BLACKJACK WHEN TO DOUBLE DOWN GUIDE  

In this blackjack double down guide we’ll look at what double down bets are in casino games. That includes why experienced blackjack players choose to double down on some hands and not on others. Also, what the potential advantages are for the range of double down hands versus dealer hands?

Finally, we’ll go over the pros and cons of doubling down and the profit levels of successful blackjack double down bets.

What are double down wagers in casino games?    

Gamblers double down often when betting on casino games such as slots, roulette, and baccarat. You can double down on wagers when playing on blackjack too, i.e. before cards have been dealt.

Why do players double their wagers at the start of certain casino games?

When players get a sense their luck might change for the better they double down on their bets hoping to capitalize. Likewise, players on winning streaks seek to maximize returns before their luck dries up.

DOUBLE DOWN WAGERS IN BLACKJACK

Blackjack is different in that there are double down rules built into the game that allows players to double down during some hands.

Each blackjack player bets on a box (or position) and receives two cards to start a hand total. The dealer will deal himself two cards too, one of which is dealt face down. This hidden card value forms part of the house edge because it generates ambiguous probabilities for players. Since players don’t know what the dealer’s hand total is, the key to winning blackjack and beating the dealer is determined on whether players hit or stand.

The double down in blackjack rules appear to give players the advantage of possible winning outcomes based upon the two cards each player has been dealt versus the dealer’s upcard. If blackjack when to double down rules are followed correctly the house edge becomes weaker.

What is double down in blackjack?

To know what doubling down is in blackjack and the blackjack double down rules you don’t need to be an expert blackjack player. If you’re new to the game or have never played blackjack before it’s important to know what the aim of winning blackjack entails and how doubling down in blackjack can help.

Blackjack outcomes (whether you win or lose) are mostly subject to the decisions you make. However other players at a blackjack table can also have a bearing on game outcomes. Only when the dealer’s two cards total 21 down to 17 and your final hand’s total can’t beat it, or you bust will you lose. If you draw you’ll recover your wagered chips.

Where the dealer’s two cards (upcard and facedown card) total 16 or less is when the decisions you or other players at a blackjack table ultimately determine the outcome of games. Of course, you won’t know the number of the dealer’s facedown card, so you’re hoping the dealer:

• Ends up busting – if you manage to avoid busting yourself before the dealer’s outcome is known.
• Or the dealer’s total is 17 or 18 and you’re able to draw or better this total.

If players hit or stand when they really shouldn’t (going against basic blackjack strategy) this could return the advantage to the dealer. For instance, if 6 or higher cards were due to be drawn, the dealer with 16 would end up busting. But if 5 or lower cards were due, the dealer’s hand could reach 21 or close to it.

In some hands, whatever players decide (i.e., whether to stand on weak totals or drawing one or more cards to better a total), the dealer’s hand just turns out to be too strong i.e., 19, 20 or 21. And when luck is not on your side, hitting will result in a streak of busts.

On other hands, standing on weak totals could see the dealer bust. And hitting one or more cards could see the players ending up with stronger hands and beating the dealer.

How many cards will I get if I double down in blackjack?

If you double down in blackjack your hand will be dealt with one additional card. So, if you felt you needed more cards to make 21 or as close to 21 as possible without busting then it may not be wise to double down. If you double down your total will include the two cards you were originally dealt plus the value of the third double-down card.  

WHEN DO PLAYERS DOUBLE DOWN IN BLACKJACK?

Blackjack double down rules vary depending on the online casino you play live blackjack in and the number of decks of cards in play. Some casinos will allow players to double down with:

• hard 10 or 11 hands
• hard 9 to 11 hands
• hard 9 to 11 hands and all soft hands (i.e., hands containing an Ace)
• any hand

If you’re allowed to double down on your wager you’ll be able to after seeing your first two cards that form the start of your hand’s total. The chances of you winning against the house increase if you’re allowed to double down on most hard/soft hands and you do so against weak dealer hands.

What are blackjack hard hands?

Blackjack hard hands are any two cards without an Ace. So, 2 through to 10 (e.g. 7+8 will total 15). And hard hands can include pairs (e.g., 5+5 the total is 10).

What are blackjack soft hands?

Here is a look at all of these hands:

• Ace+Ace through to A+10 (but A+10 is 21, a win, therefore you wouldn’t hit)
• A+A is 2 or 12 (known as soft 12)
• A+2 is 3 or 13
• A+3 is 4 or 14
• A+4 is 5 or 15
• A+5 is 6 or 16
• A+6 is 7 or 17
• A+7 is 8 or 18
• A+8 is 9 or 19
• A+9 is 10 or 20

Blackjack double down rules for players

Blackjack double down rules allow doubling down on certain hands. This means players can stake an equal amount of money (or chip value) of their original wager they placed to enter a game.

The blackjack double down rule for players is that after doubling down and receiving a third card you’ll be forced to stand on whatever the total of your hand is.

It’s important to identify what the best double down hands are because some appear to have an advantage or higher probability of leading to a successful outcome over others. However, you should be aware that opinions differ among blackjack experts as to the correct double down blackjack strategy to use in different situations.

There’s a lot to consider in deciding whether to double down in blackjack. For instance:

• Limiting yourself to receiving just one additional card is unwise if you believe you could make it to 21 or close to 21 (18,19,20). This is true whether you have soft and hard hand totals that are low.
• The dealer’s upcard.
• What cards have already been dealt from the shoe.
• You might consider other player’s hands on the blackjack table and what position you are at. For example, will you be hitting the first card from a shoe? If 10s are running rich you might consider whether they might continue to. And if so, will they for long enough if you are positioned at the end of a table (will be dealt last)?

What are the best HARD hands to double down?

• Hard 11: double down when the dealer’s upcard is 2 through to 10.
• Hard 10: when the dealer’s upcard is 2 through 9.
• Hard 9: Dealer has 3 through 6.

What are the best SOFT hands to double down?

• Ace+2 Or Ace+3: double down on any of these hands when the dealer has 5 or 6.
• Ace+4 Or Ace+5: when the dealer has 4 through to 6.
• Ace+6: when the dealer has 3 through 6.
• Ace+7: Dealer has 2 through 6.

Pros and cons and profitability of doubling down in blackjack

When any hand is played correctly on a blackjack table, players get to squeeze the house edge to their advantage using the double down rule. However, luck plays a big part in many outcomes thus profit and loss swings are on a tight leash.

If the house edge is narrowed to an even chance situation using double downs you’re doing well. From there on, if you can widen that advantage with a run of double down wins, enough to make a sizable profit then all the better.

If you have h11, you can reach 21 with any 10-value card and there are four sets of 10s in each deck of cards in play. Contrast this with when you have h10, the only way you’re going to reach 21 is with an Ace. So, the probabilities of gaining profits based on winning outcomes is determined by the value of the hand you have.

Blackjack double down casino tips

In a six-deck game, don’t double down with soft 19 or higher. Standing increases your chances of winning since doubling could weaken the total of your hand.

Avoid doubling down in blackjack with soft 12 (Ace+Ace). Instead split a pair of Aces because there’s a higher probability, you’ll reach 21 or closer to it than doubling a soft 12.

If you double down with a soft hand you don’t need to worry about busting since the Ace in your hand can be a 1 or 11. However if the dealer is allowed to hit on soft 17 he could improve his total to beat yours. But if the dealer must stand on soft 17, you should hit rather than double down.

Double down with soft 17 (Ace+6) when the dealer’s upcard is 3 through to 6. You’ll be hoping the dealer’s hand busts, but if it doesn’t you stand a better chance doubling down to try and better your 17 total.

WHAT ARE THE MOST PROFITABLE HARD HANDS TO DOUBLE DOWN ON?

The hands highlighted below are the most profitable double downs because they are over 50%. The range of percentages are based on how much profit the probability of successful double bets is likely to be. And these are calculated based on the profit percentages of original wagers.

Player’s Hard 11 vs. the Dealer’s upcard value as follows:

• 6 = +68% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +63%
• 4 = +58%
• 3 = +53%
• 2 = +48%
• 7 = +47%
• 8 = +35%
• 9 = +23%
• 10 = +18%

Player’s Hard 10 vs. the Dealer’s upcard:

• 6 = +57% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +53%
• 4 = +47%
• 3 = +42%
• 7 = +40%
• 2 = +38%
• 8 = +29%
• 9 = +15%

Player’s Hard 9 vs. the Dealer’s upcard:

• 6 = +31% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +26%
• 4 = +19%
• 3 = +13%

WHAT ARE THE MOST PROFITABLE SOFT HANDS TO DOUBLE DOWN ON?

Player’s Soft 13 (i.e., Ace+2) vs. the Dealer’s upcard:

• 6 = +20% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +13.75%

Player’s Soft 14 vs. the Dealer’s upcard:

• 6 = +20% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +14%

Player’s Soft 15 vs. the Dealer’s upcard:

• 6 = +20% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +13%
• 4 = +6.4%

Player’s Soft 16 vs. the Dealer’s upcard:

• 6 = +20% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +13%
• 4 = +6%

Player’s Soft 17 vs. the Dealer’s upcard:

• 6 = +25% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +19%
• 4 = +12%
• 3 = +6%

Player’s Soft 18 vs. the Dealer’s upcard:

• 6 = +36% profit percentage of original wager.
• 5 = +30%
• 4 = +25%
• 3 = +18%
• 2 = +12%

Blackjack when to double down conclusion

As detailed in this blackjack double down guide, knowing when to double down is key – even when playing blackjack online at 888casino. When you double down in blackjack you stand to lose more money if you win less hands. Therefore, it’s wise to weigh up the probability of:

1. What blackjack hands are more likely to succeed against the dealer’s upcard if you double down?
2. Winning on double down hands that return higher profit percentages of your original wager.

For players, blackjack double down rules and adopting a good blackjack double down strategy that works can be a minefield. An increased loss of wagers will deplete your gambling bankroll. Therefore, you’ll have to be strategic in deciding when to double down.

If you are a casino aficionado then most of what I am about to share with you may be common knowledge. Still many players know this “knowledge” but for some reason when the going gets going they violate many or most of the correct rules of play.

Don’t let that be you. Play wise; play correctly and you will have a better chance of beating the casinos at their own games. The better you play, the better your prospects. The worse you play…well, that is self-explanatory.

COMMANDMENT #1: DON’T GO ON TILT!

Going on tilt has a simple definition: You emotionally lose control and start betting more and more money over more and more time. You keep thinking that you must win eventually but very few players have the bankroll to sustain a truly prolonged bad streak.

The thought that shoveling out more money will help you make the inevitable comeback is totally wrong thinking. The casino has, with few exceptions, an edge on every bet a player makes. The more money you bet over time the better chance you will be behind the curve, not in front of it.

Tilting can actually be caused by both good and bad previous results. We rarely hear of tilting in a positive situation but it certainly does happen. I interviewed a woman named Sandra about her slot playing strategies and she told me that what caused her to lose more often than not was her propensity to try to really “increase my wins dramatically when things were going good for me.”

If she had a good session or day or trip she would up the denomination of the machine she played to try to “cash in big time.” More often than not, the casino cashed in, not Sandra.

Tilting is dangerous. One’s emotions must always be kept in check.

COMMANDMENT #2: KEEP YOUR DRINKING TO A MANAGEABLE LEVEL

There is no doubt about it; drinking relaxes us and will sometimes (and oftentimes for some players) cause us to violate our conservative playing strategies. Most adults know at what level the drinking can interfere with their thought processes. We don’t want that to happen. As it is presented in movies, being roaring drunk in a casino might sound like fun, but it rarely turns out that way for one’s bankroll.

There is a reason why drinking is considered dangerous on the roads for drivers; those same reasons also relate to driving into the maw of Lady Luck in the casinos. 

COMMANDMENT #3: THE ATM MACHINES ARE YOUR ENEMY

If you have exhausted the amount of money you’ve given yourself for playing do not – DO NOT – go to the ATM. The original name of those machines was “At the Moment” and the worse thing to do when you are feeling blue from losses is to hit one of those “at the moment” machines to get more cash. 

Aside from paying interest on the money you are taking out, the heat of battle is the worse time to think you are getting more ammunition for your side of the fight. If you have lost, take that loss with dignity and stop playing.

This same advice applies even more so to credit card advances. The credit card companies have their own house edges against the players too!

COMMANDMENT #4: DO NOT USE EVERYDAY MONEY FOR GAMBLING

Everyone has money he or she uses for daily living expenses such as food, shelter, medical bills, school tuitions, care and feeding of one’s pets, cable movies. This is necessary money and should only be spent on such necessities, not on casino gambling. Your heart operation can’t wait until you have won your next turn with the dice. (“Baby needs a new coronary bypass!”)

Put money aside in a separate account that is used strictly for gambling. This should be a small fraction of the money you make at your job, investments or business. I call this a 401G – the “G” stands for gambling. That is the wise way to proceed; losses do not hurt when they come from money that is strictly for gambling. Make regular deposits into your gambling account and you’ll never have to worry about facing the tough challenges from the casinos.

COMMANDMENT #5: RESPECT THE DEALERS AND TIP THEM WHEN THEY GIVE GOOD SERVICE

First, dealers have nothing to do with your winning or losing. They are merely the messengers of Dame Fortune and have no say in terms of “yeah” or “nay” when it comes to good luck. They just relate the information to you; nothing more, nothing less. The cards say this; the roulette ball landed here; the dice showed this number. They then pay you or take your money or announce a push (tie). That’s the be-all and end-all of their impact on a game.

Just like waiters at a fine restaurant who are not responsible for what the chef puts on your plate; dealers do not cook the meal.

Getting angry at dealers because you are having a bad streak is silly and sometimes it is embarrassing – for you! Keep your emotions in check and realize that the dealers have to handle an assortment of ploppies at their tables, so don’t let one of these ploppies be you.

Much like other service industry workers dealers in the United States and some other venues do not make huge amounts of money. They rely on tips. If a dealer is friendly, competent and professional in his or her approach to the game and the players at their tables, then tipping them should be a part of one’s plan for the game. 

I would not recommend over-tipping as some players do when they are having good fortune. But keep your tips reasonable whether you are having good luck or bad luck. This approach will be much appreciated by the dealers.

COMMANDMENT #6: DO NOT GIVE PLAYING ADVICE TO OTHER PLAYERS EVEN IF ASKED TO

Pandora’s Box let out all the evils in the world and I am quite certain that one of those evils was that of giving advice at a gambling game – even if such advice is asked for. You can’t win in such situations. If the player who receives the advice loses then it is your fault; if he wins then that is the way it was supposed to be; you had nothing to do with it.

It doesn’t matter if the game is blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps or any of the carnival games, be pleasant but keep your ideas and opinions to yourself.

What should you do if someone asks you how to handle your next bet or playing decision? Point to the dealer and say, “The dealer is the expert. I’d ask the dealer for advice, not me.” 

COMMANDMENT #7: DO NOT MOAN ABOUT LOSSES OR EXPLODE IN JOY WHEN YOU ARE TRIUMPHANT

This is something many gamblers don’t seem to understand. When things are going right or wrong for them, they are under the mistaken assumption that other people care about them as opposed to caring about themselves and their own fortune or misfortune.

Do not complain to other players about your fate on a given day. They don’t want to hear it. Do not brag about how much you have won or moan about how much you have lost. Do not blame the dealers or the other players for your losses.

At blackjack many players think the decisions you make on a hand will severely impact them when, in fact, the decisions of the other players are irrelevant. If someone complains about how you play and how you are changing the order of the cards, ask them to tell you what card is about to come up next and after that one and after that one and so on. If they can do that mental feat then everyone at the table will benefit by that psychic’s insights into the future. Of course, it won’t happen.

COMMANDMENT #8: PLAY PROPERLY BASED ON THE RULES OF THE GAME YOU ARE PLAYING

All games have their methods of play and the player must follow them. At roulette the dealer will tell you when to place your chips on the layout and when to collect your wins. In craps players must make their bets when the dice are in the middle of the table and not when a player is about to shoot them. In face-up blackjack games no one other than the dealer is to touch the cards. 

If you are a new player perhaps reading a book on the games you wish to play would be very helpful for you. New players are not in and of themselves annoying except if they upset the orderly flow of a game.

COMMANDMENT #9: DON’T FORGET THE PROPER STRATEGIES FOR THE GAMES THAT YOU ARE PLAYING

There are better and worse ways to play just about every game in the casino. Not all strategies can give the players an edge over the house; in fact, almost none do. However, a player can reduce the hit on his or her bankroll by betting low house-edge bets. There are plenty of ways to save your money at the games you wish to play. Even if you are losing playing conservative techniques if you suddenly switch to terrible bets to get their big payouts is a major mistake. Usually the bigger the payout for a wager means the house edge is greater than average

COMMANDMENT #10: DO NOT ALLOW THE CASINO TO DICTATE WHEN AND HOW YOU WILL PLAY

At home before you go on a gambling trip give some serious thought about what game(s) you should play; how much you should bet at the game(s), the proper strategies and how long you will play at any given session. It is important and worth repeating: Decide the proper strategies you will use based on the lowest possible house edges at the preferred game(s). 

Do not wait until you hit the casino to make playing and bankroll decisions. It may be too late for you then. The casino has a fierce 24/7 rhythm and no player can compete with that; but that rhythm can throw even experienced players for a loop if they aren’t careful.

It is not so easy to formulate a strategy at home with worries about work or family or whatever movie or sporting event is about to be shown on television. The tendency is to allow all the other aspects of life to stop you from planning your casino playing strategy. If you have to lock yourself away to have the discipline to work out how it should all go down, then do so.  

Trust your playing instincts when you are sober and at home, not when you are in the whirl of the casino. 

Bet in haste, repent at leisure.  

Okay there you have it, 10 basic commandments that should help you avoid disaster and allow you to enjoy a pleasant pastime. Casino gambling does have its pitfalls but these can be avoided or at least reduced. There is no reason for the games of the casino to hurt you in the game of life. 

All the best in and out of the casinos!

 

*Credits for main photo in this article belongs to Eran Alergant

On October 23rd 2018 a Lotto drawing in the US yielded a series of numbers that would cause those that match the numbers to gain the largest single win in the history of the Lottery. There was a single winner for the drawing that won a staggering $1.53 Billion dollars. A lottery is a form of gambling; and, in fact, it is merely a variation and scaled up version of the casino staple game Keno. If we adhere to the axiom of advantage gaming that states any game is beatable given the right circumstances, then we conclude that the Lottery and Keno is mathematically exploitable, in certain circumstances.

The underlying mathematics for each game is the same but the approaches were taken to attack each game varies. After a brief discussion of the foundational mathematics, I will discuss a few ways to approach each game that minimize risk and maximize the chance for success.

COMBINATIONAL MATHEMATICS

The Lottery and Keno are governed by a branch of mathematics called Combinational Mathematics. This means that there is a set of numbers; like 1-100, from which a subset; for example of 9 numbers are chosen. In Combinational Mathematics the order of the numbers does not matter.

The following formula is used to determine the total number of combinations that exist for any given set of numbers and the subset of numbers.

This formula can be applied to both the lottery and keno for analysis. The more complex of the two is the lottery application because in addition to the combinational computation the result must be multiplied by the number of Mega Ball number whereas the keno application only applies to the combinational computation. Applying the equation to the Mega Millions Jackpot and multiplying by the Mega Ball variation the odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350. The odds are definitely not in your favor.

The Keno odds are not as bad but they are still pretty awful. Now that a firm understanding of the probabilities have been established we can begin to analyze how to increase the chances of winning at these lottery based games. The approaches for Keno and the Mega Millions games are different so we will attack them one at a time.

KENO

Keno is a game that has long been found in offline and online casino games. It is a tremendous earner for the casino. And depending on the variation you play the house advantage can range from just under 4% to over 35%. At the highest house edge, the casino keeps 35 cents for every dollar wagered.

Keno can be attacked in only one way and only on very specific games with high payouts. As one can guess when a player bets every combination they are guaranteed to win the jackpot. The problem is that the cost per ticket multiplied by the number of combination exceeds the amount of the win, making attacking the game in this way a negative expectation game.

There has been only one instance of a player who has ever beaten Keno in a methodical manner. The Australian native and blackjack hall of famer, Zjelko Ranogajec completed this task. In 1994 Ranogajec reportedly won a $7.5 million Keno jackpot at the leisure and entertainment complex North Ryder RSL Club, of New South Wales, after reportedly betting "significantly more than $7.5 million" to win it but coming out ahead on account of the additional, smaller prizes awarded along the way to the jackpot. The smaller prizes are made up of tickets where only partial number sets were matched. This approach is very costly and most players don’t have the financial resources.

LOTTERY

The lottery and specifically the Mega Millions jackpot where so many combinations are possible there are several ways to approach the game that would give the player a higher expected value (EV) or reduce the overall financial risk to the player.

To increase the EV of the ticket the first step is to only play the game when the jackpot is exceptionally large. The jackpot on October 23, 2018, exceeded $1.5 billion. However, this amount is not the true amount that the winner can expect. The $1.5 billion is the amount of the payout over a 30 year period. The one-time lump sum would be approximately $1 billion dollars. The one-time lump sum is then subject to taxes, this would further reduce the net amount to somewhere in the neighborhood of $600 million. As we stated before the number of stated combinations is just over $302 million.

The price of each ticket is $2. For each ticket to have a positive EV the jackpot would have to exceed $1.billion dollars. Evaluating the jackpot correctly to ensure positive EV ticket is step one. Step two is to choose less common combinations so that if the combination of numbers that you do choose hits the jackpot, then the winning ticket has a low probability of sharing the winnings with other players.

Some players apply the quick pick method which applies a random number generator to pick the combination of numbers. The likely hood of two sets of random numbers coming up back to back is very low. But choosing your own numbers has its benefits; particularly if the set of numbers consisting of high numbers (numbers over 31). This is because the players that select their own numbers use numbers that they are familiar with; Mostly birthdays. These numbers fall below the number 31 thresh hold. So using high numbers gives the player distinct advantage of not sharing the top prize when it wins.

Another common approach is risk sharing. The probability of a single person winning the top prize is for all practical purposes zero. Pulling funds is a common practice among groups. The risk goes down. It is still is very close to zero but the number of chances to hit goes up by several factors. The reason we play only when jackpots are exceptionally high is that when we employ risk-sharing approaches a winning ticket is still 10s of thousand times the price of the initial investment. Using the risk sharing approach a lower risk is still associated with a life-changing event.

Winning the Lottery or Keno are low probability events. Understanding mathematics and using the approaches discussed here can lower the house edge and give the player a better chance to maximize their chances of winning.

In order to choose the best online casino in the United Kingdom, you need to explore the following: 

1. World class software providers
2. Top slots games
3. Top online roulette games
4. Top online blackjack games
5. Option to play from your mobile device
6. Bonuses and promotional offers
7. The responsiveness of customer support and service

Online casinos pepper the gaming landscape in the United Kingdom. Thanks to liberal regulations, many top-tier operators have set up shop in the UK. The UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission), in conjunction with leading European regulators in the form of the Government of Malta, the Government of Gibraltar, EEA and EU authorities have fashioned comprehensive online gambling legislation to make it easy for legal age players across Europe to enjoy online casino games. 

UK players have carte blanche to select from a wide range of fully licensed and regulated online casinos. The best UK online casinos all bear the UKGC stamp of approval, indicating that they operate within a strict legal framework. Players are encouraged to cross-reference licensing and regulation with the UKGC to validate authenticity. Licensed operators abide by a strict set of rules and regulations; a framework determined by the UK authorities. This ensures that players have peace of mind with games, random number generators (RNGs), external auditing and compliance, payouts, and the security of personal information on site.

Regulation is the #1 feature of the most reputable online casinos. It provides the necessary safeguards for players vis-a-vis KYC (know your customer), AML (anti-money-laundering), payouts, privacy considerations, identity protection, and security of personal information. Players will find details of regulatory approval on the footer of an online casino, in the ‘about us’ section. The absence of licensing and regulation is typically regarded as a ‘red flag’ for players.

1. WORLD CLASS SOFTWARE PROVIDERS PLAY A KEY ROLE AT ONLINE CASINOS

The best online casinos in UK are also powered by world-class software providers. The world's premier software providers are fully licensed and regulated to provide real money online casino games to players. They typically avail their services to regulated online casinos. The list of reputable software providers includes an ever-growing selection of brands such as: Microgaming, Playtech, NetEnt, Play’N GO, Cryptologic, IGT, Merkur Gaming, Evolution Gaming, Dragonfish, and a host of others. 

The benefit of selecting an online casino with highly regarded casino software is immediately evident. HD quality online casino games, Flash or HTML 5 functionality, practice-play mode and real-money mode, established reputation, large player networks, generous jackpots, and regularly released new games. These are but a few of the benefits available to players who select regulated online casinos with renowned software providers.

For the most part, online casinos will limit practice-play mode (demo mode) games to online slots, online blackjack, online baccarat, online video poker, and instant games. The live casino games are typically available in real-money mode only. As for gaming options, the old adage holds true: variety is the spice of life. Players tend to prefer a greater number of games than a limited selection of online casino games. More games mean more choices, and this is important with online casino players. The most popular category of games at an online casino is slots. 

Slot machine games are available in many different forms, including 3-reel slots, 5-reel slots, and multi-reel slot games. Classic slots are true to the original slot games – the one-armed bandits – available at the turn-of-the-century. These 3-reel slot games feature limited symbols such as bars, bells, and cherries. They are crafted off the old school appeal of the Liberty Bell slot machine, and feature prominently at online casinos. Fruit slots, Pub fruities, pokies, and classic slots all refer to the same games.

2. TOP SLOTS GAMES ARE A PRIORITY AT UK ONLINE CASINOS

The most popular slot online slots games are the video slots. These contain a wealth of features such as wild symbols, scatter symbols, expanding wilds, free spins, in-game multimedia, video overlays, bonus rounds, autoplay functionality, and more. Typically, online slots are available in multiple themes, with action-packed adventures, romance-themed slots, superhero slots, Hollywood-style slots and more. 

Players can pick their preferred minimum and maximum wagers, with coin values beginning from as low as £0.01. Bet sizes cater to players of all bankrolls – casual players and high rollers alike. Slots games typically make up around 70% of all games at online casinos, and no specific skills or strategies are required to play these games. These instant win attractions are the focal point of players at the top UK online casinos. Typically, the greater the number of online slots the better the online casino.

 

3. THE BEST ONLINE ROULETTE GAMES

Online roulette games feature prominently at the top UK casinos. There are scores of roulette variants available, including French Roulette, European Roulette, and American Roulette. Roulette is French for ‘Little Wheel’, and it is a chance-based game which rose to popularity thanks to Blaise Pascal – a French mathematician in the 16th Century. The best online casinos feature a blend of roulette games, with single-zero European Roulette and French Roulette as well as double-zero American Roulette. 

There are multiple variations of each roulette game, with bets available on inside numbers and outside numbers. Standard variants of the game feature numbers 0–36, with American Roulette featuring 0, 00, 1-36. The odds of single-zero roulette games are 2.70%, while the odds of double-zero roulette games are 5.26%. The best UK online casinos present players with a mix of options, for greater choice and betting variety.

4. SHARPENING SKILLS WITH ONLINE BLACKJACK GAMES

Online blackjack is the #1 game for card players at casinos. Blackjack fuses skill and strategy with good fortune, as players go head-to-head against the dealer for the ranking hand. The number to beat is 21, but any hand total that bests the dealer's hand without exceeding 21 wins. Online blackjack games include Classic Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, Vegas Strip Blackjack, Multi-Hand Blackjack and other variants. 

When played with perfect strategy, players can significantly reduce the house edge, making this the preferred game of skilled card players. Blackjack players should seek out online casinos allowing ‘demo play’ options with no real money deposit needed. This makes it much easier to practice and perfect online blackjack play without depleting a real money bankroll in the process. Many of the leading UK online casinos avail these services to players. In all versions of online blackjack, players are not required to beat other players at the table – it's player versus dealer in pursuit of the highest value hand. 

Like other skill-based casino games, the right blackjack strategy needs to be adopted. This includes a combination of bankroll management techniques, use of blackjack strategy charts, blackjack guides, blackjack statistics, and blackjack odds calculators. Combined, these resources can serve players well. The best UK online casinos feature in-depth blackjack guides, articles, and expert commentary to assist players. These are typically available through the online casino blog, or under the ‘Blackjack Tips, Tricks & Strategies’ section. It's a good idea to review the educational sections of online casinos to evaluate the quality of their player resources.

Believe it or not, there are also effective online slots strategy guides, roulette strategy guides, and blackjack strategy guides that can assist players. The purpose of playing online casino games is multifold. Players tend to enjoy the experience of an online casino session, which includes maximising a bankroll, enhancing the quality of gameplay, learning the ins and outs of specific games, playing responsibly, and enjoying as much variety as possible.

 

 

 

5. THE SHIFT TO MOBILE CASINO GAMING IN THE UK

In recent years, there has been a shift towards mobile gaming as well. Players are seeking out mobile friendly online casinos with highly responsive Android and iOS interfaces. Today, the best UK online casinos are associated with free mobile apps direct from the Google Play Store, or App Store. Mobile gameplay is an increasingly important component of picking the right online casino. Mobile casino games require 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi functionality. Games have been optimised for the smaller screen sizes, with fewer features and maximum functionality. Mobile games now include slots, card games, table games, video poker, and live casino attractions.

Live casino games rank alongside mobile casino as one of the most coveted features of UK online casinos. The concept of live casino is appealing on many levels. For starters, live dealer casino games mimic the best of Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos with real dealers, in real time. The games stream from secure studios to players in real time. Players can interact with professional croupiers via SMS, and players can see dealers taking bets, dealing cards, or spinning the roulette wheel. Luckily, dealers cannot see players – so it's possible to play live casino games from the comforts of home, in your pajamas, at work, or during a coffee break. 

Live casino games are only available in real-money mode, much like table games at bricks and mortar casinos. When it comes to live casino games, players are spoilt for choice. Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat, Live Texas Hold'em, Live Three Card Poker, and Live Caribbean Stud Poker games are available. The beauty of live dealer games is evident in the authenticity of the action. Players do not need to rely on RNGs for the outcomes of these casino games. Lady Luck alone is responsible for the cards dealt, or the roulette outcomes of these games.

6. BONUSES AND PROMOTIONAL OFFERS ONLINE 

Bonuses and promotional offers are saved for last, but they are certainly an important consideration when picking the best online casino in UK. Bonuses and promotional offers are enticements to get players involved in the action. There are many different types of bonuses players can apply for, notably deposit bonuses, no deposit bonuses, re-deposit bonuses, free spins offers, high roller bonuses, and more. Many bonuses are exclusive, meaning that players must carefully select the right options, or risk foregoing certain deals. 

The wagering requirements with each online casino bonus or promotional offer are clearly laid out under the T&C section. Players are encouraged to carefully read these requirements to understand how many times the bonus + deposit needs to be wagered before any winnings can be cashed out. Improperly wagered bonuses and promotional offers may disqualify players for the benefits involved. Promotional offers cover a full spectrum of player-friendly deals. These include Live Casino Promos, Roulette Promos, Slots Promos, Blackjack Promos, and Daily Deals. 

7. THE RESPONSIVENESS OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND SERVICE 

It is important for players to fully understand the terms and conditions of each offer before registering, depositing, and claiming a specific bonus. It's best to get in touch with customer support to have the bonuses and promotional offers explained before making a deposit. The responsiveness of customer support is a great indicator of the quality of the online casino. Players can learn a lot about an online casino and its customer-centric approach to players through customer support. 

The most responsive online casinos feature live chat functionality, email assistance, telephone, fax, snail mail, online contact form, and the like. Support agents are typically available in multiple languages, and online casino deposits/withdrawals are available in multiple currencies. Players get to enjoy real interactions, responsible gaming conduct, and credible online casino gaming with the finest UK online casinos. It's important to evaluate each online casino on its merits, with a focus on the features and elements listed in this comprehensive guide.

 

*Credits for main photo in this article belongs to Eran Alergant

So what’s the big deal with a soft 17? It’s that most blackjack players frequently misplay this hand. In fact, below are five common mistakes made by players; but first, I want to be sure you understand what is meant by a “soft 17” hand. 

In the game of blackjack, hands that contain an ace that can be counted as 11 are known as soft hands. For example, an ace-5 is a soft 16 and a 3-ace-5 is a soft 19. The basic playing strategy for, say, ace-6 is much different than it is for, say, a 10-7. The latter is known as a hard 17 because it doesn’t contain an ace counted as 11.  Even though both hands total 17, the basic playing strategy for a soft 17 is different than a hard 17 because you can never bust a soft 17 with a one-card draw (not so with a hard 17).

 

 

Now, let’s focus specifically on those situations that cause players in land-based and online casinos to err when playing their soft 17 hand.

MISTAKE #1: STANDING ON SOFT 17

Most blackjack players mistakenly believe that a 17 is a good enough hand on which to stand. In fact, it’s not because you will lose more money standing than either hitting (or doubling down). Still not convinced that standing is a bad play? Think about this. When casino rules require that their dealers must hit soft 17 rather than stand, it’s because the house edge increases, meaning hitting a soft 17 is better for the dealer than standing. Well, guess what? If it’s good enough for the dealer, it’s the same for players … hitting soft 17 is always better than standing. Therefore, one of the golden rules of smart play is this: No matter what blackjack game you are playing, never stand on soft 17. 

MISTAKE #2: NOT DOUBLING DOWN ON SOFT 17

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve witnessed players hitting a soft 17 when the dealer’s upcard is, say, a 5 or 6. I believe the reason they pass up the opportunity to double down is because they don’t understand the logic for doing correct blackjack strategy.

The reason you should double down on soft 17 is to bet more money when the dealer is vulnerable to busting. The latter occurs more often when the dealer shows a low-valued upcard, such as a 5 or 6. In fact, the basic playing strategy for doubling down soft 17 is this:

• In double- and multi-deck games, always double down when the dealer’s upcard is 3 through 6.
• In a single-deck game, always double down when the dealer’s upcard is 2 through 6.

MISTAKE #3: MISPLAYING A MULTI-CARD SOFT 17

Suppose you are playing live blackjack and the dealer gives you a 2 and 4 and she shows a 6 upcard. You ask the dealer for a hit, she obliges, and your draw card is an ace. Now you’ve got a 2-4-ace or a soft 17 hand. Bingo, you remember the rule that you should double down on soft 17 when dealer shows a 6. But hold on here. In most land-based and online casinos, the casino rules prohibit doubling down on a hand once you draw a third card. So now what? I’ve seen many players in this situation panic and stand. That’s unfortunate because the basic playing strategy for a multi-card soft 17 is quite easy to remember:

• If you have a multi-card soft 17, always hit your hand.

MISTAKE #4: NOT CHECKING THE PLAYING RULES FOR DOUBLING DOWN

Some casinos prohibit players from doubling down on soft hands (usually, these casinos allow players to double only on hard 9, 10, or 11 or just 10 and 11). The latter usually occurs in single- and sometimes double-deck games. Here again I’ve seen players push out a secondary bet when they are dealt a soft 17 against, say, a dealer’s 5 upcard, only to have the additional chips returned to them by the blackjack dealer, saying, “Sir, doubling down is allowed only on 9, 10 or 11,” while they point to the placard on the table that states this rule. The player is often embarrassed at making this gaffe, and not knowing what to do, often sheepishly stands, whereas the correct play is to hit. Therefore, we can expand the above rule about always hitting a multi-card soft 17 to take into account casinos that prohibit soft doubling to the following:

• If you have a multi-card soft 17, or the rules don’t allow soft doubling, always hit your hand.

MISTAKE #5: INCORRECTLY DOUBLING DOWN ON SOME HANDS 

Sometimes doubling down on a soft 17 is not the right play. For example, you should never double down when the dealer’s upcard is 7 through ace (and, yes, I’ve seen players make this play). The reason should be obvious; namely, the dealer’s chances of busting are not very good, therefore, you don’t want to add more money to your bet (by doubling). But here is where some players err. Suppose you are a dealt a soft 17 and the dealer’s upcard is a 2. I’ve seen many players double down in this situation, which is the right play in a single-deck game, but the wrong play in a double- or multi-deck game (in the latter games, you should hit soft 17 against a dealer’s 2 upcard). The correct basic strategy for hitting a soft 17 is as follows:

• For a single-deck game, hit soft 17 when the dealer’s upcard is 7 through ace.
• For double- and multi-deck games, hit soft 17 when the dealer’s upcard is a 2 or 7 through ace.

Now that you know the common mistakes made by players when holding a soft 17, the next time you are dealt this hand, you should have no problem playing it correctly. Agreed?

Note: For more details on how to play a soft 17, including basic strategy charts and tables for all games, consult Chapter 3 in my Ultimate Strategy Guide. 

Learning the techniques of card counting (meaning, accurately keeping track of the cards as they are played out) can be mastered by most serious players. Yet, most counters often fail to become successful because of one (or more) of the following blunders:

1. OVERBETTING THEIR BANKROLL

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve observed this happen to fledging (and even experienced) card counters. They sit down at a $25 minimum blackjack table with a $250 session bankroll and expect to win hundreds of dollars every time. If you don’t know how many sessions and long-term bankroll you should have for your betting level, to minimize the risk of going broke, you are making a big mistake. I’ve yet to meet a successful card counter who doesn’t know about risk-of-ruin and doesn’t have an adequate bankroll. (An experienced card counter told me nearly 50 years ago that to be successful at card counting your needed “B&B.” When I asked what that meant, he wryly responded, “Brains and a Bankroll.”)

 

2. PLAYING GAMES THAT ARE UNBEATABLE

I’ve seen counters play six- and eight-deck games with only a 1 to 4 unit bet spread. I’ve seen others play casino games with a terrible mix of playing rules, such as no doubling after pair splitting, no soft doubling, and dealer hitting soft 17. Likewise, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve witnessed counters playing a multi-deck game where the cut-card penetration was, at best, 50%. You must have a good mix of playing rules and acceptable penetration to gain a respectable edge on the game.

3. WON’T PUSH OUT THE BIG BETS

Many counters can’t come to grips with pushing out a big bet when they have their maximum edge. The reason: a player’s emotional bankroll has been exceeded. I’ve seen players break out into a sweat with hands shaking when making a max bet. You must make those big bets regardless of whether you are having a losing session or any other excuse you can think of.  You can never be successful at card counting if you don’t adhere to the bet spread designed for your card counting system. You will have losing sessions (plenty of them) when you card count but successful counters understand that today’s score means nothing because card counting is a lifetime journey.

4. PLAYING LONG SESSIONS

Two issues here doom counters. The first is that card counting requires concentration, and the longer you play, the more likely you are to make mistakes that can wipe out the small edge you have. The second issue is the preservation of your longevity. When a counter sits at the same table for a long period of time it gives the casino ample time to evaluate his or her skill level. This is something that you, as a card counter, want to avoid, so adhere to the principle of playing short sessions to keep under the casinos’ radar.

5. LACK OF COVER

Most card counters will look intently at the cards being dealt, never show any emotion when they lose a hand, and never talk to the casino dealer or a fellow player. Your best cover is to look and play like a typical gambler. Learn to talk to your fellow players and the dealer while keeping the count, whoop it up when you win a hand, congratulate the brilliant play made by the third base player that resulted in the dealer’s busting, talk about how unlucky you were to lose a hand with a big bet, and while you’re playing, go ahead and make a modest tip bet for the dealer on your hand once or twice each hour. Emulating the play of the majority of (losing) blackjack players is the best cover for a counter.

6. BEING AFRAID OF A BIG LOSS

Casinos want and like losers. If you are having a rough session and losing, don’t try to bet more or play longer to get “even.”  Go ahead and book the loss, making sure you let the casino bosses within earshot know that you were just unlucky, again (booking a loss will give the perception to them that you are a loser).  (Remember what I wrote earlier: blackjack is a lifetime endeavor so you’ll have plenty of opportunity going forward to recoup your losses.)

7. NOT PLAYING THEIR BEST GAME

This may seem corny, but trust me, it isn’t. Ever see a professional baseball player (or any professional sport) play his best if he parties all night the day before a big game? Keeping track of the cards as they are dealt in a live casino environment requires concentration. You need to be well rested to be able to maintain your concentration during a session, period; otherwise, I guarantee you will be making costly mistakes in either your count, how much you bet, the play of your hand, or all of the above.

You can find more tips on card counting, how to disguise your skills, and what countermeasures the casino may take when they suspect someone is card counting by reading Chapters 10.11 and 10.12 in my Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide.

My late mentor, the Atlantic City legend known as the Captain of Craps, taught me many valuable concepts when it came to gambling in general and casino gambling in particular. One of the most important was his idea that risking one’s money in a casino had to be a “manageable thrill.” 

“You can’t bet too little because there is no thrill in that. An under-bet is really no bet,” he said. “An under-bet could be considered dull and not worth the time to make the bet. 

“A person worth hundreds of thousands would not find it fun just betting pennies at roulette or craps or blackjack or any other casino game. But that same person might have a heart attack if he had to bet, let us say, half his wealth on one bet where the house had an edge over him. That would be way too much money for anyone who wasn’t insane to wager on a bet where that person was an underdog.

“Even if a player with a slight edge over the casino makes a wager that was too big would, of course, be too big to make.”

So how much a person bets must have some kind of “kick to it” or there isn’t that delicious feeling of anticipation that comes with putting one’s money on the line. Still the kick shouldn’t be a devastating one if that bet is lost. That is not fun. That is not a mere disappointment. That is a severe kick in the one area no one wants to be kicked.

 

[Please note: There are three general categories of casino players; 1. advantage players who actually have an edge on the games they play and manage their money appropriately, 2. good players who do not over-bet though some do not always make the best bets vis a vis the house edges they play against, and 3. extremely poor players when it comes to money management and such players will get themselves into trouble time and time again.] 

About Those Player Categories, let me first discuss the “advantage players.”

ADVANTAGE PLAYERS

With an edge over the casino these players must have a casino bankroll that can take the ups and downs of advantage-play. That’s right; their bankrolls must be quite large in relation to the bets they make since they are looking to turn the casino games on their heads and to do so they must be well-financed. 

These players are looking to make money from the casinos, not through luck as are most players, but through skill. They cannot blanche when things go wrong and they can’t get too excited when things go right. They are in the long run, day in and day out and their emotions have to be totally in check. Most casino gamblers have no interest in joining the advantage-player company – it’s too much work and something of a major hassle.

REGULAR PLAYERS

The second category of player – maybe I should call this category “regular players” – contains the overwhelming majority of casino players. These players have a decided understanding of how much they can bet without becoming bored or nearing the heart-attack stage. 

A five-dollar bet by a certain player might make such a player feel bored by it because he needs at least twice this much to get that thrill. Still, the total amount wagered in a given session, day or trip is controlled by a full understanding that “thus and such” is the maximum that he will allow himself to lose. In short, regular players do manage their money quite well regardless of whether they are having good luck or bad luck or something in between. 

THE POOR PLOPPY PLAYERS

Now our third class of player contains the ploppies, or sad sacks or, worse, casino gamblers that should consider taking a break and thinking about the best way for them to play with the money they can actually afford to lose. These players are not in the problem category; they are merely uninformed and in fact silly as they take risks that are ridiculous with more money than they should wager.

If a player wakes up the next morning and thinks, “I bet how much last night?” or “I can’t believe I lost so much,” then that player has lost more than just money; that player has lost whatever modicum of discipline might exist in other aspects of this player’s life. Even a player who is rejoicing loudly the next day about an epic win has to reflect on the fact that betting what this player bet might not be a good idea next time the casino calls for him or her to play.

 

[Please note: The problem or degenerate gambler is a whole other category of player and such an individual is far better handled in a medical article and not a general gambling piece geared to recreational casino playing. Some people can destroy recreational activities and compulsiveness is an illness and not a playing prescription.]

Judging what a manageable thrill can be is not all that hard. Here is a look at two ways to know whether you are betting more or the amounts you should:

COMING HOME DEVASTATED

You are in the car, cab, train or airplane coming home from a bad day or extended trip to the casino. You lost a lot. Now you are thinking to yourself, “I wish I never decided to go to the casino. I feel awful. What the heck got into me?”

In such a case it is probable that you bet way over your head and with a bad streak or a few bad streaks in a row, Lady Luck seriously frowned on you during your whole time in her house of hope. Her house became your horror.

I am guessing that someone who wishes he never went to a casino probably pegged his betting limits way too high and was not emotionally ready to accept the possibility of a major loss.

HANDLING RISK

Let me take this by way of an analogy. I remember a friend of mine who decided to start investing his money in the stock market. His investment advisor asked him what kind of risk he was willing to take and able to handle. My friend thought he could go for the bigger deals with more risk, “I can handle risk. No problem, buddy, no problem. I can handle it!”

In his mind he had (I’m guessing here) a dream that his high-risk investments would pay a tremendous amount and although his lips said he could handle risk, in reality, he couldn’t. Reality can strike hard on all of us.

Well, as most investors know the American stock market can go ka-bloop on occasion and those individuals who have high-risk investments will find themselves shaking their heads and hoping their hearts hold out when their investments plummet. My friend actually couldn’t take the risk he thought he could take (“I can handle it!”) because when the market headed for a swift and significant decline – well, you just had to look at his ashen face to understand that he never really thought he would lose such an enormous amount of money. He over-estimated his self-estimation.

You see, he thought he could take the risks but when the bad times actually happened – and these were not just a theory of bad times over which he mused but a brutal fact – he just wasn’t emotionally prepared to handle it. 

I think it is a truism that most people think they can take more risk than they really can. That applies to casino gamblers too – it applies big time to them.

So memorize this precept: You probably can’t take the level of risk you believe you can take. Make that your mantra. If you think you can handle a bet of $50 per roulette spin, you might consider lowering that to $25 or $10. 

[Please note: The manageable thrill must also be looked at as handling a total amount wagered over a given period of time. It is not just your minimum individual bet but the total you can handle losing. This must be factored in as well. You might be able to handle a $25 wager but those can add up when good luck disappears. So what level of total losses can you handle must be considered – and remember, don’t overrate your heart because it might not be able to handle your fantasies!]

COMING HOME JUST SOMEWHAT SAD

Let me take the exact same scenario as I used above: You are heading home from the casino after a losing trip. You feel a little sad that you didn’t win. Oh, well, you’ll get them next time. Other than losing, you had a good time. Your stomach is not churning in anguish. You are fine.

Okay, unlike our player in the first scenario, instead of losing an arm or a leg or a shirt or a purse, you just had a single fingernail clipped. It wasn’t fun but it will have no impact on your life or on your emotions in any big way. You will not curl up into a fetal position when you get home moaning your loss. Are you sad? Yes. Are you devastated? Not at all.

If this is your reaction to a bad streak, no big deal; you can handle yourself, you can handle your betting levels and you can handle your emotions. That is the manageable thrill that the Captain talked about.

GAMBLING SYSTEMS

Gambling systems can be fun to play as long as the player doesn’t actually think such systems will lead to an advantage over the casino. (I’ve covered many systems in other articles and guides for our website and I’ll cover more in the future.) Systems do give players a schematic way to approach essentially random games or games where the casino has stacked the edge in their favor by shorting payoffs. 

But can gambling systems actually give the player an edge over the house? No. With the exception of true advantage-play which so few of the casino players can accomplish, systems merely structure how one plays the games. They give you a way to think about what to do next as opposed to “Uh, ahm, I’ll do this, ah, ahm.”

So let us say you have found a system you like to play. It makes decision-making so much easier than just taking what you think is a random shot at a possible win. The result is “thus and such” then you bet “this and that” and onward you go.

Is this good for the casino player? Not really but it does feel better for most players. They have a place to go after something happens. “If that happens, I do this.”

There is a very deep problem that can occur with most systems as many call for increasing one’s bet in situations where you have lost some or several bets in a row (think of the deadly Martingale in this regard) so this way of playing is courting disaster. You might be betting a manageable amount at the beginning but suddenly your system is saying to you, “Bet this large amount now!” But this “large” amount is much too high for you; and now you start to sweat.

Here is another simple precept to also make a prescription: If you start to sweat, you are betting too much. Sweat is not good. Stop what you are doing and take a break and think about what you can afford to bet and what it really means for you.

[Please note: Only you can really decide what to bet. Yet, if you read this article carefully you will hopefully understand there are many pitfalls for casino players. What should you do? Avoid them!]

All the best in and out of the casinos!
 

*Credits for main photo in this article belongs to Eran Alergant

“Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel,
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel,
As the images unwind; like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind”
From “The Windmills of Your Mind”
By Legrand, Bergman & Bergman

The roulette wheel is a seductive and alluring way to test fate and ply your trade as a professional gambler. Some of the most fascinating tales of gambling surround this form of gambling, and some of the most fascinating – and high-rolling – players have tested their luck, tempted their fate, and made their fortunes, playing it.

What is a High Roller?

It could be someone with more money than sense or a true pro, old or young, a man or a woman. The only requirement is that he bets big, and can do so again and again.

Though the specific dollar values are different for various locations, even among specific casinos, generally speaking a ‘high-roller’ is a gambler who wagers large amounts of money on any specific gambling game, sports event or spin of a roulette wheel.

Individual casinos compete in terms of bet limits to entice the high stakes players to their establishments. The high-end gamblers often negotiate benefits, specific awards (called “comps”) and even discounts and cash-backs (reduction of losses based on the volume of the loss) if they lose!

From a gambling site’s standpoint, these “whales’ are themselves something of a risk to woo; should the gambler win, the level of the losses, plus the cost of the aforementioned benefits and perks can be considerable; But with the odds usually still in the favor of the house, a whale’s losses will more than likely well exceed the costs involved, an net the casino a big win!

The casinos know their prey, too. From the same source quoted above, the average ‘whale’ has these characteristics:

• 80% are Asian
• All have an instant credit line of a $1,000,000 or more
• Prefer to gamble with bet minimums above $10,000
• Usually has their own entourage
• Extremely generous. They play big and tip big
• Generally, their net worth is near or above $1,000,000,000.

The ‘little wheel’

Nearly everyone is familiar with the live roulette table (named, simply, from its compact size, the French word for its size and shape), its 37 pie-shaped sections (38 on American wheels) and their associated ‘pockets’, the shiny ball that counter-rotates until gravity, and the little ‘canoes’ that randomize its fall into the pockets.

Originally, the wheel only had 36 sections; when the nation of Monaco got into financial difficulty, the king, Charles III, commissioned the creation of wheels with the zero, which increased the house odds. Then, when he opened a casino, he offered roulette to the masses. It did help that the same year, France outlawed gambling. So, between those two events, Monaco was saved as a nation, and Monte Carlo, where the casino was built, became the staple of European gambling it remains to this day.

The Wheel and the Whales

What may surprise you is that it has been at the center of some great stories dealing with High Rollers. Here are some examples.

• Joseph Jagger, an Englishmen, determined by sheer observation that a given roulette wheel at a casino in Monte Carlo had a predisposition to hit a certain collection of numbers more often than should be statistically consistent. (Taking advantage of a biased wheel is one of only two known ‘exploits’ to the game of roulette). Mr. Jagger won more than $120,000 in value, which would approximate today to SIX MILLION DOLLARS!
  • The Casino caught on, made some procedural changes, and sufficiently disguised the particular wheel, and thus ended the exploit.
• In 1891,Charles Coborn, a noted English swindler, took a tiny bankroll of roughly 400 British pounds Sterling, and more on a run of luck than any form of strategy worked that up in one night to a staggering million francs ($500,000), and ‘broke the bank’ –meaning that paying him his winnings closed their operation for the day.
• In a repeat of the biased wheel exploit much more recently (1990’s), Gonzalo Garcia-Pelayo discovered a biased Roulette table, in the self-same city, and successfully extracted over a million Euros (in that case, the casino attempted legal action against him, but the courts determined he had done nothing wrong, and ruled against the Casino).
• In 2004, a gambler decided to make a single-spin all –or – nothing bet. Ashley Revell, another Englishman, sold his home and all his possessions and walked in with a bankroll of 135,500. As the wheel began spinning, he put all his money on Red. When the spinning stopped, it was on Red 7, and leaving a tip of $600, Ashley walked out with a whopping $270,000!
• The Sultan of Brunei, at one time the richest man in the world, once played roulette placing $250,000 all over the board (no claim to total wins or losses from that particular tale, though).
• So-called “Fat Man” Fouad al-Zayat, a renowned whale, is said to have lost, over a fifteen-year period a whopping $19 million dollars. Ironically, in 1996, he had won approximately that same amount from a casino in Mayfair (The Guardian)
• Jimmy Chagra, notorious drug dealer and whale in his own right was said to have tipped a croupier a massive $600,000 after a successful session with the wheel.

What it takes to become a whale?

With the perks and benefits that define the life of a ‘Whale’, what does one have to have, to be in order to enter this lifestyle? What defines them? What drives them?

From the outset, it would seem that life for a whale is part ecstasy, part agony. The paradigm one must have, stems from an economic anomaly, an obscenely large financial base from which to operate. Whether you be a business creator or facilitator, with access to nearly limitless resources,  a family treasure chest of immense proportion, or you control and dominate a whole nation whose gross national product is your personal piggybank, you can back, at least initially, all your plays with measurable worth.

As wealthy as you are, you must also have extensive, if not limitless, time to pursue the passion. You must be able to follow the streak (when it is hot) or remove yourself from the premises (when it’s not). The appeal of the big win is so great, you aren’t able to control your losses, any more than you can drive your wins. The clock, the calendar, simply must fall to your desires.

Your appreciation and respect for the dangers of risk have to be dimmed. You must be able to put your all at risk. In the vernacular, you need nerves of steel and brass cajones, because big wins take big risks to achieve. There cannot be any hesitation or fear of the loss, for the sharks that swim with the whale are in it for the big kill. Taking a whale down has big rewards, but the level at which they are playing is dizzying, the risks immeasurable, the rewards immense.

Next, to be a whale you have to have a plan. Individuals who are operating at this level are sharp negotiators. They know the odds of roulette, but they also know how to mitigate them, to manipulate them, and on occasion, how to mine them.

To be a successful high stakes player, aside from a huge betting bankroll and sound money management, you need to calculate the risk, reduce the losses when possible, and go for the kill without the hesitation of a fly.

Two more characteristics that seem incongruent, but that define perhaps better than the rest, are generosity and honor.

On the one hand, as the money flows through the system, the workers that provide the support for a whale rise and fall on the same wave of success. If you perform well in the pressure of that world, the high roller offers a significant reward, through seemingly excessive tips and perks alike. When a whale goes down, therefore, often he still has hidden resources, even among his own entourage. Never count the whale as out; they know the odds, they depend on them, and despite the great and terrible losses and dangers they face, they take care of their friends.

On the other, it takes a strong constitution to face the hard reality of what is euphemistically called “adverse results’. Imagine all the money you would ever need in the world, for the rest of your life, as your bankroll. Now, imagine playing a hand wherein the possibility exists to double it or more… few might be willing to make that wager, but a Whale would. Up or down, ahead or behind, the big players of the world would, if the odds were acceptable. They accept their lumps, but they negotiate for the best possible outcome, the greatest mitigation of their losses. They own a lot; they have a lot to lose, but the world to gain. It isn’t about the money, for money has lost its meaning. They do not think about the values for which they compete. For them, it is about the win. Pure. But never simple.

Where did the famous casino game of roulette originate? Perhaps in several places and from some or many people and cultures. What follows are some examples of roulette’s possible origins and how players have played the wheel in an attempt to beat it

His name was Blaise Pascal and he was one of the most famous and astute mathematicians and scientific geniuses of the 1600s. He was also quite religious, often driven by science and theology to discover the ultimate truths of existence, and he created what has become known as Pascal’s Wager, a notion that to this very day contains persuasive power, if not overall theocratic authority, being thus: 

You bet your life and soul (if you have one) that either God exists or doesn’t exist. If He doesn’t exist and you believe in Him then you have given up some worldly pleasures to discover nothing as death ceases your full existence. However, if you do not believe in God and He does exist then death is going to be a horrid experience as you find out that not only were you wrong but…well, you can guess the rest. Thus it is best to believe in God than not to believe in God.

Thanks to Pascal, this is – short and sweet – a coin flip, a gamble: Yes or no? God or no God. It is the ultimate gamble with your life and with your soul. To Pascal the best bet was to believe in God as that gave you the greatest chance for perpetual happiness.

THE PERPETUAL WHEEL

However, Pascal wanted even more than this. He wanted to discover something that was eternal right here, right now in this world and that something is what we call a perpetual motion machine.

A perpetual motion machine is one that runs on no outside energy. Read that correctly – it is an amazing concept. Perpetual motion violates the laws of motion that prove some outside force must be used to move objects, as objects cannot move themselves. Energy must be pushed into the system to get it to move. When that energy stops then that movement stops.

The attempt to discover and/or invent such a perpetual motion device has been a vision of many scientific visionaries – all of them wrong in their assumption that such a thing is possible.

[Please note: Some of the greatest frauds in the “pseudo-scientific” world have lied and said that perpetual motion is possible and that they have invented such a machine. That would great, wouldn’t it, as we’d have cars that ran on nothing and would not cost us any energy costs, such as fuel. Sadly that’s not to be.]

Pascal worked a long time in the privacy of his mind to come up with such a machine, indeed a perpetual roulette wheel, but he couldn’t succeed. Instead, what he did accomplish was his version of the first wheel, actually a probability machine, which we credit as the first one in human history. It became known as roulette, which means the little wheel. It might not have been a perpetual motion machine but it certainly has been in almost perpetual motion in the casinos around the world for centuries.

SOME OTHER POSSIBILITIES

It is also believed that two aristocrats helped create the single-zero little wheel as a gambling device in order to make money from the game of roulette for King Charles III of Monaco in the mid-1800s. This allowed the “house” to extract quite a lot of money from the players, most of whom had no idea of what kind of house edge they were facing (2.7 percent) with that zero. King Charles was a happy monarch when this device was used against his own citizens! 

[Please note: At some point along came the Americans who decided to use a double-zero wheel (0, 00) in order to almost double the house edge over the players. Strangely enough this double-zero wheel also came from Europe but the Americans fully adopted it!]

OR WAY DEEP INTO THE PAST!

Let me take this history back even more in time. In the ancient world, definitely, Rome and even pre-Rome, perhaps Greek and pre-Greek, and in ancient Africa, in China, even among the American Indians, playing games or using “little wheels” as precognitive devices was something of a norm. 

Here is an example: “Og, my heavenly king, let me spin my shield and where my symbol points is the land I shall ravage!”

Or, 

“Come my comrades, let us amuse ourselves by sitting on our little, round shields and spinning ourselves ferociously. Whoever does not get sick wins the contest!”

[Please note: Perhaps the two greatest discoveries of human beings are fire and the wheel. People often talked and then wrote about the circle of life and many wrote about the cyclical nature of nature. The fiery sun was often worshipped as a god. Once we had the wheel, the world became shorter and distances shrunk quite a lot.]

THE WHEEL OF ALL WHEELS

The key to roulette is, of course, the very wheel itself; after all the game is actually the little wheel. In my over 30 years of casino play, I have noticed that not all that many players have much interest in the wheel itself as in knowing its components, its structure, or how it works. Many players also have no idea of how the casino actually gets its edge at the game.

Most players will look at the ball spinning on the rotor and watch as the ball descends but how and why the wheel looks and acts as it does actually has little interest for them. For them, the ball spins and then drops into the pockets and finally settles into one and the losing bets are removed from the layout and the winning bets are paid off.

The process is then repeated over and over again – a perpetual game!

THE COMPOSITION OF THE WHEEL

The wheel, like ancient Rome’s government, is divided into three main parts:

1. The ball track where the ball is spun and goes round and round until it loses energy and plummets to the base track
2. The base track that sees the ball actually descending towards its ultimate goal, the pockets
3. The wheel head contains the pockets where the ball will bounce and bounce some more before settling into a single pocket

When the ball spins on the bottom track, there are elements that interfere with its descent. These are variously called “bumpers” or “pins” or “diamonds” or “those darn things that screw up the landings.” The casino does not want a clean line of descent for the ball into the pockets. These interference elements are intended to make the game random because no one can really tell how a ball will deflect – that is, bounce – off these bumpers.

[Please Note: Modern casino games of roulette will often have two balls being used, a large one and a small one. These spin and land somewhat differently – making it almost impossible to figure how and in which pocket a ball will come to rest.]

NUMBERS ON THE WHEEL VS. NUMBERS ON THE LAYOUT

The arrangement of the numbers on the wheel and how they are laid out on the betting layout are completely different. Take a look at the American double-zero wheel and you’ll see that the number “1” does not have number “2” next to it but instead number “2” is across the wheel. On the layout numbers “1” and “2” are next to each other (as they would be in counting). 

The same is basically true of the European single-zero wheels. 

Casinos do not want the betting layout to reflect the wheel’s positioning of the numbers because those players who wish to bet groups of numbers will not be able to do so. If you wish to bet numbers 1, 2 and 3 on the layout these numbers will have nothing to do with the wheel. Since most players have no idea of how the numbers are laid out on the wheel, they usually think betting 1, 2 and 3 means these numbers are near each other on the wheel when they are not.

This is an attempt to keep the betting methods random – and when a game is random it benefits land-based and also the online casino.

HOW THE CASINO GETS ITS EDGE

The casino does not pay off the bets based on their real value. The American double-zero wheels has 38 pockets. If players were to put $1 on each pocket, 37 pockets would lose and one would win. In a fair game the winner would receive $37 while the casino would win – you guessed it – $37 and the game would be an even contest between player and casino. 

But casinos cannot make money this way so they short the players $2 by paying back $35 for a $1 bet instead of $37, keeping the other $2 for themselves. That means the house edge is 5.26 percent. The same is true of the European wheel’s payout of $35 for a $1 bet. Since there are only 37 numbers on that wheel, the house edge is reduced to 2.7 percent.

A HOST OF BETTING OPTIONS

Roulette has a multitude of betting options for the players. They can bet on inside numbers or combinations of these; they can bet on outside proposition bets of various kinds. Like craps strategies, players have plenty of choices to make. Some of the greatest gambling systems have been developed in order to beat the game.

Read other roulette articles on this site to learn about these

PROBLEMS WITH THE WHEELS

The betting layouts of roulette do not reflect the position of the actual numbers on either the European single-zero or the American double-zero wheel. This is to prevent players from betting groups of numbers that are physically adjacent on the wheel without actually looking at the wheel. You want five numbers that bump against each other on the wheel? Then you have to actually look at the wheel’s pockets, something most players won’t bother to do. Therefore betting 1, 2 and 3 will not see those numbers next to each other on the actual wheel although they are continuous on the layout.

Casinos know that some players – some very, very few players over the centuries – have worked on trying to beat the wheel in various ways and some have actually accomplished this. We call such players “advantage players.”

• Players have studied various wheels to see if they had certain pockets that would trap the ball more often than other pockets because they were (usually) somewhat deeper or (rarely) somewhat wider or shorter than the adjacent pockets. This was often called “big number” play as the players followed the numbers that were hitting.
• Some players wanted to see if the wheel was no longer aligned properly so that the ball would tend to fall into the biased part – the part that was fractionally tilted. This was often called “biased wheel” or “tilted wheel” play.
• Some players attempted to predict where the ball would land by using visual cues, they looked at the wheel and estimated how the ball would travel and land (generally in a particular section of the wheel). Yes, these players went up against wheels with bumpers on them. This was called “visual tracking.”
• Some players, convinced that some dealers could control the landing of the ball into certain sections of the wheel, would study such supposed dealers, clock their throws and bet the sections these dealer’s would hit. This was called “dealer signature” watching. 

The good news is that over the centuries some (okay, some few, some very, very few) players have actually beaten the wheels. Unless the casino owners were ferociously checking their wheels with regularity, bad things (for the casino) or good things (for the players) could happen that alerted advantage-players that the time had come to jump into the game and reap some rewards.

That’s the good news. Here’s the bad news: Today’s wheels are almost perfectly balanced, the pockets are the same width, depth and thickness, and constant computer checking of these wheels prevents them from being anything less than almost perfectly working devices; perfect enough that as long as they are checked frequently no player can get an edge over them. 

The little wheel has been a big favorite of casino players, past, present and (I presume) future.

[Please note: Are there players still out there in the world of the casinos who are beating roulette? Maybe, but my guess is that “probably not” is the right answer. It is hard to beat the advanced wheels that exist today.]

All the best in and out of the casinos!

The year 2012 was a sweet one for celebrity poker pro Phil Ivey and Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun, a woman who would become known as the Queen of Sorts. 

Sun had designed a high-probability approach to beating mini-baccarat. It employs a technique known as edge sorting – hence, her nickname – in which, by spotting subtle asymmetries of patterns on the backs of playing cards, she is able to identify the game’s key cards.

The play requires Sun to prompt dealers to turn the game’s most important cards (7s, 8s and 9s) so that their shortly cut edges face the dealer when divvied out in coming shoes. Sharp eyesight, social engineering and casinos with favorable conditions allowed her to perform her responsibilities for the play. 

Ivey, with a giant bankroll and a reputation as a casino whale, was able to get down five-figure bets and convince gambling dens to use brands of playing cards and types of shuffling machines that Sun could most effectively work with.

Over the course of 2012, they traveled the world and won 10s of millions of dollars from casinos. But that was then. The last 12 months have been decidedly sour for the pair of high-rollers.

In October 2017, the Supreme Court in Great Britain issued a ruling that Crockfords Casino in London does not need to pay them 7.7-million-pounds (worth approximately $11 million in 2012) that they won by using the edge sorting technique. Never mind that Ivey and Sun lost more than half-a-million dollars on their first day of running the gambit in London.

More crippling, on August 2018 a New Jersey court put out a decision that they need to return $10.13 million that they won from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. Ivey’s lawyer entered a request for a stay on the payment while the decision is appealed. That request was turned down. The eight-figure sum was won over the course of four sessions in 2012.

Both decisions are anti-player to the extreme. Any casual or pro-casino gamblers should be rattled by such outcomes. A lawyer, representing Ivey and Sun, maintains that making the payment will have a “devastating impact” on the wellbeing of his clients.

Sun says, “My feeling is that we won the money and we should not pay it back. My feeling is very bad. The casino took our bets and they paid us. Now they want us to pay them back 10 million. That is crazy. The casino takes big advantage. If they won $10 million from me, would they give it back? No way. Why should they expect me to give it back to them?”

Robert Loeb, a Chicago-based attorney who frequently works with advantage players, agrees with Sun. She and Ivey, says Loeb, “followed the rules that the casino agreed to. They agreed to those rules because [Sun and Ivey] were playing for the highest denomination chips and the casino thought it could win a lot of money. This was a product of greed and blindness.”

Weirdly, by the time Ivey and Sun made their last trip to Borgata, in October 2012, news of their tiff with Crockfords Casino in London had already broken. A headline in UK tabloid the Daily Mail trumpeted, “World’s number one poker player wins $11m in two nights – but top London casino REFUSES to pay.” US gambling sites quickly picked up on the report. By the time Ivey and Sun entered the Borgata, word of their situation with Crockfords had spread widely. In fact, according to Sun, that publicity is precisely what led her and Ivey to embark on their October trip to Atlantic City.

That journey is rooted in the final play that Ivey and Sun engaged in at Crockfords. It took place in August 2012 and ended with them ahead by some $11 million, a monstrous win by any standard. At the time, Sun feared that the casino would not pay them. Similar outcomes had already transpired for her at sore losing spots in the United States. But, as the front person in the play, Ivey was responsible for negotiating payment – and he did.

Representatives of Crockfords promised to wire the money into Ivey’s bank account. Sun says that the casino provided a receipt that stated as much. Satisfied, Ivey and Sun went their separate ways. He headed home to the United States where a close relative – a fabulously roguish uncle who Ivey referred to as Unk – was dying. Sun went to Paris where she hung out with friends.

The money, however, failed to materialize. Sun became convinced that Ivey was holding out on her. Ivey insisted that the casino was not paying. Finally, after a week, she told me that she called Ivey and said, “Phil, you don’t give me the money, it’s okay. It is only 10 million. It’s fine. You keep it.”

Coincidentally, though, just after the story broke in the Mail, Sun and Ivey encountered one another in Nice, the French city where a poker tournament was scheduled to take place. “Phil told me not to play the tournament,” Sun related to me. “He said that reporters were there and they knew about London.”

At that point, it became clear that Ivey had been honest about the missing millions. He did not receive the money. “We decided to fly to Atlantic City and play Borgata,” said Sun. “Phil and I flew private and split the cost.”

They encountered terrible weather en route to Atlantic City. There were fears that the jet would go down. Rough travel conditions could have been viewed as an omen, but the game at Borgata was too good to turn away from.

On their previous three visits, Ivey and Sun won more than $9 million. During one session, they were not even slowed down by an uninvited visit from blackjack whale Don Johnson, a friend of Ivey’s. 

As Johnson recalls it, he saw Ivey and Sun playing baccarat at a private table. Sun, Johnson told me, “did not look like she’d be on of Phil’s playmates.” It led him to believe that the two gamblers were playing at an advantage. Johnson maintains that he slipped in, mirrored Ivey’s bets and won a tidy sum.

As Sun remembers it, “I said that I would not play until Don left. Phil said that Don is a friend. He wanted Don to stay. But finally Don left and we continued playing.”

During their fourth and final trip to Borgata, it’s easy to imagine that Ivey and Sun would feel concern about the possibility of being turned away. News of their issue with Crockfords was in the poker and gaming media. But Borgata management   allowed them to play seemingly unfettered. They won more than $900,000 and cashed their chips without obvious incident.

It all changed in 2016. That was when, in the wake of a positive outcome for Crockfords, in the suit brought by Ivey and Sun, Borgata began rallying to get its money back. The casino’s legal maneuverings resulted in the original December 2016 ruling that the advantage players have to pay back their money. What will ultimately get refunded and when it will happen both remain unknown. One thing, though, is certain. As of now, the hand being dealt Ivey, Sun and the Borgata has yet to completely play itself out – and Ivey is no stranger to catching a miracle card on the river.