Gamemaster,
I have had a long list of bull that I have had to deal with from Net Pirates Casino and I was wondering if you had any information that could assist me in my latest problem? My most recent problem: I won $2000 and they credited my credit card and it was then reversed actually on the same day from what my credit card co. said. They first told me they were aware of the error and would credit back the reversal immediately. The next day they claimed to not know anything about a debit for that amount they only had record of the credit. I was just hoping I could find some help some where on how to deal with this. Thanks for anything you can do in the way of assistance.

This is the first complaint (I think) that I've heard about this casino. Most are doing a good job of fixing such problems, but we'll post this on our site, contact them for their side of the story and see what happens.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/29/98

The conversation continues..

GameMaster,
I spent the better part of Friday night trying to get more info about this casino and I ended up on a site where the investors in the casino had a "thread". The site was Silicon Investor you can go there: www.techstocks.com. The entire thread of back and forth conversation was ALL TOTALLY NEGATIVE. Not to mention, several clips from class action suits against the WWW Casinos and the owner Peter Michaels. I just thought I would let you know since as you said in your mail to me, you hadn't heard anything negative so far about this casino. I couldn't believe all the stuff I read. You may want to check it out just for yourself, even if it is only out of curiosity. If you end up hearing anything else please let me know. Thanks for your time.

Thanks for the info. I was unaware of that site and, since there are so many online casinos, it's hard to keep up with who's a 'good guy' and who isn't. I play at several and feel very comfortable at them. They don't know who I am, so I don't think I'm being singled out for special treatment, but it does pay to do one's homework when it comes to picking a casino; cyber or not.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/29/98

My father started teaching me Blackjack when I was about 12 years old. I grew up in Great Britain and the game was called Pontoon or simply 21. I am now 49 & have been an avid Blackjack player all these years. Of course I have learned various card counting methods, but If I'm just out to have some fun I simply play a perfect Basic Strategy.

Throughout the last year have been playing a lot of On-Line Blackjack, mostly with Acropolis & Intercasino & most recently with Casino Net. I would not recommend Casino net because they shuffle a 4 deck shoes after each hand, Intercasino re-shuffles the unused cards of an 8 deck shoe after each hand, & rules are strictly Atlantic City.

Acropolis gives all the appearances of an honest Las Vegas type game but I sincerely believe that they manipulate the results of the game in some manner (probably a back door server or something similar). A couple of BIG CASH IN'S = extremely long losing streaks, meaning no matter how well you play following a substantial cash-in you consistently lose 70%-90% of the hands, shoe after shoe, after shoe. This may be coincidence, but there have been several times when I have had a strong winning streak going, suddenly get disconnected & when I return the card sequences are totally different, & the long losing streaks start again. I have serious reservations about their integrity, & from an experience with them that covers literally hundreds of gaming hours, would highly recommend that the uninformed & undercapitalized stays far away. Incidentally, they use a 6 deck shoe which is re-shuffled after one third of the shoe is played.

Thanks for the input. We'll post this and see if others have had the same experience.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/27/98

Gamemaster, my husband Ron & I have been playing video poker for years. I discovered your webpage two days ago & I'm fascinated. I signed up for the Newsflash. My husband's favorite games are Flush Attack & Double Bonus. I like Jacks or Better. After reading through a little of your webpage, I see all this talk about 10/7, 9/7, 9/6 machines & I have no idea what it means. What is the best way for me to find out? Is there a book that explains it all or could I find out from your website? Thanks for your help.
Debbie

Dear Debbie,
All the noise about 10/7, 9/6, etc. is a form of 'shorthand' which we use to describe different machines. For example, a 10/7 Double Bonus machine means that the Full House on the game pays 10 coins for each coin played and the Flush pays 7 coins for each coin played. A 9/7 Double Bonus has a lower long term return (by about 1.1%), so we want to show the difference. The best place for that type of information is the Video Poker Stragegy Pro CD-ROM by Masque Publishing which I wrote about in the GameMaster's Video Poker Bible. You'll find the article archived at the bottom of the Video Poker page.

We're glad you like the site; visit us often.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/19/98

GameMaster,
I've been playing video poker for years -- like Deuces and Double Delux the best, however, have never gotten a Royal. A friend of mine has gotten royals at all of the casinos in town and elsewhere....What am I doing wrong? Or, it is just the luck of the game -- bad luck at that.

Dear Pat,
It's what we pros call 'variation' and others call luck. I played for years without hitting a Royal and in February I hit 3 in two days. That's just the nature of the game; if your $$$ hold out, you'll hit one....someday.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/19/98

My question is : If I insert one coin in a slot machine will I get the same combination as if I had inserted two or perhaps three? I always hear people say they would have won so much more had they had the max. coins in but I remember reading in a book once that some machines are on a timer which means one coin gives you one combo and 2 coins takes longer to insert, therefore something else comes up.
Jeanne

Dear Jeanne,
The first coin in a machine stops the random number generator which determines the hand you'll get. Maximum coins played will, however, give you a better return because it takes max coins to hit any jackpots.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/17/98

Hi GameMaster,
Have you heard of a system called Balanced Blackjack This system is offered by the Gambling System Research Institute in St Louis

It is a money management system combined with Basic Stratey that wins 10 units for half an hour play. would appreciate any feedback on this system

Dear J.
I haven't heard of it, but I will say that no money management technique can overcome the casino's edge at Blackjack. This might be combined with some other technique, but basic strategy alone won't do it. My advice is to save your $$$ and study my FREE lessons on how to win.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/13/98

GameMaster,
What is the basic strategy on splitting and doubling when the dealer refunds the split or doubled portion when she has a blackjack?

Dear Matt,
The strategy is the same as when the dealer first checks to see if s/he has a 'natural.' The only change occurs when the dealer wins both bets if s/he later gets a BJ.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/3/98

GameMaster,
In the article that follows, you state:

"...if you stand, your expectation is to lose 53.7% of all the money you bet in that situation. However, if you split and double after splitting is allowed, your expectation is to lose 48.3% of ALL the money you bet, including the extra bet you must place for the second hand."

How can this be a recommended play? Is losing two times .483 better than losing one times .537? Example:

If I bet $10, I would expect to lose $5.37 (.537 x $10) average on the hand if I stand. Now, if I split, I have $20 out and expect to lose $9.66 (.483 x $20) on the same hand?!

The only way a split makes sense is when the expected loss is cut in half or less on each resulting hand. This would produce two hands whose expected loss would be less than the single hand (with a penalty of a slightly higher risk).

Dave

Dear Dave, The staement is misleading; the term 'all the money' means, in this case, the original bet. A hand of 8,8 loses 53.7% of the time. Two hands of 8 lose an average of 24.15% each. The original article Dave is speaking about follows.

A Blackjack HOT TIP

I know most of you hate to split a pair of 8's against a dealer's 10, even though you know it's the correct play. It's one of those plays which intuitively seems wrong, but what does it cost you to stand with the hand, instead of splitting? 16 is a big loser, no matter how you play it, so if you stand, your expectation is to lose 53.7% of all the money you bet in that situation. However, if you split and double after splitting is allowed, your expectation is to lose 48.3% of ALL the money you bet, including the extra bet you must place for the second hand. If double after splitting is not allowed, your expectation is to lose 48.3% of all the monies bet.

Neither is a good deal, but splitting also beats hitting the hand where the expectation is a loss of 53.5%.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/3/98

Gamemaster;
As a complete and total blackjack Virgin , when I finally do take the plung and actually get in a game the burning question in my mind is, what is the best table as far as take a table with several players seated or a empty table , just how does the number of people at a given table ,all other things being equal, affect the game as a whole and in what position would "you" prefer to sit?

Thanks for your help,
Wired

Dear 'Wired',

As a novice, you might want to sit alone, if possible, so that you won't be distracted by the other players. However, the game will go a lot faster, so if you're counting, you may have a problem keeping up. I prefer a table by myself, simply because I get more hands per hour that way and the more I play, the more I make. Other players can affect your game ONLY by slowing it down and, in the case of single deck, affecting how many cards you'll see. Other players' mistakes do NOT, in the long run, affect your results. Yes, a 'dumb' play by the person on 'third base' can cause you to lose a hand, but those mistakes will help you as often as they hurt you. I don't sit at third base, because casino supervisory personnel think counters sit at third base. More in the middle is my favorite spot.

But enough of this table talk. Are you ready to play? Have you mastered the proper basic strategy of the game? Have you learned some sort of counting system? Remember, unless you count cards, the casino will have an edge over you. Please see my series "How to Win at Blackjack" for more information.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/3/98

GameMaster,
Are there any sites that offer online gambling or software for it for users of Macintosh computers?

Thanks
dnj4977@aol.com

Dear 'd'
Not that I'm awre of; we'll post this and maybe a reader can clue us in.

Yours for winning,
The GameMaster
6/1/98

Hi Brenda,
I noticed your latest Mystery Dealer. Another guy with a book on how to beat the casinos. Just what everyone needs, another scam.

I’m thinking of writing a book on how to avoid the aggravations and irritations some people experience while taking trips to Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, etc. We can sell it for $25.99. In it will be an addressed envelope with first class postage and instructions to send me their entire gambling budget and forgo the trip. Not only will they be avoiding all that stress in dealing with airlines and long drives, but it also will result in not having to pay the airfare, hotel, meals, shows, etc., bills. ...and all this for the price of what they would probably lose anyway. This beats any "you can beat the casino" scam I’ve ever seen.
Skip

Dear Skip,
Best of luck in your efforts. Please keep us informed.

Brenda Moran (The Awesome 1)
Editor, GMO
6/1/98