Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 260

Understanding 'expected value' in video poker

I often use the term expected value (or EV) when I’m writing about the best video poker playing strategies. Even though EV is foreign to most players, smart players know what that term means and how it is determined.EV is a mathematically precise term that represents the average return that you can expect when holding a group of cards in a hand...read more

Deal Me In: Rule #1: Check your firearms at the door

Dear Mark: What are your thoughts on having a “generalized” house rules list for home poker play? I play with a friendly group, but at times, it can get testy over rules everyone should already know in advance. For instance, a disagreement ensued once over how many raises are allowed per betting round...read more

The new 'in thing': Electronic table games

Multiplayer electronic table games give casinos a great deal of flexibility in their game offerings.Some casinos use them to add a table presence in jurisdictions where live table games are illegal. Others that have live tables use dealer-less electronic versions to cut costs and offer games with lower minimum bets...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Stopping a slot machine's spin

Question: I was watching the player next to me play a $1 Double Diamond machine with a maximum bet of $3. He would push the spin reels button and almost immediately stop the reels with the same button. Is this a good thing to do, does it give an advantage, or is the result already decided? Answer: The answers to your questions are: Not really, no and yes. The outcome of a spin is determined shortly after you start the spin by pressing the Spin button, the Max Bet button or some other way...read more

The lucky lady

I am sure many of our readers have heard the following or at the very least some versions of the following:“I know a woman who is the luckiest person at the casino. Every time she plays the slots, she wins! She never loses. Amazing!”“I know a woman who is the unluckiest person at the casino...read more

Math can be madness

QUESTION: I have been working to put together a strategy for 8/5 Double Double Bonus progressive video poker, and I came across a column in which you stated, “There are dozens of turning points, and they’re different on each game and pay table...read more

Class II or Class III machines?

If you do all your video poker play in Nevada or New Jersey this article may not be for you. However, if you ever play at Indian casinos in other states, read on.Not all casino gaming is the same. In 1988 the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act became law and established a framework that governs Indian gaming...read more

Deal Me In: Chuck A. Luck wagers a buck

Dear Mark: Decades ago I played a now extinct game called Chuck-a-luck at the Nevada Club in Reno. All I remember now is that three very large dice were shaken out of a large cage. Could you refresh my memory as to its history, the rules and the odds of the game? Dennis S.Chuck-a-luck is a game that originated in English pubs...read more

More on taxes and the effects on video poker

A few weeks ago, I answered a reader’s question on tax thresholds on table games and how big winnings have to be that players are required to sign a form W-2G before collecting. Table players get a tax form any time the payoff is $600 or more if the odds against winning are at least 300-1.The mention of taxes prompted a couple of readers to e-mail me on the topic of an IRS proposal that would lower the tax form threshold for slot and video poker players from the current $1,200 to $600, regardless of bet size.One reader just wanted a status update on the proposal, which is part of a package of several proposed changes that drew strong objections from legislators, casinos and the American Gaming Association...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: How many spins to get near a slot machine's expected return?

Is there a way of knowing if a slot machine is Class II or Class III just by looking at it? Is there some indication on the machine that tells you what class it is? Do the tech people who take care of problems on machines know what class they are? Every Class II machine displays or has the option to display the Bingo card that that is used in determining the result of your spin...read more