Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 470

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. I recently saw 21+3 blackjack games for the first time. The side bet on the player's two cards plus the dealer's up card combining for a flush, straight or three-of-a-kind, paid 9 to 1. I assumed with that payoff, the real odds are probably more like 10 or 11 to 1, maybe even higher...read more

Does a slot machine's pause affect the RNG?

Hey John, This is your avid reader from SLC who visits Wendover and Las Vegas. Always looking for an edge. I had asked a similar question some time ago about the pause that occurs during regular play with many machines and your response was the same at that time...read more

Adjusting play in blackjack with the count

Dear Frank: Blackjack high count could mean you should stand on 16 or better — low could mean you should hit some on 18? High count means the dealer is more likely to bust — and you too. Could this mean you should alter your card play as well as your betting? Got this idea when learning hold'em poker — the constant calculation between what to play and what the pot odds are. Maybe you could keep a side count on 7s or 5s...read more

Why Is The Hardway Set Better Than the 2V Set for Avoiding the 7?

Stickman, Let me first acknowledge that I am aware that you guys probably have conducted thousands of test rolls before coming to your conclusions about what is the best set. I just want to know to get a better understanding of the art of dice control...read more

Crazy gambling letters from nutty people #9

Dear Frank: I bought a system to beet the casino games and the slots machines but I have lost even with this ssytem which costs me over one hundred dollars. I sent the papers back to the cellar and guessed what happened he never returned my money and his post office box sent all my mail back because he closed it...read more

Love of Boyd Properties Takes Couple Cross Country

The majority of recreational gaming enthusiasts exhibit some degree of brand loyalty when it comes to choosing a location for a casino outing, but Alex Bratu and his wife Mary Anne Sulik are in a class by themselves. Happily married for 17 years (Mary Anne kept her maiden name), the couple became enamored with the customer service, dining options, and hotel amenities of Boyd Gaming properties and took that infatuation to delirious new heights. Last week they embarked on a cross-country road trip from their home in Milford, Connecticut to visit each and every one of the 14 Boyd Gaming casino properties located in six states nationwide, including Blue Chip casino, Hotel & Spa in Michigan City, Indiana, and Par-A-Dice Casino Hotel in East Peoria, Illinois. I caught up with them while they were traveling from Blue Chip to Par-A-Dice in their Toyota Camry, which will have some 6,800 miles added to an odometer that already has over 125,000 miles on it before their journey is completed this weekend. "In early September I was coming to the end of my career with my company and I decided I needed a rest," Alex said...read more

Why do slot players get better comps than video poker players?

Carrie has been playing slots machines for longer than she cares to remember. "There was no video then, just the three-reel games," she told me one day when she phoned to talk about slots and comps. "Blazing 7s, that was the one I liked to play...read more

What are the odds of being dealt a sequential royal?

I recently was dealt a natural royal flush in sequential order. Can you tell me what the odds of that happening are? When we do video poker calculations, we usually deal with combinations, in which the order of the cards doesn't matter...read more

Vindicated by Dice Dominator

Hello Mr. Scoblete: About a week ago I saw a documentary on the Golden Touch dice control technique of shooting craps ("The Dice Dominator") to which I felt vindicated. I have always felt that this could be done. I'm in no way saying I'm in your league but none the less I love the game. I just would like you to answer a question if you can...read more

Can slot players alter results?

Is there anything a slot player can do that will alter his/her outcome once it has been determined by the random number generator? The likelihood being, "a nonpayment result, as a rule"? Is there any way to alter that (usual and consistent) result, and TURN THAT SPIN into a win? Robert Dear Robert, There's nothing players can do, legally, to alter the outcome. If they could figure out a way to move the reels or change the images on the screen to a winning combination, that wouldn't turn a loser into a winner because the result from the RNG is what matters, not what appears on the payline or the screen. So, they'd have to figure out some way to make it look like the RNG chose a winner...read more