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Alan Krigman Gaming Guru - Page 24  Playing It Smart: Multi-line slots don't have to be complex19 May 2009
Picture a hypothetical old-time three-reel spring-and-ratchet slot machine. The kind with a handle and no computer. Say that each reel has 10 positions and can stop with equal probability at any of them. More, pretend that nine of the positions are marked "x" and one "o." And, posit that returns are 100-for-1 on three x's, 10-for-1 on two x's, and 2-for-1 on one x. ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: Taking it or laying it at the craps table5 May 2009
Some craps buffs bet identical amounts on Pass and Don't Pass (or Come and Don't Come), then take or lay Odds on the former or latter, respectively. Their "theory" is that the flat bets cancel on the come-out one wins when the other loses so only money on the Odds, where the house has no edge, is at risk. ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: Explaining the house edge in double-zero roulette28 April 2009
Most big casinos have a "single-zero" ("European") roulette table or two, along with a cluster of "double-zero" ("American") games. Minimum wagers are usually higher on the single-zero version but edge is less by a factor of nearly two (an exception will be cited later). Further, single-zero games offer ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: Why craps players take odds, but few lay them23 April 2009
Most craps buffs who play Pass or Come take Odds after the point is established. Technically, the extra money put at risk to do so represents a "good bet" because the house has no edge on it. The reason is that the payoff precisely mirrors the chance of success. A four, for instance, is a 6-to-3 (2-to-1) shot, so $5 taken as Odds pays 2-to-1 or $10. ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: Can you gain an edge in blackjack by counting only aces?14 April 2009
An oddity of blackjack is that cards may be favorable in some situations and adverse in others. Card counters know that shoes rich at the high end help them while those with excess low ranks serve the house, so they raise or lower their bets accordingly.
But, consider this. Say you're dealt a 5-6 and double-down. ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: Look beyond the payoffs before making side bets8 April 2009
Bonus or "side bets" are busting out all over tables in casinos across our great country. The double entendre is intended.
These bets typically dangle the carrot of high payoffs for small wagers, overcoming players' need in the underlying games to risk a lot to win a lot. The stick is that most side bets ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: Why try for a small jackpot, with a bigger prize down the aisle?18 March 2009
Slot machines of the same denomination may have greatly disparate jackpots. A 3-coin-maximum quarter game might offer as little as $500, or as much as $10,000, $25,000, or more, for a $0.75 bet. A nearby dollar device could have less of a biggie, or something much more grand at $3 a pop.
You see solid citizens attacking them all. ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: Is 'buyer beware' something to consider in casinos?10 March 2009
Many solid citizens have been around enough to remember when there was no such thing as consumer protection. "Caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) was a fact of life. That's been largely reversed. Today, the general populace can have confidence in the integrity of most businesses with whom they trade, and ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: How to size up your bankroll26 February 2009
Winning in a repetitive bet milieu like a casino game often takes a big enough bankroll to weather the cold streaks. It's a matter of probabilities, not absolutes. The question isn't what multiple of your average bet is needed to play a certain game. Rather, how big a bankroll will yield some percentage ... (read more)
Playing It Smart: The superior bet at the craps table18 February 2009
One of the great things about craps is the variety of bets you can make on a roll of the dice. Not only on the totals and how sums will form. But also alternate wagers on the same results.
Pretend you want to bet directly on a so-called box or number a four, five, six, eight, nine, or 10. You win if the dice show your total and lose if a seven pops. ... (read more)
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