Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 602

When should I increase my bet on a hot shooter?

Dear Frank, First of all, thank you very much for all your insight and thought that goes into helping us have a better time at the tables. My question is: How do I know when it's time to bet heavier when a shooter is having a good roll? I've been told that "scared money never wins" but I also know that betting stupid never wins either...read more

Blackjack Is a Game of Perfection

Last time we talked about what a complex game live poker is and how nobody plays error-free poker. Everybody sometimes misreads what they think their opponent has, everybody sometimes calls when they should fold, and everybody sometimes checks when they should bet...read more

"Rules of Poker" essential work; Shulman's "No-Limit" primer helpful

In the old days, back in the 1870s when Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok were at the poker table and a dispute broke out, a six-gun more often than not decided who was right. More than a century later, arguments at the green felt table involving hold'em or any other game are ruled on by knowledgeable card room personnel -- less blood on the wall, fewer bullet holes...read more

The New Anti-Internet Gaming Law

Senator Bill Frist (R.-TN), doesn't want to be President - he wants to be Dictator. Frist, the majority leader of the U.S. Senate used his position of power to ram through the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. He didn't even give the members of Congress a chance to read the bill...read more

Craps Manners Are Important

Interestingly enough I have been receiving letters from craps players who want to know what the rules of the game are. It seems so many different things happen at the tables that the average player doesn't know "what the heck the darn rules are" because different dealers make different calls in the same situations. This can be disheartening and confusing. So what are the rules of craps? Are they written somewhere? In fact, in Las Vegas and many other gaming venues, there are no "rules of craps." Since this is an "historic game," the individual casinos generally decide the rules and, while these rules are usually consistent, they don't have to be - even within the same casino. Here are some questions I have been asked, the answers to which I think you'll find interesting...read more

The Economics of Slot Play Wield Big Impact

In spite of the fact that there is no strategy for winning at slots, it shouldn't deter gamblers from becoming the smartest and most well-informed slot players they can possibly be. It doesn't make sense to sit in front of a machine, slip your hard-earned money in the bill acceptor and start playing when you really aren't aware of what it's costing you to play. There's a lot more to playing slots than gambling your money and hoping for a jackpot...read more

2006 Global Gaming Expo Report - Part 1

Each year after the Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center, I write about the latest and greatest games that have been introduced at the show, games that we'll be seeing in the coming year. But there's more to the casino industry's annual extravaganza than just seeing new slot machines --- though things like WMS Gaming's new transmissive LCD screen and IGT's Guaranteed Play video poker concept will be fun to explore with you in the next few weeks...read more

Is the Telnaes patent still active?

Hi, John, This is Jon-the-computer-guy studying slots in Gulfport/Biloxi Mississippi. Haven't heard from you in some time; I did ask you one question that never got answered: Is it legal in most gaming commissions to use what you termed "secondary decisions" to reward a specific player/situation? In other words, the RNG could not be ignored to prevent a payoff, but a secondary decision could create a payoff when there would not otherwise be one; thus the legal ability of the network controller (I assume there is such a program or person or combination thereof) to make machines "hot" or "cold" (which would just be returning them to their normal state). Another quick ??? (I could buy and read your book!)... How many random numbers are required on one of the modern machines? All the good ol' 3-reel machines didn't make it back to the Gulf Coast casinos after Katrina...read more

Sample size

Hi Frank, I recently re-read your book Beat the Craps out of the Casinos before I took a trip to Tunica for some entertainment, gambling, and visiting with family. As always the 5 count eliminates those rollers who won't make any money for me anyway and greatly enhances my chances of having a bankroll to wait at the table until it warms up...read more

The Secrets of Using Casino Credit

Pssst... Wanna know a secret? How about the secrets of using casino credit? When you're playing at a craps table, you might see someone hand his comp card to a dealer and ask for "a thousand". The dealer gives the card to one of the floor people and the new player gets his money. Wanna know how craps pros maximize their casino credit? Let's find out! The procedure itself is fairly simple...read more