Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 204

Gambling potpourri

In English, “potpourri” is often used to refer to any collection of diverse items. It’s a kind of collection of miscellaneous literary extracts. In this case, we have a collection of gambling trivia that includes facts, events and oddities that do not fit into any specific category.The dictionary tells us that gambling is the wagering of money or something of value (referred to as "the stakes") on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...read more

Gambling and the Law: Will the Supreme Court give gambling back to the states?

Should betting on sports, or any other form of gambling, be legal?The first question is: Who decides?Until a few decades ago, no one would have thought the decision-maker was the federal government. In fact, for the first 150 years of American history, Congress had almost no role in matters that affected people’s daily lives...read more

Per-decision or per-roll craps bet?

QUESTION: I’ve been looking at tables of house edges on craps bets, and for some I see different house edges per roll and per decision. The edge on a place bet on 6 or 8 is 1.52% per decision, or 0.46% per roll.Now, I’ve been playing craps for 30 years and have read a lot about it, and you, Frank Scoblete and everyone else always list the edge at 1.52%...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: How do video poker machines deal cards?

Question: Two questions: Have you ever had your bet refunded by a slot machine? If not, what would make it do this? There was a scratch ticket in Texas that guaranteed a winning ticket. You paid $20 and you were guaranteed to win at least $5...read more

The slot manager vs. the slot player

This slot manager was a boss in the casino. He decided what machines were brought in and what machines were taken out. The player was, indeed, a slot player. They talked separately to me at different times at different places. I am taking the liberty of making it a conversation...read more

Advantage video poker

Video poker games in which skilled players can claim an edge over the house have become increasingly rare.Games such as 10-7 Double Bonus Poker, which pays 100.17% with expert play, and full-pay Deuces Wild, 100.76%, survive in limited numbers in Nevada...read more

The quick and dirty guide to comps

Comps is casino jargon for “complimentary,” the freebies that casinos give players to keep them loyal to their establishment. Freebies include everything from free meals to free show tickets to even cash or free play offers in the mail. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a high roller to get your share of the over $1 billion worth of amenities that casinos give away annually (that’s right, a billion)...read more

Can card counting work at baccarat?

QUESTION: Please explain something to me about baccarat. I’ve read that the only strategy is in choosing whether to bet on banker or player, and that all the decisions on whether a hand gets a third card are automatic.Still, baccarat has to be a game where the odds are always changing, like blackjack, right? After cards are dealt, they’re not available for future hands, so that has to affect the probabilities...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Converting slot dollars to cash

This week, more comments I overheard in the casinos. How would you play 1,000 slot dollars? I overheard this while waiting to play in my session at a slot tournament. The top prize was 1,000 slot dollars. The game used for this tournament was one of the games in the Everi TournEvent series...read more

Don't be afraid

Many new casino players suffer from a strong case of fear, particularly when it comes to playing table games. Can they learn the game and play the strategies properly? This is especially true for blackjack, which has innumerable decisions to make, and craps, which has an amazing number of bets that can be wagered.Other players are a fear factor as well...read more