Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 189

The 10 don'ts in the casino

Some of the best experts about gambling can be found here at Casino City Times – Gaming Gurus. Name a game and you can find a couple of experts who will tell you all about it. Got a question? You will find an answer here. Some will walk you through a game step by step, others will give you a simple positive answer to your question...read more

Gambling and the Law: Macau and Las Vegas - Collateral Damage from Trump’s Trade War with China

President Donald Trump has escalated his trade war with China. Last week he announced that he intends to slap tariffs on another $200 billion of imports from China. Stock markets around the world fell dramatically, as did the value of China’s currency, the yuan.China responded, as it always does, with retaliatory tariffs on American produce and products...read more

F5 baseball and penny slots

QUESTION: What does "F5" stand for on a betting line for baseball? I'm new to baseball betting and I see this on some lines and not others.ANSWER: F5 signifies a line on the first five innings of a game. Some bettors like the five-inning bet because the pitching is less predictable over a full game in this age, when starters pitch fewer innings than they once did.In 2017, major-league starters averaged 5.5 innings per game, according to data at Baseball-Reference.com...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: W-2G jackpots and Social Security cards

Question: I've just been told for the second time that casinos are requiring that they physically see your social security card when completing the paperwork on winnings over the $1,199 threshold. Last week a friend of mine was in line at a Wisconsin Indian casino cashier window and the person in front of him was being denied a large winning because he did not physically have his Social Security card with him. It has long been recommended that your Social Security card not be carried in your purse or wallet, thus it's understandable that many, if not most, people do not carry their card, if they know their SS number...read more

Untruths and truths about slot machines

The world of slot machines is filled with misinformation or semi-truthful information. Players often have the wrong idea about what is going on within the machine when they put their credit voucher in. So here are some untruths quickly followed by some truths that slot players should take to heart.Untruth: Slot machines are programed to give out a certain amount of money...read more

Top 10 poker myths – Part II

World Poker Tour (photo by Jonas Wohlgemuth)Poker — especially its most popular variation, Texas Hold'em — is one of the most-played card games in the world. Played for real money and for fun, online and live, poker has taken over the world, especially over the last two decades.One thing that makes poker so different from many other card games is that it involves a mix of luck and skill that's not easy to distinguish at first...read more

Royal flush percentages

Video poker players have long been told their chances of drawing a royal flush on any given hand are about 1 in 40,000.The precise odds depend on game and playing strategy. In 9/6 Jacks or Better, your royal chances are about 1 in 40,391, while in 9/6 Double Double Bonus Poker they're 1 in 40,799 and in 9/7/5 Double Bonus Poker they're 1 in 48,035.Among the strategy reasons royals occur less frequently in DDB than in JoB is that we draw to more inside straight in DDB, eliminating the slim chance at a royal on the redraw...read more

Chain partnerships and how to benefit from them

Many major casino operators have partnered up with national hotel chains. These partnerships offer you another way to get that “comp” room that you may be after — without gambling at all. Rooms can be booked through the hotel partner chain for points instead of cash...read more

Really Wheel Poker

QUESTION: I was interested in your post about Wheel Poker, and how the extra bet on the Wheel Bonus actually reduces the overall house edge. Is that true on Ultimate X, too? My wife and I both love to play Triple Play with Ultimate X.ANSWER: The extra bet to activate the Ultimate X feature does raise the overall payback percentage on video poker games, but by how much may depend on the number of hands you play.In Ultimate X, you wager an extra five credits per hand to activate a multiplier feature...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Does raising the denomination on a multi-denomination slot machine raise the long-term payback?

Question: I've been experimenting with playing a higher denomination with a lower bet rather than max bet at a penny. I've noticed some subtle differences, which has peaked my curiosity on the inner workings of the machine. For example, Dragon Link raises the minor or mini payout from $10 and $50 to $100 and $500 when betting 10 cents a line rather than a penny...read more