Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 113

Slot Play Plan

Casinos love slot machines, patrons love slot machines. Why would a new casino install 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 machines unless they consider them a good deal for the casino.Today, slots bring over 60% of the casino’s entire total gaming revenue...read more

Odds On or Odds For?

QUESTION: Do you think video poker pay tables are misleading? I look at the bottom line and the payoff on a pair of Jacks is 1 if you bet one coin, two if you bet two, and so on to five if you bet five.But when the payoff comes, it keeps your bet...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: My slot club account has been suppressed

Question: I texted my host asking him if he knew when my offers would go back up because a few months ago they literally dropped off completely with no gradual decline. He checked into it and texted me that my club card account has been suppressed...read more

When the Screaming Starts

Craps will bring out the screamer in many people. When numbers are hitting and players are winning it is like watching a primitive rite around an altar. Nothing is being sacrificed and the gods are just giving and giving some more. Happiness can be felt by everyone (except for the Darkside don’t players) and all is right with the world.The high-fives will clap themselves loud enough for players at other games to turn their heads...read more

A Different Kind of Speed

When I write about speed at blackjack, it's usually about hands per hour.The fewer players there are at a table, the faster the game. Averages range from fewer than 60 hands per hour at a full seven-player table to more than 200 if you're playing heads up with the dealer.Faster games favor whoever has the edge, and that's usually the house...read more

Holding Advice for Joker’s Wild – Kings or Better Video Poker

A reader has some questions about holding for a royal flush while playing Joker’s Wild – Kings or Better video poker. Here is the inquiry.Hi Stickman,Hoping all is well with you. I have two questions that have to do with Jokers Wild Kings or Better video poker...read more

Machine Blackjack versus Table-Game Blackjack

QUESTION: I have a question about video blackjack vs. table blackjack. I found one of those consoles where you could bet $3 minimums. You could split pairs, double down and everything you can do at a table.Blackjacks paid 3-2. The low-limit tables in the same casino paid 6-5 on blackjacks...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Do you switch video poker machines when your machine goes cold?

In a past column, I asked whether you tend to play one machine or bounce around from machine to machine when playing video poker. I intentionally excluded behavior when playing slots. Slot players more frequently switch games when a machine goes cold...read more

Conscious Slots

I receive quite a few emails from readers asking questions and/or commenting on my articles but this one from Mike and Morris was quite interesting. Here it is:M&M: This may seem far out but we think it deserves some consideration. Can slot machines have consciousness or a kind of consciousness? Could they in some way “know” what they are doing? Could they signal intelligent “with it” players what is about to come up in the next decisions or the next time frame?If you remember the movie Maximum Overdrive or the entire Terminator series, machines have the ability to think in such movies...read more

The Nephew Learns Blackjack

My longtime casino pal Blackjack Bob has a nephew, Eric, who has taken up his uncle's hobby."Blackjack Eric doesn't roll off the tongue, does it?" Bob said on a Zoom coffee morning. "But he likes the game and he's learning."Eric was surprised when he sat down to play and they wouldn't let him double down on soft hands...read more