Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 508

Deal Me In: If I only held…

Dear Mark: My husband is critical of my video poker play, so much so that I hate sitting next to him. He keeps saying, "Well, if you held this instead of that, you would have gotten a better hand." I strictly play each hand using a printed cheat sheet based on the perfect strategy for that game, but he believes I should deviate my play...read more

Many Proper Blackjack Pair Splits Lose Money

Just because the book says to split a certain pair against a certain dealer up-card, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a winning play. All it means is that splitting in that particular situation is your best alternative. Take the infamous case of having this pair, for example: Dealer 10/? You 8/8 How do you like it? Lots of players disagree with the book on this one and swear they lose money by splitting here...read more

Studies show factors which cause teams to cover spread

For more than two decades, Andy Iskoe of Las Vegas has been studying pro and college football teams -- performance and results -- to find factors that reflect why teams cover the spread. For the pros, Iskoe has looked at more than 5,000 games...read more

Tell me more about dice control

Dear Frank: I am a retired commodity trader and I love the game of craps. I'm a lifelong martial artist and credit my ability to concentrate and focus for the success I achieved on the trading floor. I have tremendous discipline as a result of my Martial Arts training as well. I'm great with numbers and always am looking for an edge, as I always got on the trading floor...read more

Kentucky Derby puts horse racing in gambling spotlight

The 134th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 3, served as a reminder of how close the very different worlds of casino entertainment and horse racing have become. Eleven horse racing states currently have active "racino" operations...read more

My first casino trip

For every casino player, there has to be a first time. But what is it about that first trip to the slots or tables that leads to a second? I can only speak for myself, though if you care to e-mail your stories to casinoanswerman@casinoanswerman.com, I'd be happy to share them in the coming weeks. As for my first time, it was a trip to Las Vegas with my wife Marcy in the days before riverboats, barges and Native American casino made blackjack and video poker accessible as a day trip to nearly everyone...read more

Playing It Smart: Why you rarely get what you expect at craps

Say you throw the dice randomly 36 times. According to the laws of probability, you'll expect to get six sevens, five sixes and five eights, four fives and four nines, three fours and three 10s, two threes and two 11s, and one two and one 12. Payoffs for the various bets and characteristics of the game such as the house advantage, are based on the supposition that what you expect is what you get...read more

Hacking into slot machines

I read your story on How Do They Get Machines to Hit Jackpots. I have to disagree with your logic about not being able to control the software on a machine. They are all run on a computer software program, which can be controlled/or changed by any programmer...read more

What are your thoughts on Ultimate Texas Hold'em?

Dear Frank, I cruised on the NCL Majesty last week and was taking a beating on craps and blackjack so I took a shot at their Ultimate Texas Hold'em game. You play against the dealer and have "bonus" plays in addition to the basic ante/bet...read more

Blackjack basic strategy quiz - answers

It's been a while since I've popped a quiz, and a while since I've delved into blackjack basic strategy. See if you know the best way to play the following five hands, all among the most-often misplayed hands in the game. For all hands, assume a six-deck game in which the dealer stands on all 17s, you may split and resplit any pair except aces, which you may split only once, may double down on any first two cards, and may double down after splitting a pair. 1...read more