Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 706

Bumping up Passline Bets

Dear AP: In a book by John Brokopp (Thrifty Gambling with foreword by Frank Scoblete), he states: "in a 2x game with a $5 pass line bet, if a 6 is rolled you are allowed to add one dollar to passline bet and take $20 in odds." Is this true? If so, can it also be used for all point numbers? Also, in a earlier letter to Frank I asked, "When casinos comp an apple martini at the table (cost of booze $1), do they expense retail ($6 at bar) and in reality turn a profit on comps?" Thanks, J88 Dear J88: Different casinos have different rules, but what Brokopp wrote is correct at some casinos...read more

Reminiscing

This past week marked 7 years since my Dad, Lenny Frome, passed away. I really can't believe it was that long ago. Barely a day goes by when I don't want to pick up the phone and talk to him about something: all the more since I began writing and analyzing games...read more

Majestic Star Forges Ahead with Innovative Marketing

The Majestic Star Casino in Gary has done what every casino in America wishes it could do: It has branded itself as the winning place to play. This perception has worked, whether it's true or not. It was created via a combination of owner Don H...read more

What If You Hit Rather than Doubled on Your 11s in Blackjack?

Everyone more than casually familiar with casino blackjack knows "the book" says to double down on two-card totals of 11 versus anything but a dealer's ace. It's the strongest Basic Strategy double measured in terms of "expectation," the statistically projected profit, especially compared with simply hitting. Few solid citizens realize, though, that despite expected profits being higher by doubling than hitting, the opposite move may actually offer greater chance of winning, lesser likelihood of losing, or both...read more

Max Bet Myth Busted

"Hey John! You have to settle something for us." Anything for a couple of readers, I told the guys who'd called out as I wandered through a bank of reel-spinning slots. "We were talking about slot myths. You know, the idea that the machine pays less when you use your player rewards card," said an older, gray-haired man. "Or that the machine pays more when you only bet one coin and gives you less winners when you bet the max," added a younger, bearded fellow. The random number generator that determines what you see on the reels or on a video slot is on its own microchip and doesn't know whether you're using a players card or whether you've bet maximum coins...read more

When Wheel of Fortune Machines Hit at the Same Time

Slot machines are the only thing I play. I have noticed many times while playing Wheel of Fortune that it seems if one machine in the row is hitting, then we're all hitting at just about the same time for the same length of time. Then they all go cold at just about the same time too...read more

A backroom tour

Dear Mark, On your Hooked on Winning tapes, you said you worked in the soft and hard count rooms of a casino. What are they and what’s the difference? Tom G. Hard = coins. Soft = paper. There’s the distinction, Tom. When I worked hard count, I removed and collected coin drop buckets from slot machines, transported them to a hard count room, machine-counted the change from the drop buckets, wrapped the coins, then prepared them for either bank drops or a quick trip back to the gaming floor. As a soft count team member, I worked in a separate, tightly secured room with paper or "soft" currency from the table games...read more

Omaha Hi/Lo Is the Other Flop-Style Poker Game

The Texas Hold'em poker rage is in full swing. One big reason why it caught on so rapidly is the game's sheer simplicity. Even non-poker players can watch a few hands on TV and quickly catch on to the gist of the game. Until Hold'em came along, Stud poker was the cornerstone of public poker rooms...read more

The Secret of the Fours and Tens

Pssst... Wanna know a secret? How about the secret of the fours and tens? The four and ten pay a handsome 9:5 reward, so if you bet $5 on both numbers, you will win $9 if either one hits. Of course, if you bought the same numbers you would win a little more, but you will need to make at least a $25 bet on both ($50 total) to make this profitable. Wanna know the secrets that craps pros use to profit from $5 bets on the fours and tens? Let's find out! What you will be looking for is three hits on the four or ten to make your money...read more

Baseball Books Abound at GBC; Each Has Helpful Angles

If you're going to catch unexpected winners or price overlays early in the baseball season you'll need an informational edge or some methodology to refine as the season progresses. Four new titles that might offer you some advantage have arrived at Gambler's Book Shop and here's what each has to offer: The 2005 Scouting Notebook, published by The Sporting News (715 pages, paperbound, $19.95) is an excellent tool for both bettors and fantasy players trying to get a feel for who hits better against lefties or righties; who the best minor league prospects are; who turns it on after the All-Star break or who hits until mid-season, then cools off...read more