Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 114

Managing Your Slot Machine Game

There is an old expression which says: “winning is not that difficult in a casino, what is difficult is leaving with your winnings.” That saying is true for playing slots as well as any other game. What can you do to help you leave a winner? Consider some of the following tips and techniques when playing the slots.Playing what you can afford.Play the highest-denomination machines that fit into your bankroll...read more

Video Poker and Craps Answers

QUESTION: I play 9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker. It's the one game with a full pay table at casinos near me.I have a strategy question. I know that if I have two pairs including Aces, I should hold the Aces and discard the other pair to go for the big four-Ace hands...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Does the RNG keep spinning while a machine is not being played?

Question: When a slot machine is not being played, does the RNG still keep spinning or does it spin only when the button is pushed? If it's spinning continuously, then the time one waits before each hit or pull could make a difference, right? If that's not correct, then how is it possible that the win/lose is picked the second one pushes the slot button? Also if everything is random then why are there more wins when playing higher denominations? For example, if I play, say fifty cents, the lowest amount possible, the bonus comes up very frequently, but when I move up to $3.00 the bonus rarely appears...read more

Are Casino Players Insane?

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” This quote, or some version of it, has been credited to Albert Einstein.Whether Einstein said this or not, the concept seems to hold water...read more

Favorite Games

Different casino games appeal to different personalities and playing styles.Players sometimes find themselves at a game they don't really like, and they move on.Recent emails include a couple from players who tried games, didn't like them and chalked it all up to experience.DIANA: I started as a slot player...read more

Enjoying Your Vacation

Vacations have been a part of people’s lives for a very long time. Millions of people enjoy their vacations at a casino or casino resort. The beauty of a casino vacation is it can be as short as a day or two while still getting the desired break from the everyday grind.There are also dangerous pitfalls when taking a casino vacation...read more

Buying Numbers at Craps

QUESTION: I have a question about buy bets in craps. This guy I work with says you shouldn't bother with them, that the house edge is too high. He's a strict pass, come and odds guy, maybe placing 6 and 8 sometimes, but he leaves the other numbers alone.I was talking this over with my brother-in-law...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Risk analysis and video poker, Part 3

Question: I usually play Hot Roll Video Poker, ten hands at 5-cent, 10-cent and 25-cent denomination. The game of choice is 8/5 Double Double Bonus or 9/5 for 25-cent denomination. This is all we have here in Boston. Each bet is $5, $10, and $25, respectively. The question is : What is the bankroll requirement for each of these denominations to have a 1% and 5% risk of ruin? Answer: Last week I used Dunbar's Risk Analyzer for Video Poker, a set of Excel macros, to try to answer this question...read more

Sometimes It Is Best to Surrender

In the glory days of blackjack, and maybe even in some casinos today (maybe in the remote hinterlands), there was an option called “surrender.” If you didn’t like your hand you could give up half your bet. This was an excellent option if used correctly.If you were saddled with a 16 and the dealer showed a 10, you could figure you were going to bust or the dealer was going to have a high hand, so you would say, “Surrender.” And that would be that...read more

Where the Buffalo Roam

When introduced at Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas in 2019, the Buffalo Link slot machine sent anticipation level soaring while whetting the appetites of slot directors.Aristocrat didn't distribute the game in 2020, when much of life and leisure time industries were put on hold...read more