Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 626

Bob Frederick Books Provide College, Pro Football Angles

There are many among the millions who bet football who just like concise past histories on which to base their wagers. If for example, a bettor knows that the Philadelphia Eagles are 6-1 against the spread vs. the Tennessee Titans since 1979 and that on Nov...read more

Loyalty Cards: How Much Do You Want the Establishment to Know?

Savvy shoppers use their customer loyalty cards at supermarkets, drugstores, and many other retailers. Doing so offers them benefits such as discounts on selected items or periodic rebates. There's something in it for the merchant, too...read more

Insider Answers Questions about Video Slots

The entertainment value that gamblers derive from playing video slots makes this genre of games extremely popular. The fact you can invest dollars per spin on penny and nickel games also makes them an expensive betting proposition. Short of having access to proprietary information about the machines, the most valuable facts gamblers can arm themselves with pertains to the mechanics of play and the truth about how the games really work. In a quest to seek out the truth and dispel some misconceptions, The Thrifty Gambler contacted Rob Bone, vice president of marketing for WMS Gaming, maker of some of the world's most popular slot machines: The Thrifty Gambler: I know players max out their opportunity to win by playing max lines, but do they increase their chances of winning by playing max coins per line, or are players merely going to win more (based on the number of coins played per line) from a configuration they would have gotten anyway? Rob Bone: Increasing the bet per line only increases the payout, not the chance...read more

Quick-takes: The month's trends in a glance - May 2006

The big news story of the month is the price of gasoline (and it drives the price of crude oil). Everyone is talking about the price - over $3 a gallon in many places. Assigning blame is a political sport, as is offering legislative remedies...read more

Who is the mystery guest at the WCC?

On July 22, 160 casino players from all over the country will come to Las Vegas to participate in the Frank Scoblete's WCC (World Craps Championships) featuring 10 tournaments over two days. As I write this two spots have opened up for the competition so if you are interested in participating call FRED ASAP at 1-800-944-0406. As the word is spreading about this great event we are getting dozens of calls from people who wish to "hang out" and watch the contests, particularly the great head-to-head matches pitting the greatest dice controllers in the world going against each other...read more

Splitting 10s Is a Bad Play

Al is an old friend, someone I've known since before I played my first hand of video poker, took my first spin of the reels on a slot machine or bought my first book on blackjack basic strategy. Not since before I'd played my first hand of blackjack, though...read more

Randomness in electro-mechanical slot machines

I was thinking about the whole RNG issue the other day and thought of the old slot machines "electro-mechanical" of the '60s and '70s. A few questions . . . *Since the older slots were "electro-mechanical" wouldn't the slots been more predictable in their payouts or cycles ...read more

The Big 6 and Big 8 at Craps

This is a bet at craps that you place yourself on the table layout marked Big 6 or Big 8. It pays even money when a 6 or 8 is rolled. You lose if 7 comes up, and nothing happens as long as other numbers continue to appear. It is an "all-day" bet, and you can remove the bet at any time...read more

What Washington's New Felony Poker Law Means to You

This column was among the first to break the news that the Washington State Legislature intended to make playing poker online a felony. On June 7, that became the law. But in an interview with Rick Day, Director of the Washington State Gambling Commission, I was able to confirm that regular players have no reason to fear going to prison. Rick explained that the law was primarily designed to do three things: Prevent the State Lottery from offering games on the Internet; Clarify that all online gambling is illegal; and Give the Commission and other Washington law enforcement authorities additional weapons in their fight against Internet gambling operators. I believe the Legislature did not merely clarify existing law, but actually expanded the anti-gambling statutes to cover poker and other forms of gambling...read more

Leftovers from last week

Dear Mark, I enjoy reading your column in the Reno Gazette Journal each week. I am a craps dealer, but possibly a confused craps dealer. I always thought that the casino advantage was higher on the 6 and 8 hard ways than the 4 and 10 hard ways since there are more ways to roll easy sixes and eights...read more