Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 813

Trend and Schedule Books for Football; Saratoga Guides; New Racing Manual Arrive

I remember when we had fewer than a dozen books on betting all sports at Gambler's Book Shop (Gambler's Book Club). It was rare to have a few just for the football handicapper. Now there are dozens for football itself, all arriving in timely fashion, allowing the handicapper plenty of time to pour over facts and figures...read more

Oops!

One of the nice things about mathematics is that when you're right about something there is no question about it; you can supply a proof of your assertion. The flip side of that coin, however, is the fact that when you're wrong you're wrong and there is nothing you can do about it but own up to your error...read more

New Interest Created in Live Poker

Thanks to a series on Texas Hold'em Championship poker tournaments that recently aired on cable television's The Travel Channel, there seems to be a renewed interest among the public at large in live poker. Just the other evening when I was playing Let It Ride at Harrah's East Chicago, I was chatting with the players on either side of me at the table...read more

Blackjack-Derived Games

When casinos offer blackjack side bets designed to pad their advantage, as described here last week, players have a simple defense: Don't make the side bet. It's a little trickier when the extra house edge is built into the basic game...read more

Who Pays to Pump the Purse on Progressive Jackpot Slots?

Progressive slot jackpots often seem like manna from heaven, but they're really money from players' pockets. To understand why the bosses may sign the checks but the solid citizens pay the piper, start by imagining a simplified fixed jackpot machine. Make believe the hypothetical device has five "win" levels with amounts returned per dollar bet and corresponding probabilities shown in the first two columns of the accompanying table...read more

Slot Fill Times Irritating?

One of the things sometimes left behind in the rush to add slots to a casino appears to be the technology to make life easier for us, the gamblers. The advent of tons of penny slots, and games converted to multi-denomination slots, has taken away the levels of service given the players...read more

Most Blackjack Players Don't Understand the Odds

Today I want to give an illustration of how most people shoot themselves in the foot by misinterpreting the odds while playing blackjack. Suppose you walk up to a table where the dealer has just finished shuffling her six decks...read more

Ask the Slot Expert

Here's a letter about money management I recently received from a frequent contributor to the site: I think one of the things that makes money management in a casino so difficult for even the experienced gambler is the uncertain relationship between playing time and bankroll...read more

Craps A to Z Series: V is For Vigorish

Have you been confused by the term vigorish? Do you know how to use the "vig" to actually make more money? Let's find out! Almost 100 years ago, a dicemaker named John Winn came up with a new craps layout, which he began to sell to the bars and casinos in New York City...read more

Scobe's Quick Tips: #33 and #34 (Slot Payback Percentage and Hit Frequency, House Edge)

Scobe's Quick Tip #33 The house edges of some games are directly affected by the playing decisions you make. The house edges of the other games are not. Games such as blackjack, poker, video poker, Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, and Three Card Poker are affected by your decisions...read more