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Questions from Readers

It's a good time to answer some questions that readers have been kind enough to send along.

"My wife and I are going to Vegas in November and would like to play some blackjack. We are both novice players and are looking for a recommendation on a good blackjack book." – Chris

Many outstanding books about blackjack are available. Some get into more detail than others. Gaming authorities Henry Tamburin and John Grochowski are just two authors to seek out on the gaming shelves. The information they give you is rock solid.

Another expert who comes highly recommended is Richard Harvey, the blackjack columnist for The Colorado Gambler. Check out his best-selling Blackjack The Smart Way in the new Gold Edition, Cutting Edge Blackjack (the new third edition), and NEW ways to Win MORE at Blackjack. You can view all of his products at www.blackjacktoday.com.

Gaming guru Frank Scoblete authored an outstanding book on the subject titled Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution, which comes with its own practice CD.

I would also highly recommend going to Mike Shackleford's website, www.wizardofodds.com, and clicking "blackjack" under the free play section on the home page. You can get a lot of practice and benefit from the tutorial that is a component of the play features.

"I have seen people cash out and put new money back in the same machine when they win a certain amount. Just wondering if this is a way of building up players points by making the machine think you keep adding money." – Mary

The tabulation of player's club points is based on the amount of money you actually play. For example, say you insert $20 in a machine and you hit a line pay for $100. If you continue playing, winning some and losing some, your "coin in" will be many times the value of your original investment.

The machine only recognizes the money you insert into the machine as credits. It is only after you start playing those credits that you start building up slot points.

"About seven years ago there was a reel machine named Jeopardy. It was similar to Wheel of Fortune. It was just as popular as the Wheel. Then it just disappeared. I can't even find it in Vegas. Why does this happen if it was so popular? - Paul

Slot games come and go, which makes the nature of casino slot floors very fluid. A game must "earn its keep" in the spot it occupies or it will be quickly replaced with one that does. When I contacted Kate Reil in the marketing division of Reno, Nevada based International Game Technology, she confirmed that Jeopardy is still a component of IGT's game library and is available at select properties around the country, including Las Vegas. It just doesn't have the high profile presence of some other games.

Many slot machines that people enjoy playing when they are first released make quick exits from slot floors based strictly on their popularity. Manufacturers release so many new games every year that there is bound to be attrition. It's a simple matter of out with the old and in with the new.

New technologies and the proliferation of low-denomination multi-line/multi-coin games have also played a major impact.

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network, John Robison managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network.

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