First, let me get this title out of the way. I’m going to pit the game of roulette against many other of the most popular casino games but not against all of them since the new-fangled games come and go. Many of the new games are called “carnival games” and like real carnival games they are often fly-by-night. 

The real questions are rather simple: Is roulette in the same league as the other games? Is roulette better than other games? Is roulette worse than other games? Are roulette players happier than other players? 

 

 

Although I’ve talked to many players, mine is not a scientific hypothesis. Still, I do think it is accurate.

Roulette Versus Blackjack

Roulette is one of, if not the oldest game in the casino – perhaps only behind craps. Blackjack has a history too, stretching, some writers believe, all the way to China. History is one thing; playing the games is entirely another thing.

Blackjack

Let’s take a look at blackjack. It is overwhelmingly the most popular table-game in the casino. Players have a multitude of decisions to make, not the least of which is how much to bet. Since there are hands that players get that require another bet to be made to play properly, it is not enough to say, “I will bet thus and such amount.” 

If players choose to double down or split pairs or double down on split pairs, they will have to double or triple their bets. Therefore, the bankroll requirements must be handled with care. Under betting at blackjack can cause disaster; a losing streak can wipe a player out. 

[Please note: I am using the correct basic strategy. Players could choose not to increase their bets or to increase the bets to less in some cases – neither is a good idea.]

Blackjack also has a reward for getting a hand of an ace and a 10-valued card, called a blackjack, by paying the players 3-to-2. Although some blackjack games only pay 6-to-5.

The game requires the players, meaning those who wish to play properly, to use a computer derived basic strategy. Usually, players memorize this strategy but many just bring a basic strategy card with them to the casino. Most casinos will allow this.

Since there are many different types of blackjack games based on the number of decks and the individual rules of the casino, there can be many different basic strategies but very few players memorize all of them since the differences between them are not that great.

There is one annoying factor to blackjack that is sometimes encountered by the players and that concerns other players fancying themselves “experts.” These players constantly give advice on how to play one’s hands.

You don’t find this all the time but you do find it enough to share this experience with just about all blackjack players. No one likes the “experts,” except for the “experts” themselves. That’s a big negative.

Roulette

Now to roulette. You don’t have to memorize long lists of strategy decisions. You do have to know:

• where to bet
• how many bets to make since there are a multitude of them
• whether you’re looking for a big hit or a steady back-and-forth with the casino

You can win one-to-one on a bet or anything up to 35-to-1. Yes, the range of payouts is immense. But once you make those choices you just wait for the ball to spin around the wheel, land, bounce, and finally come to rest in a colored pocket with an individual number.

Your sole decision is made when you bet. In blackjack, your decisions are made after you bet when you receive your cards and see what card the dealer is showing. You can actually bet on high payout bets or one-to-one payoff bets at the same time. The choices are all yours.

Finally, a one-on-one game with a dealer in blackjack can cause a player to play between 100 and 130 hands per hour. So even with a small house edge of about one-half percent, the costs can mount up. Playing at a crowded table is a must.

On the other hand, roulette is a leisurely game but the house edge is 5.26 percent on the double-zero wheel and 2.70 on the single-zero wheel. You really want to play at a crowded table to keep the number of decisions as low as can be.

The Decision

This a tough call. If you like a game where actual strategy decisions count heavily, then blackjack is for you. If you like a game where you can win a lot of money with some good luck or play a conservative game with small payouts but better chances of winning by not taking a bad beating on a losing streak, then roulette would be for you. TIE.

Roulette versus Mini-Baccarat

Oh, mini-baccarat, thou art a double-crossing-agent of shame. The real game of baccarat that took place in the high-roller rooms of usually top casinos was a gem. It was leisurely, elegant, with several dealers and your very own pit boss or floor person. The female dealers wore evening wear and the male dealers often wore tuxedos.

The house edges on its two best bets came in at the low one percent mark. The third bet was to be ignored. Yes, the stakes were high but the slower speed of the game kept the damage somewhat lower than one would expect.

And you actually took turns dealing the cards if you wanted. That made no difference in the results of the game but it was still a lot of fun to do.

And now to mini-baccarat. The speed of this game is perhaps the fastest speed of all the games in the casino. Small house edge? Yeah, sure, the same edges as real baccarat but playing 150 to 200 hands per hour will make small edges huge in their results.

You don’t get to deal the cards either. The dealers are the twins of the superhero named Flash in the speed of their dealing. Yikes.

Add to that, this: some of the most superstitious players in the casinos play this game and are adamant about their superstitions. Even the table numbers have been changed to satisfy some of them. They take it badly if you win and they lose. They figure you took their luck. You didn’t but you’ll never be able to convince them of that.  

There are some high-roller room roulette games, often of the single-zero variety, but these games are really no different than the main floor games.

The worst thing, other than a losing streak, is some lug knocking over your chips when he or she bets. At least this is not happening because they think you are in league with the devil.

The Decision

Hands down, roulette is the better game. You want leisurely, not speedy. If the real baccarat game still existed and you could afford it, then it would be a closer call.

Roulette Versus Craps

This is going to be a somewhat close contest. Craps goes all the way back to the ancient times when men used ankle bones of animals and their fellow man to ask the gods what was about to happen or to prostrate themselves asking for whatever they desired. That usually involved defeating the other tribe or getting their mothers-in-law off their backs. 

Over time bones started to be used in the games of chance. I’m guessing people still prayed during these games as they still pray in games of chance today. I guess a lot of people want divine assistance. 

Craps has a legion of bets, as does roulette, but these bets range in house edges that go from 1.36 percent or 1.41 percent all the way up to (ugh!) over 20 percent! (I’m taking in some of the bonus bets here such as the fire bet.)

Perhaps craps has the most enthusiastic fans in the casinos. You can hear the players cheering and moaning throughout a game. The layout looks as if it is cuneiform and many other players who wish to play craps can get frightened by it. 

The best bets at the game are some of the best bets in the casino; the worst bets are some of the worst bets in the casino. You have bets that pay out very large sums. These are, naturally, the high house edge bets. You have bets that can make the game a very, very close contest.

The game can seem fast but that is only a mirage because some bets will not be resolved with every decision. However, the more bets players make, the more the house edges will likely hammer them. A conservative approach to craps makes it a great game. An action approach makes it a very, very dangerous game indeed.

A wonderful aspect to craps is the fact that a player gets the opportunity to roll the dice. (“Roll dem bones!”) The player takes the dice into his or her hand and lets them fly, determining the next decision. That is an appealing aspect to the game.

Played properly, craps is a great game. Played poorly, craps is a very dangerous game.

Craps does have one strange element; it is truly the only domain in the casino table games world that is about 95 percent male. Correct. In all the time that craps has been played in the casinos, males dominate the game.

It is rare to find a woman at the table, other than a wife or a date or a companion for a male. Yes, more women play today which means almost none.

The Decision

If you tend to be a wild player, stay away from craps. If you are a conservative player, craps can be a great game. Given the nature of the game, roulette versus craps has shadings that other games don’t.

If you’re female? Then roulette wins. 

If you’re male? Then craps wins if you’re the type of male who enjoys the rough and tumble of male relationships which you’ll see and hear at a craps game. It’s kind of like table game football. Maybe that’s what keeps women away?

Roulette Versus Pai Gow Poker

I am a Pai Gow poker fan. I especially love the face-up version of pai gow poker. A player gets to make decisions that count in terms of how high the house edge will become. In face-up Pai Gow Poker, the player knows the hand the dealer has and that makes the strategy change for playing one’s own hand.

The game has another fun element. It is leisurely. No one rushes you to play fast. You can take your time making your decisions and dealers will happily help you if you don’t know quite what to do with your hand. There are plenty of ties too, which means the hit on your bankroll will not be overwhelmingly bad if things are not going your way.

Happily, I’ve never found the type of “expert” player who lambasts you with his or her version of how to play the game as in blackjack. Pai gow poker players seem to be more reserved, far classier than those annoying blackjack “experts.”

Sadly, not every casino has the game. The bigger ones do but those small places probably don’t. Even in casinos where the game exists, you probably won’t find more than a couple of tables. Some casinos will place the game in their Asian rooms since there is a popular game called pai gow found there. However, that pai gow game is played with dominos.

The Decision

I have to tell you that this was my hardest decision. I love Pai Gow Poker and look for it in every casino where I play – and most of them have it! 

I think many players might find the game too leisurely if they are the action types. So here goes: TIE!

All the best in and out of the casinos!
 

We all love to play video poker. It’s a fun, low-stress way to enjoy the venerable card game without having to wait for others to buy in or needing to outthink human opponents. Instead, you play against the casino and get to experience the action that comes with putting together straights and flushes and full houses.

No wonder, then, that there exists no shortage of poker variants programmed into video poker machines. The most common form is Jacks or Better, where you need a pair of Jacks in order to wrest a payout from the machine. But our favorite version is Deuces Wild.

One reason for the affinity is that we are suckers for games with wild cards. They allow you to build stronger hands and, hell, we all like to swing for the fences. More importantly, when Deuces Wild is played with what video-poker guru Bob Dancer classifies as “beginner strategy,” we can actually play at an advantage.

Follow his advice to a T and you’ll be operating at 100.76% (that is, with a .76 percent advantage). This may not sound like much, but, over time, it definitely adds up. For anyone who’s ever gone against the house with a negative expectation (and, let’s face it, we all have), this edge makes for an irresistible proposition.

A Look at the Game

On the surface, Deuces Wild functions like most every other video poker game – you’re dealt five cards and can either play them (if you happen to land a phenomenal hand right out of the gate) or trade in any of those cards for fresh ones and try to make a better combination.

Things get interesting here when you take into account that deuces are wild – meaning that they can be used as any card in the 52-card deck out of which the game is dealt.

Because those four wild cards increase the likelihood of making premium hands, the bare minimum hands – say, a pair of 7s, or 6s over 4s – are not at all desirable. However, hitting five of a kind is possible. For example, if you get three 2s and a pair of 9s, you would have five 9s and be in line for a windfall of cash. In order to leverage that windfall, it’s worthwhile to search out a Deuces Wild machine that rewards players at the top end of the pay schedule (based on five units being wagered):

• 4,000 units for a natural royal flush
• 1,000 for four deuces (which will essentially be five of a kind)
• 125 for a royal flush made with deuces
• 75 for five of a kind (helped along by a deuce or two or three)
• 45 for a straight flush
• 25 for four of a kind
• 15 for a full house
• 10 for a flush
• 10 for a straight
• 5 for three of a kind

As alluded to earlier, a pair or even two pair will not pay off. No need to worry, though, as wild cards are your friends and they will make possible the kinds of premium hands that we typically dream about hitting. And don’t be put off by the relatively meager payout that comes with four of a kind: You’ll land there more often than you think.

Analyzing Hands

According to a modus operandi that is credited to Dancer and Liam W. Daily (who also sell advanced strategies, for overcoming the game with higher expected values), beating Deuces is as simple as rigorously following a regiment of very specific instructions:

• Hands with 4 deuces – hold all 4 deuces
• Hands with 3 deuces – consider a wildcard royal flush to be a pat hand; otherwise just keep the three deuces and discard the other two cards (yes, you will sometimes dump out of five of a kind in the hopes of hitting something better).
• Hands with 2 deuces – just draw one card if you are four to a straight flush or royal flush; otherwise, hold onto the pair of deuces and draw three fresh cards
• Hands with 1 deuce – hang onto all paying combinations; draw one card with four to a royal flush, straight flush, flush or straight; draw two cards with three to a royal flush (excluding Ace high) or three to a straight flush; otherwise, keep the deuce and swap out for four fresh cards
• Hands with zero deuces – hold all paying combinations; draw one card with four to a royal flush, straight flush, flush or straight; draw two cards with three to a royal flush; if dealt two pair, discard one of the pairs and draw three cards; hold onto suited Queen, Jack; suited Queen, 10; and Jack, 10; anything else, discard the entire hand and draw five fresh cards.

 

 

Strategy Options

As one who has applied similar lines of thinking to other casino games (we’ll get into that particular adventure at a later date), I can tell you that there are a couple of things to keep in mind when applying small-edge strategies. Most importantly, remember that you are not smarter than the strategy.

Even if you’ve tried something a few times and failed – say, winding up with a busted hand when drawing one card while going for a straight flush with no deuces – it’s important to stick with the strategy no matter what. We all face variance and bad luck (as well as good) when playing casino games. Those things iron themselves out over time as long as we stick to mathematically sound baselines.

Secondly, don’t forget that your profits can extend beyond your winnings from the game. While video poker comps are usually below those offered for playing slot machines (casino bosses are more than wise to the fact that video poker can be played at an advantage), they can still pile up significantly.

So before putting money into the video poker machine, find a casino where you will get a good return on comps related to your play. Establish a tight relationship with a proactive host and make sure you are always logged in to receive those coveted freebies.

Finally, game selection is important. All video poker machines do not pay out equally. Work hard to find one that offers the full pay schedule that is outlined in this story.

Then wait for the machine to shuffle up and deal, play within your budget and proceed to slowly crush this entertainingly beatable game.
 

In a previous article, I explained the insurance bet and why it is a bad bet for basic strategy players. In this article, I will focus on the “even money” proposition, which is equivalent to making an insurance bet when you have a blackjack hand. 

Even money comes into play when you have a blackjack hand and the dealer’s upcard is an ace. When this occurs, the dealer will ask you if you want “even money.” 

• If you say “yes” she will immediately pay you even money on your wager, before she peeks at her hole card, and then place your cards in the discard tray. If you had wagered, say, $10, the payoff is even money or another $10.

Most players are perplexed when the dealer asks if they want even money, and they usually will ask the dealer or another player for advice on what to do. The response is usually “take the even money because you can’t lose.” That’s because no matter what the dealer’s hole card happens to be, you won’t lose any money, especially if the dealer has a 10 in the hole for a blackjack.

Years ago, there was no such thing as even money; if you wanted to “insure” your blackjack hand, you would make the insurance bet just like everyone else would sometimes do on non-blackjack hands.

However, some bright casino executive dreamed up the “even money” proposition, where a player with blackjack is paid even money right on the spot regardless of whether or not the dealer ends up with a blackjack. Therefore, players jump at the opportunity to take even money when it’s offered to them. Life is good … or is it?

Even Money Is the Same as Insurance

Let me pause for a moment to explain why taking even money is the same as making the insurance bet when you have a blackjack.

Suppose you wager $10, you are dealt a blackjack hand, and the dealer shows an ace upcard. There are four possible outcomes, which are listed below in the four rows. The first column indicates if the player does (Yes) or does not (No) take the even money. The second column shows the possible outcome for the dealer's hand – either she has a 10 in the hole for a blackjack (Yes) or doesn’t have a 10 and blackjack (No).

The third column shows the amount won or lost for the initial $10 wager, and the fourth column, the same for the insurance bet. The last column shows the net amount of money won or lost on the combined outcome of the initial wager and the insurance bet.

Notice that if you always insure your blackjack (possible outcomes 1 and 2 above), you always win even money regardless of the dealer’s outcome on her hand. This is why casinos have reverted to the “even money” proposition when a player has a blackjack hand and the dealer’s upcard is an ace.

Instead of letting a player go through all the motions of making an insurance bet, the casinos will gladly give the player ”even money,” even before the dealer checks for a blackjack. By immediately giving the player the “even money” payoff, it also speeds up the game, which is bad for the player but good for the casino.

Remember when I mentioned earlier that most players believe that you can’t lose when you take even money? This is because of the third outcome above, namely, if you don’t take even money when you have a blackjack then you risk the possibility that you will win nothing if the dealer has a blackjack. The masses of players will take the certain one-unit win rather than the possibility of winning nothing. Even the experts in the casino pit will say to take the sure even-money payoff. However, here is the rest of the story.

In a single-deck game, when you are dealt a blackjack and the dealer shows an ace, the dealer will end up with a 10 in the hole 15 times out of 49. This is because:

• There were three cards removed from the 52-card deck, namely, the dealer’s ace upcard, and your blackjack hand, consisting of an ace plus 10-value card. Removing three cards from a 52-card deck leaves 49 unplayed cards.
• In a deck of cards, 16 are valued at 10 (the four 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings). One 10-value card is in your blackjack hand; therefore, there are 15 ten-value cards in the 49 unplayed cards.
• The dealer will end up with a ten in the hole for blackjack 15 times out of 49 or about 30.6% of the time.

 

 

(Note: For a six-deck game, the math is 95 times out of 309 or 30.7%.)

Therefore, the bottom line on the even money is this – is it better to:

• Take the sure one-unit win by taking even money, or
• Risk nothing extra some of the time, to win 1.5 units some of the time by passing up the even-money proposition?

As mentioned above, 30.6% of the times that the dealer has a blackjack you will win nothing, but the other 69.4% of the times, you will win 1.5 times your bet. If you do the math, the latter will result in an average win equal to about 1.04 units every time you pass up the even-money proposition. So, which is better?

• Win 1 unit for certain by taking even money, or
• Win 1.04 units on average by declining to take even money.

The bottom line is this: the value of your blackjack hand is 1.04 units. If a casino were to offer you more than 1.04 units for your blackjack, you should take the offer. However, if they offer you less than 1.04 units, which is the case when they offer you even money or 1.0 unit, you should play smart and decline the offer.

(Note: Casino bosses are not stupid. They know the value of a player’s blackjack hand is worth more than even money, which is why they will gladly give a player even money right on the spot. Surprise them the next time you play blackjack and decline their “not-so-generous” offer.)

Even Money in 6-5 Blackjack Games

Nowadays, many land-based casinos have reduced the payoff for blackjack from the traditional 3-2 to 6-5. I’ve already written about the evils of 6-5 blackjack games; however, I’ve also received many inquiries as to why most casinos don’t offer even money on these games. 

Without going into the math, I’ll give you the bottom line. If casinos offered even money on 6-5 games, players would have a slight advantage on this proposition, which is the reason that they don’t offer it on their 6-5 games.

(Note: The overall house edge in a 6-5 game is affected very little if they offered the even-money proposition; therefore, my recommendation toward 6-5 games remains the same: avoid playing them.)

Should You Ever Take the Even Money?

I’ll give you two scenarios when it makes sense to take even money.

1. Suppose you are in a single-deck game with three other players. You are dealt a blackjack and the dealer shows an ace upcard. You can see your fellow players’ hands and none of them has any tens. Now the ratio of tens to non-tens in the unplayed cards is 15/43 or 34.9%. Anytime this ratio exceeds 33.33%, taking even money becomes profitable. The point is this: when you know ten-value cards are abundant in the unplayed cards, taking even money could be profitable. This leads me to the second point.
2. By learning a card counting system, you will know when taking even money is a profitable bet. (See Chapter 10.7 in my Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide for details on this.)

Lastly, let me address one more “suggestion” that has been proposed as a reason for taking even money. Namely, a player with a limited bankroll who puts a large amount of it at risk by making a big bet and then is dealt a blackjack with the dealer showing an ace. This player has a “safety net” of a guaranteed win by taking the even money rather than possibly losing the bulk of his stake, or worse, tapping out.

My take on this scenario is this: any player who places the majority of his bankroll on one wager is grossly overbetting his bankroll. You will always lose less or win more in the long run when you stick with the math and never take the even-money proposition, regardless of how much you wagered on the hand.

Here’s a quick look at some gambling-related questions posed to me in 2021.

QUESTION: “I have been enjoying your articles but when it comes to betting at roulette, I have some disagreements with your analysis. You say to bet the ‘even-money’ bets of red or black, odd or even, high or low. Why not go for the two-to-one payoffs on the ‘columns’ or ‘dozens’ bets? While your chances of winning are reduced, you still get a better payoff of two-to-one.” 

FRANK RESPONDS: “You are right, of course, the payoffs are better on the two-to-one wagers. In addition, you can still go back-and-forth with the wins and losses during most sessions. The back-and-forth between the player and the casino is what I enjoy. 

“Remember that the ‘even-money’ bets have an expectation of 18 wins against 20 losses on the American double-zero (0, 00) wheel and 18 wins and 19 losses on the European single-zero (0) wheel. Your two-to-one bets have 12 winning numbers with many more losing numbers. You can get into a hole faster betting this way.

“When a player bets on an inside number straight-up there can be many long losing streaks. Some losing streaks can be amazingly long. That usually requires a bigger bankroll for such betting because you have to hang in there during those bad runs waiting for a hot hit. In terms of patterns of wins and losses such a method is very similar to playing a slot machine, losing streaks and big hits. Requires patience and the ability not to panic to bet this way.

“The house edge on the game is the same in either form of betting. But one betting method has more engagement than the other and that, my friend, is the one that I like. Kidding aside, you have to bet the way that makes you enjoy yourself the most. I don’t go for super big wins because I want to keep my exposure low each and every time I play. Yes, the long-run edge is the same but the steps of getting to it are quite different.”

Going Inside

QUESTION: “You can bet on more numbers inside, right? There you get a better game in terms of back-and-forth but you will leave yourself open for some nice hits. So why not go that way to increase potential profits?”

FRANK RESPONDS: “You are not actually increasing profits in the long term. Your long-term expectations will be the same no matter which way you bet. That expectation, sadly, is negative. The casino has the winning expectation; the players do not. Yes, it’s sad but true. Naturally, if the casino did not have the positive expectation, then there would be no casinos. That’s a major truth too.

“If you play casino games you have to understand that you will be playing against a house edge.

“On a given session you can have an epic win, whereas the ‘even-money’ bets rarely give you such an epic hit against the casinos. But with ‘even-money’ bets you also rarely take an immense hammering. As said, I prefer caution every time I play. Long run, the game is the same. Today, it can be really different. I play for today.”

Surrender Explanation

QUESTION: “Now you have mentioned something called ‘surrender’ at the ‘even-money’ bets. Explain that again, please.”

FRANK RESPONDS: “Some casinos and even some venues will give back half of your ‘even-money’ bets if the 0 or 00 hits. On the double-zero wheel this will reduce the house edge from 5.26 percent to 2.63 percent. On the single-zero wheel, the house edge goes from 2.70 percent to 1.35 percent. The single-zero wheel might have the option of ‘en-prison’ which essentially does the same thing.

“Now reducing the house edge at roulette by one-half is a great benefit for the player. The single-zero wheel becomes one of the best bets in the casino!”

Single Zero Versus Double Zero

QUESTION: “You are therefore saying always bet the single-zero wheel if you can? It’s always a better bet than the double-zero wheel?”

FRANK RESPONDS: “Well, yes, and no. Sometimes the minimum bet on the single-zero wheel is much higher than the minimum bet on the double-zero wheel. The expected loss can then be much higher even though the house edge is much lower. If you are a player who bets $10 per decision and the minimum is $50 then you would be asking for trouble betting that $50.

“Let us say that you are experiencing 50 decisions per hour on the wheel. You are betting one of the ‘even-money’ wagers. If you bet $10 per wager on a double-zero wheel, your total bet for the hour is $500. Your expected loss is $26.30. Or half of that, which is $13.15, if there is surrender.

“Okay, you bet $50 per ‘even-money’ wager at a single-zero wheel. You are now betting $2,500 per hour. Your expected loss is $67.50. If the game has en-prison, your expectation will be a loss of $33.75.

“This is important; your expected loss-per-hour must be lower at the game. In short, you have to be able to afford the losses. Otherwise, you are getting a better game with worse economic results. You don’t want that.”

Shifting Gears

QUESTION: “But can’t you change how you bet? I don’t mean bets that are not ‘even-money’ but I mean how you bet?”

FRANK RESPONDS: “Yes, true, you could for example bet half the time or less than half the time. Now with those $50 bets you only bet 40 percent of the spins. Your expected loss would be $27 or $13.50 with ‘en-prison. Not much worse than the double-zero game. You could go to 39 percent of the spins and be losing less at this game than you would at double-zero ‘even-money’ bets!

“It could be even better too. If the single-zero wheel is only coming in with a $25 minimum then lowering the number of decisions you face doesn’t have to be too drastic. Your expected loss at this $25 game is $33.75 or $16.88 with ‘en-prison.  Reduce the number of spins played by 20 percent and you have that expected loss down to $27 or $13.50 with ‘en-prison.

Bankroll Management

QUESTION: “What kind of bankroll would you need to play the way you are suggesting?”

FRANK RESPONDS: “Okay, first, you must have an account for casino gambling from which to take your playing money. Do not use your household money or serious savings money. I call this the 401G account, with the ‘G’ standing for gambling. Put this money in some interest-paying account.  You can add to the account with wins and/or with small deposits as you would with a regular 401K.

“Now you want to play a conservative game. You do not ever, ever, ever want to wake up the next day and say to yourself ‘I did what last night?’ If you are a drinker, try to limit your consumption until after your last session of the day. You’ll thank yourself for that.

“So let us say you are betting $10 on those even-money bets. How much should you give yourself for each session of play? First of all, how long of a session do you want? An hour, two or three? How many sessions a day? These are the parameters that you have to fill in and stick to.

“Let us say that you will play for two hours a session for two sessions a day. You’ll actually have to come up with your ideas. I’m just giving my overview.

“We estimate how many decisions per hour. Let’s keep it at 50 per hour as in the above examples. You will therefore be playing 100 decisions in that two-hour period. That means you will be wagering a total of $1000 during that time. 

“What don’t we want during those 100 decisions? Obviously, we don’t want to be wiped out and lose every penny we brought with us to play for that session. Now just figure you will win 18 times and lose 20 times on the double-zero wheel. Let’s make it simple by using nine wins and 10 losses. For every 19 decisions, the math says you will lose one bet of $10. 

“Keep in mind that we are just dealing in averages. You could be ahead after 19 decisions or behind, or monstrously ahead, or cripplingly behind. Who knows? In 100 decisions, the math indicates a loss somewhere around $50. Here we go with a guesstimate: bring enough money to lose $100. Make it easy for yourself, bring $300 to play ‘even-money’ bets for 100 decisions.

“There’s an excellent chance you will not get wiped out by having $300 as your session stake. 

“And what if you are getting hammered? Must you plug away and stay in the game? Of course not. You can pull that plug anytime you wish and take a break from play. Whatever money you have left over, just put it away and don’t use any of it for your next session. 

“If you are winning, just play your two hours and rejoice as you take your win with you. You won’t use any of that win during your next session.

“Session two is done the exact same way. Give yourself $300 again and proceed. That comes to $150 per hour or per 50 decisions.  

“The total you need to bring with you is $600 to play four hours with a decent expectation that you won’t get wiped out.”

Single-Session Fun

QUESTION: “I like to go for one afternoon a week and I just play one session. What then?”

FRANK RESPONDS: “Play $150 per hour if you are betting $10 per decision given the parameters above. If you play for four hours it still comes to $600.”

Expanding Gaming Sessions

QUESTION: “And what if I go to the casinos for a vacation, say for four days, what then?”

FRANK RESPONDS: “Just make it $150 per hour of play. Stick with that and try to keep the number of decisions to 50 per hour or even fewer if you can. 

“Obviously, I am taking a shot in the dark about what will happen in an hour’s time or two-hour’s time but it is a shot that can’t destroy you if bad streaks happen.

“My biggest concern is losses, especially among those of us who are committed casino players. You want to go to the casinos often? Then you have to be contained, controlled, and yes, disciplined. That includes cutting short a session that isn’t going right if you start to think that you don’t want to take any more negative hits. You can always come back for more.”

‘Action’ players

QUESTION: “All of this sounds good but I really don’t like the ‘even-money’ bets. I am an action player in the best definition of that word. I am looking for a thrill. Don’t you have ways to play that can give me a thrill and keep my money safe or as safe as possible?”

FRANK RESPONDS: “I think you should take the same context that I’ve been giving and extend it to the inside bets. You have a one-in-38 chance to win on the double-zero wheel and a one-in-37 chance to win on the single-zero wheel with a single inside-number bet. 

“The question you must ask yourself is exactly how much to give yourself per session betting those inside numbers? Basically, you go per number. If you decide to bet 18 numbers all at once, then you give yourself $300 for a two-hour session. If you decide to go to nine numbers, you give yourself $600 per session, meaning $1,200 for two hours. 

“The bottom line is simple: The more numbers you bet at once, the less your bankroll has to be since it is easier to get a hit. The fewer numbers you bet, the more your bankroll must be because you can have – and you will have – major losing streaks.

“Yes, you can get a big hit right off the bat betting inside and then the day may turn out to be clear sailing. Drowning is what I fear most.”

All the best in and out of the casinos!
 

For some gamblers, bigger is better – and that does not apply only to how much they wager or to the square-footage of their suites. There is also something special about playing in the world’s largest casinos, which hold records for space devoted to wagering and other alluring pursuits.

Inevitably, these palaces of chance have larger varieties of accommodations. But they also tend to boast more restaurants, better shows and, most critically of all, a multitude of tables on which to place your bets.

In addition to a wider range of games – maybe even some new ones that have not yet come to your local gambling dens – more people in action make for a livelier vibe. So if you believe that size matters, then these casinos, five of the largest in the world, will be worth checking out.

Buckle up and prepare to be overwhelmed. We won’t be surprised if you make reservations, book airfare, and put together a bankroll as soon as you finish reading this.

Five Biggest Casinos in the World are:

1 – WinStar World Casino

 

If someone asked you to guess the location of the world’s largest casino, you would not immediately go with Thackerville, Oklahoma, right in the middle of America’s cowboy-country, not far from the Texas border. But, amazingly, that is where the world’s largest casino resides.

Its 600,000-square-feet of gaming space make WinStar the most generously proportioned gambling joint in the world. Getting clever with its seemingly endless expanse of house-crushing opportunity, Winstar has 8,600 machines, 100 table-games, a fantastic poker room (it boasts 55 tables and has been the site of multi-million-dollar tournaments), and three high-limit rooms.

To keep players engaged, the casino is broken up into nine plazas, with each one themed to a particular city. Beijing Gaming Plaza, for example, aims to replicate the Asian gaming experience, complete with the baccarat spinoff Dai Bac (it comes with innovative, high-paying bonus bets), mythical beasts scattered around for good luck and a top-flight Mongolian restaurant.

2 – Venetian Macau

 

The Venetian’s outpost in Macau – modeled on the original in Vegas but much more sprawling – ranks among the biggest buildings in the world. And its 550,000-square-foot casino, the second largest in existence, is notable as well. There are nearly 1,000 table games and 3,300 slot machines.

Of course, though, baccarat rules the high-stakes roost. In case you get thirsty while playing, attendants roam through the casino, wheeling carts loaded with sweet and milky tea.

Though gambling is the thrust, this place does not stint on restaurants, with dozens of places in which to dine. Travel around the world with Venetian’s food options by checking out the Cantonese Lei Garden, McSorley’s ale house for British fish and chips, and top-notch Italian at Portofino.

3 – MGM Cotai

 

In a part of the world where casinos are famous for being glitzy, design-forward enterprises, MGM Cotai, situated in Macau, really stands out.

On its exterior, the Las Vegas spin-off appears to be constructed from sleek building blocks. Inside, there are around 200 gambling tables spread across some 500,000-square-feet (making it the globe’s third largest gambling enterprise).

4 – City of Dreams

5 – Wynn Palace

 

Coming in with the fifth-largest gambling den on the planet, Wynn Palace on the Cotai Strip boasts 420,000-square-feet of gaming opportunities. Though it is clearly larger than Steve Wynn’s creations in Las Vegas, Wynn Palace has some of the same elements that make its Sin City counterparts beloved by high rollers. That includes premium sushi restaurant Mizumi and top drawer Chinese eatery Wing Lei Palace – along with mega-high limits for those who really like to splash around.

Shopping is first rate – stores on premises include Prada, Cartier and Pacific Cigar with its walk-in humidor – and the rooms are gorgeous. When it comes to gambling, Wynn Palace does not hold back. There are in excess of 1,000 slot machines and more than 350 tables where dealers spread sic bo, roulette, blackjack and, of course, baccarat. Rooms overflow with the cleanly designed luxury that Vegas habitués (and, now, those in Macau) come to expect at Wynn properties.
 

You don’t have to be rich to play baccarat and you definitely do not need to wear a tuxedo or evening gown when you play. Baccarat has come out of the ritzy, high-roller rooms and into the casino proper. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the traditional game was elegant and relaxed. It was also not a fast game.

Today, you can play for very reasonable sums in an online casino and if you go to land-based casinos there are usually a few mini-baccarat tables to check out. You will never have to longingly look at all those rich people acting, well, rich. The game is now for everyone.

However, you must learn how to correctly pronounce the name of the game or you will forever be banished to someplace you don’t want to be vanished to.

The game is not pronounced “back-a-rat.” No, it is pronounced “bah-cah-rah.”  If you call it “back-a-rat” you should only play the game in the back alleys of New York City where everyone mispronounces everything anyway.

So here are the top five ways to understand the game, four of them are positives and one is a warning to avoid something that should be avoided. I’ll get that one over first.

Five Things To Know About Baccarat

Tip 1 – Never Make The “Tie” Bet

Baccarat has very low house edges on two of its three bets. Those three bets being Banker, Player and Tie. Banker comes in with a house edge of 1.06 percent. Player comes in with a house edge of 1.24 percent. 

Your expectation is to lose 1.06 units for every 100 units wagered on Banker and 1.24 units for every 100 units wagered on Player.

Please note: Let me translate house edges into actual money. A house edge of 1.06 percent means the player’s expectation on the Banker bet is to lose $1.06 per $100 wagered. The player’s expectation on the Player bet is to lose $1.24 per $100 wagered. Those are great house edges in the scheme of casino things.

And now the rotten bet, the Tie. That bet comes in (hold your breath ladies and gentlemen) with a house edge of approximately 14.44 percent. Yes, I am not kidding, 14.44 BIG percent. Yikes! That means your expectation is to lose 14.44 units for every 100 units wagered or $14.44 for every $100 wagered.

This bet is a total waste of money and should only be played by individuals playing back-a-rat in alleyways.

Tip 2 – The Strategy for Playing the Cards

A “natural” is a hand of either 8 or 9. Each card has its face value, except the ace which counts as one. All 10s, jacks, queens and kings count as zero. In this game royalty has been turned on its head.

Rules for Player hands:

Rules for Bank hands:

Yes, you have to memorize this playing strategy. Right now. Get started. 

Just kidding. You don’t even have to know this strategy – it’s ironclad. It is locked in stone. It is like two tablets coming down from Mount Sinai.

The dealer makes sure that the cards are played correctly. If you want, you just have to nod knowingly, pretending you have everything memorized.

Tip 3 – Banker is Clearly the Best Bet

The Banker will win slightly over 50 percent of the time. In order not to give the player an edge on that bet every Banker win has a 5 percent commission taken from it. 

Still the house edge, even with that commission, is lower than the bets on roulette, craps, other card games, slots and most video poker games. The only game with a lower house edge than Banker is blackjack played with the correct basic strategy.

For a $10 wager, the winning Player bet pays $10 but the winning Banker bet pays $9.50.

[Please note: Some casinos have substituted different ways to add the commission to the Banker bet without looking as if they are adding the commission. Certain hands pay less when they occur.] 

Tip 4 – Mini-Baccarat Can Be Maxi-Dangerous!

The traditional (meaning the high-roller room) version of baccarat, where players actually deal the cards, is a leisurely game. You might play 40 decisions an hour. But there is a fly in the ointment of baccarat. That fly is the mini-baccarat version of the game – which is the game we can afford to play if we aren’t high rollers.

There are two major differences between traditional baccarat and mini-baccarat. The first and obvious one is that in mini-baccarat the dealer deals the cards, not the players. The second is the fact that the game is fast, as in some dealers will get between 150 to 200 decisions per hour! Yes, that is fast.

The table minimum bets are usually much lower than the traditional game, but 200 decisions even with 1.06 and 1.24 house edges can be devastating if things go against you. Keep in mind a small house edge multiplied over an incredible number of hands can hurt you more than a higher house edge multiplied by far, far fewer hands.

Tip 5 – Tie Bets Do Not Count

Let me lay this out now and get it over with. Do not, under any circumstance, make the Tie bet. Do not. 

Please note: Pretend that the Tie bets are invisible. They don’t count; they are simply a pause in the action. If the sequence goes Banker, Banker, Tie, you treat the Tie as if it didn’t occur. When a Tie occurs any bets on the Banker or Player do not lose. That’s it. No Tie bets.

The Dime – Possible Winning Strategies

Strategy Tip 1 – Money Management is Critical in Baccarat

Essentially you are betting a coin flip when you play baccarat. That makes it a tight game. Still, even with coin flips you can experience outrageous streaks for good or ill. Good is good but ill is not.

If you are betting, say, 10 units per decision, give yourself 200 to 300 units as your session bankroll and should you lose that you take a break. And by break, I don’t mean you yawn, stretch and start playing again. You can also take a break if you get tired or have won and you want to leave with your win.

So, get up and get out. Take a walk. People watch. Take a nap. Give yourself some decent amount of time before you start playing again.

If you have won a decent amount but you don’t want to quit right then but want to leave the session a winner (whew, that was long winded), then split your win in half. Only use that half to continue playing. Lose it? Then take the rest of your win and go on a break.

It is absolutely essential that you treat your money as if it were money – even though while you are playing your money will look like chips. Baccarat is a fun game. If you have a friendly table you can get in some socializing as well. But protect your money.

Strategy Tip 2 – Go for the Gold Standard

I am a conservative player. I therefore want to play the lowest house-edge bets that I can when I am playing a game. That makes Banker the bet I favor the most at baccarat.

Although I realize that streaks are a part of all gambling games, I also know that there is no way to predict when a given streak will occur. In a random game guessing is what you do and hoping you win is what you pray for. I’d rather guess on Banker.

Strategy Tip 3 – Card Counting Tells Us What?

Those who have studied card counting at baccarat, something that actually doesn’t work in the game as it does in blackjack, will assess that 90 percent of the best bets are on Banker.

What does that mean? It doesn’t mean you will win all those 90 percent but the possibility of winning is greater for Banker than for Player on each of those bets. Therefore, make Banker your sole bet.

I know that is a hard thing to do (for most of us) but it seems that it is the best way to go.

Strategy Tip 4 – Betting Streaks

We are looking to capitalize on streaks and the bet that will have the (slightly) better chance for a streak will be the Banker. If you find that the Banker does go on a streak from your first bet then keep betting it.

Do keep in mind, however, that the fact a streak has occurred is no indication that it will continue to occur (meaning don’t be too aggressive with your betting amounts). You still face a house edge on every bet you make and you can’t bet your way out of such an edge.

Please note: If you are going to play mini-baccarat then you should utilize a Banker-only betting system. That’s right. You bet Banker until it loses. Then you wait until Player loses and go back to betting Banker. That will theoretically reduce in half (more or less) how many decisions you face. That will also theoretically reduce your losing expectation.

Strategy Tip 5 – Wait One Decision After a Banker Loss

The next methods will deal with Player bets as well. If you can’t only bet Banker (maybe you feel you are missing out on something) then here is a way to incorporate Player into your betting method.

You finally lose on the Banker bet. Player wins. Don’t jump in with another bet. Wait for the next decision. Whatever that decision is, that is what you bet. Keep in mind that if the Tie is the decision neither the Banker nor the Player loses. (That’s why it’s called a Tie.) You wait for either Banker or Player to be the winner and then continue as stated above.

As long as Player keeps streaking, you will bet the Player. When Player loses, you switch over to Banker.

Strategy Tip 6 – The Curve Ball

Here I am going to throw you a curve ball. When Player loses to Banker you will not wait out the next decision. You will immediately hop on the Banker. That’s right, when Banker wins you immediately bet it.

Now, should Banker lose, follow rule number four! We are always looking for more Banker bets and streaks. Again, it is the better bet at the game.

Strategy Tip 7 – Scoreboard Watching

Some mini-baccarat tables will have scoreboards. They will keep track of the wins of the last 20 or so hands. You want to know which hands have the lead in the game on that scoreboard. 

If Banker is leading 11 to 9, then you bet Banker until it is behind the total of Player. If Player goes into the lead, then you switch and bet Player. Ties do not count. If a Tie appears, then you are dealing with 19 or 18 or 17 decisions depending how many Ties have actually shown themselves.

If Banker and Player are tied then you wait until one takes the lead and you then bet that one.

Strategy Tip 8 – The Mini-baccarat Mini-Martingale

The Martingale betting system, which calls for doubling your previous bet after a loss, can be an expensive journey into ruin for many casino gamblers. You have numerous small wins and then, sooner or later, a devastating loss occurs when you hit the table limit on how much you can bet. 

This mini-baccarat mini-Martingale will call for the doubling of a bet just once and no more. You are betting Banker and if you lose then you doble your bet on the next decision. If you lose that you wait two decisions before you bet again. 

Strategy Tip 9 – Random is as Random Does

I’d like to thank Forrest Gump for this method. What if we simply try to apply one random event in another field to give us insight into the random mini-baccarat game? What would happen? Actually, it will have no effect on the game but let’s pretend it will.

Bring a 50 cents coin to the table – or a dollar coin if you want to be something of a high roller – and before the dealer deals the cards, flip the coin. If it lands on heads bet Banker. If it lands on tails bet Player. 

Is it possible that one random act will influence the game in your favor? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Strategy Tip 10 – Wasting Time

There are many mini-baccarat players but their numbers rarely slow down the game enough to make much of a damage in your negative expectation.

Gambling is the hope of winning money but the house edge is the definitive money-making strategy that can only be used by the casino in almost all games and almost all bets in almost all games. 

You are asking to take a serious hit when you play 200 decisions an hour at the game. That hit can be reduced by playing less time at the table. Instead of playing five hours, you play maybe 3.5 hours. That’s hard to do when you want to play a lot.

You can still reduce your playing time in the following ways:

• Always go to the bathroom while the game is being played. You won’t see all the hands you don’t play by doing this.
• Take a moment or three to call a spouse or friend as the game is being played. You just step away from the table and make the call. 
• Stop playing and tell the dealer you are looking for a streak. Sit out two or three hands then and make recording motions on the paper given to you by the casino or a scorecard you brought to the game.

Baccarat and mini-baccarat offer a lot of fun but you must be careful, as always, when you play a casino game.

All the best in and out of the casinos.
 

This guide serves as a roundup of the best expert blackjack strategy advice from expert contributors on the site. These nine expert blackjack tips are derived from common wisdom taken from the most knowledgeable players in the industry, and with them under your belt, you will have the knowledge to apply strategy to each hand you play. 

Table of Contents

1. Learn How to Play Any Hand

The first thing to do for those who want to play blackjack like a pro is to master basic blackjack strategy, like the basic rules, variations, casino edge, and etiquette of the game. With this knowledge, you’ll be set to play your best no matter what cards you are dealt.

Frank Scoblete, author of the Ultimate Roulette Strategy Guide and a highly regarded casino specialist, agrees that “There is a reason why mankind invented the computer. We needed to find out the optimal way to play blackjack so that we kept the house edge seriously at bay. The optimal way is called basic blackjack strategy.”

There is a statistical advantage to employing basic strategy — it provides you with skills to double your bet in favorable situations, split when the dealer can’t, stand on totals of 12-16, and capitalize on a bonus payoff where the deal can’t.

Henry Tamburin Ph.D. is one of the most respected blackjack experts in the world, and author of the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide, Blackjack: Take The Money and Run, as well as a litany of other magazine pieces. He has made his name teaching blackjack, participating in tournaments like the prestigious Blackjack Ball. 

2. Unless You’re Card Counting, Stick to a Flat Bet

If you peruse the internet, you might read mention of common bidding strategies like the Martingale. This is a go-to for beginners, but unfortunately, it does not work.

A core principle of these progressive betting strategies is that at some point, a player is “due a win.” This is a common misconception. 

Among the many problems with the Martingale system and similar progressive systems is that the longer you play, the more likely you are to have a bankruptcy losing streak. Statistically, the math shows a 0.001% chance of losing a 50/50 bet more than nine times in a row, which means that once out of every 1,000 wager sequences you place, you run that risk. 

Constraints of betting limits restrict your bankroll and, in doing so, ensure that systems like the Martingale system are not statistically beneficial to you.

Tamburin encourages players who stick with progressive strategies thusly, “If you still insist on using a progressive betting system, I suggest the very conservative ‘Oscar’s Grind.’”

The Oscar Grind system begins with a single betting unit. You might bet, for example, $1 out of your $100 bankroll. If you win, then you start increasing the size of your bet by one unit until you make a profit of one unit. If you lose a hand, then you stay with your one unit bet until you win, after which you subsequently increase the size of your back by one unit until you make a profit. 

This system is advantageous because it allows players to withstand longer losses without liquidating their entire bankroll and provides a higher likelihood of achieving small profits.

 

 

3. Taking Insurance Is a Bad Bet

Insurance — it seems like a good thing, whether for your home, car, or family, but it is nothing short of a statistically poor bet for basic strategy players when it comes to blackjack.

Tamburin reminds players that “Taking insurance (or even money, when you have a blackjack) is a bad bet, so never make it.”

Some players might swear by taking insurance, but the math doesn't. Insurance bets, no matter their form, have a negative expected value mathematically. This negative expected value means the more you make an insurance bet, the more money you may lose long-term. 

4. Only Play Games That Offer a 3-2 Payout

Players should avoid tables with 6-5 payout rules. Always.

Casinos that reduce the payouts from the standard 3:2 ratio to a doubled 6:5 payout add 1.39% to the house edge. John Grochowski, ranked as one of the most prolific gambling experts, providing weekly casino columns for almost 20 years and other casino publications, concurs and reminds players that “[A 6-5 payoff] raises the house edge against a blackjack basic strategy player by about 1.4%.”

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Surrender

Players look at their two-card hands and compare against the dealer. If they know the chances of winning are poor, they still often avoid the surrender and stay in the game. Why?

Tamburin explains that “Most players disdain the surrender option because they much prefer to try to ‘win their hands,’ rather than wimp out and surrender them… Surrender can be a smart play if you know which hands to surrender.”

So, players should know when to surrender in blackjack.

There are two scenarios in which surrender is a smart play:

1. Surrender a hard 16 (but not 8-8) against a dealer nine, 10, or Ace upward.
2. Surrender a hard 15 to a dealer 10 upcard

Why?

Each time you surrender, you lose 50% or half of what you wager. So, in these cases, the math says you should choose to surrender in the two scenarios where your expected loss from staying in the game through to the conclusion is more than 50%.

6. Perfect the Art of Doubling Down

Doubling down is a basic blackjack strategy where you make a second bet equal to your first bet. The dealer then gives you an additional card. Basic strategy tables indicate that if you have a situation where you can't bust, where you have an ace.

Experts agree that specific situations and hands wherein the math behind doubling down are advantageous and similar situations where it is not.

Grochowski notes that “Every double down listed on the basic strategy table is an opportunity to enhance our profits, but the opportunities with hard 11 and 10 against weak dealer cards are much greater than the rest.” 

These sentiments are shared by blackjack expert Tamburin who explains that “The logic for doubling on soft hands isn’t always clear to players, so they often pass up the opportunity. The reason you double on soft hands is not so much to outdraw the dealer as it is to get more money on the table when the dealer is vulnerable to busting.” 

It is important to debunk the myth of “doubling for less.” Tamburin advises that “Doubling for less is not a smart play, and any dealer who offers this advice to players needs to read a good book on blackjack.” 

Most players, newcomers or advanced, don't know that they can double for less, but that doesn't really matter when you consider that doubling for less is not a smart play.

7. Understand Splitting Strategy

In blackjack, you can split cards, but you should only do it under a careful strategy.

Tamburin agrees and explains that “There are three reasons why it makes sense to split rather than to employ an alternate strategy.”

Strategically Splitting

You should always split when:

1. You will win more money on average (bold strategy).
2. You will lose less money on average (defensive strategy).
3. You will turn a losing hand into a winning one (offensive strategy).

10 Splitting Strategy

Then there is the 10 splitting strategy, referring to when you should split a 10 card in blackjack. 

In blackjack, a 10 value card can be a 10, J, Q, or K. When dealt a pair of 10’s, there are only two ways to play. If you stand with a pair of 10’s, you have 20. But if you split, you are now playing with two hands, each starting with a value of 10. 

Two types of players will utilize the 10 splitting strategy: 

1. Those who have no idea what they are doing and 
2. Those who have good blackjack strategies under their belts

 

 

8. Counter the House Edge with Advantage Play

Common misconceptions about card counting start with the Hollywood-inspired notion that you must be a genius to do it and memorize every card as you play, and in so doing, you can win at every hand.

Far from the truth, strategic players willing to use popular, basic card counting methods can counter a house edge. Tamburin explains that “Playing ‘virtually even’ won’t get you the money at the end of the day; only card counting will do that.”

High-Low Count System

Keep your card counting methods simple. Start with the High-Low Count System. This system assigns a value of +1 to each low card, called a “tag.”

• This includes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Concurrently it assigns a -1 value to each high card.

• These include 10, J, Q, K, and A

7, 8, or 9 cards are given a tag of 0 or neutral. 

Beginners have to practice quickly recognizing the tags for every card. Practice at home shuffling cards, turning them over one at a time and saying aloud whether the tag is +1, 0, or -1. Don’t worry about the rank, just the tag, until such time as you have it memorized. 

The goal here is to keep track of the cards on the table with their tags and the summation of each card in the pair. 

Hole Carding and Front Loading

Some pros prefer other advantage play strategies over card-counting methods like Hole Carding and Front Loading. Hole carding and front loading are two methods that allow you to adjust your strategy based on identifying what the dealer's hole card is or what the next card will be, respectively. 

Additional Advantage Plays

9. Learn How to Manage Your Money

Learn the best practices for money management, including calculating the Risk of Ruin (ROR). This comes down to having a winning system and the necessary bankroll to support it. This should be a large bankroll but small bets.

Don’t over bet whatever you do. Tamburin states, “As a general rule, successful card counters maintain enough bankroll, so their ROR [Risk of Ruin] is 5% (or less).” 

Strict money management means limiting losses, or at least the emotional fatigue they can bring. For this, integrate the 401G strategy: instead of a 401(k) for retirement, when you play, set aside your playing bankroll just for blackjack (your 401 (G) for ‘gambling’). Withdraw money from that 401G when you play and deposit all that remains after. 

Casino expert Frank Scoblete explains, “Now I think a five hundred to one distance between a single bet and a total bankroll is not far-fetched and is reachable by just about anyone interested in being a ‘safe’ gambler. A five-dollar player just needs $2,500 to get in the game.”

Players can also minimize losses through comps and rebates. Casinos give you comps based on your perceived worth.

Wrapping Up

Common wisdom from top blackjack experts boiled down to knowing basic strategy inside and out and from there, constructing building blocks of additional, more advanced strategy to the foundation you have laid. 

There are many misconceptions regarding the game of blackjack, typically fueled by emotions. Some players who don't want to surrender their hand even though the math tells them they should hesitate because of emotion. Or others who are afraid to hit on a soft 17 similarly hesitate because of emotion.

Blackjack is ultimately a mathematical game. With it, players should employ objective, statistically correct decisions that are not influenced by emotions.

 

When most people walk out of a casino they usually ask “Why did I lose?” This is because most casino games by nature have a negative expectation for the player. This means that for every wager that is made on a game, slot machine or table game, it gives back less than the wagered amount.

For example, when 1 million players wager $1 each and one player wins $500,000, the casino makes a profit of $500,000 and the average loss per player is 50 cents. In slot machines the advertised pay back is often in the neighborhood of 97-99%.

This is over the entire life of the machine, where a machine may collect 100s of millions of dollars in action over its lifetime. Table games are slightly different because some include a skill component and the percentage advantage of the casino varies from player to player.

Understanding the math involved in casino gaming is essential in evaluating the results. The knowledge presented here is required to determine whether the results, good or bad, are statistically acceptable.

Inside the Mathematics

Here I will introduce the mathematics of casino gaming. I will apply the analysis to the game of Blackjack. Blackjack is a game of shifting percentages. And even though the percentages are constantly changing, the cumulative percentage of the overall advantage remains constant. This is achieved by taking the sum of the advantages over all possibilities.

For example, if one hand total has an advantage of positive 5% and another hand has an advantage of -4%, then the total advantage for the two hands is +1%. When the reader understands this approach, it’s easy to translate the concepts to any other casino game with a constant advantage over the player (like slots or roulette).

Law of Independent Trials

Most games of chance reflect the mathematical concept known as “the law of independent trials.” This states that past events have no relevance on future events. For example, when a coin is flipped there is a 50% chance that the outcome would be heads and a 50% chance that the outcome would be tails.

If the coin comes up 10 heads in a row the next flip would again have a 50% chance of coming up heads. In blackjack what happens in the past directly affects what happens in the future. Blackjack has memory, and the law of independent trials is not valid.

In Blackjack, each card has a specific value that it adds to, or subtracts from the initial advantage that the casino has over the player. The initial advantage is derived from the rules of the game. When the cards are dealt, the advantage is either increasing or decreasing. In blackjack when an Ace or 10-value card is dealt the casino advantage over the player increases. When lower value cards are put in play (2-7) the casino advantage decreases.

To determine the amount that one expects to win or lose over a given time (either the casino or player), three key pieces of information are required. They are:

1. Bet Size
2. Number of Hands or Spins
3. Percent Advantage

In equation form, the statement reads:

Expected $ win=$bet*% advantage *# hands played

Equation 1

When we apply the expected value scenario to a flip of a coin, we know that there are two sides to a coin, so there is a 50% chance of landing on heads and a 50% chance of landing on tails. When we bet $1 per flip, the equation for how much we expect to win over 100 flips is:

$50=$1 (bet)*0.5% (% advantage)*100(# hands played)

Equation 2

In this example we wagered $100 and won $1 on 50 of those bets. We were also able to keep the original bet of $1 on 50 of those 100 bets. Also we lost $1 on 50 of the bets. This leads to a zero sum game.

Considering Variance

When a coin is flipped 100 times the outcome is rarely exactly 50 heads and 50 tails. Therefore we must introduce the concept of variance per number of events. Variance is a measure of statistical dispersion. In layman’s terms, it deals with how far away from the expected value the result of a trial or experiment might be. 

Sticking with the coin flip example, variance helps answer the question of whether or not it would be surprising if we observed 45 heads out of 100 trials, or if we observed only 5 heads in 100 coin flips. The answers are no and yes. Getting only 5 heads in 100 coin flips would certainly prove you were flipping a weighted coin. Understanding this concept is crucial for evaluating casino gaming results, since proper statistical analysis determines whether or not a player or casino is being cheated.

 
Variance is usually discussed in terms of standard deviations, and that will be the case going forward in this discussion. Standard deviation is equal to the square root of the variance. The standard deviation for a series of trials is represented by the Greek letter σ (sigma) and is equal to the standard deviation of each event multiplied by the square root of the number of events. The mathematical statement reads as:

σ (total)=〖σ( event)*√(Number of Events)〗^

Equation 3

The following figure shows how likely results are to fall within one, two and three standard deviations of the expected result. In the graphical representation the expected value is indicated by the Greek letter µ and the Standard Deviation is represented by the Greek letter σ.

 
According to the Gaussian distribution curve, there is just over a 68% chance that the result will be within one standard deviation, plus or minus of the expected value. There is a just over a 95% chance that the results will be within two standard deviations, plus or minus of the expected value. There is approximately a 99.9% chance that the results will be within three standard deviations at any given time.

Applying this to the scenario of 100 flips of a coin we conclude that the standard deviation for 100 trials is 10 times (square root of 100) the standard deviation for a single trial (which is 0.5), which yields a standard deviation of 5 for the 100 trial experiment.

In the coin flip scenario we expect the 50 of the 100 flips to land on heads and 50 of the 100 to land on tails. Including the standard deviation concept of plus or minus 5, there is a 68% chance that for a 100 flips of a coin the heads side will come up between 45 and 55 times. There is a 95% probability that the number of heads will be between 40 and 60 (2*σ) and a 99.9% chance that the number of heads will fall between 35 and 65 (3*σ).

Expected Value and Standard Deviation

Applying the expected value and standard deviation equations to the betting unit of 100 dollars for a casino game with a 1% (player or house) advantage the following results are computed.

Graphically it is represented as follows.

As the number of events increases, the standard deviation gets smaller and smaller relative to the expected value. At some point along the curve the expected value and standard deviations intersect.

At this point there is an 84% chance that the standard deviation will be less than the expected value. This means there is an 84% chance that a profit will be made from that point forward and that your funds will never be reduced to the point where the bankroll is lower than initial starting funds. This intersection point for a 1% advantage game is shown in the following graph. 

FOR SIMPLICITY THE STANDARD DEVIATION VALUE IS ABSOLUTE

The intersection point between the expected value and standard deviation is just below 12,000 events. At 12,000 events there is an 84% chance that the expected value will surpass the negative standard deviation, indicating the player will not zero out their bankroll 84% of the time.

Equivalence Point

When the overall advantage is increased the “equivalence” point, or the number of events at which the expected value equals the standard deviation, is reached in fewer events. Computing the same graph with 2% advantage the graph shows an equivalence point that is substantially lower, approximately 5000 events.
 

FOR SIMPLICITY THE STANDARD DEVIATION VALUE IS ABSOLUTE

In the final analysis casinos are able to get to the “equivalence” point extremely fast. This makes sense because casinos are playing the game 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And because almost all players play to a disadvantage, the casinos make more and more money with less and less variance relative to their expected value.
 

When video poker games were first introduced, there was only one game variety – Draw Poker. As the popularity of video poker grew additional game types (such as Deuces Wild) and features (such as “kickers” and multipliers) were added.

While all the additional games and features provided choices for players, they also required players to have knowledge of the impact on their play and bankroll.

For information about different games and features, their play characteristics, as well as how they impact your play and bankroll, please click here.

Super Times Pay video poker has been around for about a decade. In that time, it has gained a large and faithful following. This article covers everything you need to know about this game in order to have fun by effectively playing it.

Table of Contents

1. Description of Super Times Pay Video Poker

Super Times Pay is a video poker variant produced by gaming giant IGT. The name comes from the fact that the game occasionally multiplies (times) a line by a random amount.

Some specifics of Super Times Pay video poker include the following.

2. Reasons to Play Super Times Pay Video Poker

With the plethora of other video poker games available in the casino or online, why would someone want to play Super Times Pay video poker?

3. Super Times Pay Jackpots

Let’s take a closer look at the reason people play Super Times Pay video poker – the jackpots. With standard video poker games, the largest jackpot possible is generally a royal flush. This normally pays 800-for-1 (4,000-for-5).

For multiple play standard games, the largest possible jackpot is a royal flush for each line played.

• 8,000 credits for two lines
• 12,000 credits for three lines
• 20,000 credits for five lines
• 40,000 credits for 10 lines

While any of these would be quite a substantial win, see what can happen with Super Times Pay video poker. As stated above, the multipliers are from two to 10 times. This means that the largest possible jackpot is 10 times the win for a royal flush for each line played.

4. Super Times Pay House Edge Vs. Standard Video Poker

With such large jackpots, one might expect the house edge of this game would be reduced. Surprisingly, it is not. Here are the specifics of the house edge. 

Without considering the impact of the random multipliers, the house edge of each game is the same as the standard version. Here are several examples.

• 8/5 Jacks or Better has a house edge 2.7 percent (97.3 percent return).
• 7/5 Bonus Poker has a 2.0 percent house edge (98.0 percent return).
• 9/6 Double Bonus has a house edge of 2.2 percent (97.8 percent return).
• 8/6 Double-Double Bonus Poker has a house edge of 2.1 percent (97.9 percent return).
• 20/12/9/5/3 Deuces Wild has a house edge of 1.1 percent (98.9 return).

Please note that the samples are just that – samples. They are on the lower end of the average returns you will find on the games in the casinos.

Games with higher or lower house edges are available. Casinos are notorious for changing pay tables, so please be sure to check the pay tables before playing.

By playing the sixth credit per line, the multiplier feature is activated. As mentioned above, it occurs once every 15 hands on average. It is between two and 10 times.

The average multiplier value is 4.05 times. By betting an additional 20 percent, the average win with the multiplier is 20.33 percent higher. Betting the sixth credit is nominally worth the additional cost. The house edge for each of the above games including the multiplier is:

• 8/5 Jacks or Better has a house edge of 2.4 percent (97.6 percent return).
• 7/5 Bonus Poker has a house edge of 1.7 percent (98.3 percent return).
• 9/6 Double Bonus has a house edge of 1.9 percent (98.1 percent return).
• 8/6 Double-Double Bonus has a house edge of 1.8 percent (98.2 percent return).
• 20/12/9/5/3 Deuces Wild has a house edge of 0.8 percent (99.2 percent return).

 

 

5. Super Times Pay Variance Vs. Standard Video Poker

The house edge goes down (return goes up) slightly when the multiplier feature is activated. The same cannot be said about the variance. Each game and pay table combination has a different variance. The scope of this article does not allow any detailed information about each game and pay table combination. Instead, here is some general variance information.

6. Super Times Pay Video Poker Strategy

7. Super Times Pay Bankroll Vs. Standard Video Poker (Single and Multi-Play)

Having an adequate bankroll can be the difference between a great gambling trip and a total disaster. It is impossible to cover the requirements for all Super Times Pay video poker games in this article since each game and pay table would have different requirements. In addition, the number of lines played impacts bankroll requirements.

Instead, here is some high-level information that should help.

• For standard video poker, a general rule of thumb is to have a total bankroll equivalent to the value of three to four royal flushes – 12,000 to 16,000 credits.
  • For a 25-cent game, $3,000 - $4,000.
  • For a 10-cent game, $1,200 – $1,600
• Due to the additional variance of Super Times Pay video poker, add 25 percent. 
  • 25-cent game – add $750 to $1,000
  • 10-cent game – add $300 to $400
• If you are going to play multiple lines, add another 15 to 20 percent.

8. 1-Play, 3-Play, 5-Play, or 10-Play?

Super Times Pay machines can have 1-play, 3-play, 5-play and 10-play games. This means the player can play one, three, five, or 10 lines. Actually, the player can play any number of lines (up to the maximum available) by selecting the number of lines to play at the time of betting.

Which option is the best choice? Is it better to play one line, or 10 lines, or something in between? That is a very personal decision and can only be answered by the player.

Playing one line at a time keeps the amount of money at risk to a minimum. Playing multiple lines provides multiple opportunities to win. When dealt a powerful initial hand, the likelihood of several winning hands is increased. However, if a poor initial hand is dealt, there may be little to cheer about in that set of hands.

The more lines that are played, the higher the bankroll requirements. Playing 10 lines requires 10 times the bet of a single line game. That means 60 credits rather than 6. 

Most Super Times Pay machines are multi-denomination. Depending on the machine, the betting unit can be 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents or more. The player can choose to play one line at 25 cents, or five lines at 5 cents. In both cases, the player is betting the same $1.50.

Here is the difference. Playing one line has a bit more variance than playing multiple lines. Playing one line means all or nothing for the $1.50 bet. 

9. Reasons to Not Play Super Times Pay Video Poker

While there is additional excitement playing Super Times Pay video poker, there is a downside. Here are a few reasons a player may not want to play this game.

• Higher variance means that there will be longer periods where the machine eats your bets before a larger win replenishes some of your losses.
• A higher variance game requires a larger bankroll.
• Many Super Times Pay machines have pay tables that have a lower return than standard play machines. The overall loss may be greater than on a standard machine with a better pay table.
• Finding a machine may be more difficult. Casinos generally have fewer Super Times Pay machines. Some have none.

10. Where to Find Super Times Pay Video Poker in Las Vegas

Since Las Vegas has the largest selection of casinos and therefore the largest selection of games, there should be plenty of Super Times Pay video poker games available there.

Here is a list of casinos and the number of machines at each. These observations were made the week of August 22, 2021.

• Aria – 1 
• Arizona Charlie’s Decatur – 1 
• Bally’s – 3
• Bellagio – 2 
• Boulder Station – 5 
• Cannery – 1 
• El Cortez – 1 
• Excalibur – 1 
• Flamingo – 3 
• Four Queens – 2 
• Fremont – 4 
• Gold Coast – 2 
• LINQ – 1 
• Luxor – 3 
• M Resort – 2 
• Mandalay Bay – 8 
• New York, New York – 1 
• Orleans – 3 
• Palace Station – 3 
• Plaza – 1 
• Rampart – 8 
• Red Rock – 5 
• Rio – 4 
• Santa Fe Station – 2 
• Silverton – 3 
• South Point – 6 
• Suncoast – 4 
• Sunset Station – 7 

11. Playing Super Times Pay Video Poker Online

Summary

Super Times Pay video poker is a very popular variation of video poker. It has been around for about a decade. 

• This game adds excitement by including a randomly timed variable multiplier. The multiplier can be from two to 10 times. When it appears, all wins, if any, are multiplied by its value.
• While it costs one extra credit to activate the multiplier, the return actually improves slightly when it’s in play. In return for the extra credit bet, large – sometimes very large – jackpots are possible.
• The house edge is slightly lower, but the variance is considerably higher than the same standard game.
• Playing strategy is the same as the standard game.
• Bankroll requirements are increased due to higher variance and multiple line play.
• Playing more lines reduces variance.
• Many Las Vegas casinos offer Super Times Pay video poker.
• Online play for money has not caught on, but the game is available to play for free.

Casino games, including video poker are constantly being changed and made more exciting. Even Super Times Pay video poker has experienced change in the last few years. To read about new variations of Super Times Pay video poker and other new and exciting video poker games, click here.
 

There are plenty of good books that cover basic strategy and card counting for blackjack players; Arnold Snyder in fact, wrote some of them. His latest book, however, is ... well…“radical.” I don’t mean this in a negative sense; on the contrary, this book is loaded with “eye-popping information and stories” about advanced playing techniques used by Snyder, and some of the world’s most successful blackjack players, to beat the casinos at their own game. As Blackjack Hall of Famer Don Schlesinger succinctly put it, “Arnold Snyder has decided not to hold back and publish information that has heretofore never been made public.”

I was a young and relatively new card counter in 1981, trying to learn everything I could about the game of blackjack. Somewhere I read about a new quarterly publication called Blackjack Forum, so I mailed in a check for a subscription and eagerly awaited the delivery of my first copy. I remember my surprise when I discovered that Arnold Snyder, who was the writer and publisher of Blackjack Forum, was working the night shift at the post office sorting mail. To put it bluntly, I found it “radical” to be reading information about “how to win at blackjack” from a post office employee. However, as you’ll discover from reading his tell-all book, Snyder quit his job at the post office, scraped together a meager bankroll, and tried to make it as a professional blackjack player.

 

 

To say he succeeded is an understatement. His high-stakes assault on casinos, using advanced techniques that transcend card counting, is legendary. His books, the printed quarterly Blackjack Forum, and blackjackforumonline.com website have helped countless numbers of individuals become successful card counters (including yours truly); and his selection in 2002 as one of only seven charter members inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame was a well-deserved honor. 

What sets this book apart from other blackjack books are Snyder’s real-life stories of how he was able to play for high stakes using several different advanced techniques while being closely watched by casino personnel. He not only reveals the techniques he used but also explains how they work in great detail: shuffle tracking, hole carding, edge sorting, front loading, and card-steering. In my opinion, the best-of-the-best sections of the book are his partner-play with his wife, Radar, the comprehensive treatment on loss-rebates, and his playing experiences using shuffle tracking (solo, and with Radar).

 
Snyder meticulously explains the camouflage techniques he and Radar used that befuddled pit bosses and casino surveillance while they were playing for high stakes and extracting millions of dollars from casinos and being given the high-roller treatment from casino bosses and hosts with outrageous favors. (It not only included comped casino suites, free transportation, gourmet meals, and invitations to the Super Bowl, to name just a few, but also unbelievable playing-condition benefits that he asked for and received, such as a hand-shuffled game rather than one using a continuous shuffling machine.) 

You will not find anywhere a more detailed explanation of loss rebates. Snyder begins the chapter on “Milking Loss Rebates” with the highly publicized story of how Don Johnson used a loss rebate (along with other strategies) to win 15 million dollars from three Atlantic City casinos. He then tells real-life stories of his playing experiences with loss rebates, how you can determine the value of a loss rebate, optimal bet sizing and bankroll requirements, how to do your analysis of a loss rebate using a readily available, commercial, blackjack software program, and last, but not least, the best rebate strategy to maximize dollar wins. (This exposé on loss rebates is alone worth the price of the book.) 

Snyder was a pioneer in developing the techniques of shuffle tracking, which he initially published in his 2003 book Blackjack Shuffle Tracker’s Cookbook. In Radical Blackjack, he goes a step further with stories of how he, sometimes alone, but mostly with his partner and wife, Radar, attacked casinos using shuffle tracking. Most of the time, it was Radar who tracked the slugs of big cards during the shuffle, knew when they were going to be dealt from the shoe, and then discreetly signaled Snyder to make the larger bets.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the act that Radar put on to disguise what they were doing, namely, “the girlfriend who used instinct and hunches to guide Snyder’s betting and playing decisions while he played the role of the rich boyfriend humoring her.” Many pit bosses shook their heads when Snyder spouted he was using the “odd/even card-counting system based on numerology stuff from the Bible,” or when Radar proposed making prosperous playing decisions to “change the order of the cards.”

While they were playing the role of the rich boyfriend and bimbo girlfriend, they knew when the slug of tens would be coming out of the shoe, and they were able to get away with spreading from a single hand of $100 to a prosperous six hands of $10,000. (That’s a 1 to 600 bet spread, something that card counters would never be able to get away with.)

The latter chapters contain Snyder’s comments, views, and enthralling stories of some of the world’s most successful gamblers including James Grosjean, Richard Munchkin, Lawrence Revere, Al Francesco, Ken Uston, Stanford Wong, Bill Benter, Darryl Purpose, Wally Simmons, Anthony Curtis, and others. Even if you don’t recognize some of the names, the stories that Snyder tells about them are fascinating. He also included a story about how I indirectly saved Tommy Hyland’s blackjack team members from prison. (You’ll have to read the book to find out how this happened.)

 
You can rest assured that the statistics and percentages quoted by Snyder in the book are accurate because two of the leading blackjack math experts, Blackjack Hall of Fame members Don Schlesinger and James Grosjean, reviewed the manuscript before its publication.

Another feature of this book that I liked (and you will too) is the numbered footnotes included in each chapter to links of articles that explain each topic in greater detail, and a list at the end of each chapter containing the books and software that he mentions. 

Lastly, and most importantly, this book will give you a “feel” for what it takes to be a professional gambler earning money in casinos. You’ll read what it’s like betting six simultaneous hands of $10,000 using powerful advantage-play techniques while being watched by casino bosses and surveillance, and I guarantee you’ll enjoy reading the positively written, inside stories and secrets from some of the world’s most successful gamblers.

This book is, after all, a professional gambling memoir, but unlike any other book that I have read on blackjack. I highly recommend it to all blackjack aficionados, but especially to card counters who want to elevate their game to a higher level. 

To read my reviews of two other, recently published, popular books on blackjack, click on the titles below.

The 21st Century Card Counter by Colin Jones
The Blackjack Insiders by Andrew Uyal