Casino secrets

gomer: I would like to know what casinos are hot in Vegas and Atlantic City.

Steve Bourie: I guess it would depend on what you mean by "hot." Do you mean "which casinos have the highest-paying slot machines?" If so, you would have to refer to statistics from the particular gaming commissions in each jurisdicton in order to determine which casinos offer the highest payback percentages on their machines. In New Jersey the statistics are broken down by each particular casino so you can tell which casino, on average, returns the most and which casino returns the least. Last year, the Sands had the highest returns of all casinos (92.6%) in Atlantic City and the Showboat had the lowest (91.1%). In Nevada the statistics are broken down by area and not by individual casino. Last year, the highest returns, on average, were found in N. Las Vegas. That area is a market that caters to locals and their machines consistently have the highest returns of anywhere in the U.S. The average return on a machine in N. Las Vegas was around 96%. The lowest returns in Nevada can be found on the Las Vegas Strip which is an area that caters to tourists who are not very knowledgeable gamblers. The average on the Strip was around 94%. Please note that even though this is lowest average in Nevada it's still more than 1% better than the best returns in Atlantic City. You can find information on slot machine statistics for all U.S. casinos on the American Casino Guide website. Just go to: www.americancasinoguide.com and on the left side you'll see a link to "slot payback info." Just click on that and it will take you to a page where you can access statistics for slots in all states with casino gaming.

chatty4444: Which seat is best to sit in when playing blackjack?

Steve Bourie: If you were a "card counter" you would probably want to sit in the last seat because you would be able to see the greatest amount of cards that had been played before you made your decisions. If you were a basic strategy player it wouldn't matter which seat you chose.

gamblin-diva: Is it possible for the casinos to "fix" games or the slot machines?

Steve Bourie: When casinos order slot machines they have to choose a chip from the manufacturer that will control the percentage that the machine is set to payback to the public. The manufacturer wiil have a choice of chips usually ranging from 85% to 98% available for each machine. Almost always, the higher the denomination of the machine the more it will be set to payback. This means nickels will be set in the high 80's percentages and $5 machines will be set in the high 90's percentages. In a regulated jurisdiction, such as Nevada or New Jersey, the chips are constantly checked for accuracy so it's unlikely that you would ever find a slot that has been "fixed." In an unregulated jusrisdiction, such as Florida, the same chips as you will find in a regulated jurisdiction are put into the machines. I guess someone, if they knew what they were doing, could alter the chips but I have never heard of a case like that occurring.

shipshape: The Indian Casinos in South Florida, are they regulated?

Steve Bourie: The Indian casinos in Florida are not regulated. Actaully, they are not "casinos" in the traditional sense as they don't have slot machines. They have video gaming machines which print out a receipt that must be taken to a cashier. The state of Florida and the Indian tribes ahve been embroiled in a legal controversy for many years as to what games are legal. The tribes would like to offer actual casino games but the state opposes that.

nikki: Should you move to another machine after you have hit?

Steve Bourie: It's pure luck as to whether or not you win on a slot machine. If you don't like a machine move to another one. If you've been lucky on one particular machine stay for awhile. Either startegy is just as effective. The best strategy, however, is to learn to play video poker because you can learn how to choose the best machines and also learn the best strategies for playing those machines. You can find more information on how to play all of the casino games on the American Casino Guide Website at www.americancasinoguide.com

paragonrdrdd: Player has 2, dealer has 2-good card for the dealer. Hit?

Steve Bourie: I assume you mean player has 12, not 2, and the dealer has 2 as his upcard. Basic strategy says to hit a 12 against a 2.

Harley: What video or book would you recommend for playing Craps.

Steve Bourie: There is a book called "Beat the Craps out of the Casinos" and a craps video called "Rolling to Win." You can buy either one of these at a discount on the American Casino Guide website. Go to http://www.americancasinoguide.com/Store/Store-Welcome.shtml

cindyt: Do most casinos offer gaming instruction? And do they really try to help the player win?

Moderator: Please continue to submit your questions.

Steve Bourie: Most casinos will offer basic instruction on how to play the games. However, they will not tell you what is a good bet, and what is a bad bet. That's why it's always a good idea to read a book before you enter the casino.

Harley: Playing craps, What is the best strategy

Steve Bourie: Stick to the bets that have the lowest casino edge. The include pass and don't pass, and making a place bet on the 6 or the 8. All of these bets have slightly better then a 1% house edge. Avoid the proposition bets in the center of the table. They have an edge from anywhere between 8% -17%.

cindy: Which do you think is best at the blackjack table? Card counting or a progressive system?

Steve Bourie: In the short run, you can win money by using a progressive betting system in blackjack. However, in order to be a consistant winner in the long run, you would have to be a card counter in order to overcome the casino advantage. As a progressive bettor, you are not doing anything to overcome the casino's mathmatical advantage in blackjack.

IRONHEAD: What game will strategy help you the most?

Steve Bourie: In games of skill, strategy will help. These games include: Blackjack, Poker, Video Poker, and handicapping. All other casino games are games of luck and there is no strategy to help you win. You just need to be lucky to win these games.

Blackjack: in blackjack--if you continue to keep track of your losses and double that bet each time--eventually you have to hitand get back all you've lost-plus what you've lost up to that time--will that work??

Steve Bourie: The problem is that you can't always double your bet because eventually you will hit the table limit. Also, if you are a $10 player, and you want to win $10, you might get unlucky and lose 6 times in a row and get behind $630 - would you really want to risk that kind of money to come away with a $10 profit? 6 in a row may sound like a lot of losses, but it can happen more frequently then you think. I belive you should bet more when you are winning, not when you are losing.

cindyth: Do you believe in "hot streaks" and "cold streaks"? Have you known gamblers to be unlucky for several sessions in a row?

Steve Bourie: The problem with hot & cold streaks is that you only know that they have occured after they have happened. Yes, those hot & cold streaks do occur, but there is no way to take advantage of them, becuase you don't know when they are going to stop. Like they say in the stock market, past performence is not neccesarily an indication of future performance.

Thebabie62: How do you know when a slot is hot?

Steve Bourie: Slot machines are set to pay back a certain %, based on the chip which is contained inside the machine. The machine does not have a memory to know that it just paid out some money. Therefore each time you play the machine, the result is independant of what happened before. If you get lucky you will win, if you are unlucky you will lose.

brent: How are South Florida's Casino Boats?

Steve Bourie: The casino boats offer very good blackjack games. Additionally, many of the boats have promotional programs, that offer you extra chips or discounts when you play blackjack on the boat. As far as slot machines go, I belive that the returns are pretty comperable to the casinos in Altantic City. For video poker players, the best game can be found on the Sea Escape in Ft. Lauderdale. They offer a 25 cent version of 10/7 Double Bonus. This is a good machine that is widely available in Los Vegas, and the theoretical payback on this machine is 100.17% - but you have to know the proper strategy.

dhlnteu: Are the slots on the boats in Florida regulated and which boats do you recommend?

Steve Bourie: There is no state regulation for the casino boats in Florida, including all of the major cruise lines (Carnival, Norwegian, etc.) I have no recommendation on which particular boat as you can't tell what the machines are set to pay back. I belive that all of the machines are relativly similar and thatthe paybacks on the machines would be comperable to Atlantic City where the average machine returns around 92%

brent: Do you have any tips on blackjack?

Steve Bourie: Buy a good book on blackjack and memorize the basic strategy charts. It's always important that you know how to play your hands properly.

JOKER: WHICH INTERNET CASINO OFFERS BEST ODDS AND BETTER CHANCES TO WIN?

Steve Bourie: Internet casinos are located in different countries, and therefore subject to different regulations - if any. There are some in Australia that are regulated by the Australian government. I would assume that they are offering honest games, and that they are financed well enough to pay you if you win a substantial amount. Therefore, if I had to give a recommendation on an Internet casino, I would say try one of the Australian ones (I think there are 2).

Blackjack: you dont have to answer this--but--on a $10 table--after 5 losses my bet would be $1620--and the winnings would be $810--not 10 dollars--after 6 losses my bet would be $4050 and the winnings would be $2025

Steve Bourie: Your first bet on a $10 table is $10.

If you double after each loss:

Your 2nd bet is $20 Your 3rd bet is $40 Your 4th bet is $80 Your 5th bet is $160 Your 6th bet is $320

The total for all of these bets (10+20+40+80+160+320) = $630.

So, on your 7th bet, you would have to risk $640 just to be up your original $10 bet.

nikki: I was tld that if you have like 400.00 in a machine to keep feeding it to win. true or false?

Steve Bourie: If you are playing a slot machine, it really doesn't matter what you do as it is pure luck as to whether you win or not. If you are playing video poker, it is possible to play some machines where you have the mathmatical advantage over the casino. If you are playing these machines, you would need to be making the maximum coin bet and using the proper strategy. In the long run, on these particular poker machines, you should be able to continue to win money. Especially if you are a member of the slot club becuase you will also be accumulating cash back and complementaries from the casino.

nikki: We play at the Indian Casinos. How good are the lotto machines?

Steve Bourie: There are two types of machines available at the Indian casinos. One is an electronic pull tab machine. The other is a lotto type machine. The only problem is that I don't know that much about them. I do know that with a pull tab machine, there is a predetermined number of winners programed into the machine, and you just have to be lucky enough to pull one of the winning tickets. With the lotto type machines, the machines are based on probability. The casino's mathmatical advantage on these machines can be calculated, but I don't know what that number is.

paragonrdrdd: Are there any stats on what % of the time a dealer opens in carib stud??

Steve Bourie: I don't know the answer, but there is a book called "Bold Card Play" by Frank Scoblete, which will probably have that answer. That book covers the games of: Caribbean Stud Poker, Let it Ride, and 3 Card Poker. You can find it on the American Casino Guide web site

brent: Do you recomend Princesa or Sun Cruz

Steve Bourie: Both ships are very similar, and I would say to just go to whichever ship is closer to you geographically.

Steve Bourie: Thanks very much for all the questions, I hope I was able to give you answers to help you out. I have a web site at . where you can go to learn more about all the casino games, plus travel deals to casinos. There is also a discussion board there if you would like to post questions. Tommorow, I'm giving a presentation on the Sea Escape ship. If you happen to go, I'd be happy to answer your questions in person. The boat leaves at 11am from port Everglades. Be sure to get there by 10:30am at the latest. Good Luck!