Gaming Today

Deuces Wild has its highs, lows

Over the past couple of years, I have found myself playing more Deuces Wild and less Double Double Bonus Video Poker. As a general statement, this is not surprising. Given it is coming from me who eschewed Deuces Wild for literally decades, it is quite surprising. I avoided Deuces Wild because it always seemed like […]

Pairing up in video poker has many options

Over the past few weeks, I have described how the expected value is calculated for video poker. While the exact methods vary somewhat from game to game, the concept is still the same. This is the most critical aspect of expected value. It is the expected return of the hand over the long run. I […]

G2E a strange trip

Normally at this time of the year, I spend several weeks discussing all the shiny new table games at the Global Gaming Expo. But nothing about 2020 seems normal, so this year, my entire report will be a single column. There are two reasons for this. The first is that the entire show was held […]

Simulations reveal true odds of casino games

Some jurisdictions required a volatility analysis or a confidence interval report in order to have the game approved, if it is an electronic game. They make a certain amount of sense for games with no strategy to help prove that the game is functioning as it should. I have a tougher time understanding the point […]

Electronic Table Games are a casino necessity

The phrase of the week (O.K., year) in the gaming industry is undoubtedly — Electronic Table Games.  It’s amazing how one little virus (not to diminish the impact) can alter the landscape of the casino so tremendously. Over the past 10 years or so, we’ve seen some of these games work their way into some […]

Speed of play counts in all gambling

Last week, I discussed the loss rate of many common table games. Somewhere in there I mentioned a variable that I did not take into account in my analysis in order to keep things simple. This is speed of play. Most people probably go to the casino with the notion of playing for a certain […]

Jackpot odds still long at Las Vegas casinos

Shortly after Las Vegas’ casinos reopened in early June, a lucky player won a big jackpot playing Let It Ride.  Talk about good PR. Nothing like a news story going out over the wire within the first few days of reopening that someone won a few hundred thousand dollars. Recently, I read how someone playing […]

Casino game design is lengthy process

When I was younger, and I started to learn how to program computers, my dad used to suggest that I create a new video game. Pac-Man had just made someone out there a lot of money, and it was just a little yellow circle with a mouth eating little dots and running from ghosts. How […]

There are two ways to win in Blackjack

Continuing on the topic of Blackjack, I will discuss a few key strategic decisions this week. This is not meant to replace learning the entire strategy for Blackjack. Rather, it will hopefully quickly have you turn away from some bad decisions and send you on the path of seeking the complete strategy. There are two ways […]

Video Keno, Parlor Keno two very different games

Right behind where I like to play Video Poker at Red Rock Resort in Summerlin is a bank of Video Keno machines.  I suspect like many machines in the casino nowadays, they actually play a variety of games. But, it seems like when I sit down to play, there are usually Keno players sitting there. […]