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BLACKJACK PLAYERS FACE MANY CHOICES BEYOND STRATEGY

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

A.C. says:

Most discussions about blackjack involve playing strategies, usually focusing on basic strategy. This article talks about other fundamental considerations that lead to better results, especially for beginners. Author John Grochowski correctly points out that the proper choices in the situations addressed will be different for experts who are playing with an advantage, but beginners who heed the advice to play at full tables, at games with fewer decks, etc. will benefit. Not all of the rules are absolute, so read carefully. Good stuff here.

This article was written by John Grochowski in association with 888Casino.

BLACKJACK PLAYERS FACE MANY CHOICES BEYOND STRATEGY

Player choices make a difference in blackjack, regardless of whether you’re playing online blackjack or in a live casino. That’s one of the keys to the game’s long-standing popularity.

The most obvious choices that make a difference come in blackjack strategy. Do you hit or stand. Should you double down? Should you split a pair?

Basic strategy can be your guide to those options, but there are choices beyond playing strategy that make a difference in your chances to win or lose.

Is it better to play at a crowded table or an empty one? Are fewer decks always better for players? Those are among the choices players face in addition to blackjack strategy once the game is underway.

Let’s explore some of the decisions blackjack players must make.

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ANALYZING SOME KEY COMBINATIONS IN VIDEO POKER

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

A.C. says:

Certain decisions in video poker are particularly problematic. Among them are hold choices that involve high cards and suited 10s. The cost of these errors is often low, but players should strive to make as few mistakes as possible. The “Adjacent Rule” is a good crib for making the proper plays in these instances. And if you learn nothing else from this article, you should know now that, with the exception of a high progressive royal flush, you should never hold a suited ace and 10. 

This article was written by Henry Tamburin in association with 888Casino.

ANALYZING SOME KEY COMBINATIONS IN VIDEO POKER

When playing Jacks or Better, one of the hands that usually confuse players is when there is a suited high card and a suited 10 along with another unsuited high card. For example, how would you play this hand?

Jh 3d Qs 10h 6c

You have two playing decisions to consider:

Hold the suited J-10 of hearts and discard the unsuited Q.
Hold the unsuited J-Q and discard the 10.

The correct play (the one with the higher expected value, or EV) is to hold the unsuited J-Q and discard the 10. Here’s why.

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CASHING IN: SOME OF HISTORY’S BIGGEST CASINO WINS

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says:

Changing gears from the typical strategy-based articles in this series, this one is a quick read that describes some famous big wins by some famous gamblers. These are all good stories, but they’re only abbreviated versions of isolated incidents. With the exception of Johanna Heundi, whose jackpot came on a Megabucks machine, much more has been written about these players. One of the best sources for stories about Kerry Packer is our book Whale Hunt in the Desert—Secrets of a Vegas Superhost. An entire chapter on Don Johnson is included in our soon-to-be published book, The Advantage Players,  (written by the author of this article). For more on Billy Walters, check out the book cited in the article or read the chapter about him in Gambling Wizards—Conversations with the World’s Greatest Gamblers. 

This article was written by Michael Kaplan in association with 888Casino.

CASHING IN: SOME OF HISTORY’S BIGGEST CASINO WINS

We all hope to hit it big at the casino. For most of us, winning a few thousand dollars would be the dream come true. Then there are those who lived the dream writ large. They won millions instead of thousands, and the payoffs were life changing. Making these victories even more special, they got snagged in single sessions, not over the course of multiple nights spent grinding it out.

What does it take to rack up a jaw-dropping win? Sometimes, you need strategy and a knowledge of the game you’re playing. Always, there looms the unpredictable luck factor, which invariably plays a key role in massive payoffs at the tables. And finally, since one never knows when luck will strike, there is something to be said for putting up the money and being game to go for it.

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BLACKJACK PLAYS THAT FEEL WRONG CAN BE SO RIGHT

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says:

Blackjack is the subject, but the advice in this article applies to all gambling games. When there’s one correct play and you’ve been told what it is, you’re costing yourself money every time you do something else. This comes up in video poker all the time, when players reason their way out of making the correct play. I can’t count all the times I’ve been asked for the correct play and given the answer, only for the player to wave it off and do something else. Amazing! You may desire an explanation that you can get your head around, but you don’t need one. One of my favorite stories is blackjack expert Ken Uston being asked for a reason that a certain play should be made. Uston answered simply, “Because the computer says so.” You’ll recognize some of the blackjack plays in the article that you’ve probably wondered about. You don’t need the explanations, but author John Grochowski obliges anyway.

This article was written by John Grochowski in association with 888Casino.

BLACKJACK PLAYS THAT FEEL WRONG CAN BE SO RIGHT

Learning basic strategy at blackjack is one thing. Internalizing it so it becomes second nature can be quite another.

The problem is that some blackjack strategy plays seem to defy common sense regardless of whether you’re playing online blackjack or in a live casino. As one player asked at a seminar I gave, “How can a play be so right when it feels so wrong?”

How can hitting hard 16 be the right play when there’s such a large chance of busting? How can splitting 8s against a dealer’s 10 be the right play when you could wind up with two 18s losing to a 20? How can doubling down on 11 when the dealer has a 10 face up be the right play when you can’t hit if you draw a low card and the dealer could be sitting with 20?

It’s enough to give you a queasy feeling even while you make the best play.

But they are the right plays. All casino games are grounded in math. Basic strategy takes into account all possible outcomes and calculates the play that, on average, yields the best chance to win.

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PLAYING YOUR HANDS AGAINST A DEALER’S 7 UPCARD

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC Says:
Here’s another of Henry Tamburin’s basic strategy primers, this one covering play against a dealer 7. The most important rule is to hit stiffs until you have at least 17. Many players are less inclined to hit vs. a 7 than against a ten, which is backward. And as pointed out, standing will result in losing the hand 74% of the time. I believe that memorizing a standard basic strategy table is an easier way to learn than with this presentation. However, it’s a good added learning tool to hammer in basic, which you must be able to play perfectly before advancing to card-counting strategies.

This article was written by Henry Tamburin in association with 888Casino.

PLAYING YOUR HANDS AGAINST A DEALER’S 7 UPCARD

When a dealer shows a 7 upcard, she has about a 26% chance of busting and about a 74% chance of getting to a final hand that totals 17 through 21 (rule dependent). Because of the latter, we have to be more aggressive when we are dealt a stiff hand (hit rather than stand) and less aggressive when we are dealt a two-card soft hand (hit rather than double down).

What follows is the accurate blackjack playing strategy for any hand when the dealer shows a 7 upcard.

Fortunately for blackjack players, the playing strategy against a casino dealer’s 7 upcard is nearly the same for any number of decks of cards or mix of playing rules. There is one exception and you’ll find it below.

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SAVING MONEY AT THE CASINOS IS A GOOD THING

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says:

The theme of this article is losing less. Good theme. Making moves to lose less is the same as comparison shopping for goods, services, and entertainment. In blackjack, the advice is to learn basic strategy and limit your exposure to the house edge by playing at full tables where you’ll play fewer hands. Check and check on that advice (there’s also a bonus bathroom play that makes sense). The advice is similar for craps. There’s an unexplained strategy of the author betting more on himself (and partners). I assume this has to do with the idea of controlled dice rolling. That’s a different subject that won’t be pertinent to the majority of readers of this article, although I do like the suggestion that you roll the dice when given the opportunity (it’s fun). The roulette strategy of sticking to even-money bets doesn’t change the house edge, but reduces the variance while playing, so sessions will tend to last longer.

This article was written by Frank Scoblete in association with 888Casino.

SAVING MONEY AT THE CASINOS IS A GOOD THING

I am a conservative player and I play all the time. Many trips of mine to the glamorous casino cities and counties can last upwards of 130 days. I am very much aware that what I am doing is flirting with Lady Luck and that the casino has structured its games to beat me and every other player now, and then, and usually always.

This fact I must battle as best I can. And I do. All casino players must do this. That is our lot in gaming life.

I look at playing in two ways. One is to save money as best I can by approaching games in such a way as I am not spending as much of my hard-earned cash as the casino would like me to. Second is to play the best strategies the best way that I can. That means I eliminate games that I just can’t really see myself beating in any decent amount of time. In short, the long run is the casinos’ territory.

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WRONG BETTING: A CRAPS PLAYER’S  GUIDE TO THE ‘DARK SIDE’

WRONG BETTING: A CRAPS PLAYER'S  GUIDE TO THE 'DARK SIDE'

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says:

The focus of this article is betting the don’t side in craps, but the coverage also explains how the pass side works. The main takeaway is that betting the don’t side, even though most crap players bet the other way with the shooter, is usually the way to play with the lowest house edge. The chart clearly makes that point and is a good reference for finding the house edges on those bets. The article doesn’t cover prop bets, which have much higher house edges. Note that there are a couple of editing mistakes. In the fourth paragraph under “Don’t Pass,” it should state that pass bettors lose if the comeout roll is a 12. And in the third paragraph under “Don’t Place or Lay Bets,” the sentence should be completed with … $20 to win $10 against 4 or 10.

This article was written by John Grochowski in association with 888Casino.

WRONG BETTING: A CRAPS PLAYER’S  GUIDE TO THE ‘DARK SIDE’

For many players, the prospect of winning together is part of the fun in playing craps and most players bet with the shooter. But some players simply want the best odds for their money and in craps, that comes with betting opposite the shooter.

Wager including don’t pass, don’t come, lay bets, and don’t place bets are collectively known as the “Dark Side,” and those who make them sometimes are called “wrong” bettors as opposed to “right” bettors who bet with the shooter.

If anything, playing the Dark Side is easier for online casino players than for those who play craps at live casinos. Online craps players don’t have to endure taunts or glares from those betting the other way.

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THE FACTS ON HITTING A ROYAL FLUSH AT VIDEO POKER

THE FACTS ON HITTING A ROYAL FLUSH AT VIDEO POKER

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says:

Video poker players will like this article. Many players know the commonly cited statistic that a royal flush occurs about once in 40,000 hands on average. But beyond that, the related numbers are less known. This article by Henry Tamburin puts these numbers all in one place, both the frequency of being dealt X number of cards to the royal flush and the odds of hitting it. One interesting fact within is that it’s almost twice as likely to get a royal on a 5-card redraw than on the initial deal (the redraw comes from a pack of 47 cards that are minus five that won’t complete a royal). There’s also some bonus info at the top of the article regarding how video poker games select and deal the cards that appear on the screen.

This article was written by Henry Tamburin in association with 888Casino.

THE FACTS ON HITTING A ROYAL FLUSH AT VIDEO POKER

Let’s face it. What all video poker players hope (and pray) for is that the next hand will give them a royal flush because that results in an immediate 4,000 coin payoff. But did you ever wonder what the chance that this will happen when you hold, say, four cards to a royal flush? How about holding three cards to a royal? And what is the chance of being dealt a royal flush on the initial deal? I’ve summarized the answers to these questions below and they may surprise you.

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BE CAREFUL THAT 9/6 VIDEO POKER IS WHAT YOU THINK IT IS

BE CAREFUL THAT 9/6 VIDEO POKER IS WHAT YOU THINK IT IS

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says:

The information in this article is something all beginners need to know. Many start with the knowledge that 9/6 Jacks or Better is the gold standard (it is to some degree, but there are higher-returning schedules) and understand that the 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush are the key numbers. But then they assume that all 9/6 games are good. As pointed out in the article, the 9/6 on a Double Bonus game drops the return to 97.8%, about 1.75% below the JoB return, and other 9/6 variations drop similarly. You have to be sure you’re playing 9/6 JoB (or 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe returning 99.64%, which can be found), or the expected return is likely lower than you think it is. More good advice comes in the warning to look at the entire schedule, even on games labeled “Jacks or Better.” Some, especially on denoms below 25¢, have short-pay royal flushes, e.g., 2,500 coins instead of 4,000. No bueno!

This article was written by Jerry Stich in association with 888Casino.

BE CAREFUL THAT 9/6 VIDEO POKER IS WHAT YOU THINK IT IS

Many video poker players are aware that pay tables vary based on the type of game. Many video poker players know that the pay table for a specific game can also vary. They also know that most pay tables can be identified based on two lines in the pay table. These two lines are the pays for a full house and a flush. They represent the x-for-1 pay amount. For example, if a full house pays 8-for-1 and a flush pays 5-for-1, the pay table is commonly referred to as 8/5.

At one time – years ago – there were very few different video poker games. Jacks or Better was among the earliest video poker games available. Pay tables in the early video poker era tended to be quite generous. Almost all Jacks or Better games paid nine coins (yes, coins. Early games only took coins or tokens) for each coin bet for a full house and six coins for each coin bet for a flush.

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CELEBRITY GAMBLERS: HITTING THE CASINOS WHILE OFF SCREEN

CELEBRITY GAMBLERS: HITTING THE CASINOS WHILE OFF SCREEN

This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says:

This is a light read discussing the gambling proclivities of five celebrities. We’ve written about all five in the Las Vegas Advisor and these portraits ring true. The word is that Ben Affleck is a good blackjack and poker player, though his described blackjack betting style could use some subtlety. The “syndicate” Ashton Kutcher refers to is most likely the Billy Walters group; Kutcher’s involvement (using aliases) is chronicled in the book The Smart Money. Barkley is pretty much considered a hot mess when it comes to his casino escapades, but he’s always been up-front about it. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. likes to Tweet out his winning tickets, but you never see the losers. Tiger Woods has been labeled as a somewhat notoriously bad tipper. With regard to Affleck’s over-tipping, we wrote the following in 2003: “The gossip rags love it, but the pairing of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez hasn’t been well-received by Las Vegas dealers. It seems that Lopez, who is commonly referred to as ‘J.Lo,’ has put the clamps on Affleck’s legendary toking largesse. Ms. Lopez is now referred to in the dealing community as ‘Pay-Lo.’”

This article was written by Michael Kaplan in association with 888Casino.

CELEBRITY GAMBLERS: HITTING THE CASINOS WHILE OFF SCREEN

Gambling is a great leveler. Whether rich or poor, famous or anonymous, we all like to have a little something riding on the turn of a card or the outcome of a sporting event. In that regard, celebrities are just like the rest of us – albeit, to a degree. They like to gamble, they deal with ups and downs, they do everything in their power to win. 

That said, things get different when you factor in sums on the line and notoriety attached to their wins or losses. Wagers are eye widening and reports of money on the line make headlines. Here then are some of the world’s most famous people who like to gamble big, what they play and how they handle outcomes.

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