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Dear Mark: I have experienced what you state about two machines sitting next to each other with different payouts, such as 9/6 and 8/5,  and so on. My question is when a nickel machine lists 9/6, and a quarter machine also lists 9/6, does the player on the nickel machine playing five nickels get the [...]

Dear Mark: Do you know anything about Gary Cline’s (author of Beat the Odds Blackjack) blackjack system?  His book goes against the traditional blackjack strategy.  In the book he also talks about a method of winning and money management system. He charges $2k for the system, and I just wanted to check around with some [...]

Dear Mark: like to play Video Blackjack on 25 cent machines.  Do you know if these machines are dealt randomly from a deck of 52 or are they “fixed” to give me fewer blackjacks? It seems I never get my fair share of blackjacks compared to a table game, nor seem to win as much. [...]

Dear Mark: Thanks for sharing your great insights about gambling in the casinos. Reading your material quells lots of myths about how slot machines react to gamblers. My question is, are there general casino rules concerning money that a customer finds left on a slot machine, or if when the Player’s Club card is inserted [...]

Dear Mark:  Is there any way of lowering the casino’s 1.5 percent edge on a pass line bet by hedging it somewhere else on the table? Brad D.
 
   If you’re thinking of those snake oil proposition bets pitched by barking dealers (hardways, field bets, one number rolls, etc.), absolutely not. Some of those flummadiddle wagers [...]

Dear Mark: Taking your advice, any time I’m given the choice, I play video poker over slots. My question is, do you still need the same sized session bankroll for video poker as you would for slots? Dana S.
 
 Your bankroll, Dana, the money you will need to set aside specifically for playing video poker, would [...]

Dear Mark: Is there any way of producing luck when you gamble? Wendy P.
 
 Producing luck? Sure! You will always have more luck in the long run at games where the casino has a small house edge versus games where the casino has a large house edge. You’ve read it here before, and I’ll state it [...]

I was hoping that you can settle a argument between me and a friend of mine. He is insisting that the highest hand in poker is a royal flush in SPADES. Everyone else states that a royal flush is the highest hand no matter what suit, and a spade royal would not beat another royal [...]