Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 155

Game-within-game and progressive slot machines

Slot achines with games within games, usually called “bonus rounds,” are not paying back any more money than machines that are straight paying ones. Machines that give you bonus rounds when you hit certain symbols will have a slightly lower hit frequency during the regular rounds of play but that hit frequency zooms up during the bonus rounds, which makes these machines pay back somewhere within the normal averages for those denominations.As an example, take the Wheel of Fortune, an in-casino-progressive machine...read more

Baccarat problems

Baccarat is one of the easiest casino games. It’s a pure guessing game as to whether the banker or player hand will come closer to 9 or whether they will tie.Easy as it is, baccarat does have its quirks, as Jill found out when she decided to give it a try.Her basic question was what you should do when there is a $1 minimum per bet on the commission on winning banker bets...read more

Double-Double Bonus Video Poker

I regularly receive questions concerning how to play certain video poker hands. A majority of these questions are for the game of Double-Double Bonus Poker. My next few articles will cover many of these questions. Along with answers to the specific hands in question, an explanation of why it is the best way to play the hand will be included.This article presents some basic information about the Double-Double Bonus poker version of the game.The pay table for a commonly available Double-Double Bonus game follows...read more

Video poker and the RNG

QUESTION: I like Hundred Play Poker, but I like playing for cheap. Where I usually play, they have a machine where you can choose 1 cent, 5 cents or 25 cents, and I always choose 1 cent. At five coins per hand and 100 hands, that’s $5, just like a one-hand dollar machine, and you get to see all those hands.My wife and I were visiting her sister and brother-in-law, and we all went out to a casino together...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Check rules for casino promotions before you play

I live about a mile away from a Starbucks, close enough that I almost always walk there. Having lived most of my life in New Jersey, I'm more of a Dunkin' Donuts person, but they're few and far between in Las Vegas, so I go to Starbucks more often now. I walked down to Starbucks for breakfast last Saturday to complete a menu challenge to earn bonus stars...read more

Two great comebacks

What’s one of the worst ways to begin a casino visit? I’d say it is losing right off the bat. Digging a hole for yourself, sometimes an extremely deep hole, which then takes the positive energy out of you — energy that you built up as the days passed getting to your visit...read more

Hands versus Money

Winning the most hands and winning the most money at video poker are goals that sometimes conflict. When they do, they expert play is to use the strategy that wins the most money.That’s the case in a 9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker question raised by Jody, who has asked me via email to unravel several knotty strategy problems this year.The issue is a hand that includes a pair of Aces – a strong start in DDB – as well as a chance at a straight flush.“I find this to be a tricky one,” Jody wrote...read more

Ten rules of money management

When it comes to managing your bankroll for gambling, you should have a plan of action. It’s also important for you to remember that a money management plan will not help you to win at the tables or on the machines, but a good plan will aid you by reducing your losses and give you a better chance to come out ahead in the long run.Here are ten items that you should incorporate in your money management plan:1. Budget your gambling funds three ways: for the entire trip, for each day, and for each session.2. Gamble only with funds you can afford to lose.3. Decide beforehand how much you want to spend during your gambling session...read more

Why counting cards works

QUESTION: Explain to me like I’m five why counting cards works for blackjack players. My college buddy said it’s mostly about knowing when blackjacks are most likely to happen. If they’re more likely for players, aren’t they also more likely for dealers? I don’t understand how this helps.ANSWER: I looked back, and it’s been a while since I tacked this question, so here goes.Players are paid 3-2 for their blackjacks in the best games, but lose only even money when the dealer has blackjack...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Using the help screens on a slot machine

Today I had to go to a follow-up appointment after having a sleep study done. I was not looking forward to the appointment. Not because of anything that would happen during it, but because of the building where the office is. The building is modeled after the Hotel California...read more