Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 372

Blackjack misinformation

It amazes me how many blackjack players believe the misinformation dispensed by fellow players, and even dealers, about the game of blackjack. Here are a just a few nuggets of misinformation. "Picture cards always follow picture cards." Some players will refuse to hit their stiff hands if they just saw a picture card come out of the shoe...read more

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. The other day I was playing Double Joker's Wild on a video poker machine and was dealt a natural royal flush. Would you by any chance know the odds of being dealt a natural royal flush from a 54-card deck? A. With a 54-card deck, there are 3,162,510 possible five-card denominations, and four possible natural royal flushes, no wild card...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Treat tickets like cash

This is what happened after I cashed out on a slot machine. I had won $787. I was going to get my money from the cashier, but the casino announced an emergency and everybody needed to evacuate. When I got near the exit door, I placed my ticket in my fanny pouch. The next thing I know, a girl elbowed me...read more

You can't escape the house edge

When casinos offer bets on opposite outcomes of a play, they always leave a clear path to a house profit. In craps, pass and don't pass don't quite offset, because a loser 12 on the pass line is just a push rather than a winner in don't pass...read more

June bugs at the table games

The arrival of those June bugs -- the disgusting brown beetles that enjoy munching your prized gardens and trees -- heralds the beginning of the summer season. But there is another definition of the word "bugs" in our lexicon and that is one many of us use many times, as in "He bugs me!" or "That bugs me!" or "I'm bugged by that!" or "Stop bugging me!" Naturally, there are many human "bugs" in the casino that eat away at you as if you were a garden plant or tree...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Do video poker pay tables matter to casual players?

John, I'm a long time reader and appreciate your advice. I have two questions: one has a definite answer and the other probably doesn't. First question: I'm a longtime video poker player in AC and recently I've begun to enjoy the triple play machines...read more

Electronic craps

Hi Frank, I need your help. A racino just opened in my area and friends are insisting that the electronic craps games are exactly the same as the casino game. I guess the mechanic arms throwing the dice does not bother them. My knowledge about craps barely goes beyond the pass and come lines...read more

Deal Me In: Breaking down roulette odds

Dear Mark: I heard there are a couple of good bets on a roulette table. Is there a specific number I should be playing, or are the bets located where red/black or odd/even are located? Cheryl D.Allow me, Cheryl, to streamline Albert Einstein’s roulette quote, "You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it," by answering your "which bets are good” question this way: “there ain’t none."The secret of roulette, Cheryl, is not which bet, but which game...read more

Texas Hold'em A to Z: S is for Slowplaying

In Texas Holdem you are not trying to win a lot of pots. You're trying to win the most money. In fact the player who wins the most pots will usually be a losing player because they are playing too many hands. Two ways you can increase the money you win is with the slowplaying and check-raising...read more

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. Why aren't there more sportsbooks? When I started playing in casinos, Nevada and New Jersey were the only places to go. I always went to Las Vegas, and got used to the sportsbooks being there. Now there are casinos everywhere, and I mostly stay home in Louisiana, but there are no books...read more