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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 42  Who owns branded slot machines?8 November 2018
QUESTION: When a slot machine is made by two different manufacturers, how does that work? There were Elvis slots by IGT and the Elvis slots by WMS. There were a couple of different Price Is Right slots, and I'm sure there have been others. What happens? Does one manufacturer have to pay the other one? Can ... (read more)
Tough video poker decision4 November 2018
In early October I found myself at a 9/6 Double Double Bonus poker machine, with a man and woman occupying the two games to my right. He seemed to be the more experienced player, and he was giving advice on how to play her hands. It was loud enough that I couldn't ignore it, though I avoid giving my own two cents in such situations. ... (read more)
Hitting 12 versus the dealer's 2 or 31 November 2018
QUESTION: Can you explain the theory of hitting 12 in blackjack when the dealer has a 2 or 3? I see it on the basic strategy charts, so it must be the right play, but it just feels wrong. It seems like every time I hit 12, I get a 10 and bust. ANSWER: You'll get a 10 to bust an average of four hands per 13 trials, because there are 13 card denominations and four of them are 10-values. ... (read more)
Beating the house28 October 2018
Wherever there are casinos, there are people looking for ways to beat the games. Mostly it's to no avail, and some attempts to swing the odds can even lead to larger losses. Still, you can't blame a player for trying. One who thought she had come up with something was Alysha, and her thought on beating the house is one of those that can lead to large losses. ... (read more)
Back-to-back wins and different colored cards25 October 2018
QUESTION: I read your column with players' stories about winning back to back, even if the jackpots were small, and I wondered if my story qualified. I still like Super Jackpot Party after all these years. The casino I usually go to still has two of them on pennies, and they're the first games I look for. ... (read more)
Multiple bets at roulette21 October 2018
I've often written that betting combinations of roulette numbers can increase your frequency of wins, but it can't reduce the house edge. With multiple bets on the table, individual wins are reduced by the amounts of your other bets. In the end, the house keeps the same percentage as if you'd stayed with one bet. ... (read more)
Can all table games become machine games?18 October 2018
QUESTION: All of these poker games you see now, like Three Card Poker and Mississippi Stud, do you think any of them would work as video poker games? I have fun at Three Card Poker, but sometimes I think I'd like to play it by myself on a machine for quarters instead of having a $5 ante and then more if I want to stay in the hand, and another $5 if I want to play Pair Plus. ... (read more)
Pay those taxes14 October 2018
QUESTION: I was playing a Triple Play Poker machine that had progressive jackpots on each hand as well as a bigger progressive if you got all three royals. I didn't get all three, but I did get two at once. I was dealt the ace, king, jack and 10 of hearts, and on the middle and top hands I drew the queen. ... (read more)
How the casino really makes money11 October 2018
When comparing casino games, the house edge frequently is used as the standard. But the edge alone can't tell you precisely what you can expect in equivalent times on the games, something I discussed recently with Paul, an old video poker-playing acquaintance. "I've been playing this game a long time," Paul said recently as he sat down next to me at a bank of multi-game machines. ... (read more)
Stay clear craps7 October 2018
Way back in the 1990s, I met Brett at a seminar. He was a slot player — strictly three reels in those days — and he wanted to learn something about table games. It took him a couple of decades, but he's finally giving craps a try. He contacted to ask about hop bets. "You probably don't remember this," he ... (read more)
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