Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 441

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. My wife and I decided to take a trip to Las Vegas for our 30th anniversary. We had a wonderful time, but there was something that really bothered me. Usually, we stay at less expensive places, but this time we decided to treat ourselves and stay at Wynn. We'd reserved at $179 a night, but at the check-in desk they told us there was also a $20 a night resort fee...read more

More on soliciting tips

John, For many years I had jobs where I depended on tips to survive. Of course, I would never solicit a tip for myself. That said, when I was a chauffeur and I was talking to a passenger for another driver, I might say something like "gratuities are always appreciated." Where I play poker in Florida, when they pay out a tournament player they always solicit tips for the dealers...read more

Advice for players with limited bankrolls

Hey Frank, After a lot of searching on the Internet it seems you are the top authority on most styles of gambling. The wife and I are heading to Tunica and we are on the limited funds budget, like $400 each. I was wondering if you had any ideas on what to stick with if we are looking for a good time but also to either keep us even. Tables generally seem to take my money but I'm going out to buy your two newest books, Beat Blackjack Now! and Casino Craps: Shoot to Win! It would be nice if we could get our $800 up to $4,500 for a down payment on a house but I'm sure that isn't happening so just wanted to hear ideas if you have the time...read more

When does the 7 count in the 5-Count?

Frank, I've read many of your columns and articles in Casino Player and own two of your books. The article about the 5-count in Casino Player taught me to employ it for quite some time now with much success. My question is that recently I read something on CasinoCity.com where there is a different 5-count than the one I learned not using a craps as a counter...read more

Dealer mistakes: What happens when they occur

Blackjack dealers are human and sometimes they make honest mistakes. For example, when I was playing blackjack recently the dealer inadvertently gave a fellow player a hit card (which was exposed) even though he had given a hand signal to stand...read more

Dream a little dream with me!

I confess! When the New York State Lottery gets to 60 million dollars I will buy tickets. When the Mega-Millions Lottery gets to 200 million, I will buy tickets. Being a stolid, solid gambler I try to put myself in a good position to overcome the house edge; yes, even on lottery tickets there are better and worse times to make bets. So the lottery amounts above make the game a good bet since they are greater than the odds of hitting them...read more

Players Embrace Heartland Poker Tour

While the national poker spotlight was focused on Las Vegas last month for the World Series of Poker, another tournament of regional interest was taking place at the Majestic Star Casinos. The Heartland Poker Tour's stop at the Gary, Indiana gaming destination proved that the broad appeal of poker goes far beyond the high-profile stars of the game and the big money it takes to be a professional. Average working class people with a passion for the game can be every bit as competitive and entertaining as the biggest names in poker, which is why Todd Anderson and Greg Lang teamed up to form the Heartland Poker Tour in 2005. Their formula for success is exemplified in every stop the tour makes at casinos around the country, particularly so July 10 - 26 at the Majestic Star, where the top five finishers in the Main Event, all from the Chicago area, took a break from the routine to walk on the wild side. The winner was Paul Davis, a waiter who hails from Elgin...read more

Experiences with betting progressions

Every now and again, a column seems to raise as many questions as it answers. That's fine by me. I'll do the best I can with the follow-ups and clarifications. So it went when I wrote about betting progressions a few weeks ago. Several readers contacted me, offering their own experiences with progressions...read more

Is there a way to tell when a slot will hit?

Is there a way to tell when a slot is about to give out the big bucks? Or do you just have to keep playing until you MIGHT get lucky? If only there were some way to tell when a slot was about to hit. We could make minimum bets when the slot was cold, and then step up to a max bet only when the slot was hot...read more

Betting the hard 4

Dear Frank: I like to lay the 4 for $120 and the vig is $3. And $15 on a hard 4. I lose the $15 when a soft 4 is rolled. If I buy the hard 4 and lay the 4 for $120 and put $15 on a hard 4, if the soft 4 is rolled will I lose my lay of the 4 of $120 bet or will it stay on the table? Casey Dear Casey: I am somewhat confused by your letter...read more