Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 737

Red to black with a player's card

Dear Mark, I follow your advice religiously and have gone from being a losing player to a break-even one. I vaguely remember a column of yours in the past where you gave a tip on getting the best of the casino even if your casino wagers have a 2% or less house edge...read more

Enjoy State Fair Spirit Year-Round with IGT's State Fair Slot

By the time you read this I will have spent a hot, long but fun day at the Missouri State Fair. I like to go to the historic Sedalia fairgrounds every couple of years to see the Missouri mules, eat corn dogs, admire the state's largest zucchini and have my picture taken with the two-headed cow or whatever mutant barnyard animal happens to be touring the state-fair circuit. In honor of this great late-summer event, I recently played the State Fair video slot machine by IGT...read more

How Spreading Out Bets Affects Gamblers' Prospects

Lyle and Lydia have a running argument about craps. Lydia likes to bet $82 "no four;" she nets $38 if the dice come up seven and loses the $82 if four pops. Lyle prefers $41 each "no four" and "no 10;" he also nets $38 on a seven, since he gets $19 for each of the two bets, but only loses $41 if fate furnishes four or 10. Is either approach superior? Say two people played for equal lengths of time, with one or the other option the only bets they made...read more

MasterCard Wins Hollow Victory

MasterCard and Visa recently won a major victory in the Court just below the U.S. Supreme Court, declaring that they could not be sued for being involved with Internet gambling. Yet these and other credit card companies, and the banks that issue the cards, have announced that they are abandoning this extremely lucrative market. No one likes to be sued...read more

Penny Slots Stage a Comeback

I've been writing this column for 10 years, and going to casinos a good deal longer than that, and the casino industry never ceases to amaze me. When I first came up close and personal to slot machines, penny slots were a curiosity, a relic from the past...read more

Poker -- The Real Deal by Gordon; Five New Hoops Magazines Arrive

If you've been watching cable TV's Celebrity Poker Showdown, you'll recognize the name Phil Gordon. Gordon, along with Jonathan Grotenstein, have produced a unique guide for the beginning and hopeful poker player who's curious about every aspect of the game -- home games, online play, card rooms and tournaments...read more

Should I Play the Don't When the Table Is Cold?

Dear Scobe: I'm pretty new to playing craps and don't get to play much. But I do read and reread your books before I go play. I was wondering if it's a good idea to play the Don't side if the table is cold and then when the table heats up, to go back and play "normally." By normal, I mean pass line bet with odds and placing the 6 or 8...read more

Bits and Pieces from Indian Country - July 2004

Indian gaming is certainly part of the move of imbedding gaming deeper into the American culture. Indian gaming brought casinos closer to the American population and introduced a very blue-collar kind of casino that didn't require a Las Vegas budget or wardrobe...read more

Quicktakes - The month's trends in a glance - July 2004

The economy is not simple to describe or understand some days; if fact, without a candidate's agenda, the economy hardly seems like one single thing and more like a complex mix of different elements that may or may not be related. The stock market is still hovering at the same level it was a month ago, down slightly from the beginning of the year, but not dramatically...read more

Pressing the Button to Loosen the Slots

John, I know you have answered this questions so many times. However, my friend and I love "The Price is Right" nickel slots in Tunica. We can sit there and play normally and never hit anything, but as soon as we both start trying to stop the machine on our own, we begin to hit all kinds of "winnings"...read more