason game came in a previous matchup between New England and Arizona. The Patriots were 3′-point home favorites. In giving our nod to New England, our GAMEDAY INVESTMENT e-LERT STAR SELECTION noted:

“Matt Leinart makes his NFL debut Saturday night, when the Cardinals travel to Foxboro, Massachusetts to play the Patriots. The USC Heisman Trophy winner ended a prolonged holdout by signing a contract earlier in the week and is expected to play the second quarter here in relief of starter, Kurt Warner. Leinart will compete with John Navarre for backup quarterback…

…While Leinart may indeed have a long and productive career in the league, he figures to be in way over his head here. He’s had little time to practice with Arizona and has never even attended an NFL game. Making a rookie debut on the road against the Patriots, who love to confuse opposing QBs with various schemes and blitzes even in the preseason, is not a recipe for success. New England’s defenders will be very motivated to give Leinart a rude welcome to professional football.

Getting Leinart a crash course in game experience is obviously the goal for Dennis Green here, and not necessarily winning the game. The Cardinals enjoyed a huge win last week, as they christened their new stadium with a victory over the Super Bowl champion Steelers. Usually, a win in the preseason allows a coach to feel zero pressure the following week, and he can look at players, which is the case here.”

Indeed, Dennis Green threw Leinart to the wolves in a way that he certainly would not have in a regular season contest. The Patriots devoured the rookie and the rest of the Cardinals, winning a 30-3 laugher.

Again, If you can find a mismatch in how two teams are approaching a preseason contest, you’ve probably found a golden opportunity.

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From the biggest slot jackpot to those nasty surveillance cameras to why all music is in the key of “C” there are many things that many novice casino goers are not aware of.

1. Big Easy does it.
The first U.S. casinos appeared in New Orleans in the 1820s after the city legalized gambling and began charging $5,000 for casino licenses. The city used the fees to fund education and a local hospital.

2. Paradise lost or found?
The first real casino on the Las Vegas Strip, the Pair-O-Dice Club, opened In 1931. Of course, back then the Strip was simply known as dusty old Highway 91.

3. Gam-tastic
Legendary gangster and Vegas visionary Bugsy Siegel named his Las Vegas casino the Flamingo after the long legs of his showgirl sweetheart, Virginia Hill.

4. And speaking of Bugsy…
The pit boss, who controls the casino’s table gambling area, is so-named because once upon a time the person running the show was a real boss–a Mob boss.

5. And speaking of legs…
The longest-running casino floor show in Las Vegas is the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana. It opened there in 1959.

6. Pocket shocker
Not that the casinos don’t trust their employees or anything like that, but dealer costumes/uniforms usually don’t have pockets in their shirts or slacks.

7. Here’s the deal
Casinos introduced automatic shuffling machines at blackjack tables to speed the game. Because: More hands = greater profits. A shuffling machine results in 20 percent more games played per hour.

8. A pretty nice tip
One of the world’s largest slot jackpots to date is $34,959,458, won in the year 2000 by a cocktail waitress at the Desert Inn Resort in Las Vegas.

9. The big, big money
With casinos thriving throughout Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the South Pacific, precise worldwide gaming income is difficult to pin down, but the take totals in the hundreds of billions.

10. Making it big
The new Borgata Resort Casino & Spa in Atlantic City has a price tag of $1 billion. That’s a helluva lot of nickel slots.

11. Location, location, location
The more than 200 casinos in Las Vegas attract some 33 million visitors a year. In contrast, the former Portuguese colony of Macau in China has only 11 casinos, but the bustling destination attracts about one-third as many visitors as Nevada’s gambling Mecca.

12. The big money
Vegas’ annual gaming revenue is $6 billion per year. Atlantic City kicks in another $3 billion as part of the annual U.S. total of $50 billion.

13. Key of C stands for Casino
The musical cues and any incidental theme music in casino slots are usually in the key of C. Research has shown that this key fits in best with the casino’s general hubbub.

14. Gimme five
A casino will often leave an empty $25 limit blackjack table open, rather than changing it to a $5 table that would be sure to draw a crowd. It’s simply economics. Casinos have figured out that a full table of seven $5 players will earn them half as much as two $25 players. And a single $100 player would earn them much more–and much faster.

15. The glass ceiling
Two-way mirrors in casino ceilings conceal hidden cameras, which zoom in on any customer winning more than $1,000, just to make sure everything is on the up and up.

16. More Casino Candid Camera
You are on 24/7 video surveillance everywhere–from the parking lot, to the casino, to the hotel, to the pool to the lounge. Everywhere, that is, but in your room. And yes, casino restrooms are under video surveillance. They must be really worried about cheating at craps?

17. Really Big Brother.
Atlantic City’s $1 billion Borgata Resort Casino & Spa has more than 1,700 surveillance cameras.

18. You want chips with that?
Did the Earl of Sandwich invent the buffet line? Not exactly. But the inventor of the much-loved food item that now bears his name is said to have invented the whole “roast beef on toast” thing so he could eat with one hand and gamble with the other.

19. Faster, faster
Nor does casino management use its “eye in the sky” surveillance just to spot cheaters. It also performs “game-pace audits” to ensure that dealers are keeping the game moving fast enough to maximize profits.

20. Chips
If you want to take a casino chip home as a souvenir, feel free, but make sure it’s of a low denomination because it may be worthless when you return. Casinos reserve the right to change their chip designs at anytime.

21. Atlantic City altruism
Casinos in New Jersey don’t allow the Big 6 and Big 8 sucker bets that are scrawled on craps table in most of the rest of the world. (The table bet pays off worse odds than just making a place bet on the same number). Jersey is obviously trying to earn a squeaky-clean rep, but it’ll take a long time to banish the memory of Tony Soprano.

22. Time to lose money
True: There are no clocks in Las Vegas Casinos.

23. Breathe easy
Also true: Casinos reportedly pump in extra oxygen to make visitors feel better and gamble longer without getting tired.

24. Bright lights, big city
Get your glow on: The Vegas strip reportedly has more than 15,000 miles of neon tubing.

25. Rats, I’m lost!
Maybe you’re amazed, or maybe you’re just in a maze. Casino’s meandering pedestrian paths are specifically designed to keep you slightly disoriented yet always close to the action.

26. Coinless slots?
One of the latest tech crazes in casinos is ticket-in/ticket out paying of slots and other games. Instead of inserting coins, you buy in with bills or a paid casino card, and cash out with a paper ticket. If you win a big jackpot, you don’t have to wait for the attendant. If you lose, you can just slink away.

27. Watching what you spend
Casino’s in Missouri use a ticket-in/ticket out system and bill validators (games that suck in your bills like a change machine) to ensure a two-hour loss limit of $500. So, for once, Big Brother is watching out for you.

28. That’$ entertainment!
Although gaming is still king overall, many casinos in Vegas make more than half of their money from the shows.

29. Oh, the Zumanity!
Las Vegas’ New York New York casino spent $50 million remodeling its showroom for Cirque du Soleil’s erotically themed Zumanity show.

30. A titanic show (and take)
Celine Dion receives $100 million plus half of the profits from her three-year engagement at the 4,000-seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Vegas. The second balcony “cheap seats” will set you back about $80, and prices top out at $225. The $95 million theater features a 120-foot-wide stage and the world’s largest video screen.

31. Who, who are you?
According U.S. News and World Report, casino players have a median income of $41,000 and a median age of 47 and wager an $25-$100 per casino visit; 45 percent of the players are male, 55 percent female.

32. Child’s play? Not!
The legal age to gamble in the U.S. is 21. Some casinos may look the other way and let kids under 21 play, but they never let them win. Usually, if an underage player wins any jackpot, and definitely a jackpot over $1,200 (which requires them to record it for the IRS), the minor will be shown the door but not shown the money. Which makes underage gambling just about the worst bet there is.