Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 103

Mini Baccarat

QUESTION: I am new to casino games and in my first casino trip I saw a game called mini-baccarat. The hitting and standing rules seemed very complicated. I couldn’t quite tell what was going on and the table was crowded and the players were very much into the game and I was reluctant to barge in asking questions...read more

Which Game for You - Slots?

This is the second article in a series that examines several aspects of popular casino games. Each article briefly explains how the game is played as well as highlighting some of the positive and negative features of that casino game.This article explores slot machines.Slot machines are wildly popular – by far the most popular of any casino game offering...read more

Those Bad Times

ABBY: We’ve been playing in the casinos for a long time, haven’t we?CINDY: Yes, from a time way back, when you rarely if ever saw a woman at the craps tables. Men let it be known they didn’t want women playing craps with them. Women tended to be relegated to the slot machines...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: An unusual video poker experience?

Question: Had a very interesting 7-hour triple-double video poker session (25 cents per hand) yesterday at the local Indian casino. Ended the session with gross winnings of $1,020, and no royals (had one the previous 5-hour session). I would think that is a bit unusual...read more

The Garden of Slot Eden

What follows will relate directly to slot machines and slot players so hang in there:There are two biblical creation stories, one where men and women are created at exactly the same moment on the sixth day, which is the initial creation story, and the second story where a man named Adam is created from dirt (the name Adam means ground or dirt), then all the animals are created and then Eve (which means life or living) is created from Adam’s rib.The details of this second creation story are found in the Garden of Eden which is the story most people know.The word Eden might be translated as the equivalent of the word “pleasure” meaning Adam and Eve existed in a garden of pleasure...read more

Card Counting at Other Games

QUESTION: Every gambling writer I've read says that card counting works and those who are really good can turn the tables and get an edge.Why wouldn't counting work in other games, too? Why couldn't you count numbers in roulette, count rolls in craps or count jackpot symbols on slot machines? Why couldn't you count cards in Three Card Poker or Ultimate Texas Hold'em?Shouldn't the theory in blackjack work in every game? It's all gambling.ANSWER: Blackjack is different from most other casino games in that the odds change on every hand...read more

Selecting a Card Counting System

After learning Basic Strategy for blackjack, you need to move on to card counting.The easiest to learn and also a very effective card counting systems is called “level one.” They only assign card values of +1 or -1. The Multi-level counts may assign values of plus or minus 2, 3, or 4 for various cards...read more

Why Are These the Most Popular?

CINDY: If you have been in a casino even once, you can’t doubt that slot machines rule the landscape. In the big casinos there can be hundreds if not thousands of them. We know they make the most money for the house – by far and away too. Somewhere between 65 and 90 percent of a given casino’s income can come from those machines.ABBY: But on the table games, blackjack reigns supreme with about 10 percent of the casino players wedded to it...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Where were you when the lights went out in the casino?

Question: Occasionally read your column on RGT Online and it often triggers even more questions! For example, what if I hit a big jackpot on a slot machine and the power goes out? How would I prove I won? Do casinos have backup power that keeps the slots energized in the event of grid failure? Can you imagine if there was a power outage right after hitting a $1M jackpot?!? Do the machines have non-volatile memory that would preserve the jackpot information when power is restored? Also, any chance you can direct me to anything you've written about how progressive payouts work? I've often wondered about the machines with high jackpots such as the Buffalo machine that recently paid out $1M at the Cannery...read more

Craps Attack

My columns about one-shot craps and the best bets in the casino this year have engendered quite a bit of controversy. Here are some readers’ opinions:MANNY: You’ve gone off the deep end with this one bet at craps idea. What’s the point? I enjoy having plenty of bets out because then I am always in the action...read more