Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 366

Heaps of streaks and runs

Dear Mark: I was at the Casino Caesars in Windsor at a baccarat game when the bank won 19 times in a row. Is this a record? Robert M.Based on both personal experience and sweeping Web surfing, I have no definitive answer, but guessing aloud, Robert, it most likely was NOT some baccarat record you witnessed.With baccarat, there are three betting options: 1) betting on the Player Hand, 2) betting on the Bank Hand, 3) betting on a Tie Hand...read more

Royal flush cycles

A reader sent me this question: Can you explain what is meant by a royal flush cycle. I thought video poker machines were random and you can't predict when you are going to be dealt a royal? A royal flush cycle is the mathematically calculated average number of hands it takes to hit a royal flush using perfect strategy...read more

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. I've read several times that dollar slots pay more than quarters, and quarters more than nickels, and so on. My question is, why? And, if that's the case, shouldn't we all be playing dollar machines? A. In days of yore -- and by yore, I mean before about 1997 -- when nearly all slots had three mechanical reels and the majority had a single payline, the payback percentages reflected bet size...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: More found ticket woes

Hi, I found a ticket for $98. I picked the ticket up and told my brother what happened. I was so excited I told him to cash it so we could play again. While I was playing security asked us if we found a ticket and said we could be charged with a crime if we didn't pay it back...read more

WMS Gaming's Gone With the Wind slot

On a hot summer's morning, one of the coolest places I could be was at WMS Gaming's studios on the North Side of Chicago. There, Bill Pfund, WMS vice president of investor relations, and Jami Thornton, senior product marketing professional, were walking me through the latest and greatest video slot machine, Gone With the Wind. It's all based on the 1939 Clark Gable-Vivien Leigh movie classic, chock full of video clips and bonus events that carry through the theme. Thornton was demonstrating the Kissing Bonus...read more

The luck of the Irish!

Except for advantage slot-machine play, the operant ingredient in winning and losing at slots is luck; pure, simple, unadulterated luck. Of course there are three kinds of luck: good luck, as in you win; bad luck, as in you lose; no luck, as in you break even. Perhaps you would like to corral the famed "luck of the Irish" when you play the slots … then again, perhaps you wouldn't...read more

Casinos Need the Competitive Advantage of Real-Time Customer Feedback

A casino resort customer checks into his hotel room and discovers that it's not quite as clean as he would like. After that unhappy surprise, he goes to the spa to relax and his experience there is underwhelming. He could have received better service at a spa close to home 1,500 miles away...read more

Jest for Fun

A sexy lady walks up to a craps table and tells the dealer she wants to make a $5000 bet on a single roll of the dice. "No problem, lady," said the dealer. "Just one more thing," said the lady. "I feel much better when I play naked." The dealer called the pit boss over, and he approved the lady's request. After undressing, the lady rolled the dice and hit her point...read more

Blackjack code of conduct

Dear Mark: It is amazing how few players know proper blackjack etiquette. Possibly, you could do a refresher column for the masses. John H.When I worked the front-line, either pitching cards or as a manners' referee (pit boss), I was bound by two rules when it came to casino customers...read more

Change Your Attitude and Your Luck

What is luck? If you look up the definition it says that luck is: Success or failure decided by chance rather than through one's own actions. When you play games of chance, luck will determine whether you win or lose. In the short term luck will be a big factor in determining whether you win or lose...read more