Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 867

The Cumshaw on Tipping

There's a great scene in the movie My Cousin Vinny when Brooklyn born and bred Vinny (played by Joe Pesci) visits his nephew in a southern prison. As the jailor opens the cell door, Vinny takes out a wad of bills, pries a few loose, and tips him...read more

Non-Random Randomness - Part 2: Innocent Until Proven Guilty

    Last month we established the generally accepted form of a random number generator (RNG).  It is a recursive function defined by a pair of equations as follows:                           (R1)    a0 = seed                           (R2)    an+1 = f (an) We noted that it is essential that the number "seed" on the right hand side of (R1), the first number in the sequence of random numbers, be chosen in a completely random fashion.  This is generally accomplished by using a real time clock and some command to set the seed by noting the current time as this command is executed.  Once the seed is set, the rest of the sequence is generated recursively using (2) and the process is completely deterministic.  For this reason, as noted in last month's article, the infinite sequence a0, a1, a2, a3, .....read more

Michigan Representation at G2E Reflects Healthy, Growing Industry

Two months from now gaming industry personnel from around the globe will descend on Las Vegas, Nevada, for the second annual Global Gaming Expo (G2E). The G2E will feature plenty of brand-new, cutting edge technology for use in all areas of the gaming industry, from slots to security...read more

Video Poker Strategy

In recent weeks, we've focused on strategies to narrow the house edge at table games. Let's turn now to video poker, another game in which our choices make a difference in our wins and losses. Video poker is dealt from a randomly shuffled 52-card electronic deck in which each card has a equal chance of being dealt...read more

More about Thrifty Video Poker Play

Last week I addressed the general lack of good single hand 5-coin quarter video poker in the Chicago-area gaming market. This forces many thrifty gamblers to gravitate to multi-hand Triple Play, Five Play, Ten Play, and even Fifty machines where a modest bankroll can disappear in a twinkling if you wager maximum coins and just don't get the cards...read more

Don't Come Bets at Craps Offer Lots of Action with Low Exposure

Craps players who bet on Pass typically take Odds after the point is established. And they add Place, Buy, or Come bets during the course of a roll. Most solid citizens who favor Don't Pass are a different breed of cat. More tabby than tiger, they'll forgo Odds and other secondary action, waiting wistfully for a seven-out...read more

Weird Bets

The best bets in the casino are usually bets with dull sounding names-- the common-sounding Bank bet (1.17 percent house edge) or the drab Player bet (1.36 percent house edge) at baccarat, and the pass (1.41 percent house edge), don't pass (1.40 percent house edge), come (1.41 percent house edge), don't come (1.4 percent house edge) and odds (no house edge) bets at craps...read more

Lake Tahoe Fire

I happened to have to go up to Lake Tahoe today, and as I rounded a bend on Highway 50 I spotted a rather large plume of smoke billowing up from the direction of the casinos... as I rounded the next bend I saw cars pulling off the highway to gawk at the fire roaring up the mountain from the woods just behind Caesars Tahoe and Harrah’s Tahoe...read more

Declare Your Independence from the Slots

On this Independence Day as we celebrate 226 years of independence from the tyranny of the British, consider making your own Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of the slot machines. You don't have to stop playing machines altogether...read more

Should You Quit when You're Ahead, or Try for More?

A celebrated school of gambling thought, promulgated primarily by people who wouldn't know the inside of a casino from the canasta corner at a cushy country club, says to quit when you're ahead because the longer you play, the more apt you are to give it back...read more