Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 828

Time Travel

Uh-oh.... it’s another pretty day in Reno, with everything springlike, including the weather. What’s wrong with that? It’s just that as soon as I drag out the sandals and tees, the weather does an abrupt turnaround to winter...read more

Scobe's Quick Tips: #18 and #19 (Never split two 5's at blackjack, Playing Equal-Distribution Slot Machines)

Scobe's Quick Tip #18: Never split two 5s at blackjack. A two-card hand of 10 is a strong hand and an excellent hand on which to double against a dealer's 2 through 9. If you split two 5s you give yourself two bad starters and you'll lose more. So 5:5 is double, not split! For more information on blackjack read Best Blackjack by Frank Scoblete and Blackjack Take the Money and Run by Henry Tamburin. Scobe's Quick Tip #19: Want your money to last a long time at the slots? Play "equal-distribution" machines for only one coin. On these machines each extra coin merely "multiplies" the paytable, giving no extra bonus...read more

Gambler's Fallacy

This time I'd like to talk about the Gambler's Fallacy. In researching this topic, I discovered that just about anything gamblers believe that is contrary to mathematical reality is considered a gambler's fallacy...read more

More "Smart Slot" Tips

When it comes to playing the slots there really is no strategy. How can there be when the odds of the game are stacked against players? No matter what you do, you are destined to lose over the long run in a direct proportion to how long, how often, and how much you play. Every slot player is bound to “get lucky” once in a while...read more

Spanish 21

Spanish 21 isn't the most widespread of table games, but it enjoys a comfortable niche anywhere local laws don't limit the number of gaming positions. The game, based on blackjack with some key differences, prospers through most of the Midwest and South, with Illinois being a rare exception due to a limit of 1,200 gaming positions per license...read more

When Do Put Bets at Craps Beat Their Place and Buy Counterparts?

Some casinos let players make "Put" bets at craps. These wagers look like Pass or Come bets, with "flat" parts returning 1-to-1 and "odds" components paying in inverse proportion to chances of winning. However, the flat money doesn't get to a number via the come-out roll with the odds added after the point is established...read more

Barney Vinson's World

The Vegas Kid is the name of my very first novel, which has just been released in paperback. I'm walking on air! I mean, I've written other books, but they were non-fiction. This is the first time I actually plotted out a story, dreamed up some characters, blended it all together, then got a publisher to publish it...read more

Video poker is more skill than luck

Dear Mark,Outside of putting coins in a slot machine and pulling the handle, I am lost in a casino. Others have recommended that I try video poker. Before I try video poker, could you please share some tips and strategies? Devin F. In slots, no matter how adroitly you insert a coin and how expertly you pull the handle — the outcome is dumb chance, blind and underpaid...read more

Multiline Mathematics

    One phenomenon to hit casino games during the past ten years or so is that of the multiline.  One of the first was Three Hand Blackjack and then came Multiline Video Poker.  For all I know, there are some multiline games out there that I have yet to see.  It ...read more

Whew! Glad That's Over!

I never really gave much thought to how much time I had spent making additions to the computer by downloading files and programs from the internet, until I was faced with the task of "re-loading" that went with having a brand new hard drive with a virgin version of Windows handed me...read more