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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 56  What about 5-Card Charlie?6 July 2017
QUESTION: Can I tell a story? I’d learned to play blackjack at home years before I went to a casino, and that was about 10 years ago. The rules differences were a surprise. The first time I tried to claim a five-card Charlie and the dealer not only said no, he called out to the pit, “We have a Charlie player ... (read more)
Getting the Roulette Edge2 July 2017
Questions readers ask most frequently go in cycles. For the first couple of years I wrote this column, when legalized gaming was new to much of the country, “How do I get a casino job?” was top of the list. Soon that was replaced by “How do I beat slots?” and then by strategy questions on video poker and blackjack. ... (read more)
Odd Payouts29 June 2017
QUESTION: In cautioning to check for unusual pay tables you said you saw a Bonus Poker game that paid 2-for-1 on two pairs instead of the usual 3-or-1. Isn’t 2-for-1 the usual? I’ve never seen 3-for-1. ANSWER: That was a case my typing fingers moving faster than my brain. What I should have said was that I once saw a Bonus Poker that paid 2-for-1 instead of the usual 3-for-1 on three of a kind. ... (read more)
Two bad bets25 June 2017
Casino games include a number of bets that should never be made. The house edge is so much higher than other bet on the same game that these are bets to avoid. Two prime examples are the tie bet in baccarat and the five-number bet in roulette. In baccarat, you have a fighting chance to win if you bet on ... (read more)
I know this, not that22 June 2017
QUESTION: You write about so many games, but I can’t help wondering about the games you don’t write about. You rarely write about keno, and you never write about bingo or Texas Hold’em. Why can’t you work them into your mix? ANSWER: I write about keno occasionally, mostly when a reader has a specific question. ... (read more)
Playing the Video Poker Hand Perfectly18 June 2017
Video poker odds are not always intuitive, with relative frequencies vs. payoffs of full houses, flushes and straights being prime examples. In late May, I was playing video poker next to a husband and wife. He was playing 8-6 Bonus Poker Deluxe, with an average return of 98.5 percent with optimal play, while she was playing 7-5 Bonus Poker, a 98.0-percent game. ... (read more)
Video poker too good to be true15 June 2017
QUESTION: Once it became common knowledge to only play Jacks or Better video poker machines with a 9/6 pay table, Las Vegas casinos promptly responded by removing Jacks or Better games from their casinos. What is the next best game we should all look out for? ANSWER: It’s an oversimplification to say that ... (read more)
Odd blackjack happenings11 June 2017
Every veteran blackjack player has seen odd things happen at the tables. Other players’ quirks, our own mistakes and interactions with players, dealers, pit supervisors and others lodge in our memories. Let’s take a look at a few of those experiences readers have shared in the last couple of months. ... (read more)
Three-hand blackjack8 June 2017
QUESTION: I heard about a new blackjack game where you play three hands at once. Do you know it? ANSWER: The game is called Multi-Bet Blackjack, designed by SugarHouse casino and first available to New Jersey online players at playsugarhouse.com. Not only can you play three hands at once, you can make up to 12 wagers before the deal. ... (read more)
No ray of sunshine4 June 2017
Among all the casino players I’ve met, Ray is unique. He plays about twice a month, mainly at blackjack, but says he hates to gamble. “I’d rather stay home and watch TV, mow the lawn, do chores – anything,” he said when I met him at a party. “But Joan (his wife) and her sister and parents like to play, so I play. ... (read more)
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