GAMING GURUS: LATEST FROM OUR STRATEGY EXPERTS

No Hole Card Blackjack

Blackjack regulars know that the game has a mix-and-match set of rules. The dealer might stand on all 17s, or hit soft 17. You might or might not be permitted to double down after splitting pairs. You might be permitted to double down after any opening hand, or your double downs might be restricted to totals of 9, 10 or 11, or even just 10 or 11. Those are common variations, but every now and then a rule takes you by surprise...read more

Top-10 suggestions for Atlantic City

Atlantic City's casino and tourism industry is under assault. In the past few weeks, Pennsylvania and Delaware have added table games to their casinos, giving two Atlantic City feeder markets casinos that can compete directly with the Boardwalk...read more

How Do I Calculate the Long-Term Payback of a Video Poker Paytable?

Hi, John, I consider myself a savvy and knowledgeable video poker player, and have been playing for 11 years now; until the actual mathematics kicks in! Can you please explain to me how we arrive at a 98.981% return (with perfect play) on a 9/6 Double Double Bonus Video Poker hand? I unders...read more

Do your gambling prospects improve if you bet more often?

The longer a game you play, the greater your chances of a successful round. But this isn't necessarily equivalent to the likelihood of earning a profit. To see the effect, pretend you flip a coin, heads wins and tails loses. The chance of winning any individual toss is 50 percent. You can approach a multi-round game intending to play until you win or bust out...read more

What Happens to a Come Bet When the Shooter Throws a Number I've Placed?

Hi Frank, What happens with a come bet if I have already placed the eight and the shooter throws an eight? Thanks, Arnold Hi Arnold: The Come bet goes to the 8 and you have the choice of taking your Place bet down or using some or most of it on the Odds portion of your Come bet...read more

Do All Casinos Provide Win/Loss Statements?

Do all casinos provide you with a win/loss statement? In Oklahoma, Cherokee casinos won't give one to you. Thanks, Linda Well, Linda, it looks like the answer is no, not every casino will give you a win/loss statement. Seriously, I've never heard of a casino not providing the statement before...read more

Splitting Aces and Eights

Always split aces and eights. That is one of the golden rules for blackjack players but not according to a friend of mine. He insists that splitting eights against a dealer upcard of 9, 10, or ace is crazy because you are probably going to lose anyway, so why double your loss by splitting? Although my friend's logic appears to make sense, it is flawed...read more

Deal Me In: Naval names for table games

Dear Mark: I play a little craps and have noticed recently that in some casinos the tables have different sizes. Is there some house edge being worked here or is it just to allow more players around a table? Jack M. Casinos offer various dimensions of crap tables, Jack, but no specific size will affect the casino's built-in advantage on any particular bet...read more

She Has the Golden Touch: Pat DeMauro Sets All-Time Record Dice Roll at Borgata

The odds of getting a royal flush in Texas Hold'em poker are 649,738 to one. The odds of being struck by lightning in a single year are 700,000 to one. The odds of dying in a plane crash are 11 million to one. The average state lottery player faces odds of 35 to 50 million to one...read more

'In-game' betting expected to make Super Sunday even bigger

Long gone are the days when a betting window at your local sportsbook shuts down for a game right after kickoff. The proliferation of "in-game" betting at Las Vegas sportsbooks is gaining momentum and will likely add to a Super Bowl handle this Sunday that some are predicting will be the highest in the 44-year history of the game...read more