Casino Strategy

Slots Strategy

While normal non-progressive slot machines may be fun to play, there is little the advantage gambler can do to gain an edge over standard slot machines. However, a new breed of slots, called PROGRESSIVES are not only fun to play, they can (at times) offer the astute gambler a positive expectation (in other words, there are times when Progressive Slot Machines will PAY OUT more than they TAKE IN, thus giving the player an edge, or positive expectation.

In order to identify which machines are *currently* offering a positive expectation-type game, it is necessary to have a general idea of what the odds are of hitting the Jackpot or winning the mega-prize are and compare these odds against how much money would have to be "played" before it was likely that the Jackpot would be hit. Most reputable online casinos offer some type of "odds of winning" information on their progressive slots. However, a general rule of thumb (although it may sound obvious) is to play the machines with the largest Jackpots. Also, in order to take advantage of this positive-expectation gamble occasionally offered by the Progressives Slots it is necessary to play Max Coins in order to be eligible for the Progressive Jackpot.

Let's take an example to illustrate how Progressives offer the player an edge:
Suppose the Jackpot of a Progressive Slot Machine is 52,000, it costs 1$ to play max coins per each spin (assuming a 25 cent machine and max bet being 4 coins or 1$) and the odds against winning the jackpot are 40,000 to 1. Well, on the average for every $40,000 you wager through this machine, you will get back on average $52,000 (i.e. your return is greater than your investment-positive expectation). While wagering $40,000 might seem extreme this DOES NOT MEAN THAT $40,000 MUST BE LOST, it just means that this amount of money must be played and you would be surprised at how much you wager at $1/spin. Just remember, the typically slot player makes approximately 1000 spins/hour or more so in our example it should take you about 40 hours of play to hit this Jackpot. Naturally, you will win smaller amounts along the way as you play that will keep you in the game until the Jackpot is hit.

Top of Page

Blackjack Strategy

Unlike some other casino games, BlackJack CAN be beaten and is often beaten. The first step to becoming a WINNING BLACKJACK PLAYER is to learn Basic Strategy. Basic Strategy is the playing decisions that you make when you have no idea of what cards are left in the deck. In BlackJack, unlike other casino games, the cards that have BEEN played affect how the future hands WILL BE PLAYED. That is because the composition of the remaining cards in the deck CHANGES as certain cards are used-up and taken out of play. You will see later, that Advanced Strategy takes advantage of this phenomena.

The main rules of Basic Strategy are summarized below:

If your first two cards total less than 11, always draw another card (called taking a Hit).
If your first two cards total 17, always stand. (Do not take a Hit).
Normally it is correct to assume that the dealer has a ten hidden.
If your cards total 12 to 16, whether you draw or stand depends on what the dealer is showing.
If the dealer has a card showing between 7 and Ace you should draw until you are over 16 (since we are assuming a 10-value card in the Dealer's Hole).
If the Dealer is showing a card between 2 to 6 you should not draw another card (when your hand's total is 12 to 16). Note: There is one exception to this rule: If you have 12 and the dealer is showing a 2 or 3 you should draw one more card only.
When you have soft 17 or 18 (A6 or A7) it is a good idea to draw if the dealer is showing any card from a 9 to an Ace.
Do not take Insurance, since you are betting that the dealer will receive a BlackJack (21). You are playing to beat the dealer not bet that he will beat you.
Below is a BlackJack Basic Strategy Chart:

Hit= H Stand= S Double Down= DD Split= SP
DEALER SHOWING: This is the exposed card in the Dealer's Hand and appears in the first row
PLAYER'S HAND TOTALS appear in the leftmost column of the chart

Basic Strategy Chart

Basic Strategy Chart

DEALER SHOWING:

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

A

17+

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

16

S

S

S

S

S

H

H

H

H

H

15

S

S

S

S

S

H

H

H

H

H

14

S

S

S

S

S

H

H

H

H

H

13

S

S

S

S

S

H

H

H

H

H

12

H

H

S

S

S

H

H

H

H

H

11

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

H

10

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

H

H

9

H

DD

DD

DD

DD

H

H

H

H

H

5 - 8

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

A, 8 - 10

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

A, 7

S

DD

DD

DD

DD

S

S

H

H

H

A, 6

H

DD

DD

DD

DD

H

H

H

H

H

A, 5

H

H

DD

DD

DD

H

H

H

H

H

A, 4

H

H

DD

DD

DD

H

H

H

H

H

A, 3

H

H

H

DD

DD

H

H

H

H

H

A, 2

H

H

H

DD

DD

H

H

H

H

H

A, A / 8, 8

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

10, 10

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

9, 9

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

S

S

7, 7

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

SP

H

H

H

H

6, 6

H

SP

SP

SP

SP

H

H

H

H

H

5, 5

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

DD

H

H

4, 4

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

H

3, 3

H

H

SP

SP

SP

SP

H

H

H

H

2, 2

H

H

SP

SP

SP

SP

H

H

H

H

Advanced Strategy:

Even Advanced BlackJack Strategy begins with a sound knowledge of the BASIC STRATEGY so you must have the Basic Strategy mastered before attempting to tackle this section. Advanced Strategy combines the Basic Strategy and a method for keeping track of the remaining cards in the deck. This is done through a routine called CARD COUNTING. Using a Card Counting method, the Player assigns either a -1, 0, or +1 value to the cards that have been observed (this is a different number from the point-value of the cards discussed above). Typically -1 is assigned to 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. The 0 is assigned to the cards 7, 8, 9 and cards 2 through 6 get a +1. As these cards are played, the player keeps a running total called the RUNNING COUNT.

This is done so that the higher the positive count goes, the greater the ratio of high cards vs. low cards there is left to be played (this favors the player) and the more negative the negative count goes, the greater the ratio of low cards vs. high cards there is left to be played (this favors the dealer.) Let's try an example:

Starting with a new shoe, the hands currently exposed are J6 (card-counting value 0 because J = -1 and 6 = +1). AK (card-counting value -2), 75 (card counting value +1 since 7 is neutral) and AA (card counting value -2) so the total count at this time is -3 which tells us that of the remaining cards left in the deck there are 3 more +1 cards (low cards) versus -1 cards (high cards.) How can this help us?

What keeping this count does is tell us when it is correct to DEVIATE FROM BASIC STRATEGY. When keeping the count it is correct to deviate from Basic Strategy according to the following rules (we are assuming a single-deck game):

Hit Hard 14, 15 against the Dealer's 2 through 6 when the count is -3 or greater
Hit Hard 16 against the Dealer's 2 through 6 when the count is -4 or greater
Do NOT Split 8,8 when the count is -4 or greater
Take Insurance when the count is +3 or greater and the Dealer shows a 10-value card
Do NOT hit Hard 12, 13 against a Dealer's 2 or 3 when the count is +2 or greater
Do NOT hit Hard 14, 15, 16 against any Dealer card when the count is +4 or greater.
Advanced Strategy Considerations for Online Blackjack:
Up until recently most (if not all) online casinos offered only single-player Blackjack utilizing one deck. Unfortunately, card-counting was not relevant because the deck was shuffled after each hand, thus the best advantage the online Blackjack player had was to employ perfect Basic Strategy and good money management. When coupled with the excellent player Bonuses offered by most online casinos, the patient player could come out ahead by playing perfect Basic Strategy and taking advantage of these bonuses. The Basic Strategy afforded him an almost even game against the house and once he used up or cashed out his bonus money, the player could move on to the next online casino.

Recently, however, some online casinos have started employing multiplayer games. This was done to allow people to share the same camaraderie we do with the other players in a real casino. Interestingly, most casinos that offer multi-player games still use the single-deck that is shuffled after every round. Unlike single-player games however, multiplayer games offer the advantage of seeing a large portion of the cards that have been played (assuming we are sitting at a full table) before we have to make our playing decision (As long as we sit in the seat immediately to the Dealer's left when facing him-called Third-Base).

This allows us to view all the other hands as well as the cards drawn by all the other players before playing our hand. This gives the card-counting player a huge advantage because he will know such things as: all of the four Aces have been played so the Dealer can't have BlackJack and thus there is no need to take insurance or the count is greater than +5 so I'll have to alter my playing decisions based on the strategy offered above etc.

Top of Page

Video Poker Strategy

Video Poker is a skill game that can be beaten using a combination of playing skill and mathematical knowledge. It is important to pay attention to the "pay schedule" presented on the front of each machine. The smart video poker player realizes that the important information to look for is how much a machine pays for a Full-House versus a Flush. Advanced video poker players realize that a "Jacks-or-Better" machine that pays out 9 coins to 1 for every Full House and 6 to 1 for every Flush (classified as a 9/6 machine) can be beaten using perfect Basic Video Poker Strategy. The other machine that offers the advanced online video poker player an edge is the 10/6 Deuces Wild machine. This has been proven based on computer modeling. While other machines are fun to play, even if you use Perfect Video Poker Strategy you will not win.

Similar to the Basic Strategy for Blackjack, there are hard and fast rules that define the Basic Video Poker Strategy whether you are playing video poker online or in a casino. This strategy for the Jacks-or-Better game is as follows:

Jacks-or-Better Video Poker Strategy

In any hand containing a Jack discard everything and keep the Jack (unless the hand is already a winner, four to an open-ended Straight, four to a Flush or three to a Straight Flush or Royal Flush)
In any hand containing only one card Jack or above, keep the lone high card and redraw.
In any hand containing a pair lower than Jacks, keep the pair and discard everything else (unless the hand is four to a Straight or four to a Flush)
In any hand containing two-pair, keep both pair and discard the odd-card.
In any hand containing three-of-a-kind keep the three-of-a-kind and discard the other two cards.
In any hand containing four to a Straight, keep all four Straight cards and draw (unless the Straight draw is NOT open-ended and your hand contains a Jack)
In any hand containing four to a Flush, keep the four Flush (unless the hand contains three to the Royal in which case you would draw to the Royal Flush)
In any hand containing four-of-a-kind just hold everything since a one-card draw can't improve you.
In any hand containing three to a Royal Flush discard everything else and go for the Royal (unless the hand is already a Straight Flush)

Top of Page