Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 264

Hitting that 12 against a dealer's 2 or 3

On a crisp November morning, I stopped into a casino near my home, found an empty seat at a $10 blackjack table and did my level best not to get drawn into the argument that was raging.A two-against-one discussion was going on with two players joining forces against the man sitting at third base...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: The best way to play free slot play

Enjoy your columns. Thanks for the work. I can't believe some of the stuff, such as the $660 voucher from New York. No way to make this stuff up. Serves him right for trying to be a bit dishonest. Thanks for the kind words about my columns. Last week I posted a letter from a player in New York who enlisted a stranger to cash his ticket for him...read more

Setting things straight

BILLY: I heard, actually I read on a craps website, that there is something called the “craps community,” which I guess means there are huge numbers of avid craps players who know each other. Is this true? How do I join a craps community?FRANK RESPONDS: There are approximately one to 1.5 million craps players in the United States and Canada (info from Harrah’s survey)...read more

Paying taxes on wins

QUESTION: I’ve seen you mention that you have to pay taxes on any win over $1,200. I am moving towards the table games, craps and blackjack.What happens at the table games? How do they keep track of your winnings/losses?Is there a limit when you cash your chips in that they give you a W-2G? How do they track your winnings?How do I maintain records of my bets for profit/loss for tax purpose?ANSWER: Let’s be clear on one thing...read more

Four reasons to play blackjack

When you go to a casino to gamble you have many choices. There are a multitude of slots/video poker machines, and numerous table games on the casino floor that you could play. Then there is, of course, blackjack.Blackjack has been around for a long time, and it remains the most popular table game among casino players...read more

Deal Me In: It doesn't hurt to ask

Dear Mark: The question I have is with regard to your statement, “Here's the kicker: They are going to comp you anyway for a feeding frenzy so that after you chow down, you will hook right back up to another machine allowing them a shot at getting some of their money back.” Do you mean that if you are NOT getting a food comp with your hand pay, you are getting 'shortchanged,' so to speak? I don't think anyone has offered me a free comp on a hand-pay at ANY casino I've been "lucky" at...read more

Creating the house edge

A few years ago, I answered a question on how slots could be programmed and random at the same time with a comparison to table games.On double-zero roulette, the game is set up with 38 numbers, any of which could occur on any spin. In that way, it’s random...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Changing denomination on a video poker machine

In one of your responses you stated that a video poker machine has one chip and it does not matter what denomination you are playing for this chip regulates your game and assures that it is completely random. Then why do I frequently see various cards based on the denomination wagered? Example: a $0.25-$0.50-$1 video poker machine will have the same cards dealt for the $0.25 and $0.50 denominations but a different set of cards for the $1 denomination for the same game...read more

Can you beat games with betting strategies?

There are two ways that casino players think they can beat the casinos’ games. The first and most popular is to figure out a betting scheme that (they think, they wish, they hope and they believe) will overcome the negative expectation. The second is trying to learn (or develop) real advantage-play techniques such as card counting at blackjack that can be shown mathematically that they do, indeed, turn the tables on the casinos and give the player the edge.Real advantage-play methods actually do work as they give players edges at the games...read more

Was that a biased roulette wheel?

QUESTION: I usually play craps, but when I was walking from the table, the roulette wheel caught my eye. The board showed black 31 had come up four times in a row.I got some chips and started to bet 31 and the numbers around it, 29, 28, 32, 34 and 35...read more