Tom Ober

Guest Contributor

5 Years Experience

1 Articles Written

About Me - Tom Ober

Tom here. And if you can always find the fun in competition, we'll get along just fine. Sports, poker, video games, trivia night...heck, let's see who can name the most Beatles songs in under a minute. You only get one trip through, and I find that games and competition are what charge my batteries. But what really gets me going is understanding how games work, and trying to find an edge.

Maybe that's why I got into poker as an early PartyPoker adopter, soaking up as much strategy knowledge as possible, and winning my fair share of $5/$10 limit tournaments. Some of my earliest memories as a Boston-bred guy are rooting for the home teams through decades of heartbreak, followed by decades of team (and my own sports betting) success. My grandmother (97 years strong) was a grandmaster Bridge player and teacher, comping many a free cruise for a few lessons in return. She (and my father) taught me Hearts, Spades, Gin Rummy, and a slew of other classics...many of which I'd profit from playing online via different skill gaming platforms. My first trip to the casino was a two-hour drive to Connecticut, after a buddy and I saw a commercial during a Red Sox game. FIve hours later and a few hundred dollars richer, casino card games had become a passion. I enjoy the old reliables like blackjack and Caribbean stud, but my all-time favorite is Pai Gow Poker.

The psychology of competition and 'gamification' was a big reason I got started in my career as an advertising copywriter, trying to master the cat-and-mouse game of persuading potential customers and clients. I've worked for travel companies, big-name online retailers, several professional sports teams (talk about a dream come true). Plus a couple of different skill and casual games platforms. Life is good for me and my wife up in New Hampshire, with 2 kiddos, a nice backyard, and quick trips into Boston to support the local squads. Oh, and did I mention they just opened a casino the next town over? Maybe I'll see you there.

My Role At Casinos.com

Here at Casinos.com, I can pair my love of games with my love of creativity. As a professional writer, it’s a unique opportunity to deep-dive into topics across the world of casino gambling. From legality and technical features to dedicated strategy guides and game reviews, creating content about games is almost as fun as playing them. (Particularly the “research”.)

Among many pieces I’ve written is a comprehensive guide to blackjack. It covers the history, variants, advanced strategy, betting systems, and more. And just like everything I write for the site, I hope it helps our readers understand games better…and enjoy them more. I want to be your friendly companion who’s always up for a trip to the casino, and might just be able to give some helpful pointers along the way.

Experience

Casinos.com

Guest Contributor

GSN Games

Copywriter

Major Non-Gaming Brands (Gasp!)

Copy Lead

Education, Qualifications, and Significant Achievements

Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Bates College

I was always interested in what makes people tick, and I spent some of my formative years learning as much as I could about it...including the psychology of gambling!

Expertise

As a veteran writer and passionate gamer and gambler, I like to think I bring style and substance to the table. I’ve been a professional writer for almost 20 years, and I’ve been playing games for roughly double that amount of time. I have a lot of knowledge and expertise across table games, slots, sports betting, and real-money skill games. And my background in psychology and writing helps me quickly and clearly communicate that information to my readers.

My Top Casino Games

Blackjack

An All-Time Classic: Dynamic, fast-paced, and strategy-based. Blackjack is easy to learn, but hard to master…making it a great game for relatively newbies and veteran gamblers. The strategy is so deep and the gameplay so varied that every blackjack session is a fresh and exciting experience.

Pai Gow Poker

Hands-On Fun: Unlike some games, Pai Gow Poker lets you get your hands on the cards and make decisions that have no impact on any other players. This makes the game more interactive and fellow gamblers friendlier. Plus, the push-heavy gameplay makes for a steady gambling experience, with fewer big swings in either direction.

Spanish 21

Less Cards, More Hits: Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant that uses a 48-card deck, with all the 10s removed. (Face cards are still included!) This makes the optimal strategy include more aggressive play, more hitting on hard hands, and more action.

When I’m Not Here, Where Am I?

One of a few places. They're likely to include:

🥍 Playing or Watching Sports

Credit (or is it blame?) my dad, my friends, or my New England roots, but sports have always had a central role in my life. I grew up running cross-country and playing lacrosse, playing the latter in college. I’ve continued trail running to this very day, and I’ve been a dedicated racket sports player for about 20 years. I’ve played in competitive squash leagues, and I’m currently ramping up with pickleball.

I’m a diehard fan of all the Boston sports teams, with the Red Sox and Celtics leading the pack for my affections. Along the way, I adopted my wife’s favorite sports team, the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team. Amazingly, I’ve followed along as the Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, and Wildcats take home championships. If the New England Revolution can win the MLS Cup, I don’t know what I’ll complain about!

👾 Playing Retro Video Games

I grew up in the 80s and 90s, truly a golden age for video games. And my (clearly biased) opinion is that games have never been as good as they were back then, pixels and all. My first video game systems were a Sega Genesis and a Sega Saturn, while some of my all-time favorite games are Space Quest, old-school Resident Evil, Final Fight and just about anything that involves walking to the right and showing the bad guys what’s what.

👨🏼‍👧🏼‍👦🏼 And My Favorite Job…Being a Dad

I have a lot of interests, but my first priority and passion is being a family man. My son and daughter are my pride and joy, and working remotely has allowed me to be much more involved as a dad. Watching them grow, playing with them, ferrying them from activity to activity…it’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything. So, despite all the plates I have spinning, I’m always trying to spend as much time as possible with my amazing wife and my two biggest (but small-sized) fans.

Movies and Shows I Enjoy

Time is scarce at the moment, so my wife and I mostly enjoy story-light entertainment and shows. We love the interviews on the Hot Ones YouTube channel, we’re big fans of comedians like Jim Gaffigan and Gabriel Iglesias, and we will get drawn into the occasional true crime show from time to time.

My all-time favorite movies are The Matrix, the original Star Wars trilogy, RoboCop, the John Wick series, and Last of the Mohicans. I’ve also been a Star Trek buff - the 60’s show, the Next Generation, and all the movies with the original cast and crew.

My Favorite Quote

Just because you lose doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good bet

In the movie Air, Nike pioneer Sonny Vaccaro says this to founder Phil Knight. And I just love the sentiment. You can have all the expertise, knowledge, strategy…and that doesn’t mean you’re always going to win. But it does mean you can do everything you could to give yourself the best chance possible.

And doing that is important for both your peace of mind and your bottom line, which is part of the reason I love teaching people about different casino games. If I make a good wager and play smart, I’m not going to have bet regret. I hope my readers can absorb some knowledge from me and feel the same when they play.