GAMING GURUS: LATEST FROM OUR STRATEGY EXPERTS

Placing $44 Inside: Good or Bad Bet?

Okay, we all know that any bet on random rollers is a losing bet in the long run even if you win it once, twice, or many times in succession. The house edge will have its way no matter what you think, wish or "logic" out. The casinos go to the bank with the money from players following poor advice...read more

A 'woozy' Miami John Cernuto unsure if he'll play in Main Event

LAS VEGAS – Eight days after collapsing at the poker table during the World Series of Poker, "Miam John" Cernuto is unsure whether he will be able to play in this year's Main Event. Last Tuesday during Day 2 of the $2,500 Seven Card Razz Tournament (Event 44), Cernuto -- one of the more popular players in the game -- passed out at the table and had to be wheeled out on a stretcher...read more

Razz, Lunkin provide the entertainment at the 50k H.O.R.S.E. final table

LAS VEGAS -- The final table for the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the World Series of Poker began at 2:43 p.m. It ended at 9:57 a.m. the next day when David Bach beat John Hanson after seven hours of heads-up play. The 480 hands played out over 18 hours and 44 minutes of poker made this a final tabl...read more

Banking on the Success of Electronic Baccarat

International Game Technology, one of the world's leading slot machine developers and manufacturers, is betting that the time is right for gaming enthusiasts to start becoming comfortable with electronic table games. The company is starting to aggressively market what it ...read more

Fatherhood adds new perspective to the life of Mike Sexton

LAS VEGAS – Poker is no longer the top priority in Mike Sexton's life. That may come as a surprise, considering his stature in the game and the fact that he's long been considered "The Ambassador of Poker." But Sexton's perspective changed dramatically about 10 months ago when his son Ty Michae...read more

Turning the WSOP into art

LAS VEGAS -- For more than a century, the nexus between the art world and poker has been "Dogs Playing Poker," which began with a series of oil paintings by C. M. Coolidge. In the decades since Coolidge first released his painting, artists everywhere have taken the "Dogs Playing Poker" genre into their own hands, adding new twists and storylines – like dogs cheating at poker...read more

World Series of Poker proving to be an oasis in the desert

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas heat, which clocked in today at a stifling 105 degrees, hasn't changed. But until I reached the World Series of Poker tournament site at the Rio, that was the only thing about Vegas that seemed familiar. The cab lines, which used to snake back and forth ages along the curb of McCarran International Airport, were virtually empty this morning after I landed...read more

A Shuffle Through the Gaming Mailbag

Q. You have completely tantalized us video poker addicts! You mentioned expert strategy on "certain" video poker games, but which ones? I practice, practice, practice with my little hand-held video game every night--can't go to sleep without playing it...read more

Playing It Smart: Blackjack can have a low edge, but you have to know how to lower it

House edge in blackjack arises because the dealer goes last. Players who bust by exceeding 21 lose, no matter what later befalls the dealer. The inherent advantage of this effect would make the game unworkable without provisions to curb it. One way this is done is to impose restrictions on dealers' actions...read more

Cantu survives exhausting final table

LAS VEGAS – Less than 15 hours after capturing his second-career World Series of Poker bracelet in one of the most riveting final tables of the year, Brandon Cantu looked like one drained and exhausted poker player on Sunday afternoon. Nonetheless, the 28-year-old pro from Washington was back inside the Rio's Amazon Room at 2:15 p.m...read more