Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 358

IT's innovation machine selection!

In recent weeks I’ve written about playing Deuces Wild on a quarter Triple Play Poker machine, and about the stacked symbols and the resulting volatility on penny Cherry Mischief slot machines.Both were games I played during a two-night, three-casino swing I took in July with my wife Marcy...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Which machines pay better?

In a recent question the person asked (in part): You press the stop button and the RNG takes a number the "seed" which I understand to be typically based on the milliseconds... Which brings up my question. He said when you hit "STOP." When you hit stop and don't just let the reels spin to completion, does the machine then have to compute different payouts for all the next spins to maintain the payout amount, like 98 percent, for example? Thank you,Chris Dear Chris, Casinos don't like players who have skill...read more

Stop loss for advantage craps players is a fool's errand

What about "stop losses," a favorite idea in gambling circles? Is this concept nonsense for dice controllers?No, it isn't when you truly understand the concept as it relates to controlled shooters.There are only three reasons to leave a craps table when you are an advantage player:1...read more

Perfect Math, Real House Edge

The house edge for a pass line bet with no odds is approximately 1.41 percent. This is a low house edge compared to other table games and even to other craps bets. The casino extracts its edge in one of two ways – paying the player less than fair odds or by winning more decisions than it loses...read more

Straight flush or four aces?

A shuffle through the Gaming mailbag:QUESTION. Can you explain why the payoff for a straight flush is less than the payoff for four aces, when in poker the straight flush beats the four aces? Regardless of whether the machine is Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, etc, the amount for the straight flush is always the same, even though those machines offer additional payouts with other fours of a kind.ANSWER...read more

The law of large numbers and the anarchy of small samples

The statistical “law of large numbers” tells analysts their degree of confidence in anticipating the collective outcomes of many operations whose individual probabilities are known. Anarchy reigns, however, for the combined results of relatively few transactions...read more

Barney's "I am becoming a controlled shooter"

I am becoming a controlled shooterby Barney[Post from private website at goldentouchcraps.com. If anyone reading this would like a free 60-day subscription, please e-mail Frank Scoblete at fscobe@optonline.net.]I am new at this controlled shooting, so I would never say that I am an expert in the mechanics of the actual throw...read more

Counting the Pass Line And Cows

I recently received a letter from Peter Chao, one of my readers. Here is part of Peter’s letter: “Instead, could we say [in craps] that there are two separate bets based on an event (setting the point): Pre-Point Bet of $10 and Post-Point of $40-$60 (depending on point)? Both have a Pass Line component, and Post-Point adds the odds. “The reason I would put forth this assertion is that these games do not end at the same time nor are they even played at the same time...read more

Six blackjack myths debunked

Which of the following statements about blackjack are true?1. You should always take insurance or even money when you are dealt a blackjack.2. Unskilled players will hurt other players’ chances of winning.3. It’s impossible to count cards in multiple-deck games.Surprise! All of the above statements are FALSE, yet, if I polled most blackjack players, the vast majority would have said the above statements are true...read more

Shuffle through the gambling mailbag

QUESTION: Is it possible to get an edge at blackjack without counting cards? The reason I ask is that my brother-in-law told me that if you learn all the plays on those basic strategy cards, you can win at blackjack. Is that right?ANSWER: Kind of makes you wonder why some casinos sell basic strategy cards in their gift shops, let alone allow you to use them at the tables, doesn't it? If learning basic strategy could give you an edge over the house, would the house put the weapon that could beat them in your hands?Except in rare cases, basic strategy can't give you an edge on the game...read more