Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 635

Who they were and where they went

Dear Mark, Please can you tell me when and where did the game of Bingo originate? Was it not called Housey Housey years ago? Yvonne B. Sometimes called beano, the corn game, and yes, Yvonne, even Housey-Housey; credit the Italians for being the inventors of Bingo. The game was first called "Lo Giuoco del Lotto D' Italia," but when the French got hold of it in the late 1770's, they shortened the name to "Le Lotto." Initially Le Lotto was played strictly amongst opulent French aristocrats...read more

More Refinements to Blackjack Basic Strategy

A few months ago, we started refining some of the generic blackjack basic strategy rules that I had originally given you. We talked about doubling hands with "hard" totals and what to do with "soft" hands. The next topic of discussion is when to split pairs...read more

Are They All Bad?

The greatest single question I receive when I do a talk is, "Frank, are most casino bets as bad as you say they are?" My answer is an emphatic, "Yes, they are; in fact, most casino bets are awful. Make them and you will lose money and find it very hard to even have winning nights - unless the gods of luck are really with you, which they rarely are, since the gods of luck are really fickle." I then go on to explain how the casinos take the money from the players - either by beating them on more decisions or by taxing their winnings...read more

Poor Blackjack Strategy Fattens Up Casino Profits

It's a well known fact in gambling circles that blackjack players who adhere to the principles of basic strategy can keep the house advantage on the game to under two percent, making it one of the best games to play. Then how does one account for the fact that "hold" (casino win) on blackjack tables as reported by state gaming commissions in their monthly reports is much higher, generally four times to as much as seven times the house edge? The answer to that question is that there is a big difference between the house advantage (the built in mathematical advantage that casinos enjoy) on table games and the hold percentage (the money retained by the casino as adjusted gross revenue). It is important to understand, for example, that a table game's hold percentage is not comparable to a slot machine's payback percentage...read more

Why High-Volatility Games Make Sense for some Low-Limit Bettors

Wins and losses in a casino are ultimately a matter of luck. But the chances associated with varying degrees of good or poor performance are a matter of mathematics. And knowing or having well-founded intuition about those chances, as well as how to manage them to suit your personal preferences, demonstrate the adage "luck favors the well prepared." A simple relationship gives an upper bound on the chance of a bankroll reaching some peak before falling to a designated low point...read more

Cloutier's New Tournament Poker Book Packed With Ideas

T.J. Cloutier's newest book is titled How to Win The Championship -- Hold 'Em Strategies for the Final Table (281 pages, paperbound, $29.95) and it arrived at the perfect time. Poker's hottest time of the year is around the corner, with many major tournaments on tap, including the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in July. Cloutier, who has won about five dozen major tournaments and has been consistent at the World Series of Poker's final tables has produced 13 chapters, many of them geared to helping the reader examine his or her own level of play and improve with each lesson. Where most books seem to save the best for last, Cloutier immediately stimulates potential tournament players with chapters analyzing What Separates the Great Players from the Good Players including what constitutes a great sense of timing and why great players make very few mistakes. Another chapter warns of the dangers of going all in too early and shows how to recognize the impact of antes and blinds ­ both of which Cloutier learned the hard way. Cutting right to the chase he isolates what to consider when you're a table away from the money and have a small, medium or big stack, followed by how to survive and prosper once you've made it to the first money table. By Chapter Five his instruction accelerates as he guides the novice or somewhat experienced player to the second money table with data on how to modify play while shifting gears after the last two tables combine. Cloutier advises how to play depending on whether it's l0-handed, nine-handed or six-handed at the final table, including personal experiences...read more

Harrah's Plans for Hammond

Remember the first riverboat casinos to set sail in the Chicago market? Empress I and Harrah's Northern Star in Joliet, Hollywood City of Lights I and II in Aurora? They were new, different and exciting for the Midwest, an entertainment option that had been reserved for trips to Las Vegas or Atlantic City...read more

Manipulating slot machines

Hi, John, I work in the casino industry as a floor person — underpaid and overworked, compared to some dealers' paychecks. I read you, FRANK, Barney and your featured writers each and every day. Since I am considered "management," I am NOT allowed to receive "zooks," "tokes," and "tips." I can ASSURE you, service industry people survive on your tips. MANY casino workers earn nothing more than minimum wage. They may not always show it, but they do appreciate generous-hearted players very much. Oh, by the way, people who work for tips are the "BEST TIPPERS." They know the ups and downs of a service-related industry. Best Regards, Bill Dear Bill, Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us...read more

Satellite Poker Tournaments

A Satellite Poker Tournament is a smaller, less expensive buy-in tournament in which one or more of the prizes consists of a seat in a more expensive and/or larger buy-in tournament. For example, if you won a $100 buy-in satellite tournament in the one of the poker rooms or on-line, one of the top winning prizes might be a chair in a $1000 buy-in tournament (the next step up the tournament ladder)...read more

Don't Underestimate the Power of Position in Hold'em

Okay, so you're in a nine-handed Limit Texas Hold'em game and you're sitting "under the gun" (first player to act after the blinds). You squeeze out your hole cards and find: K/J Should you call the blinds, raise or fold? In just about every game you'll ever be in, you should "muck" (fold) that hand from that seat...read more