Mark Pilarski

A recognized authority on casino gambling, Mark Pilarski survived 18 years in the casino trenches, working for seven different casinos. Mark now writes a nationally syndicated gambling column, is a university lecturer, reviewer and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals, and is the creator of the best-selling, award-winning audio book series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning.

MARK'S ARTICLES

ADVICE & MORE

• Pilarski Has Left the Building (October 2016)

 

• Quick Draw McGraw: ‘I’ll do the thinnin’ around here – and don’t you forget it!’ (August 2016)

 

• Are Players Falling in Love with this Machine, Or Is this Just a Passing Attraction? (July 2016)

 

• Betting Patterns Won’t Change Casino Advantage (June 2016)

 

• Can a Computer Beat a Game That Is Built on Lost Bets? (May 2016)

 

• Prune the Hedges from Your Crap Game (April 2016)

 

• Rule #1: Please Check Your Firearms at the Door (March 2016)

 

• Kinship Doesn’t Count for Comps (February 2016)

 

• On the Road Again (January 2016)

 

• Doubling as James Bond for $5 a Pop (December 2015)

 

• Video Blackjack Paybacks Are Based on Skill and Rules (October 2015)

 

• Is Free Slot Play Rigged? (September 2015)

 

• Change Only Happens When Customers Demand It (August 2015)

 

• Hitting the Big Kahuna – Possible, But Improbable (July 2015)

 

• Think of Keno as a Spectator Sport (June 2015)

 

• ‘I’ll Be Back’ (May 2015)

 

• Does the Golden Arm Exist? (April 2015)

 

• Murky Waters When Gambling at Sea (March 2015)

 

• If it Weren’t for ‘Suckers,’ There Wouldn’t Be Any Good Bets (February 2015)

 

• Husband Penalized for Canny Play (January 2015)

 

• Plan on a Long Dry Spell Between Top-line Jackpots (December 2014)

 

• These Machines Are Designed to Be a Billfold Buster (November 2014)

 

• Luck or Skill? (October 2014)

 

• Blackjack: Never Busting Never Works (September 2014)

 

• Where'd Da Go? Slot Machines Then and Now (August 2014)

 

• Did This Player Deserve to Be Tossed from the Casino? (July 2014)

 

• Prosperous Gaffes Do Happen (June 2014)

 

• How’d He Do Dat? (May 2014)

 

• I’m Talkin’ Quick Draw Mcgraw Fast! (April 2014)

 

• Talk about a Snowball’s Chance in Hell (March 2014)

 

• Can a $50 Bill Ruin Your Day? (February 2014)

 

• Win/loss Statement Documents Your Play (January 2014)

 

• A No Brainer (December 2013)

 

• Contrary to Popular Belief… (November 2013)

 

• This Virtual Table Game Has One Big Drawback (October 2013)

 

• Chips Ahoy! (September 2013)

 

• A Low House Edge Isn’t Necessarily the End All, But It Sure Helps (August 2013)

 

• A Push Is a Push, Except For… (July 2013)

 

• Mega This and Mega That (June 2013)

 

• Three Reasons Why the Offer to Color Up (May 2013)

 

• Making Money Music (April 2013)

 

• A Slippery Slope for the Weary Wallet (March 2013)
• A Truly Timely, Taxing Question (March 2013)

 

• Just Another Truth-is-better-than-fiction Call (February 2013)

 

• Dealer Goofs – The Road to Riches (January 2013)

 

• Stretch Your Strategy until It Whimpers (December 2012)

 

• The Rigged Slot (November 2012)

 

• Our Old Pal Hobson (October 2012)

 

• The Fun Way to Pitch Good Money after Bad (September 2012)

 

• Blackjack's Most Revered Fallacy: Collateral Damage (August 2012)
• The Three Payout Terraces of Roulette (August 2012)

 

• To Assure a Win, Hold Your Breath and Count to 13 (July 2012)

 

• Early Worm in Robin-swallowing Spring Training (June 2012)
• Brightening the Cloudy Slots Scene (June 2012)

 

• The Only Armed Queen in the Deck Often Delivered (May 2012)

 

• Ah, Those Cash-Comp-Currency Calculations (April 2012)
• A Truly Thoughtless Object - The Roulette Ball (April 2012)
• Bad Beat for the Book (April 2012)
• Courtesy Hold While the Lady Powders Her Nose (April 2012)
• Gone - the Buggy Whip, the Kerosene Lamp, and Now Live Keno (April 2012)
• Keepers and Weeper Partial-pay Machines (April 2012)
• Number of Decks Versus Number of Players, But Skill Is Still the Undisputed Champ (April 2012)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (April 2012)
• Shopping List for the Right Blackjack Setup (April 2012)
• Where Speed Can Sometimes Outrank Craft (April 2012)