Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 496

They drive me crazy!

I am very tolerant… well, most times… well, occasionally. Oh, OK, OK, I've lost all my tolerance, to tell you the truth. I've gotten grumpy in the last few decades. Things that never bothered me now bother me. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I was expecting global freezing in the 21st century based on the books I read in the 1960s such as Future Shock which speculated that we'd better get our long johns ready for a long, brutally cold future, and now Al Gore and his zealous crew are telling us that we are all about to fry due to global warming! Now that can make even the most tolerant of us lose a large part of our tolerance, can't it...read more

16 Isn't So Sweet at the Blackjack Table

There's something about being dealt a hard (no ace) two-card 16 (10/6, 9/7) that makes me feel uneasy at the blackjack table. It's the hand I'm most uncomfortable with, no matter what the dealer is showing for an up-card. Basic strategy dictates that you stand when the dealer's card is a deuce through 6, and hit when it's a 7 or higher...read more

Deuces Wild strategies

In any video poker game, expert strategy changes as the pay table changes. Best plays in 10/7 Double Bonus Poker, where full houses pay 10-for-1 and flushes 7-for-1, are a little different from those in 9/6 Double Bonus, where full houses pay 9-for-1 and flushes 6-for-1. The effect is magnified in Deuces Wild, where pay tables are altered on so many different hands...read more

Will casinos loosen machines to entice people to play?

Hi John, I'll make this short and to the point. More then ever I have received numerous invites at unbelievable rates for hotel rooms in Vegas. One friend commented to me that due to the U.S. economy people are not spending as much at the casinos...read more

House edge when betting on pass and don't pass at the same time

Frank, I would explain this [the house edge when betting pass and don't pass simultaneously] more intuitively in that betting pass and don't pass doesn't zero out the house advantage because of the boxcars. Betting pass and don't pass doesn't protect you in the come out roll if a 12 is rolled...read more

Does using a players' club card make me less likely to win on a slot machine?

Hi Mr. Robison, I would like to know if a casino's players' club cards interact with slot machines to control winnings. Many times, when I use my player's card to accumulate points, I don't win very much - mostly not even breaking even - but when I play "anonymously" without the card, I seem to win more...read more

Frank Scoblete Presents: System players are passionate! by Skinny

Frank Scoblete presents an article by Skinny. Do you think you have discovered a system to beat the game of craps? Look at the various system statements I show in quotes in the article below. If you find any of your ideas in those quotes you need to pay careful attention to my conclusions. I love a man with passion...read more

The yes and no of various games

A few columns back, I interviewed various players about their likes and dislikes concerning this or that game. So I decided to expand that survey by simply chatting it up with players in both Atlantic City during a weeklong visit and then another week in Las Vegas...read more

Traditional Blackjack Under Siege in Las Vegas

If you enjoy playing blackjack the good old-fashioned way, here's a letter from a reader who sounds a word of warning: I was chagrined over Super Bowl weekend in Vegas to see how many blackjack tables in town now either have those awful continuous-shuffling machines, or only pay 6 to 5 for a blackjack...read more

Deuces Wild variations

Deuces Wild has been with us for more than a quarter century, firmly entrenched as one of the most popular video poker games. But though it's long been a casino standard, Deuces Wild is not at all a static game. It's continually evolving, with changing pay tables that transform high payers to low payers and back again, and demand changes in strategy if you're going to keep up. All this is done without ever changing the name of the game...read more