Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 799

Figuring Your Pot Odds in Split-Pot Games

Whenever you're considering your pot odds to determine whether to continue playing your poker hand, you're probably not in the lead. Believe it or not, there's a certain advantage in that. The advantage is if you don't improve, you usually won't have to call a bet at the river...read more

Scobe's Quick Tips: #57 and #58 (Many Dealers Are Not Expert Players, Splitting 4s and 5s)

Scobe's Quick Tip #57 Many dealers are not expert players. They know the game from the casino's side. That means they know what the payoffs are for the various bets but they do not necessarily know the house edge or odds of the bets they handle. Generally a dealer who knows his or her stuff will answer advice by saying: "The book says..." as opposed to "well, in my opinion...." If they say the former, listen; if they say the latter, you are on your own! For more information on gambling read Thrifty Gambling by John Brokopp and Ask Barney by Barney Vinson. Scobe's Quick Tip #58 Many blackjack players have been told that they should never split a pair of 4s or 5s...read more

Stop Reels Button, Hit Frequency and Payback

Hi, I'm a new subscriber to your newsletter and so this question may have been covered. How accurate or realistic are the slot games that you can get for your home computer or video game system compared to the machines found in casinos. Thanks, Criag Dear Craig, The PC-based slot games provide a very realistic recreation of real slot and video poker machines. About the only things missing are the free drinks! Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John John, I know that alot of the new slot machines have the button to stop the reels...read more

Of Rats and Men; Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook Hottest Arrivals

Oscar Goodman, clearly Las Vegas' most colorful mayor ever and Arnold Snyder, one of Nevada's most imaginative blackjack counters, take center stage this week at Gambler's Book Shop (Gambler's Book Club), with Of Rats and Men (419 pages, hardbound, $25.95) and the Blackjack Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook (114 pages, paperbound, $49.95)...read more

A Munster of a Problem

Chances are the last time you saw veteran actor Al Lewis it was on an old rerun of "The Munsters", a camp TV classic from the sixties on which Lewis played a curmudgeon vampire known as Grandpa. Or perhaps, if you're a casino player, it was when you were playing a "Munster" themed multi-line video slot machine on which his vampire character is depicted along with all the other characters from the show. Al Lewis himself got pretty mad two years ago when he strolled into an Atlantic City casino and saw his beloved Grandpa character on a Munster machine. Lewis, who is anti-gambling, became so upset that he set the wheels in motion to do something about it...read more

Understanding the Ups and Downs of Baccarat

Baccarat is a good fit for folks who enjoy the agony and ecstasy of gambling as well as the resplendence of the milieu, and don't come to the casino primarily or exclusively to parlay small stakes into big bucks. The latter, because the game does not have a payoff schedule with high retuns for low-probability results...read more

The World's Best" Craps System?

One recent morning, it seemed as though my e-mail box was filled to the brim with craps systems--along with questions about admission charges, now that they've returned to Hollywood Casino in Aurora. We looked at one system last week. This time, let's check out one that came with the intriguing subject line, "The world's best craps system? Betting wrong and placing the number." A reader named Ed asked, "Have you ever heard of this strategy? First, you always bet wrong or bet on the 'don't pass' line...read more

Barney Vinson's World: Global Gaming Expo

I just got home from the Global Gaming Expo.  What a blast! It started with a cocktail party at the Las Vegas Hilton, up on top of the hotel in the Conrad Villa Sky Suite.  The party was hosted by gaming writers Jeffrey Compton (who was actually wearing a suit) and Bob Dancer.  I've always loved those guys ever since--well, ever since they invited me to the cocktail party. Let me tell you about this suite.  It was two stories high, with a formal dining room, living room, master bedroom, outdoor terrace, and private swimming pool on the first floor.  You could either take a winding staircase to the second floor, or the private elevator.  That's where the other bedrooms were, along with bathrooms everywhere, a workout room, a study, and some breathtaking views of Las Vegas from all the windows and outdoor balconies. I got to be pretty good friends with the bartender, especially after the fifth vodka tonic, and he told me this high roller suite rented for $17,500 a night!  There was another high roller suite upstairs, he said, which rented for only $15,000 a night.  Must be a real dump. A lot of well-known gaming writers were at the party, including my good friend John Grochowski, who writes a column for the Chicago Sun-Times.  He promised to do a review of my novel "The Vegas Kid," but I think that was after he'd had a few vodka tonics himself. The next day, after three cups of coffee and two pain pills, I headed to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the State of the Industry panel moderated by TV personality Larry King.  I won't bore you with a bunch of names, mainly because I forgot to take notes, but those on the panel included the CEO of Harrah's, the president of the Indian Tribal Council, the head of I.G.T., and the president of the American Gaming Association. I learned some interesting things.  One: Most Vegas resorts now generate one-half of their income from non-gaming.  Two: The majority of casinos make up to 90 percent of their profit from slot machines.  Three: Never sit next to someone with a cellphone. Larry King regaled the audience with some anecdotes concerning his friend Yogi Berra.  The former baseball great is noted for his unique articulation of the English language.  Some examples: Friend: What time is it, Yogi? Yogi: You mean now? Or: Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore because it's too crowded. Here's another one. Friend: Yogi, did you hear that a Jewish man just got elected mayor in Dublin, Ireland? Yogi: Well, that's America for you...read more

Tiger hunts and winning pockets

Dear Mark, When my husband and I shoot a night with the casino slots, we use different strategies. His is to follow his "feelings" or "educated hunches" and bet heavily when he feels he's due to hit a big one. My system depends less on clairvoyance: I arrive with the money I can afford to risk in my jeans' right pocket and with nothing in the left...read more

The Secret to Inside Progressions

The inside numbers are 5, 6, 8 and 9, which are the most popular numbers on the layout. Betting on this combination gives you 24 chances to win and only 6 chances to lose (on the seven), giving you a big 4-to-1 advantage. If you bet $44 inside you'll have $10 each on the five and nine, and $12 each on the six and eight...read more