Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 166

The methods to their madness

My wife has a (correct) theory about me. She believes that I believe that anyone who agrees with me is smart and those who don’t agree with me are (to put it mildly) not too bright.Actually, I think most people think this exact way. The dumbest guy at the bar hollering and arguing about his pet theory of the world being flat is convinced that the other idiot at the other end of the bar is also smart because he agrees that the world is flat.“So why not give others the chance to express their views about slot-play without always thinking they have to go along with your reasoning?” she asked...read more

Keith hits the big one

For Keith, a Wisconsin reader, a 22-year quest has finally achieved its goal.“I got the ACE$ bonus in ACE$ Bonus Poker,” he said in kicking off a series of e-mails. “I’m thrilled, of course, but there’s also a little sadness that something I’ve been after for so long is over.”Since 1997, Keith has played 8-5 ACE$ Bonus Poker whenever he’s had the chance...read more

Where to practice

When it comes to learning and practicing your game, the ideal place to do it is at home. It is a lot cheaper to learn about your game — or even a new one, whichever one it is — in the comfort of your own home then it is in the casino.When first learning a new game, you are bound to make some mistakes and be slow in learning all the ins and outs...read more

Social slots

QUESTION: Do you know anything about the Slotomania game Grand Phoenix? It has a bonus where you pick feathers to win a jackpot. The feathers are gold to start, and when you pick one it changes to another color. When you pick three of the same color, then you win the jackpot of that color.I ALWAYS win the blue jackpot, the mini...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Dealing with slot machine button bangers

Question: Great column about the Borgata returning money to a player. Here’s my story. I often (too often) visit a casino here in Pittsburgh. I go every Sunday morning to buy lotto tickets for the week and to play craps. About a month ago I exited the elevator upon arrival and was counting out $200 while walking to the restroom...read more

The gambling buffet

Casinos have great dining buffets. You can get all manner of ethnic offerings such as Italian, Southern, Chinese, Irish and Scottish, along with many other European and Asian specialties. Not every buffet will have every ethnicity's or country’s offerings, but tour the country as I have and you will eat – a lot! (And gain a ton of weight.)However, this column is not about eating at buffets, but rather about you making casino games a buffet session...read more

Top 10 tips for taking advantage of your stack size in poker tournaments

Depending on your chip stack, there are different strategies to consider throughout a poker tournament. (photo by World Poker Tour)Poker tournaments are probably the most popular form of poker, which gave Texas Hold'em the popularity it enjoys today...read more

Payback changes

Changing the expected payback percentage on any one slot machine remains a time-consuming process for the most part.Yet overall payback percentages on slot floors evolve, and in some cases change dramatically in a short time.A reader e-mailed recently to say the returns at the casino where he plays most, paybacks had dropped from 92.5% to 90% within a few months.If it’s such an arduous process to change each machine, how could such a large change come about so fast?It can happen without tinkering with return on any one game.Examine the possibilities:The casino may have had a change in marketing goals and decided to emphasize penny slots or other low denominations. Higher denomination slots such as quarter and dollar games usually have higher payback percentages than lower denominations.Let’s try a simple example...read more

$1 8/5 vs. $5 9/6 Jacks or Better

Jerry,I enjoy your columns very much, especially the ones about video poker. Although the conventional wisdom is to always play video poker at full coin to capture the royal bonus, I’m not sure that advice applies to the $1 player whose only choice at that level is an 8/5 game, as is often the case these days...read more

Some interesting slots and some easy games

QUESTION: What do you think of these slots where you can win a different number of free spins depending on numbers on the symbols?You need at least three symbols, and when you get them, you add them up for a number of spins. One that I play has a maximum number of 7...read more