 Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! John Grochowski Archives
More Strategy Experts
|
John Grochowski Gaming Guru - Page 98  Splitting 10s in blackjack27 June 2013
It was late on a Monday night in Las Vegas, and I was playing blackjack head-to-head with the dealer until a younger couple joined me. They were in their late 20s or early 30s, and obviously had already had a few drinks before they asked the cocktail waitress for a couple of beers. “How’s Kim been treating you,” the man said, noting the name on the dealer’s badge. ... (read more)
Penalty cards in video poker and splitting 8s in blackjack23 June 2013
QUESTION: I’ve been going nuts trying to memorize penalty card exceptions in video poker. How important are they? Would I be just as well off to use a simpler strategy? ANSWER: For the uninitiated, penalty cards in video poker are those that if discarded, decrease your chances of drawing flushes or straights. ... (read more)
Important video poker tips20 June 2013
Video poker players often find themselves with four parts of a straight, but before you draw, remember that not all straight draws are created equal.
Dealt 5-6-7-8, you have eight possible cards to complete the straight -- the four 4s remaining in the deck, and the four 9s. You also have four parts of a ... (read more)
Blackjack comps and the same slots with different payouts16 June 2013
QUESTION: You’ve said that two slot machines that look exactly the same can have different payback percentages. By exactly the same I assume you’re including the payoffs. If I look up the payoffs for one machine, they’ll be the same as the other. Then if both machines are using a random number generator, how ... (read more)
Talking blackjack at the table13 June 2013
Blackjack players can be a bit uncomfortable talking strategy during breaks at the table. The more advanced players may not want to tip the casino off to how good they are, though it really doesn’t take much observation to tell those who know their basic strategy from those who don’t. So the table talk at ... (read more)
The RNG, clean cards and free play9 June 2013
QUESTION: On machines with different coin values, or with different games to choose from, does each game and each value have its own random number generator? Or can different games share the same RNG? ANSWER: It’s possible for different games and different coin denominations to share the same RNG, provided they can work with the same number set. ... (read more)
Money management6 June 2013
Jeff is an old friend, one I meet for lunch three or four times a year, just to catch up. He’s not really a casino player, though he’ll tag along with his wife and play the slots once in a blue moon. Our conversation rarely centers on gambling, but this time he had a question from Darcy, his wife. “She wants me to ask you about money management,” he said. ... (read more)
Blackjack early surrender and max coin on slots30 May 2013
I don’t remember the last time I saw early surrender offered in a bricks-and-mortar casino, and I can’t vouch for its existence online, where I don’t play. “Surrender” means that after seeing his first two cards and the dealer’s up card, the player may give up half his bet instead of playing out the hand. ... (read more)
The truth about blackjack and slots26 May 2013
QUESTION: The blackjack rules I play under yield about a .38 percent house advantage. Does that (somehow) include the variables of doubling down, splitting and 3 to 2 blackjack payoff? I thought that I could overcome that house edge using those variables but it looks like I might be wrong and therefore doomed to eventual failure in coming out ahead. ... (read more)
Craps payouts and blackjack percentages23 May 2013
QUESTION: I make all the craps bets you say I shouldn’t. I know the percentages are lousy, but I play for cheap, never lose too much and when I get a little lucky, I have some big wins. I know I lose more than I win, but the excitement of the big ones does it for me. Anyway, I’m not writing for advice about that. ... (read more)
< Previous 10 Articles | Next 10 Articles > John Grochowski |
John Grochowski |
