Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 193

The four steps of video poker

Tip No. 1: Play video poker games that have the highest Expected Return (ER).Expected Return (ER) is a percentage that tells the theoretical amount of money you can expect to win in the long run assuming you play every hand perfectly. The most important variable that determines the ER is the game’s pay schedule...read more

Math rules for video poker and craps

QUESTION: I have a question about a multi-hand game that I play at times. (I usually play nickels Triple Play.)The cost is the typical five per hand plus five more coins for the wheel feature. If in the first five cards you are dealt a hand that includes three of a kind — including four of a kind or full houses — a wheel at the top of the game spins...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: You can hit the big progressive on 88 Fortunes with a minimum bet

Question: I read your June 2016 article on 88 Fortunes and was wondering if you ever found out about whether it was possible to win the grand jackpot when betting only 88 cents. Answer: Yes, it is possible to win the Grand jackpot when betting only 88 cents...read more

Money management at the machines

Starting a Money Management PlanFROM NANCY: How much should I set aside to play a table-game such as blackjack or craps and also on quarter slots of the more or less traditional style? I tend to go overboard when I am playing and the next day I have to ask myself “What have you done Nancy?” The answer is not usually good.I have had winning trips but the bad trips outweigh these...read more

The push

Several weeks ago, I answered a reader who questioned whether high pair payoffs are really wins since they get you your money back, but no more.They're the equivalent of pushes in blackjack and other games, I told him. Changing the pay table so every payoff was bigger than the wager would create a much more volatile game, and players often would find themselves running out of credits fast.A different reader responded via e-mail, asking about the importance of pushes in other games."I gather that those high pairs are included in the payback percentage on video poker," he wrote...read more

The odds

Jerry:I have a point that concerns the fallacy of adjusting our vig calculation when taking odds.Let’s exaggerate an example. Say we have a $10 line bet and $5 million in odds. The odds bet has NO vig, ergo ‘no money at risk.’ Over time one will break even on all odds bets...read more

Scratch-off lottery vs. slots

QUESTION: I saw an article online that said scratch-off tickets in the Illinois lottery were being left on sale for months after all the top prizes had been won.That's the kind of thing that worries me about slot machines. If a jackpot has already been won, that's a jackpot that's not available anymore, and I have no way of knowing that's happened.ANSWER: Lottery tickets don't work like slot machines with random number generators...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: New tax law affects itemizing gambling losses

Question: One of the interesting side effects of Trump's new tax bill is that it will virtually eliminate the ability of most gamblers to neutralize their jackpot wins via itemizing. Under the old tax plan, most homeowners generally paid enough in mortgage interest to allow them to meet the minimum threshold for itemizing...read more

Gambling routines

People who rarely go to casinos probably do not get themselves into a true routine. They go into the casinos, head for the slot machines or stand near a table game to see what’s going on. They could play a slot here, a video poker game there, or hit a blackjack or craps game or any one of the numerous machine games that now proliferate in the casinos.The casino is just a hazy visit for them, a by-the-tail adventure, not financed by very much money, a quirk in an otherwise sedate life...read more

Maximizing video poker returns

One of the strategy quirks in video poker is that the best play is to break up full houses that include three aces in games with big four-ace jackpots.That applies to games that include Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, Super Aces, White Hot Aces and others with a four-ace jackpot of 800 coins or more for a five-coin wager.One intriguing game with an 800-for-5 return on four aces is Super Double Bonus Poker...read more