Jim Wagner

Here's a post I've been dreading to write--the one about blackjack cheating. I don't like cheaters, and the casinos hate them even worse than I do. Depending on where you're playing, cheating at any kind of gambling is a crime. (In Nevada, it's a felony.) But people like to read about blackjack cheating, and my job is to entertain and educate. I've tried to put everything you might ever want or need to know about blackjack cheating in this one post. But if I've left something out, please leave Read more [...]

Slot machines are more fun when you understand what's going on with the game. If you don't know what the slot machine symbols mean, and if you don't know what it takes to get a winning combination, you might as well just play rocks scissors, and paper with some stranger. The purpose of this post is to take a detailed look at some of the inner workings of slot machines, especially as it relates to the slot machine symbols most commonly in use. I've written other posts about slot machines, too, Read more [...]

The game of craps in California casinos doesn't use dice. This might be confusing to some of my readers, so I thought I'd write a blog post about California craps games. This post examines how California craps is played and why the odds aren't really any different -- even though they're using a different mechanism to arrive at the outcomes. Also, if you love "shooting dice," you might want to play craps in a different state. You can play craps online for free, no matter which state you live Read more [...]

If you're new to Texas holdem (or any other poker game), one of the first things you need to learn and understand is who goes first in poker. In Texas holdem games, this is related to your position relative to the blinds. In other games, other criteria determine the order in which you bet. The purpose of this post is to explain poker rules related to the position and who bets first and reveals first. It can be a complicated subject if you're new to the game, but it's hard to overstate how important Read more [...]

You should avoid offshore gambling sites if you can bet with a legal United States gambling site instead. Offshore bingo, casino, poker, and sports betting sites are legal in their country of origin, but the United States has a different opinion. That said, the probability that you'll face any kind of legal issues when betting at offshore gambling sites is minimal. You should be more worried about having trouble depositing and withdrawing money from these offshore sportsbooks. Below, Read more [...]

In this post, I list and describe the biggest slot machine companies in the world. I plan to include reviews of various gambling machines here soon, and I'm starting with a look at some of the slot machine manufacturers and their products. Not long ago, such a list would be short. But with the advent of internet casinos, the list of slot machine companies grows ever longer. And finding slot machines near where you live is easier now than ever in the United States. Depending on where you live, Read more [...]

One of my favorite ways to learn about a new subject is to look at the various subdivisions of that subject. For example, I'm writing a blog about gambling, so that leads me to wonder what the different types of gambling games are. If I were writing a blog about literature, I might look at how literature experts categorize that subject. I'll start by offering a definition of "gambling", and I'll follow that with a definition of "game": Gambling Definition My favorite online dictionary, Merriam Read more [...]

When I was starting out betting on sports, I got frustrated because everybody talked about “finding value,” but never really explained what that meant. As it turns out, the answer was right there in front of me. Years later, as an experienced (if a little unlucky) bettor, I’m hard-pressed to find anything more meaningful in sports betting than this concept of value. In sports betting, finding value is jargon that means finding a proposition that pays its winners better than it should. Making Read more [...]

What’s the etiquette for tipping your blackjack dealer? How does it work? Tipping is a tricky topic regardless of the context. It can be just as awkward to work out an appropriate tip for a restaurant server or bartender. On a casino floor, a place where you’re supposed to spend lavishly and act in a celebratory manner, the pressure to tip heavily and frequently can be intense. When You Make Money, I Make Money – Tipping the Blackjack Dealer I took the title of this post from a phrase Read more [...]

I’ve written before about how frequently you’ll read the phrase “secret patterns” when you read about roulette. Some writers and lots of players are convinced that there’s some secret pattern of winning numbers that exists, and if discovered, could guarantee profits. If secret roulette patterns sound conspiracy-oriented to you, that’s because it is. There’s lots of bad science and ignorant gambling strategy at play when the secret patterns theory comes up. Even though lots of us Read more [...]