Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 221

Is 9/6 video poker the best?

QUESTION: I always heard that you should always look for 9/6 video poker games, but I overheard one player saying, “Look, this one’s 9/6,” and the other saying, “9/6 isn’t great on that game. Let’s keep looking.”What would they have been looking for?ANSWER: The first video poker game to be a big hit with players was Jacks or Better, with the 9/6 pay table we know and love today as paying 99.5% with expert play...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Are slot tournaments and casino drawings worth it?

Question: Is it worth it playing in VIP slot tournaments and entering casino drawings? Answer: If you win, it's definitely worth it. But many, many more people walk away with nothing than something. Don't be like a friend of mine who invariably says while walking away empty-handed, "Well, that was an enormous waste of time." Consider the alternative...read more

Top 10 ways to become a better poker player

Poker has always been a dynamic game that requires constant improvement to stay ahead of the field. In the era of online poker, this is more valid than ever.If you want to be a successful poker player, you must keep learning. It is as simple as that...read more

Your money or your life

In the Jack Benny Show of the 1950s and early 1960s, a sketch is performed where Benny is being mugged by a gunman. If you don’t know the brilliant Benny, he portrayed himself as a cheap man, a skinflint, whose love of money knew few bounds.The mugger is holding a gun to Benny’s head...read more

Words from experience

Ten or 12 years ago, I took a park district bus trip to a casino, figuring I could get an article or two out of the experience.On board I met Mel and his wife Alice, a couple then in their 70s who got their first taste of casino gambling nearly 60 years ago...read more

Learning blackjack lingo

Every game has its own jargon, and blackjack is no exception. To help you understand some common blackjack terms used by players, I’ve assembled this mini-glossary. I don’t have enough space to include all the terminology associated with blackjack, so I’ve focused on some common terms that may not be familiar to most players.Anchor player: This is a term used to designate the player seated to the far left of the table (to the immediate right of the dealer)...read more

The world's worst blackjack player?

QUESTION: I have a blackjack story for you. Full table, low-limit game, one guy was hitting everything but 20s and 21s every time the dealer had a 10 up. The first time, he signaled to hit king-9, and the whole table went “NO!” along with “You can’t hit that!” and “Is that a serious play?”He insisted, and the dealer called out, “Hitting hard 19,” like they have to do when anyone makes a really weird play...read more

Gambling and the Law: Measuring China's impact on Las Vegas

Everyone in the gaming industry knows that Macau’s casinos suffered large downturns in revenue during the Mainland government’s corruption crackdown. Chinese high-rollers knew that high-stakes gambling became a risky business, far from the baccarat tables...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Another strange experience with found tickets

Question: On a recent trip to Gun Lake Casino in Michigan, I found two tickets on the floor. The total was $90+. I went to a cashier window wondering what to do (I did not try to cash the tickets). She tapdanced around the question and said to go to security...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Another strange experience with found tickets

Question: On a recent trip to Gun Lake Casino in Michigan, I found two tickets on the floor. The total was $90+. I went to a cashier window wondering what to do (I did not try to cash the tickets). She tapdanced around the question and said to go to security...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Another strange experience with found tickets

Question: On a recent trip to Gun Lake Casino in Michigan, I found two tickets on the floor. The total was $90+. I went to a cashier window wondering what to do (I did not try to cash the tickets). She tapdanced around the question and said to go to security...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Another strange experience with found tickets

Question: On a recent trip to Gun Lake Casino in Michigan, I found two tickets on the floor. The total was $90+. I went to a cashier window wondering what to do (I did not try to cash the tickets). She tapdanced around the question and said to go to security...read more