Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 286

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

Blackjack's 21 + 3 versus Lucky Ladies

QUESTION: Most of the low-limit blackjack tables near my house have the 21 + 3 side bet, which you’ve written about before. However, one casino has Lucky Ladies with this pay table: two Queens of Hearts when the dealer has a blackjack, 1,000-1; two Queens of Hearts, 125-1, total of 20 when the cards are the same rank and suit, 19-1; total of 20, same suit, different ranks, 9-1; total of 20, different suits, 4-1.Is that better or worse than 21 + 3? How big is the house advantage?ANSWER: At that pay table, Lucky Ladies has a house edge of 24.71 percent in a six-deck game – the more decks the better in Lucky Ladies...read more

Jacks or Better: A Strange Payout Table

From Ron:I found a video poker game at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville,Oklahoma with a strange pay table. It was 250/50/25/12/6/4/3/2/1 for 1coin.The pay for 5 coins for a royal flush was 4000 coins. It was ajacks or better, not a bonus game or anything like that...read more

Splitting pairs in blackjack

Splitting pairs in blackjack is sometimes a matter of playing offense and sometimes defense. And sometimes, you skip the split and hope for the best with your original hand.I had a run of some of each recently, an odd little session where I was dealt pairs of 9s several times within a couple of hours...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Where are 95 percent payback slot machines?

Love reading your column. Don’t always agree with you but, hey, that’s life. In your most recent column about casinos and racinos you talk about a 95 percent payout is a 95 percent payout. I’m hung up on the 95 percent, not what you explained in the column...read more