Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 266

Progressive or Normal Video Poker

Hi Jerry:I was hoping you would answer a question. I live in New Jersey and usually stay at a "local’s" casino in Las Vegas twice a year for a week. They have a group of 9/6 Double Double Bonus progressive machines that usually start at $1200 for a royal and goes up from there...read more

The first line of defense

Many, many years ago, I was invited by a large gaming company to take part in a weeklong crash course in casino operations. Other students were all employees from non-gaming parts of the company, such as building operations, hotel management and food services...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Cashing out money left on a slot machine

A couple of months ago I was at a casino playing a slot machine in a row with five other players. The people on my left came and went and I was not really paying that much attention. Both machines were vacant for over five minutes. As I was leaving I saw that one of the machines had money that had been abandoned on the machine...read more

Three great advantage slot machines

Last week I gave you three advantage-play slots. These are slots where the player can get an actual edge over the casino when played correctly. You must play these slots exactly as written. I must thank Jerry “Stickman” for the tremendous research he did finding these machines...read more

The 7 smart things to know for playing in a casino

1. Double up to catch up is a big no!Don’t try to double your bets when experiencing a losing streak. Many players hope to catch a big win and return to even while experiencing a losing streak. If things are not going well, you should reduce the size of your wager, instead of increasing it...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Do I have to play off a slot jackpot?

I am retired and play slot machines frequently. On a number of occasions, I'll have a few credits on the machine and I'll hit something large enough for it to lock up. After being paid, the attendant will say to make another bet to clear the machine...read more

Three advantage-play machines

Players can get an edge on the following three machines if these machines are played at certain times. With the help of Casino City Times columnist Jerry “Stickman,” I'll explain those times and how much money to have in your pocket in order to be reasonably sure you take the cash from the casino.These are banking machines and, as you’ll see, what they bank are various symbols — and at a certain point there are enough symbols for the player to have the edge over the house...read more

Playing for royals

QUESTION: I've been studying a “how to play video poker” article you have online. I notice you talk about a two-, three- or four-card royal flush; but you never talk about an inside royal flush. For instance, you don't say anything about 10-J-K-A inside royal.I think you mean: Don't play any inside royal flushes unless you treat it as an inside straight flush.Am I reading you right? Or should I play any two-, three-, or four-card royals as royals?ANSWER: While four-card royals with a gap on the inside – A-K-Q-10, A-K-J-10 or A-Q-J-10 – have lower expected values than the K-Q-J-10, all are valuable enough that we lump all four-card royals together on strategy charts for virtually all games and pay tables...read more

How to Pick a Good Video Poker Game

One of the reasons for the popularity of Video Poker is they generally have a higher payback – sometimes even more than 100 percent for a skilled player – than slot machines. And more importantly, a knowledgeable player can tell the payback of the game by looking at the paytable that is displayed right on the machine...read more

Best craps play

For players who take craps seriously, the next step after learning the basics of how to play usually is to probe deeper into the possibilities presented by the dozens of bets and hundreds of potential combinations available.Is there a weakness that can be exploited? Is there a synergy between Bet A and Bet B that covers the loss-producing potholes in each and paves the road to riches? Can combining a high-risk but high-paying bet with more of an even-keel, grind-it-out wager give you the best of both worlds?When readers send their favored combinations to me, it usually involves a bet on any 7 in an attempt to cover up the loser 7s on Pass and Place bets...read more