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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 82  Video poker triumph1 January 2015
I get a lot of e-mail from video poker players, but it mostly has to do with strategy fine points. Slot players share stories of big jackpots and table games players tell of unusual streaks or strange interactions, but video poker players stick to whether you should hold a 3 along with three Aces in Double Double Bonus Poker. ... (read more)
Video versus reels28 December 2014
QUESTION: What’s the biggest difference in the way slot machines are programmed on video and on reels? Does that make a difference in the odds? ANSWER: The method of programming in itself makes no difference in the odds on video slots vs. reel-spinners. Reel slots are limited by the necessity of fitting the reels inside the machine casing. ... (read more)
Big wheel, stay clear25 December 2014
In my Q&A column a few weeks ago, I answered a reader’s question on the Big Six wheel, and explained that the high house edge doesn’t make it a candidate for repeated play. That brought this inquiry from another reader, who didn’t quite understand the answer. “The Big wheel – how can you lose?” she wrote. ... (read more)
Learning blackjack basic strategy18 December 2014
Learning basic strategy is worth your time and effort if you’re going to play much blackjack. An average player faces a house edge of roughly 2 percent, while a basic strategy player cuts that edge to roughly half a percent in a six-deck game — a few tenths more or less, depending on how generous the casino is with the house rules. ... (read more)
Blackjack and comps14 December 2014
QUESTION: A blackjack expert wrote a blog a couple years ago in which he said a perfect basic strategy player had an edge by playing for comps. He wrote that the casino figures an edge of two percent against a typical player. But an expert at basic strategy faces a much lower casino edge-even in the bad six-deck, dealer hits soft 17, no surrender games that are ubiquitous. ... (read more)
New slots on the march11 December 2014
Ties between video slots and video entertainment games are becoming stronger, and we’ve seen slots based on arcade classics such as IGT’s Centipede, under license from Atari, and online favorites such as GTECH’s Plants vs. Zombies, under license from Pop Cap Games. Now Konami Gaming is finding inspiration from its corporate family with Neo Contra. ... (read more)
Strategy changes for video poker7 December 2014
QUESTION: The casino near my home has a lot of progressive video poker games. They usually have pay tables a little lower than on their non-progressive games, but then you get more on the royal flush. I know you’ve written about this before that there are break-even points, but doesn’t it make a difference ... (read more)
All-star video poker4 December 2014
When I’m looking for a video poker game, the first thing I do is to check out the pay tables. If I see high pay tables, I play, and if I see low pay tables, I move on to other games. I don’t stop to worry about how the pay tables got there and who set them up, but it’s a concern for casino operators who are always looking for ways to save time and money. ... (read more)
Where are the good machines located?30 November 2014
QUESTION: The new Race Ace slot machine you described sounds like fun, and I’d like to give it a go. However, when you’ve written about skill games in the past, I’ve never been able to find them in casinos. Do you know who will have Race Ace? ANSWER: I’m afraid I’m not going to be much help here. I don’t receive lists of which slots are installed at which casinos. ... (read more)
Fun new table games29 November 2014
Casinos use hundreds of new slot machines every year. Games rise to popularity, hit their peak, decline and are replaced by new themes in a matter of months. Table games are different. Blackjack and craps have been favorites for generations, and probably will be for generations more. A new game’s developer ... (read more)
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