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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 136  Asking for advice at the blackjack table15 April 2008
I was playing blackjack and just about holding my own, when another player hesitated over his soft 15, with the dealer showing a 5.
"Is it OK if I ask him how to play it?" he asked the dealer, while pointing to me.
"Ask whoever you want," she replied.
"That's what I thought," he said, and proceeded ... (read more)
What would make you write off a casino?8 April 2008
What would make you write off a casino? How bad would the experience have to be for you to vow never to set foot in the door again?
My casino choices revolve around gaming options. Give me a decent set of blackjack rules and some video poker pay tables that allow me to make a fair run for the money, and I'm happy. ... (read more)
A shuffle through the gaming mailbag1 April 2008
Q. Let us say I am playing a keno machine at the minimum bet amount and as I am playing, the machine emits various numbers each play. Instead of my betting the minimum amounts the machine allows, let's say I was betting the maximum bets allowed by the machine. Would the same numbers come out on the maximum ... (read more)
The house edge at Bally's Roulette25 March 2008
Every casino game has its little variations that can be used to raise or lower the house edge. Jacks or Better video poker might pay 6-for-1 or 5-for-1 on flushes. Craps tables might allow you to back your pass or come bets with anything from single odds to 100x odds, with the lowest house edge on the most odds. ... (read more)
Short-term deviations from the norm18 March 2008
Casino gambling is a numbers game, and if you've played for very long, you're likely to have some of the numbers committed to memory:
An average of 1 in every 6 rolls of two dice will total 7. When you make a single-number bet in double-zero roulette, you have a 1 in 38 chance of winning. If you play 9/6 ... (read more)
About the Five Count11 March 2008
Alex is a craps player, a much better one than when he started writing to me about 14 years ago when this column began.
Back then, he was always sending me convoluted systems, using one-roll propositions to cover up perceived weaknesses in pass, come and place bets. Nowadays he sticks to the best bets on ... (read more)
A shuffle through the gaming mailbag4 March 2008
Q. Can you explain "mystery" jackpots to me? You know, the slot machines like Fort Knox or Cash Express where you can win a jackpot or go to a bonus round even though it doesn't look like you have a winner on the reels. How do you actually win on those games? Do you have to play for a certain amount of time?
A. ... (read more)
One-coin video poker strategy26 February 2008
When I write about house edges and game strategies, I try to leave no hidden assumptions. When I tell you 9-6 Jacks or Better video poker returns 99.5 percent, I'm careful to add "with expert play." If you don't play at expert level, you won't get 99.5 percent.
I don't just tell you that blackjack has a house edge of half a percent in a six-deck game. ... (read more)
Lots of value in the Las Vegas Advisor "Pocketbook of Values"19 February 2008
The annual Las Vegas Advisor "Pocketbook of Values" arrived in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago, bringing its usual strong collection of gambling deals, assorted freebies and discounts on rooms, meals, shows, car rentals and more.
I've used the Advisor coupons, which come with a subscription to the monthly publication, to stretch my Las Vegas budget for years. ... (read more)
Playing the feel of the cards in blackjack12 February 2008
Bob is an old blackjack-playing buddy, and he said he had a friend who wanted to meet me.
Wanted to grill me, was more like it. Bob's pal Pete had read some things I'd written about blackjack basic strategy, and he wanted to challenge me on a few points.
"It's all very interesting," Pete said, "but in ... (read more)
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