Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 568

Playing it smart - Why six decks are better than eight

Most experienced blackjack buffs are aware that the fewer the decks from which cards are drawn, the better the game in theory for players. That is, six decks are preferable to eight, four to six, and so on. All else being equal, of course...read more

Heard it on the River

HORSESHOE CASINO is putting on a high hat and raising the local stakes with attention getting events, such as the "legendary" $250,000 blackjack tournament August 31-Sept. 3 and a Bentley Continental GT give away on Oct. 13. Got my attention. Especially the $100,000 first place money in the BJ tournament, not to mention $50,000 for second place and on down the line to 7th place...read more

Video poker software recommendation

For whatever it is worth, I saw a lady at Sam's Town in Las Vegas hit back-to-back royals on the nickle poker machines several years ago. It happens. It has never happened to me. And I've never seen it happen. But it definitely has happened in the past and will happen again in the future. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John Hi, John, Enjoy your newsletter. My question is : We will be in Boston in October for a wedding and several guest have asked me to find a casino there where we can spend an afternoon and evening gambling...read more

Can you place a don't pass bet after the point has been established?

Dear Frank: Can a player come in late, that is after the point is established, and bet the don't pass line, as you are allowed to do on the pass line? Thanks for this help and all the other you've given me. Potential Darksider Dear Potential Darksider: From your computer to God's ears...read more

Jest for Fun

If you want to lose weight, go to one of those airport snack bars and eat only what you can afford. * * * * * I dumped every cent in my wallet into the slot machines. Now I know how a cow must feel after milking time. * * * * * There are two sayings which pretty well sum up slot players' feelings: TIME IS MONEY and TIME FLIES. * * * * * It's a strange world we live in...read more

Silly blackjack quirks abound at the tables

I walked up to a blackjack table about one deck into a six-deck shoe and attempted to buy in. The player on my right who was betting strictly black chips asked if I could please "wait a little bit". "I'll wait a couple of hands", I replied, and he thanked me...read more

Four super resources for handicapping football

Like a "man for all seasons," four of the most highly-sought-after football betting resources have arrived at Gambler's Book Shop, each with something special for that extra-special handicapper angling for an edge. Phil Steele's College Football Scorebook (410 pages, spiralbound, 8x11, $29.95); Jim Feists's Football Workbook-Pro and College (317 pages, plastic spiralbound, $39.95); Pointspread Encyclopedia -- NFL Teasers and Totals (73 pages, 8x11 plastic spiralbound, $29.95) and Bob Frederick's Inside Sports View's NFL Notebook -- Trends, Sides and Totals (71 pages, 8x11, paperbound, $34.95)...read more

A surge in the war (of intimidation)

The latest news in the United States Department of Justice's war against Internet gambling is not good news for online poker players. Up until 2006, most of the attacks by law enforcement were against sports betting sites. The DOJ has publicly taken the position that the Wire Act, the main federal anti-gambling law that might apply to the Internet, outlaws all forms of gambling...read more

I Confess! I Love Pai Gow Poker!

The gods that rule the casino gambling world are having some fun with me. I used to pass the "new" table games and chortle and snort my displeasure at table games with such high house edges and lightning-fast speeds as Three-Card Poker, Let It Ride, Caribbean Stud and Four-Card Poker. Why play the above games when you can play craps and/or blackjack and keep the house edge at one-half percent with little or no effort? Well, the gods of gambling are snorting and chortling at me now because I have become a fan - and I mean a fanatic fan - of Pai Gow Poker, a game that has been around a long, long time and one I wrote about for my book Guerrilla Gambling and then totally put out of my mind as I pursued the glories of blackjack and craps. A long series of bizarre events recently occurred to me that started me playing the game again, for research purposes only mind you, and before you could say, "Scoblete is playing a negative-expectation game? You've got to be kidding!" why Scoblete was playing a negative-expectation game and enjoying every minute of it, too! When the research period ended, I didn't scurry back to the blackjack and craps tables and make them my only mistresses - I added copious quantities of Pai Gow Poker play into the mix as well...read more

Medill grad deals World Series of Poker into big time

Poker is an age-old game that took on new-age significance once it was technologically molded into engaging entertainment for television. Previously unsung poker legends are household names today, and new stars continue to emerge. It's the essence of the 38th annual World Series of Poker, which began June 1 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and will reach a crescendo next Tuesday (July 17) when players assemble at the coveted final table of the Main Event, the $10,000 buy-in Texas Hold'em Championship...read more