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John Grochowski Gaming Guru  Goofs and Good Luck27 November 2022
By John Grochowski When goofs at games happen, a little luck can go a long way. In the spring, I wrote about Brady, a Deuces Wild video poker player who had a brain cramp. He assumed he was playing Deuces, but the player before him had been playing Double Double Bonus and Brady didn't change games. He held a lone 2 -- a DDB no-no -- but lucked out and drew three more 2s for a 400-credit payoff. Brady's not alone, accidents and errors happen. Sometimes the accidents are happy. Serendipity, you might say, as with two more tales readers have shared. MONICA: Three girlfriends and I were having a casino morning, just trying out different slot machines. I wasn't even caring what they were. Just anything new, 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there unless something hit. Then I'd stay awhile. One caught my eye because of a lot of ocean symbols. Star fish, sea turtles, dolphins. I love that stuff. My friend Patti stopped by and said, "Monica! What are you doing on THAT game?" I just looked puzzled, I guess, so she said, "It's hold and respin. You told me you would never play hold and respin." She was right. I NEVER win on hold and respin, so I quit playing them. I decided we were here, we were trying new things, so I'd try a few more spins. The game, it turns out was Lightning Link Magic Pearl. I read it after Patti surprised me. On spin I got six pearls, so the spins started. I kept getting more pearls and more spins. In the end, I had 14 of the 15 spaces covered with pearls, and two of them were 250 credits each. I didn't cover them all and get the big jackpot, and I didn't even get the smaller jackpots. But I did get 1,450 credits and that would keep me going for a while. I collected and changed games right after that, though. I'm still more comfortable on other kinds of games. SHARON: I bet you get a lot of these. I still like the three-reel slots, especially Double Diamond. I play a mix of video slots, but if there are three-reel games available, I save time for them. My last trip, all the quarter games were either in use or shut down. The casino had a lot of games shut down, maybe because the crowds haven't been so big. They did have dollar Double Diamond, but I don't really like to play $3 max bets. I told myself this one time it was OK to play one credit. I'd been playing a few minutes and a waitress came over. I asked for a cup of coffee. It was a waitress I knew. She's worked there a long time and she wasn't busy, so we talked for a couple of minutes about our kids and our families. When I went back, instead of hitting bet one or repeat bet, I just reflexively hit the max bet button. It hit me when I saw the credit meter go down by three instead of by one. It worked out great, though. The first two Double Diamonds landed fast, bang, bang. Then it seemed like the third reel spun forever. When it stopped, it was on the third Double Diamond! My mistake won the jackpot! Hitting the wrong button won me $2,500. It wasn't the biggest jackpot I've ever won. That was more than $23,000 on a progressive maybe 15 years ago. The extra two bucks on the bet wasn't going to break me, though betting max consistently would have pushed my budget. But I'll tell you, winning big on a bet I never meant to make was really a thrill. 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. Three-Card Poker Strategy Tips20 November 2022
QUESTION: I have a question about Three Card Poker strategy for the ante-play bet. The recommendation is that you match your ante with a second bet anytime your hand is Queen-6-4 or better. If you have no pairs, flushes or straights, your high card is less than a Queen, or if you have Queen-5-4 or less or Queen-6-3 or less, you fold. ... (read more)
Getting the Edge at Blackjack13 November 2022
On a lazy Tuesday morning, it was time for one of my regular conversations with Blackjack Bob. Bob had seen my column explaining the house gets an edge on banker bets in baccarat and buy bets in craps by charging a commission. It seems Bob had his own recent conversation on the source of a house edge. ... (read more)
Why Commissions6 November 2022
QUESTION: I don't get the whole idea of commissions on casino games. If I want to bet on banker in baccarat, I have to pay a 5 percent commission. If I want to buy numbers instead of place them in craps, I have to pay a 5 percent commission. Why should I have to pay a commission? Why can't I just win or ... (read more)
Craps SystemsCraps players love systems, trying to mix and match bets in hopes of finding the magical formula that will beat the casino. Just about any system will work sometimes, and when a player wins with a system, it encourages another try, and another, and another. In the long run, of course, the casino comes out on top. ... (read more)Multi Strike PokerIt was a Friday morning in Joliet, and I'd been playing a little video poker aboard Empress II, waiting for the 11 a.m. opening of Empress I and its video poker room. Soon, if it hasn't already happened by the time you read this, Empress' new barge will open, ending such little scheduling inconveniences, but on this day, I found myself passing time with a little quarter Triple Play Poker. ... (read more)Comps - The BasicsA colleague of mine likes to refer to casino comps as "free stuff." And for those who know their basic strategy in blackjack, optimal strategies for certain video poker games and who know how comping systems work, the "stuff" really is free--the value ... (read more)Basic Strategy for Spanish 21In the last couple of weeks, we've looked at basic strategy in blackjack. Sit down at most blackjack tables in any jurisdiction, play basic strategy and you'll narrow the house edge to a half-percent or so, perhaps a little more or a little less depending on house rules. ... (read more)Single-Deck Basic StrategyThose whose casino memories stretch back far enough may recall a time when the standard "Las Vegas Strip" blackjack game was dealt from a single deck of cards, with the dealer standing on all 17s. That started to change in the 1960s as operators grew ... (read more)John Grochowski |
John Grochowski |
