Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 667

Telling the Gems from the Junk in Blackjack Options

Recently, I was playing blackjack at a large out-of-town casino that offered the surrender option as well as a side bet called "Royal Match". Several miles away was another casino that also offered surrender and a different side bet called "Super Sevens". What surprised and disappointed me was that most of the players at both casinos consistently put money down on the side bets, but almost none of them ever surrendered their hands. What about you? What do you think of blackjack side bets in general, and what do you think of the surrender option? Let me explain what each of these options are. With Royal Match, you can make a side bet, totally separate from the bet on your hand that your first two cards will be of the same suit...read more

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

I confess that I have made all the mistakes in the book - in fact, I've made all the mistakes in the 18 books I've written; all the mistakes I warn others about. These mistakes run from minor, putting coins in a progressive machine with a monstrous house edge in the vain hope that lightning would strike and I'd walk away a multi-millionaire, to major mistakes - losing my cool, control and entire gambling capital...read more

Catello's NBA Guide Packed With Betting Angles, Room For Records

The question is, what constitutes a "good bet?" For many punters finding the "right number" or "right total" or the right situation provides enough reason to bet. Using patience, discipline and a lot of hard work along with money management, they isolate the best and toss the rest. Jim Catello, a first-time author-compiler has produced a surprise "rookie-of-the-year" winner titled The Complete Guide to the 2005-06 NBA Schedule (170 pages, 8x11 workbook/guidebook combination in which he outlines, then details 20 scheduling issues that directly affect the quality of play of pro basketball teams...read more

National Center for Responsible Gaming: 6th Annual Conference

We are one month away from the National Center for Responsible Gaming's ("NCRG") annual conference. This year's conference is entitled "Finding Common Ground on Prevention, Treatment and Policy: The Reno Model" and will take place on December 7 and 8, 2005, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada...read more

New Slot Machines are Engaging and Entertaining

LAS VEGAS – Everything you want to know about the new slot machine products that will be coming soon to a casino near you was revealed at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) held Sept. 13-15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Here are the highlights of the games that the world's leading manufacturers put on display: Video poker players will no doubt be captivated with the World Series of Poker game created by WMS Gaming...read more

The Chance of a Truly Average Game Is Less than You May Think.

Huey, Louie, and Prudence are apocryphal nickel craps buffs. They all put $5 on Pass, then make one additional minimum Place bet on the high side if the point is low, or vice-versa. Here's where they differ. Huey likes the six or eight because the edge is lowest; his $6 bets pay $7 and give the house only 1.5 percent juice...read more

Hold'em Comes to Video Poker

What's the hottest thing in gambling? Texas Hold'em, of course, with televised events including the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour making the game a pop culture phenomenon that reaches far beyond casinos and card rooms. So it's only natural that casinos would want to tap into the Hold'em buzz and bring variations on the game to their slot floors. Major slot manufacturers IGT and WMS Gaming have gone right to the source for their piece of the action, IGT with a license from the World Poker Tour and WMS with a license from the World Series of Poker...read more

Video poker paybacks

Dear John, This is in response to J.M.'s question in your Sept. 19 column. After visiting the cage to be paid on several tickets, he became alarmed when they requested his players card and began tracking his wins. I work in the cage in a riverboat casino in the Midwest and the gaming commission requires us to log transactions at $3,000 and at $10,000...read more

Becoming a Skilled "Walker"

You've read a few books about your casino game. You've practiced hours on your computer and you learned all about money management. You also visit casinos half a dozen times a year. You think you have become a skilled player. Well, besides knowing all those other things, which are very important, you also need to become a skilled walker...read more

Video Poker Can Help Earn Money

Believe it or not, with a few types of video poker, you can actually make a tidy little hourly profit. How can that be? The casinos always manipulate the game against you and the odds will never let you get ahead, you say. Not so with video poker, and I'm about to tell you why. But first, let's go over the mechanics, and then I'll explain why the casinos let it happen...read more