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Mark Pilarski Gaming Guru - Page 67  Reader takes this writer to task10 March 2003
Dear Mark, When playing blackjack, it seems like all casinos
nowadays check if the dealer has blackjack with an ace showing, before any
additional cards are dealt to the players. If the dealer does check, and
he does not have blackjack, is it a good bet to double an 11 (say an 8+3)?
All basic strategy cards that I have seen suggest to Hit. ... (read more)
The casino advantage, and then there is the graveyard advantage3 March 2003
Dear Mark,
If the casino advantage on a game like blackjack is under 1% for
those of us who use perfect basic strategy, how come I have read the
house "drop" is reported at around 15% at blackjack? Gary O.
The casino "advantage" in all games is correctly called the house
percentage. ... (read more)
Iacta alea est!24 February 2003
Dear Mark, My buddy put $20 in a video poker machine, playing
$5 a hand to get the maximum payout. He lost the first three hands, but on
the fourth was dealt a natural royal flush. Number one, what are the odds
of a natural royal flush happening in video poker? Number two, what would
... (read more)
Starting with the blonde virgin . . .17 February 2003
Dear, Mark, Isn't baccarat the exact same game as chemin de fer, and
only different in name? My Uncle believes they play baccarat differently
in Europe. We have a dinner riding on this. Who's right? Carl V.
Your Uncle, Carl, is on the winning slope.
There ... (read more)
Guy knows what he's talking about!10 February 2003
Dear Mark, I have a question for you on the subject of placing the 6
and 8. It seems to be open for some debate. People in the know, who I
trust, like you and Anthony Curtis, say it's a good bet, and I agree. But
others, like John "I write about craps for a living and never play"
... (read more)
Hell's Kitchen3 February 2003
Dear Mark, Hell broke out at our kitchen table poker game last
Friday night. Quite an argument ignited over the following hand in pai gow
poker. Does the five card straight of 9-10-J-Q-K beat an A-2-3-4-5 straight? Scooter T.
BASIC QUESTION: IS THIS THE HAND YOU'LL DIE FOR? BASIC ANSWER:
'TAIN'T WORTH IT, FRIEND. ... (read more)
Ladders go both up and down28 January 2003
Dear Mark, I feel I am decent player at video poker. I also feel I
am ready to move up the ladder to the poker room. Are there enough
similarities between the two to make me a successful player? Clarence M.
Before you thrust your hand into that beehive, I got to tell ya,
Clarence, you might not enjoy the honey. ... (read more)
Odds are — LVSC set the line21 January 2003
Dear Mark, Who sets the line for football games each Sunday? Where
do illegal bookies get their odds? Drew M.
Las Vegas Sports Consultants Inc. (LVSC) establishes the odds for more
than half of the licensed sportsbooks in Nevada as well as licensed
bookmaking operations in Mexico, Europe and Australia. ... (read more)
It could happen to you — and then again, probably not14 January 2003
Dear Mark, You always recommend making wagers that have less than a
2% house advantage. Okay, sound logic, but why is it that a gambler can
still win, even on games like keno or those big slot jackpots when the Law
of Averages says they won't? William R.
Because, William, the Law of Averages does not have time to work during
most brief casino visit. ... (read more)
The Caribbean Stud — game, that is.7 January 2003
Dear Mark, Let's say two players were playing Caribbean Stud Poker
and both were betting the side bet, and by some striking coincidence, both
got a royal flush. Would they both get the full amount on the progressive
meter? Adrian P.
In Caribbean Stud Poker, all players have the choice of making a $1 side
bet that pays for hands of a flush or higher. ... (read more)
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