 Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! John Grochowski Archives
More Strategy Experts
|
John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 83  The Big Wheel23 November 2014
QUESTION: When I first started going to casinos, everybody used to have one of those money wheels, with the different dollar bills in the slots. I never played it very much, just a flutter here or there, but to me, it looks like I expect a casino to look, and when I see one it gives me a casino feel. ... (read more)
Hot slots: Beware the Blob!20 November 2014
Bally Technologies has had loads of hot slot machines, including some of the flashiest, most popular licensed themes to hit casinos in recent years. But Mike Trask, senior manager for corporate communications at Bally, isn’t sure he’s ever seen something quite like Wonder Woman. “We’ve had Titanic, NASCAR, ... (read more)
21 + 3 rides high16 November 2014
QUESTION: I've been surprised at the staying power of 21 + 3. Blackjack side bets come and go, but that one's lasted for years. Do you have any thoughts on why that one and not Royal Match or Over/Under 13, for instance? ANSWER: Blackjack side bets do usually have short shelf lives, as you note. Usually, that’s because they have very high house edges. ... (read more)
I love skill-based games!13 November 2014
I’m not exactly the target demographic, but I’ll admit to being a sucker for slot machines with skill-based bonuses. International Game Technology has given us a number of skill-based bonuses in its Reel Edge series, including Blood Life Legends and Centipede. The latest is Race Ace, previewed Sept. ... (read more)
Low slot pays and bad blackjack plays9 November 2014
QUESTION: You write all about these new games, and Mad Men and the new Austin Powers sound like fun, but why do they make the games with such low paybacks? Someone should tell WMS and IGT and Bally and all those companies that you can bet as much on a penny video game as on a dollar three-reel game, and players deserve paybacks just as high. ... (read more)
Aristocrat slot machines6 November 2014
Aristocrat Technologies has long been an innovator in the way it uses its reels. It’s the company that introduced Reel Power, the 247-ways-to-win format based on buying reels instead paylines with your bets. The Australian-based slot maker is at it again with Cluster Power, and like Reel Power, it looks like the kind of feature every gamemaker could be imitating a year or two down the road. ... (read more)
Those sevens just kept coming2 November 2014
QUESTION: I was at a craps table where the shooter rolled five sevens in a row. They were all comeouts, so I won my pass bets, but didn’t get any odds. I’ve read you and others say the dice have no memory, and that the odds stay the same after a streak like that. But I’ve also read that 7s will show up once per six rolls. ... (read more)
Rites and rituals of casino players30 October 2014
A few years ago, I wrote about rituals, the things players do in the name of good luck – whether they believe in luck or not. There was my brother Jay and his jackpot dance that no doubt kept surveillance operators amused. There was Carmen, who had to play her first roll of quarters at the airport on her Las Vegas trips, back when machines actually took quarters. ... (read more)
Symbols and sevens26 October 2014
QUESTION: An awful lot of video slots used A, K, Q, J and 10 symbols. I counted in one game, and there were seven other symbols. Four had characters and three were pieces of jewelry. So in all there were 12 different symbols. It seems to me that it would be harder to get three or more in a row of the same symbol when there are so many different ones. ... (read more)
Behind video poker paybacks23 October 2014
Video poker regulars know that as a basic guideline, royal flushes account for about 2 percent of their overall payback. If you’re playing 9-6 Jacks or Better, which returns 99.5 percent to those who play at expert level, you can figure it’s closer to 97.5 percent between royals. Actual percentages vary by a small amount depending on game and pay table. ... (read more)
< Previous 10 Articles | Next 10 Articles > John Grochowski |
John Grochowski |
