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Gaming Guru  The one-bet rule at slots19 June 2018
By Frank Scoblete FROM JUNE: I have enjoyed your columns and books but I do have a serious question. You seem to be the only gambling writer who says to make only one credit bets on slot machines; in old terminology, you eschew full coin. All the other writers always say play full coin to be able to get the increased percentage win on the jackpot. Why have you switched your advice and gone against the norm? FRANK RESPONDS: I know my one-bet advice at first seems radical but overall it is the best way to play games where you don’t have an edge. The less you bet – and the one-bet rule means in any given period of time you will bet less, often far less than you normally would – the less money the house edge grinds away at. There are some wrinkles in my slot machine advice, and I think these wrinkles are important to iron out. First and foremost, I do not recommend playing linked progressives with those million-dollar jackpots or any progressive slot machine for that matter because generating those giant jackpots costs the player a hefty hit. These machines can be returning about 85 to 88 percent. That is a high house edge. I also think those penny, nickel and dime machines that can gobble up dollars’ worth of coins per spin should be put on the don’t-play shelf. The house edges on these machines are quite high as well. Now for the one-credit/coin advice: Select machines that are equally distributed in payouts. Using the traditional three-credit/coin machine you would see something such as the following: one credit/coin pays 200; two credits/coins pay 400; three credits/coins pay 600. Note that there is no reward for playing maximum credits or coins. So why do so? You are risking three times the money; losing three times as much. Bet one credit/coin and you have reduced your hit by two-thirds. Playing the same number of hours as you usually do, you get the thrill of the chase but much less of any possible beating. Yes, I also recommend playing one credit/coin in machines that offer more money on the full-credits/coins jackpot line. Playing three times the money to reduce the house edge by a miniscule fraction of a percent isn’t worth losing almost three times the money. If you play four hours a day that jackpot line is meaningless. Reducing the amount you are playing will save you a fortune over time. So there you have it. I recommend one credit/coin on the slot machines I’ve singled out. Visit Frank’s website at www.frankscoblete.com. Frank Scoblete’s latest books are I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps, Confessions of a Wayward Catholic and I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack. Available from Amazon.com, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and at bookstores. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Anatomy of a jackpot12 June 2018
Winning the “big one” is probably every slot player’s dream. Those reels spin or those characters hop up and down, the music plays, the money symbols land, land and land, and baskets of fruits or flowers or animated figures pile together. The big money, the huge money, is yours! “I won close to $1 million on a machine, a Wheel of Fortune, and I was like paralyzed for a minute. ... (read more)
The five-tool casino player5 June 2018
In baseball, there is an elite category called the “five-tool” player. Such a player is excellent in the following areas: 1. Batting average (usually near, on, or over 300) 2. Power hitting (home runs, triples, doubles) 3. Fast runner (base running, base stealing ability) 4. Good arm in the field (can throw the ball with power from his position) 5. Good fielder Such players are rare indeed. ... (read more)
Why I am special29 May 2018
FROM DONALD: What makes gambling writers so special? Do you guys and gals go to a school to learn how to give everyone advice? I doubt it. Therefore why do you think your advice is so special that the rest of us should follow it? Seriously how many gambling writers actually play the games they pontificate about? I would say almost none of them do. ... (read more)
Ask Frank: Spanish 21 StrategyHello there, Living in Canada, I find that the rules are more liberal here than at other casino locales, such as the dealer standing on all 17s for Spanish Blackjack. In your book, Armada Strategies for Spanish 21, there is only a strategy for when the dealer hits soft 17. I w... (read more)Ask Frank (Playing Winning Craps)Dear Mr. Scoblete: In your book Forever Craps, you recommend to play one Don't Come bet per shooter without odds in order to reduce your exposure to the house. I usually play at casinos that count the spread and odds. If I play one ... (read more)Bad Ways to Play Good Casino GamesYou've met this guy before. He's cantankerous, witless, and loud. He knows everything about everything when it comes to casino games. He's a self-made expert who knows more than all writers and mathematicians combined, and as he doubles on his thirteen against the dealer's ... (read more)The Craps to English DictionaryCraps is another country, a kingdom with its own mores, legends, myths, rites, rituals, superstitions and government. It also has its own language, much of it easily misunderstood as sexual or scatological references. For those of you interested in journeying to this ... (read more)Craps Crap and Craps Gold - Part 1What do the following sayings have in common? "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." "Better late than never." "High fences make good neighbors." "Always play the Pass/Come and take full odds." Answer: The above statements are true. Yes, some people might quibble and say that you can eat as ... (read more)Frank Scoblete |
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