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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 2  Jackpots26 February 2023
Big jackpots are rare, special events that live forever in players' memories. Most of readers' jackpot tales I've relayed have been of back-to-back bonanzas, those incredible close encounters of the winning kind. What about jackpot size? I reached out to slot and video poker players who have contacted me in the past to ask about their biggest payday. ... (read more)
What Are Odds of That?19 February 2023
QUESTION: I get that people who study blackjack strategy or video poker strategy can get a better return on their dollar, but isn't roulette the ultimate beginners' game? Just bet red vs. black or odd vs. even, and you have what amounts to a coin flip. OK, you also lose on the zeroes, but what are the odds of that? There's no strategy to learn and you get a pretty good deal. ... (read more)
Straying from the Basics12 February 2023
Not long ago, several readers relayed their reasons for straying from optimal strategy on certain plays. I let them tell their stories while deferring comment. A blackjack player, Justin, explained he skipped splitting or doubling down if it would force him to buy more chips. He sets his buy-in as his limit ... (read more)
Wrong Plays for Personal Reasons5 February 2023
One of the things I had to learn when I started to write about gambling roughly 30 years ago was that it's not the goal of every player to get the lowest possible house edge. I write about strategies with the lowest edge in mind, but some players will choose other directions because they want to increase ... (read more)
What Happened to the Royal Flush?29 January 2023
QUESTION: I was playing 9-5 Triple Double Bonus Poker. Not the top of the line pay table, I know, but not too bad for nickel Five Play game. Four Aces with a low kicker brings 4,000 coins for a five-coin bet. It's as much as you'd get for a royal flush. I was wondering, do you get the Aces and kicker more ... (read more)
Playing Slots with Mom22 January 2023
QUESTION: My 80-year-old mom loves the slots and she's been giving broad hints that she'd love a mother-daughter day at the casino. I used to go with her on park district bus trips, but our parks don't do that anymore. The result is that I haven't played in a few years, and I'm wondering what kind of budget I need if I'm going. ... (read more)
Blackjack Mistakes Made by Great Players15 January 2023
Whether it's due to fatigue, a misread of the cards or just a brain cramp, blackjack players sometimes make mistakes. Even good players sometimes mess up, as highlighted in a recent conversation with my old pal blackjack Bob. Bob brought up a column I'd written not long ago about mistakes increasing with fatigue, then said, "I just pulled a doozy. ... (read more)
Craps and Superfun 218 January 2023
QUESTION: My dad's an old craps player, knows the game inside and out and always sticks to the best bets. He's kind of a dark side player. Doesn't mind if he's the only one on the don't and takes some razzing. We passed halftime watching football on Thanksgiving by talking about bad bets, especially the one-roll bet on 12. ... (read more)
Beating Craps1 January 2023
QUESTION: How does playing craps online affect the odds? With no live shooter, it seems like something should be different. ANSWER: The odds are exactly the same, assuming random results. There are still 36 possible combinations of two dice. One combination totals 12, two total 11, three total 10, four ... (read more)
New Slot Machines25 December 2022
Slot machine manufacturers strive to gain your attention and keep your play. Traditional reels augmented by ever-changing themes and bonuses are one way to go about that. Every now and then, game makers go for something completely different. Let's take a gander at a couple of new games on their way to casinos. ... (read more)
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