Experience the glitz and glamour of Tinsel Town right here in Tunica. Step into the dazzling world of Hollywood Casino, where the elegance and excitement of Las Vegas meet superior Southern hospitality to create something as glittering as Hollywood itself. This premier entertainment destination offers an unforgettable experience for visitors seeking thrills, relaxation, and a… Read more »
Sam’s Town Spotlight If rustic, relaxed, and rewarding sound like a truly special time, you’ll want to take part in all of the excitement at Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall Tunica. Step into a world of high-stakes thrills and an appealing atmosphere that provides great gaming, fantastic food, and all the amenities you’ll ever… Read more »
You don’t have to visit the Emerald Isle to discover the luck of the Irish. Towering over the eastern banks of the mighty Mississippi River, the Fitz Casino & Hotel in Tunica invites you to enjoy an unparalleled gaming and entertainment experience. Step inside one of Tunica’s friendliest casinos and you’ll be transported to an… Read more »
In the vast and exhilarating world of slot machines, one experience seems to reign supreme, captivating players with its unique charm and enticing magnetism – the iconic Buffalo Slots. This beloved game has captured the attention of countless casino enthusiasts worldwide, surpassing the typical flashy attractions as a cultural phenomenon. What is it about Buffalo… Read more »
There’s no bond quite like the one between a father and child, a connection that often creates lifelong special moments and cherished memories. This year, why not take that quality time to new heights with a trip to Tunica, Mississippi? This inviting town is a veritable playground for grown-up adventures that you’ll both love, meaning you’ll… Read more »
Ready yourself for the adrenaline rush of a lifetime as you step up to Tunica’s bustling blackjack tables. Casino connoisseurs know that the progressive 21+3 variant is where it’s at – not only do you get to play classic blackjack, but you can also win big on the side bet. Keep your eyes peeled for… Read more »
If you love to gamble, but you don’t win as much as you’d like . . . check out these gaming tips to step up your game the next time you’re in Tunica!
Travelers to Tunica tend to want the odds in their favor. With a wide variety of gaming spread across six different first-class casinos, some folks may wonder if certain poker games are more winnable than others. Spending money with plans of making a profit is an investment, but like all investments, profit isn’t guaranteed. That’s… Read more »
Timing is Everything . . . If you’ve ever visited one of Tunica’s six casinos, you know that the action never stops. In fact, something about the bright lights, game sounds, and the allure of achievement make visitors require very little rest. It’s hard to ease excitement, but sometimes you need to eat, sleep, or… Read more »
Most visitors already know that Tunica provides a wealth of adventures and offerings, including world class golf and the region’s best casinos, but the dining scene is just as diverse and delightful. When in town, you’ll probably want a range of different meals depending on your itinerary. From local favorites to formal settings, Tunica’s restaurant… Read more »
Super Bowl Sunday is the most anticipated day of the year for NFL fans in the Mid-South. If you don’t have tickets to the big game, we invite you to watch and place your bets in Tunica for the Big Game.
Happy 2023! Most casinos will be offering party favors with a New Year’s Eve countdown. See below for specific promotions or events happening on New Year’s Eve. Fitz Casino & Hotel Car-A-Week & Promo Cash Giveaway Farewell to 2022 Hot Seat Gold Strike Casino Resort Entertainment: Third Coast at Stage2 Dining Specials: Horseshoe Casino &… Read more »
The casino is fun, a LOT of fun. And sometimes the fun sneaks up on you and leaves you with a price to pay come morning. We’re not talking about gambling losses. No, we’re taking about that dear-sweet-goodness-I-am-no-longer-21 morning hangover. Sometimes you show up for a good time and the good time hits back. But… Read more »
College football is wrapping up this month and some of your favorite SEC, AAC or Conference USA teams will be heading to bowl games this year! You don’t need the bright lights of a stadium to enjoy the majesty of the South’s most beloved pastime. Instead, you can travel to Tunica and experience high-end amenities,… Read more »
The casino life is big, flashy, and full of fun, so it’s no wonder Tunica is the perfect backdrop for stories, movies, and more. As we gain a reputation for the place to be we try to keep up with who is saying what and how Tunica shows up in pop culture. We’ve started compiling… Read more »
Just like most sports and recreation, there’s etiquette involved in the casino experience. It can be daunting not to know the unspoken rules. So, we’ve put together the low-down for the soon to be high-rollers. If you’re new to the casino scene, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Looking for a good time this 4th of July? Need to getaway? Check out this list of promotions and events at each casino in Tunica. For a complete list or more details for specific promos or events, visit tunicatravel.com.
We all know life is better when there’s a playlist. Songs can transport us to our favorite places and moments in our lives. All the movies we know and love best have a slapping soundtrack (and one that we probably know by heart!). We’re here to make your next Tunica road trip a pure cinematic… Read more »
1st Jackpot Tunica Entertainment: Unfazed at Stage Bar from 8p-12a Party favor distribution New Year’s Day – $500,000 myLuxury Car Experience grand prize drawing at 10pm Fitz Casino & Hotel Car Giveaway 12/31 @ 11:30p New Year’s Eve countdown with party hat distribution on casino floor All-You-Can-Eat Buffet $19.99: December 31 4p-11p & January… Read more »
There are times sports bettors think they’ve zeroed in on multiple winners and are tempted to bet parlays — betting multiple teams, with all required to win for the bettor to collect.
The temptation is in the payoffs. Let’s use parlays on point-spread bets as an example.
Let’s get the obvious of the way: the whole human race is in desperate need of a vacation. After months indoors or cooped up in our homes, we’re practically gasping to be somewhere, anywhere, else. At this point, the stages of quarantine coping are proving to be more cyclical than linear, but signs of hope… Read more »
When sports bettors turn to baseball, point spreads, or a “run line,” are available just as they are in football or basketball. If the Reds are playing the Cardinals in St. Louis, with the Reds listed at +1.5, then Cardinals bettors need them to win by two runs or more, while Reds bettors win if Cincinnati wins the game or loses by only one run.
More commonly, though, baseball bettors focus on the money line. The run line isn’t as popular as point spreads in football and basketball.
There’s nothing quite like snatching victory from the jaws of defeat to make you feel good about a day in the casino. One big win at the end that erases previous losses and makes you a winner doesn’t happen anywhere near often enough, but it feels great when it does.
Blackjack basic strategy includes a number of decisions that can give a player second and third thoughts. One of those comes when you have a two-card 11 and the dealer has a 10-value card face up. Basic strategy calls for you to double down — you make a second bet equal to your first, then get just one more card on the draw. That second bet against a strong dealer card is what gives players pause.
In a previous entry discussing the point spread, over/under and money line wagers at sports books, I mentioned that the house typically charges an extra 10 percent on point-spread and over/under bets. To win $10, you must bet $11.
Bettors are sometimes misled into thinking that gives the house a 10 percent edge, which would be very high casino standards.
Actually, the house edge is 4.55 percent. Here’s how it works:
The legalization of sports betting no doubt will bring throngs of new players who need to know the ropes before they bet.
Old hands who have wagered in Nevada or online already know the basics, but for those finding a new betting experience in Mississippi, here are a few of the basic ways to bet.
Video poker decisions frequently come down to choosing between two viable options. Players who want to get the most out of the games learn early that a low pair is more valuable than a single high card, to use one commonly occurring example. Recently, a reader wrote to ask about the situation with partial flushes.
Casinos often use side bets on table games — especially blackjack — to spice up the games and draw a little extra action from players.
The house edge on side bets almost always is higher than on the main game. That led a reader to write and ask, “Is there ever a time to make a side bet like 21 + 3 or Lucky Ladies at blackjack, the Dragon Bonus bet at baccarat or the Prime bet in Three Card Poker? [If the house edge is higher], why not just play the regular game and skip the side bet?”
Pop culture themes from movies, TV, music and games have long been part of the fun of playing the slots. Let’s check out a few of the new themes we’ll be playing in the coming year.
Ever since Scientific Games acquired WMS Gaming in 2013 and Bally Technologies in 2014, it’s been inevitable that we would see WMS-Bally mashups in new slot machines.
Monopoly Hot Shot, on its way for 2018, combines long-standing successes from both companies.
I’ve long used Three Card Poker as a change of pace game. I don’t play it as often as I play blackjack or video poker, but it’s easy and I enjoy relaxing over a session now and then.
When I play, I stick to the ante-play option, where you match up your hand against the dealer. Most of the other players bet both on ante-play and on the Pair Plus option, where any pair or better wins.
Skill-based gaming is a niche slot machine manufacturers hope to grow, especially as young players who grew up on video games come of age.
There are many approaches to attracting new gamblers, with one innovative new product being Konami Gaming’s Beat Square, expected to roll out early in 2018.
There are players who want to cut the house edge as far as they can, and will change games in order to do it.
Most players, however, have a favorite game or a few favorite and will stick to those even if one outside their range has a lower house edge.
For most of us, hitting a really big jackpot is a rare event. You never know when — if ever — the next will come.
The event has seemed to be not so rare for one woman, according to a reader who wrote that his sister-in-law had two $20,000 jackpots in a month and a dozen or more of $10,000-plus in the last three or four years.
Mississippi Stud Poker calls on you to raise your bets or fold after seeing three cards and again after seeing four cards.
The dividing lines can seem arbitrary, but they’re not. For those who play basic strategy for Mississippi Stud, the dividers are based in the math of the game.
You’re in a casino, having a tough day, and you’re down to your last $5 with time for one more bet before you go home. What do you do?
Unless they play at dollar level or above on single-hand games or quarter-level or above on multi-hand games, video poker players rarely reach the $1,200 threshold that requires a tax form before they’re paid. A royal flush with five quarters wagered brings a $1,000 jackpot — a nice bonanza, but well below the tax trigger.
A perfect day in the casino means different things to different people.
When I asked about players’ perfect days a while back, many told me about blackjack. Some told me about the terrific steak they ate – comped, of course – or about shows and shopping.
Betty is a reader whose perfect day involves a nice meal and a little shopping, and as long as she doesn’t lose big on the slots, she’s happy.
I’m often asked, “How does the casino gets its edge,” and the basic answer always is, “By paying winners less than the true odds of winning.” Casinos take your full bet when you lose, but pay only a portion of the true odd when you win.
One of the things that sets video poker and video blackjack apart from slot machines is that electronic games that use representations of playing cards must offer fair odds. Nevada took the lead, naturally enough, but Mississippi followed suit when its casinos opened in the 1990s, and so did other states.
Alex is a regular reader, a blackjack player who long has played at traditional tables with a live dealer and real cards and chips. He tried out a game with video betting, and later had some questions about the experience.
Regular readers of this blog might remember Charlene, a slot player who usually played three-reel games with her husband George, but who played video slots when she was on her own. In a blog entry published March 27, Charlene explained her husband wanted nothing to do with video slots, which he doesn’t see as real gambling.
If you play enough blackjack, sooner or later you’ll see someone try to make every possible play, for better or worse. That includes doubling down on blackjack, a play most casinos won’t allow. That doesn’t stop players from trying.
Earlier this year, I was asked to speak to a group of inexperienced players before their casino trip. One who had just started playing blackjack said he was confused over why the house had an edge. After all, the dealer is stuck hitting or standing according to set rules, while players can make decisions, and the dealer can’t double down, split pairs or get paid 3-2 on blackjacks.
There are blackjack decisions that are cut-and-dried, and then there are those that are closer calls. One of the closer calls comes when you have 13 and the dealer’s face up card is a 2. Basic strategy tells us the best play is to stand and not take a chance on busting, but the difference isn’t large.
Some of my favorite tales from readers are those of back-to-back jackpots – or at least jackpots within a few plays of each other. They don’t happen very often. A 1 in 40,000 chance of drawing a royal flush in video poker translates to a 1 in 160 million chance of back-to-back royals. But given enough trials, anything that can happen eventually will, and there are plenty of trials in casinos.
Not all slot reels are created equal, regardless of whether you’re playing video slots or games with mechanical reels. Video slots were on the mind of a reader recently who asked if all five reels have to bet the same.
When players get serious about craps, they soon learn that the free odds have no house edge. You must make a pass or come bet at the full house edge in order to bet the odds after a point is established, but then the odds bet is paid at true odds.
Last month I relayed comments from a blackjack player who had trouble convincing himself to follow the basic strategy play of doubling down on 11 when the dealer had a 10 face up.
That brought messages from other readers who had their own moments of queasiness over basic strategy.
“My wife and I were playing penny slots together, and she was playing Goldfish,” Barry wrote. “It’s a games she’s liked for a long time, and she usually gets a bonus really often.
We’ve all watched poker on TV or walked past a poker table. Maybe you’re even like me and have played poker with family or friends at home, but until today, I’d never been given a real poker lesson in a casino. Travel Tunica decided Hollywood Casino’s poker room was the place to learn how to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.
It’s almost time to put on your party attire and ring in the New Year. Here is your guide to New Year’s Eve events in Tunica.
In the spirit of the Holiday Season, TunicaTravel has joined with our friends at Visit Mississippi to giveaway an all-inclusive trip to one of the Southeast’s favorite good times getaways – Tunica, MS!
I’ve seen “Casablanca” at least a dozen times. I’ve seen it in a theater as part of a series of classic films. I’ve seen it on TV in pre-home video days, and I’ve seen it on VHS and DVD. Until this fall’s Global Gaming Expo at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, I’d never seen it on a slot machine. But when I saw a sign in the corridor touting a Casablanca slot at the Everi booth, I knew I had to take a look.
Every year, I try out new games at the Global Gaming Expo and write about a few highlights. Most of the slot games are things you’ll see in casinos in the next few months.
Events that are extreme long shots to you and me are certainties to casino operators. Given thousands of plays a day, every day, rare outcomes and streaks are inevitable. Take the roulette streak that prompted a reader to contact me via email.
There’s a long-standing debate among craps players who bet on don’t pass/don’t come: Should you or should you not lay the odds once a point is established?
One fundamental difference between video poker players and slot machine players is that video poker players are a loyal bunch, sticking with the same games year after year, while slot players are always on the lookout for the latest and greatest.
Not all blackjack games are created equal. There’s a set of mix-and-match rules, and you’ll find different combinations in different casinos. Sometimes you’ll even find different combinations at different tables within the same casino. One key variation comes on whether dealers hit or stand on soft 17.
Slot machine themes have become important factors for those of us who play the games, those who design them and those who sell them to us. A great theme will attract players to the game. A great them used well will keep us coming back for more. Of the thousands of slot themes we’ve seen over the decades, which ones were used best? Which really captured the feel and fun of the source? I asked slot players for their opinions.
Most of video poker games we play today have been around for decades. Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker Deluxe, Double Bonus Poker and others have stood the test of time. Most innovation in video poker comes in games that require an extra bet to activate a bonus feature. Of these, the most popular has been Super Times Pay.
The use of random number generators make slot machines games of pure chance with odds that are the same on every spin.
There’s more to choosing a game to play than the house edge alone. For one thing, there’s the fun factor. No matter how well you play any game, there are going to be frequent losing sessions. You might as well choose a game you enjoy playing even in the tough times.
Do you believe in hot tables and cold tables? Do you think it’s luckier to play where other players are winning than to play where the spaces are wide open because players have been leaving with diminishing bankrolls?
Multi-hand video poker games are among my casino favorites, and have been ever since Triple Play Poker was introduced in the late 1990s. With the games, there is a temptation to players. On a quarter Triple Play machine, a maximum-coins wager is $3.75. What happens if your credits dwindle to less than that? Do you make a bet for less than full coins?
Hollywood Casino Tunica has planned several activities to take place during Responsible Gaming Education Week with the theme – SHINING A LIGHT ON RESPONSIBLE GAMING.
A couple of months ago, I walked through the arithmetic for the house advantage on the pass line in craps. It’s quite a lengthy calculation with a number of factors, but enough readers followed along that it brought a few questions.
Craps players have dozens of options with all the different combinations to play. On many multi-roll bets, they also have the option of taking the bet down before a decision is reached.
When you do win a hand-paid jackpot, many casinos ask you to play once more, so the winning combination no longer shows on the reels or screen. One big winner recently asked what happens if you refuse to spin again. Can the casino refuse to pay you?
Sometimes, things are so ingrained in experienced casino players that we forget newcomers haven’t yet learned all the ins and outs. Not long ago, I received email from a blackjack player who is working on learning basic strategy.
I may have mentioned before, I don’t offer advice while playing. If someone asks me, I’ll answer, but I’m not one to routinely weigh in on decisions that belong to others. But what do you do if someone is asking for advice on EVERY hand?
One of the many differences between video slots and three-reel slots with mechanical reels is that three-reel games almost always have an incentive in the pay table to bet maximum coins. On three-reel games, a max-coins bet brings a disproportionate jump in the top jackpot, so betting the max brings a higher payback percentage than betting less.
I’ve been playing video poker for more than 25 years, and I’ve had royal flushes on penny, nickel, quarter, dollar and $2 games.
One reader wrote to me recently with a question that could only come from a three-reel player. “I’ve noticed that the big-paying symbols are off the line a lot more than they’re on the line,” he wrote. “Is that intentional? Are the games programmed to tease players to thinking they’re close to a jackpot?
Roulette has so many possible bets, players always are exploring ways to combine them in the hopes they’ll hit on a way to beat the house.
Video poker is a much different game than table poker. In video poker, you’re playing draw poker, is rare to nonexistent on the tables. You’re not playing against other players, you don’t have to try to read anyone else’s hand and you don’t have to evaluate whether to raise, call or fold.
It’s not difficult to see patterns in wins and losses, and it’s all too easy to jump to conclusions based on small samples. Over the years I’ve fielded questions from readers who wondered if they should skip drawing to four-card straights because they missed several times in a row and from others who were convinced 20 was a losing hand in blackjack because they dealer drew a few 21s to beat them one night.
Giving advice at the gaming tables isn’t for everyone. I’ve played with some who love to tell others what to do, whether the advice is welcome or not. Others never give advice, or give it only when asked.
One of the absolutes in blackjack is that you should never split 5s. Most players aren’t even tempted, because they recognize they have a much stronger building block for a hand when they start with 10 than starting each of two hands with 5s.
Nontheless, I received an email recently from a player who challenged the notion. He reasoned that when the dealer had a weak card such as a 5 or 6 face up, he had an edge. If he was dealt another 5, he wanted the opportunity to get a third bet on the table.
At any game, players come in all levels of experience and knowledge. Some are more familiar than others with game rules, strategies or even the mechanics of how to make a bet.
Those who learn and use basic strategy at blackjack know there are strategy differences depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
Many poker-based table games involve an ante before you see your cards, and then a bet or multiple bets to keep playing. Caribbean Stud was the trend-setter, but we also see that format in Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud and other games.
Table games players have consistently shown a preference for live action. They like to play with real cards and dice and with human dealers.
Still, there has been an increasing acceptance of electronic table games, especially in roulette. Touch screens for electronic betting speed play as wagers are settled automatically, with no mistakes. There’s no down time waiting for dealers to pay winners and collect chips from losing bets.
It’s sometimes said that casinos make their money from winners. Of course, every time it’s said, there’s somebody who responds, “Then they should let everybody win and make even more money.”
Players sometimes have difficulty with the idea that slot machine results can be programmed and random at the same time. So for many years, I’ve used a comparison to roulette, where you don’t know when any given number will turn up, but the odds of the game will lead to a 5.26 percent house edge – the same as a 94.74 percent payback percentage.
Among those who have been playing in casinos as long as I have, there’s a sizable number who miss being paid in coins clattering into the tray of slot machines. On a September day when I cashed out by printing a ticket, the machine’s speakers resounded with an imitation of that sound, and a neighboring player told me she missed the real thing.
Roulette is one of the oldest games still played in modern casinos. Recognizably modern roulette wheels, with red and black numbers 1 through 36 along with zero and double zero, were in play in Paris in the late 1700s. The game itself has hardly changed at all, but some of the trappings have. For one thing, most roulettes tables in American casinos have a tote board showing recent numbers. When the boards were introduced, most showed the last 12 numbers, but now 18 is common, and sometimes there are more.
Some of the most frustrating hands at blackjack come when the dealer starts stringing out low cards. You see the dealer with a 14, and think there’s a good chance he’ll bust. Then comes a 2, and with 16, he just HAS to bust, right? Then, boom! Here’s comes a 5, the dealer has 21 and the whole table loses.
Sometimes, you just can’t keep a good idea down. And blending slot machine excitement with tests of knowledge plays right to my taste.
If you’re in a casino that has slot games on the Pro Wave cabinet from the Bally Technologies division of Scientific Games, you can’t miss it. The Pro Wave is a eye-catcher, with a giant 40-inch, curved main screen for high-resolution graphics.
For almost all of us, a day or evening in the casino, or even a trip of a few days, is a nice break from everyday life. We’re excited for the wins when they come, but we know that more often than not, we’re going to be paying for the day’s entertainment.
But there are a few who dream of playing professionally. When I hear from them, I always urge caution. Take the video poker player who emailed recently to say, “I can usually get a royal flush every 30 days. I can be a professional player? I play video poker every day.”
No blackjack player likes to bust and wind up with a total of more than 21 that’s a loser before the dealer even plays his hand. But if we’re going to take the best chance to win, accepting the risk of busting is part of the bargain.
The Internal Revenue Service has proposed changes to federal tax requirements on that could triple the amount of paperwork when we win big on slots, video poker and other electronic casino games. In one proposal, you’d still have to sign form W-2G on any jackpot of $1,200 or more, but also would require casinos to use their player tracking systems to trigger tax forms on cumulative winnings of $1,200 or more above losses in one day.
Video poker games are designed to be as random as humans can program a computer to be. The odds of drawing winning hands are the same as cards were dealt from a real deck.
Still, when odd streaks happen, players can’t help but wonder if something more is going on.
Basic strategy for the ante-bet portion of Three Card Poker is to make the bet of equal to your ante any time you’re dealt Queen-6-4 or better, but to fold and forfeit your ante with lower-ranking hands.
That strategy led a reader to email me with two questions:
When you’re a smaller slot manufacturer trying to compete with the likes of IGT, Bally, WMS and Aristocrat, you need to be nimble, creative and innovative.
Multimedia Games has been all of that, and expects to keep bringing the innovation now that it has been acquired by Global Cash Access. The new company is in the process of rebranding, and will reveal a new name in late August.
One thing I’ve warned blackjack players about is games that pay less than the standard 3-2 on blackjacks. If you play video blackjack, you have to be extra watchful, as one reader learned.
Pai-gow poker is known as an even-keel, extended play kind of game. The Fortune Pai-Gow side bet injects a little excitement for jackpot hunters, including a big payoff of 5,000-1 on a seven-card straight flush that does not include the joker. That’s about a 4.8 million-to-1 shot, but hey, we can dream.
We all make mistakes in the casino. Blackjack players stand when they meant to hit, slot players forget to check to see all the paylines are active and players at any game sometimes have a brain cramp and make a bet that’s larger than they’d intended.
On most casino games, the house wins more often than the player, and it’s easy for the casino to get an edge on the game. All it has to do is pay players less than the true odds of winning the bet, and random results will lead to profit for the house.
When video slots first came out, it took only a single bonus event to entrance players. Neighbors would stop their play to watch whenever someone went fishing in Reel ’Em In or chose their Chinese foods from the menu in Fortune Cookie.
Just about every craps player has a favorite way to play. Some play the percentages and make sure they take the free odds offered when you back pass or come bets with additional bets. Some like the place bets on 6 and 8, to make sure they always have the most frequent non-7 numbers working. Some like to take their chances for bigger payoffs on the one-roll props such as yo-leven or any 7, and let the house edge fall where it may.
Recently, I got an email from a reader wondering if he should change his method.
Video poker players in the know understand that on most games, payback percentages are changed by altering the returns on full houses and flushes. A “9-6” Jacks or Better game, where full houses pay 9-for-1 and flushes 6-for-1, returns 99.5 percent with expert play. If instead you see 8-5 Jacks or Better, meaning full houses pay 8-for-1 and flushes 5-for-1, then the average return is 97.3 percent with expert play.
However, when progressive jackpots are involved, even a game with a lower pay table can have high average returns.
For gamemakers, attracting slot players is all about offering different play experiences to different segments of players. There are big jackpot games, high volatility games, second-screen bonus games, free-spin bonus games and more.
Blackjack basic strategy has been around as guide to when to hit, stand, split and double down has been around since the 1950s. It’s well-grounded in the math of the game, and it’s something anyone who’s serious about blackjack should learn.
However, the game itself evolves, and when the rules change, so does basic strategy.
There are so many different wagering options at roulette that it’s only natural that players would try to come up with combinations to try to overcome the house edge.
Slot machine manufacturers have drawn on TV, movies, board games and pop culture icons for years, and they’re not shy about crossing generations to do it. After all, the games need to appeal to a wide variety of players.
Sometimes video poker players find the goal of winning the most hands at odds with the goal of winning the most money.
Craps presents so many possibilities that players are continually exploring combinations seeing if they can find a magic formula for profit. One player asked me recently if he could combine place bets with hard ways for some giant-sized wins.
Players usually don’t notice, or even have a chance to see, behind-the-scenes procedures that are important to the house.
Not long ago, I received a note via email from a craps player who was taken aback when a shooter rolled five sevens in a row. “It would seem to me there has to be a makeup time to get the odds to come out right,” he wrote. “What’s the hidden factor that balances those five 7s in a row?”
I remember when Three Card Poker was a new game in the 1990s, struggling to carve out a niche. It had failed to make enough money to satisfy the house in a trial at the Stardust in Las Vegas, but it was a hit in Mississippi. The success of the game in Tunica was enough to convince operators in other states that maybe the Stardust experience was an anomaly.
An e-mail brought me a tale of woe from a pai-gow poker novice:
“My friend told me to make my bottom hand as strong as I can,” the player’s lament began. “But when I put a pair of Kings in the bottom hand and a pair of 9s in the top, I was told I arranged them wrong, and the dealer took my money.”
In pai-gow poker, you’re dealt seven cards, which you arrange into a five-card “high” hand and a two-card “second-high” hand. Both must beat the dealer for you to win your bet, but you get your money back if one wins. The deck consists of 53 cards, with the standard 52 joined by a Joker that can be used either as an Ace or to compete a flush or straight.
No player in the history of the game has done more to raise the profile of poker than World Series of Poker champ Chris Moneymaker. He calls Memphis home, but this jet-setting professional poker player visits some of the world’s most exotic locales—Monte Carlo, Macau, Australia—to play the game he loves. Chris took time away from the tables to talk to Down the Road about how he got his start, the famous Hollywood stars he’s played (and taken money from) and what he finds special about Tunica.
Something exciting took place last weekend in Tunica and I’m not just talking about Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Last week Hollywood Casino, Resorts Casino, and Sam’s Town Tunica Casino hosted the first ever Casino Strip Presents $100,000 slot tournament. This tournament was the first of it’s kind here in Tunica and let me tell you, it was a lot of fun.
Every year, the bag of tricks slot machine designers use to keep the games fun to play and the customers coming back grows a little. Second-screen pick’em bonuses, free spins, bonuses within bonuses, shared community style events, mystery jackpots — the list goes on and on.
In his blackjack strategy post, John Grochowski tells us that players who learned basic strategy for stand-on-all-17s games need to make a few adaptations for today’s blackjack.
Could an international thief win a high-stakes poker tournament against 007?
Gaming expert John Grochowski discusses the upcoming slot technologies of skill-based and perceived-skill games.
Looking for a family friendly activity? Head on down to Sam’s Town Tunica for the 14th Annual Delta River Cruisin’ Car Show hosted by the Memphis Street Rods. This annual show is one of the largest gatherings in the Mid-South of classically restored vehicles, hot rods and street rods.
Balloons return to the sky at the 2nd Annual Tunica Balloon Bash on August 9-11, 2013. Tunica will welcome 50 hot air balloons at five casino resort properties. Hot air balloonists from across the country will compete in early morning races to win over $12,000 in cash and prizes.
And this event isn’t just for the hot air balloon expert! Each casino property will host balloons in their parking lot for a balloon glow at sunset on Friday night with glows also on Saturday night as select properties. Visitors are invited to meet the pilots and experience the size and beauty of this majestic sight of the orange glow in the Mississippi Delta.
We know that Dads love Tunica, so why not bring yours this weekend? He’ll enjoy gaming, golf, fun and more! And I’m pretty sure it will get you bonus points, so that you’ll be well on your way to being his favorite child!
Many of you may already have signed up to receive updates from Tunica via email, but did you know that there are even more ways to connect with Tunica? Not only do we promise to keep you up to date on breaking news, concert announcements and specials, we also have more ways for you to win comps from your favorite Tunica Casinos.
You don’t have to be in Mexico to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year. Some of our casinos are getting into the action and are serving up everything from free beer, yes I said free beer, live entertainment, party favors and special tournaments.
In more than two decades of staying at casino resorts, one of my favorite methods for getting all I can out of available comps has been to charge meals to my room, and then see if I can get them comped at the end of my stay. That enables me to use comps earned later to take care of mealtimes from the beginning of the stay, when I don’t yet have anything in the comp bank.
Back when slot machines were a three-reel world, progressive jackpots were available only to those willing to bet the max. If you weren’t going to bet three coins, or two coins on some high-denomination machines, you weren’t going to be eligible for the progressive.
Side bets at blackjack come and side bets at blackjack go. Mostly they go when players discover their money is disappearing a little too rapidly. One that’s lasted, though, is 21+3, which combine blackjack with a three-card poker hand.
Video poker was the first massively popular coin-operated casino gaming using video screens and virtual images instead of spinning reels or other mechanical components. But one thing video poker hasn’t used is the kind of animation we’ve seen since video slots became the hottest growth area of the casino industry.
The Fitz Casino goes all out each year for St. Patrick’s Day. And who better to hold Tunica’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day party than the casino that celebrates the luck of the Irish all year long?
I’ve mentioned in this blog before that mimicking the dealer is not a viable approach to playing blackjack. Dealers and players operate under different conditions. Players act on their hands first, and if they go bust, the house wins even if the dealer busts too.
One of my video poker games of choice is Double Bonus Poker, especially on versions that pay 7-for-1 on flushes and 5-for-1 on straights. If full houses pay 10-for-1, then you have a full-pay 10-7-5 game that returns 100.17 percent with expert play. If they pay 9-for-1, then the 9-7-5 game is still a good one at 99.1 percent.
I’m not a superstitious sort, preferring to trust the math of casino games rather than my brother’s family-famous jackpot dance. It’s harmless fun, and like many, he engages in superstitious behavior without really believing it makes a difference. He’s not alone. Take these tales from readers who have relayed their own superstitions:
Monday, February 18 is Presidents’ Day, a federal holiday celebrating the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Whether you have Monday off work or are just looking to blow off a little steam, why not make a long weekend of it just down the road in Tunica? We promise not to tell your boss.
A craps table with a hot shooter on a roll is one of the most exciting places in the casino. When the shooter is rolling number after number without sevening out, players are winning together, celebrating and cheering the shooter. Big wins bring tips, so the dealers are happy, too.
Fat Tuesday is tomorrow, and one of the best ways to celebrate is by paying homage to the food and culture that New Orleans and the Gulf Coast has made popular across the U.S. In Tunica, Gulf Coast seafood like shrimp, oysters and crab can be found all around, and we all know Tunica is the perfect place for an extended celebration.
All week, we’ve been focusing on the reasons why closer doesn’t mean better when it comes to comparing Tunica and Southland. We talked about free drinks yesterday, and today we’re talking about something that might come in handy after you enjoy that special perk—our variety of accommodation offerings. And read on for a very special promotion announcement that will reward you for ditching the dog and trading up to Tunica.
We’re telling you the top 7 reasons why closer doesn’t mean better when it comes to the experience you can find in Tunica. Yesterday, we talked about all of the activities available in Tunica. Today, we’re talking about perhaps the most significant reason of them all—free drinks.
When you compare all that Tunica has to offer with what you can find in Southland, it’s not even close. So this week, we’re introducing you to the top 7 reasons why closer doesn’t mean better. Yesterday, we discussed talked about the world-class entertainment you can find in Tunica. Today, we’re talking about all of the action you can find outside of the casino floor and the variety of activities Tunica offers to please everyone in your group.
This week, we’re sharing our 7 favorite reasons why closer doesn’t mean better and why making a trip just down the road to Tunica is worth the drive. Yesterday, we talked about the great dining to be had in Tunica, and today, we’re telling you how to pair your dinner with a great show. If you enjoy a variety of world-class entertainment, then you definitely belong in Tunica, because we’ve got the shows and events that you want to see most.
This week, we’re introducing you to 7 reasons why closer doesn’t mean better. We’ve talked about gaming and comps, and today we’re talking about the key to all of our hearts—our stomachs. We hope you are hungry, because the dining options in Tunica will certainly whet your appetite.
Yesterday, we showed you that when it comes to gaming, nowhere else in the MidSouth even comes close to the Vegas-style action you can find in Tunica. Click here for Reason #1. Today, we’re giving you yet another reason why closer doesn’t mean better, and it’s one of our personal favorites. Today, it’s all about the comps.
In Tunica, Mississippi, we appreciate good entertainment. After all, we feature plenty of it for just about every taste. So, you probably are not surprised that we chuckled at the attempt at humor in recent commercials by a competitor across the river. Clever, but we have to ask: Why don’t they talk about any benefits, just about a shorter drive (and that depends on where you live)?
In Tunica, we also appreciate the difference between fact and fiction.
So, in the spirit of good, clean competition, we would like to focus over the next seven days on the Lucky 7 reasons why closer doesn’t mean better. Because when you compare Tunica to Southland, it’s not even close. And be sure to read on to find out how to receive $25 in free slot play and a $5 food credit when you trade up to Tunica.
Baccarat offers players two of the best percentage bets among casino games, with house edges of 1.06 percent on banker and 1.24 percent on player. It also offers one of the worst bets in the house. If you chase the 8-1 payoff and bet on ties, you spot the casino a whopping 14.4 percent. The house keeps $1.06 per $100 wagered on banker and $1.24 on player. Then the house take soars to just over $14.35 on ties.
Northeasterners, Midwesterners, Northwesterners and those of you spread out across other unreasonably wintery regions: it’s time to make your annual migratory escape to warmth. Take off your snowshoes and come down South to Tunica and enjoy our gaming, restaurants and entertainment. You may think our accents are a little funny, but our warm hospitality will make you forget all your snow shoveling responsibilities.
A reader wrote recently to ask me about a wrinkle she’d seen on video poker games, a little attraction that’s been around for quite a long time, but isn’t always available in every casino.
Casinos everywhere put their highest payback percentages on their highest-denomination slot machines. The Mississippi Gaming Commission report for October—the most recent available as I write this—showed that in northern Mississippi on non-progressive machines, payback percentages included 91.1 percent on penny slots, 93.3 percent on nickels, 93.4 percent on quarters and 94.5 percent on dollars.
Are you getting excited for the Super Bowl but not sure where you are going to watch it? Harrah’s Tunica Field House Sports Bar and the Tunica CVB are giving away a Super Bowl getaway that includes a $200 tab at the Field House inside of Harrah’s Tunica and 3 hotel rooms. The Field House has great food, cold beer and too many TV’s to count and is the perfect place for you and your friends to watch the big game. To enter, click on the photo below and fill out the entry form. That’s all it takes to be entered to win. Winner will be announced on January 21st.
CONTEST DETAILS/RULES
~ Entries must be RECEIVED by Sunday, January 20, 2013
~ Winners will be ANNOUNCED Monday, January 21, 2013
One entry per person is allowed. Must be 21 or older to win and be a legal U.S. resident. Winners will be randomly chosen from all submissions. Prizes are awarded by Harrah’s Casino Tunica and the Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau. Prizes do not include transportation. No prize substitutions allowed. Contest questions should be directed to the Tunica CVB Facebook page (Facebook.com/TunicaMS), Twitter page (@TunicaMS) or at DownTheRoad.TunicaTravel.com blog.
The biggest name in new table games for the casino industry is also a new name. SHFL Entertainment changed its name from Shuffle Master this fall. By any name, it always has new poker-based games in its mix.
For many families, a trip to Tunica at Christmastime is a tradition. Because most businesses are closed on Christmas, and the crazy shoppers are in full force making returns December 26, Tunica is your destination for relaxed fun that’s only a car ride away.
When the Global Gaming Expo rolls around every fall, the display floor is dominated by major slot manufacturers. You could spend days just trying new slot games — and I do spend most of two days doing just that.
But I like to reserve one day seeking out new table games. There are nowhere near as many new table games as there are slot games, and many of the table games designers have small booths on the back rows of the floor, far from the main action. But walking the floor sometimes allows you to uncover a gem.
You always can count on International Game Technology for an interesting twist on video poker. In the coming year, the twists will include games with new Ace-based multipliers and a marriage of poker and keno.
Tunica’s casino-hotels are getting into the holidays with themed giveaways and packages. With all the money being spent on gifts and parties during the holiday season, it’s nice to a have few extra chances to win or save on a meal in Tunica.
Whether you are wanting a low-key romantic evening with that someone special or looking to live it up with live music and balloon drops, this New Year’s Eve Tunica has something for everyone.
WMS Gaming has long been an innovator in slot machines, with games such as Jackpot Party and Reel ’Em In becoming casino standards, and Lord of the Rings, the Monopoly series and others taking gaming in new directions. But WMS has not been a major player in video poker, a field dominated by International Gaming Technology. WMS is trying to change that with a couple of new products, and one I find particularly intriguing is Winning Streak Poker.
From poker experts to foodies to the couple who wants an adventurous variety, there are ways for every kind of couple to enjoy themselves in Tunica.
Inspiration for new slot machine themes can come from anywhere. We’ve seen slots based on board games, movies, TV shows, rock bands—if it resonates with the public, it’s fair game. At the Global Gaming Expo, Spielo International introduced a line of slots based on popular online free-play games, while Aruze Gaming turned to classic literature.
It’s the season of giving, so Tunica’s Secret Santa is giving back to our wonderful fans! By commenting, liking or sharing our posts over the next 2 weeks, we’ll randomly choose winners of comps like one-night stays, fine dining dollars or free buffets.
Who’s it to be, Superman or Spider-Man? The Man of Steel from the planet Krypton, or the angsty young man with the radioactive spider bite? As a comic-book loving kid, it was Superman for me, but that was before Spidey really hit his stride.
When it comes to slot-playing time, either one can save your bonus in new games of heroic proportions.
I love a little skill in my games. That doesn’t mean I’m particularly good at applying the skill, but I love the feeling that I have an impact on whether I win or lose. International Game Technology has taken its popular Little Green Men theme and added a test of skill in a bonus event on Little Green Men: Cosmic Blaster.
At the annual Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, the major slot manufacturers always have the biggest, brightest, noisiest, busiest high-energy booths. Thousands of new games were on display this October, ready to impress the casino execs who decide what goes onto their slot floors.
A couple that are sure to draw crowds in the casinos, just as they drew crowds at G2E, are from Bally Technologies. Anyone who’s watched “Pawn Stars” on the History Channel is going to love the bargaining over bonuses on Bally’s Pawn Stars slot. It has multiple bonus events, including a wheel spin that shows just what event you’re going to play.
When you play video keno, how do you pick numbers? Do you have lucky numbers, like family birthday and anniversaries? Do you try to outguess the machine, either staying with or picking against numbers that just hit? Do you just guess randomly?
The last time I saw Betty Boop, the iconic cartoon flapper was the center of attention of Betty Boop’s Love Meter. That was one of the first Bally Technologies slot machines to incorporate its iDeck touch-screen technology where the button panel is on most machines. In one bonus event, you’d touch a hand outline on the panel, and the Love Meter would rise in the top box. The meter would rise from lovable to romantic to sexy to wild to smokin’ and beyond — the higher your Love Meter score, the bigger your bonus.
Do you Pin? If not, I’d highly recommend you check Pinterest out! It’s a highly addictive social media forum where you can find photos, recipes, and more of things that inspire you and share them with your friends! Many of us on Pinterest see all those pretty pictures of fabulous vacation spots and wish we were there, well now you can be
We have a chance for you to win a trip to Tunica which includes 2 nights hotel stay at a Tunica Casino hotel. Dinner for 2 at a fine dining restaurant at one of Tunica’s 9 casinos. Two buffet comps at a Tunica Casino Buffet. Choice of golf, $100 spa or $100 sporting clays at Willows. Dinner for 2 at the Hollywood Café along with $225 in gaming chips and and a gift basket from the Gateway to the Blues visitor center and gift shop!
Follow the steps below to enter ~
Step 1 – Follow TunicaMS on Pinterest.
Step 2 – Create a “Pin to Win in Tunica” board
Step 3 – Start pinning! Your board must have at least 15 pins.
Step 4 – Submit the URL on our contest page and hit submit. How easy is that?
For more information and contest rules click here. Contest ends on October 31, so get pinning!
[caption id="attachment_8842" align="alignright" width="188"] Harvest of Freeplay at Gold Strike[/caption]
During October, there are plenty of gaming promotions, giveaways, hotel savings and buffet specials to help you make the most of your fall visit.
Gaming and Giveaways
At Resorts, there will be a $10,000 football frenzy table games drawing October 27. At 9 p.m., 20 players will win $500: $250 in cash and $250 in promo chips. Earn one entry for every hour of continuous play ($5 minimum bet per hand). Entries can be earned until 6 p.m. the day of the drawing.
On Wednesdays at the Hollywood Casino, the Silver Screen Slot Tournament gives Club Hollywood members the chance to win a $2,500 tournament. Players only need to earn 25 points in one day to enter, and those 55+ only need 10 points. In giveaways, players at Hollywood can enter to win a car every Saturday in October in the Choose Your Hybrid Giveaway.
Veteran blackjack players no doubt have noticed a change in the last few years. Nearly all low-limit tables, even those that use multiple decks, now have the dealer hit soft 17.
Neither straight flushes nor four of a kinds are exactly common in video poker. But the foursomes come up more than 20 times as often as the straight flushes, and in games such as Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, Super Aces and more, all quads at least equal the straight flush payoff of 250 coins for a five-coin bet.
I’ve been giving you some tips about how to have some biker-style fun at Roadhouse, but now I’m wrapping up the Roadhouse spotlight with its main attraction. Use this guide to gaming at Roadhouse to see if you can be like one of the casino’s latest big winners who won $72,000 at the slots.
Picking roulette numbers rarely shifts into the realm of science. Much less than once in a blue moon, a player might discover a biased wheel, where some numbers come up more than you’d expect by random chance. But for all practical matters, roulette is a game of pure chance.
Fall is synonymous with back-to-school, so it’s only fitting that as we approach fall that we feature Tunica Roadhouse, a casino that offers the kind of fun that takes me back to my college days: beer pong, pool, darts, poker and mechanical bull riding (you have to see Whiskey the Bull in action).
Those who are serious about craps probably have looked at charts detailing the house edge on the pass line as the amount of free odds permitted increases. With no odds bet, the house has a 1.41 percent edge on pass. That drops to 0.8 percent with single odds, 0.6 percent with double odds, on down to 0.3 percent at 5x odds, 0.2 percent at 10x and a miniscule 0.02 percent at 100x odds.
When you play multihand video poker games such as Triple Play, Five Play and Ten Play Poker, part of the attraction is that you get multiple chances to make a high-paying hand on the draw. Hold two pairs, and maybe you don’t pull the full house on hand No. 1, but the possibilities are still there on the draw for the second hand, or third, or however many you play.
When casinos use continuous shufflers at blackjack tables, they eliminate the possibility of counting cards. You can’t get a handle on the relative proportions of high cards vs. low cards remaining to be played when cards that already have been dealt are shuffled back into play.
That doesn’t affect basic strategy. For non-counters, your best plays for hitting, standing, splitting pairs and doubling down are the same regardless of the method of shuffling.
The Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau has been informed that many of our hotel and casino properties have had inquiries regarding Hurricane Isaac’s effect on our area. Please note that the Tunica hospitality and tourism industry located in North Mississippi approximately 350 miles from the Gulf Coast will not be effected by Hurricane Isaac. We anticipate business as usual here in North Mississippi as we continue to prepare for the Labor Day weekend.
It’s hard to not be excited to talk about all the gaming options at a casino with the word “gold” right there in its name. With an award-wining slot machine selection, a team that will actually teach you how to play poker and high-rolling accommodations, Gold Strike is all about helping you find your pot of gold.
Slot jackpots occur randomly. There’s no way to tell when one might be coming. That goes for casino operators as well as for players. The people who run the casinos don’t know when the big hits are coming.
Still, a reader was taken aback when she heard what a casino employee said one night.
Streaks happen on the slot machines. They’re the product of random chance and normal probability, but they happen.
Problem is, they don’t happen in any predictable way. There’s no way to tell when a hot streak is going to come, and once we’re in one, there’s no way to tell when it might end. If players could predict either, we could make a lot of money.
Yesterday’s Closing Ceremony signified the end of this year’s Summer Olympics. You could wait four more years to experience the pageantry, drama and excitement of sport’s greatest showcase, or you could head on over to TunicaTravel.tv for an Olympics extravaganza that is totally Tunica.
This month, let’s explore what’s going on at Gold Strike. The resort includes a 50,000-square-foot casino, award-winning restaurants, the Millennium Theatre (which has featured performers such as Randy Travis and the Beach Boys), the Golden Reflections Spa and a convention center. I can’t wait to tell you about Gold Strike’s gaming, hotel and dining options as we move through the month. Fun fact: At 32 stories, it is known as one of the tallest buildings in Mississippi.
As you walk through Harrah’s impressive entryway, you’re instantly hit with the casino feel. The bead-like lighting is reminiscent of Las Vegas, and at 140,000 square feet, Harrah’s says it’s the largest casino between Vegas and Atlantic City. I can’t believe how many slots they have: more than 2,000! On top of that, they have 60 table games.
Sometimes splitting pairs in blackjack is about playing offense, getting in strong position to win two hands. Splitting 8s against a 6 is like that, with two hands starting with 8 that both are stronger beginnings than the dealer’s 6.
Nearly all video poker games are based on five-card draw poker. In licensed casinos, every electronic card in a 52-card electronic deck has an equal chance of appearing on every hand. That enables us to calculate odds telling us the big payoff on royal flushes occur once every 40,000 hands or so, depending on the game and our strategy.
For games with a low house edge, baccarat is about as easy as it gets. You choose whether to bet on the banker hand or the player hand. Whichever one comes closer to a total of 9 wins. The house edge of 1.06 percent on banker and 1.24 percent on player make it as close to an even deal as you’re going to get in a game that requires no strategy by the players.
If you’ve ever made a trip to Tunica, chances are you found yourself at Harrah’s Tunica at some point during your visit. Harrah’s Tunica is arguably the big man on campus when it comes to casino offerings. They’ve got a little bit of everything: golf, spa, shooting, meeting facilities, entertainment, dining, and, of course, gaming. And like all of the casinos in Tunica, Harrah’s offers a whole host of promotions designed to help visitors make the most of their trips.
Craps players who bet don’t pass face a slightly lower edge that pass players, 1.36 percent vs. 1.41 percent. And just as pass players can reduce the edge by reserving a portion of their bets for free odds, don’t pass players reduce the house edge by laying the odds.
Resorts Casino Tunica is the home of real winners, real employees, real service and real fun. But it’s also the home of real rewards. Resorts gives you plenty of reasons to head down the road for a visit. The casino offers great promotions, a wide variety of gaming options and dining options sure to please every taste bud. The only thing that could make taking part in all of the fun better is to be rewarded for it, and Resorts Destination Casino Club does just that.
Sometimes it can drive a person crazy when a holiday falls in the middle of the week, but not this time. This 4th of July lands on a Wednesday giving you something to do all week in Tunica. Plus, if you’re like me you can use vacation to make it an extra long weekend before or after! That’s a Jackpot in my books! Here’s a list of the week’s activities:
As I promised last time, today’s post is all about the food. I have no problem sampling the latest trendy food offerings, and I’ll eat any ethnic cuisine you send my way. But in my heart, I’m a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, which is why the dining options at Resorts Casino Tunica are tailor-made for folks like me.
Among the common rules variations in blackjack, 6-5 payoffs on two-card 21s is by far the toughest on players. Paying only 6-5 instead of 3-2 on blackjacks costs 1.39 percent, an amount larger than the entire house edge against a basic strategy player at most blackjack tables. Take a run-of-the-mill six-deck game where the dealer stands on all 17s, the player is allowed to double down after splitting pairs and may resplit pairs up to three times for a total of four hands. The house edge is only 0.41 percent.
The two most commonly rolled point numbers in craps are 6 and 8. Of 36 possible two-dice combinations, five add up to 6 and five add up to 8. The only more frequently rolled number is 7, with six combinations, but that’s a losing number to most players.
Resorts Casino Tunica got a new beginning when the Foundation Gaming Group assumed operation of the casino here last November. Now, six months later, Resorts has been transformed as a result of a renovation project undertaken by the ownership group.
Last time in my casino spotlight, I shared with you all of the ways that Resorts Casino Tunica makes your hard-earned dollars go farther thanks to their generous promotions. This week, I’m telling you how to spend that money on the casino floor. Resorts has 35,000 square feet of gaming space, so if you can’t find a game that interests you, you might just need to give up gaming. From video poker to blackjack, you’ll find all the action at Resorts Tunica.
My email recently brought a question from a video poker player who sounded like he’d probably had a tough run of luck. “Can a video poker game be manipulated so that is shows a 9-6 game but gives a reduced payout?” he asked. “Is there a legal way for the casino to lower the payout or restrict certain hands from appearing and still display the traditional pay table?”
Next up on our great Tunica casino tour is Resorts Casino Tunica. Resorts offers 35,000 square feet of gaming space and more than 200 comfortable hotel rooms, providing visitors with plenty of space, whether they are trying their luck or taking it easy. And if bigger is better, than the sheer number of promotions that Resorts has going on during June might just make Resorts the best bet in Tunica.
Experienced video poker players know to check pay tables before they play. Higher pay tables mean higher long-term returns, although anything can happen in a short session.
All video poker games are available in several pay tables. Casinos choose which versions they want to install. In Double Bonus Poker, for example, players refer to the top-of-the-line pay table as 10-7-5 Double Bonus, because it pays 10-for-1 on full houses, 7-for-1 on flushes and 5-for-1 on straights.
Caribbean Stud Poker is a game that gives players a hint as they decide whether to fold or make a bet twice the size of their initial ante. The dealer turns one of his or her cards face up.
When it comes to deals, there may not be a better deal in Tunica than the $35 bed and breakfast special at Fitz Casino & Hotel Tunica. Every Sunday through Thursday enjoy one of Fitz’s comfortable rooms at a special rate. Plus rise and shine to a complimentary breakfast for two – all for just $35. Click here to learn more.
One of the things blackjack card counters look for is penetration — the proportion of cards put into play between shuffles. Counters want to see more cards dealt. When the count is favorable, the last thing a counter wants to see is a shuffle.
Regular gamblers know the value of loyalty programs, but I have to admit that I was a little late to the game. I didn’t want another card in my wallet, didn’t want to have to register. And it was Fitz Casino & Hotel Tunica’s Key Rewards Players Club Card that really let me know how shortsighted I was being, because loyalty programs are one of the best parts of the gaming experience.
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