Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 10

Slots for the newbie

Hi Stickman,I am new to casino gambling. I do not have a lot of knowledge on how to play casino games that require some skill such as video poker and most table games. I only feel comfortable playing slot machines.Any advice for me?KatieHi Katie,You are in very good company, Katie...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: My slot machine malfunctioned!

When Station Casinos sold the Palms casino, two of the restaurants from Palms moved to Red Rock. The pizza outlet in the food court greatly improved when Side Piece opened there. The coffee shop also underwent a name and menu change, going from The Grand Cafe to The Lucky Penny, which used to be at Palms...read more

Jacks or Better – 9/6 or 8/5?

Hi Stickman,I read your articles regularly and you always favor 9/6 Jacks or Better. As you mention in your articles, 9/6 Jacks or Better is becoming extremely difficult to find in today’s casinos. Usually, the best Jacks or Better game I can find is 8/5.I know the house edge is higher on this game, but how bad is it?Sam in ColoradoHi Sam,You are very correct, Sam...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Strange video poker story on Jeopardy

Did you hear the following story about hitting a royal flush told by a Jeopardy contestant in her interview segment on May 14, 2025? Contestant: I was really lucky. I was in Vegas with my husband and we were playing video poker at three in the afternoon, empty casino...read more

Question on the house edge of craps don’t pass bets

From Wanda.Hello Mr. Stickman.I have been reading your columns for quite a while and I enjoy them very much.I used to only play slots when I was at casinos. I thought other games were too hard to understand. Video poker requires knowledge about probability of hands occurring when some cards are in the dealt hand...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Players frequently see what they want to see

I was pleasantly surprised to see a trailer for the third installment in the Now You See Me franchise a few days ago. I had heard that a third film was in the works. Now I believe that it is real. In the second film, the Four Horsemen, the magicians who are the heroes of the franchise, have to flee the scene of their latest sting when it falls apart...read more

Are free odds at the craps table free?

When calculating the house edge of craps bets, it is common to include the odds portion of a craps pass, don’t pass, come and don’t come bets. The base portion of those bets are subject to a house edge of 1.4 percent, meaning that over time the base portion will lose $1.40 for every $100 bet.The odds portion, however, is paid at true odds – assuming the amount bet is a proper multiple...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Casino employees should know what's going on

A panelist at a seminar on giving superior customer service in a casino had this suggestion for casino managers. He said that all employees should know the basic details about an event occurring at the casino. Anyone who wears a uniform or a name tag should be able to answer two of the five W's of journalism...read more

Winning at Keno

A short question from Shirlene.Hi Stickman,How can I win on Keno game?ShirleneHi Shirlene,Thank you for the very short and to the point question. Unfortunately, to properly answer your question, more information is needed. For example, where are you playing keno – live keno in a casino, machine-based keno in a casino, or online keno.Each of these has have significantly different characteristics and conditions...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Video poker suggestion

I hit the Spin button on one of my favorite Quick Hit slot machines. The screen dimmed a bit and shooting stars danced all over the screen. I knew something good was about to hit. Most likely, it was going to be the bonus. But it could also be enough Quick Hit symbols to win one of the bigger progressives...read more