Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 313

Those wild new machines

As I was walking toward the exhibit hall on the first day of the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, I was accosted by a horde of the undead. There were eight, maybe 10, staring blankly and growling. I was outflanked, with nowhere to go, but they parted slightly and let me pass through their midst.Whew.Once into the hall, who should I find patrolling a bank of new slot games but Beetlejuice, attracting ghost-free crowds.Unnatural? Not at all...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Shutting down a slot machine

We were recently at a casino in Nevada and my husband watched a slot tech go to someone to "help" them. He turned the machine off that the person was playing and the player went off to eat or to the bathroom or whatever. About 15 minutes later the player came back and the tech turned their machine back on...read more

Comps and craps bets

FROM CHUCK: Just getting into craps from blackjack, needed more excitement. But I also have an eye on comps. I understand that Odds are not counted (at least in the two local casino whose pit bosses I asked). So my question would be why do what so many people do by placing two come bets then stop...read more

Near misses and the bucket list

QUESTION: On my bucket list is some day receiving a W-2G form [required by the IRS before players can be paid jackpots of $1,200 or more].Here are some of those naive questions:I understand $1,200 and above as taxable income and must be reported...read more

Making money with cashback

An astute reader sent me this e-mail.“Most of the video poker games have an expected return (ER) of less than 100 percent. So how can you become a winner when the house has the edge over you when you play?”This reader is correct when he says that most of the video poker games nowadays have an ER that is less than 100 percent...read more

Blackjack stories

Amid the cheers and high fives of the craps players when the shooter’s on a roll, and the music, TV/movie dialog and sound effects of the slot machines, blackjack players live a quieter casino life. Not everyone wins together, so the craps-like cheers are rare.But there is time for a little discussion and storytelling...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Skill in a slot tournament

Is there any skill at all for winning a slot tournament? Or is it all luck? The good news (or bad news) is that winning a slot tournament is 99.99 percent luck. There are a couple of things you can do, though, to improve your chances. One thing you can do is to keep the reels moving by constantly hitting the Spin button...read more

California dreaming and women's purses

FROM ALAN: Aloha, Frank. I'm from Hawaii and get to Vegas about three or four times a year. I have read a few of your books and am an advocate of your precision rolling techniques and theories.My question is, when being rated on craps, what bets are taken into account for the total spread? Also does this differ by properties or ownership? I usually stay at Planet Hollywood.By the way, I enjoyed reading your article on your vacation to Hawaii at http://frankscoblete.com/travel/fear-and-loafing-in-hawaii-by-frank-scoblete/...read more

Top-10 things we'll miss about Al Krigman

It's been almost eight years since I saw the "Poker Reporter" job opening at Casino City.I was a journalist in my mid-20s who had been swept up by the Moneymaker wave, so of course it piqued my interest. But I also had some reservations. I didn't want to be a shill for a company that deluded people into thinking that they could get an edge against the casino.So, like any job candidate, I did my research...read more

Was this craps player harassed?

QUESTION: My usual spot [when rolling the dice in craps] is slot right of stickman, and I try to kerplunk the dice in the same area on the right side of the back wall. Same arc, same drop every time. So I'm hitting all sorts of numbers (I had my 6 up to $180) and the pit boss comes over and says, “We have a policy here of hitting the CENTER of the back wall.” I didn't want him to get into my head, but i still said, “Really? Is the center part of your policy in writing?” (He was dumb enough to say it was.)So I shift my body a little bit and start throwing to back wall CENTER, but it's too strong, dice off table...read more