Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 363

Ask the Slot Expert: Is the RNG affected by the amount I bet?

Hello John, Does the RNG operate on the amount you bet per spin or on the symbols? My wife was playing a progressive slot machine the other day and was rotating her bet from minimum to maximum bet. She hit the progressive with a minimum bet much to her dismay and felt she lost out on the $256,000 payout...read more

Martingale losses can be spectacular

The Martingale betting system, in which players double their bets after losses, has a strange hold on a segment of roulette players. I've been warning against the system since I started writing regularly about gambling in 1994, and others exposed the system as a bankroll-eater long before I joined the fray. And yet it's a rare month when someone doesn't ask me about the Martingale, whether by e-mail or in person...read more

The better the name, the worse the bet

Which wagers in the casino have the dullest-sounding names? Why, these are given to the very best bets. It is interesting to note that dull in terms of sound usually means good in terms of house edge. So let's take a look at some of the best bets in the casino, those bets that come in with the dullest sounding names. In baccarat you have the boring-titled bank bet (1.17 percent house edge) and the drab player bet (1.36 percent house edge)...read more

What look like small changes in games can have big monetary effects

Perhaps you’ve noticed marginal differences among nominally similar casino games. Well, caveat emptor – buyer beware. Minor alterations may cause major changes in house advantage, and what seem like attractive features for bettors could well be boons for the bosses. Single- and double-zero roulette offer a classic example...read more

Tossing Aces in 9/6 Jacks

One of the counterintuitive plays in 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker occurs when one is dealt three high cards and one of them is an Ace. The correct play is to just hold the two non-Aces and discard the Ace. When I tell people this they frequently ask me to explain why this makes sense...read more

The 10 Best Casino Gambling Tips

Almost 40 million visitors show up in Las Vegas every year. A little more visits Atlantic City. I don't think too many of them are considered hard-core gamblers. In fact, according to reports from the Las Vegas Visitors Bureau, more money is spent by visitors on eating, going to shows and staying in hotel rooms than on gambling...read more

Texas Hold'em A to Z: Q Is for Queens

Pocket Queens I have a love/hate relationship with pocket Queens. Sometimes they give me great pleasure and shower me with riches and the next time they steal my money and kick me to the gutter. Queens are fickle and you have to play with them cautiously or they will break your heart...read more

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. Tell me about the free odds in craps. I've read that you shouldn't raise your pass line bet above the minimum until you're betting the maximum on free odds? Why is that? Do the free odds increase how often you win? A. Let's start with the basics...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: The effect of playing with a player's card

Dear John, Thanks for your column. Love the info. I am one who will try anything I can to trigger my machine. In fact, I really did think it was "just luck", when I first started playing and winning, over 25 years ago. Playing in Vegas, Laughlin, Tunica, New Mexico & La...read more

Striking it big on Multi-Strike Poker

One of my standard warnings to players is to never overbet your bankroll. If you bet too large a percentage of your budget for the day's entertainment on each bet, the usual result is that you'll be heading home early, or worse, digging for extra funds. Every so often, though, a player will bet too much by accident...read more