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John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 95  The history of slots, part two10 October 2013
Slot machines have come a long way since Charles Fey’s three-reel Liberty Bell of 1895, and there’s been many a milestone passed on the journey to modern slots. Last week, I looked at a few of the most significant -- the Liberty Bell, Money Honey and its coin hopper, the rapid-hit progressive Blazing 7s, and the virtual reel. ... (read more)
The best games6 October 2013
QUESTION: My buddy and I were talking blackjack, and he said in this day and age counting cards is useless. He said player tracking is all computerized now, and they can spot an advantage player's patterns right away. Is that right? Can they spot that in real time? Do they? ANSWER: Software does exist to analyze your play in real time. ... (read more)
The history of slots, part one3 October 2013
Any journey begins with a single step, and the journey to from the first mechanical slot machines to modern games with bonus events, multiple progressive jackpots, high-definition video and other bells and whistles has been longer than most. We’ve had to step into stepper slots and hop up payouts through coin hoppers to punch our printed ticket to modern games. ... (read more)
Can you be comped for not gambling?29 September 2013
QUESTION: In 9-5 Double Double Bonus Poker with a three-way progressive on the royal, four aces with kicker and four aces, no kicker, I was dealt ace-2-3-4 of clubs and the ace of diamonds. I know the play is the four-card straight flush in a non-progressive game, but if the ace progressives get big enough, ... (read more)
Is there really a way to win?26 September 2013
Two questions on different games arrived in my e-mail box one mid-August day, linked by a common theme: “Is this really a way to win?” A slot player and a craps player had been told of ways to beat the house edge, and each wanted to know if it was really true. Let’s take the slot question first. Slots are ... (read more)
Keno machines and randomness22 September 2013
QUESTION: Does a keno machine contain a random number generator chip, or does the chip contain specific sets of numbers which have been predetermined and programmed into the chip and will be displayed, albeit even randomly, each time a customer presses the “lay” button? It does not appear to me that if the chip in the machine could be truly a random number generator. ... (read more)
The facts about slot makers19 September 2013
Every slot manufacturer has its own way of going about game design. They’re influenced by each other, of course, and are quick to adapt successful innovations, but they want to put their own stamp on the games, too. Take community-style slot machines, with shared bonus events. Their roots trace to A.C. ... (read more)
Slots and comps15 September 2013
QUESTION: My park district group did a bus trip to a casino, and on the way a bunch of us got to talking about slot machines and how you see new games every time you go. That led to talk about the oldest games. Double Diamond has been around a long time, and we still see that, and sometimes there’s Red, White and Blue, and some other games that have been around. ... (read more)
Why we play what we play12 September 2013
I like doing little informal surveys, and I relay some of the results a few times a year after readers tell me about their first royal flush, back-to-back slot jackpots or odd things that have happened at the blackjack table. One of the things I’ve been asking of late is how people came to play their favorite games. ... (read more)
No hand in blackjack and shadow hands in video poker8 September 2013
QUESTION: I saw something weird at the blackjack table. The dealer accidentally, or absent-mindedly, flipped up both her cards. Everybody at the table could see she had a hard 19. I was sitting there with hard 18, ready to hit rather than just take the loss to the 19. She called over the pit supervisor, and the supervisor voided the hand. ... (read more)
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