| What's your advice in the game of Black Jack video poker? Is it advisable to hold the black Jack with any pair or 3 of a kind OR to trash the black Jack, knowing there's another one still out there and go for the big payday? Thanks, Stu Stu sent some additional information about this game. A black Jack acts a kicker with quads. Four aces normally pay 2000 coins, but if you have four aces and a black Jack, they pay 4000. My gut reaction is that you don't want to hold onto the kicker because it limits the number of ways you can complete the quad. Let's look at whether we should hold a black Jack with three Aces to see if I'm right. Consider the hand AsAhAcJs3s. Of course, we're going to hold onto the three Aces. But should we also hold the Jack of spades. We can use programs like Frugal Video Poker and WinPoker to help us with the calculations. Pick a paytable that breaks out the payouts for different quads. Change the paytable to pay 800/4000 for four Aces and then analyze our example hand. We can read the results for holding the Jack along with Aces right off the screen. There is only one way to make four Aces, and they pay 4000 because we're already holding the kicker. There are three ways to draw another Jack and get a full house. The other 43 cards do not improve our hand. The expected value (EV) of that combination is 101.383, assuming the full house pays 40 coins. We have to do our own calculations to get the EV of holding only the three Aces. Still our analysis programs can do the hard work of counting the combinations for us. There are 46 ways to draw to four Aces, but one of those ways is with the other black Jack. Thus, there is one way to win 4000 coins and 45 to win 2000. We can copy the rest of the numbers right off the screen. There are 66 ways to get a full house, and the remaining 969 ways to not improve our hand. The EV of this option is 102.845. We'd have to repeat the calculations for holding only the pair, but I'm fairly sure that we'll find that it's better to discard the kicker than to hold it in that situation too. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear John, I have a question of protocol regarding slot machines after they hit a jackpot. I have been playing the slots for many years (in Illinois) and had my share of jackpots in various casions. After hitting a jackpot, the casino host requests that you spin off the win in order to clear the machine. (I assume this to mean that the casino does not want a jackpot win showing on that particular machine so that it does not deter any potential customers from play on that machine.) Anyway, some casinos pay for this clearing spin up to the amount of my last play. Some casinos only put in one coin and request me to spin it off. Other casinos make this request but do not front any coins to do so. One casino demanded that I spin off the jackpot and refused to front a coin to do it with. Are some casino personnel that naive to think that I (or anybody else) will frequent their establishment after requesting/forcing me to spin off a win on a machine with my own money. In regards to tipping, I now wait to see what the slot host requests of me after a jackpot win. Obviously, if I have to use my own money, she/he receives a substantially lower tip. I sort of feel bad because I assume that the casino regulates this policy. Is there any simple way to spread the word to all casinos on how to treat their customers? Do they not realize that their one or more coin guesture will probably result in a 100% or better return? Please help. TomThanks for the kind words about the newsletter. All of my columns are archived at Casino City Times (robison.casinocitytimes.com), so you can always search for past columns there. We didn't talk about tipping hosts in the previous article about tipping. Hosts usually are not allowed to accept cash. There is also usually a maximum to the value of a gift that a host can accept. You'll have to ask a host at the casino to find out what the tipping regulations are for hosts. Now, it sounds like you don't have a long-term relationship with this host and it also sounds like the host didn't do anything extraordinary for you. You didn't mention that this was a concert that had been sold out for a long time or that your seats were right on the stage. I may get in trouble with the casino hosts who read this column, but I don't think a tip is necessary. On the other hand, I may win the hosts back by saying that what I think you should do is write a letter to the host and say how much you enjoyed the concert and thank her for making the arrangements for the tickets. You can also mention that you're looking forward to your next visit to the casino and that your host's hospitality is one of the main reasons why you like this casino. Casino employees have told me that these sorts of letters help them get promotions and raises--and those are "gifts" that keep on giving. Best of luck in and out of the casinos, John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, John, I have no questions, only one sincere comment: I've been around the casinos and gaming actively for forty years. I've relied on the Web for reference, research and advice since it became mature (early '90s). You are almost unique and invaluable as a resource. Your info is honest and straight-on with no B.S. I devote only about 10% of my ($100K) annual gambling budget to slots. But I'm still constantly startled by the candor and brilliance of your letters. Occasionally you deal with my forte (obviously blackjack) but that doesn't matter as much as the fact that all my experience and knowledge lead me to constantly sit up and take notice of your great value to players. Good for you! |
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