Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 535

Hedge bets at craps

The following e-mail exchange is real. The names have been withheld to protect the innocent. What do you think of using C&E as a hedge? For those unfamiliar with craps lingo, C&E is shorthand for "craps and 11." It's a one-roll proposition that puts half your wager on any craps — 2, 3 and 12 — and half on 11...read more

Nickel 9/6 JoB found in Tunica

This is in regard to a question/answer about nickel VP in Vegas from 4/7/08. I can't speak for Vegas but at the Fitz (now hipped from the former Fitzgeralds) in Tunica they have a bank of eight Game King VP machines that include true 9/6 JoB...read more

Betting as a controlled shooter

Dear Frank: As a controlled shooter, the object is to have our throws consistently last far beyond the statistical average. Sometimes, smaller casinos might only have one craps table open, or else the only available table happens to be ice cold. With the advantage of being able to hit the desired point number almost at will, how about on the come-out roll, laying behind every number and setting the dice for all-sevens: 5-2 / 6-1? I don't hear much about controlled shooting on the dark side, but there are times when I cannot get to the hot table, and with no other casino around, this might be the only choice I have...read more

The Secrets of the Don't Pass Parlay

Pssst... Wanna know a secret? How about the secrets of the Don't Pass Parlay? Don't betting is becoming more popular now, thanks to charting the tables and qualifying the shooters. A lot of bettors will start out on the pass line, but if a less than stellar shooter comes up to bat, many bettors will switch to the don't side. Wanna know how craps pros maximum their profits by using a don't pass parlay? Let's find out now how they do it – and how you can do it too! You will begin betting after a shooter has made two points in a row...read more

Deal Me In: Patience (and a big bankroll) is necessary if you're counting on a royal

Dear Mark: How much money is needed for a bankroll before I can expect to hit a royal flush? Andy A. It could be more than your net worth, Andy. Plenty of players, my Mom for example, went years, stretch that, decades, without ever hitting one...read more

Even Money and Insurance Are the Same Bet

There's something fundamental about blackjack that most players don't understand, and what happened at the casino the other day gives an excellent example of it. The fellow on my left was playing two hands. He was dealt a blackjack and a 17...read more

Buying the 5 and 9

Dear Mr. Scoblete, Is it ever advantageous to buy the 5 or 9, or can you buy the 5 or 9? Thank you, Guy Dear Guy: If a location allows you to buy the 5 and 9 and pay the vig on wins only then it becomes a decent bet. If you bet $30 and they only charge you $1 on a win and return to you $44, the house has about a 1% edge on you. That's the good news. The bad news is the fact that you will not find this situation almost anywhere in the USA. The regular placing of the 5 and 9 is a terrible bet because the house has a 4% edge on the bet...read more

Slot operation require attention to detail

Fran Miller, the director of slots at Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel, is responsible for monitoring the performance of the machines, as well as continually updating the inventory with new product as well as placing the units so as to derive maximum appeal. It's a demanding position, especially in a highly competitive market...read more

Asking for advice at the blackjack table

I was playing blackjack and just about holding my own, when another player hesitated over his soft 15, with the dealer showing a 5. "Is it OK if I ask him how to play it?" he asked the dealer, while pointing to me. "Ask whoever you want," she replied. "That's what I thought," he said, and proceeded to double down without any help from me or anyone else. That was the right move, and the rest of the play showed that he knew his basic strategy...read more

Are winning combinations on lines not played counted in statistics?

Hi John, I enjoy reading your answers to subscribers questions. I have a question I hope you can answer. I know there are stats kept on all slot machines and I've seen that info displayed on the monitor screens when the tech guys are working on them. What I wonder is, on multi-line machines when winning combinations appear on lines not played, does the machine keep track of those misses and count them toward the percentage payouts even though they have not been not actually been paid out? On a 9-line dollar machine, I play only 5 lines and of course occasionally miss wins on lines 6 through 9...read more