Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 717

Baccarat shouldn't be monotonous, so say readers

Dear Mark, Since the Banker bet in Baccarat is slightly more favorable than the Player hand, what are your thoughts about sitting at the game and continually making Banker bets? Also, what do you think of tracking play by using a scorecard? Larry L...read more

Ask Frank: The Rake and Bad Beat Jackpots

Frank, Love your column. Question: I was playing poker at a card room in LA (Hollywood Park). The Hold 'Em game had 3 blinds: a big blind, small blind, and the button has an additional small blind, which doesn't go into the pot, but into a "coin" drop as part of what I assume is the rake...read more

Fortune Cookie Slot Offers Laughs to Go

Like a half-order of carry-out pork fried rice, IGT's Fortune Cookie slot machine offers a lot of satisfaction for a little investment. The machine came out a few years ago but it only recently became one of my favorites. Typically I play the penny or nickel versions, most frequently when it's just before payday and funds are low, but I want to stay as long as I can at the casino...read more

Gambling Grade School #3: Speed Kills

Remember in the 1970s, there used to be television commercials about the effects of speed, that is, the drug methamphetamine, on the human body? How the drug caused one to go into overdrive and burn out? Then they'd show a picture of some poor schlep who had taken his fair share of the drug and darn if he didn't look worse than even Michael Jackson. The slogan for all those commercials was "Speed Kills." That very same slogan could be applied to casino games as well...read more

Why Do Blackjack Players Blame Others When They Lose?

We went to out dinner with another couple and ended up talking about casino gambling. My friend's wife likes the casinos, but limits her gaming to the slot machines. She says she'd love to play blackjack, but feels too skittish about making a mistake and being openly criticized by the other players...read more

Heard it on the River

An old TUNICA hand has returned to Mississippi but it is at the PEARL RIVER RESORT in Choctaw, MS where CHUCK MILLER had landed. The mega-resort located in the piney woods about an hour northeast of Jackson, concluded an exhaustive search for a new President and CEO and its Development Board and TRIBAL CHIEF PHILLIP MARTIN decided on Miller whose 30 years of management experience and past performance made him a clear choice...read more

Harrah's Joliet Sets the Stage for All New Look

Gaming industry behemoth Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is in the process of implementing an aggressive business plan in the Chicago-area/Northwest Indiana gaming market as the time draws closer for the sale of its East Chicago property to be finalized, probably during the second or third quarter of 2005. In light of recent changes and upgrades to its Joliet, Illinois, location, the company is obviously preparing for the day when it will no longer have a Harrah's branded destination in Northwest Indiana...read more

New Wrinkles on Blackjack

As much as casinos would like to wean us onto other games, blackjack remains the most popular game in the table pits. Per dollar wagered, the casinos make more money on Caribbean Stud and other relatively new games, but many more dollars are wagered on blackjack. What's a profit-hungry operator to do? Sometimes the choice is to offer something that looks like blackjack, feels like blackjack, but isn't quite as beatable as blackjack. At the Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center, I took a close look at three of the latest wrinkles...read more

Fun and (Table) Games: Try Three-Card Poker

Three-card poker appeared in the casinos a while ago, then was withdrawn but since brought back. This, not surprisingly, sparked rumors that the early version gave players an edge over the house. Cynics suspect that the casinos reinstated the game because the loophole was closed...read more

Oddsman Betting and Craps Scorecards

Hey, Frank, I've been reading your articles on Casino City and I've really enjoyed the good tips on improving my craps game. I have a few questions that I can't seem to find answers for on the 'Net. First, what is "oddsman betting", how do I make this bet and is it any good? Also, I saw in R.D...read more