Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 143

Two Pair Video Poker Hands

Video poker strategy isn’t always about making what seems to be a common-sense play.Two-pair hands are a prime example. That’s something I learned in the 1990s when Double Bonus Poker was a new game.I read a book that said when two pair included two Aces, Kings, Queens or Jacks, the best play was to hold the high pair and discard the other.That made sense to me...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Bingo, blackjack and video poker - Part 1

I had a busy weekend this past Labor Day. I had an invitation to play bingo at the Palms on Saturday and I was participating in a tournament that consisted of one session of blackjack and one of video poker at Red Rock on Sunday. The weekend started with registration for the tournament at Red Rock...read more

Tipping casino bellhops and hosts

FROM JIM:Hi Frank, I always enjoy your articles. I have a question about your recent Casino City Times article on tipping. I go to Las Vegas and I am not sure how much to tip the bell hops.When I arrive, I tip the guy who takes our luggage from the car to a holding area...read more

It's a New Year!

On a chilly mid-December afternoon, a text alerted me that Blackjack Bob wanted to talk.I had nothing more important going on than a newspaper crossword puzzle, so I got back to him right away,.Bob wanted to know if I was doing my usual New Year’s resolutions column...read more

Video Poker Strategy: Ace-10 Suited

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

No Zero Roulette

QUESTION: I have an idea for roulette. What if they were to change the zeroes into just two more ordinary numbers, 37 and 38. Instead of 1 through 36 plus 0 and 00, it would have 1 through 38.Roulette gives the house an edge through the zeroes, right? So if it had 1 through 38, would it be an even game? What about giving the house a smaller edge by keeping 0, but changing 00 to 37?ANSWER: Double-zero roulette already has 38 numbers...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: I never win playing slots today

Question: I wrote one time a while back regarding hardly ever winning. The answer is the RNG works. I must say I have lost all faith in going to play slots. My wife and I have been playing the same machines for more than 20 years and budgeting the same amount during this period. Over the years, we always had many wins...read more

Slot Decisions

QUESTION: I recently was playing the IGT Hot Hit game. It’s a five-reel game with progressive jackpots for seven or more Hot Hit symbols.On one spin, the first two reels stopped on three symbols each. I pressed the button to stop the reels and ended up with 12 Hot Hit symbols for a jackpot of almost $1,100.Did I change the outcome by pressing stop reels, or was the random number generator going to produce that result anyway?ANSWER: Hitting the button to stop the reels has no impact on the outcome of the game...read more

True Paybacks of Slots

With most casino games the odds against the player are generally fixed. An interesting phenomenon with slots is that the odds do change. The odds change depending on the denomination of the bet. Playing at a higher wager level in any other game like blackjack, craps, or roulette makes no difference in the odds, but it does at slots!It is a fact the 25¢ machines payout more than the 5¢ ones...read more

Blackjack Bullies

A few weeks ago, I relayed the frustrations Kristy, a woman in her 40s who has played in casinos since she was 21. She likes to play many games, but hates blackjack because of bullying by other players when she makes a strategy mistake.A number of readers have responded with their own tales...read more