Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 254

Deal Me In: Let It Ride

Dear Mark: What is your take on Let It Ride? I love to play it, but how bad are the odds? The three-card bet seems to be the best chance to win money. Steve C.Let It Ride is a variation of five-card stud poker where the player wagers on a poker hand consisting of three cards in the player's hand and two community cards in the dealer’s hand.Play begins with each player making three equal bets in spaces labeled (1), (2) and ($)...read more

New machines unveiled

A period of merger and consolidation among gamemakers led to a different look at the annual Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas this fall. There was no separate GTECH booth after its merger with International Game Technology.The Cadillac Jack brand was on display at the American Gaming Systems booth after their merger...read more

I miss them

Over 25 years ago I took up casino gambling. At the time, I was an actor (and producer and director and teacher) about to perform a great role, the dimensions of which baffled me. I was playing a degenerate craps player although I knew nothing about craps; in fact, I knew nothing about casinos or casino gambling...read more

Gambling games and tips

QUESTION: I met the slot director at the casino by us, and we were talking about different games. He said one of them was a “gambling game,” and before I could ask him what he meant, he was called away. So I’m asking you: Aren’t they all gambling games? They’ll all take your money.ANSWER: High-volatility games that put an emphasis on big wins but which also have strong possibilities of fast losses sometimes are referred to as “gambling games.”Low-volatility games that features frequent small wins that extend your playing time but which do not offer players as strong a chance at large jackpots are called “entertainment games” or “time on device games.”When three-reel games dominated slot floors, virtually all were gambling games...read more

Non-intuitive blackjack

NON-INTUITIVE BASIC STRATEGY PLAYSBy Henry TamburinMost of the basic playing strategy is logical to players. For example, players understand why they shouldn’t hit a 16 when the dealer shows a 6 upcard, or why they should split 8s against a dealer’s 5...read more

Deal me In: Doubling as James Bond for $5 a pop

Dear Mark: What are your suggestions to win playing mini-baccarat? Keith W.Like baccarat, mini-baccarat offers a very low house edge, and for the low roller it is one of the best games the casino offers.With mini-baccarat, only two hands are dealt, regardless of how many players are sitting tableside...read more

New blackjack games

Blackjack has been the most popular casino table game for more than 50 years. So naturally, side bets and variations on blackjack are among the first places developers turn in creating new table games. Here are a few I sampled at the Sept. 29-Oct...read more

Oh, shut up!

Here are two examples, just two, in the larger litany of hundreds of casino patrons that I wish would take themselves out of Lady Luck’s temple and (oh, I don’t know) take up knitting, parachuteless sky diving or something to that effect.These players are the inveterate complainers.Now most casino gamblers, meaning the overwhelming majority of them, have the sense to know that the casino has the edge on every game and that over time, sometimes a long time, sometimes a short time and sometimes an even shorter time, the casino player will be a loser...read more

Full-pay Deuces Wild

QUESTION: I have friends who live in Las Vegas, so when I go, I usually stay with them instead of at a hotel, and we do a lot of non-casino things. When they play, they don’t like to go to the Strip. They do like video poker a lot, and they take me to off-Strip casinos where the locals like to play.One thing they showed me was a Deuces Wild game that they said was better than the games I like...read more

Blackjack practice drills

How do you get good at casino blackjack? It’s simple, you practice and practice and then practice some more.There are no shortcuts to becoming a skilled blackjack player or a top-notch anything. You have to study, practice and in the case of blackjack, you have to play and play a lot.To get started on that road you need to set up a series of drills that you can use to do different things...read more