2017 Year in Review -- December 28, 2017
I hope all my followers out there had a good 2017. Let me give you a preview of some of my own plans for 2018 and for the Wizard web sites.
Early in 2018 I will be visiting Aruba. I've never been there before but am familiar with Aruba's sister island Curacao as a hot spot for Internet gambling. I look forward to checking out the famous casino scene of Aruba and will report back on my findings.
I also expect to visit Spain and Serbia in early 2018 on business. Of course, I'll do my due diligence on any casinos I encounter. The business involves a new Internet casino I'm an investor in and advisor on. More on that later but it will be a concept I have yet to see online and something very good for players. This is the first public mention of it.
My book Gambling 102 finally sold out its initial printing. In the process is a completely new second edition. Added will be chapters on pai gow (tiles), Mississippi Stud, Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em, and Crazy 4 Poker. Some chapters will be dropped but everything that remains will get a complete rewrite.
2017 was another busy year at the Wizard of Odds. I would like to mention a full analysis of the game Powerhouse Poker. I worked hard on this last week and believe this is the first analysis of the game published anywhere.
Here is a list of some other highlights of new material added to the site in the last year:
- Video poker challenge. I made five videos documenting some extremely fast and accurate video poker players. We open it up to the world for challengers to beat these records. I am also looking for a speed bingo player to set a record for that. Please contact me if you're interested.
- Pai gow basic strategy . I know we already had lots of pai gow strategies but I felt they were all too complicated for most players. I worked hard to create a fairly simple strategy with a cost due to errors less than 0.3%.
- Ask the Wizard columns 301 , 302 , 303 , 304 , and 305 .
- Two slot machine deconstructions: Lionfish and Cleopatra
- Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em (Auckland variant). They play this game by some stingy rules in Auckland. This page shows the odds when both the player and dealer must use both hole cards in their best hand.
- Organic Roulette Experiment. I spent a great deal of time trying to prove or disprove an accusation that this electronic roulette game wasn't playing fairly.
- Magic Deal. Video poker variant where sometimes the player gets "magic card" on the deal.
- Buffalo Blackjack. Some fortunate players enjoyed a 3.2% player advantage on this game while it lasted.
For a long list of new material added to the Wizard of Odds by our other reviewers and I, you can always visit our "What's New" section on the main page.
In closing, I wish all reading this a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2018. If you will be taking your chances in the casinos, then may the odds be with you.