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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 5  Experts Can Be Annoying7 May 2023
An actual face-to-face breakfast conversation with Blackjack Bob has been a rare treat the last few years. When we pulled our schedules together in mid-April, Bob got straight to the point. "You know, we can be a pain in the rear sometimes." I asked if he meant the two of us, humanity in general or some group in between. ... (read more)
Blackjack Doubles30 April 2023
QUESTION: I don't really understand why you would double down on soft hands. So much can go wrong when one card can be 1 or 11. You have a hand that's not close to finished. If I double on hard 11, I know I have 21 with any of the four 10-value cards. Even with hard 10, I at least get 20 with the four 10s. ... (read more)
The Sharp Shooter Bet23 April 2023
Checking my email on an unseasonably warm April day, I found an inquiry from a craps player wanting to know about a side bet. "Do you know anything about a Sharp Shooter bet?" it asked. "I'd never seen it before, but it looks like the shooter has to make a bunch of points in a row. A couple of other players ... (read more)
Keno Odds16 April 2023
QUESTION: I vaguely recall a live keno game that had a big progressive jackpot if you picked all 20 spots. My wife and I used to laugh. There were flyers promoting this game in our rooms when we checked in. We knew there was no way we'd ever picked all the numbers, but there were smaller payouts for picking fewer, and only a few numbers with no payout at all. ... (read more)
DJ Wild10 April 2023
In markets such as New Jersey, where online casinos are legal, table games with small niches get a fresh chance at a broader audience. One that's currently getting online play is DJ Wild, a five-card stud poker-based game that has been around some larger live casinos since the mid 2010s. DJ Wild uses a 53-card deck. ... (read more)
The Question of Insurance2 April 2023
QUESTION: I've read insurance in blackjack is a bad bet. It's even supposed to be bad to take even money on blackjacks, but the temptation is really strong to take that sure payoff. How bad is it? How much am I losing if I insure blackjacks. ANSWER: Let's use a six-deck game as an example, since that's the most common condition in modern casinos. ... (read more)
March Madness and Slots1 April 2023
It was March Madness time, and I was at a gathering to watch some hoops when I was approached by Emily, the wife of a friend of a friend. Emily had heard I write about casino games, and at halftime she wanted to bend my ear about slot machines. "I'd like to have a strategy when I play, but I hear so many conflicting things," she said. ... (read more)
Blazing 777 Blackjack26 March 2023
Blackjack Bob isn't one for side bets. That doesn't mean he isn't interested, and over a late February lunch, he brought up one he'd spotted online. "The logo said 'Blazing 777 Blackjack,' but the dealer kept saying 'Blazing 7s,' Bob said. "I take it that's related to the slot machine." It is. Blazing 777 ... (read more)
Reduce the House Edge at Roulette19 March 2023
QUESTION: You've written that six-deck blackjack games can be better than one-deck games if there are better rules on the six-deck game. I was wondering if the same might be true in roulette. I know the house edge is higher with two zeroes, but are there circumstances when it's better to play double-zero ... (read more)
Mom and Daughter Penny Slots12 March 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)
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