John Grochowski

In the realm of video poker authors, Bob Dancer and Jean Scott are arguably
the most well-known individuals. Breathing right down their collective necks,
however, is an affable bearded fellow named John Grochowski.

But unlike Dancer and Scott, writing comes natural to this career journalist, giving him
the luxury of combining useful gambling knowledge with a breezy narrative.

The Life of John Grochowski

John has been entertaining fans of the written word for years, and he’s also
brought his relatable style of gambling information to the radio airwaves.
Regardless of where you’ve encountered his work, there’s a decent chance that
you’ve found yourself wanting to know more about this fellow with the glasses
and beard. Well, now’s your opportunity.

The eldest of five children, John Grochowski was born in 1952 in Aurora,
Illinois, but grew up in the Chicago suburb of Lisle. The earliest years of his
life were uneventful, and by the age of 12 he was playing organized baseball and
reading about science and dinosaurs.

He discovered music in 1964, especially the British Invasion led by The
Beatles. The young Grochowski watched their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan
Show with great anticipation, and soon he discovered the WLS radio station in
Chicago, specifically the Silver Dollar Survey countdown.

While The Beatles were the primary object of his obsession, John also
absorbed any other form of rock and roll that he could afford to add to his
record collection. Notable favorites included Gerry and the Pacemakers, The
Animals, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Manfred Mann, and Billy & the Dakotas.

The Searchers were another favorite of the Illinois youth, and their single
“Needles and Pins” was one of the first tunes he tried to learn after getting a
guitar. While the guitar playing didn’t last, his love for the band endured, and
he’s since admitted to cranking up songs such as “Someday We’re Gonna Love
Again” and “When You Walk in the Room” whenever they come on the radio.

He played football during his teenage years, eventually graduating from Lisle
High School in 1970. Then it was off to the University of Illinois in
Urbana-Champaign, where he wrote for the student newspaper and later served as
its sports editor.

Once he secured his degree, he decided to carve out a career for himself in
the newspaper industry. The first stop found him working as a sportswriter for
the Suburban Trib in Hinsdale, Illinois. This was followed by a stint with the
Colorado Springs Gazette, before eventually taking a job as the sports copy
editor for the News-Sun in Waukegan, Illinois.

His career enjoyed a major shot in the arm in 1982, as that’s when he landed
a position as a copy editor with the Chicago Sun-Times. While working there, he
also-quite by accident-found himself on the path that would lead him to write
about gambling.

In the early 1990s, the Chicago area was seeing a great number of riverboat
casinos spring up. The paper’s managing editor solicited ideas from her staff
about the best way to incorporate casino news, and Grochowski’s proposal was the
only serious response.

This led him to write his own weekly column on casinos and casino games
starting in 1994, and it eventually grew to become nationally syndicated. It
also brought with it the distinction of being the first casino gambling
columnist to write for a major American newspaper.

Once he’d immersed himself in the world of gambling, it was natural for John
to want to release a book about his experiences. He collected a number of his
favorite stories and released Gaming: Cruising the Casino with a Syndicated
Gambling Columnist in 1996. This was the first of several books, with the author
eventually tackling games such as video poker, blackjack, craps, and slot
machines.

He would later take his expertise to the airwaves, doing a one-hour talk show
on Chicago’s WCKG-FM and one-minute gambling segments on WBBM-AM. In 2010, he
launched his well-received “Casino Answer Man” segments on WLS-AM. Chicago
listeners can still catch these one-minute slices of gambling knowledge Tuesday
through Friday at 5:18 pm (or via his podcast).

In 2012, he added to his already impressive resume by launching a weekly
Sun-Times column on the ins and outs of sabermetrics, another first in the
publishing industry. For those who are unaware, sabermetrics is the art of
statistical analysis seen in the Brad Pitt movie Moneyball.

In addition to the newspaper columns already mentioned, John has also written
for both virtual and traditional publications. These include the following:
Southern Gaming and Destinations, Strictly Slots, Casino Journal, Midwest Gaming
& Travel, Slot Manager, Casino City Times, and Casino Player.

His status as a gambling expert has also led to television guest spots on the
Travel Channel, although perhaps his most notable TV moment came as a contestant
on ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2000. Besides meeting host Regis
Philbin, Grochowski answered enough trivia questions correctly to walk away with
$125,000 in cash.

Books from John Grochowski

A lot of professional gamblers try their hand at writing books, but the end
result can often be unimpressive. Luckily,
John Grochowski is an author first and a gambler second, so his books have a more professional feel than many of
the titles listed in the gambling section of Amazon. The following items are all
currently available from Amazon and other leading book retailers:

• Gaming: Cruising the Casinos with Syndicated Gambling Columnist John Grochowski

  Written in 1996
  and clocking in at 182 pages, this paperback book collects a number of the
  more interesting newspaper columns penned by John on the subject of
  gambling. While some tomes focus on a specific game of chance, this title
  covers a wide range of options. The interview with a recovering gambling
  addict provides a sobering look at the hobby, and there are also sections
  devoted to tournament play, blackjack strategy, and how to get the most from
  your slot machine sessions.

• The Video Poker Answer Book

  This 2004 book devotes a generous 277 pages to the subject of video
  poker. Most of the leading games are analyzed in-depth, and the author
  approaches each chapter with a question and answer format. Whether you’re a
  beginning or intermediate VP player, you’re certain to find something within
  these pages to help your overall game. And just like with all of his “Answer
  Book” series, Grochowski manages to relate his information in a style that’s
  both educational and conversational at the same time.

• The Casino Answer Book

  You may not realize it, but all casino games have a built-in mathematical
  advantage over the player. Fortunately, this 237-page book is meant to help
  shave off as much of the house edge as possible while playing blackjack,
  video poker, and roulette. As with other books in the series, the author
  imparts his information by posing a question and then delivering the answer.
  Published in 1994.

• The Slot Machine Answer Book

  The second book in John’s “Answer” series, this 1999 release
  delivers 150 pages on the subject of slot machines. While it doesn’t deliver
  any insider secrets on how to beat the slots (which isn’t possible, anyway),
  it does provide a solid overview for those who are new to the hobby. In
  addition, the author covers some of the leading slot manufacturers and looks
  at how modern machines function.

• The Craps Answer Book

  Released in 2003 as part of his successful “Answer” series, this 127-page
  book serves as a worthwhile introduction to the game of craps. Each chapter
  presents the reader with a quiz to test their knowledge, and it covers
  useful topics ranging from bankroll management and odds to craps lingo and
  why gambling systems are nonsense.

• Winning Tips for Casino Games

  If you’re taking a trip to Las Vegas but aren’t sure which
  games to play, this 128-page book should help point you in the right
  direction. Rules and strategies are covered for all of the following: video
  poker, slots, baccarat, roulette, blackjack, bingo, craps, and keno. In
  addition, this 1995 release looks at the etiquette for each game, including
  tipping the dealer and dealing with fellow gamblers.

Gambling Advice from the Casino Answer Man

In this section, I’ll be passing along some of the wisdom found in various
articles from John Grochowski. And in keeping with his Answer Man format, I’ll
first pose a question and then follow it up with John’s (paraphrased) response.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for gambling advice that’s functional without being too
cerebral, then John Grochowski makes for an excellent read. He has a number of
books on the market, and his take on various games of chance can also be located
on the Internet and radio. When he’s not making the lives of Las Vegas
executives more difficult, he can often be found following his favorite sports
teams, reading a good sci-fi novel, or blasting tunes from the British Invasion.