Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 227

Ask the Slot Expert: Changing the minimum bet on a slot machine

Question: I play Double Double Bonus Poker at the Parx Casino in Pennsylvania. I have always wondered if I'm playing a VLT or RNG machine. At times I have been dealt two pair and discard one of them and still get two pair. Or if I hold just the high cards, I get the same payoff...read more

Confessions of a crazy crapper

Craps has a cornucopia of bets, ranging from the truly awful to the quite good in terms of the house edges. There are any number of ways you can bet the 11 numbers at the game (those 11 numbers being 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12). Some of these ways have low house edges and some — you guessed it! — have high house edges and some — you probably guessed it — have everything in between.The best bets at the game are pass and come, or don’t pass and don’t come...read more

New slot machines of interest

Designing slot machines is partly about designing games that are fun to play with paybacks and bonuses that occur often enough to hold your interest while also offering large enough potential jackpots for a “what if?” fantasy factor.But before players even get to the point where those elements can hold their attention, the game has to attract them to give it a try in the first place.Incredible Technologies has a new cabinet ready to blare its message that it has must-play games...read more

Should you use a player's card?

Some of my friends and acquaintances refuse to use a casino player’s card while playing video poker. They believe that their payoff will be reduced because of the comps they receive from having the card inserted. If you happen to be someone who always uses a player’s card when playing your favorite machine, congratulations...read more

The new Aristocrat machines

Aristocrat Technologies is proud of its Lightning Link progressive slot machines, and justifiably so. For 2016, Lightning Link was named the leading slot in North America in the annual Eilers Fantini survey, ending a five-year run at the top for IGT’s Wheel of Fortune.Following up on Lightning Link’s success, Aristocrat is introducing Dragon Link...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Intro to the random number generator

Question: what is the difference between the VLT machines at the racinos and the slot machines at the Vegas-style casinos? Answer: The only thing I can say for sure about a VLT versus a slot machine is that the VLT is operated by a state lottery, hence "video lottery terminal." Some VLTs operate the same way as slot machines — that is, they have internal random number generators and determine the results of their spins independently...read more

Confessions of darkside craps players

Craps is really two complete and different games in one. You have the rightside (or “do”) game. In this one the players are betting with the shooter and/or are hoping the shooter goes on a tear, hitting number after number and point after point...read more

How the Hot Roll Works

QUESTION: I played Hot Roll video poker for the first time. It was a nickel game, but I did pretty well. I had a full house with a 12x multiplier, and a four of a kind with a 5x.When I got home, I looked up what you had written about Hot Roll and you said the average roll was a 7x multiplier...read more

Promoting successful gambling

Louis Pasteur, scientist and philosopher, is quoted as saying “chance favors the prepared mind.”There are lots of things you can do to learn and prepare yourself about your favorite game and become a better player. It’s really quite simple...read more

Happy 20th Wheel of Fortune!

Wheel of Fortune slot machines have been with us for 20 years now. The most popular games in slot machine history, Wheel of Fortune machines have commanded space on casino floors in countless variations on video and in the original three-reel format.International Game Technology celebrated Wheel’s 20th anniversary in style at Global Gaming Expo in style this fall in Las Vegas...read more