Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 524

Harrah's Celebrating 15 Years in Joliet

It's a landmark year for Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel as the property celebrates 15 years of operation in the Southland of the greater Chicago area. "May was our actual anniversary, and we celebrated with a huge outdoor event on the 15th," said Darren VanDover, senior vice-president and general manager...read more

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. What can you tell me about playing with coupons? My wife and I were playing blackjack together, and we each had a coupon. If you bet $5 plus the coupon, they'd pay you $10 on a winning hand. She won on her coupon, and I lost on mine, so I guess we broke even. We played for a couple of hours, so even if we'd both won, the extra $10 would have been a drop in the bucket...read more

The "truth" about slot machines

Dear John, I've read many articles about slot machines on the Internet and almost all of those are offering: "the truth about slot machines." With full respect to your educational level and your experience I would like to discuss certain questions regarding the slot machines. 1...read more

Jest for Fun

A good rule to remember before lending anyone money is: Don't lend any money to anybody unless they don't need it. * * * * * A slot host is a source of advice. Some of it even good. * * * * * Always play a slot machine slowly...read more

How do I get a craps table with few shooters?

Dear Frank: I recently read your book Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution. I practiced daily for two months at home. First table I hit the boxman said, "We have a Dominator shooter! He's got that Dominator move down." I was pretty nervous at that point...read more

Deal Me In: A sour grape swelling in memory

Dear Mark: How come every time I get up from a machine, someone sits down and immediately hits a big jackpot? Bill F. My 20 years spent working on the front line, put me within a casino for at least 8,320 hours (20 yrs x 52 weeks x 8 hours a day), I don't need to get to my toes to count how many times I've seen a person desert a machine, someone new jump into the still warm seat, and on the first spin, snag the big one and sail into a charmed life of champagne wishes and caviar dreams...read more

Blackjack Players Don't Realize the Value of Their Hands

We closed the last column with a test question about blackjack hand values. Namely, if you're playing a standard shoe game and the player next to you doubles down for half his bet with 8 against a 6, then with 9 against a 7, and then with 11 against an Ace, should you offer to take the other half with your own money on any of them? And if so, which one(s)? The correct strategic answer would be to go in on all three of them...read more

Which blackjack game is better?

Dear Frank: My wife and I recently went to Tunica for the first time, it was a great trip even though we lost a little money. The craps table was ice cold. The best anyone rolled that I saw was myself when I hit about 8 numbers, but as soon as everything started to go well the 7 reared its ugly head. There were two different blackjack games we played and I wanted to know which game offered the lowest house advantage...read more

Four Winds Casino Approaches First Anniversary

This August will mark the first anniversary of the grand opening of Four Winds Casino Resort in the scenic resort town of New Buffalo, Michigan. In a relatively short period of time, the property, which is managed by Lakes Entertainment for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, has made quite an impact on the Northwest Indiana and greater Chicago area gaming markets. "I've been impressed by the incredible reaction we've had from guests who come through the property," general manager Matt Harkness said...read more

More first-time casino experiences

It seems my request for first-time casino stories has struck a chord. The stories keep on coming, so let's share a few more: Pat: I have to tell you about our first Vegas trip. We didn't make the trip to gamble but rather to see Elvis at the International...read more