Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 278

Casino free is not free

QUESTION: I live near the Canadian border and frequent a Canadian casino twice a month. So I purchase a 72-trip bridge pass for $35, good for nearly two years. Recently this casino telephoned me (I’d never gotten a telephone call from a casino!) and told me to visit the players' club and receive my free bridge pass.When I got there the lady said, "Yes you have a 16-trip pass for an unlimited time." I said, "Great, that's worth about $8!" She said, "Oh no honey, it costs $2.75 one way." I said, "Not if you buy a 72-trip pass." She looked at me like I was crazy and decided to contact her supervisor.Supervisor came to the desk and told me the promo was for their "special" American patrons...read more

Down with 6-to-5 blackjack

I just returned from a short trip to Las Vegas. Sin City is still pulling in 40 million visitors a year to the oasis in the desert. I stayed on the strip and did all my gaming there. What surprised me the most was the number of casinos that now offer 6 to 5 for a blackjack...read more

The tuition for casino gambling

Learning to play casino games is strictly an immersion process for most of us. I’d played some no-wagering blackjack as a youngster, and played many a poker game in college and at the homes of friends before I first played in a casino.But roulette, craps, baccarat, Caribbean Stud and others were games I never played before plunking my chips down in a casino...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Should I avoid slot machines with stacked symbols?

Last October I had back-to-back royal flushes at the Pala Casino in California, but no big jackpot. I played craps for 12 hours until 3:15 a.m. and then sat down at a nickel video poker machine to play for a few minutes and sip a soda before I went back to my room. I put $20 in the machine...read more

Electronic table games

There was a time when the casino had two general types of games: table games and electronic (now computerized) games such as video poker and slot machines. And never should the twain meet.A number of things set the games apart. The machine games were individual contests, the single player versus the machine’s programming...read more

Five-number bet at roulette and baccarat ties

QUESTION: My husband and I go our separate ways in the casino. He likes to play craps, and I love to play roulette. I get that craps gives you a better shot to win, but I have more fun at the wheel.One question: I’ve read your articles, and you’ve mentioned several times that the house edge is higher on 0-00-1-2-3 than at any of the other bets...read more

Casino Customer Service Training

Wouldn’t it be great if casino employees inherently knew how to provide outstanding service for their guests? They could just work the floor and do their thing, much to the delight of people walking through the door.While some employees seem to have a natural talent for providing service, most are not born with the customer service gene...read more

Back-to-back wins

Back-to-back results of the duplicate kind happen in any game, but some are so commonplace they’re instantly forgotten, while some make your heart skip a beat even as you’re reaching for the phone to text the news or even take a picture.You’ll see back-to-back 7s in craps an average of 1 in 36 trials – two or three times in an average hour...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Can I redeem a slot ticket at another casino?

We were in Vegas in October and forgot to cash in two slot tickets at the Palms before we left. Can they be cashed in at another casino in Nevada? It might be possible to redeem a slot ticket issued at one casino at another casino that is owned by the same company because they might share the same ticket system and database...read more

The craps 5-Count and short decks at blackjack

FROM JOHN: After reading your book “Beat Blackjack Now! The Easiest Way to Get the Edge” on the Speed Count for Blackjack, I drifted from the craps table to the blackjack table. There is something to be said about gambling while being seated (real craps players do not sit at the table taking up multiple spaces).Anyhow I am coming back to craps (I have learned much from your numerous craps books and review them periodically)...read more