FAQ videos -- Advice wanted

I am planning to shoot some videos with Angela next week. On the idea list is some Frequently Asked Questions videos. These are easy to do and gives Angela a clear role.

Here are some questions I have thought of for slots, video poker, and blackjack. Any other you care to recommend?

Slot Machines

1. How do slot machines work?
2. Do the odds change if you use a player card?
3. Can somebody flip a switch elsewhere in the casino to change the odds on the machine you’re playing?
4. Where do casinos place the loosest slots?
5. Do casinos tighten their slots when business is busy and loosen them when it’s slow?
6. Is there a predetermined order of bet outcomes? For example, if I quit playing and the next player hits a jackpot on the next spin, would I have got that jackpot if I made one more bet?
7. What type of slots pay the best?
8. Some tribal casinos have slots that seem to have something to do with bingo. What is going on with that?
9. I once hit a jackpot and they demanded my identification and Social Security number. Why did they do that?
10. Do I have to pay taxes on jackpots?
11. How can I win more, or lose less, on slots?
12. What is the tipping etiquette on a jackpot?

Video Poker

1. How do video poker machines work?
2. Do all video poker machines play fairly, as in Nevada?
3. Does it matter which cards I hold? In other words, is my final hand after the draw predestined?
4. Do my odds change if I use a player card?
5. Does the pay table make any difference?
6. What type of game, for example Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, has the best odds?
7. What is the proper strategy for which cards to hold?
8. Where are the best machines?
9. What has better odds, video poker or slots?
13. Are the cards on the draw predestined? If so, are they lined up or a specific replacement card for each card on the deal?
14. Are the odds/strategy different for multi-play video poker?
15. What is the tipping etiquette on a jackpot?

Blackjack

1. How does the house have the advantage in blackjack?
2. What do you think of the strategy of playing like the dealer, hitting until I get to 17? Wouldn’t I have a small advantage, getting paid 3-2 on blackjacks, while losing only even money when the dealer gets one?
3. How do those card shuffling machines work?
4. Does a bad player cause the whole table to lose?
5. Should I make the side bets?
6. When should I take insurance?
7. Should I take even money on a blackjack against a dealer ace?
8. What blackjack rules are important in choosing where to play?
9. What is the strategy for how to play blackjack?
10. How did you determine the “basic strategy?”
11. What hands are most frequently misplayed?
12. Is the strategy the same for blackjack variants, like Spanish 21 and Blackjack Switch?
13. I’ve used the basic strategy and sometimes the other players don’t like it, blaming me when they lose. How should I handle that situation?
14. What is the proper tipping etiquette?

Thanks in advance for all suggestions!

If I win at a casino am I responsible for declaring it as income on my taxes if it wasn't a jackpot?

Most novices will assume they do not have to declare it if they don't get a W2G.

Quote: Wizard

...Any other you care to recommend?...

How should a recreational blackjack player report his winnings for tax paying purposes if he takes the standard deduction? That is, does he report winning session profits and ignore losing sessions? Or are there other ways to do it?

Whats the difference between Nevada style games and video lottery machines and where will I encounter VLMs?

Although you know the answers to these questions already, don’t wing it. And don’t write a script for your replies either. Have index card size cue cards with billet points of what you wanna say.

For blackjack: Can I use a strategy card at the table or will that get me in trouble? Is there a difference between a printed strategy card and looking at one on my phone?

Why does the basic strategy often say to hit or double on a soft 18? Isn’t that a good hand? I risk catching a card like a 5 and then I’m much worse off.

Your basic strategy charts recommend different strategies for 1 deck vs 2 decks vs 4-8 decks. When a CSM is used, which strategy do I use? Do I need to ask the pit boss how many decks are in the CSM or do they typically all use a certain number of decks?

I would ask something about the usual comp rates for slots versus video poker and maybe something about getting rated for blackjack and comparing it to other table games for comping. If people are risking X number of dollars or have budgeted X number of dollars for loss, what games offer the best comp rates? Something like that.

Why is Limit Omaha hold'em the game for me?

Pot Limit Omaha vs No Limit Texas Holdem Poker
https://www.cardschat.com/pot-limit-omaha-no-limit-holdem.php

Good questions. Please keep them coming.

I would mention that 6:5 blackjack is a very bad deal and should be avoided, and explain why. For the casual tourist or "recreational" gambler, the lure of a low-limit table with 6:5 blackjack might seem to be a better deal than a higher-limit 3:2 game, but if your viewer is willing to drill down into some FAQs, there is at least some attitude to being better informed.

6:5 is the worst "improvement" in the game of all time. People who take the time to learn should be told about it.

Video slot machines from the 2000s (like your Atkins Diet slot) have about 50 symbols on each reel, and reel stops are based on a random number, like bingo balls chosen from a hopper.

Nowadays, video slot machines have reel stops in which the entire reel is filled with the same symbol. Sometimes, four of five reels are completely filled with the same symbol. (The jackpot would be the entire screen filled with the same symbol.)

How are these full-reel stops determined?

When four of five reels are the same symbol, but not in a winning combination — such as when the second reel has symbols that result in no winning paylines — how does this scenario comply with the gaming regulation prohibiting the “near-miss” effect that tricks players into thinking they were “close” to winning?

Question inspired by odiousgambit’s livestream question:

I generally play quarter video poker, so winning a 4000-coin royal flush ($1,000) is not a problem in terms of a W-2G tax form.

But does this mean I should avoid a progressive slot machine that has a royal flush jackpot that’s slightly more than $1,200?

At which amount should the progressive reach before the video poker machine is worth playing again, or does it depend on various factors like my tax bracket?

Here is FAQ video #1 on slot machines. Thanks to all who contributed questions. I welcome all comments on the video. It went longer than I anticipated, but Angela is good at getting me going.


Direct: https://youtu.be/zSvTGCMojHw

Quote: Wizard

Angela is good at getting me going.

Ya might want to rephrase that. 🤪

Quote: Wizard

Here is FAQ video #1 on slot machines. Thanks to all who contributed questions. I welcome all comments on the video. It went longer than I anticipated, but Angela is good at getting me going.

Direct: https://youtu.be/zSvTGCMojHw

Dude, did the rug really tie the whole room together?

Lots of good info in the video.

I liked the video. More free flowing and conversational. Angela is extraordinarily good at making pre-planned scripted questions sound spontaneous and natural. I thought the length of the video was fine.

I noticed something on the video:

At about 4:28, you mention that each blank space next to the jackpot symbol can be up to six times as likely to hit "by law." I know that used to be a law (either in the Nevada Revised Statutes or the Nevada State Gaming Regulations), but in recent years, I have been unable to find this. Are you sure this is still a requirement?

A video appeared in my YouTube feed that indicates you have quality competition in regard to covering top Vegas scams.

Quote: smoothgrh

A video appeared in my YouTube feed that indicates you have quality competition in regard to covering top Vegas scams.

I've seen that video before and like it. I am thinking of doing one on that topic myself.

That couple has several good Las Vegas videos. Lots of emphasis on how to get comped rooms and enjoy Vegas cheaply. I’d watch videos with Mike’s take on all Vegas related topics.

Quote: TinMan

That couple has several good Las Vegas videos. Lots of emphasis on how to get comped rooms and enjoy Vegas cheaply. I’d watch videos with Mike’s take on all Vegas related topics.

As would I!

They didn’t mention the airport tunnel aspect of taxi scams, of which I have fallen victim.

Quote: smoothgrh

As would I!

They didn’t mention the airport tunnel aspect of taxi scams, of which I have fallen victim.

Do tell?

Quote: rsactuary

Do tell?

Here’s the scam.