Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 143

Savor the Win!

Good and bad things can happen to those of us who play casino games. It is tough to challenge the mighty casinos with their house edges and the speeds of their games. We players are relying on luck to win; the casinos are relying on math. We all know how those contests eventually turn out.One of the worst scenarios has probably happened to just about all casino players...read more

Figuring Roulette Edge

QUESTION: Please explain to me about roulette and the 5.26 percent house edge. It seems to me like every time I play, I lose a lot more than 5.26 percent. In fact, if I buy in for $100, I can’t say I’ve ever had a session where I’ve lost only $5 or $6.I usually play at $5 tables and divide my $100 into $1 chips...read more

Ace-Ace-Ace-Kicker Hands in Double-Double Bonus Poker

Most of the strategy decisions while playing video poker are fairly intuitive. If the dealt hand has a high pair and nothing else, it is obvious that the proper hold is the high pair. Some hands are a bit less obvious, and still others can be real head-scratchers.Jacks or Better and Bonus Poker have only one very high-paying hand – the royal flush...read more

Going Over to the Dark Side

A few months ago, I wrote about Kristy, who hates blackjack because of bullying by other players over strategy mistakes. A few weeks later, I relayed some reader responses.Ted, an Ohio reader who has been playing in casinos for nearly 30 years, read all that and emailed to say one part gave him a chuckle.“When she said craps players could be condescending but not mean spirited, I thought, ‘You should try it my way,’” Ted said.Ted’s way is to embrace the Dark Side.“I bet don’t pass and don’t come, and lay the odds,” he said...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Comments about server-based video poker

Question: I tend to agree with the person that questioned the fairness of server-based video poker. My experience mirrors what he complained about. My theory of what has happened to video poker players losing has to do with smart phones...read more

Gambling is Fine

[We’ve tackled serious ideas before on these pages but they usually deal with good or bad ways to play or what games are about. But what of the ultimate question for casino players; that’s right, the question of whether one should gamble at all? In this two-part column I have given two writers, Matthew and David, a chance to express their con and pro feelings about gambling and casino playing...read more

Top 10 live poker mistakes

Many poker movies are showing how exciting poker can be and glorifying this game. However, not everything is that simple in real life, and you should know how to avoid the most common mistakes in a live setting.Even if you are not new to the game, you can quickly get carried away with all the action at the tables and accidentally make something you regret later on...read more

Blackjack Busting and Push Taxes

QUESTION: How often do blackjack dealers really bust with a bust card?I’ve had a run of watching dealers turn 6s into 21s and taking my chips, and it got me to wondering if there really is any such thing as a bust card.ANSWER: If by “bust card” you mean a face-up card that leads to the dealer busting more than half the time and guaranteed player profits, no, there is no such thing.There are cards that make the dealer more likely to bust than others, and that is taken into account in basic strategy...read more

Treat it as a game

ABBY: For the first time in three decades we have been cancelled from one of our reservations at one of our favorite casinos. I don’t think we ever cancelled our casino time.CINDY: Actually we didn’t do it; it was that nasty coronavirus that caused our casino to close its doors until the pandemic abates...read more

Brenda Breaks the Bank

Tales of big wins I receive from readers nearly always come from slot or video poker players.That’s to be expected. A slot jackpot or a royal at video poker can make your day, while a big day at the tables usually means a long hot streak where everything seems to go right.Everything went right recently for Brenda, a reader who recently strayed from her usual blackjack play and wound up with a big day at Mississippi Stud Poker...read more