New Guide to Online Slots

In my time writing about casinos, there has been tremendous change in the games people play and how we play them.

When I started all this, slots had three mechanical reels.Video slots were in their infancy. Online play? There was no Internet. Home computers were for a few hobbyists.

Today, video slots are the kings in brick-and-mortar casinos, and their descendents, online slots, are thriving in many jurisdictions.

How do those online slots work? What do you need to know to play? That's the subject of my Ultimate Guide to Online Slots, new at https://www.johnslots.com/en/the-ultimate-guide-to-online-slots/

For the record, I'm not the "John" in "johnslots." It's a site that's all about the online slot experience, and they approached me to write their guide.

How does the house get its edge in online slots? How can you be sure the games are random? What's the difference between coin slots and online slots?

To explore those topics and much more, check out the guide.

The Reel Deal on Slot Odds

I've taken on a couple of new projects of late, and one was writing a 2,000-word, illustrated blog entry on slot machine odds and how they work for 888ladies.com. It's their first slot machine entry to go with a main focus on bingo.

Slot fans will find it fun to read, I think. It's broken into small, easily digestible sections. The entry delves into the odds of winning, what goes into determining those odds, whether identical-looking games have the same odds, and much more.

Check it out at
 The Reel Deal on Slot Odds

In the near future, I'll be back with news on another project, a lengthy guide to playing the slots at blog.888casino.com, where my longtime colleagues Henry Tamburin, Frank Scoblete and Jean Scott already are posting,

Hope you enjoy.

The 2 percent solution

Note: This is an article I wrote about six years ago for Midwest Gaming and Travel magazine, which, sadly enough, published its last issue earlier this year. MWGT wanted stories longer than most I write, so this is 2,500 words. I could present the material on games with house edges of about 2 percent or less much more efficiently, but when I found this in a file search, I remembered enjoying writing it so much that I just had to share it again.

A cheerful Watson strode into the study, only to be filled with dismay. The great detective was slumped back in his armchair, eyes glazed over, staring straight at, but somehow not through, the windows ahead.

“Holmes! What is it?”

“The solution,” Holmes droned. “The solution.”

Watson’s face dropped. His shoulders sagged.

“Oh, my dear man,” he said mournfully. “How many times have I warned you … ”

“HA!”

Holmes leaped to his feet, eyes flashing, suddenly alert.

“You mistake me, Watson. You and I are going on a little trip.”

He strode to his desk, and lifted an envelope and unfolded the contents.

“Read this,” he commanded.

“Why, it’s from America,” the doctor exclaimed. “Are you to journey to America?”

“Read, Watson. Read.”

“I will, Holmes. I will.

“ ‘My dear Mr. Holmes, your fame has spread across the ocean as a man who can see around the corners, untangle knots and peer through any mystery that might present itself. My problem is quite a common one, I’m afraid, and yet I find myself unable to penetrate its depths.

“ ‘For the last decade or more, I have traveled to casinos as part of my entertainment. There have been times I have won money. More often, I leave a small sum behind. That does not bother me. I understand that the games have odds designed to part me from my money, and I have learned to celebrate the winning sessions when they come, and enjoy the entertainment while minimizing my risk when I lose. I do not wager more than I can afford.

“ ‘However, I find myself wondering if there might be some games that give me a better chance to win than others. I play a little of everything, risking a little at the roulette wheel, spinning the reels on the slot machines, maybe taking a flutter on blackjack or craps.

“ ‘I have heard that it is possible to win more often by counting cards at blackjack or learning strategies on certain video poker games, but I am afraid that I do not have the time or patience for such things. I don’t fancy myself becoming an expert by any means, but if there is a way to give myself a better chance to win, or at least have a little more of my money remaining at the end of the day.

“ ‘Mr. Holmes, do you have a solution?’ ”

  Watson looked puzzled. He’d been amazed to watch Holmes penetrate murders, stolen gemstones, concealed identities and international plots. But this …

“And do you, Holmes? Do you have a solution?”

“A 2 percent solution, Watson. Come. Let us go.”

It was not to America that the detective guided the doctor. Instead, he chose a nearby casino with an American-style mix of games.

“Do you know why casinos make money, Watson?”

“I suppose it’s that the games are set up so that the house side wins more often than the player side.”

“Nearly, Watson, nearly. Not quite correct, but quite good.”

Watson looked perplexed and slightly annoyed, but waited for the explanation.

“I’ll show you what I mean,” Holmes said. “Let’s walk over to that baccarat table.”

The table was just modestly busy, perfect for Holmes to point out the clues.

“You see that only one hand of cards is being dealt, instead of each bettor receiving his own cards? Instead of wagering on his own hand, the bettor may wager on which side wins, player or banker.”

Watson thought hard.

“Then how is it possible for the house to make money, Holmes? After all, one side or the other must win.”

“Or it could be a tie, Watson. But on ties, those who wager on either player or banker get to keep their wagers.”

“Then how … ”

Holmes stared, stone-faced, then let a tiny smile crack. Finally, the great detective guffawed heartily.

“Oh, Watson. Permit me this small laugh at your expense. You see, I have information that you do not.  The banker side wins more often than the player side. Therefore, the house has an advantage on bets on player. BUT … the house collects a commission on winnings when the banker side wins.”

“I see, Holmes, now that you’ve explained it. The house can lose more than half of the time, and still win.”

“That is correct. In the case of baccarat, the house has a 1.09 percent advantage on banker wagers, and 1.24 percent on player. To use American standards, for every $100 wagered on banker, the house expects to keep $1.09. For every $100 wagered on player, the house expects to keep $1.24.

“Both advantages to the house, you will consider, are less than 2 percent.”

Watson’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. It was as if a new day had dawned.

“And THAT,” he said, “is the 2 percent solution.”

“Exactly, Watson. Exactly. I will tell my American correspondent that without spending a great deal of time and effort learning to count cards in blackjack, learn to recognize the best video poker games and applying the most advantageous strategies to them, or learning to control the dice at craps, he cannot hope to win consistently. However, he can win a little more often, keep some of his money more of the time, if he will limit his wagering to the games that give the lowest advantage to the house.

“Further, I shall draw that line at 2 percent. If a game has a house advantage of 2 percent or less, it goes on a list of games my correspondent might consider playing. If the house advantage is more than 2 percent, it goes on a list of games he might consider avoiding. The choice, of course, is his.”

Watson’s curiosity was raised.

“What reasons might he have for playing the games on the list of those to avoid?”

“Oh, there are many reasons, Watson. He told us in his letter he travels to casinos as part of his entertainment. Perhaps he simply enjoys some games that are more advantageous to the house. Perhaps he finds them, for lack of a better word, ‘fun.’”

Holmes raised an eyebrow at his own statement, then continued.

“Look around you, Watson. What do you see most?”

“Why, slot machines, Holmes. There might be a few hundred chairs at gaming tables, but there are thousands of slot machines. Are they part of the 2 percent solution?”

“No, Watson, they are not. The house advantages are quite high. On low-denomination machines, such as the American one-cent and two-cent games, house advantages tend to exceed 10 percent. Even on higher denomination games, such as American dollars, the house advantages usually are between 4 and 6 percent, depending on the competitive situation of the host casino. Additionally, we must consider that play on slot machines is very rapid. A slot machine enthusiast can make many more wagers in an  hour than can a table games player. So no, Watson, slot machines are not part of the 2 percent solution.”

“Then tell me, Holmes, why are they getting most of the play?”

“People who wager in casinos find them fun. There are games within a game on many of them --- there is more here than meets the eye. And slot machines offer the chance at a big jackpot of thousands, sometimes even millions of dollars. Whether they win or not, players enjoy the anticipation as they wait for the jackpot mystery to unfold. If my correspondent truly enjoys that kind of entertainment, as many do, the 2 percent solution is not for him.”

With that, Holmes whirled and paced quickly to a blackjack table.

“This, Watson, can be an element of the 2 percent solution, but for many it is not. It is one of the few games in which it is possible for players to gain a mathematical edge on the house.”

“The counting of cards mentioned by your correspondent, Holmes? How does that help?”

“Unlike the mathematics in most games, those in blackjack change with each turn of the cards. A card removed from the deck changes the composition of the deck remaining to be played. A greater concentration of high cards increases the percentage of two-card 21s --- blackjacks --- that are dealt. That favors the player, so counters of cards raise their wagers in such situations.”

“I understand, Holmes. But the American said he had neither the time nor patience for counting cards. Can this game still be part of the 2 percent solution?”

“It can, Watson, if he will take the time to learn what is called ‘basic strategy,’ and learn the most advantageous times to take another card, or to stand on what he has, or to split pairs of like cards to make two hands, or to ‘double down’ --- that is, to double his bet and taking just one more card. If he learns that strategy, he reduces the house advantage to just about half a percent, or a few tenths more or less depending on house rules.”

“The rules differ from house to house, Holmes?”

“Indeed they do, Watson, and even sometimes from table to table. Still, if my correspondent will take the time to learn basic strategy, blackjack is well within the 2 percent solution, or even a 1 percent solution. If he will not, then blackjack becomes a borderline game. An average player, one who knows a little basic strategy but misses some fine points, faces about a 2 to 2.5 percent house advantage. Poor players face house advantages of 5 percent or more. They should find another way to spend their money.”

Watson grinned at Holmes’ deadpan expression. Then he noticed a crowd around one table, cheering loudly, slapping each other’s hands and raking in the chips.

“What about that game, Holmes? Will you blend that into your solution?”

Holmes permitted a hint of a smile across his lips.

“Of course, Watson. Are you familiar with craps?”

“I know that it is played with two dice. Other than that, I know every little.”

“A shame, Watson. That is a game I will certainly recommend to the American. There are several wagers that fall well within the 2 percent solution. One is called the pass line. It starts with what is called the ‘comeout roll.’ If the shooter rolls a total of 7 or 11 on the two dice, those who wager on the pass line win, and if he rolls a 2, 3 or 12, they lose. If it is any other number, it becomes the ‘point.’ If the shooter rolls the point number again before rolling a 7, pass bettors win. If the 7 comes first, they lose.”

“That sounds deucedly complex, Holmes.”

“Do not trouble yourself, Watson. For those who play, the details become second nature quickly enough. You should note there is a bet called ‘come,’ which is decided in the same way.  The only difference is that it is made when there is already a point number for pass line wagers. The house has a 1.41 percent advantage on either pass or come. Further, there ware wagers called ‘don’t pass’ and ‘don’t come’ that work in nearly the opposite way. They win when pass and come lose, and lose when pass and come win, except that a 12 on the first roll on don’t pass and don’t come just returns money to the player, with no winnings. On these, the house has an advantage of 1.4 percent.”

“I see, my dear Holmes. All well within the 2 percent solution.”

“Indeed, Watson. Such is also the case for what are called ‘place bets’ on the numbers 6 and 8. If the player places the 6, he wins if the shooter rolls a 6 before rolling a 7. If the 7 comes first, the bettor loses. The house advantages on either 6 or 8 are 1.52 percent.

“However, Watson, there are many other possible wagers on the pass line, with much higher advantages to the house. My correspondent would be wise to stick to pass and come, don’t pass and don’t come, placing the 6 and 8, and pretending the other possiblities, tempting as they may be, don’t even exist.”

Watson pulled out his notebook and pen, and checked off a list.

“Baccarat, blackjack, craps. Is there anything else you would like to show me, Holmes?”

“Patience, Watson. We have just a couple of more stops. Do you see the game Three Card Poker?”

“Yes, Holmes.”

“It is really two games in one. One is ante-bet, in which the player’s hand must beat the dealer’s, and the other is Pair Plus, in which all hands of a pair or better are paid. We shall disregard Pair Plus as being just outside our parameters. There are several versions of the pay table, and the best has a house advantage of 2 percent. However, in ante-bet, we can look at the house advantage in two ways. If we regard the house advantage as the percentage of the ante, which players must make to start play, that he house expects to keep, it is 3.4 percent. However, if we regard it as the percentage the house expects to keep of the ante plus the optional bet players make if they like their  cards, then the advantage is 2.01 percent.

“Even I shall not draw so fine a line to keep the game outside the 2 percent solution by a margin of one one-hundredth of a percent.”

“Why Holmes,” Watson said with a chuckle. “I should never have expected you to be so cavalier on a matter of precision.”

“Tend to your notepad, doctor,” Holmes said matter of factly. “There is one more stop we must make.”

The direction caught Watson by surprise.

“We’re walking back toward the slot machines, Holmes. I thought you said they were not part of the 2 percent solution.”

“They are not, my dear Watson. And I fear that for my American friend, neither are these.”

He pointed to a large number of video poker games.

“If you are willing to learn the necessary strategies, and to look at the pay tables and sort the best games from the worst, many video poker games fall within that 2 percent threshold. A select few even give an advantage to an expert player. However, our correspondent wrote that he is not willing to put in the necessary time. So alas, we must leave casing out the best of these for the moment.”

“So Holmes, what we have in the 2 percent solution are baccarat, blackjack, craps, Three Card Poker, perhaps video poker for another client. If I may make so bold, what game would you choose? No, don’t tell me. Let me guess. You would be a counter of cards, applying your skills of observation and analysis to gain an  advantage.”

Holmes grinned broadly at last.

“Elementary.”

Readers write about free play, where to stay in Las Vegas, and video keno

Q. What do you think about "free play" instead of cash back on your rewards cards? The casino where I go has started doing it that way. I have to play with my rewards. I can't just take the money home.

A. You've mentioned the primary drawback of free play, from a player's standpoint. From the casino's standpoint, that's the primary advantage. The casino is rewarding someone who is going to use the money to play in the casino, and not take it away to spend outside.

Free play is given in a couple of different ways. At some casinos, separate cards with a magnetic stripe are issued, and those cards are inserted into the same reader you use for your player rewards card. Credits are then loaded to the game. Elsewhere, you just place your rewards card in the reader, and punch in a promotions code to load the credits.

Given a choice, I'd rather have cash back that I can spend as I please. Ten dollars in cash is worth more than $10 in free play, where you're most likely to lose a portion before you can cash out. However, if the knowledge that the credits are being used for play leads casinos to give larger rewards, I'm all for it.

If your goal is to take something close to the full amount home, I'd suggest playing a low volatility game, such as the video poker games Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker, where two-pair hands pay 2-for-1. There's no guarantee that you'll still have most of the credits after you run them through the machine once, but those games give you a better chance at holding the line than slot machines or more volatile video poker games do.

Once you've wagered the credits once, you can cash out and take what's left home if you like. As with any money you have on the machines or on the tables, there's no requirement that you play. It's your money, not "theirs," and you can always take it home.

Q. I've enjoyed reading your reports from the gambling show (Global Gaming Expo) in Las Vegas. Some of the new games sound like a lot of fun, and I can't wait to try them. 

I have a question about staying in Las Vegas. My wife and I are thinking about going, and everyone tells us someplace different to stay. Where do you stay, and why?

A. For the Global Gaming Expo, I stayed off the Strip, at Sam's Town off Boulder Highway a few miles east of the Strip, and at the Orleans on West Tropicana Avenue. Both are locals-oriented places owned by Boyd Gaming, which in the Midwest operates the Blue Chip in Michigan City, Ind., and the Par-A-Dice in East Peoria, Ill. I enjoy staying and playing at the locals-type places, with large selections of video poker games and good restaurants at reasonable prices.

Most tourists going to Las Vegas will have different priorities than mine. Especially if it's your first time, you're going to want to spend time oooooh-ing and aaahhh-ing at the sites of the Strip. I highly recommend that any Vegas first-timer stay on the Strip. If you have money to burn, the megaresorts such as Bellagio and Venetian are ultra upscale luxury hotels. But if you're on a budget, you can spend a lot less money at the older resorts such as the Flamingo or Tropicana, and still take in the sights, and check out the shows and designer restaurants at the newer properties.

If gambling is a priority, and you're looking for the best shot to win, you'll find better video poker pay tables, better blackjack rules, better slot paybacks if you get off the Strip. Still, the spectacle of the Strip, is something that calls for full immersion at least once.

Q. I like to play the keno machines, but my friend says she'll only play live keno because the house keeps more money on the machines. Is that right?

A. Per dollar wagered, casinos usually give back more on keno machines than on the live game. Live games, most common in Nevada, often return less than 80 percent of money wagered, and even less than 70 percent in some casinos. Keno machines must fulfill the same payback requirements as slot machines, and in most states that means returns of at least 80 percent. In Illinois, for example, no electronic gaming device may return less than 80 percent of wagers to players. In Indiana, it's 83 percent.

Competitive pressures drive paybacks higher than those state-mandated minimums. Video keno paybacks in the high 80s and low 90s are common.

Video games move much faster than the live game, however, and make more money for casinos than live games do. You'll likely get a higher payback percentage on a video keno game, but your risk per hour will be much higher.

What's with royals? Readers want to know

Video poker players love to talk about royal flushes --- the ones they hit, the ones they didn't, the ones that are still to come.

I had a couple of e-mails from players who were downright philosophical about their royals. One asked what the lack of royals did to the payback percentage, while the other wanted to know if expert strategy --- a term I use often in this column --- gives you a better chance at royals.

First things first. On most video poker games, royal flushes account for about 2 percent of your long-term return. When you read that 9-6 Jacks or Better returns 99.5 percent with expert play, royals account for about 2 percent of that. Between royal flushes, you're playing about a 97.5 percent game.

Within that 97.5 percent, of course, there's room for a whole lot of volatility. Sometimes you're going to hit a cluster of four of a kinds, and win big even without a royal. Sometimes you'll struggle to find anything better than two pair, and you'll have a session that doesn't begin to approach 97 percent. It happens.

I remember volatility taking a big swing in my favor in the early days of riverboat casinos in Illinois, back when the boats were required to leave the dock for two-hour sessions. I was playing 8-5 Jacks or Better --- as good as it got in the Chicago area at the time --- and hit a four of a kind, and then another.

Cruise time was almost over, so I pushed the button to cash out. The tokens started to pour into the tray … and then the hopper jammed. I waited, and waited, and waited some more. By the time an attendant came over to check, there were only about 10 minutes left until the doors would close and I'd be stuck for another cruise. He cleared the jam … and the hopper stopped again. This time it needed a fill.

There was no question of getting off the boat now. I was stuck. So while waiting for the hopper fill, I started playing the next machine. Within five hands, I had another four of a kind. A few minutes later, quads again.

Then again, and again. Within half an hour, I had six sets of quads to go with the two four of a kinds on the other machine.

If we'd had ticket in, ticket out payoffs in those days, I'd have been happily off the boat with profits from two quick four of a kinds. Instead, my bankroll was even happier with six more quads, although my wife was a little miffed that I was a couple of hours late.

That's a long tangent just to say big wins are possible without a royal. And, of course, large, fast losses are part of the game, too. But overall, your payback percentage is about 2 percent lower whenever your session doesn't include a royal flush.

****

On to the second reader. "I read about expert strategy," she started, "and I was wondering. Does expert strategy help me hit more royals? I practice on the computer, and I try to play the right way, but it's been about a year and a half since I hit a royal. What's happening?"

Royal-less streaks happen, and they can get awfully lengthy --- "awful" being a key part of that phrase.

Given expert strategy, we'll hit a royal about once per 40,000 hands, a little more or less often depending on the game and its strategy adaptations. For someone who plays at a steady, but not really speedy, 500 hands an hour, that'll give us a royal about once per 80 hours of play.

But we can't count on that royal being there within 80 hours. With such a rare event, sometimes we'll go two or three times that long without seeing a royal flush. My reader seems to be in one of those streaks now.

Frustrating, but normal.

As for the question of whether expert strategy helps you hit more royals, the answer is not necessarily. Expert strategy is designed to maximize the average return on each decision you face, and sometimes that means we'll pass up the chance at a royal.

For example, playing 9-6 Jacks or Better and dealt Queens of clubs, diamonds and spades, along with a King and a 10 of diamonds, do you hold the three of a kind, or do you hold King-Queen-10 of diamonds?
If you hold the three Queens, you have no chance at a royal flush. If you hold the three diamonds, you'll draw a royal once per 1,081 hands. Still, holding the three Queens is a much, much better play. You're assured of three of a kind, and have a chance at a full house or four of a kind. Your average return is 21.5 coins per five wagered, compared with 6.7 coins if you hold the three diamonds.


You could hit more royals by using a "go for it" strategy in which you always discard cards that get in the way of royal possibilities. You'd also lose a lot of money using it.

WSOP Circuit stops at Horseshoe Hammond

The World Series of Poker has been a classic event --- perhaps THE classic event --- ever since its founding in 1970. At the first event, Benny Binion invited seven top players to his Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas. After competing not only in Hold’em, but in seven-card stud, razz, five-card stud and lowball, Johnny Moss was elected World Champion by his competitors.

The next year, the Texas Hold’em, winner-take-all tournament format that players know and love was adopted.

 Nowadays, the World Series of Poker goes on tour, with the big tournament still in Las Vegas every year, but WSOP Circuit events around the country throughout the year. The Chicago area stop is going on now at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond.

The Horseshoe Hammond event got under way on Thursday, Oct. 17, and runs through Monday, Oct. 28. It’s the fifth stop on a 22-city tour this season. It’s also the largest WSOP Circuit event.

According to a news release, more than 12,000 players are expected to compete at Horseshoe for more than $2.5 million in guaranteed total prize money. The festival will feature 12 tournaments across a wide range of buy-ins, formats and variants. Event highlights include Event No. 1 with a $500,000 guarantee and event No. 10 with a $2 million guarantee.

Horseshoe Hammond also hosted the fourth annual Chicago Poker Classic earlier this year, a 13-day festival that attracted some of the Chicago area’s best players. With a $1 million guaranteed opening event and more than $600,000 added to prize pools, satellites, cash game promotions and daily tournaments, the Chicago Poker Classic was the richest Chicago poker festival outside of the WSOP Circuit.

When the WSOP event is over, I’ll relay some of the highlights in this blog. Meanwhile,  you can check out Horseshoe’s site at www.horseshoehammond.com.

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steppenwolf wrap up Grand Victoria concert series

I don't get around to the Chicago area casinos as much as I did when I was writing a regular casinos column for the Chicago Sun-Times, so I appreciate it when the casinos pass along information on what's going on.

Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, in partnership with Onesti Entertainment, hosted a Summer Jackpot Series of concerts outdoors at Festival Park, adjacent to the casino Marilou Pilman of Grand Vic passed along information on the final show of the season. The Oct. 13 finale featured Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, along with John Kay and Steppenwolf.

“You have all the makings of another Woodstock,” John Kay of Steppenwolf told the crowd.  “But a lot more fun.”

I don't know about Woodstock, but I'm sure anyone who every fancied themselves as "Born to Be Wild" or yelled "Freebird" to any band playing anywhere had a great time.

In a press release,. Grand Victoria general manager Jim Thomason  said, “Our goal was to draw thousands of people to downtown Elgin.  This year was a test and due to the huge success of these shows, we are already working on next year’s lineup. ‘The City of Elgin was very instrumental in orchestrating all the moving pieces it takes to put on shows of this magnitude.”

This year's series opened Aug. 24 with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts along with Eric Burdon and the Animals. The second show, on Sept. 24, featured Grand Funk Railroad and Night Ranger.

For more information on the casino and its special events, visit grandvictoriacasino.com.

G2E Day 3, visting Bally and Titanic

On the final day of Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, my final tour of slot manufacturers' booths sent me searching for folks who know more about ships than I do. On its new Titanic slots, Bally Technologies kicks off bonus events with a U Spin turn. By now, you know how U Spin works. You touch the screen to move a wheel back and forth, and let fly to give it a spin.

On Titanic, a key U Spin is on the ship's control that's marked off into segments including slow, full half and stop, both for ahead and astern. That seemed like a lot of words, so I wanted to know what the device was called. For a quick answer, I turned to an online community, a message board consisting mainly of University of Illinois sports fans.

I got my answer within four minutes of asking. It's the engine order telegraph.

The engine order telegraph is important in Titanic, a feature-rich games filled with movie clips and iconic symbols. The celebration for big wins includes the famous moment in the movie when Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson stands on the prow and shouts for the planet to hear, "I'm king of the world!" Slot playing kings and queens also see coins flying across the screen during the classic scene.

On the Titanic game, the engine order telegraph segments are for bonus event launches and other awards. When Bally's Mike Trask showed the game features, a U Spin of the engine order telegraph took us to the segment marked Safe.

In the Safe feature, it was time to U Spin again, this time on the ship's  safe's combination lock. A single spin brought a credit award, opened the door and took us into a finely appointed ship's room. There, we got to pick icons --- a vase, a table, a woman standing in the room --- to collect bonuses.

Another event plays off Dawson's sketching skills. A drawing scene plays, and three sketches are displayed. A match game follows, with players doing a little virtual scratch off until they select three copies of the same drawing. That determines bet size on free spins to come.

Slot players who loved the movie will find plenty to like, regardless of whether they've ever heard of an engine order telegraph.

G2E, day 2, Aristocrat, Spielo, Konami

A few  notes from Global Gaming Expo, Day 2:

**After two days of being accosted by zombies near the exhibit hall --- they growled at me, but ultimately parted enough that I could get through without turning undead --- I got my chance to see Aristocrat's The Walking Dead game through its license with AMC. It's feature rich, with Reel Growth extending reels 2, 3, 4 and 5 up an extra 1 to 3 spaces for added potential wins. In The Horde bonus, the Horde invades the screen and leaves wild symbols behind. As Aristocrat's Dallas Orchard demoed the game, a zombie took a shot in the head, splattering blood --- and wild symbols --- across the reels. When the blood starts flowing, it's good for the players.

**Spielo's Sphinx 3D is spectacular. Sphinx has been a great title for Spielo (formerly Atronic) for a long time, and in the new version, the 3-D effects are spectacular. As Mike Brennan, who was showing me the game watched, the coins from a big win seemed to jump right off the screen, and right at me. I reach out and grasped, and told him I'd like to take some of those coins right now.

Stacked wilds here are really stacked wilds. Coin-shaped discs depicting a scarab stack up on the same reel position. As the stack grows, it increases the number of times a winner is collected. At one point, I had a winner that included a stack of five scarabs. I collected the 250 credit win once, and a scarab disk was taken away. That was repeated, repeated, repeated and repeated again, until the last scarab had been used, I got the 250-coin win five times. It's a new way of stacking wilds that would work effectively only with great 3D.

**One of the pleasures of G2E is experiencing game features without investing any money. At the Konami booth, I sampled The Force of Legend, an Xtra Reward Game featuring Action Stacked Symbols The lion was a wild symbol, and each lion expanded into a stack to fill a three-symbol column. I triggered a bonus event, and had to choose credits or 45 spins under Konami's Balance of Fortune mechanic. I choose spins, and on No. 44 triggered 150 more. The total for 195 spins: $1,524.50 in imaginary money for a $4.50 imaginary bet.

Notes from G2E, Day 1

On the first day of Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, I toured the booths of Incredible Technologies, WMS Gaming and International Game Technology. I also looked in on some new table games, but that's a subject for another time.

Impressions of the beginning of the long march through the slotmakers' booths, with one game from each:

**Incredible's second King of Bling game, Bounce 2 Nite, is a blast, with a couple of new features, One is Iced Out, triggered by diamond symbols on the first two reels. The diamonds are held, and everything else goes into respin mode. The diamonds dance, bounce, sway and spin in time to the music, and the tempo picks up as the wins mount. The respins continue as long as they bring more diamonds, which lock into place. The goal is to ice out the screen, covering it in diamonds.

The Bounce 2 Nite feature involves bouncing a flashy car. Touch the front left bumper, and it raises and bounces down with a crash, revealing bonus credits. Touch other areas of the car, and they bounce too. The awards are random, not determined by where you touch the car. Focus groups just liked making it bounce.

**WMS has much, much to offer, and I can't possibly do justice by focusing on one game. There'll be more to come in magazines and in my syndicated column, but for now. I loved its new Iron Man game, with plenty of images, sounds and clips from the movie. Bonus rounds are iconic. Slot players will love seeing the Jericho missiles fired onto the screen to create winners.


The playing field has 5 reels, each 12 symbols deep. The center 5x4 section is the bonus zone. You need the bonus characters to land in the zone to launch the bonus events. When Black Widow shows up, you want her in the bonus zone.

**IGT is involved in all market segments, and I'll be writing about its Megajackpots and video poker games later. One core game I had fun testing was Centipede, with its skill-based bonus. IGT went for an old-school video game feel, and it really game through.

In the bonus event, you use a joystick to move into position, then one of four buttons to fire at the crawling centipede, elimnating some segments for bonuses and sending the remnants on their separate ways. I did destroy the first centipede to move to level 2, but alas, could not advance again. I still got a nice bonus, and a lot of fun.

A geezer in Las Vegas

I'm well into my third decade of coming to Las Vegas on a regular basis, anywhere from once to four times a year, depending on assignments and schedule. I usually stay away from the Strip, at joints that cater to locals. I need neither the glitz, the crowds nor the bad blackjack rules and weak video poker pay tables of the Strip.

This is a six-night stay, and it's the first three that give me a chance to play a little. I have meetings and tasks to attend to, but quite a bit of free time. So I'm at Sam's Town. I mentioned the full-pay Deuces Wild, but Sam's also has 10-7-5 Double Bonus Poker and 10-6 Double Double Bonus Poker, both 100 percent games with expert play.

I also played some blackjack, two decks, hand-shuffled, face-down game where the blackjacks paid 3-2 instead of the 6-5 abominations you find on the Strip. The dealer asked what brought me to town, and I said a trade show. When he asked which one and I told him Global Gaming Expo, he replied, "That's a big show. I'd think you'd want to be on the Strip." I told him I never stay on the Strip, I've been coming to Vegas ... and he finished my sentence. "You've been coming for decades and you don't need the Strip. Yeah, we see that."

It was a little confusing for the young woman at the Enterprise desk at the car rental center, though. She asked where I was staying and whether I needed a map. I told her I'd be at Sam's Town, and knew my way if she could tell me the shortest way out of the rental center to eastbound Flamingo. She gave me the three-right-turns directions that take you to the Strip, Las Vegas Boulevard. I told her I was trying to avoid Las Vegas Boulevard, and she looked confused.

A second person, a 30ish man, walked me to the car to inspect it before I drove away. He also asked if I needed directions. This time, I was more specific. I said, "I'm staying at Sam's Town. Is one of the turns out of here Warm Springs?" He said, "Warm Springs is your second right. Then ... "

 I stopped him and asked another question. "If I turn left on Warm Springs instead of right, can I then take a left on Eastern to get to Flamingo east?" He paused for a second, and said, "Yes, in fact that'll probably be a lot faster."

It was.

Full-pay Deuces Wild at Sam's Town

I'm in Las Vegas for Global Gaming Expo, which opens Tuesday. Soon, I'll be posting details of some new games at the show.

Sunday was more or less a play day for me. I had dinner with several other writers, including Henry Tamburin, Linda Boyd and Steve Bourie, who publishes the annual American Casino Guide. Steve was our host, and Henry, Linda and I all recorded videos for him that will be posted on YouTube in the coming months.

We were at Sam's Town, and Sam's has what has become a rare treat --- full-pay Deuces Wild. With expert play, it's a 100.8 percent return. For many years, it was my standby when the Tropicana was giving me room and meal comps, and sending a limo to get me at the airport. On one memorable session, I drew four 2s, and 1,000 quarters poured into the tray. Ten minutes later, I did it again. Sweet!

Alas, no more. Hardly anyone has it anymore.

I didn't get the four-deuce, 1,000-quarter bonanza this time, but had a fun session nonetheless. I started with a ticket for $52.50 from a previous session. The deuces were not kind for my first 20 minutes. I was down to my last $1.25, when I drew five of a kind for a nice 75-coin pay. Two hand later, I held once 2, and drew another 2 and three high clubs for a wild royal. Another 125 quarters, and I was in business.

The four of a kinds I wasn't getting early started to roll in. Soon I was up to $60, and settled into a little equilibrium. There were little cold streaks where I dipped below $50, and little hot streaks where I sneaked past $70. Finally, an hour and a half after my session-saving five of a kind, I cashed out for $80.

Not the biggest win in history, but a good time.

Readers ask about video keno, slot jackpots, single-deck blackjack

Question. I never see much written about video keno, but that's just about all my husband and I play. I was wondering if you could solve a question for us. My husband says that it doesn't matter what numbers you pick, that when the machine's ready to pay off, it'll pay off. You just have to be in the right place in the right time, just like a slot machine.

Don't the numbers matter at all?

Answer. The numbers you pick do matter. Video keno machines have random number generators, just like any slot machine. But the video keno RNGs are just generating the numbers to be drawn, and if your numbers match the RNG's, you win. You can't win if you don't have the numbers that are drawn on that play.

Every number has an equal chance of being selected. In the basic game with 80 numbers, and 20 drawn per play, each number has a 1 in 4 chance of being among those 20.

The house doesn't get its edge on video keno from making sure there are more losers than winners. It gets its edge from paying less than true odds when you do win. Let's use the simplest example: A one-spot play.

Your number has a 1 in 4 chance of being drawn. If video keno were an even game, your winner would pay 3-1 odds --- in an average four plays, you'd lose three times, but get back all four wagers on the one time your number hit. But most machines that allow one-spots give back only three coins on the winner. The coin you don't get paid is the house edge.

Meanwhile, the random number generator just keeps generating numbers to be drawn. For you to win, your numbers have to match the machine's. Your selections do matter.

Question. I hit a slot jackpot for $12,500 on a dollar machine. I usually play quarters, so this is by far the largest I ever hit.

The attendant and security guard were very nice, and happy for me. We had high fives all around. They had me sign a tax form. Then the attendant turned a key in the machine before I could play again.
My question is, what does that key do? The man next to me says its resets the machine into "collect" mode, that the machine has just paid out and now it has to take money for a while.

Answer. Congratulations on your big hit. A reason for high fives all around indeed.

As for resetting to "collect" mode, well, no. There is no "collect" or "payback" mode on slot machines. Results remain as random as humans can program a computer to be. And at least until server-based games arrive, changing a payback percentage requires opening the machine and changing a computer chip, not just turning a key or punching in a code.

What the attendant is really doing is unlocking the game so you can play again. The game locks up automatically when an IRS-level jackpot of $1,200 or more is hit. The casino unlocks it once it has your ID and information. Then it has to have you sign the form before it can pay you.

Big jackpots are a normal part of play, and are included in the calculations for the game program. The machine just keeps making its random payoffs, and in time, the jackpot fades into statistical insignificance.

Question. I've studied blackjack basic strategy, so I know when to double down. But when I was playing with a friend of mine recently, he was doubling down on 8s, too. I asked him about it afterward, and he said it was because it was at a single-deck game. Is that right? Why the difference?

Answer. Single-deck blackjack does bring with it some basic strategy changes, and one of them comes when you have a two-card 8. In the single-deck game, you have an edge with an 8 when the dealer shows a 5 or 6, and you want to double down.

Why the difference? Because each card removed from a single-deck game has a greater impact on the composition of the remaining deck than it does in a multiple-deck game. In a single-deck game, taking your 5 and 3 and the dealer's 6 out of a 52-card deck means that 16 of the other 49 cards, or 32.7 percent, are 10 values, and 10-value cards are the dealer's enemy when he or she has a 6 up. In a six-deck game, removing those three cards from play would mean that 96 of the other 309 cards are 10 values, and that's just 31.1 percent.

The dealer in that situation will bust more frequently in a single-deck game than in a multiple-deck game, and that affects our strategy. In addition to the dealer being more likely to bust than in a multiple-deck game, you're more likely to draw a 10-value card on top of your 8. That 18 isn't all-powerful, but it's pretty strong against a 5 or 6.

Should you make the progressive bet at Caribbean Stud?

"Well, should I or shouldn't I?"

The voice belonged to Mark, who had attended a couple of seminars I'd given. I'd seen him in casinos a couple of times before. This time, he was sitting at a Caribbean Stud table as I was passing, checking out available games and table limits.

I stopped and asked what it was he should or shouldn't do.

"Make the progressive bet. It's terrible odds, isn't it? Should I just skip it?"

I didn't want to hold up the game. I told him the bet was a long-shot, but it was his decision. He could find me later if he really wanted a lengthy discussion.

"What the heck," he said. "I came to gamble."

He plunked in his dollar on the progressive bet, and was dealt a pair of 8s. The progressive bet was a loser, but he won on his ante and got his bet back --- the dealer didn't have a qualifying hand.

Mark grinned. "Won enough for a few more bets on the jackpot, anyway."

I moved on, but Mark found me later while I was playing a little video poker.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?"

No, I told him, I was ready for a break.

"So tell me what you really think of that progressive bet? Is it something I should just skip?"

That depends on why you're playing Caribbean Stud, I told him. Are you just relaxing a bit over a game that's easy to play, or are you jackpot hunting?

"A little of both, really. Mostly I play blackjack. Basic strategy stuff --- I never really got into counting cards. Still, you have to pay attention, and when my concentration starts to go, I do something else for a while. Maybe I'll fool around with 20 bucks on the nickel slots, or sometimes I'll play a little Caribbean Stud."

I nodded. Basic strategy for Caribbean Stud is much easier than that for blackjack. The cost is high, though. A blackjack basic strategy player can get the house edge down to about a half percent on a six-deck game, a few tenths more or less depending on house rules. At Caribbean Stud, even if you play well, the house edge is 5.2 percent of the ante or 2.6 percent of total action.

"I know that, and it's a break-time game for me. But I also like the idea that I can win pretty big, pretty fast when the cards run good. You don't have to have great cards, full houses or flushes or anything, but get some two pairs and some three of a kinds and it's really sweet. When you're being paid 2-1 or 3-1 on hands like that instead of just even money like in blackjack, that stack of chips can grow in a hurry."

It can shrink in a hurry, too, I reminded him. Winning hands are much less frequent in Caribbean Stud than in blackjack, and most of the winners are pair or lower hands, or hands in which the dealer doesn't qualify. On those, you'll still get only even money.

"Right, but there's always the chance at a big one, and some real money. I'm not greedy. I know the royal flush is pretty unlikely, but give me 7-1 on a full house and I'm a happy man. Give me 20-1 on four of a kind, and it makes my day. If I throw in the extra dollar and get back another $75 on the full house or $100 on four of a kind --- it's pretty exciting."

I told him the question is whether the excitement is worth it on a bet you win so rarely.

"But if you watch the jackpot level, you can get a pretty decent house edge, right? It's not always an awful bet."

On the standard pay table --- $50 on a flush, $75 on a full house, $100 on four of a kind, either $5,000 or 10 percent of the jackpot on a straight flush or the full jackpot on a royal flush --- the break-even point is about $263,000.

But the house edge isn't the entire issue. Even if the jackpot is very large and the house edge is very low, or players have the edge, the likelihood of winning is very low. In five-card stud poker, there are 2,598,960 possible hands. Only four of those are royal flushes --- one royal per 649,740 hands. The most frequent winners on the progressive bet are flushes --- about one per 509 hands. Add up all the winners, and you'll still average a winner only once per 273 hands.

"And that doesn't change with the bigger jackpot?"

That doesn't change. Frequency of winning hands remains the same, it's only the size of potential rewards that changes.

"But do you know how horrible I'd feel if I got dealt the royal and didn't bet the progressive? I think I'd rather lose the dollars than to risk that."

Then that's your answer, I told him.

"Still, one winner per 273 hands? That's tough," he said, smiling as he left. "I think I'll keep a countdown."

Readers ask about blackjack, slots

Question. What percentage of blackjack players do you think are counting cards? Half? I just wonder, when I see players splitting 6s against a 10. They can't be counting cards.

Answer. I doubt that half of blackjack players in casinos have studied a basic strategy chart, let alone count cards. I'd put the number of card counters at less than 1 percent of the blackjack-playing population.

Before any player who is trying to get better worries about counting cards, he or she must master basic strategy first. An average blackjack player faces a house edge of about 2 to 2.5 percent. Learning basic strategy can cut that house edge to around a half percent or less, depending on house rules.

How can you tell if someone at your table is a basic strategy player? Here are a few common moves that separate those who know their basic from those who don't:, assuming a multiple-deck game.

• A basic strategy player hits hard 16 when the dealer shows a 7. Every time.
• A basic strategy player splits Aces, and splits 8s, even when the dealer has a 10 face up. Exception: The basic strategy player will surrender on 8-8 if the dealer hits soft 17 and surrender is offered.
• A basic strategy player never stands on soft 17. He or she hits or doubles down, depending on the dealer's face up card.
• A basic strategy player hits on 12 if the dealer shows a 2 or a 3.
• A basic strategy player hits on soft 18 if the dealer shows a 9, 10 or Ace.

Those are all moves that give trouble to those who play by intuition.

Card counters will sometimes make plays that run counter to basic strategy. In addition to hitting 12 against a 2 or 3, a counter will sometimes also hit 12 against 4, if the composition of the remaining cards is right. A card counter also will sometimes hit 16 against 10, but not 16 vs. 7.

Insurance is a special case. Intuition players often will insure their blackjacks by taking even money when the dealer has an Ace face up. Basic strategy players will never take insurance --- that's the right play most of the time. Card counters, on the other hand, will take insurance if the remaining deck includes a high enough percentage of high cards.

Look around next time you play. See how many players hem, haw and sometimes stand on 16 vs. 7, or fail to split 8s against a 10, or stand on Ace-7 against a 9. That'll tell you just how few basic strategy players there are --- and there are many, many few card counters.

Question. I would like to know if adding say $1,000 to a slot machine loosens that machine for a big payout.

Also, I always play the max. Does it matter what the denomination of the game is? That is, do the games loosen as the denomination rises? Does a $1 game pay more than a penny slot played at maximum?

Answer. No amount of play changes the odds of hitting a winning combination on slot machines. If the game is programmed so that there is a 1 in 10,000 chance of hitting the big jackpot, then there is a 1 in 10,000 chance on every spin. If you've just hit the jackpot, the odds are still in 1 in 10,000; if you've played 9,999 spins without hitting the big jackpot, the odds are STILL 1 in 10,000.

(The 1 in 10,000 is just an example, by the way. Some machines hit more frequently, some much less. There are machines with a 1 in 2,000 chance of hitting the top jackpot, while in a big-money game like Megabucks the chances are 1 in tens of millions.)

If it's a progressive machine, adding money to the top jackpot does not change the odds of your hitting that jackpot. If the progressive meter starts at $1,000, and the jackpot meter has grown to $2,000, the chances of winning are the same as when you started. The long-term payback percentage does grow with the progressive meter, because the big hit pays more when it finally comes.

As for changing coin denomination, that DOES make a difference. Generally, penny machines pay less than nickel machines, which pay less than quarters, which pay less than dollars and so on. If you play maximum coins on a penny machine, your bet may be as large as if you're playing a three-reel dollar slot, but in most cases the dollar game will have a higher payback percentage.

Of course, there's also a difference in the play experience between a penny video slot and a dollar reel-spinner. Winning spins are more frequent on the video game, but payoffs of many times your wager are more common on the reel-spinner. The penny game will keep you in your seat longer, but the dollar game gives you a better chance of walking away with a fairly substantial win. That's the choice slot players face when deciding between low-denomination video games and higher denomination reel spinners.

Myths and legends, table games edition

In any casino game, there are myths and legends, things people believe that don't quite square with reality.  Let's take on a few myths from a table games player perspective.

MYTH: The third baseman is a team player, and shouldn't take the dealer's bust card. A third baseman hitting 12 when the dealer has a 2, for example, is hurting the entire table.

FACT: A player hitting in that situation helps the rest of the table as often as he hurts it. Anyway, it's the best play for his hand. Hitting 12 against 2 is what he SHOULD do.

Wouldn't it be nice if we knew whether or not the next card in the deck would make the dealer's hand go bust? Problem is, we don't know what the dealer has face down, and we don't know what the next card is. Sitting at third base, I've drawn a 9 to my 12 for a 21, had the dealer turn up a 10-value card, then draw another 10 to bust. The entire table won, but if I hadn't hit, the dealer would have had a 9 and the whole table would have lost.

I've also drawn a card that would have busted the dealer. Most often, though, the dealer has something less than a 10-value face down, and NO one-card draw can bust the dealer's hand.

Unless other players are willing to pay for losses, the third baseman's responsibility is to make the play that's best for his or her own hand.

MYTH: A hot craps table is likely to stay hot, a cold table is likely to stay cold.

FACT: Average results on a table after a hot streak are the same as after a cold streak. Odds of the game don't change, regardless of how hot or cold the shooters have bene.

Craps players are always looking for hot tables, and avoiding cold ones. But unless you're dealing with controlled rollers, a la Frank Scoblete and his Golden Touch Craps team, I've never really seen a reason why a hot table should stay hot, or a cold table stay cold. We are dealing with dice, after all, that don't know what the previous results have been.

Several years ago, I put it to the test. For nearly a year, every time I was in a casino in the Midwest, South and in Nevada, I stopped by a craps table, waited until I saw two consecutive passes, then tracked the result of the next decision -- not as good a sample as a million-hand computer run, but a lot more time-consuming.

The result: Pass bettors won 489 wagers and lost 511 on the next sequence after two consecutive wins. There was no tendency for the dice to stay hot.

I also watched 1,000 trials that started with two don't passes, then charted the next decision. The dice passed 496 times in those 1,000 trials a mere three more passes than the expected average. There was no tendency for cold dice to stay cold, either.

Now, a thousand trials each way isn't enough to satisfy a statistician, but if hot tables stay hot and cold tables stay cold, well, you can't prove it by me.

MYTH: Just as in blackjack, counting cards can help you win.

FACT: Counting cards in baccarat doesn't help in any practical way.
Favorable situations in baccarat are really rare. The late Peter Griffin wrote in The Theory of Blackjack that a baccarat player who doesn't bet unless he has an advantage can squeeze an edge of about 0.7 percent of his maximum bets on banker and player. However, that player might play only about three hands per eight hours. That's watching, not playing.

For bets on ties, it's theoretically possible to count down to a 24 percent edge with six cards remaining, provided all the cards are dealt out.

In the real world, nobody deals out all the cards, and with one-half deck cut out of play, the bettor's potential edge on the last hand shrinks to just 0.08 percent. With just a small reservation, we can say the myth of the baccarat card counter is JUST a myth.

MYTH: An experienced roulette dealer can make the ball land where he pleases.

FACT: Dealers I know scoff at the notion they can hit a number at will. With the wheel spinning one way, the ball going in the opposite direction, bouncing on the surface and from fret to fret separating the numbers, there are far too many physical variables for a dealer to control where the ball will land.

Anyway, the last thing the casino wants is a dealer who can hit a number at will. As long as the results are random, the casino makes its money. However, if a dealer could control what numbers were coming up, there'd be a chance someone would be in on the secret and take a lot of money from the casino. Random games mean big profits for the operators. Taking the randomness out increases operator risk.

Rare strategy quirk in a Deuces Wild practice session

Practice may not make perfect in video poker, but it can spring some surprises on you.

I got a surprise of my own recently as I was practicing my strategy on Not So Ugly Deuces Wild. It's a game

I hadn't played in some time, but I was planning a day at a casino that offered it. With expert play, NSUD pays 99.7 percent with expert play. That figured to be the best game I'd find on that trip, so I figured I'd better put in a little practice time on the WinPoker software I use.

Here's the hand I was dealt: Queen of clubs, 9 of diamonds, 8 of diamonds, 4 of spades, 3 of hearts.

High pairs don't pay off in Deuces Wild --- the pay table starts at three of a kind --- so I wasn't going to hold the low Queen. Straights in Deuces Wild pay only 2-for-1, so you need four cards before you start thinking about possible straight draws. The best straight possibilities here were only two-card sequences.

Flushes pay 3-for-1 in NSUD, better than the 2-for-1 in full-pay Deuces Wild, so we do look for flushes often. Still, there were only two cards of the same suit in this hand.

Straight flushes pay 10-for-1, another step up from full-pay Deuces, which pays 9-for-1. But two cards to a straight flush? Not likely.

My conclusion: Toss the entire hand. Take a chance on five fresh cards.

The software's conclusion: A pop-up box, warning me I was making a mistake.
I changed my play to holding the 8-9 of diamonds, the only feasible play I could see here. At least it would give me starts on possible flushes, straights, and a long shot at a straight flush.

That, the computer accepted. It played out the draw, and then I clicked on the "analyze any hand" option to check out the numbers.

Sure enough, the calculations told me that holding the 8-9 of diamonds would bring an average return of 1.6075 coins per five wagered, while tossing the entire hand would bring only 1.6074 coins. I was wrong by one ten-thousandths of a percent.

Not a make-or-break hand obviously, and if you're playing in a casino and decide to toss the entire hand, well, I won't quibble. In order for holding the suited 8-9 to be the correct play, all the circumstances had to be in place.

To start with, the NSUD pay table had to be in place. In full-pay Deuces Wild, which pays less on flushes and straight flushes than the Not So Ugly variety, the best play is to discard all five cards. Even in Illinois Deuces, which matches NSUD in paying 3-for-1 on flushes but retains the full-pay return of 9-for-1 on straight flushes, the expert play is to toss the lot. The same hand in Illinois Deuces returns an average of 1.6012 coins with a five-coin discard, but only 1.5828 when holding the suited 8-9.

Beyond that, the situation regarding other possible straights and flushes had to be the same. Remember the hand: Queen of clubs, 8-9 of diamonds, 4 of spades, 3 of hearts
.
If holding the two consecutive diamonds with a straight flush possibility meant tossing a third diamond, the percentages would shift. If the 3 of hearts was a diamond instead, the best play would be to throw away the entire hand. Three diamonds with no straight flush possibility wouldn't yield enough to hold them, and throwing away a third diamond would diminish flush possibilities enough that holding the 8-9 would no longer be worthwhile.

Same deal with straight possibilities. The only possible straight involving three cards in the original hand is 8-9-Queen. There are two gaps on the inside, so the only combinations that can complete the straight are 10-Jack, 10-2, Jack-2 or two wild deuces.

What if the Queen of clubs was a Jack instead? Then there would be only one gap, and the combinations that would result in a straight would increase to 7-10, 10-Queen, 7-2, Queen-2, or 2-2. Throwing away the Jack would decrease the chances of building 8-9 into a straight that here too, the best play would change to discarding all five cards.

It seems by random chance in practicing with the WinPoker software, I ran into the right hand on the right pay table to learn a little something. If I'm playing with the Not So Ugly Deuces Wild pay table, and if I'm dealt a hand with 8-9 suited, no other cards of the same suit, and no straight possibilities with less than two gaps, I'll be holding the 8-9.

That's a rare situation, and who knows when I'll run into it again. But it's a play I'll never forget, and one I'd never have noticed had I not taken the time for a little practice.

New on my non-casino blog

A conversation with original Beatles fan club secretary Freda Kelly, www.jgoverflow@blogspot.com

Players relive the agony of defeat

Where there are gamblers, there are tales of big wins, and there are woulda, coulda, shoulda stories of near misses. The conversation among a group of players sitting around a casino buffet table brought more than a few retellings of the thrills of victory and the agonies of defeat:

Joan: "It was in Las Vegas, at one of those Fifty Play video poker machines. I've played a lot of the Triple Play and Five Play Poker, but I'd never played the Fifty Play, so I thought I'd give it a try. They had it for pennies, so it took $2.50 per hand.

"After about 10 or 11 hands, I was dealt Ace-King-Queen-Jack of clubs, along with a 7 of something. I figured that was great. Fifty chances at a royal flush. OK, a royal only brings you $40 on a penny machine, but even one would buy a few hands, and there's always the chance to draw two or three royals, or even more.

"I didn't even get one. A bunch of high pairs, a few flushes and a couple of straights. I didn't even get my money back. I did OK on the machine and got to play a while, but never did get my royal."

Tom: "Funny you should bring up Fifty Play. I actually was DEALT a royal on Fifty Play. Got it 50 times, and it was on a nickel machine, so it was worth $10,000. What suit? Hearts. Got my picture taken with it and everything. I don't think I've ever been dealt a royal in the first five cards before, so I was really lucky it came when I'd get it 50 times."

Wanda: "You guys and your poker. You know I only play the slots. I think my worst moment came on a nickel Jackpot Party machine. I put in $20, and my very first play the five green 7s lined up straight across the bottom. That's a pretty big pay, and I was really excited, but the machine didn't do anything. I looked at the credit meter, and it was down five cents. It said I'd only bet one coin, and that only gives you the center payline.

"The best I can figure is that I hit the repeat bet button, and the player before me had only been playing one coin on one line. That's a mistake I'll never make again. I felt just awful. Now whenever I play, I make sure I hit the button so that I'm playing all the paylines."

John: "We all make mistakes, but the one that stands out for me came at a blackjack table when I misread the dealer's hand. I had a 9 and a 7 for a hard 16, and the dealer had a 6 face up. I'd misread it as a 9, so I signaled for a hit. The dealer paused and looked at me, because I'd been playing straight basic strategy to that point. I signaled for a hit again and drew a 4. I had a 20, and another player grumbled something about luck over skill.

"When it came the dealer, she turned up another 6, and it finally hit me that her first card was a 6, and I'd made a bad play. So now she had 12. The next card was a 9. Of course. She had 21, and she beat me, along with everyone else. If I hadn't take the hit, she'd have gotten the 4 for a 16, then the 9 would have busted her and the whole table would have won.

"One guy was so mad he immediately left the table. Very embarrassing."

Frank: "Do you remember the old Multiple Action Blackjack game? You'd make three bets. You'd only play one hand, but the dealer would play out three hands, each one starting with the same face up card. I don't think I've seen it in years, but I played it quite a lot at the Four Queens in Vegas for a while.

"One time, I was dealt a blackjack. That feels great, because you figure you have three winners, right? You're already counting your money before the dealer plays. Well, the dealer had an Ace face up. He asked if I wanted insurance, and I refused. So he plays out the hand once, turns up a King for a blackjack. He moves the Ace for the next hand, King, blackjack. Moves the Ace for the third hand, 10, blackjack. Bye-bye winnings. Instead of three wins, I just had three pushes.

"Would you believe, two hands later, I was dealt another blackjack and the dealer had another Ace? Dealer's first hand, Jack, blackjack. Second hand, King, blackjack. I said to her, 'Please. Don't do this to me again.' Third hand, she drew a 6. Finally, I won one. They way things were going, I was happy to take it."

Jack: "I played that game once. Had a great session. My blackjacks all won, three times over. Next time I went to Las Vegas, I looked for it, but it was gone. Easy come, easy go."

Chicago note: New high-limit slot room at Horseshoe Hammond

It’s been five years since Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., opened its roomy, glitzy, amenity-laden new barge, the $500 million facility that before opening was referred to internally as Project MOAB, for Mother of All Boats.

The project didn’t stop with opening. Operating a successful casino means constant freshening and upgrading. The latest upgrade at Horseshoe is a new high-limit slot room, opened Aug. 8 on the casino’s fifth anniversary.

The highest-grossing casino in the Chicago area, Horseshoe has had strong play among high-end players both on tables and slots right from the beginning. The new high-limit room has been designed for player comfort, and has added some of the most popular games in dollar-and-up denominations.

Among the games added:

**         New $1 WMS video titles, including Colossal Reels, Zeus, Kronos and Queen of the Wild. All have proven their popularity among high-limit players in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

**         From IGT, under its license with Action Gaming, comes All-Star Poker. It’s loaded with IGT/Action’s most popular multi-hand video poker games, all for dollar-and-up play. Touch the icons on the screen to choose among Ultimate X, Super Times Pay, Double Super Times Pay, Spin Poker and others.

**         New $1 5-reel, 9-line IGT stepper slots with classic title including Double Gold and Triple Lucky 7’s.