Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 708

Christine

I was dealing craps at the Mint Hotel in Vegas. I was making a lot of mistakes, but the joint was still open for business so I couldn't have been that bad. Well . . . maybe I was. I was dealing one day when this don't player said to me, "Take my bet down behind the six." It was the first time anything like this had ever happened, and I really didn't know if the player was allowed to take down a don't bet or not...read more

Goldstrike's "Serious Slot Series" for the serious

This is not an April Fool's trick even though this event kicks off on that day with the first of three big money slot tournaments that will culminate in a season finale called the "The Return of the Champions." "This series is for serious slot players so we aptly named it the Serious Slot Series for Serious Slot Players," said Nancy Darcy, director of player development at Gold Strike Casino...read more

Elgin's Own Grand Victoria Receives High Industry Honor

The Grand Victoria Casino deserves a tip o' the hat for being recognized for sponsoring one of the "Ten Best Casino Promotions of 2004". It was honored for the imaginative and highly successful "We'll Pay Your Bills" giveaway that was held earlier this year. The award ceremony took place at this year's Global Gaming Exhibition which was held in Las Vegas...read more

If Anything Can Happen in a Single Session, Why Sweat the Details?

Place and buy bets at craps are wagers on one or more of the numbers four, five, six, eight, nine, or 10. The bets win if the dice show the indicated total; they lose if a seven appears. Chances of winning, payoffs, and house advantage differ among the choices...read more

The House Edge

If you've been reading this column for very long, you've seen the numbers a hundred times: The house has a 5.26 percent edge on American double-zero roulette, a 1.41 percent edge on the pass line at craps, a 2 to 2.5 percent edge against the average blackjack player, but only a half-percent or so edge against a basic strategy player. Chances are you use those numbers as a rough comparison of games...read more

Strategic Slot Play

Dear Mr. Robison: It's all very nice that you review the new slot machines, but I would really like to know what my odds are of winning. Can you help me try to make some sense of the virtual mapping involved and how this mapping affects the odds of winning? How do we try to make sense of playing strategically if we don't know the odds with regards to the virtual mapping on 3 reel slots? Thank you,Juanita Dear Juanita, Unfortunately, there's no easy way to know what the odds are on a slot machine and casinos and slot manufacturers don't release that information. The only strategies for playing slots are to play the best number of coins based on the type of machine, play machines that suit your goals and your playing personality, and ensure that you have a sufficient bankroll. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John John, I've got a bunch of questions for you...read more

The REAL Vegas, from a REAL Vegas cocktail waitress

Dear Mark, I am planning on moving to Las Vegas this summer. Though I have no gaming experience, I have been a cocktail waitress here in Chicago for the past seven years, and would be doing the same in Vegas until I find something else that interests me...read more

Three Card Poker Rankings

This month I want to use the material we developed in my January article to explain how one arrives at the rankings in the game of Three Card Poker. Although these rankings have frequently been listed by me and others, you now have the mathematical tools to explain just how one arrives at them...read more

Tournament Poker and The Art of War -- Sun-Tzu's Strategies

More than 2,000 years ago a Chinese general named Sun-tzu authored a book about warfare. The text has inspired military experts, businessmen and athletes to find an edge ever since. Can the same principles be applied to the game of poker--particularly tournament poker? Author David Apostolico says yes, and in his Tournament Poker and the Art of War (151 pages, paperbound, $12.95) he teaches players how to "adopt a warrior's mindset in order to gain a psychological edge" and succeed in tournament poker. This is a book about understanding yourself as a player while understanding who you have to face in battle and learning to survive--a key element in no-limit poker tournament play. Risk, deception, exploiting a situation to your own benefit, waiting for the right time to eliminate an opponent, and adjusting your play accordingly are all factors to understand and master. Sun-tzu courtesy of Apostolico's interpretation and application to the game of poker makes sense...read more

Enter Another Dimension with Twilight Zone Slots

I'm sure a lot of you can remember nervously watching "Twilight Zone" on TV, waiting anxiously for that mind-blowing plot twist or that scary deformed monster to show up. IGT's Twilight Zone video slot does involve some moments of anxiety, but mostly in the form of wondering when a bonus will hit and how much you might win. The Twilight Zone slot is one of IGT's TV Hits games, based on classic TV shows from the 1950s and 60s...read more