Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 655

What Makes a Good Blackjack Player?

We all know or have heard of someone who is very good at blackjack, They appear to win all the time, but you can't seem to do it yourself. The question is: why not? Let's take a look at some of the traits that make a good blackjack player. Then you can compare them to the way you play the game. Plays and bets systematically. Knows and follows the basic strategy system of when to hit, stand, etc. Is very knowledgeable of all the odds. Manages money with a purpose. Knows how to recognize and ride a winning streak. Knows when to "walk" and stop playing. Concentrates completely on the game. Is not easily distracted by the dealer or the goings-on while in the casino Does not drink alcohol while playing Makes good use of the proposition bets like; double down after spilt, surrender, etc. Is able to use a method to keep tack of cards already played. Keeps a log of all playing sessions. Even if you are not proficient in all the traits listed above, try and practice a few each time you visit a casino to play blackjack...read more

Short-coin, full-coin and profit

Hello, John Robison, from Canada -- enjoying your articles. Question: If I play a buck, say, on a Triple Diamond and win the big prize of $1,000 instead of the $4,000 that would have been paid out with the max three-coin play, does the $3,000 difference go into the profit of the casino? I know it's the old myth of one coin or three coins that makes no difference — but the computer chip is so sophisticated now that when it reads only one coin it could activate the top jackpot more often than three coins in a random manner! For example, one of the Vegas casinos a few years ago never let the Royal Flush come and were charged. Yes, it's the old suspicion that casinos cheat us, but that's because when millions of dollars of profit are at stake, it's easy to get that attitude...read more

Quiz Answers Reveal How Casino Games Really Work

So how did you do on last week's casino gambling quiz? Did you agree with all the answers? Here's why they are what they are. 1) C - Slot machines don't follow any set pattern. To understand this, picture a clock with 60 separate minutes on it and a loose, freewheeling minute hand...read more

Blackjack's elusive history

Dear Mark, How did blackjack come into being and arrive at the number 21? Why not 18 or 33? Also, where did the 3 to 2 payoff come from? Nick B. Just about every card game has a unique history, but unfortunately historians cannot always uncover the full trace of a game...read more

A Short Lesson on Poker's History

Ever wonder where poker got started? Well, no one knows for sure, but most of the stories I've read refer to both a 16th-century Persian card game called As Nas and the European card game of Primero, which was quite popular in Elizabethan England...read more

The Best and Worst Craps Dealers

Many gambling writers consider craps the most exciting game in the casino. I fully agree with that assessment. In its theoretical package, craps has a rhythm and movement that at times is breathtakingly exciting. The possibility for spectacular wins is always present - all you need is one hot shooter...read more

How Skewness in Gambling Affects Your Session Hopes and Fears

To casinos, edge should be the only intrinsic statistical parameter of games that matters. Because, with enough bets of roughly comparable amounts over extended periods, averages prevail and the bosses end up winning close to the percentage of the gross wager the math predicts players will lose. But individual patrons rarely play enough for the law of averages to rule their action...read more

Arena FB workbook super record-keeper; 'Hardball Times' good '06 baseball source

Three very specialized resources have arrived at Gambler's Book Shop (Gambler's Book Club)- - each supplying specific needs to players. The "2006 Arena Football Workbook" (25 pages, 8x11 plastic spiralbound, $12) from RME Sports Investments; "The Hardball Times Baseball Annual" (334 pages, paperbound, $17.95) and the revised and updated edition of the "Handicapping Contest Handbook (A Horseplayer's Guide to Handicapping Tournaments)" by Noel Michaels (258 pages, paperbound, $14.95) all have the potential to make bettors a bit wiser. In order of reference, the "Arena Football Workbook" contains the final standings from last season, the playoff results and the major rules of the game so bettors can understand what they're up against compared to the NFL...read more

New Blackjack Option Turns Tables on Dealers

A revolutionary new blackjack option called "Casino Surrender", which has been creating a stir in Las Vegas since its debut at the Stardust on The Strip last April, has the potential to become a standard feature of the game everywhere it's played before too long if the early returns are any indication. Casino Surrender is not to be confused with standard surrender, an option that some casinos offer whereby the player can elect to forfeit half of his bet to the house prior to the hand being played out if his two-card dealt hand is in a statistical position of weakness against the dealer's up-card. Nor is it to be confused with blackjack carnival, or "gimmick", side bets that pack an inordinate house advantage and are designed to be a constant drain on the bankrolls of players who chase improbable side bonus payouts. Here, in a nutshell, is how Casino Surrender works: If you are holding a two-card 20 (10-10 or A-9) and the dealer is showing a 10-value up-card and has already confirmed he doesn't have a blackjack (21), you can force the casino to surrender and in return take your original bet back plus collect from the house half its value in winnings. For example, say you have a $50 bet on the table and you elect to exercise the option...read more

Time Is Money in the Casino - Part 1

Time is money, as much when visiting the casino as in the work world. And when we're deciding how to spend our time in the casinos, how much time it takes to play a hand or spin the reels is a factor to be weighed right along with the house edge. So let's take a unit of time --- one hour --- combine it with the house edges on the most popular casino games and take into account the speed of play, and rank the games by average losses per hour...read more