Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 126

Ask the Slot Expert: Determining the outcome of a play on a machine with cascading reels

Question: I changed my name legally. I do not want any association with my previous name. Does not seem too difficult except maybe the Social Security number. If I win a jackpot at a casino I had previously won at with my previous name, will they question the two different names and same Social Security number? Answer: I was in a similar situation a few years ago after moving to Las Vegas...read more

Dicers' Slots

Thirty days have September … April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one except…Oh, for crying out loud. What’s with February? Seriously? You have to break the rhythm of the lines to get this month into the pack. Is it that important a month?What’s with 28 and then 29 days? Couldn’t a better way be found to get the year to look like a year? Weird; February is a weird month.Speaking of weird, I know I tend to be a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to casino gambling, especially when it comes to a game that can go as fast as slot machines...read more

Splitting Fives at Blackjack

QUESTION: I saw something that struck me as weird when playing blackjack. Another player seemed to be on basic strategy all the time until he was dealt 5-5 against a dealer’s 6.I couldn’t believe it when he split the 5s. I said, “That’s unusual,” and couple of others questioned on what that was really what he wanted to do...read more

Are you giving your money away at the casino?

ABBY: Is it me or are there a lot of people, including people who write about casino playing, that are off the wall with their methods of play and opinions about how the games are structured?CINDY: Yes, I am not sure why either. The math of the games is clear...read more

High Edges

Games with the lowest house edges give players the best chance to win, but there are winners on high-edge games too. There have to be, or no one would play.Roger, an Illinois reader, went from exasperation to exultation – or at least to relief – in a January casino excursion in which a high-edge video keno game saved his day after bad runs at low-edge blackjack and video poker.“I couldn’t believe it,” Roger said...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: How do you calculate win on slot machines and table games?

Question: I am wondering if you can clarify the IRS rules on gaming deductions. I have been audited for 2016, in which I claimed to be a professional gambler on my taxes. I have an EIN number. My IRS auditor says I can't claim mileage from my home to the casino because casino gaming is considered a form of entertainment. My tax accountant and I both felt it is a legal deduction, so we appealed...read more

Longer or Shorter

One of the opening scenes of the 1995 movie "Casino" has Robert De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein explaining how the casino makes money. A mega-high roller has just won millions from his casino and Rothstein and company want to get that money back...read more

Picking the Cards

QUESTION: Is it really possible to get an edge on any machine games? Does strategy make a difference on video poker or video blackjack, or is the machine just going to deal paying hands when it wants to?ANSWER: “Want” is not part of the equation for an electronic gaming device...read more

Slots Dominate

Slot machines, both the traditional reel variety and the new multi-line video versions, dominate the gaming inventory all across the United States. All of the casino marketing energy, direct mail advertising, and product research and development today revolve around slot machines.Since state-sanctioned and Native American casino gambling came to states across the country, table games have dwindled considerably while the number of slots continues to grow year by year.In 2019 there were about 897,000 slot machines operating in casinos around the USA...read more

Unsolicited Advice

Some casino players are content to focus on their own play. Others are quick to offer advice.The advice may be well-meant, but it isn’t always correct. Let’s listen to some experienced players who have tales of unsolicited advice they’ve received.MARTIN: I read your column about the blackjack bullies a few weeks ago, and the one about hitting soft 18 and being labeled “the guy who hits 18s” really hit home with me.Just like Kendall in that column, I was dealt Ace-7 and the dealer had a 10...read more