Dear
Mark: What are your thoughts on alternating between
two and three coins on a slot to save money? Cindy
B.
Most
slot machines, Cindy, offer an incentive to play
the maximum coin amount. For example, two-coin
inserted may pay 2,000, but three coins pays out
5,000, a bonus of 1,000 additional coins. If this
were the case with the machine you had in mind,
then I would always recommend playing max coins.
But if the machine is a straight multiplier, say
for instance the top jackpot line pays 1,000 with
one coin inserted; the second pays 2,000, and
the third 3,000, then, yes, occasionally betting
less wouldn't make a difference.
Dear
Mark: I really loved you column last week on card
counting. I do have a question regarding counting
multiple decks. Is it possible? Also, can you
count cards when playing blackjack online? Al
A.
Thanks,
Al, for the nice compliment. Anyhow, as to your
question, yes, if you have the smarts to count
down one deck, you can count down two, six or
even eight decks. You just happen to be counting
longer between shuffles.
As for counting cards online, smarts won't matter
since most online casinos shuffle-up after every
hand.
Dear
Mark: This actually happened at our friendly Friday
night poker game. A player early in the evening
got four aces and the king of spades to win the
hand. Later on, he got the exact same hand? What
are the chances of that occurring? Dale L.
Above
average if he happened to be the dealer, who happens
to be a master card magician, or has unbelievable
skills at dealing seconds and bottoms. You did
though state "friendly" in part of your
question, so, I'll tell you that there are 2,598,960
possible hand combinations with a 52-card deck.
So, Dale, the odds of getting any one specific
hand would be one in 2,598,960.
Dear
Mark: What is the correct strategy for late surrender?
Don N.
Smart
blackjack players always play in a casino that
offers the best playing conditions. Early and
late surrender are two such rules that do help
the player.
Early
surrender permits a player to relinquish half
of the wager even if the dealer has a blackjack.
With late surrender, a player loses the bet if
the dealer possesses a blackjack.
Basic
strategy for late surrender on a multi-deck game
is as follows:
Surrender
hard 16 (but not 8-8) vs. 9, 10, ace.
Surrender
hard 15 vs. 10, although some experts also advise
those who are risk- averse to surrender hard 15
vs. ace.
One
more thing, Don. Don't think of surrender as giving
up half your wager, but as just getting back half
your probable loss.
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Columns By Mark Pilarski
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More
tips from Mark
Easy
Card Counting System For Blackjack
Card counting, is not restricted to any one method.
The central idea is simply that a deck rich in
high cards favors the player and a deck rich in
low cards favors the dealer.
The
Joker in Pai Gow
The rank of the a Joker when it applies to a flush.
Getting
A Cold Deck
Secretly slipping a stacked deck into the game
can provide a great potential payoff for the card
cheat.
The
Art Of A Card Mechanic
In a poker game with a card mechanic here are
a few things to look out for.
Good
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