When you walk into a casino, you want to have fun and you want to have an opportunity to win some money. There’s a lot of games to choose from these days including many with dazzling graphics and sound effects. Those may be fun to play but they don’t necessarily offer you the best opportunities to win. One question that you might have is whether to play video poker or slot machines?
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Four Card Keno Clusters From Chuck
Originally Posted by by L.J. Zahm for Gaming Today / Edited by The Mystic Gambler
One of the great things about playing video keno in Las Vegas or Laughlin casinos is the variety of people that you meet while chasing those keno jackpots.
There’s a certain “gambler’s mentality” shared by keno players. By that I mean we all share in the excitement when one of our own hits the big one and, conversely, everyone understands the frustration that goes along with long periods of waiting for the the big hit.
Similarly, you’re never at a loss for conversation with other video keno players, especially the ones who have been at it awhile.
While there’s a lot of keno chit chat about the jackpot that “almost” hit, or the numbers that filled in immediately after the machine was reset, once in awhile you find a player with some solid, worthwhile ideas on the best ways to play the game.
Some time ago I met one of those players at a “locals” oriented casinos. The gentleman, let’s call him Chuck, is a longtime Las Vegas keno player and he’s won just about everything you can win. One of his favorite plays is Four Card Keno Clusters.
Chuck has hit almost everything over his past 25 years, including huge keno progressives in the six-figure range.
And, like myself, Chuck is a huge fan of the Four Card Keno game from IGT. In fact, Bob says he doesn’t play “straight” keno any more; he exclusively plays Four Card Keno. That sounds a lot like The Mystic Gamble.
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Of course sticking to Four Card Keno Clusters is completely understandable. Looking at video poker as a comparison, Triple Play and Five Play poker have developed a loyal following of believers, and I’m told there are many players that love the multi-hand games so much they rarely go back to single-hand games.
One of the obvious attractions for playing the multi-card keno games is the increased likelihood of hitting a jackpot. Plus, as The Mystic Gamble will tell you, it allows creative strategy plays.
Just as in poker, if you’re dealt three aces on the bottom hand, you have two additional chances of drawing that fourth ace when playing Triple Play.
The same is true with Four Card Keno.
Chuck understands this, and he’s made it pay off. I won’t get into all the jackpots he’s won, but he’s nearly a daily player and he seldom leaves the casino with empty pockets.
What I can do is reveal the cluster of numbers that Chuck says he plays every time. And, he adds, he never deviates from playing these same numbers.
Chuck’s four cards consist of two 9-spots and two 7-spots. The 9-spots are adjacent to each other with a small amount of overlap; one of the 7-spots partially overlaps the first 9-spot; and the second 7-spot is far out in left field, away from the other numbers.
Chuck says one of the best hits with this configuration (see the charts) is catching 8-out-of-9 on the A ticket while catching 7-out-of-7 on the first 7-spot.
While he says he has hit this double jackpot, it doesn’t happen often.
What does happen often, and I know this from playing the configuration myself, is that there are lots of 7-out-of-9 and 6-out-of-7 hits. And while these payoffs won’t rouse the IRS, they can add up and give you a nice profit.
I’d like to thank Chuck for sharing his special patterns. And I’d encourage keno players to give his Four Card Keno Clusters a try.
I’d also suggest trying a few variations of your own. You might want to move some of the numbers around, or alter the configuration.
That’s half the fun – adapting the cluster to your own system. I know I have tried a few variations, with limited success.
One of the most efficient ways of putting together your own system is to use the Mystic Keno Charts. Similar to Chuck’s method, but your selected numbers will be distributed across the Keno board for maximum effectiveness. Read about the Four Card Keno Chart HERE.
Do You Have A Gambling Strategy?
By Elliot Frome | Gaming Today | Edited by TMG
A solid gambling strategy will serve you well.
Several days ago, I caught up with an old friend here in town. As we were discussing a variety of people we knew, a “condition” was mentioned with at least a couple of them – “gambling problem.”
Living in Las Vegas, you meet a variety of people who gamble for a living. A few are moderately successful and most, regrettably, are not. The ones that are successful are generally poker players, sports gamblers, video poker players and blackjack players– probably in that order. Those are the games that have an actual gambling strategy that people can learn
There’s a reason why these four games are the games of choice for the successful gamblers. Poker is a game of math, but also one of true skill. You are playing against other players and thus it is very possible for you to be better at the game than the others. I’m looking forward to casinos putting in more games of skill.
I’m an okay poker player, but I would think I can potentially have an advantage at some games of skill over others. A few months ago, I played a skill-based poker game at a table game convention. It was a Three Card Poker variant where you can pick your cards by being faster than the other players.
Two skills are needed – recognizing which cards you want and quick reflexes. I’m good at both of those. I’m looking forward to this game being in the casino someday. At the demo, I didn’t win every round, but I won more than my fair share, which is all you need to do when playing against other humans.
Next up are sports gamblers. I love sports, but I don’t gamble on it much. I used to occasionally do a $5 parlay card during football season to keep it interesting, but not in a few years. I know a few guys who do this well. They have a lot of data they pour through to try to get an edge. While the wagers are made with casinos, you are to some extent wagering against other players and if you know how to parse the data, this is another area where you can gain a true gambling strategy..
The latter two are more of my zone. They are video poker and blackjack. Not a surprise that they have a lot in common. Both games are routinely close to 100%. In the case of video poker, you need to seek out the 100%-plus games. It has gotten harder, but they are still out there. You can also seek out video poker tournaments and maximize cash back and comps to keep the game incredibly close to 100%.
Blackjack is a lot like video poker. You can play the basic game at 99.5%, and with comps and cashback and some tournaments, you can keep it very close to 100%. If you learn to count, then it is like seeking out the 100%-plus games of video poker, except that counting is technically not allowed and you might get banned from a casino.
That leaves all the other games for the not so successful gamblers. Now, if you’re just a tourist coming to Las Vegas for a week to have some fun, playing the other table games is not going to ruin you. Most games have a 1% to 2% house edge and if you wager $150-$500 per hour, you’re talking a loss rate of $1.50 to $10 per hour.
Even if you play for 20 hours across a week, you’re still talking about a maximum of $200 over your trip. This is not a lot of money for a week of fun. And it is not exactly a guarantee of a loss. Over 20 hours of play, you may very well win.
The problem comes in when you start playing regularly and for more money games that simply are mathematically against you. If you don’t realize playing a game with a 98% payback means you will lose 2% of your total amount wagered over the long run, then unfortunately, you’re probably not going to realize you also need to play using the right strategy in order to keep it to that 2%.
Luck can play a part, sure. Hit a Royal Flush at Let It Ride and you’ll make some good money. But, these games were all built using math and in the long run the math is always right. The reason why successful gamblers pick the game I mentioned earlier is because the math tells them you can win (or keep it very close to even) over the long run. They play those games using the right strategy.
The bottom line is that math dictates everything about every game. This is why Expert Strategy was created – to help the player learn the three key components. Know which games to play. Know the right strategy for those games. Know what to expect when you play.
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Playing The 9 or 10 Spots For Mega10 Jackpot
Best ways to use 9 or 10 spots for Mega10 jackpot
April 11, 2017, 3:00 AM
by Pesach Kremen | from Gaming Today
As of this writing the Mega10 Megakeno 10 spot-was approaching $2.1 million and rising – $1.50 and you can win it all! Also, the Atlantis 9-spot More to the Meter Progressive is over $1.3 million and climbing.
The odds may be long but the reward is great. Being that keno is a slow game your money lasts quite a while and there are many pays for lesser hits to keep you going. On 9- and 10-spot tickets you get paid starting at hits of five numbers.
Here are some more “ways” to play 9 or 10 spots. As discussed in earlier columns, we had used a group of three 3s to make up 9-spots and groups of 2 and 4 to make up 10-spots. We can also do 4s and 5s for 9 and 10 spots plus 4-4-5-5 for the 9.
There are four 9s possible by taking a 4 and a 5, thus for $6 you can play four different 9-spots for the Atlantis or any other 9-spot progressive. As separate tickets are required, let’s call the groups of 4 A and B and the groups of 5 C and D. Thus one ticket each of A and C, one of A and D, one of B and C, and finally one of B and D.
For the 10-spot Mega10 MegaKeno players in both Las Vegas and Reno (MegaKeno is statewide at selected casinos) use groups of 3 and 4 such as a grouping of 4-4-3-3-3-3. Use the letters A, B, C, D, E, F to represent the six groups. You would use one 4-spot and two 3-spots to make up each 10-spot.
Megakeno usually allows way tickets, thus you can combine the multiple ways possible on one ticket as long as you pay the MegaKeno required $1.50 per way. Using this technique there are 12 possible 10-spots. If you want to play them all, your cost is $18 at $1.50 a way.
Since you have 20 total spots you may also want to play a 20-spot in case you get a lot of numbers scattered but not solid in any group. Usually this costs anywhere from $2 to $5 depending on the casino.
You may have to play the 20-spot on a separate ticket, just ask the keno writers what is required. Go to downtown Las Vegas and play at the low way ticket minimums offered and also enjoy the nearby good restaurants.
Downtown offers keno at the California, Golden Nugget, Fremont, The D, Four Queens and El Cortez. On the Strip there is Treasure Island, Harrah’s, Bally’s and the Excalibur. For the locals, most of the Station Casinos offer keno as do the Boyd properties such as Gold Coast, Orleans and Sam’s Town. The Rio also runs a keno game.
In Reno many of the major casinos have keno games. The Atlantis and Peppermill have very strong keno games.
Hospital Uses Video Poker For Therapy
Original Story By David Schuman
Edited By The Mystic Gambler
7:08 PM, Mar 14, 2017
HENDERSON (KTNV) – Gamblers have talked about the benefits of playing video poker since it was first introduced in the ’70’s but this is really a new twist.
A Henderson hospital is re-imagining what physical therapy can be and making it fun. And what better fun than a good session of video poker?
GameCo Hopes That Mission Impossible Won’t Self Destruct
By Thomas Moore
Monday, Nov. 21, 2016 | 12:20 p.m.
The idea of themed slots, while once a hotly competitive item, may soon give way to newly developed skill based digital games that are soon to show up in a casino near you.
Skill-based gaming developer GameCo announced Monday it will develop games based on three popular movies: “Mission: Impossible,” “Paranormal Activity” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
Skill-based games are seen by some industry observers as a way to appeal to younger gamblers and keep gambling relevant as players fond of traditional games grow older.
And the topic of skill-based games was on everyone’s lips at this year’s Global Gaming Expo, with trade show booths offering demonstrations of games with the kind of action, like shooting zombies, found in Xbox or PlayStation games.
GameCo already has a video game-like gambling machine in casinos in Atlantic City titled “Danger Arena.” It’s a first-person shooting game where the player fights robots.
However, the idea of making games with themes from movies, television or other pop culture icons is something common to the world of traditional slots and video poker. In fact, one critique of the industry is it merely releases old games with new pop culture themes.
However, GameCo’s move into the world of movie-themed games is not as incongruous as it seems if you listen to the company CEO Blaine Graboyes.
In a recent interview, Graboyes said his company is trying to appeal to a new generation of gamblers but it is very much focused on operating in the current casino business environment.
“We have one product line, and it’s essentially a slot,” Graboyes said. “It’s not virtual reality or online play or mobile or social. You see some companies, and they’re all over the place. What we’ve heard from casinos — and followed in our business —is ‘give us a plug-and-play replacement for slots but make it
appeal to new gamer audience.’”
“Our platform makes it easy to port games to be in a gaming environment. If you opened our machine, you would think it would be a slot inside,” he said.
What Happens When You Win A Las Vegas Jackpot?
By Ed Komenda
THE TAXMAN COMETH
Imagine: You just hit a $33 million jackpot on Megabucks. If you’re lucky, you’ll see half of that after taxes. It’s a cruel world, but Uncle Sam wants his cut. How you choose to receive your payout helps determine exactly how much you’ll cash in. Here’s how it works:
Video Keno Patterns and Lucky Numbers
TheMysticGambler.com recieves many emails requesting the best patterns and the luckiest numbers to play. My normal reply to such questions is to remind them that Video Keno numbers appear in a perfectly random manner. And while the Charts and suggestions that we offer in the e-booklet do offer some ideas about patterns and where to pick your numbers, the focus is on increasing returns and bigger jackpots. Having said that, there are numerous articles written about picking ‘lucky’ patterns and numbers, one of
Best Keno Casinos In Nevada
If you’re going to play Keno, you’ll want to play at the best keno casinos and get the most out of your keno dollars. There are a number of things to consider like playing games that may have better pay tables than others, the amenities of the casino, and the available limits. Often it simply comes down to value and the keno casino experience that you enjoy.
Pesach Kremen, who writes for Gaming Today suggests
Gamblers Not So Hot For Macau Casinos
According to a new survey, more than half of Macau casino visitors spent less than $125 during their most recent trip while gambling at the world’s most popular gambling destination.
That’s according to the IFT Tourism Research Center (TRC) at Macau’s Institute for Tourism Studies. They recently published the Macao Visitor Profile Survey 4th Quarter Report, which contains the results of field surveys of