Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 537

Soft Doubling - Part 1

I recently received an email from reader Thomas Moore: It is hard for me to understand how doubling on an ace - x a dealer's 5 or 6 up card is the correct play, where x is a deuce through seven. Please help me understand this basic strategy play...read more

How do I deal with a bouncy craps table?

Hi, Frank, Since I travel to Atlantic City, Biloxi, Reno, or Las Vegas to shoot craps a couple of times a month, I am finding that more and more craps table layouts are being re-surfaced with a rubbery type of felt. Tables that have the standard felt covering are becoming harder to find. It seems that even with all my hours of practicing setting the dice and executing a controlled throw, the results are equivalent to a random shooter because of all the bounce on the table...read more

Will new vIdeo poker game attract slot players?

Speaking generally about the games of preference for casino gamblers, there are three categories of players: Those who prefer slots, those who prefer tables, and those who prefer video poker. Casino operators are always looking for ways to create crossover opportunities among the groups, but it hasn't been easy...read more

A shuffle through the gaming mailbag

Q. Let us say I am playing a keno machine at the minimum bet amount and as I am playing, the machine emits various numbers each play. Instead of my betting the minimum amounts the machine allows, let's say I was betting the maximum bets allowed by the machine...read more

How can you tell a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine?

Thank you for all of the information you share for idiots like me. I love video poker and play as often as I can. Could you please explain how you can tell if you are playing a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine? How are the machines marked? Or do you just calculate the payoff table to determine which machines are which? Thanks! Gary Dear Gary, Thanks for the kind words about my columns...read more

For immediate release - The Virgin Kiss and Other Adventures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE America's Best-Selling Gaming Author Leaves No Stone Unturned About a Life Lived Beating the Odds! Frank Scoblete's near-death experience in 2007 is an apt metaphor for his life, because even after he received Last Rites he came back, better than ever! And not surprisingly, no one was surprised the gambling phenom beat the odds yet again. In his riveting memoir, The Virgin Kiss and Other Adventures, Scoblete ponders a life well-lived, both inside and outside the gaming world. The one-time boxer, playwright, stage actor, and teacher takes off his mirrored sunglasses to show the flip side of living the life of a successful gamer. Bouncing around through his past, Scoblete ponders getting fat, his first kiss, Astral Traveling, and beating the casinos for 20 years. Scoblete's New Yawk bawdiness also touches on his many adventures growing up on the East Coast, his years as a teacher, and how his career as a winning player came to a head when he was banned from a whole state! Part life manual, part insider guide, The Virgin Kiss is Scoblete's love letter to a life few ever have the guts to live - funny, charming and, at times, scary! Praise for The Virgin Kiss and Other Adventures by Frank Scoblete, America's #1 gaming author and casino games expert "Unquestionably the number one best-selling gaming author." BarnesandNoble.com "Frank Scoblete is an amazing man and this book takes you on a roller coaster ride you will never forget .....read more

Help for a Dice Shooter with Sweaty Hands

Dear Frank: I love to play craps. I practice and use controlled shooting. My problem is that my hands or palms sweat constantly and this affects my rolls. I have tried some spray deodorants, no help. Gels too sloppy, no help. Roll-ons, no help...read more

Jest for fun

You never know how short a month is until those casino ATM cash-advance machine statements start coming in. * * * * * Las Vegas really lives up to its reputation for being a unique city. One of its mortuaries has its own radio show - 15 minutes of dead air. * * * * * A slot machine is sometimes like a small child...read more

Deal Me In: Insert your card for your fair share of freebies

Dear Mark: As a fairly new slots player, I have made certain observations, as well as heard things from other players. Is it true that once you have inserted your "players' club" card into a machine, it knows how you gamble and can be the determining factor in whether you win or lose? I have observed in my most recent visits, that my chances of winning are greater, as well as the amount I win, if I do not put in my players' club card...read more

In Blackjack, the Cards Tell You How Much to Bet

Do you know what the real problem is with your blackjack game? More than anything else, it's that you bet the wrong amounts at the wrong time. Here's what I mean. Suppose you're sitting at the table with three other players. A new shoe is just about to begin...read more