Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 35

You Must Pay the Piper II

Now, I do not want to discourage people who enjoy playing casino games, be these games machines or table games, to stop it right now and become pure hearted and spiritually cleansed. No. After all, I write for magazines and Internet sites that are casino and gambling oriented...read more

Roulette House Edges

QUESTION: Some of the things you've written about roulette seem curious to me. You wrote that on a double-zero wheel, a bet on a single number has a 5.26 percent house edge, but if you bet on red or black, the house edge is also 5.26 percent.I'm not seeing how they can be the same...read more

Nostalgia and Video Poker

I have played video poker for several decades. During that time there have been many changes to the game, how it is played, and the actual return of the game.The other night I started thinking about the “good old days” of video poker. Not all was good...read more

The Martingale System

CINDY: Last issue we took a look at the playing system called the Paroli. That was a positive system to be used when you were ahead in order to, hopefully, get a little more lucky and get even more ahead.ABBY: Today we call that betting system the parley...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Is it my fault I leave the casino with an empty wallet?

Over the past few weeks, I've written about how I leave the casino with an empty wallet much more frequently than I used to. The machines haven't changed, so I've been blaming this run of bad luck on -- well -- a run of bad luck. But maybe there's more going on here than I realized...read more

Paying the Piper

If you play the slot machines, you are looking for a good payout. Actually, you are looking for any payout.Some players are just looking to break even. To them that would be a win of sorts. Those who wish they could break even on the machines are legion...read more

Weird Conversations

Perfect strangers play in casinos together all the time. Table games are more social than slots, but slot players have the odd interaction with their neighbors.Sometimes "odd" is the key word. Most exchanges between players are unremarkable, but once in a blue moon they can get a little strange...read more

A New Video Poker Quiz

This article contains a video poker strategy quiz. The game is full-pay (9/6 – 9-for-1 full house, 6-for-1 flush) jacks or better.The quiz assumes the maximum five credits is played. The maximum bet produces the highest long-term return because the royal flush pays 800-for-1 (4,000-for-5) rather than 250-for-1 when less than the maximum is bet.Look at the dealt hand below and decide which card or cards you would hold...read more

The Paroli Betting System

CINDY: I’d like to talk about the Paroli betting system in this article. I am guessing it is the most-used betting system in the casinos, even if players who use it have no idea that they are actually using a formal betting system that is, more or less, hundreds of years old.ABBY: Maybe over a thousand years old.CINDY: Why don’t we explain the system and then explain why it doesn’t give the player a real edge...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Can video poker auto-hold be trusted?

Question: My wife and I recently spent two nights at Barona Casino in San Diego, and 90% of their VP had auto-hold enabled. Are you familiar with this and if so, can the hold suggestions be trusted? Are they game and pay-table specific? Are they created by the machine manufacturers, or by the casino? The slot people at the casino were extremely friendly and helpful, but could not tell me how the strategies have been arrived at...read more