By using the basic playing strategy, a player can reduce the house edge to less than 1% (rules dependent). Most blackjack players understand the logic behind the majority of the basic strategy plays; for example, why you shouldn’t hit a 16 when the dealer’s upcard is a 6 or why you should split a pair of 8s when the dealer’s upcard is a 6. However, some of the basic strategy is not so apparent: like hitting a 12 against a dealer’s 3, or splitting a pair of 9s against dealer’s 9. Below are four non-intuitive hands, with the justification for the correct play.

PLAYER’S 6-5 VS. A DEALER’S 10

Basic strategy says to double down on 11 against a dealer 10. However, many players chicken out and hit instead because they are afraid that the dealer might have a pat 20. Well, did you know that when the dealer has a 10 upcard (and doesn’t have a blackjack), he will wind up with a 20 roughly 33% of the time?

Meanwhile, a player holding an 11 and taking one card (i.e., doubling down), has roughly a 31% chance of getting a 21 (by drawing a 10) and an 8% chance of making a 20 (by drawing a nine). In other words, you are considerably more likely to make a 20 or 21 with a one-card draw than the dealer is to make a 20. Moreover, think about this: if you draw a 7, 8, 9, or 10, and the dealer has the same card in the hole, you still win! Even though doubling lowers slightly your chances of winning (because if you draw a small card, you can’t hit again to improve your total), your monetary gain is still greater by doubling because you bet twice as much money.

PLAYER’S 8-8 VS. DEALER’S 10

If I told you that playing an 8 twice, against a dealer 10, loses less money than playing a 16 once, would you believe me? Probably not, but guess what, it’s true.

When you hit 16 against a dealer 10, you’ll win only about 23% of the time and lose 77%, meaning you’ll win about four hands out of every 17. This is why holding a 16 against a 10 is the worst hand in blackjack. However, when your 16 is a pair of 8s, you have an out, namely splitting, because now your chances of winning when you start each hand with a single 8 against a 10 are 38%. In both cases (hitting and splitting), you are going to lose money, but it’s still cheaper to win 38 hands and lose 62 on each 8 (by splitting) than to win 23 hands and lose 77 once (by hitting). Still not convinced? Here’s the simple math to prove this point.

Hit: Bet $10 on the hand. Win 23 hands for a total win of $230. Lose 77 hands for a total loss of $770. After 100 hands (ties excluded), your net loss is $770 minus $230, or $540.

Split: Splitting 100 hands of 8s creates 200 hands, with each hand starting with an 8. If you bet $10 on each split 8, you’ll win 76 hands (38% of 200), for a total win of $760. You’ll lose 124 hands for a total loss of $1,240. Your net loss is $480. Therefore, losing $480 (by splitting) is, I’m sure you’ll agree, better than losing $540 by hitting.

PLAYER’S 9-9 VS. DEALER’S 9

It seems logical to split a pair of 9s when the dealer is showing a small card. However, it may not make sense to you to split 9s against a dealer 9, so you may stand with your “strong” 18. However, a hard 18 will beat a dealer’s 9 only eight times out of 20, while you’ll win almost half the time with a 9 facing a dealer 9 (actually, you’ll win 9.5 out of 20 hands). The bottom line is that even though you think an 18 is a strong hand, it isn’t against a dealer 9. To get close to break-even on this hand, you need to be aggressive and split. (Note, also, that when resplitting and doubling after splitting are permitted, there is the extra attraction of being able to double your 11, as per our first example, should you draw a deuce to any of your 9s.)

PLAYER’S 10-2 VS. DEALER’S 3

There is a “rule” in blackjack that says you should never risk busting your hand when the dealer shows a weak up card. That may be true for most stiff hands but it’s not the case when you are holding a 12 against a 3. When you think about it, there are only four cards that could bust your 12 — a ten, jack, queen, or king. On the other hand, five cards will get you to 17–21 (a five, six, seven, eight, or nine). Therefore, more cards will get you into the safe 17–21 zone than will break you. The other factor that works in your favor is the dealer’s 3 up card, which is not as weak as, say, a 4, 5, or 6 up card (she will bust less with a 3 up card compared to the 4, 5, or 6). The bottom line is that you will lose slightly less (about 2%) by hitting 12 against a 3 than by standing.

For more information on how to play every hand correctly when you play blackjack, consult Chapters 2 and 3 in my Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide.

For the most part, doubling down for less is not a smart play. Notice I said “for the most part.” There are exceptions, which I’ll explain shortly. But first, let me address the issue of doubling down for less in a traditional blackjack game.

A long time ago when I was playing blackjack, a fellow table player (who had been steadily losing) went ahead and unexpectedly placed four green chips (total of $100) in his betting spot.  The dealer dealt the cards, and I noticed the player cracked a smile as he stared at the good hand he was dealt — a 7-4. But his smile quickly turned to a frown when he glanced at the dealer’s upcard – a picture card.  When the dealer got to the player, he picked up four more green chips from his chip-stack as if he were going to double down. But instead, he hesitated and intensely stared at that dealer’s picture card. He probably knew that the basic strategy play for an 11 against a dealer ten was to double down; however, I could tell he was getting a little queasy about putting out another $100 and possibly losing $200 if the dealer were to beat him. It seemed like forever until he finally made a decision, which rather surprised everyone. Instead of doubling down for another $100, or possibly just hitting his hand, he instead took a middle-of-the-road approach and shoved out one green chip ($25),  nervously announcing to the dealer, “I’m going to double for less.”  

It turns out he pushed on his hand, and he quietly left the table with far fewer chips than he came with. Another player then made this comment to the dealer: “I didn’t know that you could double down for less.” The young dealer responded, “Yes, and that’s a pretty smart play when I’ve got a strong upcard.”

Let me say this as politically correctly as I can. 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. 

Let me pause for a second to ask you this question: Which of these betting propositions would you take?

1. Winning $100 56% of the time
2. Winning $200 54% of the time

While you ponder the answer to this question, let’s get back to this player who decided not to double for the full amount, but instead, creatively doubled for less. If you remember, he bet $100 on his 11 against a dealer’s 10 and then “doubled” for $25.  Let me show you what that play cost him, compared to doubling down for the full amount, or just hitting his hand.

OPTION #1. HIT

If you hit an 11 (potentially more than once) when the dealer shows a ten, you will win 56 percent of the time on average. This means that, for every hundred times you get this hand, with pushes excluded, you can expect to win 56 hands and lose 44 hands.

He wins $100 56 times for a total win of $5,600.
He loses $100 44 times for a total loss of $4,400.

His net expectation is the difference of his expected win minus his expected loss, which equals +$1,200. Not bad, and it’s obvious that hitting an 11 against a dealer’s 10 [aha!] is a profitable play. But, you can do even better when you double down.

OPTION #2. DOUBLING FOR THE FULL AMOUNT

Blackjack players have the option to double down on any two first cards. (Although some offline and online casinos will restrict players from doubling on some initial hands, the vast majority of casinos allow DOA or double on anything.) When you double down, the casinos will allow you to make a secondary bet up to the amount of your initial wager (meaning you can double your initial bet, which is why this rule is known as doubling down). 

In return for the casino’s allowing you to double your bet in beneficial situations, you are limited to only one draw card. Therefore, if you were to double down on 11 and drew a 3, you are stuck with a 14. Because you can’t draw more than one card when you double down, the percentage of the times that you win your hand is often less than for  hitting.  

Take the case of an 11 against the  10. If you hit 11 against the 10, you win 56% of time, but if you double down you win only 54% of the time, or 2% less.

You’re probably saying to yourself, “Wait a minute ... if I win fewer hands when I double down, how  can it be a better play than hitting?” Stay with me and I’ll explain.

In order to analyze the benefits of doubling down, we have to factor in the amount bet. In the above example, he could have doubled for the full amount of $100, which equals a total of $200 wagered on the hand. Therefore, his expectation, if he would have doubled for $200, is as follows:

Win $200 54 times = +$10,800
Lose $200 46 times = –$9,200.]

He would have had an expectation of winning $1,600 (over 100 hands). 

If you compare the expected win of $1,600 by doubling down for the full amount with the $1,200 if you hit instead, you can clearly see the answer to the question I posed to you earlier in this article, namely:

• You are better off winning $200 54% of the time, than winning $100 56% of the time.

OPTION #3. DOUBLING FOR LESS

Now let’s take a look at that doubling-for-less play, which the dealer praised.

Instead of doubling for $100, he “doubled” for $25. His expectation is:

Win $125 54 times = +$6,750
Lose $125 46 times = –$5,750 
Net expectation is +$1,000

The following table summarizes the expectation for the three possible choices he had on the hand. 

It turns out that his brilliant double-for-less play was the absolute worst of the possible three plays he could have made. He would be $200 better off hitting his 11 against the 10, or better yet, $600 better off if he doubled for the full amount. (I’m sure the casino bosses were thrilled when he decided to creatively double down for only $25!!) You’ve got the best of it when basic blackjack strategy says to double down, so always double for the full amount and never, never double for less.

Note: Of course, he could have doubled for all different amounts up to $200, and many of them would have had a higher Expected Value (i.e., EV) than hitting.

But wait, because there is more to this story. What if a player doesn’t have enough bankroll to make a full double down bet? Or how about a player that would have sleepless nights if he made the secondary $100 wager and lost $200 on the hand? My sage advice to these players is this: When you play live blackjack you need to have enough bankroll to support making occasionally large bets, including double downs and pair splits, and if you happen to be very risk averse, such that losing a big bet causes you emotional problems or sleepless nights, then you need to be betting at much lower stakes or to find a hobby other than blackjack.

There is one time where doubling for less can be a brilliant play and that’s when it’s crunch time (i.e., last hand) in a blackjack tournament.  I learned this ploy from my good friend and tournament expert Kenneth Smith (author of the books How to Win More Blackjack Tournaments, vols. 1 and 2.). In a future article on blackjack tournament strategies, I’ll explain how and when doubling down for less can be a very powerful strategy in a tournament.

Every video poker game has its strategy quirks dictated by their pay table. How to play video poker and get the most out of the game is different when you’re playing Jacks or Better, with a 2-for-1 payoff on two pairs, compared to Double Bonus Poker, with bigger pays on four of a kind but only 1-for-1 on two pairs.

And when you get to Double Double Bonus Poker and Triple Double Bonus Poker, that’s another thing altogether. They present special problems in video poker strategy.

What makes them different are the enhanced jackpots when your fifth card is a 2, 3 or 4 with four Aces or an Ace, 2, 3 or 4 with four 2s, 3s or 4s.

Assuming a five-coin bet in Double Double Bonus Poker, four Aces pay 800 coins without the fifth-card kicker, but 2,000 with it. Similarly, four 2s, 3s or 4s pay 400 without the kicker, but double to 800 with one.

Triple Double Bonus Poker takes that concept to an extreme. Four Aces usually are worth 800, but leap to 4,000 with a low-card kicker. That’s a bonanza equal to a royal flush.

With four 2s, 3s or 4s, payoffs are 400 without the kicker, but a whopping 2,000 with. That’s half a royal flush, or $500 on a 25-cent machine.

There are tradeoffs on the pay tables, of course. Two pairs just get you your money back, and on Triple Double Bonus three of a kind pays 2-for-1 instead of the 3-for-1 on most games.

More of the overall payback is tied up in the big-paying hands in most games. That makes it imperative to make the right plays in potential kicker situations.

The biggest dilemma comes when you’re dealt three Aces, 2s, 3s or 4s along with a kicker. Obviously, you should hold the three of a kind, but should you hold the kicker, too?

If you discard the kicker, you get a two-card draw and maximize chances at completing four of a kind. If you keep the kicker, you get only a one-card draw, but every time you complete four of a kind it will bring the kicker jackpot.

Let’s look at each situation in 9-6 and 8-5 Double Double Bonus Poker, then in 9-7 and 8-5 Triple Double Bonus Poker.

Overall, 9-6 Double Double Bonus returns 98.98% with expert play, while the 8-5 version returns 96.79%. In 9-7 Triple Double Bonus, the average return is 99.58%, while the 8-5 game returns only 95.97%. 

There are intermediate TDB pay tables at 9-6 (98.15%) and 9-5 (97.02), but strategy differences on three of a kind plus a kicker are influenced by the 9-for-1 vs. 8-for-1 payoffs on full houses. Flushes are not a possibility when you start with three of a kind, so flush payoffs don’t influence strategy on these hands.

DOUBLE DOUBLE BONUS POKER

Ace-Ace-Ace and a 2, 3 or 4: If you hold the kicker along with the Aces, there are 47 possible one-card draws.

Of the available cards, 43 will leave you with just your original three of a kind for a 15-coin payoff. Three will pair up the kicker for a full house, worth 45 coins on the 9-6 version or 40 on the 8-5 game.

One draw will be the fourth Ace, and keeping the kicker makes that worth 2,000 coins.

If you hold just the Aces and discard both of the other cards, including the kicker, there are 1,081 possible draws. 

Of those, 969 will not improve on three of a kind, leaving the 15-coin pay. You’ll pair up the kicker for full houses 66 times, worth 45 or 40 coins each, depending on the pay table. Thirty-five draws will bring the fourth Ace without a kicker for 800 coins, while 11 draws bring an Ace and a kicker for the 2,000-coin jackpot.

When all those payoffs are added and divided by the number of hands, the 9-6 pay table brings an average return of 62.45 coins if you hold just the three Aces, or 59.15 coins if you hold the Aces with a kicker.

With an 8-5 pay table, average payoffs are 62.14 coins on Ace-Ace-Ace, and 58.83 on Ace-Ace-Ace and a kicker.

So regardless of pay table, you’re better off maximizing your chances at drawing the fourth Ace rather than going all-out for the Aces-plus-kicker bonanza.

2-2-2, 3-3-3 or 4-4-4 and an Ace, 2, 3 or 4: Proportions are exactly the same with three low cards and a kicker as they are with four high cards and a kicker. Your possibilities are still 47 draws with 43 three of a kinds, three full houses and one four of a kind with kicker if you hold the kicker, and 969 three of a kinds, 66 full houses, 35 four of a kinds, and 11 four of a kinds with kicker if you don’t.

What’s different is the payback on the quads – 400 coins without a kicker, 800 with one.

When those lower four of a kind paybacks are plugged into calculations, the result on the 9-6 game is average returns of 37.28 coins if you discard the kicker and hold the three of a kind, and 33.62 if you hold the kicker along with the trips. On the 8-5 version, averages are 36.98 coins if you hold just the three of a kind, and 33.30 if you hold the kicker, too.

Just as with the Aces, you’re better off discarding the kicker on either pay table. Maximize your chance at four of a kind, and let the kickers take care of themselves.

TRIPLE DOUBLE BONUS POKER

The 4,000-coin jackpot on four Aces with a kicker is a game changer. On a 25-cent machine – the most popular coin denomination in video poker – that’s a $1,000 return, and it comes up more than three times as often as a royal flush.

With expert play, royals come up once per 45,358 hands in 9-7 TDB, while you’ll get four Aces with a kicker an average of once per 14,214 hands.

Draw possibilities and proportions of outcomes are the same as in Double Double Bonus Poker. The difference is in the huge four of a kind with kicker payoffs and in the reduced 2-for-1 payoff on three of a kind.

Given that, we can jump straight to the average returns.

• Ace-Ace-Ace with a 2, 3 or 4: In the 9-7 version, if you hold the kicker with the Aces, your average return per five coins wagered is 97.13 coins, and that beats the 78.32 if you hold just the Aces and discard the kicker.
  
  In the 8-5 version, average returns are 96.81 coins with the kicker and 78.01 without.
   
• 2-2-2, 3-3-3 or 4-4-4 with an Ace, 2, 3 or 4: In the 9-7 game, if you hold the kicker with the three of a kind, the average return is 54.57 coins, better than the 45.01 on the three of a kind by itself.
  
  With an 8-5 pay table, averages are 54.26 if you hold the kicker and 44.71 if you don’t.

That means in Triple Double Bonus Poker, the best video poker strategies are opposite those in Double Double Bonus Poker. Regardless of whether you have three Aces and a kicker or three 2s, 3s or 4s and a kicker on the initial deal, you hold the kicker along with the three of a kind in Triple Double Bonus, but discard the kicker in Double Double Bonus.

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What is a two-faced person? It is someone who is double-dealing and false. He is the opposite of what you think he is. He could be a friend or business partner who stabs you in the back. This type of person is also called Janus-faced, as a person with two characteristics modeled after the Roman god Janus. Think of those theatre faces with the smile and the frown connected together.

Table of Contents:

• Proposition Bets
• Quick Practice
• Double Zero Wheels
• Single Zero Wheels

This is at the root of my Big Number Two-Faced Roulette System. It contains the number and its opposite. I think you’ll find this a fun system to play, despite the fact that it is not an advantage-play method.

There are traditionally two types of “big number” roulette systems: The kind that can give you an edge over a land-based or an online casino because you have discovered a wheel that is biased or off balance (a very, very rare occasion today) or you’ve discovered a number that has been hitting more frequently than others simply due to the random nature of the game. This will happen a lot. In fact, this happens all the time.

Now, there is a third kind: A number that you choose as the “big number” and then decide to bet it, perhaps along with the numbers adjacent to it or to bet against it, perhaps along with the numbers adjacent to it. These are called “opposite numbers” as they are across the roulette wheel from the “big number” and its possible compadres. The opposite numbers are known as two-faced numbers as they go against the grain of the “big number” and its fellows. 

I recommend using the scoreboard to decide what your “big number” is. If the 4 has just hit, then your “big number” is a 4 and you work from there. You can bet the 4 and whatever adjacent numbers you wish or you can bet against the 4 and whatever adjacent numbers you wish. You can also bet proposition bets such as the red or black, high or low, even or odd.

[Please note: You can choose as many adjacent numbers as you wish. I have two on either side of the “big number” and two on either side of the Two-Faced number. That makes five numbers total. You can have more or fewer. This can be an expensive way to play so I would go for fewer and not more inside numbers.]

Using the proposition bets can save your bankroll some big hits if things are going the wrong way for you. I tend to always be cautious when betting my money.

[Please note: On the charts accompanying this article the designations for the “two-faced” propositions are not based on the second category of numbers; they are merely the reverse of the first category. So if the first category is odd, red, high; the “two-faced” category will be even, black, low. That second grouping of numbers is therefore irrelevant to the propositions.]

Let’s do a quick practice using the charts that accompany this article using the double-zero wheel. The scoreboard shows that the 11 has just hit. I now check out the number on the chart:

Going along with the “big number” we have these numbers: 26, 30, 11, 7, 20. If you bet these you are going with your “big number” of 11.

You can “two-face” that number by going with its opposite group of 25, 29, 12, 8, 19. Note that these numbers tend to be straight across the wheel from your “big number.” In single-zero roulette the zero does not have a “two-faced” number.

If you wish to bet the propositions you will see that the propositions that go along with 11 are odd, black and low. The propositions that “two-face” the 11 are the even, red and high.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

 

 

Should you play blackjack with one hand or two? I’ve been asked this question numerous times from blackjack players. My answer is this: “It depends on whether you have the edge or not.” Let me explain.

First let me focus on the majority of players who don’t have the edge when they play blackjack. (This includes blackjack basic strategy players.) 

Sometimes you’ll see a blackjack player playing two hands on every round. Other times a player may start a shoe playing one hand, and then suddenly, in the middle of the shoe, spread to two hands.  Why do some players do the latter? Mostly to “change the flow of the cards,” which they mistakenly believe will change their luck. (Because the house edge is the same on both hands, spreading to two hands will not guarantee that your luck will change.)

The one obvious thing that happens when you spread from one hand to two is that you will be dealt more hands per hour. For example, if you play with two other players, you can expect to be dealt roughly 100 rounds per hour. If, instead, you play two hands, you’ll get about 80 rounds dealt to you per hour, or a total of 160 hands per hour (that’s 60 more hands per hour). This isn’t a good idea because when the house has the edge and you play more hands per hour, you’re exposing more of your casino bankroll to that house edge, and you will lose more money.

But let’s say that instead of betting $20 on one hand, you split your bet evenly and wager $10 on each of two hands. Your theoretical hourly loss when you bet $20 on one hand is roughly $10 (assumes 100 hands per hour). Betting two hands of $10 each, your theoretical loss drops to $8 per hour (assumes 80 hands played per spot per hour, or 160 total). Therefore, you will decrease your hourly loss if instead of putting all your money on one hand, you bet half as much on each of two hands. (Note: The amount of the decrease of loss depends on how many other players are at the blackjack table with you.)

What if, instead of betting $20 on one hand, you bet $20 on each of two hands? Now you’ve increased the total amount bet in each round from $20 (one hand) to $40 (spread over two hands). In this scenario, the total amount that you wager per hour would be greater betting two hands than betting one, and your theoretical hourly loss will increase. Betting in this manner on two hands is, therefore, not recommended. 

On the surface you would think that the swings in your bankroll would be the same whether you bet, say, $50 on one hand or $25 on each of two hands, since the total amount wagered per round is the same ($50).  However, the two hands are really not independent because they are associated with the same dealer’s hand, so if the live casino dealer has a lousy hand, you are likely to win both hands (and vice versa if she has a strong hand). What this means in practical terms is that your bankroll will not fluctuate as much when you bet $25 on each of two hands compared to betting $50 on one hand.

Many blackjack players are happy if they can stretch their bankroll so it gives them a reasonable amount of time on the table (e.g., a three-hour session). Others are happy if they can achieve a predetermined win-goal (say, winning $150 with a $300 bankroll). Will betting more than one hand help you to achieve these objectives?

To answer this question, several years ago Norm Wattenberger, who is one of the foremost blackjack software developers, ran some computer simulations for different betting options (assuming the player started with a $300 bankroll) to determine what were the player’s chances of his bankroll’s surviving over a three-hour playing session (second column in table), and independently, the chances of a player’s winning $150 and quitting (third column). (Assumes100 hands per hour.)

What the data in the table show are:

1. For the same total amount wagered per round, betting two hands improves the chances of your bankroll’s lasting three hours but it also lowers the likelihood of winning $150.
2. Increasing the total amount wagered per round from $10 to $20 increases your chances of winning $150, but it also decreases the chances that your bankroll will last for three hours. Unfortunately, you can’t have it both ways.

The bottom line on playing two hands with half as much bet on each hand vs. betting it all on one hand is this: you will experience less fluctuation in your bankroll, and you are less likely to tap out during a session, but, you will have less chance of achieving a win goal. 

Now, what about a player who is card counting … is there an advantage to spreading to two hands? The answer is, yes, for several reasons.

1. Playing two hands is an excellent way of increasing your bet spread when the count is in your favor.
2. You can also bet 50% of what you would have bet on one hand, on each of two hands, with less risk and variance.
3. You can also keep your risk the same by betting 73% of what you would have bet on one hand on each of two hands instead. (For example, instead of betting, say, $50 on one hand, you could bet $35 on each of two spots with the same risk but greater expectation, assuming you are not playing alone.)
4. When the count is negative, you can spread to two hands with minimum bets to “eat” the small cards (i.e., by removing the small-value cards, the remaining unplayed cards become richer in the more player-favorable, high-value cards).
5. In a double-deck game, when the count is positive prior to the last round before the cut card appears, spreading to two hands will give a counter a slightly greater penetration (which increases his advantage).
6. If you are playing heads-up and spread to two hands, your chances of being dealt the high-value cards increase since you will be playing two hands against the dealer’s one hand.
7. Another way to camouflage your play and “eat” the small cards is to start a shoe betting two hands with minimum bets then reduce to one hand with larger bets when the count becomes favorable.

There are other reasons why spreading to two hands is advantageous to a card counter; if you want to learn more, I encourage you to consult Chapter 10 of my Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide. 

(Note: Most, but not all, casinos may have the requirement that when you spread to two (or more) hands, you must bet double the table minimum on each hand. Also, if you are card counting, spreading to two hands may bring attention your way from the pit. For details on this, see Chapter 10 of the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide.)

Most land-based and online blackjack players have no idea of what taking “Even Money” means to their game. Yet, most players gladly take the even money when it’s offered. In fact, most dealers and fellow players, and sometimes even pit bosses, will encourage players to take the even money because "it’s a sure win." After all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, right?

The even-money proposition comes into play whenever you’re dealt a blackjack hand and the dealer shows an Ace upcard. Say you bet $20 and you happily get a blackjack, but cringe when you see the dealer’s Ace upcard. You have the option to tell the dealer, before she peeks at her downcard, that you would like even money. She will pay you $20 and then remove your cards from the layout. You’ve won even money for your blackjack, even if the dealer subsequently flips over a blackjack of her own.

On the surface, taking even money looks like a “can’t lose” proposition, just as the dealers and pit bosses said. If you take even money, you'll be $20 richer regardless of what happens to the dealer’s hand. On the other hand, if you decline the even money, something very bad can happen; namely, the dealer could also have a blackjack, and you’d end up with nada for your beautiful blackjack. The choice looks clear: Take the sure money. 

But hold on, because there’s more to this story.

The problem here is what might happen if you decline the even money. What happens if the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack?

If you have a blackjack, decline the even money, and the dealer doesn't have blackjack, you are going to get paid $30 for your blackjack, which is 1.5 times your initial bet (equal to a 3-2 payout). That's something to consider before you take that “sure” even money.

So let’s review your choices when you get a blackjack and the dealer shows the Ace:

Choice #1: Take the even money and the sure twenty bucks.
Choice #2: Decline the even money and either:

• Win nothing, if the dealer has blackjack
• Win thirty bucks, if the dealer doesn't have blackjack.

It all boils down to this:

• Is it better to take the sure $20 by taking even money
• to decline even money and win $30, or get stuck with zilch? 

Most players don't want to risk getting nothing for their blackjack, so they opt for even money and the sure payoff. But guess what? That's the wrong play mathematically, and here’s why. 

 

 

Say you're sitting tight with your blackjack when the casino says it wants to pay you $20 for the hand. (That is, in fact, exactly what’s going on when the dealer asks you if you want “even money.”) Why, do you suppose, is the casino willing to give you $20 for your blackjack, right there and then, before the dealer peeks at the hole card? It’s certainly not because of your good looks. It’s definitely not because casino managers are being generous. 

No, the real reason that casinos are willing to give you twenty bucks for your blackjack is because they know that your hand is worth more than twenty bucks.

How? If you wager $20 and take even money, you'll win $20 one hundred percent of the time. But if you decline the even money, can you guess what percent of the time the dealer will have a blackjack (and you push) vs. the percent of the time she will not have a blackjack, and you joyously win thirty bucks? 

Check it out: A six-deck game contains 312 cards, of which 96 are ten-value cards (24 each of tens, jacks, queens, and kings). If you hold a blackjack and the dealer shows an Ace, there are 309 cards left, of which 95 are ten-value cards (remember that you're already holding one ten-value card in your blackjack hand). 

Therefore, the chance that the dealer has a ten in the hole is the ratio of 95 over 309, which is 30.7 percent. In other words, 30.7 percent of the time the dealer will get a blackjack and push your blackjack. 

It also means that a whopping 69.3 percent of the time, the dealer won't have the ten in the hole, and you'll be $30 richer!

With these percentages, you can easily compute the value of your blackjack hand. Here's how:

• 30.7 percent of the time you win 0 betting units
• 69.3 percent of the time you win 1.5 betting units.

If you average these numbers, you arrive at what many will find to be a surprising result—your blackjack hand is worth about 1.04 betting units. This means that for your $20 initial wager, your blackjack hand is actually worth about $20.80. No wonder the casinos are willing to pay you twenty bucks for your blackjack—they know it’s worth almost $20.80 (and they ain’t telling you). 

Here's another fact about even money that most players don't know: Taking even money when you have a blackjack and the dealer shows the Ace is the same as taking insurance on the blackjack. 

Suppose you bet $20 and get the blackjack, but the dealer happens to have an Ace upcard. If you want insurance, you make a $10 insurance wager (half your bet). What if the dealer checks her down card and she also has blackjack? Your blackjack ties hers and you push, but you get $20 for your winning $10 insurance wager (2 to 1 payoff), giving you a net profit of $20. 

If the dealer doesn't have the blackjack, you lose the $10 insurance bet, but you win $30 on your blackjack (3-2 payoff), for a net profit of—you guessed it—$20. Since insuring your blackjack yields a $20 profit whether the dealer has a blackjack or not, the casino offers players even money right up front. 

The bottom line with even money is this: If you always take it, in the long run you'll be giving away approximately four percent of your average profits on the hand. The casino is counting on you to take the even money; next time, surprise them and decline it. 

Note: There are three opportunities where it might sense to take even money. First is if a casino is paying 6-5 for a blackjack and offers even money, in which case you will have the advantage. (Don’t get too excited because firstly, you should never play in a 6-5 blackjack game, and secondly, most casinos are not that stupid to offer even money on their 6-5 tables.) The second time is to take even money as a strategic play on a last hand in a blackjack tournament to either overtake an opponent’s bankroll or preserve your bankroll from a potentially nasty negative swing. The third is if you are a card counter and know that there is a greater chance the dealer has a ten-value card in the hole. (I’ll cover these points in future articles.)

Almost all casino games are based on numbers. Even in games such as blackjack and baccarat the non-numbered picture cards are given their own numbers, 10 and 0 respectively. Who says math isn’t important? It certainly is in casino games.

Still many casino players are not fully aware of how all these numbers work. Many players will make bets that the numbers tell us are poor or, to be totally honest, terrible. Players get so caught up in the games that numbers are just some dreamlike side issue when such numbers are in fact the main purpose of the games.

Take a look at the payouts in roulette. A hit on a number pays 35-to-1 when the true payout in a game with no house edge should be 37-to-1 on the American double-zero wheel and 36-to-1 on the European single-zero wheel. The difference in those numbers shows clearly that one game is far better than the other game.

Dollars and cents make sense to the casinos and these should make sense to the players as well. Make bets with the wrong numbers, meaning house edge percentages, and you are asking for trouble if not tonight then as time goes on. Poor bets inevitably lead to poor monetary expectation. Adding more speed to the games, meaning more decisions per hour, will make even small house edges more difficult to overcome.

Craps is a game totally built on the numbers. There are 11 of them 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12. These are made with two dice, each with six sides showing six pits, one, two, three, four, five and six. The combinations of these pips make up the 11 numbers shown above.

[Please note: With two dice of six sides each, there are 36 possible combinations as six times six equals 36. All of craps exists within those 36 numbers. These 11 numbers are made with combinations of the following pips:

2 = 1:1
3 = 2:1, 1:2
4 = 2:2, 3:1, 1:3
5 = 3:2, 2:3, 4:1, 1:4
6 = 3:3, 4:2, 2:4, 5:1, 1:5
7 = 4:3, 3:4, 5:2, 2:5, 6:1, 1:6
8 = 4:4, 5:3, 3:5, 6:2, 2:6
9 = 5:4, 4:5, 6:3, 3:6
10 = 5:5, 6:4, 4:6
11 = 6:5, 5:6
12 = 6:6

Interestingly enough all these numbers have select nicknames which I will discuss in another column.]

THE MORE THE LESS MERRY

Typical craps players will tend to make combinations of bets. Most will go with three. Such players will make their Pass Line bets with two Come bets and/or Place bets. Some players will go further by consistently putting out Come bets until the Craps shooter sevens-out. Still other players will add “Crazy Crapper” bets such as the Horn, Any Craps, Any Seven, and the Hardway bets among a host of others. These bets come in with astounding house edges – meaning large numbers which will ultimately soak a player’s bankroll.

The more bets a player makes at craps, the less merry that player will be in a relatively short period of time. You can’t beat a game with a house edge by making multiple wagers and you certainly can’t beat such a game by making more and more outrageous selections.

In the past I used to recommend the three-bet wagering technique at the game but over recent years I have changed my mind. I am, in short, an old dog that has learned a new trick. I still use the Captain’s 5-Count before I bet on any shooters other than me, but I no longer subscribe to the multi-bet syndrome. (I shall discuss the Captain’s 5-Count in a future column.) 

So what is my new method of playing craps? Strap yourselves in!

ONE IS NOT THE LONELIEST NUMBER

I am now suggesting that instead of making multiple bets at the game of craps that you limit yourself to one. That’s correct; one bet on one shooter. My reasoning is simple – your negative expectation is lowered significantly by just going up against the house edge on a single number. Consequently it becomes a completely focused game for you; your single number versus the casino’s single number, the seven.

If the player makes two of the best bets at craps, the Pass Line and Come bet, and goes on three of them at once, he will face a house edge of 1.41 percent on each of the numbers he bets. So a $10 bettor’s expectation is to lose around 42 cents. If the player only makes one such bet, his expectation is to lose 14 cents.

Take a look at players who make more than three bets; say these players go up on four numbers? Five numbers? Six numbers? Throw in some Crazy Crapper bets for icing on the poisonous cake and what have you? The casino’s dream player.

Now start multiplying, not bets, but how much a player comparatively loses over time based on the number of bets he makes. When I write one Pass and one Come bet (or more) that can actually be multiple Come bets with no Pass Line bet. Now watch how scary this can get:

[Please note: Obviously winning and losing is not a smooth process. It’s up and down, in and out, but the above figures give you an idea of how bad the best bets can get over a rather short period of time. Most craps players, even those only betting $10 on the Pass and Come wagers, can see a lot of money being worked on by a rather small house edge.]

The above totals are indicative of how the losses grow based on the amount of money being wagered. A $10 bettor of the best bets will get to that $1,000 mark quite quickly.

Now think of attaching poorer bets such as Place bets instead of Come bets. The Place bets will come in with the following edges: 6.67 percent on the 4 and 10; four percent on the 5 and 9, and 1.52 percent on the 6 and 8. These edges will add significantly to a player’s losses.

Okay, let me go the route: Think of adding Crazy Crapper bets with edges of 16.67 percent, 13.89 percent, 12.5 percent, 11.11 percent, 9.09 and 5.56 percent, etc., to get an idea of how hard it is to come out just a little behind, or even or perhaps slightly ahead with a multiple bet approach to the game. A player trying that approach is just asking for trouble and he will get it too.

Now look at this chart and see how a single bet works based on what number you are betting. Dead time is the appearance of all numbers except the two that count for you, meaning the 7 and your specific number. 

PLAYERS’ QUESTIONS ON SINGLE NUMBER BETTING

Question: Shouldn’t I go up on some other numbers because watching all those other numbers appearing will cause me to be bored?

Answer: The key is not to think of those numbers as actual numbers. They are not a part of your game. Right now as you read this article numbers are being rolled all over the world. Those numbers are dead time to you right now. You aren’t concerned with them. You aren’t even thinking about them. The numbers rolled while you are at your table don’t count; it’s as if they are being rolled on another table. By the way, the same holds true if you are taking a break and while you are away from the table a friend of yours tells you about his or her great roll. So what? There’s a great rolls going on right now in many casinos across the world and you really don’t care about them.

Question: Do I take Odds on the number that is mine or do I just go with a plain Pass Line or Come bet?

Answer: I recommend taking Odds on your bet. If you are playing at a 5X Odds game and you want to bet $60, you are better doing that with a $10 Pass or Come bet with $50 in Odds. Your expected loss is only 14 cents. If you bet $60 on the 6 or 8 your expected loss is 91 cents. That’s a big difference. The differences are much bigger using Place bets on the 4, 5, 9 and 10.

Question: What if my number doesn’t hit? How will that make me feel? I’ll be missing out on something.

Answer: Once you get used to playing this way, you will feel nothing. You will also feel nothing when the shooter sevens-out and everyone takes a thumping at the table and you have lost only a single bet. You will also feel nothing when your number hits and then a quick seven-out occurs and everyone is moaning and groaning because they have lost multiple bets. The key thing to remember: Play your game and ignore what happens to everyone else. They don’t exist and those other numbers don’t exist either. Getting in that mindset will take a little while but you’ll hopefully get there.

Question: Won’t I lose comp time if I bet this way? 

Answer: Probably. Remember that your comps are based on the size and number of bets you make and how much time you are at the table. But so what? Comps are given based on your expected losses over time. They aren’t given to you because you are a heck of a nice person. You’re better off buying your own sandwich or gourmet dinner than losing so much money you could be a partner in the restaurant.

Question: How did you come up with this idea? It is as radical as I can think and I have a feeling very, very few craps players ever think of playing this way. What gave you this concept?

Answer: Over the years I looked at various gamblers and types of gambling and one thing stuck in my mind; part of the fun of gambling is the anticipation of the decision or event. Lottery players dream about winning the big one and they can’t wait for the drawing of the numbers. Slot players can’t wait to get to the casinos to play. This holds true of sports bettors, craps players and every other type of gambling. The anticipation is a large part of the fun!

But something happens when you play too much, you become somewhat numb to what’s happening. Before you go to the craps table you are supercharged but once you make countless multiple bets you seemingly become immune to that anticipatory set. You have too much happening. You are kind of numb. So playing that one-number bet continues the anticipatory set more strongly than throwing multiple bets out time and again. 

Aside from being the best money-management system, the single bet rewards you in a more emotional context. Anyway that’s the origin of the idea, a mixture of emotion and math.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Very few players alive today had the privilege that I had; that is, knowing and learning from the legendary Captain of craps, the late, great dice player, craps expert and teacher who called Atlantic City his domain. I was lucky to know him, play with him, and learn the game of craps and casino gambling in general under his tutelage. 

There are only two living members of his great “crew,” Satch and me. At the time of our early 1990’s dealings with the Captain we two were basically low rollers; in short, five-dollar bettors. The 22-member Captain’s Crew that we joined were high rollers of the really, really high sort. There were more orange chips on the table than red that is for sure. And browns! Many gamblers were intimidated by such wagering levels. I know I was.

Of course, Satch’s wife and my wife the Beautiful AP were with us every step of the way with the Captain. So that leaves four of us. It was some ride! 

Satch has more or less retired from playing craps so I am the only active member still playing the game remaining, I do find that sad but life has a way of taking all of us out of itself as time swiftly passes everybody by. Craps games do not last forever.

 

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT SHOOTING THE DICE? 

Everyone at a craps table knows one thing for sure; the casino will pass the dice to him or her and give them a chance to beat the house. This is a wonderful thing if the shooter does well and a horrible thing if the shooter does not do well.

There are only two games in the casinos (one of them will also apply to a licensed online casino) where the player has the opportunity to take the bull by horns and try to beat the house. The first is the high-roller room baccarat of the big table where players actually get to deal the cards. The second is the game of craps where every player is given the opportunity to shoot the dice in order to try to bring home the money.

[Please note: In high-roller baccarat, the players get to deal the cards but all decisions are prescribed by the rules of the game. Since the game is dealt out of a shoe, the player who is dealer has no control over anything although, yes, dealing is fun.]

Most players will take their turn shooting those cubes. There are a few individuals who won’t and they will pass up their turn with the dice. If you do play craps by all means take those dice and try to make some money from your own roll. It is a unique opportunity.

Can players actually throw the dice in a way that gives them a chance to overcome the house edges at the game? Almost none can – except for a few outliers who actually have developed what the Captain called the “rhythmic rolling” ability. That hard-earned skill I will get to at the end of this article.

The Captain categorized shooters based on their proper attitude towards shooting or lack thereof. True, almost all shooters had to face the random game but how they played it meant something to him. Form and style had meaning to him.

THE “I DON’T CARE” SHOOTER

I am sure all craps players have experienced this shooter and probably most of them feel as the Captain does; these “I don’t care” shooters don’t take their shooting seriously. They just whip the dice down the layout and effect an arrogant, uncaring haughtiness thereby letting everyone betting on them know that rolling is meaningless at a game such as craps.

The “I don’t care” shooters are right too. But they are wrong as well. 

Players’ money means something to those players. Certainly the game is random as life itself could be random; as the universe could be, as our individual selves could be but we give meaning to ourselves, our family, friends, jobs and our activities and all the things we think and do and one such thing many of us do is shooting the dice at craps. 

The Captain said, “I want to think the person shooting the dice whether a random shooter or not; I want to see that shooter look serious; knowing players’ money is at stake in the game. That means something to me. Style is important in all aspects of craps and of life. I take the game seriously and I expect other players to take the game seriously as well. If I have money bet on them I want them to care about that.”

The “I don’t care” shooter makes the game less important than the other players think it is. He degrades their seriousness and concern. Craps is far more fun when this person is not at the game.

[Please note: A corollary to this shooter is the same type who also criticizes other shooters for taking their shooting seriously. “Come on, shoot the stinking dice, will you?” Add such admonitions from the “I don’t care” shooter and the game loses its appeal.]

 

THE AVERAGE SHOOTER 

Most shooters care about having a good roll. Just ask them. Sure everyone knows the game is random but that doesn’t stop them from giving it the old college try. They want to do well and their faces show it. When they are having a hot roll, they look as if they are having a hot roll. You see joy written on their faces. When they quickly seven-out, they are crest fallen. You see that emotion too. 

The Captain said, “How a player looks is the key to how they feel. I want the player to want to do well. That caring? Does it translate into a good roll? No, not at all, but it does tell you that you and the shooter are in this game together. Our fates are linked.”

[Please note: Only don’t players, those darksiders, want a quick seven-out when other players shoot the dice or when they roll the dice. Still, many of these darksiders never shoot the dice or they shoot in the “I don’t care” manner showing all the other players that they want to lose. Many right-side players find such darksiders intolerable and actively root for them to lose. It is rare, however, for darksiders to cheer when a shooter sevens-out.]

THE CAREFUL SHOOTER

I am seeing more and more careful shooters in the past 20 years; that is, shooters who take care with fixing their dice on certain pips and taking great care with their rolls. You just know they want to do well and they are sincerely (somewhat) sure that if they can just get those dice to do what they want everyone at the table will make some good money. They believe that in some way their rolls will be good.

The Captain said, “When I go to a gourmet restaurant I want to dress up. I like seeing men and women looking their best. It adds to the dining experience. The shooters who fix the dice in certain ways and take some time with their throws give me a charge. I am so rooting for them to do well, not just so I can win money, but so they feel a sense of accomplishment. If you meet a shooter such as this who did have a good roll; you meet him in a restaurant or the cashier, you thank them. They feel great when you do that. They cared.”

[Please note: “Fixing the dice” is the same as “setting the dice.” It is making sure certain pips on the dice are aligned the way as you want them to be.]

THE RHYTHMIC ROLLER

The Captain of craps believed that some small segment of dice shooters actually had the skills to change the nature of the game when they rolled. These shooters went from random to controlled. They could hit certain numbers more often than the math of the game indicated or they could avoid certain numbers such as the seven. He called these shooters “rhythmic rollers.”

It wasn’t too hard for him to believe in such since he was himself a rhythmic roller. Indeed, the greatest rhythmic roller I ever saw was the woman called “the Arm” who was truly an amazing sight to behold. She was the shooting glue that held the Captain and the Crew (and me!) in her grip. I have never seen a shooter since her that can match her.

For years I taught a course in rhythmic rolling but I found that most students just couldn’t do what was necessary to achieve this ability. It was not any physical limitations, it was discipline coupled with the ability to completely change one’s perception of the game.

My estimation was that for most novice rhythmic rollers it would take at least six months of practice to become somewhat proficient. A huge segment of the students did not want to wait that long and headed right to the casinos to try out what they had just learned. That would be like taking a first week little-league ballplayer and having him play in the major leagues. Success would not happen except through luck. In short, these craps players would be random shooters who fancied themselves rhythmic rollers. Sadly some teachers would egg these poor souls on to hop to the casinos and jointly play together at the same tables.

The next problem was huge. Most of the players could not rid themselves of their poor betting choices. Even those players who actually achieved some mastery of a rhythmic roll just couldn’t stop wagering on propositions that they had no ability to beat. They made the worst bets and then bragged if luck was in their corner on any given session. This luck they mistook for skill but they paid the price for such foolishness.

Many teachers of rhythmic rolling do not have the actual skill but pretend they do. They can be dangerous individuals with which to throw one’s lot. You will learn poor betting methods and a host of supposedly legitimate throws which are not really legitimate at all. So that is one big caveat to achieving a real skill.

[Please note: Rhythmic rolling was coined by the Captain but since his time other words or phrases have also been used to describe this skill such as precision shooting, dice control, dice influence and rhythm rolling. These are all synonyms.] 

ELEMENTS OF THE RHYTHMIC ROLL 

There essentially 10 elements to the rhythmic roll. 

• Proper setting the dice in a way that encourages certain numbers to appear or in order to reduce the appearance of the seven.
• Proper gripping of the dice so there is little or no friction when released.
• Proper arc on the dice, which changes depending on the table.
• Proper bounce of the dice on the table so there is not too much friction or activity on the dice from a table’s layout or the pyramids at the back wall.
• Playing at good tables for one’s throw.
• Proper betting on oneself.
• Avoidance of all poor bets such as the hardways, the horn, the field, and all place bets except perhaps the six and the eight. 
• Extremely small bets on other players. One small Come or Pass Line bet is recommended.
• Regular at-home practice.
• Honesty about your actual skill.

SUMMARY

Listen to the Captain. His words and his ideas have revolutionized much of craps play – at least to those of us who listen to him. How you shoot the dice is a reflection of your character. Be serious about it even if you are playing the random game with your actual shot.

I have written several books about him and I have based my writing on his ideas. Following a player such as the Captain is a smart move.

The Captain has stood me in good stead for three decades.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Roulette is a game of strategy, and it's all about the numbers; individual numbers, high numbers, low numbers, red numbers, black numbers, odd numbers, even numbers, and dozens of numbers. There are numbers and combinations of numbers that make roulette players’ hearts flutter with excitement. Will my number(s) come in? Or will my numbers disappoint me?

Maybe the biggest hoped for number answers the following question: How much money can I win? Winnings constitute numbers too. Indeed, money might be the essence of all the numbers.

Of course, most offline and online casino games rely on numbers but some are festooned with them and just such a game is roulette. Another such game is craps.

Roulette is an old game too, probably going back to the 16th century to Blaise Pascal’s attempt to create a perpetual motion machine; and perhaps this game goes back even further than that. It is said that Roman soldiers played games by spinning their shields and winning and losing on the outcomes. 

[Please note: Why are casino players so obsessed with games composed of numbers? Is it that in reality we always use numbers to figure out where and how we are walking, running, swimming, sailing, driving a car, flying a plane, throwing a baseball, passing a football, shooting a basketball, checking the price of food, entertainment and the expense of an engagement ring? We might not know these activities all boil down to the use of numbers but they certainly do. We are all mathematicians whether we know it or not.]

PLAYING THE NUMBERS

So how should we play the numbers of roulette? First and foremost, we must remember that the game has an edge for the house. On the American double-zero wheel the edge is 5.26 percent, with two exceptions. On the European single-zero wheel, the edge is 2.7 percent, with one exception. The American wheel has 38 numbers; the European wheel has 37 numbers. The payout for a single inside number is 35-to-1 on both wheels.

[Please note: The edge is simple to determine: Divide 38 into 2 and you get .0526 which becomes a house edge of 5.26 percent in the American game. Divide 37 into 1 and you get .0270 which becomes a house edge of 2.7 percent in the European game. Why 2 and 1? Because the house keeps two units for a player win in the American game and one unit of a win in the European game.]

In the following, I will assume that we know what the edges are at both games and I will only mention those edges that differ from the norm.

INSIDE SINGLE NUMBER BETS

You place your chips directly on an individual number or numbers. The payout is 35 to one.

Pros: Because the payout is 35 to one and a win gets those juices flowing, many players prefer this style of betting. If you are lucky enough to make a hit early, the roulette wheel seems like an easy game to beat.

Cons: The pattern of wins and losses is similar to that of a slot machine, although worse, since you only have a one in 37 or a one in 38 chance to come up with a victory. You can experience long periods of losing streaks. That is not much fun. Slot machines actually hit more often even though their percentage edge is usually greater than the one at roulette.

INSIDE SPLIT BETS

You place your chip(s) on the line between two numbers. If either one hits you win 17 to one.

Pros: With one bet you can cover two numbers increasing your chances to win but not increasing or decreasing the house edge. This applies to all inside combination bets. More numbers covered by a single bet, the better a win on that spin.

Cons: The house edge does not change at all on this bet but your chances of winning do go up. Again, the player can have long losing streaks by betting on the splits. Be careful that other bettors do not accidentally push your bet onto a single number.

INSIDE WAGERS:

STREET BETS

You place your bet on the outside line of the three numbers you wish to win. The payout is 11 to one.

Pros: One bet, three numbers covered. Yes, this can reduce losing streaks.

Cons: By placing your bet on an outside line you might find that other players accidentally push your chip(s) away from this outside line. Be aware of this as it does happen at times. You might want to wait to put your bet out so other players are finished with their bets.

SQUARE BETS

This is a four-number bet. You place your bet on the middle area of four boxes so you have two boxes on top of the bet and two boxes underneath the bet. In short, the lines intersect in the middle of the bet. The payout is eight to one. 

Pros: Easy bet to notice. Losing streaks continue to be reduced.

Cons: Big problem is once again someone knocking your chip(s) off the bet since many players might want to bet any one of those numbers straight up.

THE MONSTER MASHER OR THE BEAST BET

This five-number bet is only found on the American double-zero wheel and covers the 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 numbers. It has the highest house edge at roulette of any wager; it comes in at 7.89 percent. Absolutely a total waste of your money! Avoid it.

THE SIXER BET

This is a six-number bet that is placed on the outside line that splits three numbers from three numbers. The payout is five to one.

Pros: Again, with a single bet you can cover six inside numbers. The reduction in losing streaks is the best for this style of inside betting.

Cons: There is a tendency on the part of some players who bet the six numbers to want to cover ever more numbers on the inside and that can create a somewhat frenetic individual prone to losing streaks. 

[Please note: Some players want to cover even more inside numbers but not by making individual single bets, so they will put two or more of the above inside combination bets on the layout. You will not see this very often but it is something to be aware of as these bets can be pushed around quite a lot and players don’t want their bets pushed off that layout area.]

OUTSIDE PROPOSITION BETS

You will find all the outside proposition bets ringing the roulette numbers. All of them give you a greater chance of winning than any of the above inside bets. Some are almost 50-50, as in 18 wins and 20 losses on the double-zero wheel and 18 wins and 19 losses on the single-zero wheel. The others are up to a dozen numbers and you can, if you want, bet up to 24 numbers by betting two of these particular propositions.

THE DOZENS BETS

If you look at the layout you will note that numbers 1 through 12; 13 through 24 and 25 through 36 will each form a “boxed” set. These boxes are called the First Dozen, the Second Dozen and the Third Dozen. There is a betting area under each of these dozens for a player to place his or her wagers. The payout on the Dozens bet is two to one. The zero or zeros do not count as part of the Dozens bets.

Pros: Betting a dozen numbers with one bet usually reduces fluctuation and long losing streaks experienced with inside betting. If you bet two of the dozens you get 24 numbers out of 37 and 38 numbers on the respective games. 

Cons: Giving yourself so many numbers may at first seem great but keep in mind the more you bet the more money the house edge works on. You will win more often on these bets but you will also lose more money over time.

COLUMN BETS

There is another type of “dozen bet” that is not boxed but is in a lengthwise line on the layout. This bet is called a Column bet and goes from 1 through 34; 2 through 35 and 3 through 36. These numbers are not in numerical order.  The betting is done at the bottom of the column and the payout for a winning wager is two to one. The zero or zeros do not count as part of the Column bets.

Pros and cons for the Columns bets are the same as for the above Dozens bets. 

HIGH OR LOW BETS

You can bet High numbers which are 19 through 36 or the Low numbers which are 1 through 18. The zero or zeros do not count as either high or low. The payout is one to one. 

Pros: You have 18 chances to win and 20 chances to lose on the American double-zero wheel and 18 chances to win and 19 chances to lose on the European single-zero wheel. The pattern of play is rather close as truly long losing streaks are relatively rare.

Cons: The house edge does not change because you have so many possible winners; just the pattern of wins and losses changes.

RED OR BLACK BETS

With the exception of the green zero(s), the numbers at roulette are either red or black. You can bet on either color and the payout for a winning bet is one to one. 

The pros and cons are the same as for the High and Low bets.

 

ODD OR EVEN BETS

Again, with the exception of the green zero(s), numbers at roulette are either odd or even. You can bet either proposition. The payout is one to one.

[Please note: In roulette your initial bet is not part of payout as it is in slots. If a slot pays 10 coins on a line, one or more of those coins will be the actual bet itself. When a roulette bet wins, you keep the original bet and are paid the full amount. So a 10 to one win is actually 10 and your original bet is returned.]

SURRENDER AND EN PRISON

Some casinos around the world offer players the opportunity to reduce the house edge at roulette in half. Instead of bucking a 5.26 percent house edge against the double-zero wheel or a 2.70 percent house edge on the single-zero wheel, you face a 2.63 percent edge or a 1.35 percent edge respectively.   

In a game with surrender the live casino dealer will scoop up only half your bet when 0 or 00 hits on the High/Low, Red/Black or Odd/Even. Thus, the house edge drops to 2.63 percent on the double-zero wheels and 1.35 percent on the single-zero wheels. 

A 1.35 percent house edge is one of the lowest in the casino. 

PUT ME EN PRISON

En prison also reduces the house edge on those outside even-money bets in half. This unique roulette rule is found on some of the single-zero roulette games. It is simple; if the zero hits your bet is locked up until the next spin of the wheel. You will either win or lose that spin.

[Please note: You can bet the same amount for the same length of time on these outside bets with surrender or en prison and reduce your expected losses in half. Or, two, you can double your bet figuring that your wins will be more when you get hot. Or, three, you can employ an even-money roulette betting system, some of which I have written about in other articles. So what is the best bet to use? In my opinion, it is that first one!] 

DANGER AWAITS

One danger certainly faces players when they are playing those even-money proposition bets and that is falling into the trap of thinking that trends will dominate and be predictable. “Red has hit six times? It must be hot! No, no, it is about to get cold!”

Neither is true. You can structure your betting “system” however you like but do not lull yourself into a state of belief. Land-based and online roulette are random and the results are random no matter what they seem to be in the short run.

 

All the best in and out of the casinos!