Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 836

Illinois vs. Indiana

Casino gambling options in the Chicago-area co-exist in two very separate and distinct jurisdictions. There are four destinations on the Illinois side (Aurora, Elgin, and two in Joliet) and five on the Indiana side in the Northwest region of the state (Hammond, two in Gary, East Chicago, and Michigan City)...read more

New Slots from Mikohn

"Slots," "skill" and "knowledge" are not usually words that go together. Slot machines traditionally are games of pure chance. You win if you're in the right place at the right time, and lose if you're not. That's even true on the bonus rounds of most modern multiline video slots...read more

What Language Does your Body Speak in the Casino?

Robert Burns, one of the many immortal muses of whom most polished punters are apprized, wrote this about pretentiousness: O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie usTo see oursels as others see us!It wad frae mony a blunder free us,An' foolish notion: What airs in dress an' gait wad lea's,An' ev'n devotion...read more

The Slot Expert's Guide to Winning at Slots and Video Poker

Frank Scoblete calls it the "god in the machine" in Break the One-Armed Bandits. Players know that it determines the symbols that land on the payline on a slot machine and the cards they're dealt on a video poker machine...read more

Starting with the blonde virgin . . .

Dear, Mark,Isn't baccarat the exact same game as chemin de fer, and only different in name? My Uncle believes they play baccarat differently in Europe. We have a dinner riding on this. Who's right? Carl V. Your Uncle, Carl, is on the winning slope. There are many variations of baccarat today, all descendants of the Italian baccara, a game invented in Italy by gamester Felix Falguiere, who baptized it baccara, a word translating into English as "zero." Is there a clue there someplace? The game's roots are in the old Etruscan ritual of the nine gods, who prayed to a blonde virgin (a tourist, obviously) on their tiptoes, waiting for her to pitch the nine-sided die...read more

Can You Really Recognize a "Ploppy" at the Blackjack Table?

Once a blackjack player learns some basic strategy, he tends to assume he's now an expert at the game. As soon as another player at the table makes a play that doesn't fit into his own game plan, he'll likely conclude that player must be a proverbial "ploppy". The problem is that the vast majority of players, newbies and veterans alike, don't know all of their basic strategy and don't understand that the science of playing your hands extends far beyond basic strategy. As a result, typical players think that many bad plays are smart moves, and that other "advanced" or "neutral" plays are the mark of a bad player. To illustrate my point, I'm going to give you two lists containing five plays each...read more

How-To's for Gamblers and Casino Management

This week turns tongue in cheek as I present my how-to's for casino gamblers and casino management.... For gamblers.... How to maximize making your fellow gamblers miserable.... start by sitting in a row of non-smokers with either a cigar or a cigarette and watch them choke and cough while you make their eyes water...read more

Ask the GameMaster: Bet Sizes, Splitting Pairs and Card-shuffling Machines

GameMaster,I've noticed in a lot of your articles and columns that each betting sequence starts at the table's minimum. In blackjack for instance the first bet is $5, correct? Then what? $5 again or $10? I then understand a natural progression of raising the bet and pulling back a profit...read more

Scobe's Quick Tips: #10 and #11 (Video Poker Return, Tipping Dealers)

Scobe's Quick Tip #10: The only machines in the casinos where you get to make decisions that actually affect how much you win or lose are video poker machines. If you know what machines to play, and how to play them, you can sometimes get an edge over the house! If you add in comps, some machines actually return more than 101 percent! For more information about video poker read Victory at Video Poker by Frank Scoblete and Video Poker Answer Book by John Grochowski. * * * * * Scobe's Quick Tip #11: Dealers, like waiters, waitresses, barbers, valet parkers, cab drivers, maids and such, do not make big salaries...read more

Ask The Slot Expert

I am having trouble finding any information on advanced strategies/situations for Double Double Bonus Poker where the payout is 4,000 coins for a royal flush (non-progressive); 2,000 coins for four aces w/2, 3, or 4; 800 coins for four aces; 800 coins for four 2s, 3s, or 4s with A, 2, 3, or4; and 400 coins for four 2s, 3s, 4s. I have several situations I would like to know about: Hold a winning pair vs...read more