Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 346

A very royal flush

The following story is true. It happened to me and my late father-in-law, while playing video poker in Las Vegas several years ago. First, some background.I’ve written about my father-in-law Pete’s exploits in video poker. At age 87, when most folks take it easy, Pete wanted to learn video poker so I taught him everything he needed to know to play skillfully...read more

No legend of love, liberty and roulette here

Dear Mark: I have one strange thing I observed with others playing roulette. I watched the people I was with make a wager on some roulette numbers, and they put some chips on numbers for the dealer. They told the dealer some were for him, and the dealer stopped the wheel and started it again, tossed the ball, and it came up with the right number...read more

The psychic side of slots

While I think there may be some kinds of ESP – or at least the appearance of ESP – I am a total skeptic when it comes to finding winning slot machines based on one’s intuitive powers. For example, a hundred players can feel that tonight is the night they will win big...read more

Shouldn't players play higher-denomination slot machines?

QUESTION: You’ve written repeatedly that higher-denomination slots pay more than lower-denomination games, and that dollars pay more than quarters, which pay more than nickels, etc. How do you know that?If that’s true, why doesn’t everyone play dollar slots? Shouldn’t you go to the games where the paybacks are highest?ANSWER: Information on slot machine payback percentages comes from gaming board statistical reports in states with licensed casinos...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Are jackpots more likely on a 3-reel slot than on a 5-reel?

Thanks for all of your very useful information!!! One of my favorite slots is a $5 - 2 coin Wild Cherry where you can play $5 or $10 a credit. Are my chances of winning increased with the $10 bet? Thank you. ACLADY !!! Dear ACLADY, Thanks for the kind words. Your question is a good continuation of last week's question about whether the computer program running the slot machine knows how many coins you've played and what effect, if any, that knowledge has on the outcome of a spin...read more

Some Humor for Christmas

December 19, 2012Overheard at a sports book counter: "Have you seen those signs that say SPEED KILLS?Well, I bet on one horse that's going to live forever." * * * * Mother telling a fairy tale to her son: "Once upon a time...." Her son interrupted her."Mommy, do all fairy tales begin like that?" "No, dear," said the mother...read more

Another Guaranteed Winning Betting System

Hi Stickman,Here is a system I am unsure of. Please let me know.First, place table minimum bets on all numbers, say 15 is table minimum.Next place 6 dollars each hop 7 for a total of 18 dollars. Now roll the dice.Now put $96 dollars on come for the next roll and match the 96 with a 2, 3, 12 and a yo bet to obtain the $96 back in case one of those are rolled.Add all of your numbers up 96+15+18+18+15+15 = 177Now put $177 on come...read more

Players and dealers talk blackjack

Blackjack players can be a bit uncomfortable talking strategy during breaks at the table. The more advanced players may not want to tip the casino off to how good they are, though it really doesn’t take much observation to tell those who know their basic strategy from those who don’t.So the table talk at shuffling time often turns to asking the dealer about her hometown, or finding out if other players have tried the steakhouse, and the occasional gem about something unusual that’s happened at the casino's games.But every once in a while, players let their guard down, and a little strategy is mixed in with the tales people tell at the table...read more

Why so many gamblers (you?) see patterns in the progress of the games

Many casino aficionados look for, and find, patterns in the results of series of recent rounds in the games they play. At the slots, for instance, bettors’ hopes may rise after several increasingly rewarding spins – interspersed with duds though they may be – believing their machines to be building up to big bonanzas...read more

Comment Cards are the Dinosaurs of Customer Service

There isn’t a business in the world that couldn’t do a better job of keeping customers happy, of understanding what customers do and don’t like about its products and services. There is always room for improvement.I believe most casinos want to do a better job in this area, too...read more