Michael Kaplan

Michael Kaplan is a journalist based in New York City. He has written extensively on gambling for publications such as Wired, Playboy, Cigar Aficionado, New York Post and New York Times. He is the author of four books including Aces and Kings: Inside Stories and Million-Dollar Strategies from Poker’s Greatest Players.

He’s been known to do a bit of gambling when the timing seems right.

Michael Kaplan 's Articles

Back in the day, being a casino dealer meant learning to shuffle cards in specific ways – with all kinds of artful riffles and passes – that were unique to different casinos. There were  special cuts and reshuffles and a variety of techniques employed to make the cards as random as possible when they were dealt.

Bet a little to win a lot might as well be the mantra of every gambler. However, saying it and doing it are two completely different things. Short of winning the lottery or getting insanely lucky at the World Series of Poker, how does that life-changing score drop into your lap?

Gamblers playing casino games at an advantage love to camp out at the tables. They slowly make their money, hand by hand, as they deploy winning strategies that have them operating with an edge at games like blackjack, three card poker and even slot machines.

Unfortunately for them, casino bosses do not share their enthusiasm. 

In the United States, the outcome of the presidential election, which will be decided on Nov. 5, is expressed primarily by people voting. In Great Britain and other jurisdictions around the world, it is expressed by people betting.  

It’s 4 in the morning at Durango Casino and Resort. You’ve been riding the gambler’s roller coaster all night long, swinging between wins and losses, pressing bets and taking walks when they seem appropriate. Between it all, you capitalized on a comped dinner at the absolutely fantastic Nicco’s steakhouse. 

Though new slot machines pop up all the time and it can sometimes seem like they grow on trees, as if each one is some kind of a natural resource. Of course, in reality, that is not the case. Technology, creativity and an understanding of gaming regulations are all behind the appearances of the most popular slot machines.