Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 138

$lot $avings

I wish I could say that I did an exhaustive scientific survey of slot players and that my opinions in this column reflect such an amazing survey. I wish I had dozens of people working for me all over the country for a long enough period to nail down my thesis which I am about to give to you.I don’t.Except; what I am about to set out for you is correct as it is based on my 30 years of intense watching of slot players all over the country and with my personal discussions with scores of them about how they play their machines...read more

Bingo-style Slots

QUESTION: A few weeks ago, I played some slot machines that had bingo logos on them. Inside the logos, you could see numbers being added as the reels were spinning.I got paid off or not according to what happened on the reels and paylines, or in the bonuses...read more

Ace-High-High Hands in Double-Double Bonus Poker

[Most video poker players in today’s casinos use a playing strategy that I call the hunch strategy. They examine the cards that are initially dealt and decide which cards to hold and which to discard based on what they feel is the right move...read more

Helpful Hints

All players have their own approaches to casino visits. The games they play, the sizes of their bankrolls and bets and the strategies they use are all subject to individual tastes and circumstances.Some of that translates into helpful hints experienced players can pass along...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Back on the slot malfunction/denied jackpot merry-go-round

Here we go again. A casino refuses to pay a player a jackpot because of a slot machine malfunction and every story about the incident says you never know if a casino will really pay you when you win. The current incident occurred at the Newcastle Casino in Oklahoma...read more

Breaking Bad

The outstanding television series Breaking Bad had some horrifying things to tell us about being addicted to methamphetamine – popularly known as speed. In the show speed certainly isn’t good for the poor souls using it. Speed – to put it bluntly – kills a person’s personality and ultimately his or her life...read more

Early Slot Machines

QUESTION: I’ve heard that the really early slot machines didn’t pay jackpots like today, but I was wondering how much of that is inflation. What were the old jackpots worth in today’s dollars.ANSWER: Until technological advances that enabled gamemakers to create big enough odds against winning, jackpots were tiny in the money of any era.The first three-reel slot, the Liberty Bell in 1895, accepted bets of one nickel and had a top jackpot of 10 nickels – 50 cents...read more

A Simple Summary

Casinos, racetracks, poker rooms and even lotteries are all designed to win money from players. By playing carefully, though, you can collect from them instead of the other way around. Knowledge is the key. Obtaining the knowledge requires lots of work on the players' side.Reading, studying and practice are the hallmarks of obtaining the required knowledge...read more

Newbie video poker questions

Along with questions about the fine points of casino games and tales of memorable casino trips from veteran players, my email box brings a steady stream of questions from newcomers.Lately, that stream has included several inquiries from video poker newbies trying to understand basic strategy points.For this week, let’s take Jacks or Better, the game on which many others are based, and explain basic strategy concepts – a refreshers for video poker veterans and a crash course for newcomers.The expected value figures below are for 9-6 Jacks or Better, but the broad strategy tips also apply to 9-5, 8-5 and 7-5 games...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Does my payback percentage go up when I bet more on today's penny machines?

Question: I am aware that the expected return on a slot machine is directly related to the denomination played, i.e., a penny machine will have a much lower expected overall return than a $1 or $5 machine. However, today's penny machines can handle bets of $5 or even $10 or more per spin...read more