Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 144

Continuous Shuffle Machines and House Edge

FROM ANTHONY:I am a recreational blackjack player. I visit AC a few times a year. I have my days and the casinos have theirs. I use basic strategy. People do look at you funny when you hit a soft 18 against a 9 -10 – A.Over the past year Caesars, Bally’s and Harrah’s have incorporated more continuous shuffle machines...read more

Unusual Slots and No-Hole Blackjack

QUESTION: My friend and I have been playing slots together since we first went to a riverboat 25 years ago or so. We’ve seen A LOT of slot machines.We were talking the other day about unusual games that weren’t necessarily all that long. The big payoffs were in jewelry instead of cash...read more

Double Double Bonus Poker: Question 5

I regularly receive questions concerning how to play certain video poker hands. A previous article gave some basic information about the game of Double-Double Bonus video poker. If you are not familiar with this game, take a look at it before continuing with this article.The sample hands are all from emails actual that have been received.All the answers in this series are based on the following pay table...read more

Those Odds Bets in Craps

Is there ever a right time for a pass or come bettor to skip the odds in craps?Sure, when he can’t afford them.At least, that was the flip answer I gave an acquaintance recently at a pizza and football party.The occasion was a gathering of old friends, with most in touch since college days...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: A royal on Pick-a-Pair

Question: I was lucky enough to hit a Royal Flush on a 25-cent Pick-a-Pair machine. WOW!! I was wondering if you could tell me what the odds were. Answer: Wow, indeed. For those not familiar with the game, here's a description. You are dealt two cards on the left side of the screen...read more

Meet Mr. and Ms. Action

Meet Mr. and Ms. ActionCasinos have a term for folks who bet with abandon, they call such people “action” players. In this case “action” means the players make many bets, often many bad bets, and they play for a long time with some “action” players betting high amounts of money, others smaller amounts.What truly characterizes “action” players is the fact that they can’t reign themselves in; they want to bet and bet and bet some more...read more

Is Roulette Really French?

QUESTION: I’d always heard roulette was a French game, and that the name means “little wheel” in French. My new brother-in-law insists it’s an English game that the French borrowed and renamed.At my sister’s wedding, that point was the subject of such a long debate, it was comical...read more

Learning Good Gambling Techniques

Today, there are lots of things you can do to learn more about your favorite game and how to become a better player. The how-to books available now, along with the internet, provide a mountain of information you can use on every game you can think of...read more

Soft versus Hard Hands

On a sleepy Tuesday morning in November, my wife was at work and I was caught up on current projects. Hooray!It was a perfect opportunity for playtime, and I took off to play a little blackjack. As it turned out, the question of the day became the value of doubling down on soft hands vs...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Buying a used slot machine

Question: I’ve been following a game on Youtube called Winning Tunnel video poker made by SIGMA. I’m trying to find it in a casino in south Florida, if it’s still there. It looks like a very exciting video poker game. If the machine is not in the casinos any longer, do you know how I can purchase it, if possible? Answer: Around 2000, the line up of slot manufacturers at the gaming show included many names unknown today...read more