Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 150

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

Happy Holidays

According to Pew research 90 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas as their winter holiday (although only about 55 percent think of it as a religious holiday).A big aspect of the public holiday, as opposed the religious one, is the centering of Santa Claus as the primary figure in giving out gifts to the children...read more

Video Poker Bonus Rounds

QUESTION: Video slots all have bonuses, whether it’s free spins or touching icons on a screen for extra credits. So my question is, why doesn’t video poker have bonuses too?All that technology that’s in place for slot bonuses is available for poker, right? Poker machines use touch screens...read more

Double Double Bonus Poker: Question 4

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

Playing Blackjack Concerns

Even though Kristy, a Connecticut reader, is in her 40s and has played in casinos for more than 20 years, she describes her play as a work in progress.“I like to try new things,” she said. “I’ve played slots ever since my parents took me on my 21st birthday...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Are Class II slot machines random?

Question: My husband and I were on a road trip and decided to visit Wind Creek Casino in Atmore, Alabama to stretch our legs. We were there about 20 minutes. I played a 25-cent Wheel of Fortune. A few spins in I got some message on a small side screen that I had blacked out a bingo card...read more

General Casino Superstitions

There is a host of superstitions shared by many casino players concerning what brings good or bad luck during their play. These superstitions have developed over the years. These are not personal superstitions such as “rub Timmy’s head” before you leave for the casino but general ones that are believed in by many.Here are some:“Never say the number that the dealer needs to make a winning hand.” At blackjack a dealer has a six showing...read more

Grandpa's Craps Play

QUESTION: I learned to play craps from my grandfather, and grandpa always insisted on scouting out tables before he played. He would not play at a table where players weren’t winning.I guess I have some of grandpa in me. I like to look over the tables and see if anyone’s winning, and if nobody is, I’ll go do something else.Is that crazy?ANSWER: I wouldn’t call it crazy, but I wouldn’t call it helpful in an attempt to win more, either.If players are winning, players are in a good, even festive mood...read more

Roulette Is Simple and Fun

It takes very little time and effort to learn to play roulette in the casino. All you have to do is pick a few numbers or colors you like, and you are playing.The game itself traces its origin to England in the early 1700s in a game called Roly Poly, it featured black and while spots with no numbers...read more