Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 876

Mohegan Sun

Recently I received two emails from readers, one from Tom Howze and one from William McAnirlin, reacting to my January article about the Rio and the gaming show.  Thanks for writing guys; I appreciate the feedback.  Not only do letters from readers help me to know your interests but quite often I learn of things that would normally escape me.  Such was the case here.  One of the emails pointed out that the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut had 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker.  For those of you who might not be familiar with the 9/6 designation, it refers to the per coin payout on the Full House and Flush, respectively.  It is common to rate five-card draw games using these numbers since they are the ones that frequently are altered to adjust the average payout of a machine.  For example, in the game Double Bonus it is common to see 10/7, 9/7, or even 9/6 payouts.  Jacks or better games can be found in 10/6, 9/7, 9/6, 8/5, 7/5 or 6/5 payouts.  The reason that 9/6 is of interest to players is that with perfect play the game returns an average of 99.54% to the player.  This combined with a decent player's club can give the player around a 100% return, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less.  10/6 and 9/7 Jacks or Better, which can be found at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas,  return over 100% as does 10/7 Double Bonus.  Anyway, the news about Mohegan Sun piqued my interest and I decided to take a look for myself.  Here is my report...read more

Book Review: The Counter by Kevin Blackwood

I usually stay away from fiction books about gambling and casinos because often the author displays his or her total lack of knowledge of gambling games as the book progresses. That can get irritating when you've invested your time only to find out on page 103 that the writer hasn't a clue as to what happens in a casino or to casino players...read more

Craps A to Z: "H" is For Hard Ways

Craps A to Z © 2002 by Larry Edell If you've played craps for any amount of time, you've probably taken a chance and bet a dollar or two on the hard ways. The payoffs are high, but the chances of hitting the hard ways are low. Let's look at the four or ten...read more

Innovative Slot Products

Not long ago, I was asked to serve on a panel evaluating the most innovative casino products of 2001 for the trade publication Casino Executive Reports. As I waded through the mountains of material manufacturers had sent in nominating their products, it was striking just how much came from the slot machine industry...read more

Derby Sparks Interest in Horse Racing

Horse racing in Michigan is a year-round affair. As spring arrives, preparation has begun for one of the premier events in the world of sports, the Kentucky Derby. The Derby is traditionally run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May...read more

32nd Annual World Series of Poker Begins

The 32nd Annual World Series of Poker, the greatest gambling event of the year is now taking place downtown at Binion's Horseshoe. It began on April 21 and runs until May 18. If you are a better than average poker player and are curious to find out how good you really are, the answer can be found out by buying in...read more

Lewis Will KO Tyson Early and Easily

Those of you preparing to watch the Lennox Lewis - Mike Tyson Heavyweight Championship fight are in for a shock. Here it is: Mike Tyson is not Mike Tyson; he never was Mike Tyson, so calling him a "has been" at this point in his career would be a compliment...read more

What Happens to Chance when a Game Isn't Random?

Casino games are often described using "cycles." Few folks still take the idea literally, picturing predetermined sequences comprising all possible results. Most understand cycles as aids in applying the laws of probability to gambling...read more

Tournaments as a Casino Marketing Tool

Casinos in smaller gaming jurisdictions as well as the locals-oriented properties in Las Vegas all use very imaginative marketing campaigns as a way to reward their regular players, encourage product loyalty, and maintain a competitive edge...read more

Ask The Slot Expert

Can you please name three or four Atlantic City casinos besides the Trop that have a good variety of video poker from 25 cents to $1? Thanks. No one matches the Trop in terms of variety of video poker. Most of their quarter games, though, are not high payback games...read more