Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 208

Ask the Slot Expert: Russians cheat a slot machine's RNG

Question: The RNG can't be beat? Google the headline Russians Engineer a Brilliant Slot Machine Cheat and take a read. Answer: The headline refers to a recent article in Wired. The RNG cannot be beaten -- not without inside knowledge. I've written about RNG cheats many times in the past...read more

The broken record

I am a broken record.My wife the Beautiful AP just said that no one talks about broken or even unbroken records anymore. She is not sure many of my readers have much experience with records of any type, so let me update that opening and say that I am a tape recording coming unraveled.No, wait; tape recordings are pretty old too, aren’t they? So let me go modern and say I am an eight-track tape...read more

The former slot machine king

It’s been a long time since three-reel slots were the most popular game in casinos. Video slots took over that slot more than a decade ago.But just because a game is no longer No. 1 doesn’t mean it disappears entirely. When blackjack overtook craps, craps didn’t just go away, nor did blackjack when reel slots started to draw more play...read more

Which casino has better video poker?

All casinos today have some sort of slot player’s club. By joining the club and inserting your player’s card when you play video poker, points are added to your balance. These points typically are redeemed for food, drink, merchandise, free play or cash...read more

Those multi-play machines

QUESTION: I am really struggling with a strategy on multi-hand Double Double Bonus and Triple Double Bonus. It relates to getting dealt three aces with a kicker on Five or Ten Play. There are people who hold the kicker and I just can’t bring myself to do that.Yesterday it cost me a large hit when I got the fourth ace but had dumped the kicker...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Wheel of Fortune max bets

Question: Your article on the Worst Video Poker Instruction Tape was hilarious! Can you put that on YouTube or somewhere to share? Answer: The column in question was published on this site on 09/14/16. I believe that the program is not in the public domain, so I can't post it...read more

New year, new you

A new year is upon us, but, as often happens in our gambling world, we wind up treating the new years the same way we treated the old ones. The only thing that changes – at least in our casino playing career – are the dates on the calendar.So I say start this new year off with a radical suggestion: Why not do two things? Change some of the games you play and change the way you play your old games (that is, if you aren’t playing them the way I figure you should play them).So let’s leap into our new playing year and do the following:Blackjack players, you must, must play basic strategy...read more

Those queasy hands at blackjack

A few weeks ago I wrote about playing blackjack with a fellow who took a queasy turn every time he had an 11 when the dealer had a 10-value face up.The correct basic strategy is to double down, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.That column brought several responses from players who have their own queasiness about different parts of the basic strategy player...read more

Money management is important

It has been said by some that money management techniques can be just as important to your game as learning the game itself. Picking up any good book about gambling, including games like craps, blackjack, slots, roulette, video poker and live poker, you should find a chapter or two about managing your bankroll.You can’t bet unless you have the funds...read more

Betting on other players' hands

QUESTION: If the player next to me doubles for less, is it profitable for me to throw him a chip to make up the difference? Then if the bet wins, I keep the chip I gave him plus the winnings equivalent to my chip.ANSWER: As long as the double down comes on a hand in which doubling is the correct basic strategy play, then yes, it is a profitable move to make up the difference when someone else doubles for less.The hands designated as double down hand on basic strategy charts all are hands in which the player has an advantage and should take full advantage with the extra bet...read more