Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 244

Better blackjack players

QUESTION: You mentioned that casinos are saying players are better and they have a smaller house edge in blackjack than they did years ago. What does that mean to players? Why should I really care about this?ANSWER: The main effect for players is a tightening of comps as casinos see less value in blackjack players.A couple of decades ago, I was told in casino-sponsored seminar that the casino assumed a house edge of 2 to 2.5% against an average player...read more

How to play those hard 8-11 hands

Most of the time, when you play blackjack, you are in a losing situation, meaning the dealer has a better chance of winning the hand than you do and, therefore, that’s not the moment to bet aggressively.However, when your initial two-card hand totals 8, 9, 10 or 11, some of the time you will be in the driver’s seat, meaning you have the best of it and should play more aggressively by doubling down (and in a few cases splitting) to put more money on the felt.Even though most players understand the value of doubling down on the above hard hands (especially 10 and 11), what they don’t understand is that the optimal strategy for doubling (and pair splitting) depends on several factors: the dealer’s upcard, the number of decks, and the playing rules...read more

Deal Me In: Fast play can make your day

Dear Mark: Over the years I have been playing slots less and less. Now I just play in an occasional slot tournament that our local casino offers. I do find these enjoyable. Do you have any suggestions on how I can improve my chances of winning in these tournaments? Mary L...read more

Automated games

A few weeks ago I wrote about automated and semi-automated table games, zeroing in on the Shaq Jack blackjack game that recently made its Atlantic City debut.That brought several questions from readers about automated formats in other games, with one specifically mentioning Aruze Gaming’s Shoot to Win Craps.Shoot to Win has been around for about five years...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Does Pennsylvania have VLTs?

Comment: I just read your recent column that began with this statement: "I know there is no such thing as the RNG from all my research and reviews from slot machine programmers...." In Pennsylvania that man is 100 percent correct...read more

Some like it hot

It’s August. In parts of the country, temperatures are soaring. It’s hot and in New York, where I live, it can be hot and humid and, at times, just awful. You sweat just thinking of the outdoors. That is why God created air conditioning. It is as close as we will ever get to the Garden of Eden.The only people who really like the temperature to be blazing hot are casino players, but their thinking has nothing to do with the weather outside the casino as it does with the weather inside the casino, at the tables and slot machines...read more

Deal Me In: Disclosure of slot percentages not guaranteed

Dear Mark: Are casinos required by law to inform the customer what the slot return percentages are for their slot machines? Mary Ellen P.Because slot machines hold some of the highest percentage returns for the casino, yes, Mary Ellen, consumers should be granted those numbers so they can shop for value by comparing percentage returns...read more

Banned and mini-baccarat

QUESTION: I play mostly craps, maybe once a month in casinos in Ohio. I can get to both Cleveland and Columbus pretty easily. I also go to Atlantic City maybe once a year and Las Vegas a little less to indulge in some casino-hopping.A guy I work with likes to talk, and he said he was barred from playing craps by a casino in Nevada...read more

Dividing match play

From Richard,Hi Stickman,I have two quick questions.First, I have a $100 match play from a casino. Is it better to use the match play at once for $100 or use them at $25 each? ThanksSecond, I read all of Frank's books about craps. I know he talks about landing the dice about 5 inches from the wall; would it make sense to try and land them almost touching the bottom of the wall to avoid the pyramid? You know, that couple inches space below the pyramids...read more

Scouting the tables

When I play table games, I don’t start with any scouting mission. I don’t look for tables where players have been winning, nor do I stop to watch a few hands of card games, dice rolls at craps or spins of the roulette wheels.I just look for empty space at the game I want to play at the minimum bet that fits my budget.It’s long been ingrained that there is no tendency of a hot game to stay hot or a cold game to stay cold.There are players who include scouting missions in all their casino visits, and others who don’t...read more