Wheel of Fortune Slot Machines
March 9, 2008
If you have ever seen the slot machine Wheel of Fortune at your local casino then you probably know just how popular it is. I have seen players waiting nearly an hour just to get a sit for the chance to take a few pulls and a chance to win grand prizes. Since the game is so popular we figured we would take a look at the payback percentages on these machines, the frequency of payoffs, and how often a bonus spin appears for the play. The game is produced by International Game Technologies and is...
Tic Tac Toe Chicken Challenge
March 9, 2008
Maybe you have heard the rumor of the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken Challenge that has been played at the Tropicana in Atlantic City and Trump 29 in Palm Springs. Sure enough, this is a real game that you can play at both of these fine establishments, but before you go jumping into the mix you might want to read the rest of this article by Mark Pilarski. Ginger, the chicken extraordinaire is the name that two casinos have given the animal that I know of have used to cook the goose of many intrepids who wanted...
How Do Casinos Make Money
March 9, 2008
It seems pretty obvious that casinos make money. I mean how else would they build the fancy hotels and spend so much money luring the player into their pits. There are some of you out there though who look at this and still don’t understand how it is done, so this article focuses on how casinos make their money. Casinos make money on their games because of the mathematics behind the games. The house has a well-calculated advantage on each and every bet wagered. If they didn’t have...
Baseball Method for Playing Slots
March 9, 2008
The essence of the baseball method for playing slots is the philosophy of three strikes and you’re out. If you pull the handle three straight times, and if lose on every single pull then it’s time to move to another machine. What this method does is prevent you from losing oodles of money to any one specific machine that is in a losing cycle. When you move along after three pulls with no winning results, you never become a prisoner to one machine-which has a huge built-in mathematical...
Rake on Three Card Poker Hands
March 9, 2008
There are some Indian casinos out there who offer 3-card poker but make you pay 50 cents per hand just to get in on the action. They sometimes try to get away with this tactic by telling players that the odds on three-card poker are so good that this is the only way for them to make any money. Our casino expert Mark Pilarski says this is a bunch of hogwash.In poker, the fifty cent juice per hand is called the rake; money that the casino charges for each hand of poker. It is usually a percentage...
Good Books for Learning Poker
March 8, 2008
If you are a newbie to poker and want to learn the rules and some general strategies then you should check out the book for dummies, called Poker for Dummies. Because one of its authors is Lou Kreiger (I am a longtime fan of his witticism and knowledge), I give it an enthusiastic thumb’s up. Poker for Dummies will show you systematically how to bet, bluff, and play your way to the top, from seven-card stud, to Omaha, to Texas Hold’em. Read it, and you’ll be a dummy no more.Now...
Man Bets Life Saving on One Roulette Spin
March 8, 2008
Back in 2006 there was a man who on live television walked into a casino in Las Vegas, and bet his entire life savings. This caught a lot of attention in the news, because it was such a large wager and that it was so odd for someone to risk it all. Mark Pilarski weighs in on his thoughts. The person who did this was Ashley Revell, who put up his entire net worth of $135,300 on red at the roulette table while a British film crew recorded the event. However, it was not live as your question suggests,...
What is a String Raise?
March 8, 2008
At our newly formed Thursday night poker club, I was informed that I couldn’t call a bet, and then raise. I used these words; “I’ll call your $20, and raise you another $20.” Someone objected and said that I couldn’t do that. I have seen this form of betting many times before, so enlighten me, am I wrong? Jeb S. Where you have seen “I’ll call your twenty, partner, then after a swig of JD, the gambler utters, I’ll raise you another twenty” is...
Table Games Etiquette
March 8, 2008
For those who have never played a table game before, this section is for you. It will benefit everybody if you know the basics of gambling protocol before you sit down for the first time. Few things are more annoying than a beginner at a table who doesn’t know what to do and has to be told everything several times by the dealer. Before your first time at a table game ask if your casino offers gaming instructions. Many will give a tour of all the major games, explaining the rules and how to...
Single Deck Blackjack - Common Rules & House Edge
March 8, 2008
It seems like single deck blackjack games are becoming more common once again, but the trend in some casinos is to make the payoffs for blackjack 6:5 instead of the customary 3:2. Keep reading to see how this affects the overall dealer advantage. We advice players to play single deck blackjack games because if you play using perfect basic strategy on a single deck game the house edge shrinks to a meager 0.15%. Most casinos used to have single deck 3:2 games. But today, they are rarities, replaced...