Tag: strategy

Video Poker Strategy: Partial Flushes

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.

Switching Strategy in Blackjack

Basic strategy players know there’s a best average play for every hand in blackjack. That’s what you’ll find in strategy charts online and in books.

When Should You Surrender in Blackjack?

One challenge facing blackjack players is that the rules aren’t precisely the same in one casino as another, or even sometimes at one table as opposed to another in the same casino.

There are a number of optional rules, including late surrender, which after the dealer checks to see if he has blackjack, allows you to give up half your bet instead of playing it beyond your first two cards.

Don’t Make These Blackjack Mistakes

When I learned blackjack basic strategy about 30 years ago, the plays others made were real eye-openers to me.

Players today are better than they once were. I don’t see anywhere near as many mistakes at the table. But I do still see some doozies. Here are a few I’ve seen in the last few months, at six-deck games in which the dealer hits soft 17.

How Do You Win More Than You Lose in Roulette?

There are so many possibilities in roulette, it’s easy to design a system that wins more often than it loses.  Problem is, when the losses come, they’re much larger than the wins and wipe out any profit – and then some.

Is There an Advantage to Playing Two Machines at Once?

When I first started to play in casinos, I used to see many slot players taking two or more machines at a time. I even saw a woman playing an entire row, starting the reels spinning on each machine, not waiting to see the results until she returned to each machine in her rotation.

Mississippi Stud Poker Straight Strategy

In any game where strategy makes a difference, there are fine points and there are players who struggle with small differences.

One such game is Mississippi Stud Poker, in which players must ante to start, then may raise by betting one to three times their ante after seeing their first two cards, again after seeing the first of three community cards and a third time after the second community card is exposed.

Why Should You Follow Basic Strategy in Blackjack?

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.

$5 Single Hand Games vs $1 Triple Play in Video Poker

Sizing your bets properly and making sure you don’t overbet your bankroll are important parts of playing any casino game. Sometimes there are tax considerations, too. A video poker player wrote to me recently to ask advice on playing $5 single-hand games vs. $1 Triple Play.

To Follow or Not to Follow Basic Strategy in Blackjack

Basic strategy charts tell blackjack players the play that’s best for them in every player vs. dealer situation. Those who count cards amend basic strategy to fit the composition of the remaining deck, but for most of us, basic strategy is a solid guide.

Slots Paying Early vs. Late In The Game

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.

Splitting 5’s In Blackjack And Why It’s a No-No

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.

What are Commissions in Craps?

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.

 

A Blackjack Streak Too Crazy to be Real

Players often send me tales of streaks at the tables, but they’re usually winning streaks. A reader named Mike sent me something a little different.

“I have a streak story for you,” he wrote. “ I was playing blackjack in Laughlin a few years ago, there were four players, and we all get pat 20s. The dealer has a 10 up and turns over a face card, so a push, with 10 10-values  in a row.

How Does a Multi-Bet Format Affect the House Edge in Mississippi Stud?

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.

Odds When Playing Roulette vs Slots

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.

Busting at Blackjack in Tunica Mississippi

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.


Video Poker Are The Odds Against You

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.

How To Choose A Video Blackjack Machine

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.

Is The House Edge Lower In Baccarat?

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.

Should You Change Your Betting Strategy in Craps?

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.

Are Progressive Jackpots A Better Bet in Video Poker?

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.

Placing Bets In Roulette

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.

How To Bet In Craps For Higher Wins

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.

Hot Streaks, Are They For Real?

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?”

Get the Most from Caribbean Stud Poker

When I started going to casinos, the selection of table games was pretty basic. There were blackjack, craps, roulette and baccarat. Some casinos had Big Six money wheels, and sometimes you’d see Red Dog or other change-of-pace games.

New Table Games from SHFL Entertainment

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.

New Table Game, BJ-Bac

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.

Introducing NASCAR and Pawn Star Slots from Bally

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.

To Hit or Not To Hit: 16 v. 7, Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack basic strategy sometimes calls on us to make plays that make players a little queasy. When dealt 16 while the dealer has a 7 face up, we know the right play is to hit, yet we also know we’re going to bust more often than not.

Aces In the Hole? Don’t Press Your Luck – Video Poker Strategy

Double Double Bonus Poker is the game of choice for many video poker players, and it’s not hard to understand why. There’s a 2,000-coin jackpot for four Aces accompanied by a fifth card that’s a 2, 3 or 4. On a quarter machine, that’s a $500 bonanza, a nice payday for a $1.25 bet.

Playing Opposites in Roulette

On a busy night in a crowded casino, I sat at a coffee shop counter and overheard a man and a woman planning their roulette attack. One would bet red, the other black. Wins would balance losses. They wouldn’t lose any money, but they’d get their comps for free.

Or so they thought.

Can Slot Machines Be “Due”?

A woman once phoned me, certain a slot machine had been rigged. She usually played roulette, she explained, but on this occasion was taking a chance on a $5 slot machine. She’d lost a couple of thousand dollars, then went to an ATM and withdrew a few thousand more. And she lost THAT.

“I hadn’t hit ANYTHING,” she told me. “I was SURE it was due.”

Baccarat — a Good Bet with No Complicated Strategies

The casino games that give you the best chance to win almost always come with a catch — You have to master strategies or at least learn a little about the game to get the most out of it.

All in the Timing

Have you ever left a slot machine, only to see another player sit down and hit a jackpot? Does the thought make you squirm just a little? Shouldn’t that have been YOUR jackpot?

How to Pick Higher-Paying Video Poker Machines

There’s no way to look at the outside of a slot machine and tell which is a high-payer and which returns less to players. Two identical-looking slot machines can sit side by side and have radically different payback percentages.

Manage Your Money and Get the Most from Winning

A woman wrote to me to say that she was embarrassed. She’d drawn every video poker player’s dream hand — a royal flush that was worth $1,000 on a 25-cent machine. But she decided she’d use “their” money to chase even bigger riches. She moved up to dollar video poker and slot machines, and in a few hours she had lost every penny.