Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 763

Would Craps be Craps with Eight-Faced Dice?

What if dice had eight identical faces instead of six? It's certainly feasible. Think of an Egyptian pyramid with a square base and four matched triangular faces. Now join two pyramids base-to-base and you get an octahedron with eight identical faces...read more

Why Dealer Qualification Works

Many of the newer casino games have a feature called dealer qualification. The notion of qualification per se has been around for a long time, for example, Jacks or better in Poker or the dealer in Blackjack requiring a hand of 17 or better...read more

6:5 Blackjack

"Blackjack pays a whopping 6:5" So says the sign heralding one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in gaming history. The use of "whopping" should win some kind of award for deceptive advertising. What next? Single numbers at roulette pay a "whopping" 30-1? Sports wagers pay off at a "whopping" 8/10? Change machines pay off at a whopping 90 cents to every dollar inserted? Why is this game so bad? Well, a number of studies have been done already, and what it boils down to is this: you lose eight times faster than at a game of regular blackjack...read more

Pairs, Pairs Everywhere!

I recently had a conversation with a friend about Video Poker. He's not a big gambler, but strong on math. We were talking about the frequency of Pairs in the Pre-draw hand of Video Poker. My friend was a little surprised when I said that about 40% of all Pre-draw hands result in a Pair (not necessarily Jacks or Better, of course)...read more

Scobe's Quick Tips, Series 2: #1 and #2: The 5-Count, Low-Vig Betting

Quick Tips #1: The 5-Count is a method, created by The Captain of Craps (Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos: How to Play Craps and Win!), of deciding which shooters to bet on. It is a purely mechanical type of procedure. When a player makes it past the 5-Count, you put money at risk...read more

Should I Play More Lines or More Coins Per Line?

John, What can you tell me about the slots at Charles Town Races in West Virginia? I have never seen any information about them anywhere. I go about once a month and never win anything. I have heard they have to payout by law at 80%...read more

The Layers of Regulation of Tribal Casinos

As a result of writing this column, I often get e-mails from readers with questions regarding the regulation of gaming at tribal casinos. It is amazing to see the level of misunderstanding that many people have about these facilities and their regulation...read more

Ba-Da-Bing -- New Mafia Books Define Crime, Terminology, History of Mob in America

Just when you thought there wasn't a new thing to say or analyze about organize crime in America, comes new wave of Mafia books, including one called Mobspeak (The Dictionary of Crime Terms) by Carl Sifakis (272 pages, paperbound, $17.95) and The Last Gangster by George Anastasia (305 pages, hardbound, $25.95). Sifakis, known for previous reference books such as the Encyclopedia of Gambling and the Mafia Encyclopedia, has his Mobspeak geared to be the definitive guide to the language of the criminal world...read more

It's Official: Better Video Poker at Harrah's East Chicago

Two weeks ago I included information in this column about an upgraded and improved video poker product at Harrah's East Chicago Hotel & Casino. The next day, "Chicago Phil" sent me an e-mail with the following complaint: "According to your article, the video poker at Harrah's in East Chicago, Indiana, has been restructured to higher payback percentages...read more

Strengths and Weaknesses of Casino Games: Other Electronic Games

Different players want different things out of trips to the casinos, and they choose games for different reasons. Last week, we looked at strengths and weakness of reel-spinning and video slot games - why some players like them and why others avoid them. This week, let's give other electronic games - video poker, video blackjack and video keno - the same treatment...read more