Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 279

Players' clubs

It’s been roughly 30 years since the process that led to today’s sophisticated player rewards systems began. Casino operators had recognized that the industry was changing from a table-centric business to a slot-centric industry, and they needed a way to reward slot players to keep them coming back.Today, no casino would be without a rewards system and targeted promotions package, but the specifics differ from casino to casino, and readers often forward me questions about how best to take advantage of what’s offered — or just wondering why things are the way they are.A few have landed in my e-mail box since the beginning of December...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Calculating the odds of hitting a major slot win

If it's possible to calculate the odds of winning the lottery, I guess the same can be done for winning a major jackpot at a slot. In other words, if we can gather data on the number of slot players in a given year in a city or casino and determine the number of major winners, then we can correlate that to a number, like 1 in 12,000,000. Then again, past performance is not an indicator of future results. There's a big difference between the two situations...read more

Life in the fast lane

This happened in Las Vegas in the late 1990s. A Hollywood producer lost 1.4 million dollars at craps in one evening. He was betting between $50,000 and $100,000 dollars a roll. I saw it. My mouth hung open.Still, I actually didn’t feel too bad for him because he was something of a creep...read more

Two-way tips and blackjack progression betting

QUESTION: I saw something at craps that had me wondering. One of the players had been winning pretty good, and he put out $10 and said, “$10 hard 6, both ways.”The shooter rolled an easy 6, a 1-5, and the bet lost, so I never got to see what the “both ways” was...read more

A strategy for roulette

To improve your chances of winning at roulette, play different combinations. Here is one to consider.Wager three chips on the red spot and two chips on the middle column. This combination will cover all 18 red numbers; the middle column will also cover eight additional black numbers...read more

How the casino makes money in random games

On a recent Tuesday morning, my wife Marcy and I had the day free, and we decided to head for a casino, play a little and have some lunch. Midweek mornings are my favorite time to play, but the days we’re both free with no work demands aren’t all that common.In the couple of hours we were there, I heard five announcements of jackpot winners...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Playing a found 50-cent slot ticket

I saw a slot machine ticket on a blackjack table, picked it up and saw it was for 50 cents. I went right away to a slot machine and played it. I didn't win anything, so I walked around and waited for my buddy to finish gambling so we could leave...read more

Final four advantage slot machines

If you’ve been following this series of articles excerpted from my book "Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines," you have learned about some pretty amazing machines. On such machines, the players can get an edge over the casino. You must play these machines exactly as I recommend...read more

The ins and outs of blackjack play

QUESTION: I have played a lot of blackjack, with moderate success. I basically play the plastic card strategies and have read a few books as well.What I never see covered in any detail is optimum settings. When should you get up and leave? You buy, make minimum bets to check the counts (if you can do that sort of thing)...read more

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