Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 164

More on three-zero roulette

QUESTION: I was interested in the triple-zero roulette games you mentioned a few weeks ago, and how each zero increases the house edge.Would there be a way to design a roulette game with no zeroes at all? What if a bet on black lost only to the red numbers, with no need for a 0 or 00? I assume the game would have to be tweaked...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Convincing a player that stopping a spin has no effect on a slot machine's spin

Question: Hmm, why not start here? http://media.igt.com/support/IGTStandardVoucherLayout_v2-2.pdf Much of what you wrote about [slot tickets] is, well, not really right at all. Except for the basic idea that you can't cheat by altering the ticket (creating a fake ticket)...read more

Second-best bets at craps

So you don’t want to use pass line or come bets with full odds; or don’t pass or don’t come bets with full odds, but you still want to keep the house edge lower than 2% (the highest house edge you should ever allow yourself to buck). Then placing the 6 and 8 at that 1.52% house edge is a good place bet; as are buying the 4 and 10 at $25 for a $1 vig on wins only and buying the 5 or 9 at $30 or $38 on games with a $1 vig that also only take the commissions on wins only (follow the fig-vig charts to handle the buying of the 4 or 10 and 5 or 9).If you play in pig-vig casinos where you can’t buy numbers on wins only, then place the 6 and 8 – period...read more

Those three-card royals

A Three Card Poker player named Jill e-mailed in late February to say she’d just played at a table that included mini-royals in its Pair Plus payoffs.“It paid 50-1, so just a little more than the 40-1 on other straight flushes,” she wrote. “Someone even got one while I was playing...read more

The cost of playing

Modern gambling facilities earn their profits by charging the customer a fee or commission for the privilege of playing in their casino. This fee is known as the edge or house advantage, which is built into each and every game.One way of understanding of this edge is by tossing a coin...read more

Player-selected wild card video poker

QUESTION: In the deep, dark recesses of my mind, I think I recall a video poker game where you could choose your own wild card.It had a pay table like Deuces Wild, with wild royals, five of a kind and so forth, but if you wanted to make a 4 or a 9 or whatever your wild card, you could choose it.Do you remember the game? Is there a best card to choose to be wild, or does it not make any difference?ANSWER: I do recall the game from the early 1990s, though it’s been many years since I’ve seen it on casino floors...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: What information is on a slot ticket?

Question: While on a cruise I found a $300 slot voucher the first night. I turned it over to the cashier and asked if they would be able to find the owner. I was told yes! Well, it took five days before the owner was found. So my question is: What information is on the voucher, and if you use a players, card is it easier to find out who a voucher belongs to? Answer: That's two questions, but who's counting? How could it take five days to find someone on a cruise ship? Was he a stowaway hiding in the bathroom? I never took a close look at all of the information that is on a cashout voucher until now...read more

Tackling dopey craps ideas

Without question, the best bets at the game of craps are the pass line with full odds and the come with full odds; also the don’t pass with full odds and the don’t come with full odds. No matter what comboobalations critics of these bets attempt to proselytize to dismiss them and advocate other “less-good” bets, these sad ploppies are actually the flat-worlders of craps, denying that earth is a sphere and math dictates proper betting.Please note: When I say “full odds” it is possible that you can’t afford to take those odds...read more

Beginner's luck

Beginner’s luck exists mainly in our imaginations. First-time players are no more likely to hit a jackpot or otherwise win big than players on their second, fourth or 55th casino visit. In skill games, first-timers are less likely to win if they haven’t mastered optimal strategies.In January, I put out a call to some frequent e-mailers to ask if they remember their first big win, and how often they’d played before their stroke of luck...read more

Hop bets at craps

Stickman,I’ve seen many articles discussing house advantages on craps and how bad hop bets are. I don’t think I’ve ever seen what the house advantage is on hopping sevens, however. I am probably wrong but it seems like it would be low. If you bet all three combos for $1 each and hit one, it pays $15...read more