The one question I often get from casino players is this: “What is the Blackjack Ball?” Therefore, before I discuss what went down at the 2019 Ball, I’ll briefly summarize its history and content.

• Max Rubin is universally credited for implementing the Blackjack Ball. Rubin was a casino executive, an advantage player, and author of the popular book Comp City. He also had a vision for an event that would recognize and celebrate players, gaming mathematicians, gaming authors, and others who made the greatest contributions to the game of blackjack. His vision came to fruition when he held the first Blackjack Ball in 1997, and it has been an annual event ever since. 
• The Blackjack Ball consists of a dinner, a Calcutta (more about this shortly), voting for nominees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame, a 21-question test to determine the five finalists who compete in a skills competition on a blackjack table to determine the year’s  “World’s Greatest Blackjack Player” (and bragging rights). The gala also allows the unique group of professionals the opportunity to renew old acquaintances, make new ones, and exchange playing experiences.
• Only a highly select group of advantage players, including some of the world’s best (and most dangerous) active and retired players, as well as others who have contributed to the craft, are invited to the Ball.  There is a waiting list and each potential candidate must be approved by a committee of Blackjack Hall of Famers. (Note: If you accept the invitation and don’t show without canceling, the likelihood of receiving a future invitation is nil.)
• The Ball had been hosted solely by Max Rubin; however, beginning in 2017, Richard Munchkin began co-hosting. Munchkin is a long-time advantage player, co-host of the podcast “Gambling with an Edge,” and author of Gambling Wizards: Conversations with the World's Greatest Gamblers. (Besides being a professional gambler, he is also a writer, producer, and director of film and television.)
• The list of invitees has grown to about 100 attendees. Each guest receives an email invitation from Max or Richard shortly before the Ball that gives the date, time, and location of the event. The location of the Blackjack Ball is a closely guarded secret because if a casino employee were to discover its location and somehow infiltrate the event, it would make that employee’s career, while at the same time destroying the livelihood of many professional players in attendance. Security is also tight the evening of the event. Guests go through several screenings consisting of presenting a valid driver’s license to a security guard who confirms that the individual is on the official list of invitees, and then another screening at the entrance to the Ball. (In the invitation email for this year’s Ball, Munchkin wrote: “There are more than 50 players clamoring for one of the seats at the Ball; therefore, if you don’t RSVP by December 31, your chances will be somewhere south of zero of attending the 23rd soiree.”)
• Invited guests must bring a bottle of chilled premium champagne to the event to share with their colleagues. (Anyone bringing a “cheap” bottle of bubbly would be refused admittance and permanently removed from the invited guest list.) Beginning this year, each guest must also pony up $100 at the door, twenty bucks is used to “seed” the Calcutta pool, and the rest is used to pay for the Ball’s extraordinary operating expenses.
• The Blackjack Ball is sponsored by Barona Casino (San Diego). You might find it strange that a casino would sponsor an event for professional blackjack players.  The reason is that the players in attendance agree to never play blackjack in their casino for life, a very smart move on Barona’s part because all other casinos are fair game. (Additionally, Barona offers a “lifetime comp” consisting of free room, meals, and beverage to all inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame, as long as they agree to never play blackjack at Barona during the remaining days of their lives.) 
• The winner of the “World’s Greatest Blackjack Player” competition used to receive an engraved trophy (known as the Blackjack Cup). Several years ago, professional blackjack player James Grosjean beat his peers in the Blackjack Ball competition three out of four years, and took second place the other year. Because of his extraordinary feat, Rubin barred Grosjean from further competition; however, the Blackjack Ball Committee also acknowledged Grosjeans’s accomplishments by renaming the Blackjack Cup  the “Grosjean Cup.”  Beginning in 2016 another change was implemented. The Grosjean Cup became a Nebuchadnezzar, a 15-liter, three-foot-tall, engraved bottle of Luc Belaire rare Rose Champagne (equivalent to about 20 regular bottles of champagne; see photo), courtesy of Blackjack Hall of Famer Don Johnson.  Additionally, Richard Munchkin won the competition three times and was also banned from future competition. To honor Richard’s accomplishments, the second place winner in the competition receives a smaller engraved trophy known as the “Munchkin Award.”

2019 BLACKJACK BALL DETAILS

There were several changes made to the 2019 Ball, which included:

1. The invitation stated: Please no jeans, tennis shoes, or cargo shorts – the Ball is not formal but the dressier the better. (By my observation, more guys wore suits and sport jackets, and ladies had more formal attire than previous Balls. Good change!)
2. Instead of each guest’s paying $20 at the door, as mentioned above, each guest had to pay $100 in cash.
3. At the first screening, a guest in a car had to produce an ID corresponding to his/her name on the invited guest list. Guests “blackjack handle” were on the guest list when you entered the party, and anyone’s real name was kept anonymous.
4. During the Blackjack Ball test questions, attendees had to use only one answer card, and after the last question was announced, attendees, had exactly 30 seconds to turn in their card. (This new rule is known as the “John Chang” rule; see the reason for implementing this rule in the instructions to the test questions appearing at the end of this article.)
5. To help preserve the future of the Blackjack Ball, Dr. Edward Thorp (who was present at the Ball), graciously donated 15 boxes containing his collection of rare gambling books (along with personal letters that go with them).  Only a very small portion of his historical library was auctioned during this Ball. (Blind auction, meaning you submit your bid without knowing what anyone else bid.)  The collectable books included:
   1. The Weekend Gambler’s Handbook. Hard cover in pristine condition, written and published in 1963 by Dunes owner Major Riddle. Includes internal handwritten commentary by Dr. Thorp. Embossed as part of Dr. Thorp’s personal gambling library.
   2. Playing live Blackjack as a Business. Excellent first edition, hard cover, written by Lawrence Revere in 1971. Signed with message to Dr. Thorp. Includes written commentary disputing certain notions cited by Mr. Revere. Also includes original five-page letter written by Lance Humble, Ph.D., about Mr. Revere and Dr. Humble. An Irreplaceable gambling book without peer. Embossed as part of Dr. Thorp’s personal gambling library.
   3. Turning the Tables on Las Vegas. Perfect condition, first hard cover edition published by Ian Andersen in 1976. Includes message: “To my famous friend,” signed by Mr. Andersen. Embossed as part of Dr. Thorp’s personal gambling library.
   4. How to Win at CARDS (“21” & Poker), DICE, RACES, ROULETTE.  Used Paperback, written by Mike Goodman, legendary gambler and Casino Manager, published in 1963. Includes a full page of hand-written commentary by Dr. Thorp. Embossed as part of Dr. Thorp’s personal gambling library, the book’s back cover specifically states that he CHALLENGES anyone to use their system to take him on. He then says if they don’t have the guts to back up their systems with hard cash, then he specifically challenges such “experts” as Edward O. Thorp, Ph.D., John Scarne, and others to meet him face to face in public to debate any phase of gambling on which they claim to be authorities and finishes with, “How about it? Any takers?” A fascinating read for any student of the game.
   5. Professional Blackjack. Good condition hard cover originally published in 1975 by Stanford Wong.  Includes six original letters between Messrs. Wong and Thorp, along with internal commentary by Dr. Thorp regarding certain math “proofs” provided by Mr. Wong’s book. Embossed as part of Dr. Thorp’s personal gambling library, this is an ultra-exclusive, one-of-a-kind, collection of blackjack history.

Note: The money raised from the sale of Thorp’s library will be used to create and maintain a legal entity so that the Blackjack Ball and the Blackjack Hall of Fame will continue in perpetuity.

The evening’s festivities began with hors d’oeuvres and drinks (with plenty of champagne!), followed by a delicious buffet featuring carved prime rib, salmon, and lots more good eats courtesy of Barona Resort and Casino. 

(Note: According to Rubin, 13 members out of 26 Blackjack Hall of Famers attended this year’s Ball.)

At this year’s ball, the attendees got to vote on a slate of six nominees for induction into the Blackjack Hall of Fame. What follows is the process used to choose nominees for induction into the Hall of Fame (by Max Rubin).

“The living members of the Hall of the Fame sent names to me for suggested nominees, and all names were then discussed and voted upon. The six prospective nominees that received the most votes were then placed on the ballot. 

“Much to their consternation, this process has prevented several well-known but lesser accomplished “one trick ponies” that have written introductory-level books or excelled at running numbers from joining the mix of truly worthy candidates that have achieved the highest levels of success, either on the tables or through their contributions to the craft.” 

Summaries of each nominee’s accomplishments are below. All bona fide professional players at the Ball selected only one name on their ballot out of the six worthy candidates. (Hall of Famers not present sent their vote to Rubin; all Hall of Famers votes count triple.)

THE NOMINEES WERE:

CAT HULBERT

Cat was selected as one of BBC’s 100 Women of 2016 – an honor given to “high-profile women from the spheres of entertainment, sport, business and politics.” Chosen for being the first woman to break through the glass ceiling of professional blackjack in 1978, she played on the Czechoslovakian blackjack team in over 300 casinos worldwide. Cat’s aggressive play and fearlessness changed many opinions on the mathematical and emotional capabilities of women to bet it up under pressure.

Selected by Card Player Magazine in 1996 as one of the best and smartest card players in the world, she was one of only eight professional gamblers to be included in Richard Munchkin’s book, Gambling Wizards. Along with teaching a women’s-only poker class for many years at the Hollywood Park Casino, Cat also wrote Outplaying the Boys, a humorous book and guide for women, published in NYC in 2005, teaching ladies how to become more competitive in life and at the tables.

Cat was featured in LA’s The Daily Breeze and the Sunday LA Times for her top-notch card- playing abilities in blackjack and poker. Also a contestant on Blackjack’s Tournament of Champions, Cat has been a guest on numerous radio shows including NPR, Gambling with an Edge, and BBC’s The Conversation; often sought out due to her unusual successful life choices and her mission to change how women are viewed – by men and by themselves alike. On December 7, 2016, the BBC published a biographical article based on her remarkable exploits that claimed to have received a million reads the first day it appeared on their homepage.

MIKE MICHALEK

Mike was one of the earliest card counters to realize that there were opportunities in blackjack, beyond straight counting.  Credited by many for creating some of the earlier shuffle- and ace-tracking methods, he was one of the very few AP’s that could walk through a casino, see a game or procedure, and often design unique plays to exploit new opportunities “on the spot.”

When Mike's name comes up among those in the know, the word “creative” often begins that conversation.  As the brain behind many successful sports and blackjack projects, many famous advantage players relied on the lessons learned from Mike to accumulate massive bankrolls and mostly all of them attribute money they’ve made over the years to his influence. Renowned professional blackjack players including Tommy Hyland, Bill Benter, John Chang, Peter Wagner, Richard Dougherty, and many, many more often pay homage to Mike for taking their games to new heights.

Although Mike has been inactive for more than ten years due to serious health issues, some of his more clever blackjack “inventions” are still being used by talented AP’s across the globe to harvest money from casinos that continue to remain unfamiliar with the unique playing and betting techniques that he created decades ago.

RICHARD DOUGHERTY

Richard has long been one of the blackjack players casinos fear the most ... and most often. Casinos have sent out literally hundreds of flyers, bulletins, and alerts about Richard during his more than three decades as a blackjack “Road Warrior,” and yet he still marches on. 

Throughout his long, illustrious and (in)famous career, blackjack has been Richard’s virtually only source of income; no matter how many times the casinos back him off, assault him, and even go so far as to have him arrested for his legal activities, he never stops his relentless attack on their games.

Not only does Richard refuse to be intimidated by casino and surveillance personnel, he’s also “turned the tables” on casinos and extracted hefty scores via profitable lawsuits after suffering through illegal “back roomings” and outright beatings in front of the public on the casino floor on the Las Vegas Strip! As if that weren’t enough to put Richard in the casinos’ crosshairs, as a fearless and fun-loving casino prankster, he’s also pulled off a number of clever and legendary practical jokes that leave everyone (other than the casinos) laughing with glee.

ROB REITZEN

There are few, if any, players that have won more money in the history of blackjack than Rob Reitzen. From simple card counting, to shuffle tracking/sequencing, to bottom steering, to advanced computer play, Rob has beaten games in more innovative ways than most professional blackjack players even know to exist.

The founding partner of CORE, which went on to become the largest and most profitable player- banking operation in history, Rob was featured in an Esquire magazine article in which the  reporter followed him and watched him beat Caesars Palace in Las Vegas out of more than $500,000, while using a sequencing technique he dubbed “The Hammer” on a single weekend!

MARIA “THE GREEK”

Maria is the co-founder and one-time manager of “The Greeks” blackjack team. Having quit their day jobs as very successful New York attorneys, she, her brother, and highly respected colleagues formed the largest single group of players in history; at one time she simultaneously managed over 40 individual players. 

She recruited only the top talent, having the most notoriously difficult set of tests required to pass in order to get onto the team. Additionally, Maria’s team won countless millions utilizing a “slash and burn” technique in which BP’s would wade into the middle of a game, often betting 3 x $10,000. Needless to say, each BP didn’t last long, but the enormous bets resulted in some of the largest card counting wins in history. 

An extraordinary businessperson, she utilized her business acumen, extraordinarily high I.Q. (even among the best of the best), along with common sense to guide the most successful single card counting team this century.

Along with being a master at sequencing, tracking, and now a high- stakes poker professional, Maria is also the only woman to have ever won the coveted title of “World’s Greatest Blackjack Player” at the Blackjack Ball (even in the days when arm wrestling, chip shuffling, card tossing, and more were among the 11 events at the final table).

PAUL RYLANCE

Paul was an early pioneer regarding team play especially as it related to shoe-based 21. During the ’70s he implemented a professional and mathematically-based approach to bankroll sizing that involved running blackjack simulations.  He is possibly the first player to organize a team and attack the European casinos. Paul organized and managed the Czech team. His team was able to play simultaneously in multiple countries on multiple continents. All players including women were treated with integrity and respect. He organized and managed one of the largest 1979 Atlantic City teams and paired up with Ken Uston. This was written about by Uston in the book One Third of a Shoe. 

NEWEST INDUCTEE INTO BLACKJACK HALL OF FAME

Congratulations to Rob Reitzen for being voted by his peers into the prestigious Blackjack Hall of Fame. 

(Note: Reitzen garnered the most votes followed by Cat Hulbert (2nd), Maria “The Greek” (3rd), Mike Michalek and Richard Dougherty (tied for 4th), and Paul Rylance (6th). 

Reitzen now joins an illustrious group of blackjack luminaries in the Blackjack Hall of Fame. (You can view the physical Blackjack Hall of Fame at the Barona Resort and Casino, located in San Diego, CA.) The up-to-date listing of the members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame (and the year they were inducted) follows:

• Al Francesco (2002)
• Peter Griffin (2002)
• Tommy Hyland (2002)
• Arnold Snyder (2002)
• Edward O. Thorp (2002)
• Ken Uston (2002)
• Stanford Wong (2002)
• Max Rubin (2004)
• Keith Taft (2004)
• Julian Bruan (2005)
• Lawrence Revere (2005)
• John Chang (2006)
• James Grosjean (2006)
• Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, and James McDermott, collectively known as the “Four Horsemen of Aberdeen” (2008)
• Richard Munchkin (2009)
• Darryl Purpose (2010)
• Zeljko Ranogajec (2011)
• Ian Andersen (2012)
• Robert Nersesian (2014)
• Don Schlesinger (2015)
• Bill Benter (2016) 
• Don Johnson (2017)
• Wally Simmons (2018)
• Rob Reitzen (2019)

CALCUTTA

Next on the agenda was the usual Calcutta, which is sort of a pari- mutuel wagering where the attendees can bet on who they think will win the coveted Grosjean Cup and title of “World’s Greatest Blackjack Player.” Below is the list of the seeds (THE PLAYERS) where attendees were slotted into an appropriate grouping.  The second column (BEST FINISH) shows the results for each seed in previous Balls. Max posted the opening odds of winning (on his overhead slide at the Ball) for each seed then started the bidding. (During the Calcutta, the bids ranged from a low of $600 for a particular seed up to a high of $3,500 for another.)

Bidding was lively amongst this group of advantage players. (The reason, of course, was due to the overlay created when we all chipped in $20 at the door to seed the pot. There was some serious money to be won in the Calcutta, and the group of advantage players knew it.) Max, of course, was the auctioneer, and he kept extolling the virtues of players in each seed to bump up the bidding, which was often fast and furious. (Note: The money collected from the highest bidder for each seed goes into a pool, and the prize money was disbursed to the persons who purchased the finalists finishing first, second, and third (win, place, and show), and 10% was awarded to the winning bidder for the fourth place finisher, in the competition for the “World’s Greatest Blackjack Player.”) Also, the attendees in each seed are allowed to purchase up to 50% of themselves from the highest bidder. 

The competition for the title (and bragging rights) as the “World’s Greatest Blackjack Player” consists of several rounds, the first being a challenging, 21-question, written test followed by a series of subsequent rounds conducted on a blackjack table that test the player’s card-counting skills.  

(Note: The written test includes a mix of questions on blackjack, gambling trivia, and general knowledge because, as Rubin puts it, “A world-class blackjack player should know lots of stuff because you never know when it might come in handy.”)

Below are instructions read by Rubin prior to reading the test questions.  Put on your thinking cap and try to answer them. 

BLACKJACK BALL 2019: ROUND ONE QUESTIONS

In order to eliminate opportunities for mischief, as always, as you fill out your game card, you must completely answer each true or false question or multiple choice question and fill in the blank before we move on to the next question. All answers must be marked with dark ink. You cannot change your answer once you have marked your card. If there are any blanks or changed answers when your graded-card is turned in, you will be disqualified. It’s happened before, right Anthony?  So be sure to complete every answer. One time only—with NO revisions.

Please write your name on your card now to make sure that your pens are working. If they aren’t, hold up your hand and we’ll bring you another one. 
Also, anyone who looks at their cell phones for any reason, other than to take an emergency call, in which case we will all wait until that emergency has been dealt with, will also be disqualified from play. You are allowed to use the back of your playing card to calculate your answers.   
One last thing…it’s a new rule in honor of advantage player extraordinaire John Chang, who cleverly used TWO GAME CARDS, wrote extensively on both then took over a minute to complete his “OFFICIAL” (and unblemished) card that took him to the top of the qualifier’s list. Nice try, but no thanks anymore.
So don’t get caught changing (with two cards), or you’ll be DQ’d. We’ll start collecting with John exactly 30 seconds after I’ve repeated the last question. Anyone who hasn’t completed his or her cards within those 30 seconds may be eliminated. 

MAKE SURE YOUR PENS WORK. READY? HERE WE GO. I’ll read each question twice. Ready? 

1. True or False? Edmond Hoyle was born in 1672, lived 96 years, and never wrote about poker, yet he is in the Poker Hall of Fame. 

2. For you Vegas history and golf buffs, which of these world famous hotel casinos NEVER had their own golf course adjacent to, or within a few hundred feet of, their hotel/casino?  This question does not include miniature golf courses.  
a.    Tropicana
b.    Dunes
c.    Aladdin
d.    Desert Inn
e.    Hacienda
f.    All of the above hotels/casinos once featured a golf course as part of their amenities.  

3. You’re betting $100 on the pass line with max odds of 3-4-5. You roll a number, take max odds, and then hit that number. How much did you get paid in total? 

4. True or False?  Although you can find them in almost every casino except Barona, and they even outnumber the number of full-pay 21 games, pitch or shoe, on the Las Vegas Strip, the Current Blackjack News now considers 6/5 as just another of many “carnival games,” and no longer even bothers to include them in its extensive list of blackjack games in U.S. and Canadian casinos.     

5. What team has won the most NCAA football titles? 
a)    Harvard
b)    Yale
c)    Notre Dame
d)    Ohio State
e)    Alabama
f)    None of the above

6. The former owner (Mr. Ricklis) of the Riviera Hotel and Casino recently passed at age 95. He had a beautiful, and sort of talented, wife who was a singer and actress. In 1981, she won the Golden Globe Award as “New Star of the Year,” for her role in the movie “Butterfly,” which Mr. Riklis personally financed.  She also “won” the “Razzy Award” for “Worst Actress of the Year” for the same film. Some claimed that Mr. R. gaffed the votes by hosting comped RFB press junkets for the Golden Globe voters at his hotel on the Strip. Name his multi-untalented wife, who has never stopped attempting to be a movie and recording star, and who still has regular performances at Piero’s (Italian Cuisine) on Convention Center Drive. (Mrs. Riklis does not count.) 

7. True or False? The Excalibur has dozens of live blackjack games. None of them pay 3/2 on blackjacks. 

8. This question comes from James Grosjean. Which of the following is NOT a legal way for a teenager to gamble in North America?
a)    Legally betting real money on bingo at the age of 16. 
b)    Horse betting over the internet at the age of 18.  
c)    Playing blackjack at certain casinos in Oklahoma at 18.
d)    Slugging down a cocktail while playing any game they like at the age of only 18 at the casino in Quebec. 
e)    All of these forms of teenage gambling are legal in North America right now.
f)    None of these specifically mentioned methods of teenage gambling legally exist in North America today.  
9. Donald Trump is the 45th American president. Express the number forty-five in roman numerals. 

10. True or False? This comes from the world of entertainment. Ms. Gladys Knight, who recently sang the Star Spangled Banner at the 2019 Super Bowl, began her professional career singing with the Pips in 1952.  

11. In a National Basketball Association game, with 0.2 seconds left, the ball is out-of-bounds in possession of the team trailing by 2 points. The inbounding player throws the ball directly at the basket … and the ball would indeed have gone in except one of the in-bounder’s teammates gently touches the ball when it is directly above the basket, 12 inches from going in. The teammate guides the ball into the basket. What happens?
a.    The inbounding team scores three points and wins the game.
b.    The inbounding team scores two points and sends the game into overtime.
c.    The inbounding team is guilty of offensive goal-tending, which causes them to lose possession and the game.
d.    0.2 seconds is not enough time for any of this to happen, so time runs out before any points are scored or there’s a change in possession. The inbounding team loses.

12. Dixie State University is located in one of the few states where there are still no legal blackjack games. Name that state. 

13.  True or False? According to the Nevada Gaming Abstract, Nevada’s statewide gaming revenue grew in 2018 and 2017. 

14. When a Major League team invokes the “Baseball Rule” in a court case, which of the following is possibly being argued?
a.    Throwing cups of beer at opposing pitchers warming up in the bull pen is okay so long as it’s less than three ounces of liquid, but throwing beer bottles is never allowed.
b.    If two fans are making out in the stands and a foul ball hits one or both of them, the teams are not liable. 
c.    Pete Rose is not allowed into the Hall of Fame until the commissioner says so.
d.    Team security officers are allowed to tackle male streakers but not female streakers.

15. Within three years, name the year that the first street in Las Vegas was paved. Hint: It was hot.  

16. True or False? MGM/Mirage is the only casino corporation included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. 

17. Not that he needs it, but we finally have a question where Zeljko, and any other Aussies present, have a home-court advantage:
“Waltzing Matilda” is the unofficial anthem of Australia. What is that song about?
a.    Dancing with a pretty girl.
b.    Dancing with an ugly girl.
c.    Training a kangaroo to box.
d.    Poaching an animal at a watering hole.
e.    Dancing with a man, but you’re a prospector and really lonely in the outback, so it doesn’t mean anything. Really.
f.    Skinny dipping in a Billabong.

18. Fill in the blank. Spell “Caesars Palace”—include any punctuation, if any. Remember, any crossing out disqualifies your test.  

19. True or False? On the front cover of the dust jacket of Dr. Ed Thorp’s first printing of Beat the Dealer (1962), it states that Dr. Thorp had developed—and I specifically quote—“a  scientific analysis of the world-wide game known variously as Black Jack (two separate words), Twenty One (two separate words), Vingt-et-un (three hyphenated words), Pontoon, or Van John.”  
20. Assuming that you’re playing blackjack basic strategy, the dealer stands on soft 17 with an infinite deck, which of the following hands gives you the greatest E.V.?   
a.    20 versus an A (after the dealer peeks).
b.    11 versus a 5. 
c.    A, A versus a 4.
d.    10, 9 versus an 8.  

21. Only in Las Vegas. Beginning in 1951, the U.S. government began having above ground nuclear tests visible to the public at the Nevada Test site some 65 miles northwest of downtown.  Vegas soon jumped on the bandwagon; named a Miss Atomic Bomb; and began hosting viewing events, both on the mountainsides with close up views of the entire bomb sites, and from observation parties held on the roofs of casinos, until the above-ground atomic explosions were finally stopped.      
Within two years, when did America stop blowing up nuclear warheads above the ground outside of Las Vegas?
2019 Tie Breaker

Everybody cut their cards. High card goes first. If two tie, they cut again until we establish the order. Line up. 
Tiebreaker: Name a casino that USED to be in the Las Vegas area, but isn’t here anymore. If a person misses, the next person must say a correct answer before that person is eliminated. If we run out of names, the balance of the contenders will then cut cards to advance to the final table. 
Note: You’ll find the answers to the test questions in part 2 of this article as well as a summary of the subsequent rounds in the competition for the World’s Greatest Player and who won the competition. 

Table of Contents

1. What Is Crapless Craps?
2. Crapless Craps: Pros and Cons
3. What Are the Rules of Crapless Craps?
4. Why the House Edge Is Higher
5. Crapless Craps vs Standard Craps
6. Is Crapless Craps Worth Playing?
7. Crapless Craps Odds and Payouts
8. How Odds Multipliers Change the House Edge
9. House Edge Comparison: Crapless vs Standard
10. Place Bets and Buy Bets Explained
11. Best Crapless Craps Strategy
12. Example: Pass Line with Odds
13. Example: Placing the 6
14. Crapless Craps FAQs
15. Final Analysis: Is Crapless Craps Worth It?

Crapless Craps: Rules, Odds, House Edge, and Strategy

Crapless Craps is a craps variant where you can’t lose a Pass Line bet on the come-out roll. The tradeoff is that 2, 3, 11, and 12 can become point numbers, which raises the house edge unless you use odds and focus on the best bets.

In this guide, you’ll learn how Crapless Craps works, how it compares to standard craps, and which bets offer the most value.

Key Takeaways for Crapless Craps

• In Crapless Craps, 2, 3, 11, and 12 become point numbers instead of automatic losses.
• Pass Line and Come bets carry a house edge of about 5.38%, compared with about 1.41% in standard craps.
• Place bets on 6 and 8 offer the lowest house edge at around 1.52% (with 7-to-6 payouts).
• Many casinos cap Crapless Craps odds at 5x; taking odds can reduce the combined edge to roughly 1.04% at 5x.

Crapless Craps (Never Ever Craps) looks safer because you avoid come-out losses. The catch: the “no early losses” rule shifts the cost into harder points, so Pass Line and Come bets are worse value than in standard craps.

What is Crapless Craps?

In Crapless Craps, every total except 7 can become a point. On the come-out roll, 2, 3, 11, and 12 become points you must repeat before a 7. It’s associated with Bob Stupak and was first dealt at his Vegas World casino in Las Vegas.

If this article interests you, keep reading. Alternatively, explore other topics like craps lay bet, roulette odds, and blackjack side bets.

Crapless Craps: Pros and Cons

• Pros
• No losing numbers on the come‑out roll
• Simple, beginner‑friendly flow
• Every number except 7 can become a point

Cons

• Higher house edge on Pass Line and Come bets
• Harder point numbers (2, 3, 11, 12) reduce long‑term value
• More volatility compared with standard craps

What are the rules of Crapless Craps?

• Come-out roll: A 7 wins the Pass Line. Any other number becomes the point.
• Point phase: Roll until the point repeats (win) or a 7 appears (loss).
• Come bets: Placed after a point is set; they follow the same structure.

Why is the house edge higher in Crapless Craps?

A 2 or 12 has one combination, while a 7 has six, and the Pass Line still pays even money. Those hard points push the long-term house edge for Pass Line and Come bets to about 5.38%.

Crapless Craps vs standard craps: what changes?

Standard craps has more come-out wins (7/11) and fewer difficult points. Crapless Craps removes come-out losses but turns 11 into a point and adds several hard points, increasing volatility.

Is Crapless Craps worth playing?

Standard craps is better value whether playing online or in a live casino. Crapless Craps works best when you take odds and focus on Place 6 and Place 8.

Crapless Craps odds and payouts: what are the true odds?

The table shows how often each point hits before a 7 and the true-odds payout.

How do odds multipliers change the house edge?

Odds bets pay true odds and carry no house edge. Most casinos limit Crapless Craps odds to 5x, which limits how low the combined edge can go (standard craps with 1x odds is usually lower).

House Edge Comparison: Crapless vs Standard

The table below compares the house edge for key bets in standard craps versus Crapless Craps.

What are place bets and buy bets in Crapless Craps?

Place bets win if your number appears before a 7. Crapless Craps often allows place-style bets on 2, 3, 11, and 12, but those numbers have higher house edges and swingier results. The table summarizes common payouts and house edges (payouts can vary by casino).

Buy bets pay true odds in exchange for a commission (vigorish). A 5% commission is standard, and many modern tables treat 2, 3, 11, and 12 as buy-style bets with the commission collected only on wins. Under “vig on win” rules, buying the 2 or 12 can have a house edge under 1% (around 0.7%).

Crapless Craps strategy: best bets and what to avoid

• Best value comes from:
• Place 6 and Place 8.
• Pass Line or Come with odds.
• Avoiding 2, 3, 11, and 12 as points or place bets unless you are buying them under favorable commission rules.

Example: Pass Line with odds on an 11 point

A $10 Pass Line bet is placed. The come-out roll is 11, so 11 becomes the point. You add $20 in odds. If 7 appears first, the total loss is $30. If 11 repeats before 7, the win is $10 on the line plus $60 from the odds.

Example: Placing the 6

A $12 Place bet on 6 wins $14 if 6 rolls before 7. The bet remains active unless removed. If 7 appears first, the $12 stake is lost.

Crapless Craps FAQs

What’s the difference between Crapless Craps and standard craps?

Crapless Craps turns 2, 3, 11, and 12 into point numbers and makes 7 the only come-out winner on the Pass Line.

Is Crapless Craps better for beginners?

It may feel easier because there are no early come-out losses, but the higher house edge can make it more expensive over time.

Why do casinos offer Crapless Craps?

Pass Line and Come bets usually have a higher house edge than standard craps, making the game more profitable for casinos.

What are the best bets in Crapless Craps?

Place 6 and Place 8 usually offer the strongest value. Pass Line and Come bets improve only when paired with odds.

Crapless Craps: Final Analysis for Players

Crapless Craps removes come-out losses, but the tradeoff is a higher house edge driven by hard point numbers.

For a more efficient approach, focus on Place 6 and Place 8 and use odds carefully on Pass Line or Come bets. Understanding these odds helps players make informed decisions at the table.

From Macau to Vegas Baccarat is by far the high rollers game of choice. Many Baccarat bettors tend to come from business backgrounds. As their hard work at the office ends they go from seeking out the best deals to playing a game that presents with the best odds for them to win. 

They leave behind their pinstripe suits and change into their gaming attire. They hit the Baccarat tables in the knowledge that this game has a low house edge AND eliminates the need to engage in a decision-making minefield as in the game of Blackjack where because of choice most hands will be in flux until the outcomes are settled.

I can understand how you might be a Blackjack fan and that’s fine, but in my opinion, Baccarat trumps all casino games in so many respects.

It feels great when we win playing casino games. And it feels a whole lot better when we’re able to hang on to those winnings in our account before we leave a game until we play other sessions on other days. Personally, I like watching my account balance increase more often than had I chosen to bet on those other casino games where too much decision making is involved. Knowing what game offers the true likelihood of winning comes with years of experience.  

Casinos win by relying on you losing through making the wrong decisions and when you over play; not leaving when you’re in profit.

A few months back I was watching some YouTube videos of a certain gambler betting online casino games. Sometimes he bet on slots, sometimes Roulette and Blackjack and least of all on Baccarat. He won a few big wins on slots but when he was losing he tried to up his balance by playing live Blackjack and Roulette. 

On those games he won sometimes but then would raise his stakes too often and risked way too much of his bankroll only to end up losing. Which are other mistakes casinos reply upon gamblers making.  

He returned to Baccarat and I noticed that on countless sessions (different videos) when he tried to double up or more to recover funds he’d lost on those other games, he succeeded more often betting on Baccarat than his attempts to double up or allow his initial wager to ride on the other two games. 

Want to know why?   

Well, as I’ve alluded to, it not only has to do with the low house edge of Baccarat, it’s because you have a clear-cut chance that your bet selection will win, (setting aside the house edge of Blackjack that seems the more favourable). When comparing Baccarat with Blackjack, there are other factors that come into play which render the advantages of betting on Baccarat over Blackjack, (for me anyway) a no brainer.

Before I highlight those advantages, I must conclude how the man on YouTube got on. Well not every well. He took his Baccarat winnings back to the games he didn’t do too well on. I left him a comment urging him to focus on Baccarat moreover since clearly, he had been winning more. He replied thanking me for my advice and wrote that he plans to do just that since he had noticed this too. But as the proverb goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” 

He didn’t end up doing as I had suggested (as subsequent videos in the weeks that followed proved) even though he full well knew that Baccarat was for him, the best online game. I guess some people prefer to stick to certain games for certain reasons. Well, each to their own. 

 

 

But if you’re not that kind of a person and want to learn more about the strengths of Baccarat and the pitfalls of Blackjack then read on. I know there’re people reading this who’ll want to jump on the Baccarat gravy train by finding out why it trumps most if not all other casino games.

So firstly, let’s get right into the advantages of Baccarat versus those of Blackjack. And then I’ll address the key differences for both card games. I’ll include the odds in various respects where relevant to the points I’ll be making because after all, casino games are all about probabilities. 

1. In land-based casinos you can converse with other players. Though unlike Blackjack, outcomes in Baccarat can’t be altered since the cards are dealt in accordance to the drawing rules. (the best hand is 9: two nines or two of any other same numbers 0 to 9 results in a Tie) Baccarat is ideal for online betting because the future outcomes for both Banker and Player sides are dictated by the shuffled cards in a shoe. Baccarat is a less pressured game in that for each coup there’s only two decisions to make:

(a) Your ‘Bet Size’ AND (b) The side you’ll place your chips on: Player or Banker. When a Tie outcome occurs, your bet is returned. And the house edge on any tie bet is: 14.4% if you want to try your luck.

The payoff for a winning bet on the Player side is 1 to 1 (even money). And the payoff for a winning bet on the Banker side is 19 to 20 which is less due to the house deducting 5% house commission.

Based on an eight-deck shoe, the House Edge (with ties considered) on both sides are: 

Banker = 1.06% 
Player = 1.24%

And the probabilities of winning (excluding ties) are:

Banker = 50.68%
Player = 49.32%

Excluding ties, the true House Edge for both sides are:

Banker = 1.17%
Player = 1.36%

If you’re playing Punto 2000 a 5% deduction is not taken on a Banker win. When a winning Banker hand card total is #6 (or some casinos choose to use another number). The payoff is half or 50% of your wager. So, 1 to 2 instead of 1 to 1. (A $100 winning wager will return $150)

The House Edge on both Punto 2000 hands are:

Banker = 1.45%
Player = 1.23%

2. Blackjack can be a minefield because outcomes of each player’s hand are often determined by whether one or more players hits for one or more cards until they stand or bust. However, there are three safe zones, apart from the main desired outcome, that you beat the dealer’s hand, and these are:

(a) Your hand results in 21 made up of the first two cards (10 & Ace) ‘A natural’ thus you win a Blackjack. The payoff is 3 to 2 (unless the dealer also scores a blackjack; in this instance the following rule will apply). 

 

(b) The cards you stay with match a score the dealer ends up with, ‘stand-off’ thus your bet is returned. This range is from 17 to 21 (21 if made up of three or more cards) With a total of 16 or less the dealer must draw another card. But the dealer must stand on 17 or over. But can also draw additional cards in the instance where a ‘soft 17’ occurs. And being able to hit on a soft 17 effects the house edge. 

(c) The dealer busts thus whatever the total score of your stay hand you win. The payoff is even money.

The other possibilities are:

(d) You bust. (your hand exceeds 21)
(e) The score of the dealer’s hand beats your hand.
(f) The score of your hand beats the dealer’s hand. The payoff is even money.   

The probabilities of you winning or losing changes each time you or other players at the table decide to hit or stand, with the outcome of those decisions realised upon the conclusion of the dealer’s hand. 

Even though the aim of Blackjack is to beat the dealer, other players will have a bearing on this goal since there’re always players that deviate from basic Blackjack strategy that is designed to fulfil a winning objective. 

Splitting a pair is another major decision that can alter overall outcomes. Blackjack can be a frustrating game when you wished a player had taken or not taken card/s. Also, when you’re not allowed to split a pair of Aces effects the house edge. 

All casino games are exciting moreover when you stand to win or lose real money. But in my view, there’s more fear when playing Blackjack since the odds of a player winning or losing changes as decisions to take cards or stand are decided by you AND other players. 

It’s not always possible to go one-on-one up against the dealer especially online since seldom is it only you and the dealer. In land-based casinos during non-busy times (mornings) you can almost ensure one-on-one gaming sessions. 

Casino War is another casino game where players who open boxes can affect the outcomes of each hand. The only caveat on this game and Blackjack is player decisions CAN determine a dealer’s hand, the latter with more skill it can be argued. Therefore, it’s common for pro Blackjack players to potentially risk sacrificing certain hands if they believe such decisions will cause the dealer to go on to bust. It’s common for Blackjack bettors to bet on other boxes and collude with other players. This isn’t possible playing online. BUT… 

TIP: I met an American pro Blackjack player in a London casino restaurant, sat on a table next to mine, who, after he’d downed his top sirloin steak with a glass of Pinot Noir, told me he always opens two hands when playing Blackjack for the reason I gave above.  

There are many variants of Blackjack and each will have different odds and probabilities. Generally, factors such as: 

The number of decks being used / The number of cards remaining as cards are being dealt / Whether cards are constantly shuffled (to throw off card counters) / Not being able to double down on certain hands…Will alter the house edge and the probabilities of you winning, losing or drawing.

In the most common version of Blackjack the house edge ranges from 0.5% to 1% depending on the different rules and circumstances that can increase or decrease the house edge and thus can increase or reduce your probability of winning. However, the basic chances of you winning, losing or drawing are:

42.22% winning.
49.10% losing. 
8.48% drawing.

I started this article bigging up Baccarat over Blackjack despite the latter possessing a lower house edge. But as you’ve read with Blackjack, the probability of your hand winning is subject to change depending on a myriad of factors even after you’ve made decisions to hit or stand your own hand, assuming you haven’t bust your hand before the dealer might have ended up busting. 

I don’t like deviating probabilities that can influence the outcome of my wager because x, y or z possibilities occurred ‘after’ I placed my bet and ‘before’ the outcome is known which draws an additional random element into the game aside from the random nature of each game. For me Baccarat is by far the superior casino card game and the one truer to a 50:50 chance of winning leaving aside the Banker commission. 

Moreover, the house edge increases to almost 2% on Blackjack when one or more players make avoidable mistakes. Whereas in Baccarat you can omit your calculated decision by allowing the toss of a coin to decide for you (perfect for online betting) and stand a better chance of winning than had you tried your hardest to win at Blackjack only for circumstances outside of your control to then hinder your efforts. 

Our journey into addressing this topic should first begin with whether biased Roulette wheels are a myth or reality in 2019 and the probability of them being likely or unlikely to exist in the future.  

There are wildly reported instances in history where players have taken advantage of casinos that had unknowingly used biased wheels. However, examples of players winning big after having identified imbalanced wheels are rare these days. 

This doesn’t mean that biased Roulette wheels don’t exist today. I simply mean that casinos have upped their game, moreover since the turn of the 21st Century. They maintain the wheels using technology to avoid biases, metaphorically shouting out, to the savvy Roulette number cruncher, ‘come and make a financial killing.’ 

I should know for I’ve attempted to capitalise on what I’ve believed had been biased wheels on numerus occasions in the past and have had mixed results.

So, it’s clear that biased wheels are still a reality, since moreover, logically no one wheel is truly unbiased i.e. perfectly balanced and/or without any flaws. However, identifying a ‘true biased wheel’ and properly being able to take advantage of one is borderline myth these days. 

Nevertheless, let’s explore this further. The topic of biased Roulette wheels is vast, so I will condense my professional knowledge and experience of the subject entails in an easy to understand structure which will assist you consider some of the main important and worthwhile factors.  

THE WHEELS ARE MAINTAINED 

Firstly, most well-known and well-operated land-based and online casinos employ the services of anti-bias roulette wheel maintenance teams. Or in simple terms, they ensure that their wheels are balanced. Sometimes the tech staff are inhouse and attend to slots, card shufflers and other tech issues. The companies that manufacture wheels also provide ongoing, regular onsite engineer maintenance. It’s the same as when you buy a vehicle from a main dealer where you return it every so many miles for a service with the focus on the timing and performance of the engine to ensure it operates as it had been designed to. 

In land-based casinos I have witnessed these maintenance teams at work. Essentially their main task is to ensure the wheels are ‘evenly balanced’ so that they can eliminate inaccurate balancing. They get to work at quiet times, generally 6am to 9am. They analyse the data of the computerised software logger that is designed to register every Roulette result. Sophisticated diagnostic reporting can detect for drop zone bias and non-random results too. This is achieved using discreet in-built sensors and these sensors are also maintained. 

For a wheel to be considered unbiased, over many thousands of outcomes the stats will show that each individual pocket results with a ball landing in it within a range and that certain numbered pockets or areas of a wheel are not under or over performing too far out of this range to flag up anomalies. An average of six years’ worth of stats can be collected and stored on the software.   

LIKELY AND UNLIKELY CAUSES OF BIASED WHEELS

Aside from ensuring that the wheels are evenly weighted from the manufacturing process, and maintaining balance following setup and during ongoing use, this includes the static elements of the: bowl rim, upper and lower ball tracks and deflectors. These can wear out or become damaged in the following ways. 

Bowl rim: Players might lean on the bowl rim, though these days casinos prevent this with perspex screens. Yet we often witness dealers leaning on bowl rims. It’s unlikely that a bias will result since the structure of a wheel base is very sturdy. Any imbalance is easily identified and thereafter levelled following any table movement. 

Modern wheels use a ball track inclinometer which can detect unlevelled wheels. This is also true of the layout area of the table that the whole wheel is attached to or positioned within at the dealer area end of the table. 

Abnormal activity by players at a table can unlevel a wheel, yet this is unlikely to result in a wheel developing a prolonged bias since a relevel of the table and wheel base will rebalance any imbalance. Moreover, in online Roulette where the only players on tables are those placing bets from their phones, tablets, laptops etc, vibrations and movements are limited to dealer interaction on many of the wheels though some casinos do live stream to land-based casinos.

Ball tracks and deflectors: These can, and of course do wear out over time, but we’re talking many years, so that by the time they do, the wheel would have been replaced by any reputable casino. Moreover, even where a 20+ year old wheel -- that has been in almost daily service -- is still being used, the subtle changes in functionally of ball/parts relationship are unlikely to have a bearing on contributing to certain numbered pockets or areas of the wheel hitting more or hitting less enough to constitute a biased wheel. 

A ball rattle is when the upper ball track is wearing, and this may lead to certain drop points becoming poplar. However, since this isn’t strictly speaking the moving part of a wheel in and of itself, at whatever point a ball drops, it still must contend with deflectors, the cone and dividers and the back walls of pockets therefore it is at the stage of the fall into the inner wheel that a bias is more likely to reveal itself if at all. And as I wrote, biases in ball drop points can these days be detected by the data logger.    

Let’s turn to the wheel moving elements. When a wheel is rotating. The makeup of which includes: the spindle, upper and lower bearings, turret section, cone and wheel head containing the numbered pockets and metal frets (pocket dividers known as the separator ring). There are two main bias possibilities. 

1.    A bias resulting from mechanical functionality associated with the upper and/or lower bearing/s. A kink causing vibrations, wobbles due to material, production or mounting faults or age-related wear and tear or lubricant issues (insufficient, unsuitable or aged) solid or liquid contamination could cause one or more area/s of a wheel to result more often, just enough for a bias Roulette wheel hunter to gain an edge.

Observing a wheel close-up is almost impossible when playing Roulette online as the camera angles shown and length of time you get to analyse live play is limited. Also, the light and reflections mean you don’t get to notice any bearing issues. That said the task is still difficult in land-based casinos. You might notice a slight wobble as a wheel rotates, by focusing on the space between the metal edge of the wheel head and metal edge of the inner rim of the bowl. This gap is very, very narrow, but if you look closely -- since no one wheel is 100% perfect -- you’ll notice what I call, ‘the give’ point i.e. the point at which the wheel head has ‘timed itself into its rotational footprint.’ 

If you can identify a ‘give point,’ it is likely that the five numbered pockets each side of this point (thus 10 numbers in total) are giving way to gravity by a tiny fraction of a millimetre (or possibly more) and the deepest level only at that point. This means that a ball will in turn be marginally affected in relation to that tiny, tiny fraction since it possesses its own motion, drop/s, knock/s and bounce/s on its journey to settle in one of the pockets. 

In short, a narrowly biased wheel will not possess a strong enough influence to have a bearing on where a ball might end up landing. But it’s worth a try since the dividers around this area are likely to be the most damaged elements of the moving area on a wheel. Moreover, it’s possible that the bearing or wheel give point could have found its footprint because of dealer hand contact with the wheel when rotating over many thousands of spins. 

If a wheel is badly damaged, then as well as the give area, a dip will develop which overtime can become noticeable. In this instance the numbered pockets that corelate with this dip are well worth betting on. To try and observe a biased Roulette wheel in this respect, don’t focus on the ball, affix your eyes on one point of the inner bowl metal end where the wheel head metal edge rotates very close to it thus forming the tiny gap. And watch out for any noticeable dip movement moreover at the give point. A give and a dip could prove invaluable when you add to these the points I refer to below about the dividers.  

If you discover this area you have found a likely biased wheel. To conform your findings, you’d need to obtain the results of many thousands of outcomes and input the data into an excel spreadsheet. The information will inform you if that certain area of the wheel; those numbered pockets are occurring more than other areas of that wheel. (but do the wheel observation first and the data number outcome last) 

However, the problem is in spotting a wheel since any such an opportunity is going to be slim since the materials used in manufacturing modern wheels are high quality and the gap is a millimetre or less which gives the illusion that there isn’t a space when not paying attention and can alert a live casino of major bearing failure because a truly damaged bearing will cause the wheel to knock against the inner bowl rim.   

2.    A bias resulting from the dividers that separate pockets wearing. Aside from the ball forming subtle knocking patterns to the metal frets especially from balls made of harder materials, the most likely cause of a possible bias occurring is because of dealers rotating wheels by pulling or pushing pocket dividers to rotate a wheel clockwise or anticlockwise. The higher the frets, the more likely they will be subjected to wear and damage. And you know, some of the dealers have strong arms!

Goodluck with your search for biased wheels. Just a leaving tip for all you online Roulette players:

If you video record how a ball lands in pockets and in slow motion review these landings you might notice how they seem to avoid certain pockets and areas by bouncing away from dividers and pockets as if rejected. As well as notice how, a ball seems to run into pockets with less of a fuss or pure ease of motion as if welcomed by the dividers. This data can indicate a wheel divider bias. In my view the divider bias is a step towards cracking the opportunity of winning on a biased wheel.          

Standard video poker machines are called single-play because the player plays only one game at a time. However, single-play games are not the only type of video poker game available in a casino (or online). There are also games that play three, five, 10, 50 and even 100 hands at a time. 

These multiple hand games are called multiple-hand or multiple-play (or multi-hand / multi-play for short). There is nothing magical about how to play video poker multiple hand games.

HOW TO PLAY MULTI HAND VIDEO POKER GAMES

• Select number of hands you want to play (you don’t have to play the maximum number of games to get the best return).
• Select the bet per hands (always bet 5 so you don’t miss out on the royal flush bonus).
• Hit the Deal / Draw button.
• The base hand is dealt at the bottom of the screen.
• All the cards in the other hands remain face down.
• Select the card(s) you wish to hold (if any).
• These same cards in the same position will show face up in all hands being played.
• Hit the Deal / Draw button.
• Each of the hands being played will be filled by a separate deck of shuffled cards.
• Each winning hand at video poker will accrue credits as if it were a single hand game. If a royal flush is dealt in the base hand (and you select all five cards), each hand will collect the 4,000 credits.

With all casino-type games there are advantages and disadvantages. Multi-hand video poker is no different.

ADVANTAGES

• Multi-hand games are plentiful, easy to find.
• Pay tables for multi-hand games tend to match those for single play games. They are not generally reduced like progressive or other special feature games.
• There is no additional bet required to turn on a special feature. You bet based on the total number of lines played.
• One of the biggest advantages of multiple hand games is that the video poker strategy for playing them is exactly the same as when playing a single-play game. There is no need to memorize a separate playing strategy. Simply look for a multiple hand (multi-hand) game that matches the game type and pay table that you normally play and use the strategy you normally use as if you are playing a single-play game.

DISADVANTAGE

• The major (really the only) disadvantage to playing multiple hand video poker games is the variance is higher than for a single hand game. This means a larger bankroll is required for playing multi-hand games when playing the same total bet per hand(s). For example, a single-play quarter game requires $1.25 per hand at the maximum of five credits per hand. A five-play nickel game also requires $1.25 total per five lines of play at the maximum bet of five credits per hand.

 

The higher variance may seem counter intuitive to many video poker players. Conventional logic might seem to indicate that multiple hands should smooth the variance per game because several hands are played.

Let’s look at what really happens when playing a multi-hand game. 

• If you are dealt a good initial hand you can make a lot of money. Imagine your delight at being dealt four-of-a-kind, straight flush or even a royal flush.
• However, if you are dealt a poor hand, you stand to lose a lot of money. Over half of all hands in video poker end up being losers. 

Now let’s look at some specifics.

SINGLE PLAY GAMES

Variance is higher when more of the return is concentrated in fewer high paying hands. For example, 9/6 jacks or better (where a full house is paid at 9-for-1 and a flush is paid at 6-for-1) has only one very high paying hand – the royal flush. The variance on this game is 19.5. 

Bonus Poker is different than Jacks or Better. It pays a bonus for four aces (80-for-1 instead of 25-for-1) and four 2s, 3s or 4s (40-for-1). Payoffs for a full house and a flush are reduced to make up for the higher payoffs on the quads. The variance for 8/5 Bonus Poker is 20.9 – a seven percent increase over Jacks or Better. 

Double Bonus Poker increases the bonus on four aces to 160-for-1, the bonus on four 2s, 3s, or 4s to 80-for-1, and the bonus on 5s through kings to 50-for-1. The payoff for two pairs is reduced to 1-for-1 to compensate for the increased quad payoffs. By concentrating much more of the return in fewer, large payoffs for four-of-a-kind hands and reducing the return for the more frequent lower-paying hands, variance on Double Bonus Poker soars to nearly 28.3 – a 48 percent increase from Jacks or Better.

MULTI-HAND GAMES

The base variance of the particular game increases as the number of plays increase. 

The strength of each multiple-play game is determined by the initial five cards that are dealt. If it is a strong hand, each play based on that initial hand will be a strong hand. If it is a weak hand, each play based on it will be weak. For example, if the initial hand contains three 10s, the minimum each play will return is 3-for-1. If, however, the initial hand contains nothing and needs to be completely discarded, the chances for a positive outcome for this overall hand are greatly diminished.

Now let’s look at some specific games, number of plays and variances.

JACKS OR BETTER – FULL-PAY (9/6)

• Single-play variance: 19.5. 
• 3-play variance: 23.4 – a 20 percent increase. 
• 5-play variance: 27.4 – 40 percent greater than single-play. 
• 10-play variance: 37.2 – 90 percent greater than single-play.
• 50-play variance: 115.8 – 490 percent greater than single-play.
• 100-play variance: 214 – nearly 10 times the variance of the single-play version game.

BONUS POKER – (8/5)

• Single-play variance: 20.9.
• 3-play variance: 25.1. 
• 5-play variance: 29.4. 
• 10-play variance: 40.0.
• 50-play variance: 124.8.
• 100-play variance: 230.8.

DOUBLE BONUS POKER – (10/7)

• Single-play variance: 28.3.
• 3-play variance: 35.0. 
• 5-play variance: 41.8. 
• 10-play variance: 58.8.
• 50-play variance: 194.4.
• 100-play variance: 364.0.

Those variances can, indeed become extremely high. What do they mean to you, the average video poker player? 

The more knowledge you have about the game you are playing, the better prepared you are to enjoy the game. If you are planning to play multiple-play video poker you will need to bring a larger bankroll in order to play as long as could on a single-play game. Even on the relatively low variance Jacks or Better, the variance of the 100-play game is 10 times that of the single play game. This means that even if you were to play a lower denomination multiple-play version of the game you still may need a larger bankroll.

For example, if you normally play single-play Jacks or Better at the $1 level, it may seem logical that you could play 100-play Jacks or Better at the 1¢ level. After all, playing at the maximum coin-in the wager is five dollars on each total hand in either game. But, by looking at the increased variance for 100-play (10 times or more than that of single-play), it is easy to see that the same bankroll will not nearly be enough.

Keep in mind that variance can be good or bad. When riding the wave of positive variance, life is very good indeed. However, when wallowing in the pit of negative variance, life is very tough. It is always a good idea to make sure you have a large enough bankroll when you gamble. Keep your casino experiences enjoyable. Even though you do not have to learn a different strategy to play a multiple hand version of your favorite game, make sure you bring a large enough bankroll with you if you are planning to play multiple-play video poker.

Roulette is by far the most popular online casino game. And when you place your chips on a Roulette table betting layout you’re probably asking yourself, ‘Where is the ball going to land?’ 

But the question you really should be trying to work out is, ‘When is the ball likely to land in one of the numbered pockets you’re betting on?’ Because in my opinion, building a strategy around this likelihood is the key to winning at Roulette.  

Allow me to explain. 

• Most players bet on numbers before the ball has been spun because they’re trying to win using previous outcomes as a guide. They’re looking for a pattern and so bet in a way that if that pattern continues they’ll win. 
• Other players stick to the same set of numbers or
• Devise some other form of number picking System.

Whatever method you use to try and win, (And I’m going to suggest a System of my own at the end of this article) there’re a few important key points you should factor into your overall strategy. Implementing the advice, I’m going to refer to will set you apart from most Roulette players. 

Since Roulette is a random game of chance there are many that say winning depends on luck alone. So, I’ll address this point first.

LUCK

There’ll be times playing Roulette when you feel invincible, no matter the speed of the ball or the rotation speed of the wheel or the way the ball lands into one of the pockets, the outcomes will work out for you as if you were just meant to win. 

There will always be Roulette players that experience lucky days, but the problem with luck is it cannot be used as a method because you can never know when this form of luck will appear. 

If you sense you’re on a lucky streak you could take full advantage by increasing your wagers as you’re winning and of course up until your luck vanishes. Being lucky is making profits spin after spin or when there’re only a few losses in-between wins. During these times you could also maximise your profits by increasing your wagers following a few losing results. In this way you’re turning outcomes into wins because you’ve managed your bankroll positively during the dominant cluster of those wins you’ve encountered. 

But let’s be under no illusions about Roulette, for it’s not so much a game about mysterious luck alone, but a game about the method or System you’ll use and moreover all about ‘timing.’ 

If a method works well when you’re using it, you’ll be in luck. You’ve heard the expression, ‘you make your own luck.’ Making it work for you on Roulette games is not only possible but using the right method and managing the highs and lows (within the timing: number of losses before wins and vice versa) will result in you being lucky and winning more often. 

THE PLAYER’S EDGE

Does one exist? If so it would contradict the house edge that is firmly established in mathematics. It doesn’t seem possible that a player can have an edge. I mean, unless a Roulette wheel has a bias, or you can work out where a ball might land as it’s spinning and before the call ‘no more bets’ is announced, or you can know the future, overcoming the mathematical model of the house edge is simply impossible.    

But there’s winning and there is winning. For instance, you could cover all the numbers and watch as the dolly marker is placed on one of your chips. However, since there’s 37 pockets on a European Roulette wheel and the Straight up payout is 35 to 1, having secured your 1 chip wager on a winning number along with the 35 chips you would win (total =36) you’d be losing 1 chip.

Leave out 1 number, covering just 36 numbers and you’ll be breaking even if one of your numbers is the outcome. So clearly this is not profitable. If you leave out 2 or more numbers, you can work out that the risk to reward favours the house because when you lose just once you’ll need to win lots of outcomes to recover your losses.  

IF THERE’S A PLAYER’S EDGE WHAT IS IT?

Years of forming different Roulette Systems had given me this answer. Sure, some methods are better than others and I do have my favourites, but what all good Systems have in common is they go through regular winning and losing phases. 

If you adjust your betting in line with the highs and lows of the method you’re using, you’ll generate a money management edge that’ll be reflected in your bankroll. 

Correct application gives you ‘an edge over your losses’ thus saving you losing more which results in you holding onto more of your winnings. Preventing your bankroll from being reduced keeps you in the game which means you’ll have the chip power to increase your bets when winning clusters occur. 

THE FEWER THE NUMBERS YOU COVER THE BETTER
AND THE OPTIMUM NUMBER IS NINE

There are three reasons why. 

1. For a Roulette System to work, in my opinion it must be one where the numbers you pick go through ‘regular phases’ where wins and losses occur in clusters. If following a win there’re several losses in a row before the next win, increasing your wagers hoping to ride a streak of wins will fail and increasing your wagers (doubling down) expecting wins will also fail.
   
   Example 1: W/L Regular Phases occurring in clusters.
   
   W L W L L W W L W L L L W W L W W W L W L W L W L L
   
   In the above example both wins, and losses resulted 13x. Although both score an equal number of outcomes, they occur in clusters so increasing wagers following losses pays off because there’re few losses in a row. Likewise, increasing wagers following wins pays off since a win is never far away. 
   
   Even if I reduce the number of Wins you’ll still be profiting because you’re only covering 9x numbers. 
   
   Example 2: W/L Regular Phases occurring in clusters, but with fewer wins.
   
   L W L L L W W L W L L L W L W W L L W L L
   
   In the above example there are only 8x wins verses 13x losses. But there aren’t many losses in a row and so there’re still clusters of wins. Therefore, increasing wagers following losses and following wins will pay off because you’re only covering 9x numbers. So, you’re in a strong position and even if I were to reduce the wins further you’re still likely to secure profits.
    
2. Revert to covering more numbers and it follows that more wins are likely, however your profits will be reduced. Also covering more numbers means higher wagers for the times when you want to increase your bets, and this can lead to higher losses. Therefore, it’s important to stick to an average of covering 9x numbers. Depending on the System you’re using – and I’ll get to that shortly – it could be one or two numbers less or a few more. 9x numbers is a little under a quarter of a Roulette wheel. A Straight up pay-out gives you a 3 to 1 advantage. (35 plus your 1 stake = 36 less 9 = 27 i.e. 9 multiplied by 3 =27)
    
3. Covering almost a quarter of the wheel gives you an almost 1 in 4 chance of winning. And using a method where wins and losses appear in frequent clusters means you’ll be able to (within reason) predict the likelihood of when wins are due.

TIP: Stick to the same System so that you form order into the way you bet. It doesn’t matter if you use the same set of Roulette numbers or a different set from spin to spin, but by sticking to the same System you’ll be able to regulate when and when not to bet and by how much to bet each spin. When you stick to the same System you can note down wins and losses and these will give you a sense of when wins are likely and when they’re not. 

So, the next time you bet on Roulette think of two things; ‘Method’ and ‘Timing’. If you bet with these in mind, you’ll convert would be losses into wins with in the money you’ll save.

SAME TYPE & OPPERSIT TYPE REPEATING SYSTEM

I formed this System based on the layout of numbers on the Roulette wheel and betting layout and the frequency of appearances. It was one of the first Systems I created back in the 1990s. If you read my article, you’ll know why connections on the Roulette wheel are relevant when choosing a System to follow.

Each of the 1 to 36 numbers relate to three of the six outside betting options: HIGH/LOW, EVEN/ODD, RED/BLACK. For example, #1 relates to Low/Odd/Red. But you don’t bet on the outside even chances in this System.

The System works as follows. If #1 was the last outcome you would place 1x chip on each of the following Straight up numbers that belong to the same group as #1 they are: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 These numbers represent the DIRECT REPEAT of the SAME TYPE: (Low/Odd/Red).

Then you place 1x chip on each of the following numbers, 

20, 22, 24, 26, 28 These numbers represent a complete OPPOSITE of the group #1 falls into i.e. they are all High/Even/Black.

The theory is, a Same Type or Complete Opposite Repeat might be the next likely outcome because on a Roulette wheel they are spaced out so that when a ball returns to the same half of the wheel divided from the zero down, you have just under a 50% chance of realising a connection! 

There are eight groups of Same Type numbers on a Roulette betting layout and wheel. These are: 

1, 3, 5, 7, 9
2, 4, 6, 8, 10
11, 13, 15,17
12, 14, 16, 18
19, 21, 23, 25, 27
20, 22, 24, 26, 28
29, 31, 33, 35
30, 32, 34, 36 

Each group of Same Type numbers can be matched to Complete Opposite Types or vice versa as follows. 

1, 3, 5, 7, 9 / 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 = layout of 10x numbers
2, 4, 6, 8, 10 / 19, 21, 23, 25, 27 = layout of 10x numbers
11, 13, 15,17 / 30, 32, 34, 36 = layout of 8x numbers
12, 14, 16, 18 / 29, 31, 33, 35 = layout of 8x numbers

You will be betting on 8x or 10x numbers in total in each game. So, the average will be 9x numbers. As you can see, there’re four groups of four numbers, total = 16x and four groups of five numbers, total = 20x. 

16 plus 20 numbers = 36 divided by the 8 groups = 4.5. You’re only ever betting on two groups in each game, so 4.5 multiplied by 2 = 9.  

This is a good Roulette System because Wins and Losses occur in clusters and go through regular winning and losing phases. After 3x or max 4x losses in a row you could stop playing to ride out what could turn out to be an extended losing phase where one of the 8x to 10x numbers do not occur. This will save you losing more money and allow you time to analyse your Win/Loss notes.

When a same Type is followed by a Same Type outcome or 

Opposite Type followed by an Opposite Type or 

Same Type followed by an Opposite Type or 

An Opposite Type followed by a Same Type,

one of these connecting outcomes will be a trigger for you to begin betting again.     

I don’t recommend covering Zero because over the long run Zero outcomes have no bearing on the success of playing this Roulette System.  

There’s no perfect Roulette System since all Systems go through phases of wins and losses. But in choosing an average of 9x numbers as opposed to many more and betting in a structured way you’ll increase your chances of identifying when to bet and by how much to bet to try and maximise your profits and minimise your losses. 

The art of winning when playing Roulette is learning how to manage the ups and downs based on the advice I’ve given above. 

Login to your 888casino account and study Roulette game outcomes. You’ll see that such Same and Opposite Type patterns reoccur even though Roulette is a random game of chance.

Sit back, relax, and try answering the following 20 questions in this quiz about the game of blackjack. This quiz is not solely about blackjack strategy; rather, it also covers some interesting facts and statistics about the game.

• Give yourself five points for each correct answer.
• If you score over 80, you really know your stuff about blackjack.
• If you score less than 80, hopefully, the correct answers to the questions you missed will improve your knowledge of the game. (Answers are at the end of the article.)

BLACKJACK QUIZ

1. How did the game of blackjack get its name?
2. What important contribution did the “Four Horsemen from Aberdeen” make to the game of blackjack?
3. What did Dr. Edward Thorp do?
4. How frequently does a player get a blackjack hand?
5. What is the chance that you could lose three consecutive hands at blackjack?
6. What is the name of the event that professional card counters attend annually, and where do they meet?
7. Which pair(s) should you always split?
8. Which pair (s) should you never split?
9. What is a “stiff hand” in blackjack?
10. What is a “soft hand”?
11. What occurs that results in a player’s “busting”? 
12. How does the house get its edge in blackjack?
13. What percent of the time will a dealer bust when she has a 6 upcard? (Assume playing rules are dealer must stand on soft 17.)
14. Is it better for the player when the dealer stands on all 17’s or hits soft 17?
15. Is a 6-5 payoff for a blackjack better than a 3-2 payoff?
16. What happens when you surrender in blackjack?
17. When you buy insurance in blackjack what do you get?
18. Why do most casinos use six and eight decks of cards instead of a single deck?
19. You wager $10 and receive a pair of aces. You split them and draw a picture card to each ace. The dealer subsequently busts. How much do you win?
20. If the dealer has an ace upcard, what is the chance she will have a 10 in the hole and a blackjack?

ANSWERS

1. When the card game known as “21” was initially introduced in gambling houses in America, it didn’t catch on with players. So gambling bosses implemented a 10–1 payoff bonus if a player received an ace of spades and either a jack of spades or clubs. This hand was called a “blackjack.”  The 10–1 bonus payout was eventually abolished and subsequently replaced with a 3–2 bonus payout for all initial hands of an ace and 10-value card; however, the name of the bonus stuck and to this day, the game itself is referred to as “blackjack.”
2. The Four Horsemen were Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, James McDermott, and Herbert Maisel. In 1956, using nothing more than desk calculators, they developed and published the first reasonably accurate basic playing strategy for blackjack. The four were subsequently inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame by their peers for their accomplishments.
3. Dr. Thorp is universally regarded as the inventor of card counting (known as the “Father of Blackjack Card Counting”). He published his card counting system in 1962 in the book Beat the Dealer, which quickly made the New York Times list of best-selling books. 
4. About once in every 21 hands, or roughly 4.8% of the time. 
5. The percent of the time a blackjack player will win a hand, lose a hand, or tie is 43.8% (win), 47.3% (lose), and 8.9% (tie). (Rules dependent.) If you discount ties, the percent of the hands won and lost is 48.1% (win) and 51.9% (lose). The chance that you could lose three consecutive hands is 51.9% x 51.9% x 51.9% equals 14%. (This, of course, is true for playing just three hands.)
6. The name of the event is the Blackjack Ball. Approximately 110 blackjack pros (active and retired) have met annually since 2002 at a secret location in Las Vegas. You must be invited to attend, and security is tight because if a casino employee were to infiltrate the Ball, it would make his career while destroying the careers of many blackjack pros in attendance.
7. You should always split a pair of aces or eights.  Many casual players shun splitting 8s when the dealer shows a 9, 10, or ace upcard card. However, that’s a mistake because you will lose less money in the long run by playing two hands, each with an 8, than by playing one hand of 16 against a dealer’s 9, 10 or ace upcard.
8. You should never split a pair of 5s or 10s. In the case of 5s, you will win more, on average, by playing one hand of 10 than by splitting and playing two hands, each with a 5. Some casual players split a pair of 10s when the dealer shows a weak 5 or 6 upcard. Again, that’s a mistake because even though splitting the 10s will win you money in the long run, you’ll win more money by standing on the initial hand of 20.
9. A stiff hand in blackjack is a hand that totals 12 through 16 and that could bust with a one-card draw.  
10. A soft hand in blackjack is any hand that contains an ace counted as 11. The playing strategy for a soft hand with a specific total is different than a hand with the same total but not containing an ace counted as 11. (For example, a 16 comprised of A-5 plays differently than a 10-6.)
11. A player busts when the total of his hand exceeds 21 (for example, 7-9-10).
12. The house derives its edge in blackjack because players have to draw first, and if they bust, they automatically lose regardless if the dealer subsequently busts in the same round.
13. When the dealer has a 6 upcard, she will bust 42% of the time on average. (This also means the dealer will make a 17–21 more often than busting.)
14. It’s better for the player when the casino rules specify that dealers must stand on all 17s, including soft 17. If the casino blackjack rules dictate that the dealer must hit her soft 17, the house edge against the player increases slightly. The reason for the latter is that even though the dealer will bust slightly more often when she hits compared to standing on soft 17, the times she doesn't bust she will, more often, end up with a hand that totals higher than 17. The net result is the casino's edge increases by roughly 0.2%.
15. A 6-5 payoff for a blackjack is worse than a 3-2 payoff. With the same rules, a game where players are paid 6-5 for an untied blackjack increases the house edge by 1.4% compared to the same game with a 3-2 payoff. This means if you were to wager, say $10, and received a blackjack, with a 3-2 payoff you’d win $15, whereas for a 6-5 payoff, you’d only win $12. Therefore, as an aside, you should avoid playing any 6-5 blackjack game.
16. After a player receives his initial two-card hand, some casinos allow players to surrender their hands. When a player surrenders, he forfeits playing his hand (the dealer will place the player’s two cards in the discard tray), and he automatically loses half of his initial wager. Strategically, it’s best to surrender a hand when your chance of winning is less than one out of four hands, i.e., your expected loss is worse than 50%. This means that statistically, if playing the hand has less than a 25 percent chance of winning and, consequently, greater than a 75 percent chance of losing, you will save money in the long run by surrendering the hand instead. (See Chapter 3 in the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide for a list of the hands that you should surrender.)
17. You have the option of betting that the dealer has a ten in the hole when she shows an ace upcard. The amount that the casinos let you wager on the insurance bet is equal to one-half (or less) of the original bet. If the dealer ends up with a ten or picture card in the hole, your insurance bet pays off at 2-1 (i.e., you win the same amount as your original bet). If the dealer doesn’t have a ten in the hole, your insurance bet is lost and play continues.
18. Casinos use six and eight decks of cards because it increases their edge over the players, and it makes card counting slightly more difficult (but not impossible). 
19. You win $20. Most players get upset when the dealer doesn’t give them a 3-2 payout. However, a blackjack hand occurs only when the initial two cards dealt to a player are a 10-value card plus an ace. When you split aces (your initial two cards) and draw a 10 to one or both aces, you have a 21 (not a blackjack) and the payout if the hand wins is 1-1. 
20. The dealer will have a 10 about 31% of the time (that’s four times out of 13).

Slot machine excitement is a big part of what drives offline and the online casino industries. Big wins and bonus entertainment are the name of the game for slot players. But anticipation of new ways to play are part of the excitement too.

Casinos and their suppliers know that and they keep the new games coming. Here are some of the prime coming attractions – games you can get excited about as they make their way into casinos in 2019.

GOLDEN JUNGLE GRAND, IGT

A 75-line video slot on a grid with five reels, each four symbols deep, Golden Jungle Grand generates some statuesque payouts when icons turn wild.

When a statue symbol lands anywhere on a reel, it activates an icon displayed above that reel. As players continue to wager and spin, they’ll collect additional statue symbols. All reels that have collected two statue icons will turn wild for the 10th spin for the chance to win big. 

In the free games bonus, players can select their bonus play volatility by choosing between 25 free games with two wild reels, ten free games with three wild reels or two free games with four wild reels. And the graphics are really wild, too on CrystalCurve cabinet. 

FORTUNE LINK, IGT

Long a pioneer in slots with progressive jackpots, IGT turns it all up a notch with a new lock and re-spin feature.

Initially, the feature is available on two themes: Feline Fortune and Egyptian Fortune.

Collecting either four, five or six fortune link symbols in the base triggers the Fortune Link series. The difference in the requirement is your bet: Higher coin denominations mean you can launch the feature with fewer symbols

Once you’ve collected the required number of symbols, they remain locked in place during the Fortune Link feature. You then get three re-spins to collect more Fortune Link symbols.

There’s a twist: Every time you add a Fortune Link symbol, you reset to three re-spins. If you get no Fortune Links on the first two re-spins but get one on the third, the meter returns to three re-spins.

The more Fortune Link symbols you collect, the bigger your prize. Filling the entire screen with Fortune Links symbols wins the top jackpot.

SMOKIN’ HOT STUFF WICKED WHEEL

Everi: Hot Stuff, the little devil of comic book fame, was a red-hot winner in the original Smokin’ Hot Stuff slot. Now the mischievous imp with his asbestos diaper and trusty trident returns in a 243 ways to win at slot, perfect for pennies, packed with multipliers, a progressive pick bonus and progressive jackpots available at all bet levels.

The progressive pick bonus is triggered randomly after any base game spin. Players pick from 25 coins to reveal either a progressive jackpot or pitchfork symbol. Hot Stuff removes the lowest remaining jackpot each time his pitchfork is revealed, thus guaranteeing higher prizes. 

Also available is the Wicked Wheel bonus, triggered when three wicked wheel symbols land scattered on reels 3, 4, or 5. When a Hot Stuff symbol is part of a winning combination on reels 2, 3, or 4, it multiplies the winning combination by 2x, 3x, or 4x for some smokin’ payoffs. 

PENN & TELLER, EVERI

The magical duo team up in a 9-payline slot with three mechanical reels, targeted at 25-cent and $1 play.

Loaded with an innovative feature trigger and eight interactive bonuses, players get constant assistance from famous stage magicians Penn & Teller as they wonder what  will happen next. Game play incorporates some of Penn & Teller’s most famous tricks, including Vanish a Rabbit, Miser’s Dream, and Shadows. And Everi has added some magic of its own. 

In a nudge bonus, a reel nudge may be triggered after any losing reel stop where one “Penn,” “&” or “Teller” lands one position away from a winning progressive combination or where one wheel symbol is one position away from awarding the wheel bonus. Then presto! The symbol nudges into place.

The wheel bonus is triggered when three wheel symbols land on any active payline awarding one wheel spin. Wheel prizes include the mini, minor, mega, major, and grand progressives or from 25 through 250 credits. 

THE GAME OF LIFE – CAREER DAY, SCIENTIFIC GAMES

WMS Gaming, which now is under the Scientific Games corporate umbrella, had success with it’s the Game of Life slots a while back, Now, under license from board game owner Hasbro, Scientific Games creates a new land-based and online slot adventure with a new three-reel game, The Game of Life – Career Day.

Players spin the reels and travel through life while collecting credit prizes, bonuses, and jackpots. Career Day is a 3-reel, 9-line game on the TwinStar J43 with iReels cabinet. The game boasts a life-changing single-level, wide-area progressive jackpot that can be won in the base game and is part of Scientific Games’ Cash Connection or Reel Adventures  links.

The game’s centerpiece is the Game of Life Bonus where players are assigned one of four careers - a firefighter, pro athlete, construction worker or culinary chef. You then spin for paydays, raises and spins of a wheel that award moves around the game board.

Stops along the way award credit prizes, additional spins of the wheel, and extra bonuses such as the Weekend Getaway with free spins where reel 2 is Wild and all pays are multiplied by three; or the Groundhog Day Bonus where the reels spin and stop until a winning combination is awarded.

The goal is to reach the Retirement Island Bonus board game where even more prizes, multipliers, and bonuses  are available.

JIN JI BAO XI – RISING FORTUNES, SCIENTIFIC GAMES

The No. 1  game in Asia, Jin Ji Bao Xi making its North American debut with 5-reel, 243 ways game. Rising Fortunes, available on the TwinStar J43 or the new TwinStar Wave XL cabinets, includes the popular ALL UP bet structure where players can make an extra wager to buy higher-paying symbols.

One game highlight is the Jin Ji Bao Xi Feature where players pick icons to win one of four jackpots.  

If six or more Red Gong symbols displaying credit prizes land on the reels, a Feature Selection is triggered and you can choose your casino bonus. The sum of the credit prizes creates the Shou Bonus, is one of the feature selection options.  

Players also can choose between a Top Up Bonus and Free Games Bonus where eight  free games are awarded. During free games, players can win additional free games while each Gold Gong symbol that lands on the reels award the Shou Bonus. 

In the Top Up Bonus, a lock and spin feature, Gold Gong symbols award the Shou Bonus and lucky Green Gong symbols award the sum of all Gong symbols, resulting in a rising fortune. 

CASH SPIN 360, SCIENTIFIC GAMES

The latest version of the iconic Cash Spin game  is a 5-reel, 30-line game. 

The star of the show is a U-Spin Wheel Bonus where players swipe the touchscreen to spin the big wheel.  With one spin, players can win credit prizes, a Free Games Bonus or one of three near-area progressive jackpots.  If the wheel stops on the Free Games Bonus wedge, players choose from five free games scenarios where they can be awarded up to 30 free games with a corresponding multiplier of up to 5x pay. 

There is also a Money Bag Bonus which is triggered when three scattered Money Bag symbols land on the reels. Players pick one of the money bags and are awarded a credit prize, a credit prize with an additional pick, or the U-Spin Wheel Bonus.

SHOU HU SHEN XTREME JACKPOTS, AMERICAN GAMING SYSTEMS

The Asian-themed Shou Hu Shen is based on the good luck and guardian lions along with four progressive jackpot levels. Together, they  promise fun and the chance to win big.

Featuring fireworks and sparks animations that add excitement to gameplay, Shou Hu Shen can award massive progressive jackpots. The Jackpot Pick Bonus is randomly triggered any time a Wild symbol lands on the reels during base-game play. Players touch and pick from 12 Lucky Fu symbols until they get three matching progressive symbols to win one of the four jackpots. 

During the Free Games Bonus, which is triggered by three or more Bonus or Wild symbols in any position on each of reel one-three, the number of free spins that can be won depends on the reel configuration selected by the player – 243 ways to win gets 15 free spins; 1024 ways to win gets 10 free spins; and 3125 ways to win gets five free spins.

MAYAN CHIEF GREAT STACKS, KONAMI GAMING

Mayan Chief, a Konami favorite, gets a fresh look with six reels, each five symbols deeo, on the curved Concerto Crescent and tall Concerto Stack cabinets.

Mayan Chief Great Stacks is a 60-line game that features Action Stacked Symbols and top free game awards. Action Stacked Symbols are hidden at first, but once all reels are stopped they transform into matching symbols – part of the fun is waiting to see if your Action Stacks will match symbols already on the reels to form winning combos.

A free games feature gives you up to 15 free spins with a 2x multiplier. And for extra bonus excitement, players get to choose their event in the Balance of Fortune feature. When  Balance of fortune launches, you can choose regular free games, a random credit prize, or super free games combinations with different combinations of more or fewer free games matched with lower or higher multipliers.

So, you want to play offline or online Roulette but not sure what system to try. You’re reading the right article because I’m going to explain how anyone of the following three Roulette systems will help you engage with the game better while having fun watching as you try to win.

The 3 Roulette Systems are: 

1. The red or black percentage chaser
2. Single column or dozen power betting
3. Even chances best of three

These Roulette systems are my own and designed so that you stand a good chance of winning whilst minimising the risk of losing your bankroll.

Before I refer to the systems proper it’s important to set aside an amount of money you’re prepared to lose just in case you happen upon a set of outcomes to don’t match to your betting selections. This set amount will act as your Bankroll for the day or session of play. Professional Roulette gamblers use bankrolls to regulate their profit and loss ratio. 

It’s no fun losing so when the fun stops and moreover you’re bankroll wiped out, it’s time to call it a day. There will be better days so allow your bankroll to guide you on how well you’re doing; when you should stop gambling when you’re in a winning situation.  

Managing your Bankroll

What do I mean by this? Well…playing a Roulette system is one thing and managing your bankroll is something else. Combine the two things together and you’re in a stronger position because you’d be betting along with a plan. 

You see, a bet selection and money management are two separate aspects of any Roulette system. For example, some Roulette systems refer to how much you should wager when you’re winning or losing, as well as when to stop betting, but will fail to inform you about what to bet on. Whereas other Roulette systems will explain a betting selection but will leave out the wagering information. 

One without the other equates to an incomplete system. For a system to be sound it should refer to both aspects, and the author of the system should know its strengths and weaknesses and include such information when explaining how the system works in practice.

SYSTEM #1: THE RED OR BLACK PERCENTAGE CHASER

Strapped for time and don’t really believe pattern betting works? Then this even chance percentage chaser system is an all-in win, lose or draw method that you can replicate daily. 

Here’s how it works. First decide how much your willing to risk. Let’s say you allocate $100. Now choose one of the colours, Red or Black or if you prefer one of the other even chance options; the High/Low or Odd/Even. 

I prefer to use one of the colours because the result will stand out right away and the coloured pockets on a Roulette wheel are evenly spaced out which means that, theoretically the chances of one colour occurring over the other is nearer to a true 50:50 possibility. Let me explain what I mean. 

Look at a European Roulette wheel. The #10 and #5, are two Low numbers that are together as pairs on the wheel. Numbers #26 and #32 as High numbers would be together except that Green Zero separates them. This constitutes a bias. Though how it might alter betting results at any given set number of outcomes no one can know. But it’s clear this unfair layout isn’t as evenly distributed as are the coloured pockets on the wheel. 

And now look at the sets of Roulette Odd numbers that are spaced out into pairs on the wheel: 

#15 and #19, #25 and #17, #27 and #13, #33 and #1, #31 and #9, #29 and #7, #35 and #3 Total sets = Seven

And the sets of Even numbers in pairs:  

#34 and #6, #30 and #8, #24 and #16, #20 and #14, #22 and #18, #28 and #12 Total sets = Six plus #26 and #32 though these two numbers are separated by Zero so can’t technically be regarded as a pair set.  

Of the above sets, if you look at the wheel with the Zero at the top, there’re four Odd and four Even sets to the left side of Zero AND three Odd and two Even sets to the right side of Zero. #26 an Even number on its own to the left of Zero and #32 even number on its own to the right of Zero.

While there’re four Odd and four Even sets to the left side, = eight sets, this means there’re only five sets to the right side, three Odd sets and two Even sets. Aside from the #26 and #32 numbers split it’s clear that the left side of the wheel contains more, Odd and Even pairs. Fascinating isn’t it! 

While you might argue that there is no left or right side of a wheel if you ignore the Zero, the fact remains there’re seven Odd pairs and only six Even pairs when considering the Zero that divides #26 and #32.

This reinforces my reason for opting for one of the colours. On the other hand, you might think such biases will help you in some way. But for even chance systems I prefer knowing that whether I win, lose or draw it wasn’t anything to do with the bias nature of a wheels numbered layout.  

Having allocated your bankroll amount and chosen a colour, Red or Black. You’re now going to decide how many games you want to play. Either x10 or x20. If you decide to play x10 games, then divide your $100 bankroll into x10 $10 wagers. If you decide to play over x20 games, then divide your bankroll into x20 $5 wagers.

There’re two methods you can employ within this system. 

1. You could play every game and settle for whatever profit/loss results at the end. You might come out level, or a few units up in profit or a few units down in loss. The maximum you can expect to win is double of your total bankroll. And of course, it’s possible you could lose all your bankroll. Though the more the set number of spins, the more unlikely it is that you’ll see a very long streak of the same colour. Thus, it might be worth selecting x10 games rather than x20. 
2. Before playing Roulette you could decide how much you’d be happy winning. I’d be happy with say 30%. Then basically as soon as you’re up +3 units, stop playing. I prefer this option because you could be up early on, lose what you’ve won and end up losing more. Setting a target is wise and +3 units with a x10 unit bankroll is reasonable.

Ignore the single Zero if it pays half back when Zero occurs. If it doesn’t you could, as a side bet, place 25c on zero to protect your bets. If you’re playing on a double Zero Roulette wheel, then consider covering both Zeros just enough so that if any Zero occurs you’ll cover your wagers.

TIPS:

• Don’t start when the opposing colour is on a run of a streak of 3 or more in a row. Start playing when your colour is on a streak or when you see zigzagged or double and single sets.
• When you start don’t miss out games.  

You don’t really need to over analyse this Roulette betting system. Either you’ll win or lose some games (+1 or more) or will win or lose all games or come out level. 

SYSTEM #2: SINGLE COLUMN OR DOZEN POWER BETTING

Choose whether you want to play Columns or Dozens. You can combine both but, so it doesn’t get too complex start off with one or the other. Let’s say you’re going to play a Column. 

Pick one Column only; a Column you’re going to stick with. (There’re three Columns to choose from) Decide how many wagering units you want to win. I recommend +6 units. Column and Dozen betting pays 2:1. 

Bet on your selected Column. When you win continue to bet on it again until you reach your target. 

TIPS: 

• When you lose twice in a row stop betting. 
• Start betting again the game after your Column is a resulting outcome. 
• Set yourself an overall stop loss just in case you come across a bad set of results. If you’re aiming for +6 unit wins then a unit bankroll of 12 to 15 is fair. 

If you want to cover the Zero by just enough to protect your wager, then do so but only if you’re betting on a limited number of games because covering Zero over many spins will eat into your bankroll.

SYSTEM #3: EVEN CHANCES BEST OF THREE

The final Roulette system I’m recommending works well on the outside even chance options Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low. 

You choose one of the outside sets and check the last three outcomes and bet on the outside chance that dominates the best of the last three results.

Let’s say you choose Red/Black. Look at the last three outcomes, if two or more of the last three are Black your next bet would be Black. Or if two or more Reds are in the last three results then you bet Red.

This is a basic Roulette system, but it can be very profitable when lots of zigzagged and streaks of the same colour outcomes occur.  

TIPS:

• Avoid betting when you see doubles RR BB RR
• A 10, unit bankroll is needed if you’re aiming for a +3, unit win. 

Don’t double down on any of the above Roulette systems. 

“Dollies! Do your dealing!” In my early days as a Roulette croupier, a pit boss would declare this at the start of every day shift, before we let the punters in the door. It was always said with humour, but outside the gaming industry, the perception of croupiers as “dolly dealers” means the challenges of the job – and the skills needed to do it – go largely unrecognised. 

There seems to be a bit of a myth that all we do is stand about looking glamorous (or suave, in the case of the male dealers). And while this is part of it, the job also requires mental agility, ambidextrous dexterity, and indestructible interpersonal skills.

In other words, you have to do Einstein style maths in your head, while being just as nimble-fingered with your left hand as your right. (or vice versa)

 

You’ll be taught the basics at your training school. Courses usually last six weeks, and the majority of the time will be spent on the game of live roulette, with up to a week of blackjack at the end (other games are usually learnt on the job). You can opt for a private training school – ideally one with links to a casino – or you may be able to enrol on a casino run training school, allowing you to earn while you learn. 

Either way, the course is likely to follow the same format – and to come out as ready as you can be to hit the ground running, the best thing you can do is to put extra work in at home. Here’s where it can help:

TIMES TABLES

One of the first things you’ll be asked to do on the course is to learn your times tables – but you’ll be going beyond the ones you learnt in primary school! These ones relate to the odds on roulette, and they’ll vary from 5-1 for a six-line covering six numbers, to 35-1 for a straight-up, covering one number. In between, you’ll have corners at 8-1 covering four numbers, streets at 11-1 covering three numbers and splits at 17-1 covering two numbers. Learn all your tables off by heart from 1 to 20, so if you see 16 chips on a split, you’ll know instantly that pays 272 pieces, and if you see 14 chips on a straight-up, you know immediately that this pays 490 pieces. The more work you put in at home, the easier your time will be on the table.

PICTURE BETS

There are certain Roulette bets you’ll see a lot, and we call these “picture bets.” An example of this would be one chip on the straight-up (35 pieces) plus two chips on the splits (2 x 17 pieces, i.e. 34 pieces), which pays 69 pieces. In the training school, you’ll be given print-outs of all the picture bets and asked to memorise them – do it! This will improve your confidence and you’ll look more professional on the table. 

 

 

 

CHIP HANDLING

You’ll be taught to “cut” chips, e.g. to separate a stack of 20 chips into four sections of five, just from the feel of it. You’ll also be taught to “chip up” which means very quickly picking up the losing chips that have been swept in from the layout, and sorting them into stacks of 20, according to colour. You’ll be timed as you do this, to get your speed up – and you’ll need to learn what 20 chips feels like in your hand. You’ll probably be given a stack of chips to take home and practise with – if you are, DO it! And if you’re not given a stack to take home, see if you can buy some online. The better you grasp the basics, the easier it will be to deal with anything else that comes at you.

So soak up everything you can at the training school, and to really excel, here are some insider tips from those of us who’ve been there, done that.

TIPS FOR ROULETTE DEALERS

1. TAKE CHARGE

“The dealer should stand in the middle of the table and command their area - take charge of the table. If you look like you’re in control then everybody will be calm because you have their trust. There’s nothing worse than a dealer who appears nervous,” says Nick, a former casino manager. This is echoed by Lexi, an experienced dealer who says, “confidence is key. If you’re nervous, never show it!”

2. WATCH THE TABLE

“Watch your layout when the ball is dropping,” says Richard, a former casino inspector. Richard makes this point because some dealers look at the Roulette wheel while the ball’s spinning – but you should keep your eyes on the layout at all times, only looking at the wheel when you’ve heard the ball drop. The reason for this is that players will be watching the wheel for last-second clues about where the ball will drop – and if you’re not watching the layout, they could be slipping late bets onto the winning number!

3. TAKE YOUR TIME

“When you’re starting out as a trainee, accuracy is more important than speed. I was a very precise dealer myself and everything I did was designed to be clear, precise and technically correct.” Nick hits the nail on the head when he points out that if you focus on getting it right, speed will come with experience.

4. FOCUS ON YOUR GAME

“One of my biggest gripes was the dealer looking for the next dealer that might give them a break, rather than watching the game,” says Richard. In many casinos, you’ll do about an hour and 20 minutes on the table – although this depends on the club and how busy it is that day. Generally though, you’ll know when it’s your break coming up, and it can be tempting to look out for the dealer coming to take you off. Don’t though. It looks unprofessional, and if your mind isn’t on the table, you’ll miss things and make mistakes.

5. WORK WITH YOUR INSPECTOR

“The main thing about roulette is the ability of both the dealer and inspector to communicate and work well together,” says Mark, a former inspector himself. Unlike the career path in some industries, everyone who works in a casino starts out as a dealer, with the potential to progress to inspector, pit boss and manager. Every inspector has been in your shoes, “so don’t be afraid to ask them for help,” says Lexi, adding, “that’s what they’re there for. And be mindful that they might be watching two or three tables, so try and sync your spins with other dealers so they can watch you properly!”

But however well you get on, “never question what your inspector says,” advises Aga. The reason for this is that it looks unprofessional to disagree in front of players, and it undermines their confidence in both of you. So whatever your inspector tells you to do, do it - even if you think they’re wrong. If you believe a mistake has been made, speak to them privately when you’re both off the table – but never contradict them in front of customers.

6. SPEAK UP

“We used to announce bets loudly enough for the guy on the next table to know what we were doing – because if he could hear us, then our inspector definitely could!” recalls Nick. Announcing everything, from call bets to payouts, loudly and clearly is incredibly important. Your inspector needs to hear you over all the noise in the casino – and they need to hear you first time, because there won’t be time to repeat yourself during the spin. It’s also so the microphone on the table can pick up what you’re saying. Everything in the casino is filmed, and the audio is recorded. If you’re loud and clear enough for both the inspector and the audio to pick up what you’re saying, then you’ll always be covered in case of a dispute with a customer.

7. MAKE FRIENDS

“Make eye contact with the players and interact with them. Remember it’s a game and they’re there to have fun. Be their friend - be happy when they win, and sympathetic when they lose,” says former casino manager Fintan. Keeley, who’s currently a casino manager, also advises making the players your friends, explaining, “then it’s harder for them to shout at you when they lose or if you make a mistake!”

However, while it’s great to develop a rapport with the players, it can be best not to get too close. Anna, a casino inspector explains, “if a customer’s nice and I like him, I'll usually take all his money, but if someone’s annoying and I wish they’d leave, they’ll usually win - so it’s best not to have feelings!”

Lexi is all too familiar with this scenario, and her advice is this: “grow a mighty thick skin and practice your “faces”. In particularly the, “I’m so sad you lost” face, when the customer’s horrible, and the “well done I’m so happy” face for when a horrible customer wins!”