Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 583

The Agony of Defeat

Where there are gamblers, there are tales of big wins, and there are woulda, coulda, shoulda stories of near misses. The conversation among a group of players sitting around a casino buffet table brought more than a few retellings of the thrills of victory and the agonies of defeat: Joan: "It was in Las Vegas, at one of those Fifty Play video poker machines...read more

Playing it smart -Splits at blackjack are advantage bets even if they don't yield an edge

When you start a round at any casino game, you're the underdog. The house has an edge on your action. In blackjack, for instance, say you bet $10 and follow Basic Strategy at a table with more or less standard rules. At the getgo, your $10 has an expected value of $9.95 with that figure reflecting probabilities and payoffs...read more

Keeping out legal gambling

The biggest news over the last few years for Internet gambling has been the attempt by many governments to keep out foreign legal operators. Legal complaints have been filed in the World Trade Organization ("WTO") and the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") against countries like the U.S...read more

Losing RFB

Dear John, First of all, you write a great column. Now, my question to you deals with comps while playing slots. I have a casino host that accomodates myself and my spouse whenever we go to this particularly popular east coast resort...read more

Question about the 5-Count

Dear Frank: Your articles are priceless, thanks for all the help at the tables. I have a quick question about the 5-count that I think I know the answer to but need a positive answer: Say the shooter gets to the 5-count, I place a bet on the Come then he rolls a three...read more

Dealing video poker

Hi, Video poker rookie here. When dealt five cards in video poker, are these five cards backed up with draw cards, one behind each card dealt, or are the draw cards taken from the "top of the deck"? If off the top of the deck, is the deck being shuffled while we make our choice? Thank you, Russell Dear Russell, Video poker machines used to select the five deal cards and the five draw cards when you started a game, but no longer...read more

Which Are the Best Hands to Play in Texas Hold'em?

In Hold'em poker, there are only 169 two-card starting hands you can be dealt. That's a lot fewer than the 1500 three-card starts you can get in 7 Card Stud. In fact, in Omaha Hi/Lo, there are over 5000. That's part of what makes Hold'em simple to understand...read more

Play tight while you learn and perfect your game

Dear Mark: You description of smart "tight" play while playing poker doesn't jibe with what we see on television. What I see is player after player making "all-in" moves with lousy opening hands. Wouldn't your advice be more appropriate for us small-time players to follow the pros, instead of your recommended conservative play? David F. On television poker, some players at the final table play opening hands that, most, if not all, books on poker would recommend they fold...read more

Part three: Dum-Dum says, "quit while you're ahead!"

This is the last in my series dealing with Dum-Dum's gambling advice. Dum-Dum is a real casino gambler whose ideas and strategies guarantee the casinos hefty profits for the foreseeable future. He gave himself the nickname Dum-Dum, which is befitting...read more

More poker talk with professional player Joel Casper

My interview with 27-year-old Chicago-based professional poker player Joel Casper continues today with more insight into what it takes to compete successfully: The Thrifty Gambler: How do you cope with the pressures of the game? Joel Casper: It helps to be emotionally stable because in this game there's going to be ups and downs...read more