Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 701

Quick-takes: The month's trends at a glance - January 2005

The economy ended the year on a very high note. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the year at 10,783, the NASDAQ at 2,175 and Standard and Poor's at 1,211. All closed down at the end of January, not much, but down. Gaming stocks in general, too, were down; however, earnings' forecasts are generally good, leading one to expect gaming stocks to regain the momentum of 2004...read more

Don'tcha Hate Blackjack Players Who Keep Switching Hands?

I was playing center field on a blackjack table with two other persons. At one point during the shoe, I switched from playing one hand to two. The player on my right was dealt a blackjack while third base and I had three 20s against the dealer's 18...read more

An Online Casino Scam?

Hi, there, I want to learn about the mathematics in the slot machines, but I don't know any book with explanations about probabilities. Can you suggest one? Thanks a lot, Richard Dear Richard, A great book for the math of slots is Casino Operations Management by Jim Kilby...read more

The Secrets of Laying the Four and Ten

Pssst.... Wanna know a secret? How about the secrets of laying the fours and tens? If you are a don't bettor, you are familiar with using lay bets to choose a number to bet against without going through the don't come box. However, you have to pay a 5% vig on the amount of your winnings...read more

Getting Started in Hold 'em

Ed Miller, who wrote Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play, has come up with another gem titled Getting Started in Hold 'em (206 pages, paperbound, $17.95). This new work consists of five major sections that are well-illustrated with sample hands to emphasize key points...read more

Heard it on the River

I get about a dozen gambling books a year to review here and right now the postman is delivering a lot of books on poker, which we all know has rocketed off the charts. The proliferation of poker, specifically TEXAS HOLD 'EM of the no limit variety, is an amazing story that keeps adding chapters...read more

Ask Frank: Why Not Double an Eleven against a Dealer's Ace?

I have a question about basic blackjack strategy that has I have been unable to answer on my own. The question is: If I have 11 showing, and the dealer has an Ace showing, why would I not double down? When an Ace is showing, the first thing the dealer does is ask about insurance and then check for a blackjack. If the dealer has no blackjack, the game continues...read more

Boyd Gaming Makes a Blue Chip Investment

When Iowa became the first state to legalize riverboat gambling in 1989 and the first boats began cruising the Mississippi River two years later, it marked the first time state-sanctioned and regulated casino gambling was conducted in the United States outside of the state of Nevada and Atlantic City. Five more states jumped on the riverboat bandwagon during the next five years, including Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana and Missouri...read more

What Are the Pros and Cons of Longshots versus Parlays?

Joe puts $5 each on 17 and 24 at single-zero roulette. With luck, he'll win $175 (at 35-to-1) on the spot that hit. He'll also get his $5 back so he has $180. But he began with $10, so his net is $170. His chance of winning is two out of 37 or 5.4 percent. Jane comes by and bets $10 on Red...read more

Blackjack Ball Quiz

Each year, Max Rubin hosts a "Blackjack Ball," bringing dozens of card counters to a secret Nevada location. They socialize, induct new members to the Blackjack Hall of Fame --- this year's inductees were Playing Blackjack as a Business author Lawrence Revere and basic strategy/card counting pioneer Julian Braun --- and hold a World Championship of Blackjack competition. There's also a fun little quiz that goes with the event, one that Dr...read more