Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 200

Take it easy

I remember when I was a teenager experiencing my first bout with alcohol. At the time in New York City the drinking age was 18, and at 18 – va-va-voom! I went to my first bar in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. I think the bar was on 98th street on 4th Avenue in the St...read more

Playing it your way

Some players know exactly what they want to play before their first casino visit. I know people who have practiced blackjack at home and wouldn't think of playing anything else.For others, favorite games are an evolving thing. I asked a few readers who have written to me in the past about their favorites and how they chose them.Jodie: I play a mix, but the game I usually go to first is Three Card Poker.I started on slots...read more

Pressing bets at craps

Stickman:I am trying very hard to become a better player in the casino. I have read some of your articles and several of Frank Scoblete’s books and articles. I only play the better games in blackjack. I only make better bets at craps, and I only play the better video poker games.Sometimes I do OK, but other times I still lose big...read more

Paying the commission

QUESTION: Please explain why casinos charge a commission on winning banker bets in baccarat and mini-baccarat, but don't charge a commission when you bet on player? That doesn't seem fair. Is it to drive people away from banker and get them to bet more on player?ANSWER: No, the casinos aren't trying to push you toward betting on player...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Do the amounts on the Wheel of Fortune affect how often you spin it?

Question: At The Orleans in Las Vegas, there are three high-limit Wheel of Fortune slot machines in their high limit room. They are all right next to each other. Two of them are $5 credit machines, and you have to bet two credits ($10 per spin) to qualify for the wheel spin that appears only on the final third reel, center line pays only...read more

The good, the bad and the in-between

Last issue I discussed the bad experiences many slot players have had in their attempts to conquer Lady Luck. This issue I’ll take you into the world of players who have had in-between experiences; kind of good, kind of bad at the casinos of their choice and perhaps not at the casino of her choice.I am sure many of our readers have had such experiences.EDITH: I am from Long Island and I go to Atlantic City every other week...read more

What's the right answer?

Some casino questions have no answers — at least, none that the askers want to hear.Take the novice roulette player who asked recently, "Which is better, red or black?"I explained that neither is better, that both give you the same chance to win...read more

The cost of playing

Modern gambling facilities earn their profits by charging the customer a fee or commission for the privilege of playing in their facility. This fee is known as the edge or house advantage, which is built into each and every wager made in the casino or at the racetrack...read more

243 ways to win at slots

QUESTION: I've played some of those 243 ways to win slots, and I'm never exactly sure how I've won. Sometimes I've won and I don't really see how the symbols connect. Are these the same as scatter pays? Do the paylines look different than on regular slots?ANSWER: On 243 ways to win slots, which were introduced by Aristocrat Technologies as "Reel Power" games, any path across the screen that includes symbols on adjacent reels can form the equivalent of a payline.If you have a K at the bottom of the first reel, another at the top of the second, in the middle of the third and fourth and back to the top of the fifth, that is a five-of-a-kind combination.They don't find any kind of straight line, Z, chevron or any of the other paths that form traditional paylines...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Bonus rounds that end just as they start

Overheard at the video poker machines a few days ago: One player was teaching another how to play. The teacher said to the student, "You want to hold the cards that give you the best chance of winning." Strictly speaking, that's not the best strategy to follow...read more