By Travel Tunica on Tuesday January 26, 2016

It’s sometimes said that casinos make their money from winners. Of course, every time it’s said, there’s somebody who responds, “Then they should let everybody win and make even more money.” What’s actually meant by saying casinos make their money from winners is that the house edge derives from paying winners at less than true odds. A losing bet is a losing bet no matter how much you pay the winners. But if casinos paid winners at true odds, then the winners would balance the losers and there would be no net revenue. For an easy example, iIf you bet…

It’s sometimes said that casinos make their money from winners. Of course, every time it’s said, there’s somebody who responds, “Then they should let everybody win and make even more money.” What’s actually meant by saying casinos make their money from winners is that the house edge derives from paying…

By Travel Tunica on Tuesday January 19, 2016

Players sometimes have difficulty with the idea that slot machine results can be programmed and random at the same time. So for many years, I’ve used a comparison to roulette, where you don’t know when any given number will turn up, but the odds of the game will lead to a 5.26 percent house edge – the same as a 94.74 percent payback percentage. Individual results are random, but the odds of the game result in 94.74 percent return to players. That’s the way it works with slot machines, too. Every individual result is random and unpredictable, but the odds…

Players sometimes have difficulty with the idea that slot machine results can be programmed and random at the same time. So for many years, I’ve used a comparison to roulette, where you don’t know when any given number will turn up, but the odds of the game will lead to…

By Travel Tunica on Monday January 11, 2016

From beginners to grizzled old veterans, craps players are always thinking about the ins and outs of their game. A couple of questions arrived recently, one from newbie on a basic concept and one from a veteran who was wondering about the possibilities of a different way to play. The newcomer asked, “I was wondering if you could slow down and explain something to me. You say there are six ways to make 7. I only count three, a 6 and a 1; a 5 and a 2; and a 4 and a 3. Nothing else adds up to 7.…

From beginners to grizzled old veterans, craps players are always thinking about the ins and outs of their game. A couple of questions arrived recently, one from newbie on a basic concept and one from a veteran who was wondering about the possibilities of a different way to play. The…

By John Grochowski on Thursday January 7, 2016

When the World Series of Poker Circuit makes its Tunica stop Jan. 21-Feb. 1 at Horseshoe, it will be building on a tradition that began 45 years ago in Las Vegas. That’s when Benny Binion invited seven of the top poker players in the world to come to his casino for a tournament he called the World Series of Poker, and that’s grown into the mega-event that brings national ballyhoo and TV coverage every year. The Circuit, which takes the show on tour, including 21 stops in the 204-15 season, is newer. It was launched in 2005 and has grown…

When the World Series of Poker Circuit makes its Tunica stop Jan. 21-Feb. 1 at Horseshoe, it will be building on a tradition that began 45 years ago in Las Vegas. That’s when Benny Binion invited seven of the top poker players in the world to come to his casino…