I was playing video poker at a Dotty’s — a chain of 15-machine bar/casinos where I can still eke out an edge. I was playing high stakes for there ($50 a hand) at about 4 a.m. one Sunday morning, sitting off in a corner where the rest of the place spread out before me. Directly […]
Posts in category Advantage Play
Travel and Birthday savings
The corona virus is the hottest news topic lately. This post isn’t to discuss the Corona 19 virus but to discuss how it is affecting travel and travel costs. I have a trip to Las Vegas on 3/19 – 3/24. Because March Madness is going on, rental car prices were pretty high. I was around […]
The 24th Annual Blackjack Ball
Recently in Las Vegas, more than 60 of the sharpest blackjack players from around the world, with a few other successful gamblers invited as well, got together with their guests for an evening of socializing, drinking champagne, and competing against each other. We voted to select the newest member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame. […]
Is it Good for Me or Good for Us?
Not too long ago, here I wrote an article about when to hold a kicker to three aces while playing a Double Double Bonus progressive. The thumbnail conclusion was that if four aces pay 800 coins, and the aces-with-a-kicker (AWAK) progressive is at least 2285 coins, from a hand like AAA53, you should hold AAA3. […]
What Time Is It?
It was approaching midnight recently as I played a progressive at a Las Vegas casino. This was a casino that changed multipliers every day, and today I was receiving the highest possible multiplier. Tomorrow my multiplier was likely to be smaller. It didn’t have to be, but I wouldn’t know what it would be until […]
The Math is Meaningless!
An interesting article was recently published by FrankB on the gamblingwithanedge.com blog. (I think of that page as “my page” because GWAE is “my show.” In fact, I’m only a co-host on the show and one of many gambling experts who publish on that page — which is hosted by Anthony Curtis’ Las Vegas Advisor. […]
It’s Not About Trying
I was teaching an NSU Deuces Wild (the 16-10-4-4-3 version that returns 99.73% with perfect play), and was discussing the hand 3♥ 5♥ 7♥ K♣ Q♣. The correct play, by a mile, is to hold the hearts. One player raised his hand and said: “But just what are you trying to get holding the hearts? […]
No Time to Panic!
I recently entered a local casino shortly after 4 a.m. and swiped my card at the kiosk. On the screen read words to the effect of “Unable to Access Your Card at This Time!” I swiped at an adjacent kiosk and received the same message. This could mean several things. One possibility was that the […]
One in 288 Million Hands
I regularly see and hear what players perceive as rare events taking place in casinos. Usually it’s something in the mid six-figure to one shots. A dealt royal is roughly 650,000 to 1 for example. As tough as that is, you see that now and then and may have even had one yourself. Last month […]
Too Good to be True
Somebody sent me this photo of what was undoubtedly a casino mistake. It was sent several weeks before the publish date of this article, so there’s no chance of it still being around. But it’s worth discussing anyway. There is a bank of eight machines with a nickel 8/5 Double Double Bonus progressive poker game. […]
Never miss another post