Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 330

Deal Me In: Dealer goofs: The road to riches

Dear Mark: I was recently playing blackjack at one of Detroit's casinos, and I was dealt a blackjack with the dealer showing an ace. I opted not to take "even money" as I had always thought you shouldn't take insurance. After checking her hole card and turning over a face card for a dealer blackjack, the dealer told me I was wrong, that it was not the same as insurance, that it was free money...read more

A radical new slot strategy: The 20+20

I am a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to gambling. I always advocate the best bets against the lowest house edges. But with this column I am going to put myself in the “wild and crazy guru” category and offer you a strategy that has never before been revealed.This strategy is so radical that I must in good conscience make the following warning: You can’t win with it in the long run...read more

Do casinos change payouts on the same slot machine?

QUESTION: In Illinois or Las Vegas, is it legal for slot machine programmers to vary the odds that a machine will allow a player to reach the bonus round depending on how many credits per line they play?Let's say I play a penny machine (or any denomination really) where I can play up to 40 lines at once, and 1 to 5 credits per line...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: How do new slot machines figure out how much to pay?

New slot machines are placed on the casino floor with a preset payback percentage, meaning in the long run the amount they pay depends on how much money is spent by customers. The question, John, is, since they are new and no one has played them before, how do they calculate how much to pay the early players since little or no credits have accumulated yet? Thank you for your clear, solid, and at times jolly replies in your column...read more

Craps is a riot!

On rare occasions you might hear a cheer or two coming from a blackjack game, usually a weak cheer: “Oh, wow, I won a hand.”It is rare you’ll hear more than one person ever say a loud, “All right!” at a roulette game. No one ever cheers at baccarat for that game is way, way too sedate for anyone who is prone to yelling, applauding and backslapping...read more

What Are the Odds of a Royal Flush Holding Just One Card?

Mr. Stickman, Yesterday I was at my favorite Midwestern casino playing one of my favorite video poker games. I was dealt a hand where I saved an ace of hearts. I play fairly fast and once I hit the draw button I start hitting the deal max button rapidly to get the next hand dealt as soon as possible...read more

What to do if the casino raises the blackjack table minimums

If you play much low-limit blackjack, no doubt something like this has happened to you.I’d arrived at a casino about 9 a.m., figuring I could take advantage of early-day sparse crowds and low table minimums. I found a $10 table and bought in for $200, with four $25 chips, 19 $5 chips and five $1 chips, so I had a little starting change to tip dealers and waitresses.It was a pretty ordinary session, up a little here, down a little there, and after a couple of hours I was ahead by $7.50...read more

The 5-Count does alter a craps game

The 5-Count Does Alter a Craps Game by John “Skinny”FROM SKINNY:I have been mulling something over from time to time. Based on the research by mathematician Dr. Donald Catlin (columnist for Casino City Times), "The 5-Count [Frank Scoblete’s craps method] selected the skilled shooter 10.7 percent more often than it selected the random shooter." More about that later.I have been agreeing with the statement about the 5-Count that it does not alter the odds in favor of the player...read more

Little Bets Can Pay Off In a Big Way

A lot of betting goes on in casinos. I think it’s time casinos empower employees to make some bets of their own.The employee wagering I’m writing about is not what you’re thinking. I’m suggesting that casinos let employees take some small chances on customer service innovation and then see what happens.The Wall Street Journal recently published a book review of “Little Bets.” Reviewer David A...read more

Deal Me In: Finally, a use for a kicker

Dear Mark: I like to play Double Double Bonus Poker. What is the best pay table that I should be playing on? Nancy S.I am glad to see, Nancy, that you recognize that getting the greatest return out of any video poker game, you need to find the optimum pay table first.Double Double Bonus Poker is a video poker game based on Bonus Poker, which is a hybrid of Jacks or Better...read more