Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 255

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

Determining paybacks at slots and video poker

QUESTION: You and others have written that higher-denomination slots pay more. How do you know that?Also, does that apply to other machine games, too? Do higher denominations pay more on video poker, video blackjack or video keno?ANSWER: We know that dollar slots pay more than quarters which pay more than pennies — with other denominations also falling into line — because of revenue reports published monthly and annually in jurisdictions across the United States.Regardless of whether you’re looking at New Jersey, Nevada, Mississippi, Illinois or any other state that publishes its figures, the message has been consistent for decades: Higher-denomination slots yield a higher payback percentage.That doesn’t mean everyone should rush out and play dollar slots...read more

The five steps for blackjack players

1. Learn basic blackjack strategyThis is one of the foundations to your program. You must know “basic strategy” for blackjack. This is knowing when to hit, stand, double down and split. When do you take insurance, how do you surrender? These are all part of basic strategy for blackjack...read more