Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 128

The Question of Risk

House edges give us a basis for comparing one casino game to another, and for comparing different bets within the same game.But the edges by themselves don’t always give us a complete picture. Understanding your risk also must include speed of play...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Free play or point multiplier?

Question: I'm not going to the casino as often as I used to. Should I go when I have free play or when there's a point multiplier? Answer: How about going when you have free play AND a point multiplier? Last week I wrote that casino marketing at the two casinos I've been playing at since reopening seemed to be internally coordinating their promotions more than before...read more

Fascinating

When I tell people that I enjoy casino gambling there are two general reactions, one good, one not so good.First let’s start with the negative; those people who look at you as some type of dimwitted sucker for enjoying playing games in the temples of Lady Luck...read more

The Royal Flush Flush!

QUESTION: I’ve noticed something playing video poker. Every time I get four cards in a royal flush, I get an adrenaline rush before I hit the draw button. Really, though, it doesn’t turn into a royal all that often. My last royal was a two-card draw, and the one before that was a surprise with three cards.I know that’s coincidence with small numbers of hands and all that, but how much better are my chances at drawing a royal holding four cards than with fewer?ANSWER: Each time you draw to a hand that gives you a shot at a royal, there is only one possible draw that will give you a royal...read more

Never Split Tens

How many times have you seen blackjack players split 10s in the casino?Over the years I’ve seen it too many times. I’ve come to a realization that only two kinds of players do it: card counters and foolish people. Card counters keep track of all the cards that have been withdrawn from the deck(s) and they know another high card(s) is coming and they are betting on two winning hands.If you aren’t a card counter, you must be one of the foolish people...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Majority of respondents in Las Vegas Advisor poll back restricting smoking in casinos

Question: First, thank you for all of the great columns you've written over the years. I'm an avid video poker player and have learned a lot about strategy from you. I live near Chicago and my wife and I visit Las Vegas twice each year and since I retired I add a couple of more solo trips, too...read more

Interview with a Crazy Crapper

I have written about Crazy Crappers in my books and in many articles. These are craps players who make the worst bets at the game; bets that come in with house edges going from five percent all the way to double digits.Some of the Crazy Crapper bets are single decision bets such as the 2, 3, 11, 12 or the Any Seven...read more

Free Spins

QUESTION: I was playing slots online, and there was a free spin bonus where I wondered if your choices made a difference.A lot of the payback came on free spins. The minimum was eight spins, but 16 was pretty common and I got 32 a few times, 40 once and I think one was 96 spins...read more

Video Poker Strategy

There are four factors to be considered when choosing a video poker game to play – game availability, return, variance, and playing strategy complexity.Almost all video poker players have a decent sense of the proper playing strategy for a majority of hands dealt...read more

BJ Bob Returns

More than a month had passed since I last spoke with Blackjack Bob, so it was no surprise when the video conference request arrived.“I liked this a lot better when we used to run into each other at the casinos,” he said.“You were always there,” I replied.Bob laughed and said, “I hope we see those days again soon...read more