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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 124  Don't make these bets27 July 2010
People play casino games for different reasons, with different goals, and that's something I try keep in mind when writing about the games.
You're out for some entertainment on the slots? Great, I'm not going to tell you to leave that behind just because the house edge is lower on blackjack. You love ... (read more)
Betting progressions don't change the math of the game20 July 2010
Early on a slow casino morning, I pretty much had my choice of where and what to play. From the time I passed the gift shop on my way in from the parking garage until I approached the table games pit, I'd seen only about a dozen people, and half were casino employees.
A couple of blackjack tables with $10 minimum bets were open, and there were only two players at each table. ... (read more)
Time is money in the casino, too13 July 2010
When you choose a casino game, are you looking for rapid action? Feeling the need for speed?
Not so fast, my friend. Speed kills. That is, it kills your bankroll.
Time is money in the casino world as much as anywhere. And time is on the side of whoever has a mathematical edge on the game. Unless you're ... (read more)
New books on blackjack, craps and casino surveillance6 July 2010
I remember many years ago being skeptical of dice control. With all the safeguards built into the game of craps, it just didn't seem possible that anyone could have enough control of the dice to overcome the house's mathematical edge.
Then I spent a weekend at a Frank Scoblete Golden Touch Craps seminar, and saw "The Dominator" at work. ... (read more)
Easy-to-play table games29 June 2010
Casino games are not designed to be difficult or intimidating. The last thing casino execs want is a game that intimidates players and keeps them from spending their money.
Nonetheless, there are games that leave the uninitiated a little leery, games that send them searching for a safe, no-strategy, no-intimidation refuge like the slots. ... (read more)
Splitting 8s in blackjack22 June 2010
My friend Ralph has played blackjack for decades, probably longer than I have. He'd never really studied the game, but absorbed enough through all that play that he was zeroed in on basic strategy, as long as we were talking only about hard totals. If he had a hard 16, he was going to hit if the dealer had ... (read more)
There are no free comps15 June 2010
It was a busy night in Las Vegas, at the end of a busy day. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, all the restaurants were crowded, and I found myself dining at the counter of a casino coffee shop.
From my stool, I couldn't help but overhear the conversation to my left. A man and a woman, late 20s or early ... (read more)
Some players can't beat beatable games8 June 2010
The phone rang, and a voice on the other end said he had a question about beatable casino games.
"You wrote that on every game, the house gets its edge by paying less than true odds, right?"
Right.
"And you've written that blackjack and video poker are beatable games?"
Right, provided the blackjack ... (read more)
Mining data from the AGA's State of the States report1 June 2010
The American Gaming Association has issued its annual State of the States report, and there's an intriguing little tidbit to be gleaned from casino revenue data.
Of the 13 states to have legal licensed, commercial casinos, eight showed revenue drops in 2009 as compared to 2008. Four had revenue drops, and one — Kansas — opened to casinos just last year. ... (read more)
Casino procedures25 May 2010
It seems like a lifetime ago, but in the early days of legalized gambling's move into markets outside Nevada and New Jersey I was talking with a long-time casino executive, one who had made a career in Nevada but now was on of those new-fangled riverboats.
I asked if the move into new markets had forced ... (read more)
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