GAMING GURUS: LATEST FROM OUR STRATEGY EXPERTS

Table Games on Machines

QUESTION: I was playing video blackjack and the machine offered three side bets: 21 + 3, Lucky Ladies and Lucky Lucky. I'd seen 21 + 3 and Lucky Ladies before, but didn't know Lucky Lucky.Later, I was playing at a live blackjack table, and there were no side bets offered...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Do casinos determine who will win a slot tournament?

Question: I have participated in a few slot tournaments in Las Vegas recently and have noticed some extreme irregularities when it comes to how the points are won. Several times I have hit three double multipliers in a row, which should have given me humongous points but instead I got no score at all...read more

The Yabberors

I am not much of a talker at table games. I prefer to play silently unless I am at a table with a friend and then I will talk a little. I am however intrigued by people who can yabber at the tables. By “yabber” I mean talking about things that are not too important in life such as transient relationships, how the hands or decisions are playing out, and the like.So I decided to jot down some of the reactions of the actual yabberors I have heard at the tables, mostly at blackjack and Pai Gow Poker tables, two games that lend themselves to yabberors.Patricia is a wonderful talker...read more

Top 10 new Las Vegas experiences on my trip itinerary

In May, I hope to head out west to Las Vegas with a few friends. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our plans to visit Sin City a couple different times last year, as we wanted make sure it was safe to get out there and fully enjoy ourselves.With COVID-19 cases on the decline in Nevada, I am very excited that the trip is back on...read more

Good Paybacks

Smart video poker players shop for the best payback percentage available on their game of choice. A Double Double Bonus Poker player will choose a 9-6 pay table if available over 9-5 or 8-5 games.Top pay tables have become less widely available than they once were...read more

The Zombie Apocalypse

CINDY: We are still struggling through the Covid-19 virus as we write this article. I never expected anything like this, although I have watched many movies and read several books where humans are almost wiped out by a virus of some sort or another...read more

Casino City’s Friday Five: Decreasing restrictions and goodbye to Full Tilt Poker

Last week, we heard the news that Nevada casinos moved from 25% limit to 35%, with hopes of moving to 50% in mid-March. Now, we are seeing more Sin City casinos return to their normal hours. Along with Las Vegas opening up more, we saw the demise of one of the most well-known brands in online poker history, as well as two big jackpot wins, a race to build a casino in Virginia, and Tennessee sportsbooks bringing in massive numbers.Let’s begin with one of the jackpots:5...read more

More About Dirt

QUESTION: I had to laugh when I read the question a few weeks ago from a reader who was comparing sanitizer stands in casinos now to how dirty our hands used to get when we used coins in slots.ANSWER:I was a resister, but I'm glad we used tickets now instead of coins...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: New screen almost makes me lose out on free play

Last week I wrote about changes to the slot club software on Red Rock's video poker machines (and probably all video poker machines in a Stations casino) . Whenever a casino changes a system, you have to pay attention. Things might work a little bit differently now. For those not familiar with these video poker machines, they don't have separate, dedicated displays for the slot club...read more

Single-Shot Slots

Over the decades we gambling writers have stressed that full coin in slot machines is the way to go. After all putting full coin in the machine gives you access to the bigger jackpot.To me this no longer makes sense. Yes, there are some machines where full coin is warranted, for example those progressive machines such as Megabucks...read more