Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 742

Would You Play the Slots if You Could See How They Worked?

Would slot machines be as popular as they are if the details of their operation were transparent to players? Sure, anyone who's at all interested knows or can find out about independent trials and random events, odds and probabilities, and expected values and return percentages...read more

Blackjack Questions: Insurance, Surrender, The Value of High Cards

Since blackjack and live poker are both readily beatable casino games, that's what most of my casino columns are about. Over time, that draws many blackjack and poker e-mails to my "blackjackmentor@aol.com" box. Let's air out some the more interesting ones today. Hello, Fred, Just got back from Vegas and was playing a double-deck game at the Paris that was dealt face-up -- just like the shoe games...read more

Always Play Max Coin?

Hello, How old do you have to be to play the slots in Delaware? Can anyone go into the casino? The minimum gambling age is 21. I didn't find any regulation giving a minimum age to enter a casino. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John Hi, Do video poker machines deal as randomly as cards or do the casinos have a way to determine their output? Don Dear Don, Video poker machines must deal randomly, as if you were dealing from a deck of cards at your kitchen table...read more

Ask Frank: Must Hold 'Em Winners Show Their Hands?

Frank: During a recent Hold-em game, one of the players - he had won the hand, showed only the the one card, that would make him a winner. The guy that called him demanded to see both cards, but the winner claimed he only has to show the one that won...read more

O'Neill, Davler, Iskoe Books Can Help Make Bettors Smarter

Kevil O'Neill, Peter Davis (Davler) and Andy Iskoe, have each produced works geared to improve sports bettors' knowledge of situations, angles and other related handicapping areas for football. Their titles have arrived at Gambler's Book Shop (Gambler's Book Club) with plenty of time for players to read and digest then use the material. O'Neill's newest (he also wrote Football Betting: Strategies for the Smart Player and Football Betting's Cutting Edge: Strategies for a New Era) is titled Real World Sports Betting: How Real People Make Real Money In the Global Marketplace (109 pages, 8x11 plastic spiralbound, $29.95)...read more

Buying Your Own Slot

Can you explain what the payback flaw structure is in online casinos? How do you take advantage of this? Thanks, Marshall Dear Marshall, Sorry, I don't have any idea what this is. I have seen some advertisements for systems claiming to have found some flaw in probability theory that one could exploit in the casinos...read more

Casinos and Bankruptcy

A popular argument frequently used against the gaming industry is the notion that access to casino gaming leads to an increase in personal bankruptcies. Like many of the other myths about the industry, close examination of the issue by those unattached to the industry has suggested that this correlation may not be very strong...read more

"Da Coach" Talks Gambling

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about "Don & Mike's", the new sports bar that opened at the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana. It's named for Don H. Barden, owner of the casino, and former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka, who signed on as official spokesman for the property earlier this year. I had an opportunity to sit down and talking gambling with "Da Coach" and get his thoughts about his new career: "It wasn't a big decision for me to sign on," Ditka said...read more

Bits and Pieces from Indian Country - June 2004

The big stories make the headlines. The big casinos steal the spotlight, and while there are lots of big casinos getting bigger, such as Cache Creek, there are dozens of smaller ones struggling along. Here are some stories from the smaller, almost invisible Indian casinos growing a little bit at a time...read more

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

Iraqis are governing Iraq; Iraqis are going to try Sadam. The war in Iraq may not be over, but war pressures on the economy appear to be decreasing. Even before the changes in Iraq, the economic news in June was generally very positive; although the stock market at times seems to be stuck in place; averages go up and down, but most of the year have been pretty much at the same level: 10,400 for the Dow, NASDAQ at 2000 and S & P at 1,100...read more