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Alan Krigman Gaming Guru - Page 72  How Much Does Sacrificing Edge in Blackjack Really Matter?24 May 1999
Of the starting hands most commonly misplayed by blackjack buffs, soft 18 -- ace-seven -- may be the costliest. Solid citizens often err by standing on this hand when hitting or doubling would be more beneficial. The following list shows Basic Strategy, the decisions giving players the greatest ... (read more)
Picture the Impact of Your Bets Using 50-50 Equivalents17 May 1999
All casino bets are associated with one or a set of chances to win, and the associated payouts. With so many choices, everyone wants to know which are best. Easy to ask, tough to answer. To illustrate, consider equal bets at double-zero roulette on 12-number columns and three-number rows. ... (read more)
Use Even-Money Equivalents to Compare Bets10 May 1999
An old Bezonian proverb says you can't compare apteryxes and orangutans. Do analogous axioms apply in casinos when players try to compare games or evaluate alternate bets at the same tables? For instance, assume you're used to playing $1 video poker, five coins at once. You try $5 blackjack, knowing the house edge is less than in video poker. ... (read more)
How Important Is Edge Relative to Luck?3 May 1999
It's no secret. Casinos have an advantage or edge on every bet. This is what keeps them in business. But many solid citizens win anyway, raising the issue of how edge is balanced against luck. In general, edge falls in importance the smaller it is, the fewer the rounds played, and the longer the odds -- the less likelihood of success and the higher the rewards. ... (read more)
Slot Buffs, Get Ready for the Next Millennium26 April 1999
Certain folks -- like my hoity-toity neighbor, Vera, who drives a '57 Humber once owned by Churchill -- say casinos are "Day Class A." Places for what Vera calls Bezonians who try to be in the right place at the right time so they can get rich quick without working too hard. Anyone who ... (read more)
Why Betting Progressions Work When Experts Say They Can't19 April 1999
Casino table game players frequently debate progressive versus flat betting. Should they start low and follow any of a host of progressions, or begin higher and stay constant? All tried and true gambling gurus guarantee that systems to raise or lower bets don't affect house advantage or edge when odds and returns are uniform from round to round. ... (read more)
Are There Limits to Profits at the Slots?12 April 1999
How much can gamblers earn at the slots? Those who relish the action ogle the payout lists on the faceplates. They figure the answer is the value of the jackpot: millions on some machines, thousands on others. Those who fear the house advantage cringe at warnings about edge. They figure the ... (read more)
Holding Back Won't Make the Best of Blackjack Underdogs5 April 1999
Anybody can play strong starting hands properly at blackjack. It doesn't take a Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevskii to stand and not split, hit, or double on a 20 against a dealer's eight. The kittens get separated from the alley cats on the underdogs. The weakest starting hands are unpaired hard 16s -- 10-six or nine-seven -- and you'll get them about once every 17 rounds. ... (read more)
The More You Try to Make, The Less Your Chance of Success29 March 1999
One of the simplest yet poorest perceived principles of casino gambling is that the more you try to earn, the less your chance of success and the more vulnerable you are to failure. Nothing you can do -- no potpourri of wagers, no betting progressions, no hunches about riding streaks -- changes the fundamental effect. ... (read more)
Why Few Players Want Equitable Poker Payoffs22 March 1999
Some of the new games you may have noticed, or now favor, at your friendly neighborhood casino are based on poker values. The poker paradigm offers players several benefits: Most casino patrons are familiar with the central concepts. Hands are complex enough to be interesting and to let bettors improve their chances by making informed decisions. ... (read more)
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