Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 326

Slot machine payback ranges and money management

QUESTION: A follow-up question to your answer that advantage players don’t need to follow the same kind of win/loss limit money management as average players. Is there any fear that even on a game where you have an edge, that you might run into a string of bad luck which could offset your edge and take away your profits? Do you not protect any of your profits even if you have an edge at the game?ANSWER: Yes, I think there's value in a casual player, even one who has an advantage over the casino, in locking up a percentage of profits.It's a matter of bankroll...read more

Questions About "Everything Casino Poker"

Mr. Stickman,I have compiled a short list of questions concerning Jacks Or Better Video Poker. For the following samples, could you please give me a few minutes of your time, and tell me what cards you'd hold onto. I'd buy your new book ("Everything Video Poker"), but I don't know if you'd have the answers to my questions in it.That's why I'm sending you this e-mail...read more

My wild roulette streak

Streaks happen in any game of chance. They’re not predictable, nor are they indicators of what is to come. But when you’re riding a streak, the good times roll.It was my turn to ride a streak this June. It was a family birthday, we had a group at a casino, and I was playing some cheap roulette...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Are slot results affected by time of day?

Like most players I have my favorite games. One game I play only seems to pay at approximately the same time every time I play it. I've played this game at various times and on various days without much luck, however it has a pattern of paying, including jackpots, when I play it around 10:30 at night...read more

Machine craps and card counting

FROM JACK: Some questions for you:1. I see a lot of craps machines in the Vegas area called "aruze gaming shoot to win craps" please YouTube it if you never seen it before please, also another one from shuffle master I think and any other non-real table craps machines...read more

Why government won't help players

QUESTION: I started going to casinos in 1986 and the federal threshold for making you sign a W-2G on jackpots was $1,200, just as it is now. Do you think the government will ever raise it to adjust for inflation? According to an inflation calculator I used, a dollar in 1986 is worth $2.13 now...read more

All Tall and All Small at Craps

I recently received a letter from one of my readers, Michael Marmiani, from Laughlin asking about the Craps side bet that is mentioned in the title of this article. You can read about this side bet by referring to my January 1, 2011 article that is stored in the archives on this site...read more

Crash course in blackjack, part I

I remember to this day what a friend told me the first time I set foot in a Las Vegas casino some 40 years ago and was “scared to death” to sit down and play blackjack. “Look at all those people playing blackjack,” he said to me. “At one time they were all beginners, just like you.”Of course, he was right...read more

The truth about blackjack side bets

Side bets at blackjack are offered for two basic reasons: to add a little excitement for players who want more out of the game than trying to grind out a profit one bet at a time, and to increase action to generate more profit for the house.The house edge on side bets tends to be higher than on blackjack itself, provided the player knows basic strategy...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Do your choices in bonus rounds matter?

Thank you for your weekly newsletter - great stuff. When you get into a bonus round on a slot machine that requires you to make choices, e.g., three treasure chests out of eight, or pick until you lose, spin a wheel, anything like that, do your choices really make a difference, or has the RNG already determined how much you will win? Thanks, Larry Dear Larry, Thanks for the kind words about my column. Let me start with your last question first...read more