Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 180

New game: 31 Classic

From time to time, table games inventors ask if I’ll take a look at their games, whether just to add my input or for a little publicity. I can’t get to every game – if I did, this column would be strictly a new games report.One that caught my eye recently is 31 Classic, which has had a good run at the Muckleshoot Casino in Washington state...read more

When everyone has elite status

During the last few months, new casinos opening up have offered tier match and even tier upgrades around the country. In the Northeast alone, we have seen Ocean Resort, Hard Rock Atlantic City and MGM Springfield open with very generous programs...read more

Who owns branded slot machines?

QUESTION: When a slot machine is made by two different manufacturers, how does that work? There were Elvis slots by IGT and the Elvis slots by WMS. There were a couple of different Price Is Right slots, and I'm sure there have been others.What happens? Does one manufacturer have to pay the other one? Can they both make the games at the same time?ANSWER: What happens is that the original license with the intellectual property owner has expired, and that owner then has the right to license the theme out again.IGT had Price Is Right slots in the early 1990s under a license from the owners of the TV game show...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Triple Double Bonus strategy is not impossible to learn

Question: Triple Double Bonus strategy is not impossible to learn. The exception is 9/7, which is uncommon these days. Here you have the strategy of Double Bonus with the additional plays with aces, 2s, 3s and 4s. This is one of few games in which you keep a kicker due to the high payoffs for the four kickers and ace and four aces and kicker...read more

Playing it safe is good

If given a choice between a high house-edge bet that brings in a large amount of money should it win or a low house-edge bet that brings in a comparative trickle, which choice would you make?Take the craps bet of Yo-Eleven, which is a single-roll bet that the next number will be an 11...read more

Tough video poker decision

In early October I found myself at a 9/6 Double Double Bonus poker machine, with a man and woman occupying the two games to my right.He seemed to be the more experienced player, and he was giving advice on how to play her hands. It was loud enough that I couldn't ignore it, though I avoid giving my own two cents in such situations.When she had two pairs, jacks on top of 9s, he told her to keep the Jacks and toss the 9s."The worst you can do is finish with the pair of jacks," he said...read more

Figuring the best video poker games

One of the reasons for the popularity of video poker is they generally have a higher payback – sometimes even more than 100% for a skilled player – than slot machines. And more importantly, a knowledgeable player can tell the payback of the game by looking at the pay table that is displayed right on the machine...read more

Hitting 12 versus the dealer's 2 or 3

QUESTION: Can you explain the theory of hitting 12 in blackjack when the dealer has a 2 or 3? I see it on the basic strategy charts, so it must be the right play, but it just feels wrong. It seems like every time I hit 12, I get a 10 and bust.ANSWER: You'll get a 10 to bust an average of four hands per 13 trials, because there are 13 card denominations and four of them are 10-values.On five of 13 hands — when you draw a 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 — you'll improve to a standing hand of 17 or better...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: More on Florida's amendment about gambling expansion

Question: 1) About Florida, making the voters be the only ones to initiate gambling probably adds another layer to the process, too. If they jump through the hoops, then the legislators probably still need to enact a law on what to implement and how (or else it's open season and I can have a casino in my basement). Don't you think if nothing else, the government will need to then deal with all the details by passing laws of procedure? 2) W-2G...read more

Betting the Battle of the Birds

You tell me: Who is going to win this battle?We have two birds, Augustus, a Quaker parrot of about 22 years, and Mister Squeaky, a Green-Cheeked Conure of about six years. Mister Squeaky was named by his original owners and I have often dropped the Mister part...read more