Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 232

Deal Me In: Card counting isn't cheating, but . . .

Dear Mark: When it comes to blackjack, why is counting cards considered a form of cheating? I look at it as someone who is very good at the game and no different from someone playing poker, like players who are very skilled at bluffing and reading the body language and facial expressions of the others at the table...read more

Blackjack with different rules

Blackjack is a game with many variations, and educated players know to look for the number of decks, whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, whether blackjacks pay 3-2 or have the abominable 6-5 payoff, and other house rules.Even the variations have variations, and a reader e-mailed to ask about Free Bet Blackjack...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Does payback increase when I increase my bet or the denomination?

Question: In reference to my e-mail of hitting only one four-of-a-kind in 10 days, it is the honest-to-god truth. I was playing Double Double Bonus Poker most of the time. I played at the Golden Nugget downtown, where we always stay. After gambling for 50 years I assure you I don't have to make up gambling stories. Answer: I am truly sorry that there is no exaggeration in your tale of the shy quads...read more

Mother knows best

I am sure a small percentage of our readers remember a great television show “Father Knows Best” which starred Robert Young who grew old in the part. In the 1950s and 1960s it was customary to give television fathers a heap of credit for being really, really smart, hardworking and really, really loving.Well, my mother was smart too...read more

About Aces Bonus Poker

QUESTION: My dad and took a trip to a casino that had both 8/5 Bonus Poker and 8/5 ACES Bonus Poker, so naturally I played the ACES version. I noticed that there were as many people playing BP as ACES. Why? Is there a reason to avoid the ACES?ANSWER: No, there is nothing in ACES Bonus Poker that would make it a bet to avoid...read more

Going on tilt

It is early morning – my favorite time in a casino. There are very few people around so I have my choice of games. Also, with the dearth of gamblers, very little smoke and/or smokers are around. It is true what they say; there is nothing worse than a former smoker, and that's me.I smoked a pack and a half of Camel straights each day for several years...read more

Deal Me In: What in the world is going on with craps tables in California?

Dear Mark: So I go to the craps table at Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, as it is my favorite casino endeavor. I place $20 on the pass line. Being the only player, I am presented the dice, pick out a pair, and send them down the road. To my delight, I see a 6 and a 1...read more

'Must award' jackpots

For many years, I’ve been writing that slot machine odds are the same on every spin.If the odds of the game lead to a jackpot about once per 10,000 spins, then your chances of hitting the jackpot on the next spin are 1 in 10,000, regardless of past results...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Video poker volatility

Question: You recently mentioned high versus low volatility in video poker. I wasn't familiar with that term related to video poker. How do you determine which games are more or less volatile? And does the volatility vary depending on the odds? Answer: Volatility measures how wide the swings in your bankroll tend to be while playing video poker or slots...read more

Stranger than stranger

I am sure most of my readers have had deliriously, weirdly, fearsomely, funny and ironic experiences in the casinos. Here are some of mine:He died. The tall, monstrously fat guy at the craps table who was yelling and hooting and clapping and wildly cheering went silent; his big bloated face turning beet red with his eyes bugging out and then — clunk! bam! down he went to the ground...read more