Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 214

Top 10 ways to reduce your poker variance

Many players do not consider how poker variance can be affected by their own actions. Variance will not go away. Weaker players can win just because of its existence, so it can sometimes be a good thing. However, many players feel frustrated when running bad, so today I will explain how you can gain better results and even increase your win rate, despite the threat of variance.To put it as simply as I can, you can reduce variance by increasing your win rate...read more

Playing video poker one day

When my wife Marcy and I went out to play one stormy July morning, I didn’t expect my focal point to be a nickel multi-hand video poker game, but there are times a change of course is needed. This change, to Powerhouse Poker, saved my day.When we go out together, it’s a strictly low-roller day...read more

Managing your bankroll

When it comes to managing your bankroll for gambling, you must have a basic money-management plan; however, it’s also important to remember that such a type of plan will not help you win at the tables or machines. Rather, a good financial plan will help you to reduce your losses and give you a better chance to come out ahead in the long run.Basically, the idea of gambling is to win more frequently than you lose, and you need to restrict your losses to a minimum when you do lose...read more

Full-pay Deuces Wild

QUESTION: When I learned to play Deuces Wild, I used Lenny Frome’s strategy chart and it said to pick that when dealt two pair, you should pick one to hold and discard the other. I’ve been playing that way ever since. But last time I played, some guy next to me said, “You know, you should hold both pairs there.” His friend agreed, nodding her head and saying, “That’s right.” They seemed so sure...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Drawing a royal flush

Question: Last night I played a Top Dollar machine with an extra bonus feature. It was $5 for the max credits. I got a Top Dollar and accepted the second offer of $115. Then the second bonus threw up an offer of $15. The casino host told me that if I declined that offer it would reset the first bonus, but it looked to me like the first bonus was locked in...read more

One and done

Most craps players enjoy making multiple bets; in fact, many make some good low-house-edge bets (the pass line and come) mixed with some bad high-house-edge bets (the hard ways bets and many others). The average craps player is, usually more, sometimes less, an action player, looking for hits during every roll of the dice.In truth, being an action player is exactly what the casinos want in their players — and nowhere is action more actionable than at craps, which offers bets of many varieties...read more

Hot dealers

Every blackjack player has run into hot dealers.You know the drill. You have blackjack, the dealer has blackjack. You feel good with your 20, but the dealer pulls 21. You double down with 11 vs. 6, draw a 7 for a decent enough 18, but the dealer strings out three or four low cards to beat you with 19 or better.It’s frustrating, but we all go through it...read more

Blackjack tips

Tip #1Of all the casino games, why bet on blackjack? What makes it “different” than any other casino banked game?For one, the odds in blackjack are not constant. They keep changing from one hand to the next depending on the cards that have been played...read more

Pitch blackjack

QUESTION: I’ve always played blackjack games where the player cards are dealt face-up. You can’t touch the cards.I had to make an adjustment when I was playing a two-deck game for the first time. The dealer didn’t want me to pick up my cards until after all the cards were dealt...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Are slot machines that pause illegal?

Question: I have a question about certain slot machines I have been playing which freeze randomly after a play has been made. I am wondering if this is illegal because the game does not allow you to press play for random amounts of time, which in turn blocks specific sections of the RNG from being played. Example: I hit max bet...read more