Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 293

Hot slots: Beware the Blob!

Bally Technologies has had loads of hot slot machines, including some of the flashiest, most popular licensed themes to hit casinos in recent years. But Mike Trask, senior manager for corporate communications at Bally, isn’t sure he’s ever seen something quite like Wonder Woman.“We’ve had Titanic, NASCAR, Michael Jackson, the Beach Boys, Pawn Stars and Betty Boop galore, and when you look at things like social media, I’m just amazed at how excited people are for Wonder Woman,” Trask said during our conversation at Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: You cannot call yourself a slot expert

Hi John! First of all I think it is interesting that you select which letters you decide to show on your web page. This tell me you are hiding something, and I know you are! And I know nobody should ever trust what you write or say! Second, my e-mail to you will probably stay an e-mail and will not reach your web page, because what I have to say is not what you expect, and it can for sure hurt your status as a "slot expert", which you are not! You are making money off of the Casino Industry, and you will protect that income at all times! Sadly, you will fail in the near future. I am a programmer and has been for about 25 years...read more

Worser and worser

The word “worser” was actually used a few hundred years ago; then again, so were leeches. “Doctor, I have a headache.” “Take two leeches and see me in the morning.”When it comes to being a casino player, you can have good sessions and bad sessions — but sometimes, you have worser sessions, one after the other and then those get even worse...read more

21 + 3 rides high

QUESTION: I've been surprised at the staying power of 21 + 3. Blackjack side bets come and go, but that one's lasted for years. Do you have any thoughts on why that one and not Royal Match or Over/Under 13, for instance?ANSWER: Blackjack side bets do usually have short shelf lives, as you note...read more

How Much Does a Royal Flush Count?

Most serious video poker players, even those who only play casually once or twice a year, know how much their favorite video poker machine pays with expert play. While they may not know to the second decimal place, they know that generally the games pay as follows.• Full pay (9/6 – 9 for 1 for a full house, 6 for 1 for a flush) Jacks or Better pays 99.54 percent of the money played.• Full pay (8/5) Bonus Poker pays 99.16 percent.• Full pay Deuces Wild (25/15/9/5/3/2 -- 25 – wild royal, 15 – five of a kind, 9 – straight flush, 5 – four of a kind, 3 – full house, 2 – flush) pays 100.76 percent.• Not So Ugly Deuces (NSUD: 25/16/10/4/4/3 -- 25 – wild royal, 16 – five of a kind, 10 – straight flush, 4 – four of a kind, 4 – full house, 3 – flush) pays 99.73 percent.• Full pay (10/7 – 10 for 1 for a full house, 7 for 1 for a flush) Double Bonus pays 100.17 percent.• 9/7 Double Bonus pays 99.11 percent.All of the games listed above have very good payback schedules...read more

I love skill-based games!

I’m not exactly the target demographic, but I’ll admit to being a sucker for slot machines with skill-based bonuses. International Game Technology has given us a number of skill-based bonuses in its Reel Edge series, including Blood Life Legends and Centipede...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Playing max coin on a slot machine

[Referring to last week's column about having to itemize deductions to deduct gambling losses:] Presumably the standard deduction was at some time determined to be a best guess at what a typical person/family would be allowed to deduct from their gross income if they itemized...read more

Baccarat versus Mini Baccarat

Baccarat (pronounced bah-cah-rah, not back-a-rat) and mini-baccarat are not the exact same games owing to slight changes in their formats and their speeds. Indeed, baccarat is a good game to play while mini-baccarat can be a dangerous game to play.Baccarat is usually played in high roller rooms on a large table that can fit at least 12 players; the game often has $100 minimum bets, and at least three dealers plus a floor person working the table...read more

Baccarat versus mini-baccarat

Baccarat (pronounced bah-cah-rah, not back-a-rat) and mini-baccarat are not the exact same game, owing to slight changes in their formats and their speeds. Indeed, baccarat is a good game to play, while mini-baccarat can be a dangerous game to play.Baccarat is usually played in high-roller rooms on a large table that can fit at least 12 players; the game often has $100 minimum bets and at least three dealers plus a floor person working the table...read more

Low slot pays and bad blackjack plays

QUESTION: You write all about these new games, and Mad Men and the new Austin Powers sound like fun, but why do they make the games with such low paybacks? Someone should tell WMS and IGT and Bally and all those companies that you can bet as much on a penny video game as on a dollar three-reel game, and players deserve paybacks just as high.ANSWER: Let’s put the responsibility where it belongs here...read more