Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 123

Blackjack Strategies

Blackjack basic strategy is not a one-size-fits-all mandate. Casinos offer differing sets of rules and playing conditions, so there are basic strategies adapted to fit the major rules variations of number of decks and whether the dealer hits soft 17.In the last decade or so, it's become common for dealers to hit soft 17 even in six-deck games.That's far different than my first couple of decades as a player, when I rarely had trouble finding multi-deck games with the dealer standing on all 17s.Player shorthand calls them H17 vs...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: To figure out how magic tricks work, take a lesson from casino security

One of the ways that casino security personnel catch casino cheats is by studying the actions made by players and dealers. Actions by some players stand out when most other players don't act that way. Actions by dealers stand out when they don't follow the prescribed way to do things. You can use the same principles of an action that doesn't look natural or an action that is repeated to get an idea of how magic tricks work. Dealers are taught to do things in a standard way every time...read more

Outrageous Craps Experiences

I am sure that almost all casino gamblers have experienced crazy stuff at the table games and this could be especially so in the world of craps. I know I have been there for such memorable events..Let me start with the worst first – to get that out of the way: I saw a man die at the table in Atlantic City...read more

Are the Odds the Same?

QUESTION: You wrote recently that electronic games that use depictions of playing cards must offer fair odds. The odds of being dealt cards on electronic blackjack are the same as in table blackjack.Does the same thing apply to dice? I'm thinking specifically of the Hot Roll games on both slots and video poker...read more

Hold for a Royal Flush?

A reader has some questions about holding for a royal flush or something else while playing 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker. Here is the inquiry.Hi Stickman,I hope things are going well for you.I have some questions for you that have to do with Jacks or Better...read more

Reopening Remarks

After a long lull, readers have resumed sharing tales of back-to-back jackpots.Since casinos have re-opened, and reader experiences that have hit my email box include a couple of table stories that may not strictly fit definitions of "jackpot," but they're rare fun nonetheless.Merri: My favorite game is Three Card Poker, and my first two times back at casinos when they re-opened I couldn't get a seat.The third time, my husband and I got there at 7 in the morning and I think we could have played any open game...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Magic tricks and slots -- the truth about how they work is dull

Magic tricks and slot machines have something in common. Though they both appear to be governed by some mysterious process, the truth about how they operate is actually quite pedestrian. One magician said, "You really don't want to know how a trick works...read more

The Horror of Slots

When it comes to slot play you will occasionally hear a winner scream out loud his or her joy at seeing the money roll in. More often than not you won’t hear anything as many slot players can actually be the silent types.There must be thousands upon thousands of interesting or bizarre stories surrounding the slot machines...read more

Taking Down Pass and Come Bets

QUESTION: A short time ago you wrote about players who picked spots to take down place bets on 6 and 8 in craps. There didn't seem to be any advantage to it, but whatever floats their boat.It started me thinking about taking down other bets...read more

It's All Gambling

The word “gamble” derives from the Anglo-Saxon word gamenian which means to “sport or play:”Gambling is one of the few social activities that occurs in nearly all cultures and more importantly in almost every period of time. In fact, when we look back over thousands of years of history, we find gambling in all the great civilizations and at every social level.The Egyptians gambled, along with the ancient Chinese, Indians, Romans, Greeks, the Hebrews, plus North and South American Indian tribes, in the new world...read more