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Gaming Guru
The Always, Nevers, and Sometimes of Casino Gamblng - Part 530 March 2002
THE MACHINES Never play full coin in equal-distribution machines. These are also called straight multipliers. For example, if one coin wins you 200 on the top jackpot line, and two coins win you $400 and three coins win you $600 -- the machine isn't giving you anything to reward you for playing full coin. Always play one. This way you'll be able to stretch your time at the machine for less risk or play longer for the exact same risk. In buy-a-pay machines, where extra coins add extra winning symbols, never play two coins as the gain is not great enough for the extra risk. Always play full coin because the final coin greatly improves your winning prospects. If you are looking for steady wins or small losses over extended periods of time, never play giant progressive machines such as Megabucks. The house edge is just too great. The giant progressives usually come in with house edges of 15 percent, sometimes more, rarely less. It is very difficult to go home a winner on a machine that is taking $15 for every $100 wagered for the casino. It is much easier to win on a given night on a machine that is returning anywhere from 96 to 98 percent as many slot machines of the "stand-alone" variety (i.e., no progressive meters) do. In fact, if a casino is "certifying" that all the machines in a bank are returning 98 percent, those are the machines to play. But always make sure that the sign says "all" and not "up to" because then only one machine has to be returning the high amount. The others could be as tight as a clam. However, if you are the type of player who loves to dream about those life-changing moments, then always play progressives and always play full coin in them. Life can't change all that drastically when you win on stand-alone slot machines or when you play one coin in a giant progressive and those mega-symbols come up. Always remember that all these new bonus games and multiline machines come with this caveat -- to generate the money for the bonus rounds, the main game has to skimp on the payout percentages. If you want to play these new games, never get caught underfunded. Multiline machines can make a seemingly 5-cent player into a $12.50 per-spin player. Those multilines add up! And always slow your pace on the machines. Relax. What's your hurry? The machie isn't going anywhere, nor is the casino. The only thing that might go is your money if you go too fast. Always play the same strategy for three-play, five-play, or ten-play video-poker machines of a given type as you would for a stand-alone version. The fact that you are playing multiple hands at the same time never alters your strategy. And if you are going to play those three-play, five-play, or ten-play machines, always try to play the best pay tables. These, and the proper strategies to use when playing them, can be found in my book Victory at Video Poker. GENERAL RULES OF THUMB Never make any side bets that require you to put up extra money. You'll find these "jackpot" side bets appearing at blackjack games, Let It Ride, Caribbean Stud, and others. The casino edge on side bets is often around 25 percent. And those dollars do add up. At a game with 60 to 100 decisions per hour, your expectation is to lose on average between $15 and $25 per hour. The game you are playing, minus the side bet, will often have a lower loss expectation even though you are betting $5 or $10 per decision. Always tip on top of your bets, not in front of or beside them. This way you control the bet and also get comp points for the tip. In negative-expectation games, which just about all casino games are, it is always best to slow down the pace. Remember this: fast is always good for the casino but never good for the player. The only time this isn't an absolute truth is on those rare occasions where the players sometimes have the edge. Aways bring enough money to the casino to last the amount of time you intend to play. Never borrow money, either from friends or fellow players, in order to extend your time at the tables or machines (even for one more hand or one more spin), once you have lost your session stake. Always have a separate account for your gambling funds. Put a little in it each week and always use the money from this account for gambling purposes. You'll find that having a gambling account will give you peace of mind as well as ready funds when you want to play. And, better still, you'll never feel guilty should you lose money since that money was strictly for gambling, not for Lulu's braces or Timmy's tux for the prom. Always sign up for a player's card and always use it when you play. Take advantage of all the freebies that your play generates but never play more than you intended just to get comps. Finally, always buy all of Frank Scoblete's books and tapes...okay, okay, I just threw that in! Here's the real finally: Finally, remember that casino gambling should always bring you a certain level of thrill and enjoyment, whether you win, lose or draw. If you find that it doesn't, you should never play. Life is just too short to be miserable -- even sometimes. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Articles in this Series
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