Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 59

Quiet Please

CINDY: Opening one’s big mouth at a table game can be fraught with possibilities that go from bad to worse. They almost never go from good to better to great. I think many players are in an agitated state from time to time and it is best not to agitate them anymore.ABBY: We both learned very early on to not give advice to other players and not to engage in any talk that could not be characterized as unimportant...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Starbucks takes page from casino marketing

I received an email from Starbucks a few weeks ago. The subject line was "We've made changes to Double Star Day". I was immediately on alert because of my experience with slot club changes. Anytime a slot club sends an email about changes to its program, the news is always bad...read more

They Want Your Money

“I went to the butcher yesterday and you can’t believe this but he wanted my money! He charged me for the meat. Can you believe that? His wife was adamant about wanting my money.”“That’s nothing. I went to the doctor and I got this huge bill...read more

The Facts of Pass and Place Bets

Craps players have individual styles and betting preferences that don't always coincide with sticking to the lowest-edge wagers.Some place 6 or 8 (1.52 percent house edge) rather than bet pass (1.41) because they like to pick their own numbers...read more

Make the Most of Your VP Play

Video poker players enjoy the game for many reasons. They enjoy the fact that they have control over the outcome. They enjoy the higher returns usually afforded to them.Serious video poker players generally look for the best games they can find...read more

Losing It

CINDY: The worst topic any gambling writer can write about is going on a losing streak, be that streak just one session, or one day, or one trip. Losing is the worst aspect of playing casino games. Would you agree?ABBY: Definitely. None of us goes to the casino in order to lose our money...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: That can't be random

Question: Can you better explain how a slot machine uses the random number generator to produce a spin result? Let's take a 3 row x 5 column slot machine. I spin and get a full screen of the same symbol. If a random number generator is used to select each of the 15 symbols shown, how could it possibly select the same symbol 15 times in a row? The odds of that happening even once in a lifetime seem staggering, but it happens again and again. That can’t be random. If I numbered 15 pieces of paper 1 to 15, put them in a bowl, drew one piece of paper out, checked the number written on it and it was 6, and put it back in the bowl, I can’t even fathom that I would draw that same piece of paper with #6 on it out 14 more times in a row...read more

Craps Decorum

All games have their proper way to play them. Some of these ways are actually considered fundamental rules, such as not allowing the picking up of the cards off the table in a blackjack game from a shoe. The dealer will strongly tell you not to do this.Of course, many handheld blackjack games require the players to pick up the cards...read more

Blackjack Basic Strategy Changes

QUESTION I'm a basic strategy player from way back. My grandpa taught me to play blackjack and he insisted I know the basic strategy chart inside out before he'd take me to a casino. My 21st birthday present was a ride, $250 in chips and a buffet.I found you online and have been reading old articles on blackjack...read more

Video Poker Is Not Live Poker

Since the introduction of the “Poker-matic” machine in 1970, video poker has grown to become wildly popular. The World Series of Poker, a live poker tournament, also started in 1970, has also drawn a huge audience.While there may be similarities between video poker and live poker, the two are distinctly different.Let’s look at video poker first.Video poker is a machine-based game...read more