Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 166

How many and which bets to make at craps

Now to the important stuff – what bets should you make and which bets should you avoid? In short, how should you play a savvy game of craps? How do you become a tough out for the casinos?Here’s how:• Use the 5-Count on all shooters (this technique is explained in Chapter 6 of Casino Craps: Shoot to Win!).• Make only bets that come in with house edges under 2%.• Understand the mathematics of the game in terms of what the house edge actually means in terms of dollars and cents.• Use little tricks to get more in comps than you deserve.• Play within your bankroll limitations.• Create a 401G account (this is a gambling account separate from your normal bank accounts).The best betsThe top-of-the-line bets are not hard to figure out – on the right side are the pass line and come bets with full odds; on the dark side/don’t are the don’t pass and don’t come bets with full odds.If I bet $10 on the pass line or come with no odds and you bet $10 on the pass line or come with 2x (or more) odds, our expectation is to lose 14 cents for those $10 bets...read more

Get to know Konami Gaming

Konami Gaming has never let the usual format of video slot machines restrict its creativity. There’s a place for a traditional grid of five reels, each three symbols deep, but early on in video slot development Konami discovered the joys of experimenting with hexagonal reel patterns, or playing fields with different numbers of symbols in one column than another.Among the Konami games that will catch players’ eyes in 2019 are 15-reel games, six-reel games with five symbols per reel and, yes, five-reel games.Let’s check out a few coming attractions:Sparkling Roses: Color Bloom and Classy Roses: Color Bloom: There are 15 reels worth of excitement, including multipliers and a linked progressive jackpot in a pair of colorful games from Konami.Inspired by Konami’s popular Sparkling Roses Multiple Lines 15-REELS games, the new Roses games take advantage of the large, high-definition screens on the curved Concerto Crescent slot cabinet and the tall Concerto Stack cabinet.Both games feature the Color Bloom progressive jackpot, which requires an ante bet to activate...read more

Inside and outside roulette bets

In roulette, bets on the number spots are known as “inside” bets. The red-black, odd-even and high-low are considered “outside” bets. If you only bet the outside spots, you have to bet at least the minimum for that table. For example, if the placard says $5 minimum that is the minimum bet you have to make on those outside spots...read more

Some blackjack shifts and craps high-low bets

QUESTION: Counting cards seems too much like work to me. I’m there to play and have fun. But I like talking with my card-counting brother-in-law.Last time we talked about blackjack, it came up that he always stands on 16 when the dealer has a 10 card up...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: A casino promotion with diminishing returns

Some follow-ups on previous columns. A few weeks ago I wrote about casinos that were discouraging play. In the following week, I corrected that description and said that the casinos weren't discouraging play so much as they were missing opportunities to encourage play...read more

Gambling and the Law: Preferential shuffling

It is time to look again at the controversy over the right of casinos to shuffle cards in blackjack whenever the remainder of the deck favors the players.Although the issue of casino dealers counting cards has been stewing for decades, the most recent flare-up is the result of technological breakthroughs...read more

Betting management at craps

Money management at random games is just a technique to save money, or, as in craps, it is simply making the best bets to keep the house edge as low as possible. How much money should you have in reserve to play a session of craps? Make it 10 times your average bet...read more

Penn & Teller slots and more

Video slots have been the major thrust of the slot machine industry for a couple of decades now. That doesn’t mean three-reel players can’t have a magical time, too.Everi, a slotmaker with a growing presence on casino floors, brings some of the most famous stage illusions to players with its new Penn & Teller slots...read more

The Royal Flushes talk blackjack

CINDY: The very first game I ever played in a casino was blackjack. This was at Resorts in Atlantic City. It was also my first time in a casino and I was so excited. I had no idea of the true strategy for blackjack. I just played by my gut...read more

Super Double Bonus and fast slot games

QUESTION: A question on your column on Super Double Bonus Poker. You explain that if you have three face cards and another pair, and full houses pay 8-for-1 or less, the average return is a little more than 41 coins if you hold the three faces...read more