Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 575

Do Native American casinos have lower paybacks?

I have been reading your comments and questions answered for some time now and haven't seen anyone ask this as of yet. While playing at the local Indian casino, the machine next to me was down for repairs. As the technician rebooted the machine, a screen came up and revealed the payback setting as "92"...read more

Dice control success story

Dear Frank: I have been hitting casinos since I was a young 21 yr. old in the Navy stationed in Puerto Rico. At the time I had no idea of what I was doing, but I was doing well enough to fly to New York to see my parents often. At the time the flight was $ 65...read more

Desperately seeking Yukon Gold

My previous column included a letter from a lady in Iowa looking for casinos with Yukon Gold machines. A number of readers wrote in to name casinos they know with the machine. The casinos may not be that convenient for her, but she could plan a roadtrip to visit all of them. John, A comment on a recent e-mail: It is a long way from Iowa, but please tell Abbee that I saw 3 Yukon Gold nickel machines at a casino (I forget which one) in Cripple Creek just last week. Jim A reader had a question about Yukon Gold slot machines...read more

No shoe for you!

Dear Mark: Why is it that casinos do not allow you to make a decent-sized bet halfway through a shoe? I recently made a table maximum bet, but was sternly told that I had to wait until the shuffle? I'm guessing that had I made a table minimum $5 bet versus a $500 one, they would have let me play...read more

A question of blackjack ethics

Some time ago in a past column, I asked your opinion of whether it was morally right to keep a mistaken payoff from the blackjack dealer on a hand you actually lost. Many of you e-mailed back, saying it was the casino's responsibility to collect all losing bets, and you felt justified in keeping any errant payoffs. Personally, I oppose that point of view and always point out any mistake I notice on my hand, whether it went for me or against me...read more

Poker books with some humor mixed with advice have value

I know; it's kill or be killed at the poker tables. Take the other guy or gals out and you're on your way to riches. For many players, it's the only way to play -- eliminate the competition, take the money and run. However some authors take a little edge off it all...read more

Getting the Edge at Craps: Part Three

The History of Modern Dice Control While dice control has been practiced and written about for centuries, the modern game of casino craps has eliminated the traditional controlled rolls such as the blanket roll and the helicopter shot. In 1991, I published the book Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos: How to Play Craps and Win! This book was written in 1989 and 1990...read more

Blue Chip Casino Keeping Pace with the Times

The Northwest Indiana casino gambling landscape will undergo some dramatic changes during the next 12 months. Consider the following developments: This August, the gigantic land-based Four Winds Casino Resort, a Native American development of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, will open in the far southern reaches of lower Michigan in the town of New Buffalo, just over the Indiana border and only 70 miles or so due east of Chicago. Last April, news broke that Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos, Inc...read more

Casinos should make games better

There's no doubt that if a casino puts a beatable game on the floor, somebody will beat it. Whether it involves counting cards at blackjack, applying expert strategy to the best video poker pay tables, practicing dice control at craps or simply recognizing a casino mistake that yields an unusual opportunity, there is always some one with the skill and knowledge to take advantage. The question is, does that mean casinos should never offer beatable games? As a player, my answer is "of course not." The large majority of players can't beat the games, but it's important for them to know that there are beatable games...read more

Playing is smart - How casinos choose payoffs

Ever wonder how casinos decide what to pay on various bets? Or why returns in some games are always the same while those in others not only vary among casinos but from one table or machine to the next within a single joint? Payoffs are governed chiefly by chances of winning and the edge a casino gets on a bet...read more