Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 331

Gambling scoreboards

It was a Thursday evening, and I was walking through a casino with my friend Alex while our wives were playing the slots. Alex sticks to table games, mostly blackjack, and we were checking out blackjack house rules, craps odds, table minimums and other playing conditions.As we walked past the roulette tables, Alex pointed to the boards showing the last 18 numbers and said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if they had boards like that in blackjack?”I laughed and nodded.“I mean boards that carried all the information for the hand...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: May I claim my wife's free slot play?

John, All slots work with RNGs to produce the location of any given symbol on the screen. I was curious how this works in conjunction with the required payout. If the machine MUST pay at least 91 percent return, how does the system combine the payout requirement with the random component required? Because of the laws of probability, it could occur that the machine gets really hot or really cold for an extended period of time...read more

The Grand Martingale might not be so grand

Hi Frank,I have a couple of questions. I am not sure if they have been asked before and I missed them but nonetheless, here they are.I was playing a slot machine (Griffin's Gate) and was winning quite often. At times, really big! I was doing so well that I actually made a couple of special trips just to play this machine.Then all of a sudden it stopped, or should I say I stopped winning on it.Figuring it was just the law of averages, I continued to play at different times to see if I would win again (because I just knew I could win.....read more

Which is better? Blackjack, roulette or baccarat?

QUESTION: I'm a sports gambler, very little experience with table games. I usually stick to roulette. How does that rank among good or bad bets? I’m also curious as to which game you would recommend? Baccarat or blackjack for a newer table game player?Both seem simple enough I guess, just don't want to lose my shirt – ha ha.ANSWER: If you're playing on an American double-zero wheel, roulette has one of the higher house edges among table games at 5.26%...read more

Some answers about blackjack

Here are some questions that I received from blackjack players.QUESTION: Should you hit a hard 16 against the dealer's 7 through Ace, if the 16 consists of three or more cards?ANSWER: You should stand on a 16 consisting of three or more cards only against a dealer’s 10.QUESTION: How often does a player receive blackjack? What percent of the hands in the game does the dealer bust? What is the name of the game where all the 10s are removed? What does “mimic the dealer” mean? Under what conditions will card counting be effective?ANSWER: A player can expect to receive a blackjack once in every 21.92 hands (six-deck game)...read more

Deal Me In: Life among the happy humanoids

Dear Mark: I am a senior citizen and play at the live dealer tables for about 40 minutes at a stretch. Then I need a break, and that's when I hit the VIRTUAL tables for a change of "pressure," as I perceive it. Our Vegas trip is planned in celebration of my very big birthday in April...read more

Are slots really random?

A couple of years ago, I wrote a column on the theme, “If slots are really random …” It was sparked by readers who wondered how a casino exec could anticipate a big jackpot night if his games were random. The reason was simple: A big crowd meant more people playing, and more opportunities for both wins and losses.But readers continue to ask about the randomness of slot machines, whether outcomes they’ve experienced refute the idea that the games are random...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Do racino slots pay less than casino slots?

Do racino slots pay less than casino slots? Are they different systems from each other? The answer to both questions is: maybe. I checked the payback information posted on the American Casino Guide site. In some cases, a racino had the higher long-term payback (e.g., New York's racinos at 92 percent versus Atlantic City's casinos at 89-92 percent)...read more

Whirlwind craps and blackjack in Atlantic City

Hi Frank,I loved your article about your dad and wrote to tell you. You were so kind to respond. I can imagine a lot of people must have done the same.I'm a so-called wrong way bettor at craps. However, I start like that but after the first roll, with my money and odds on the don't pass, I then make two or three comes bets with odds...read more

Play the don't pass just right

QUESTION: On my last trip to the craps table, the table was cold so I switched from playing the pass line to playing the don’t pass line. Of course my friends hated me. When a point was established I did not lay the odds. My friends told me I was stupid for not laying the odds...read more