Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 190

Deuces Wild and a weird blackjack hand

QUESTION: I was interested in your column on adjustments in moving away from full-pay Deuces Wild strategy. It did leave me wondering about the term “full-pay.” There are so many versions of every game. Who decides what full-pay is? Does a full-pay game have to pay 100%?ANSWER: The term “full-pay” to describe video poker pay tables was coined by the late Lenny Frome, the first video poker guru, to bring accurate, playable strategies to the masses...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Why some slot machines were out of service

Question: I was at Niagara Falls Casino today and saw five slot machines with stickers on them. It appeared they were being checked out. (out of service at this time) On the checklist it showed "break CPU seals." What does that mean? Are they changing payoffs or the way it performs? Answer: It's difficult to know exactly what that checklist item means without seeing it in the context of the other items on the list...read more

I am a big shot

I am usually pretty humble — no, seriously, I am. I had humble origins and I appreciate the value of hard work in achieving anything.In the years where my writing has allowed me some notoriety, I have received hundreds of requests to meet people at casinos or to go out to dinner with them...read more

When do you want your wins?

There’s no bad time to win at casino games. When the wins come, any of us would accept them gratefully.But if you could time your wins on a three-day trip, which would you choose: early wins, so you had extra cash for your getaway, or late wins, so you could be sure the money would be coming home?I asked for input from a group of slot and video poker players.Anna: Oooooooh, I get a choice? Then I want the money early, please...read more

Bad blackjack mistakes

I’ve been playing blackjack in casinos for some 50 years. In Vegas, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, the Midwest, Canada, Atlantic City, Connecticut and many more places that would just bore you if I listed them all. So I’m not kidding when I say I’ve watched a lot of blackjack players during my lifetime...read more

A Walk on the Wild Side

QUESTION: I was playing a video slot with stacked wilds, and I got a stack filling the last reel.I said to myself more than anyone else, “I hate when that’s on the last reel.” I guess I was loud enough for others to hear, because the lady next to me said, “Really? I like it there...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Do all 3-card royals have the same chances of completing the royal?

Question: In response to the annoyance of people that hit the Bet Max instead of the Deal/Draw button: I am one of these people for a couple reasons: In a high-distraction (and to be fair, varying state of inebriation) environment, it reduces potential errors of mistaking which stage of a hand I am on It helps slow play slightly, which is an obvious benefit in a negative-return game Thought I’d chime in with a perspective. Answer: Thanks for providing some more reasons why a player would use the Bet Max button to start a hand rather then Deal/Draw. Slowing down your play is one way to ensure your bankroll lasts for as long as you want to play...read more

Alone or Together?

Most days and nights casinos go from crowded to packed, as in crowded like a subway car just before rush hour or almost as packed as Times Square on New Year’s Eve.You hear people talking, laughing, cheering and, yes, moaning. High fives are exchanged at the craps tables and jackpot winning slot players can be heard as their screams howl through the casino air...read more

The math of the pass line

Connie was a student at a daylong seminar I gave for a park district group around 10 or 12 years ago. I taught the basics of how to play casino games, and Connie discovered she loved craps.“I could never figure it out before that day,” she told me later...read more

Heads or tails?

Dear Jerry Stickman,Hi. My friends and I have been having long hours trying to work out the math logic behind a simple betting scenario, but alas to no avail. We hope you can shed some light.Scenario:In a make-believe game where there are two equal options, being RED or BLACK, a croupier, in an unimaginable scenario, has already drawn nine REDs in a row...read more