Ask the Wizard Of Odds Any Question Here

Hey all!

Ever heard about Michael Shackleford? Of course you did! 

He's the genius behind Wizard of Odds, the best portal to learn all there is to know about gambling: basic and advanced strategies, secrets and pro tips, all based on Mr. Shackleford's thorough research and mathematical analysis. 

We did many interviews with Mike over the years, and we're getting ready to do another one soon!

But!

This time, YOU get to ask questions and the world's leading expert on gambling will answer - on video!

Feel free to post your questions in this thread: you can ask anything and everything you always wanted to know about casinos, card games, slots, and Michael's very own gambling adventures.

He's a treasure trove of precious practical and theoretical knowledge and first-hand experience you won't find anywhere else, so don't miss this chance to sharpen up your skills. 

Fire away!

ok ill have a first stab

I like the name of the site. So does it mean you are a Wizard of Oz movie/novel fan, or you just thought it was clever play on words?

Hi Mike, big fan of your website. I use your ultimate texas hold'em strategy all the time. I read at your forum about your involvment with "Inside the Edge" and another movie. Can you tell us more about that experience and do you have plans to produce your own Wizard documentary at one point? 

I had pleasure to spend a lot of time with Mike on different occasions, he is definitely one of the smartest guys Ive ever met. 

I dont really have a question per se atm, more of interesting story to tell that is related to WizardOfOdds site.  So before I even started working for LCB, before I even knew about LCB, I was a bonus hunter for BJ bonuses.

Naturally I wanted to learn about the game before I commit to playing, so in my search I found WOO site, that was ranking on the first page of Google ( as it is now ) for various blackjack terms and strategy guides.
So Mike, and WOO, were instrumental in teaching me the basic strategy, which ultimately made me a lot of money by bonus hunting back in a day.

Curiosity fact, I still have ( recently rediscovered ) printed in black and white, the basic strategy chart by Wizard himself. After almost 13 years its time to frame it !

Proof attached 

hey LCB and Micheal, thanks for doing this 

I was wondering what is your process of analyzing new games? Maybe my question seems silly but im no math expert .Do you use any software to analyze the odds, and if so how long does it take you to write such software program and how long does it take to get the results ( i assume millions of computation is needed )?

Hiya Michael!

It is truly a pleasure to pick your brain. I am a Video Poker gal. Here are some of my VP questions. Watching other players play I have to admit their are times I cringe at what they hold or throw away. 

1. Just yesterday I finally for the first time ever i was dealt a royal flush on three lines  What is the odds of landing that and are the odds greater when playing multiple lines? 
2. I don't hold inside straights on the draw. Do you think it is wise to hold or not?
3. I once sat next to a gentleman who swore that holding the kicker on one, two, or three aces is a must. I disagree. Who's right?
4. I see this ALOT players hold for example a King, Queen off suit. I think it is a huge no-no. What do you think?

Hi Michael, 

I must admit, I'm not much into table games - I'm more of a slot person. Here's my question (and I think it's a good question for some of our members who might have wondered about it once or twice, particularly those who frequent land-based casinos): is there any correlation between the number of people playing and the bets per spin placed to triggering a faster payout? For example, I've heard people say, 'head to the grouping of slot machines that is most crowded and avoid those that are empty.' Any truth to this thought process?

Thanks!

Hi Michael, I’m a new member of this online gambling world. I’m interested in slot games. Could you give us an explanation, what is precise different, if there’s any, between Volatility and Variance in online slot games? 

Thanks!

That's awesome! Thanks for that :) 

My question to Micheal would be:

Do you keep up with the latest hybrid 'table games', such as Monopoly Live, Dreamcatcher and Deal or no Deal?.

Calling them tablegames is probably a stretch, but that aside - if you did check them, what is your opinion about their fairness, and is it a game which could benefit from/has potential for an optimal strategy?

If you didn't i would really look forward to an old school breakdown of said game(s)!

I'm mostly intrigued by Monopoly Live, so:p

Kind Regards, and thanks in advance

Dirk. 

Edited to add: nice hit Lipstick!

I'm not The Wizard, however, until he comes along, I can answer them with confidence. We can alert him to this thread on the thread and hopefully he can come along and correct, add or subtract something more. https://wizardofvegas.com/new/message/to/Wizard/

Congratulations on your dealt Royal on a multi line game, and on that game no less!!! I have played millions of hands and have yet to have one dealt on a multi line game!!!

1) 1 in 649,740

2) No, the odds are not greater when playing multiple lines. The machine is random and does not factor in the fact that you are playing more lines. The odds of a deal royal remains the same.

3) Holding inside straights would always be on the draw (-; The answer is.. IT DEPENDS on what game you are playing and what the payable is. As a general rule of thumb, when playing a jacks or better game where the 2 pair only pays 1 back (even money) instead of 2 for 1. YOU DO GO FOR THE INSIDE STRAIGHT DRAW. However, it's oftentimes on the very bottom of the strategy chart just above a redraw. Again, this will also depend on the payable most of the time a straight will pay 4 for 1. When it pays 5 for one it becomes a much stoner play to go for the inside draw. I see you were playing a game that inside straights could very well be a hold, I cant see the entire payable, so that's just a educated guess. When playing a game like 9/6 jacks or better(it pays 2 for back for 2 pair) You very rarely go for an inside straight. Here is an example of one you would go for the inside straight draw.( 9♣ K♦ Q♥ J♠ 4♣)<<< discard the 4 of clubs and hold the King, Nine, Queen, Jack) (notice the 3 high pay cards, that's what makes this a hold)

4) We can't know who's right or wrong without knowing what game you are talking about. There are some games where you would hold a kicker with 3 aces dealt, because the Aces with a kicker pays a significant amount.

5) In most games you should be holding the King, Queen off suit in many cases. Again, this will on what game you are playing and what the rest of the hand consists of. For example: on a 9/6 jacks or better all the way down to a 6/5 jacks or better and many other variations (9♣ K♦ Q♥ 2♠ 4♣) <<<hold the King of diamonds and the Queen of hearts.

There are many diffrent types of video poker games and various pay-tables on each one. I suggest learning basic strategy for jacks or better, double bonus, and deuces wild. Once you have those down, it will go along way for all the various other VP games and pay tables you come across. This should help: https://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/strategy/calculator/ If done correctly one can gain an advantage on Video poker and actually make money, even online.

Just about any gambling or math related questions can be answered almost immediately and correctly here https://wizardofvegas.com/forums/

I hope I helped a little, and continued good luck to you.

Hey Michael,

here are a few questions I think many players would find interesting:

 - Land based slot machines usually have their RTP set based on a coin denomination. The higher denomination is, the higher RTP gets. Is something like this valid when it comes to online slots as well, and is it also based on denomination, number of coins or both? 

- I would like to hear a full story behind creating math for slots. One that goes a bit deeper than usual resources available across the web on the subject. I understand this is not a simple question with short answer, but if you have time for it, I'm sure many people would love to read it, and it would make many of the aspects behind RNG and RTP less abstract to everyone.

- Can you roughly tell a slot's volatility just by looking at the paytable?

thanks Axel but dont worry,  if i understand corectly the reasoning behind this topic is for Mike to answer them in an interview.

Hi Michael,

I saw a game that allows buying features for a certain amount of money...
Is it a good strategy to buy them or just wait for them to trigger automatically?

Are betting strategies useful for slots (theoretically) or they are made up just to rip us off?

It was mainly a clever play on words.  To be honest, I got the idea from Donald Angelini.  

Sorry, duplicate post. 

Thank you for the kind words.  With both Inside the Edge and Nation a film crew came to my house and asked me questions.  They asked that I frame the question in my response, because the interviewer is not supposed to be seen or heard.  In both movies, I was asked many more questions than appear in the actual films.  

I'm afraid there are no plans to make a Wizard documentary at this point.  

Wow, that is an oldie!  You can tell because it is from when my URL had a "the," as in thewizardofodds.com.  I believe I purchased the URL without the "the" around 2003.  

Many times fans have spotted me in casinos and produced a tattered old printout from my site from their pocket for me to autograph, which I'm happy to do. 

I have a couple of questions for you Michael about the betting strategy in online slot games.

1. Is it useful to pay attention to the paylines? Do you have any advice, if they are not fixed, playing on max paylines or playing on fewer lines?
2. Should we use a gamble button feature? Is it a good strategy in online slots?

Hi Michael,

You've been to casinos all over the world and I know that not every casino offers the same selection of table games. Can you tell us about some unique games or variations you come across over the years?

I would like to hear your thoughts on the provably Fair system. It seems to me this is a superb idea that us as players should be demanding. Other than knowing you will be paid your winnings, I can't think of anything more important than having a fair game. 

Once in my Lifetime!!

Zuga, may I ask what the S, H-P, and P initials represent in the BJ chart?

Michael,

My question is, there are certain online casinos that display (supposed) winner's first name and their last name initial along with the winning amount and game played; are these names and winning amounts actual and verifiable? 

Thanks,

Pokergranni

H = hit
S = stand
P = split 
HP = split if possible otherwize hit
D = double down
DS = doulbe if possible otherwize stand
DH = double if possible otherwize hit

Simplified Wizard's strategy at this link https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/21/

Useful BJ calculator ( different BJ vriations have different rules, hence the strategy can differ ) : https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/strategy/calculator/

Hi Michael,

I have a few questions and would appreciate hearing your opinion.

Could you please explain what is the house edge on slot machines and is there some certain way how we can choose the highest paying slots in the casino, which slot machines have the best odds?

Also, I would like to know are the bonus round winnings previously determined or they depend only on our choices?

Hey Michael, 

there has been some discussion here on forums about RNG and pseudo RNG, what is used in online gambling and how it is implemented. Some players claim they can predict outcomes (silly, I know) and some even base play strategies around those predictions... Perhaps you can give a deeper insight in how exactly random numbers are generated/chosen, about true randomness etc...

While at it, I wonder what is your stance on provable fairness, advertised at some casinos.

Zuga, You are a doodle!  Thank-you!

Haven't seen this thread updated much: is Micheal going to address all the open questions? I understand if he's busy, but i'm really hoping for an answer:)

Cheers,

Dirk

Hi Mike,

I love slots, they've been my favorites since forever, and even though I know you don't really recommend or like slots machines for that matter, which games do you think is wiser to pick: classic, simple slots, or the new flashy ones with LOTS of features?

Naturally, I'm drawn to games that look good and are more fun to play, but does 'more multi-level features' equate higher winning odds? I keep hearing bad things about modern, high-tech slots, especially from land-based casino goers. 

Also, do you have any fun stories about your own newbie blunders and mistakes you've made back in the early days of your gambling history?

Thank you!

Hi, Michael.

I have one more question for you. How do progressive jackpots work, when we are talking about video slot games? Also, what is the difference between local and pooled progressive jackpot?

Can't wait for an answer! 

HI Mike,

I heard that live dealers can make mistakes or cheat during the blackjack game.
How can we protect ourselves against it and how to choose a reliable casino to avoid this?

Hey, Michael, nice to have you here! Thanks LCB for making this possible! 

I have been thinking lately, and I was hoping you could give me an answer. 

What do you think is the best money management tactic in BJ? I am not exactly an advanced player, but I do have some experience and what occupies my mind are insurance bets. 

I've read they are best avoided, can you elaborate why? 

Thanks a lot!

Keep up the great work! 

Hi Michael,

Do you think there's any truth to rumors about Las Vegas casinos tightening up video poker with high full paytables to keep the house edge where they want it? I've returned to video poker after a lengthy hiatus and noticed lately that many of their video poker games have discouragingly low paytables to what they used to be.

Thank you in advance for your answer!

Hi Michael,

I would love to hear your opinion about Skill-based slots. These games have been there for years, but they didn't have much luck in taking over the market. Do you think that will change any time soon?

Also, could you please tell us something more about the latest advances in the slot tournament systems?

Thanks! 

Hi LCB'ers,

Mike, the wizard himself, will be answering all your questions during his live stream soon.

His channel at this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNnBuWyTViUIv7U_CJcyLQw

AMA is live:

thank you for answering my question 

So Mike answered about 50% of the questions, and the rest will be answered during next week's AMA. So stay tuned and ofc post more questions and we can make this a regular thing 

damn i missed it ( now i c it was around my midnight ). ill try to make it next time

Mike's doing another AMA today at 3pm Pacific Time . Be there or be square 

Wizard's YT Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOddsMustBeCrazy

AMA is live: