Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 732

What is the Proper Number of Cards to Determine a Winner in a Poker Hand?

Five? That would be the most common answer. Whether the game is five-card draw, five-card stud, seven-card stud or Texas Hold'em, the winner is determined by the best five cards. The same goes for video poker and poker-based table games such as Caribbean Stud and Let It Ride. Three? Sometimes...read more

Do New Casinos Have Loose Slots?

Hello, John, I think your site is excellent. Very informative!! I have a quick question. A brand new casino just opened up in Niagra Falls on the Canadian side. It is supposed to be state of the art. It`s been compared to Bellagio in Vegas!! My question is: When a new casino opens up for the first time, is it generally true that the slots are usually a little looser for the first couple of months to keep the traffic flow of people coming back? I heard this from someone and am wondering if I shouldn`t take advantage of this if it is true. Thanks, John. Mike Dear Mike, That's an old wive's tale...read more

The Predictability of Video Poker

Because the payback of conventional reel slot machines cannot be known to the players without analyzing the exact distribution of the symbols on the reels, many novice players naturally assume that Video Poker must similarly be a "pig in a poke" game...read more

Is there such a thing as the due factor?

Dear Mark, What are your thoughts on machines that are long overdue for a jackpot? Kali D. You must be a new reader to the column, Kali, as this question has been answered multiple times over the past eight years. A machine is never "overdue" in that it becomes more likely to hit...read more

Do Video Poker Full House and Flush Payoffs Really Matter?

Are the gambling gurus right? The ones who are always blathering about the importance of finding the machines and table games with the smallest house advantage. And, boring everyone within earshot about learning and following the statistically optimum rules when there are strategy options...read more

What's Your Preference: Traditional Reels or Trendy Videos?

I'll admit, I was a fairly late convert to video reel slots. I was curious about them but they intimidated me. However, once I took the plunge and figured out how to play video reels, I was hooked. The games are fun, clever, colorful and highly entertaining...read more

Can I Play the Do and the Don't at the Same Time?

Dear Larry, When the table is hot and getting payouts on come bets (taking 2x odds) from time to time, the dealer yells, "off and on" for x$. I assume this is based on your previous odds, and the place bet on the number that just hit. Is this right? Best Regards, Bob in Motown Hi, Bob, Yes, this is correct...read more

NBA Annual; Angles, Spreads, Records, Crushing the (Breeders') Cup Timely

Annually, some of the best material for pro basketball betting comes from the hard-working, talented Ed Meyer of Killer Sports. This year's 2004-05 Killer Sports NBA Annual ( 227 pages, 8x11 plastic spiralbound, $29.95) delivers. As expected, a fine package. Looking at the book's format using the Denver Nuggets as an example, we see 40 past trends keyed to the spread and another 40 keyed to totals...read more

Coinless Slots

Dear Frank: With the introduction of the coinless slots, I think the casinos are pushing the limits of greed. Will the jingle of the coins in the slots disappear from the casino scene? This is one of the great attractions of the casino. Now it seems to be pure greed...read more

Guilty of Gambling Online

Jeffrey Trauman has made history. As best I can tell, he is the first, and only, person who has actually been charged and convicted of online gambling. From the email Jeff sent me, I know that all he wanted was to be left alone. (For the record: A gambler in another state wrote me that she was raided the same day, her computers and equipment seized and not returned, and her bank account frozen for months, but she has not been charged with a crime...read more