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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 84  Bad blackjack and bad craps19 October 2014
QUESTION: I have a neighbor who works for a casino, and I was bending his ear, telling him the blackjack games were getting too tight. They're still paying 3-2 on blackjacks here, but they all hit soft 17, even on a six-deck game, and some are double on 9, 10, 11 only with some other bad rules. I guess he ... (read more)
Team play at slots16 October 2014
A few years ago, I spoke with a Wisconsin man who for more than a decade had been treating playing slots as a team sport. He and a group of friends traveled to Reno every year for the world’s largest cribbage tournament, and while they were there, they took a group plunge at an IGT Megabucks machine. ... (read more)
Bonus craps bets12 October 2014
QUESTION: My friend and I were playing around with the idea of side bets, especially craps bets where you get a bonus if you win three times in a row. Maybe you’ve seen something like them. You bet the lucky number, and your bet stays in action until you’ve either won three times in a row or you’ve lost. ... (read more)
Where'd the three-reelers go?9 October 2014
A recurring theme in my e-mail box is, “Where have all the three-reel games gone?” Modern slot machine floors are dominated by video slots, with estimates of up to 85 percent of casino floors going to video. Still, there is a corps of players who like the reel-steppers that stood virtually alone as slot options into mid-1990s and which still made up the majority of machines into the early 2000s. ... (read more)
Point spreads in football5 October 2014
QUESTION: Now that football has started both in pros and colleges, can you give me a quick refresher at the house edge when you bet on the point spreads? You have to bet an extra 10 percent, so your bet is $110 instead of $100, but how big a house edge does that translate into? Also, what percentage of bets ... (read more)
New slots equal new betting strategies2 October 2014
Strategies for playing slot machines have long been built around conventional wisdoms. “To get the maximum return, bet maximum coins.” “Never play progressive slots without betting the max.” “Slots pay more at higher coin denominations.” But the rise of video slots has broken old conventions, and new conventions require new conventional wisdom. ... (read more)
Dealer's hole card and dangers of video poker28 September 2014
QUESTION: I was talking with a dealer friend, and he pointed out there are times the dealer exposes cards with no need. If every player busts, or if there is a mix of player blackjacks and busts, the dealer’s down card doesn’t make any difference in the outcome. So why turn it up? Why does a casino that’s ... (read more)
Blackjack Bob asks about Four-Card Poker25 September 2014
I’ve mentioned my old blackjack-playing pal Bob a few times in this column. Bob’s a solid player who spends most of his casino time at the 21 tables. However, he does take breaks for low-minimum Three-Card Poker, roulette and video poker. “Penny slots, too,” Bob piped in when I saw him in early August. ... (read more)
A wild streak indeed!21 September 2014
QUESTION: Something very unusual happened at the casino recently. Playing my usual Double Double Bonus machines, I was dealt three 4s. Of course, I didn’t get the other 4. On the very next round, I was dealt three 4s again. And again I didn’t get the other 4. Imagine my shock when I’m dealt another three 4s – and of course I didn’t get the other 4. ... (read more)
Streaks happen18 September 2014
Streaks happen. You don’t know when they’re coming, and you don’t know when they’re going to end. They can be good, bad or indifferent for your bankroll. But streaks are a part of normal probability. From time to time, I hear from players who have been on unusual streaks. Here are a few of their stories. ... (read more)
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