 Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! Mark Pilarski Archives
More Strategy Experts
|
Mark Pilarski Gaming Guru - Page 50  The fast and furious shuffle and chop-chop pai gow16 June 2006
Dear Mark,
How big of a disadvantage does the blackjack player who counts cards have against
continuous shuffle machines? How about online play? How often do they shuffle
cards? Jack M.
Casinos thwart card counters by using different countermeasures. They can use
more decks, which decrease the player's advantage, or they can shuffle prematurely. ... (read more)
The inner charms of Texas Hold'em9 June 2006
Dear Mark,
I’m new to poker, so please excuse the two somewhat similar Hold’em
questions. When two people both make a flush, and the highest card is shared,
is the pot split, or is the tie broken by the second highest card in each flush?
Also, if two players have a straight using the same five cards, ... (read more)
Maximum coins, maximum jingle2 June 2006
Dear Mark,
What is the benefit of playing the full coin amount in either video poker or slots?
Emily K.
Next time you’re front and center of a one-armed bandit, give the pay table
a once-over and you’ll note that when five coins are wagered, all winning
hands, except for the royal flush, are paid out multiplied by a factor of 5. ... (read more)
"Could have been" should cost26 May 2006
Dear Mark,
In poker, what are your thoughts about a player requesting that the dealer to
show the next card, even if the hand is officially dead? The group of a dozen
or so I normally play with has three players who want to see the next card or
cards that could have made their hand. I, on the other ... (read more)
Who they were and where they went19 May 2006
Dear Mark,
Please can you tell me when and where did the game of Bingo originate? Was it
not called Housey Housey years ago? Yvonne B.
Sometimes called beano, the corn game, and yes, Yvonne, even Housey-Housey;
credit the Italians for being the inventors of Bingo.
The game was first called ... (read more)
Counting's wins and woes12 May 2006
Dear Mark,
Can a casino shuffle-up early, even on a multi-deck game, before the cut card
appears? Are they trying to stop card counters? I’ve had this done to me
on different occasions and was wondering if it is legal. Pat P.
Ordinarily a dealer inserts the cut card anywhere from the halfway point to
75% from the top of the deck(s). ... (read more)
Cherry Poker Confit5 May 2006
Dear Mark,
Yes or no, would video poker on a machine be considered a true "draw"
poker game? Larry L.
Elitists of table poker would say, NO WAY. But look at it this way, Larry:
video poker is one player against a machine that displays the player's cards
as graphic images on a screen; the player ... (read more)
The EDGE, the HOLD, and that friendly PASS LINE28 April 2006
Dear Mark,
The Mississippi Gaming Commission recently posted the "hold" percentage
for table games on the coast. Blackjack was listed at 14.58%. If, using perfect
basic playing strategy, the house edge is supposed to be approximately one half
of 1%. Am I comparing apples and oranges, or is the average blackjack player completely
ignoring basic playing strategy? Ray F. ... (read more)
Maximum coins in = maximum advantage out21 April 2006
Dear Mr. Pilarski,
Time and again, even from such esteemed sources as Visiting Vegas type shows
on The Travel Channel, and perhaps even your feature (I don’t recall),
I continually hear the advice to play the maximum coins (usually five) in the
slot machines. Why is that? My question is prompted because everyone seems to
push playing maximum coins. ... (read more)
Figuring your taxes in baccarat14 April 2006
Dear Mark,
Is there an easy way to figure out the commission in baccarat when betting the
banker hand? Secondly, why do they charge a commission in the first place? David
F.
Here's a nifty little trick I used to figure out the commission when I dealt
the game. Divide the winning bet by two, and then scratch the zero. ... (read more)
< Previous 10 Articles | Next 10 Articles > Mark Pilarski |
Mark Pilarski |