Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 296

The Customer Service Culture

For us, the buzz word of the year is “culture.” Every gaming property we meet with doesn’t want a “program.” It wants to create a casino customer service culture. We could be talking with management about a custom casino "Train the Trainer" session or a comprehensive program that includes everything from casino mystery shopping to casino customer service training and the discussion always turns to culture.I know people are tired of “spray-and-pray” programs where all the casino employees attend training and management prays that it takes hold and customer service improves...read more

Where'd the three-reelers go?

A recurring theme in my e-mail box is, “Where have all the three-reel games gone?” Modern slot machine floors are dominated by video slots, with estimates of up to 85 percent of casino floors going to video.Still, there is a corps of players who like the reel-steppers that stood virtually alone as slot options into mid-1990s and which still made up the majority of machines into the early 2000s...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Changing slot paybacks

I can tell you without any doubt whatsoever that slot machines, especially at the $100 slot level, are adjusted and changed regularly, which is all legal and ethical. Google "can split machines be altered by chip" and you will see evidence in bold print regarding public knowledge of this fact...read more

Odd man out?

FROM BILL: Hi Frank, I am back again. My question/comment concerns the odds. On page 7 of your book "Casino Craps: Shoot to Win," you wrote that a $10 bet lost 14 cents whether there were 2x odds or 100x odds, and the light came on for me.I realized that since the odds are an even money bet, I am basically flipping a coin when I use them...read more

Point spreads in football

QUESTION: Now that football has started both in pros and colleges, can you give me a quick refresher at the house edge when you bet on the point spreads? You have to bet an extra 10 percent, so your bet is $110 instead of $100, but how big a house edge does that translate into? Also, what percentage of bets would you have to win to make a profit?ANSWER: The 10 percent vigorish charged on such bets translates to a 4.55 percent house edge...read more

Video poker questions and answers

I’m receiving a lot more questions from players on video poker than other games lately, probably because more players are realizing that video poker is a much better gamble than playing slots or most table games. What follows is a sample of questions and my answers.QUESTION: What are the odds of getting a royal flush?ANSWER: I’ve received several questions dealing with the odds of getting a royal flush...read more

New slots equal new betting strategies

Strategies for playing slot machines have long been built around conventional wisdoms. “To get the maximum return, bet maximum coins.” “Never play progressive slots without betting the max.” “Slots pay more at higher coin denominations.”But the rise of video slots has broken old conventions, and new conventions require new conventional wisdom...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: What can casinos change on a slot machine?

Can you tell me what a casino can do to a newly acquired slot machine? Does the slot machine come with a preset payout percentage? Can the casino change the payout percentage? I assume the slot machine has a preset time period for the payout percentage...read more

Don't craps, annoying dice setters and annoying six-deck blackjack games

FROM SARIT: Thanks for your help! Still learning the game, and I feel like when I turn to betting "wrong" I do better.What do you think of laying a 4 or 10 when playing the Don't Pass? And should I leave the lay or take it off once a point has been made?I enjoy your book “Casino Craps: Shoot to Win!” I’m squeezing in reading time when I can.Thanks for all the tips you give so many players; it's really appreciated!FRANK RESPONDS: The Don’t Pass or Don’t Come bets are a fraction of a percent better than the Pass/Come bets...read more

Dealer's hole card and dangers of video poker

QUESTION: I was talking with a dealer friend, and he pointed out there are times the dealer exposes cards with no need. If every player busts, or if there is a mix of player blackjacks and busts, the dealer’s down card doesn’t make any difference in the outcome...read more