Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 6

Which video poker games do I play?

From Joe in Nevada.Hello Stickman.In your recent column, you stated, "I like to play games with high returns and low volatility".Grammatically speaking, you are saying that both factors will be in any game you decide to play. In video poker language, is this even possible and, if so, which game(s) are you playing...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Killing time cheaply at a slot machine

I use my MoviePass subscription to purchase most of my movie tickets. MoviePass is a service that gives you a certain number of credits each month based on your membership level. You trade those credits for movie tickets. The MoviePass app tells you how many credits you have to use to get a ticket for a particular movie showing on the current day...read more

Four of a Flush or Three of a Royal?

You are playing a full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better game with the maximum of five credits bet.You are dealt the following hand:- Ace of diamonds (Ad)- King of diamonds (Kd)- 10 of diamonds (Td)- 5 of diamonds (5d)- King of spades (Ks)This hand is interesting as it contains several possibilities – including a sure winner...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: On !mpossible game show, the worst you can do is also the best you can do

Last week my homework assignment for you was to look at two situations in a British game show and explain why the worst outcome a contestant could have in one phase of the game is the same as the best outcome. The game show is !mpossible. In most parts of the game, contestants have to answer multiple-choice questions...read more

Payback, return, variance, and volatility explained

Two factors determine the winning characteristics of a video poker game – payback (also called return) and variance (also called volatility).Payback (or return) is the amount of money that is “paid back” or “returned” from the money that is played through a video poker game...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: On !mpossible game show, worst equals best

A few months ago, a new row appeared on my Amazon Prime home page. The heading on the row is "On now." I had been watching some British game shows on Amazon, so I wasn't surprised that many of the tiles were for British programs. Clicking on one of the tiles in this row is like going back in time, back before video on demand, DVRs, and even VCRs...read more

Video poker pay tables can be tricky

In the Golden Age of video poker, there were only a few types of games and they all had good pay tables. Video poker was a new game and casinos competed with each other to attract players.The “full pay” version of Jacks or Better returned 99.54 percent with perfect play...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: In which category does video poker belong in a promotion?

Question: A while ago, I received an upcoming multiplier day offer from Caesars, 5X Slots and 10X Table Games. They haven't responded to my question but maybe you can get the answer: Which category for this promotion is Video Poker? Answer: Well, you didn't tell me which property or properties participate in this promotion...read more

How to handle low return video poker

A question for Hiram.Hello Mr. Stickman.I enjoy reading your columns and feel you give some very solid advice. One of your main points is to find good paying games. You mention to scout casinos to check all their video poker games. If you can’t find anything good, you say to try another casino.My question is … what if there are no good paying games available AND you are a captive audience such as when I am on a cruise ship? What is your advice for someone in this situation?I humbly await your response, sir.Hiram from MissouriHi Hiram.Thank you so much for the question.It is always great to be able to find high return video poker such as 99.5 percent or more...read more

Ask the Slot Expert: Are gamblers tipping less?

A recent Question of the Day on the Las Vegas Advisor website was whether they thought if No Tax on Tips would cause people to tip less. After all, a tax-free $x tip is now worth as much as a taxed $x+y tip. I never heard anyone justify why a tipped employee making $x per year in wages and tips should pay less in taxes than a salaried or hourly employee making the exact same amount without tips...read more