gaming
New slot machines promise to thrill
Each year at Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, I get to see the best of what slot machine manufacturers have to offer: the bonus events. Games are set up so potential buyers and inquiring columnists can see the most entertaining bits without spending time …
Gaming expo like kid in candy store
Each year at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, I roam from booth to booth to look at the major slot machine manufacturers and the coming attractions that will draw us to their games over the next year. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of …
Nowadays, change name of the game
The video age has been liberating for slot machine designers, and not just in ability to use animation and special effects to create entertaining bonus events. They can play with the configuration of the reels, and even change the number of reels from spin to …
No, that jackpot never was yours
Walking the aisles at a busy casino, I saw the lights flash and heard the music change to celebration mode — surefire signs that someone had just hit the jackpot.
I walked toward the winner to see what was going on, and it turned out …
Find a new table when stakes rise
If you play much low-limit blackjack, no doubt something like this has happened to you. I’d arrived at a casino about 9 a.m., figuring I could take advantage of early-day sparse crowds and low table minimums. I found a $10 table and bought in for …
What to expect from video gaming at bars
The opening in Morton Grove and Rockford of the first test sites for video gambling at Illinois bars and restaurants has prompted several emails from readers wondering just what kinds of games they’ll get. The basics are simple. Machines are multigame units, with a mix …
Don’t push your luck in blackjack
Sometimes knowing blackjack basic strategy and putting it into practice are two different things. I have an old friend, someone I’ve known since college days. He knows the strategy charts say never to split 10s. He does it anyway if the dealer has a 6 …
Debunking slot machine myths
Some slot machine myths have faded into obscurity because of technology and players getting used to technology. Nobody worries about whether a machine will go cold if it senses hot coins fresh from the hopper, since hardly any games use coins anymore. And players have …
A sideways twist on slot machines
In recent weeks I’ve written about playing Triple Play Poker at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Ind., and the penny Cherry Mischief slots at Ameristar Casino in East Chicago. There was a third stop, a detour of a couple of hours of play …
Cards still a better bet for low rollers
In both of the two most popular casino table games, players in the know can reduce the house edge to less than 1 percent. A blackjack player has to know basic strategy to get there, and a craps player has to back pass/don’t pass or …
Stacked symbol slots ramp up volatility
Video slots are the most popular, most played and most widely available games in modern casinos. They’re also the games with the most variation, full of little wrinkles that affect gameplay. One of those wrinkles introduced in recent years has been the use of stacked …
Better pay tables worth some travel
A shuffle through the Gaming mailbag:
Q. You’ve mentioned that video poker pay tables in the Chicago area have gone down. I asked a slot manager about it, and he said it’s because of the high gaming tax in Illinois, and they can’t do anything …
Triple Play Poker offers big rewards
One of my true loves among electronic casino games is Triple Play Poker. I like that I can break even or better with one decent pay even if two hands are losers. I like that I’m paid three times over when I’m dealt a big …
WMS invests in new tech facilities
As one of the world’s leading slot machine manufacturers, WMS Industries Inc. is about technology as well as fun. It competes with the Silicon Valley and other high-tech enclaves for talent.
Now, it has a first-rate facility in which to house that talent. In August, …
Bankrolling your play as varied as the games
My friend Mark isn’t a casino regular, but he likes to play a little video poker now and then. His goal is just to have a good time and stay in action for a couple of hours. “Do you have a guide to how much …
Boyd Gaming unveils ‘Gone With the Wind’
On a hot summer’s morning, one of the coolest places I could be was at WMS Gaming’s studios on the North Side. There, Bill Pfund, WMS vice president of investor relations, and Jami Thornton, senior product marketing professional, were walking me through the latest and …
