Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 668

Good wallet questions

Dear Mark, In your answer to Doug F. about cards flashed when being dealt, you said if the dealer flashed or exposed a card it would be a dead card. Is it then a re-deal or does that card get buried and the player gets a new card? Also, this question always seems to come up...read more

Length of a Craps Roll - Again!

I recently received the following email message: Dear Don, A while ago I read that the average number of rolls until a seven-out in craps is around 8.5. I was a math major in college and decided to try and see if I could verify this myself...read more

Heard It On The River

GOLDSTRIKE CASINO has been selected as the exclusive site for the WORLD POKER TOUR'S annual tournament in Tunica and it is scheduled for Jan. 20-23, the culmination of the casino's World Poker Open which begins Jan. 9. "We want to expand our presence in this important region," said STEVE LIPSCOMB, CEO and founder of WPT Enterprises...read more

Slots Review: Gilligan's Island, Animal House, Newlywed Game

Reviews are listed by Slot Name, Manufacturer, average hit frequency and payout range offered, (low to high) if information is available. 1) Gilligan's Island: IGT 91-93%, 2 spins. "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale".about a bunch of castaways stranded in a slot that pays an instant jackpot of $20,000 for Gilligan's Island logos...read more

Do Casinos Let You Wait for the 5-Count?

Hi, Frank, I've been playing craps for a while now and just read your book Forever Craps. I have a question about the 5-count. Do most casinos let you stand around with no money on the table, taking up a spot while waiting for the 5-count? Or do you always start the 5-count with the minimum pass-line bet? What if there's no one else at the table? They won't let you just throw the dice around for free while waiting for your 5-count, will they? I'm interested in trying the 5-count, but I've often seen dealers ask people to lay down their bets or get out of the way so another willing player could have the spot. What's the proper procedure? Jordan Dear Jordan: The 5-Count eliminates 57 percent of the random rolls...read more

Basketball Workbook -- Perfect for College Bettors; Kill Phil on Poker

College basketball, loved by many as a most bettable sport because linemakers often err with their numbers (so many teams, so little time to evaluate results) begins in November and ends in March. The serious bettor keeps records, watches for streaks and the fatigue factors, key conference matchups and the ever-present rankings pressure and for other situations where upsets are possible...read more

Global Gaming Expo Takes Gambling to New Heights

LAS VEGAS – Casinos: They aren't just about gambling anymore. That fact was very evident during the G2E (Global Gaming Expo) held at the gigantic Las Vegas Convention Center, a venue with exhibition and meeting space big enough to hold 68 football fields. The four-day event, which was closed to the general public, featured more than 700 exhibitors from around the world eager to display their new product lines before some 27,000 attendees, the majority of whom are decision makers representing every aspect of the casino gambling industry. This is gambling's version of the Auto Show, only instead of tires to kick there are slot machine buttons to push, new variations of table games to try and more than 200 industry-related seminars from which to choose. Make no mistake, the slot machine manufacturers and table game developers were very much in evidence with huge displays, but nearly as prominent were non-gaming vendors, including an entire pavilion devoted to food and beverage, where culinary creations and wine tasting took center stage. It's a clear indication of a new industry trend that has seen non-gaming components of casino operations, including hotels, pools, spas, upscale retail stores, restaurants and entertainment, produce revenues for their owners that exceed the gaming-side revenues. The future for Las Vegas, and very likely for the young, emerging casino gambling jurisdictions around the country, is the creation of a complete entertainment and vacation experience whereby tourists will be attracted not only for the gaming aspect but for the stores, dining and entertainment offerings as much or more so. There's a major upscale condominium boom taking place in Las Vegas to accommodate the Baby Boom generation as they approach retirement age and many other people from around the country who have made this Nevada gambling Mecca one of the fastest growing population centers in the United States for years. A prime example of the direction Las Vegas is taking was the announcement during the Expo that MGM/Mirage will soon break ground on Project CityCenter, a $5 billion development that is the largest privately funded project in the history of the United States. Project CityCenter, which will be built on 66 acres of land on Las Vegas Boulevard between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo, is planned as a mixed-use development that will include not only a new casino-hotel but also retail and business construction...read more

Gambling Is More about Trade-offs than Right of Wrong Choices.

You can learn a lot in the casino that will help you in the workaday world. And vice-versa. Number 17 on the list is that few real problems have "best" solutions in any absolute sense. Rather, they present ranges of possible trade-offs with varying costs and benefits, many of which are highly subjective...read more

A Double 'Boo'nus Tale

You've been playing Video Poker for awhile, and you think you've mastered Jacks or Better. You're ready to move on. You want the higher Payback that Double Bonus Poker offers. So, you sit down at a machine. You notice the Paytable is different, beyond the bonus payouts for Four of a Kinds...read more

Multilevel Progressives

Have you taken a ride on Cash Express, gone for the big bucks on Penny Millioni$er or gone for the gold on IGT's Fort Knox? Who hasn't? Among slot players, those multilevel progressives are among the hottest games around. Every major slot manufacturer wants to get into the act...read more