Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 608

A video poker triplet

Dear Mark, You mentioned that the odds are 40,000 to one of getting a royal flush when playing video poker. I also understand that it doesn't necessarily mean that I will hit one if I were to play 40,000 hands. But, if I were play those 40,000 hands and get one, how much would it cost me? Joe H. A whole lot of time, $250, and an expanded waistline...read more

Jest For Fun

Two men are talking. "My job makes me get up as soon as the first light of the sun comes into my room" said the first man. "Isn't that rather early?" asked the second man. "No," said the first. "My room faces west. I'm on the casino night shift." * * * * * A tourist in Las Vegas ask...read more

Beyond Bluffs by McKenna; Ramsey 'Visual' guide helpful

As the never-ending march of poker books for advanced players and absolute beginners continues, two more titles trying to fill an informational space have arrived at Gambler's Book Shop. Beyond Bluffs by James McKenna (280 pages, paperbound, $15.95) takes top spot along with Dan Ramsey's Teach Yourself Visually--Poker (290 pages, paperbound, $24.99). McKenna, whose first book, Beyond Tells gained a solid foothold in 2005, follows up that work with a look at bluffing...read more

Dream a Little Dream with Me

There are really two types of casino games when you strip away all the strategies and vagaries and house edges and money management advice. There are games that fulfill the wildest dreams and fantasies of their players and there are games that fulfill a player's sense of self. The fantastic dream type games are those that offer large payouts that can change our lives, if not forever, at least for the foreseeable future...read more

How Well Can You Predict Dealers' Final Totals from their Upcards?

When blackjack buffs see dealer upcards of seven, they often think "17" to themselves. Similarly for eight-up, "18." For nine, "19." For 10, "20." And for ace -- well, considering the family fun of playing kitchen-table blackjack for buttons, I won't say...read more

Missouri's Loss Limit Unique Among Gaming States

Every state with sanctioned casinos has a program in force to allow citizens to self-exclude themselves if they feel gambling is a problem for them. Stiff criminal penalties are enforced in a majority of cases for people who break their self-imposed curfews by entering a casino illegally. Casinos in their advertising and via in-house signage and literature distribution must inform customers who are at risk of gambling addiction of the organizations to call for assistance. The state of Missouri, however, utilizes a law that is unique among gaming states...read more

John Grochowski Reviews

It's been a long time since I've cleared off the Gaming bookshelf --- and it's jam-packed with recent releases. This week and next, let's browse through some of the best. Beat the Players by Bob Nersesian ($19.95, Pi Yee Press): Nersesian is a Las Vegas attorney, and when he writes about casinos beating the players, he doesn't mean with the odds on the game...read more

Why is a slot like tossing a coin?

Hello, John, I enjoy reading your newsletters to see what other slot players say and your responses. Recently you made the following comment regarding random hits and I've seen you use it many times before: "Well, what would you see if you flipped 20 fair coins? Sometimes the number of heads and tails is roughly even...read more

Was this the Captain?

Dear Frank, I was a craps dealer at Trump Plaza in 1985. I remember a player, who I assume was the Captain, making equal come and don't come bets. He would take odds after so many rolls. I remember he asked me what I thought of the system...read more

Blackjack Quiz Answers Separate Contenders from Pretenders

If you took the blackjack IQ test in my last column, this is your moment of truth. The correct answers appear below. Figure that 22 points out of 34 makes you a legitimate player. Any less and you're a sadly misguided player. 1) a - A soft hand is one that contains an Ace counted as 11...read more