Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 427

Is the theory of streaks valid despite what the gurus say?

Lots of solid citizens believe gambling runs in streaks and that talk about randomness is guru gobbledygook. The idea is that to win big on a small stake in a non-jackpot game, you have to amass larger and larger payoffs using "the house's money" to press your bets during hot streaks...read more

Do slot machines wear out?

Mr. Robison, I read an assortment of the letters to you in CCT. Most are a lot of fun. I've come to a question for you based on something you wrote long ago on September 17, 1999. You wrote that "Not only is a machine just as loose at the end of the month as it was in the beginning of the month, it's also just as loose at the end of its life as it was at the beginning of its life." Can you tell me something about the life of a slot machine? Does it wear out? Do the flicks inspiring the RNG get set into any kind of patterns they didn't have when made? Are machines or parts of them tested against such a thing? Thanks, Mitch Dear Mitch, Slot machines start their lives when they're brought to the slot manufacturer's factory by the slot stork -- No, you know I'm being a smart aleck...read more

Practice is key to success at dice control

Frank, I am an aspiring craps player in Idaho. I have been practicing for nine months and I am still struggling. I would love to take one of the your Golden Touch dice control classes in Las Vegas, but I am not able to at this time. I am hoping your Casino Craps: Shoot to Win! book with the DVD will help me analyze my throw and improve...read more

Positive betting progressions

Frank, In your latest private newsletter you discuss a little bit how in the long run you can not gain an edge by positive or negative progression. I think most experienced gamblers know negative progression is "progression to depression" or suicide...read more

Playing more than one hand

Sometimes you will see a blackjack player playing two hands instead of one. Other times, you might see a player who has been playing one hand suddenly spread to two hands in the middle of the shoe because he has the misconception that, by "changing the flow of cards," he will change the luck of the table...read more

Taking the dice away from a shooter

On my private website at www.goldentouchcraps.com came this interesting question from "Bretboy," who is one of our posters: This may seem silly but the other night some guy threw the dice off the table twice in a row and the boxman said the next time that happened he would take the dice away from that shooter...read more

Nuggets of Useful Information for Gamblers

Concise information about the games people play in casinos is always helpful, so here goes: * You probably know the feeling. You walk away from a slot machine after losing some money, then glance over your shoulder and watch the very next person who sits down hit a jackpot...read more

When to surrender in Super Fun 21

In blackjack, in all its variations and spinoff games, extra options are good for players — provided players know how to use them. What brings that to mind is a question from a reader who's been playing Super Fun 21. It's a blackjack spinoff in which most two-card 21s pay only even money instead of the 3-2 we see at most tables...read more

If the laws of probability can't guarantee you'll win, what good are they?

Typical casino gamblers strike out blindly – or, worse, follow superstitions or myths – mind-lessly or even deliberately flouting tools that can aid them in making sound decisions in their punting pursuits. A major reason for this phenomenon is that folks in general want plain-English instructions saying "do this and you'll get that." Since gambling is characterized by uncertainty rather than cause-and-effect, the best guidance they can get is offered by the laws of probability...read more

An incident with money left on a slot machine at a California casino

California Casino Incident. I was the first to play a slot machine on which someone had left money. I did not have my reading glasses on; I had my yellow-tinted sunglasses on that I wear inside buildings. I played the machine, that play won...read more