Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 419

Two problems at the same casino

Dear Frank: In a nutshell, here is my dilemma. At the locals casino where I play, there is a very nice but very talkative floorwoman and a really nasty pit boss who just loves to scold and belittle the players. The woman can be a trial because sometimes players don't feel like talking and she will go on and on...read more

Be Prepared to Lose When You Gamble

Losing your money during a session of casino gambling can be maddening, especially when you didn't even get a run for your hard earned bucks. Thoughts about what you could have done with that money start entering your mind. You leave the casino disgusted, disappointed, and probably mad for dropping a good chunk of your change. We've all been through it...read more

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. On slot machines, does the random principle change when you stop the spins yourself? A. Nearly all games remain random when you stop the reels yourself. Game designers call it "illusion of skill." You feel like you have control of the game, but the random number generator has already determined your result immediately after you start the reels spinning...read more

Take slot credits or cash

A woman in Atlantic City recently won a drawing. She had her choice between taking $1 million in slot credits, or choosing one of three envelopes containing an amount from $200,000 to $275,000 in cash. Do you think she should take her chances on the slot credits or take her chances on the cash envelopes? Dollar paybacks are about 93 percent in Atlantic City...read more

Taking Advantage of an Advantage: Part 2 - How Not To

Last month I wrote an introduction that postulated a simple game with a probability p of winning and a probability q of losing where p was larger than q. Think of a biased coin. The expected return e for this game is e = p - q. If our stake after k bets is Sk, what should the size of our next bet be in order to best take advantage of our situation? We let f be the fraction of our current stake that we are willing to risk; this is known as proportional betting...read more

Paying Uncle Sam

Gambling is a big business in America and the Federal Government knows it. When someone wins a big jackpot, Uncle Sam wants some of the winnings. The government has passed laws that require casinos to enforce current laws on individuals or face severe penalties themselves...read more

Blackjack tournaments 101

The information in this article is intended for blackjack players that have never had any experience playing in a blackjack tournament. Let's begin by comparing what you already know -- playing blackjack in a casino -- to what you might not know -- playing blackjack in a tournament...read more

Deep Blue and the slots

In 1997 something magical happened. Well, maybe not magical; maybe more like mechanical and scary. For the first time in history, a computing machine -- which went by the name of "Deep Blue" -- defeated a reigning world chess champion, Gary Kasparov, under standard tournament time controls...read more

Golden Touch announces dice control classes for the spring and early summer by Melissa A. Kaplan

Golden Touch Craps, casino gambling's premier advantage-play school, announced its spring and early summer schedule of dice control classes, which will be given on Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27 in Atlantic City; Saturday and Sunday, April 9 and 10 in Memphis; and Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26 in Las Vegas. The dice control class teaches all the basic skills a new student needs to develop a controlled dice throw, along with proper betting styles to take advantage of one's edge...read more

Study up on Spanish 21 Before Playing

Spanish 21, or Spanish Blackjack, is a variation of traditional blackjack that is offered in many gaming jurisdictions around the country, including Las Vegas. I've never had the inclination to sit down and play, thinking the game was just another gimmick used by casinos to relieve us of our gaming bankrolls. Popular gaming author Frank Scoblete made me change my mind some years ago with his book The Armada Strategies for Spanish 21. For my money, give me traditional blackjack any day! But after reading Scoblete's book I would feel much more comfortable sitting down to play Spanish 21, knowing that I am in possession of information to help me employ optimum strategies against the house's built-in edge. First of all, a brief outline on how Spanish 21 is played: The object is still to beat the dealer...read more