Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 725

Double Down Stud

In response to your reader who asked about cell phones in Atlantic City: I always carry my cell phone with me on my trips to Atlantic City. The reception is spotty, but it does work in a lot of areas. Obviously, the closer you are to an outside wall or door, you get better reception or "bars." Some areas within the casinos seem to be "no service" areas (a lot of hotel check-in areas are no service)...read more

Fun and (Table) Games: Try Baccarat

So, you want to try the tables. Say you fancy a casino classic cloaked in tradition, but simple enough that everyone makes a straightforward bet then waits for the outcome. As a novice you might opt for a game with low inherent volatility, where your bankroll normally drifts up and down gradually; this means you're not apt to be zonked by a steep drop, but you accept the rider that you're unlikely to strike it filthy rich...read more

Hustling

When I was breaking in at the Mint I must've been the hardest-working chump in Vegas. Forty hours a week dealing craps, working double shifts on weekends, and doing a disc jockey show Saturday and Sunday mornings at a radio station. The show ended at noon, which was when my shift started at the Mint...read more

Play 'Good Poker' on the Flop in Texas Hold'em

Much has been written about the strategy of choosing your starting hands in Texas Hold'em. That's because it's not only very important, but it's also the simplest stage of the game. At that point you simply hold one of 169 different possible starting hands...read more

Bogus Blackjack

The most studied game in the casino is blackjack, by players, experts and bosses alike. Ever since Dr. Ed Thorp published his ground-breaking book, Beat the Dealer, in the early 1960s, blackjack has roared to the front and center of the casino table-game hierarchy, surpassing craps, the once and, perhaps, future king. The reason for blackjack's success, for both the players and the casinos, is the fact that the players' decisions do have a real, quantifiable impact on the players' expectation...read more

Jest for Fun

Tourist to native on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City: "Say, does the wind always blow this way here?" "No," said the native. "It blows this way for six months, then turns around and blows the other way." * * * * * A tourist was looking for a slot to play when he came across a slot with a placard left by a previous player: SUCKER WANTED...read more

NCRG Conference to Examine Addiction Syndrome

The fifth annual National Center for Responsible Gaming ("NCRG") Conference on Gambling and Addiction is scheduled for December 5-7, 2004, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This year, the conference has an overall theme of "Gambling and Addiction: Shared Causes, Managing Consequences." The conference will highlight recent research that challenges common perceptions about addiction - suggesting that individual substance abuse and behavioral disorders (such as problem gambling) might be different expressions of the same underlying "syndrome." "The concept of an addiction syndrome has significant implications for academics and healthcare professionals, as well as representatives from the gaming industry and government," said Dr...read more

Shopping for Best Slots Using Theoretical Payback

Factoring in theoretical slot machine payback percentages to assist you in deciding where to play yields little or no advantage to recreational casino enthusiasts who go out on occasional gambling outings, especially to Illinois casinos in the Chicago area. The fraction of a percentage differences among the casinos has little impact, good or bad, on the bankrolls of players who choose small windows of opportunity to play slots when compared to the hundreds of hours of play used to calculate the percentages. Besides, you can't judge the future performance of a casino's slot machine inventory based on how it performed in the past...read more

Heard it on the River

There is something comforting in wrapping your arms around a large free turkey and taking it home to the family. BALLY'S caught that spirit when it gave away hundreds of the birds in its recent gift points promotion. It may remind you that Thanksgiving should be a holiday to be enjoyed alone without the ever-increasing commercial noise emanating from the frantic pre-Christmas push...read more

Report from the 2004 Global Gaming Expo

Clint Eastwood was at the Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center earlier this month, promoting WMS Gaming's new line of slot machines bearing his image. Pamela Anderson was there, and Ann-Margret, Pele, Drew Carey, Paul Rodriguez - well, you get the idea...read more