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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 48  Payout differences12 April 2018
QUESTION: You've written a number of times that there are different pay tables on Pair Plus in Three Card Poker, and that the most common one isn't as good as it used to be. Why is that? Why isn't the pay table standard? ANSWER: There are very few games in which payoffs are standard in all casinos. ... (read more)
Gavin's story8 April 2018
Anybody who plays casino table games very often sees some odd things happen. I've heard from players who have told me of three of a kind on two and three hands in a row at Three Card Poker, a roulette player who accidentally wandered behind the table and was escorted away, and a blackjack player in a party pit who joined in with an Elvis imitator. ... (read more)
Hitting soft 17 and the Fortune bonus5 April 2018
QUESTION. I can't bring myself to double down on soft 17. Basic strategy cards tell me to double when the dealer shows 3, 4, 5 or 6. I can't pull the trigger. It just feels right to me to stand on 17. How much am I costing myself? ANSWER: Seventeen is not as strong a starting hand as some players think it is. ... (read more)
The baccarat alternative1 April 2018
Baccarat is more popular among big bettors than average players, and I don't hear from baccarat players as often as I do from those who play blackjack, video poker, slots, craps, Three Card Poker, roulette or Mississippi Stud. Nonetheless, at an early March dinner party, a friend of a friend told me he was exploring baccarat as a blackjack alternative. ... (read more)
Video poker flushes and keno history29 March 2018
QUESTION: You've fielded questions about video poker strategy when you have both low pairs and high cards. My question is about flushes. Do you always hold four cards to a flush, even if the non-suited card is a high card? What if the card is an ace in Double Double Bonus, where four aces get you 2,000 ... (read more)
Keeping current on blackjack25 March 2018
In the last few weeks, while I was focused on new slot games, a number of blackjack questions piled up. Let's try to answer a few. What do you think of the side bet that pays 10-1 if you push the dealer?
This one pops up from time to time under different names. The reader who asked mentioned seeing it at Palace Station as Push Your Luck. ... (read more)
Baccarat card counting and craps 'put' bets22 March 2018
QUESTION: Tell me something about the tie bet in baccarat. It seems to me that there must be some cards that make ties more likely, and that if you count cards there must be situations where the tie becomes a good bet. Do you have any tips on when to play the tie bet? ANSWER: Most casinos pay 8-1 on tie bets when the dealer and banker hands have the same value. ... (read more)
To Egypt and beyond18 March 2018
Anyone who's spent much time playing video slots has encountered ancient Egyptian themes. When it comes to pyramids, the Sphinx, scarabs and asps, there seems to be a strong archeologist strain among slot players. Incredible Technologies is the latest slotmaker to delve into the ancient mysteries with its new game, Rays of Egypt. ... (read more)
Blackjack dealer shows his hole card15 March 2018
QUESTION: I was at a blackjack table and one dealer was exposing his hole card on every hand. When he rotated off our table, I was really tempted to follow him, but I resisted. I don't want to get into a whole thing about whether I should or shouldn't have told him he was tipping his card. I just want to know if there's any special strategy to follow when you can see both dealer cards. ... (read more)
Pop culture slots11 March 2018
Pop culture themes on slot machines have been regularly attracting players since the rise of video slots in the late 1990s. There were a few licensed themes before that — Bally's Betty Boop and IGT's Wheel of Fortune three-reel games come to mind — but video really opens the door for designers to show off what movies, TV, board games and music themes bring to the slots. ... (read more)
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