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. This is normally a 96.79% game before you include the progressives, which is fairly typical for a nickel pay schedule.
Continue reading Too Good to be TrueRichard Munchkin and I were sent review copies of this book in order for us to determine if we wanted the author on our Gambling with an Edge podcast. It turned out I liked the book very much, recommend it, but don’t feel it’s appropriate for the show.
There is some gambling-related content to the book, but generally these are anecdotes about gamblers who cheated. Some of the anecdotes I had heard before. Some I hadn’t. But these kinds of anecdotes don’t lend themselves to follow-up questions.
Continue reading A Look at Cheaters Always Win by J. M. FensterTo get the most out of the January Promotion of the Month at South Point, you need to play $8,000 in coin-in, four days a week. For every $2,000 coin-in played, you get a virtual spin. In the past, this virtual spin has averaged more than $12, which adds 0.60% to the return. Since this is normally a slot club worth 0.30%, for four days a week you get triple points for the first $8,000 coin-in. (This would be equivalent to 9x points at casinos that offer a 0.10% slot club).
Playing $8,000 coin-in a day is an impossible amount for nickel single-line players, and no-big-deal to $5 and higher players. The question is: What games do they have that combine a decent return and enough coin-in per play that it won’t take you all day to do it?
Continue reading Ace versus JT in 9-5 Super Double BonusCompetent Double Double Bonus players know that from a hand like A♠ A♥ A♣ 4♦ 7♠, the correct play is AAA and not AAA4. Players might be tempted to hold AAA4 because four aces with a 2, 3, or 4 (a kicker) in this game receive 2,000 coins and four aces with any other fifth card “only” receive 800 coins.
Sometimes, however, there are one or more progressives on this game. If there is only one progressive, it’s usually on the royal flush. The second progressive goes on four aces with a kicker (AWAK). There can also be progressives on aces without a kicker, and sometimes other hands as well.
Continue reading When to Hold a Kicker in Double Double Bonus ProgressiveOn the videopoker.com forum, a player recently wrote about coming across a quarter Five Play Super Times Play machine that consistently had a 5x multiplier. Every hand. He milked it for 45 minutes or so for almost $4,000 and left — happy to get away undetected.
Let’s say, however, that you want to milk the machine as long as it lasts. How would you go about doing it?
Continue reading How Would You Do It?This past December 1-8, Sunday to Sunday, Bonnie and I cruised the Mexican Riviera aboard the Norwegian Joy. We have taken this same cruise at the end of the year several times because:
1. Our main purposes in cruising are relaxing and dancing, so the ports aren’t particularly important.
Continue reading Cruising on a “Contaminated” ShipI’ve found a bank of four machines where sometimes the progressives are playable. I’m intentionally changing the details a bit because I wish to instruct players but not give away the exact location of the play.
As is my wont, every time I think the progressive is high enough and I’m the only player (which is a common occurrence for graveyard players but not so common for daytime players), I check the meters. For a machine with one or more progressives, I write down the amounts, $20 through the machine, and then I see how much the meters has changed. If it’s a 1% meter, the sum of the meters will have gone up 20¢. If it’s a half-percent meter, 10¢.
Continue reading Checking the MeterI was playing 25¢ Five Play 9/6 Jacks or Better Multi Strike at the South Point during their “Half Price Amazon Gift Cards” promotion in November. A friend, “George”, sat down next to me. And later still his wife joined us.
I didn’t notice how much George put in to start. Early on he hit a $1,000 royal flush on the bottom line and then later a $250 four-of-a-kind on an 8x line.
Continue reading You Want Me to Play to Lose $100?There are many casinos with promotions where the player can earn extra drawing tickets during certain periods, such as 5x tickets during 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, or perhaps 10x tickets all day Tuesday.
To the player, whether 5x drawing tickets is worth more or less than 2x points depends on the value of each. You can usually figure out exactly how much 2x points is worth and it will always be an estimate of how much 5x drawing tickets is worth.
Continue reading Multiple Drawing EntriesI recently received an email from a slot director with whom I’m friendly. It read:
I’ve had a number of customers ask me what banks in Las Vegas are gambler friendly, meaning they understand how “professional gambler” is an actual profession and as such, banks would be used to multiple deposits, withdrawals etc. in varying amounts and timing.
Continue reading Dealing with Money