UK Casino - Top 45 Casino Gaming Questions
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Top 45 Casino Gaming Questions
Source : Frank Scoblete
This is the age of lists -- the top 100 movies of all time, the top 100 books of the 20th Century, the top 100 colleges for academic excellence or bargains or partying, and the top 100 women former President Bill Clinton scored with; plus all those weekly top 10 this list, and top 10 that list and top 10 those other things list. In the interests of keeping up with the list makers as well as the (Dow) Joneses, I decided to list the top 60 questions I am asked whenever I give talks about casino gambling. My list is in no particular order of importance, but these are the most-asked questions of yours truly and the answers that I give when Im asked them. All value judgments are mine. So if I say this is the best thing, that is just my not-so-humble opinion. Of course, in my opinion my opinion is the correct opinion as today I assume my new identity as The Oracle at Odds -- Nostragamus! Ask and it shall be answered!
1. Can a person really beat the casinos?
Yes, a person can really beat the casinos -- if that person plays the right games the right ways. Unfortunately, most people wont be that person who beats the casinos because most people play games that give the casino the edge. You can -- with expert play -- beat the following games: blackjack, video poker, and regular poker. Here I am saying that you can actually beat the math of the game and get the edge.
2. How much of a [mathematical] edge can you get on these games?
A good card counter at blackjack playing games with good penetration and good rules can get between a 0.5 percent and a 1.5 percent edge. Id guess most card counters are playing with a one percent edge. Good single-deck players are probably closer to the 1.5 percent, while good shoe players are probably closer to the 0.5 percent. A lot of the percentage advantage that a card counter has depends on how much money he can get on the table when the game favors him. On select full-pay or more-than-full pay video poker machines you can probably play even with the house to realizing about a two percent edge on some machines. On regular poker, it is much harder to estimate an advantage but some people can and do make a living playing poker.
3. What skills do you need to play poker?
First, you have to realize that even though you are competing against other people, you not only have to overcome them but you have to overcome the house rake on the pots. Poker requires two skills: a killer instinct and a knowledge, whether intuitive or actual, of the probabilities inherent in the hand youre working on. Most people can learn the latter information with study and practice, but very few have the goods in the killer-instinct department. Like a fighter who is technically perfect but just cant pull the trigger in a real fight, most poker players just dont have the full array of talents needed to be pros or even winning players.
4. How hard is it to count cards at blackjack?
Actually, its like riding a bike. Remember when you couldnt ride and you got on a two wheeler? How could anyone ever keep that thing from falling? But once you learned to do it, it was the simplest thing in the world. At first thought, counting cards seems extremely difficult, but then you do it and you discover that once you get the hang of it, it isnt really all that hard. If you have average intelligence, you can do it, but that probably leaves out your brother-in-law.
5. So counting cards is simple?
Yes and no. If you are motivated to learn to do it, then you will learn it. If you arent motivated, you wont want to put in the time and effort. But it is definitely not as hard as, say, graduating high school.
6. How much time does it take to learn to count card at blackjack?
Here are the steps you must take. First get a good blackjack book and learn basic strategy. It will probably take you a week or two of memorizing to get it down pat. This is the toughest part of the process. You will have to memorize what to do with every hand you get against every dealer upcard. Break it up over a couple to three weeks and youll master it. Then go to a casino and play for small stakes and when you are perfect in your decision-making, you can learn a count system. It will take you all of five minutes to learn the basics of counting. But it will take you weeks to do it proficiently enough to go into a casino and do it. Figure two months for the whole process.
7. Is one basic strategy good for every type of blackjack game?
Actually, there are different basic strategies for different games. The single-deck strategy is a little different from the multiple-deck strategy; the strategy for games where a dealer hits soft 17 (ace-6) is slightly different from a game where the dealer stands on soft 17, and on and on it goes. But you dont have to go crazy memorizing six or seven different basic strategies. The differences in the strategies are not great enough to warrant panic. Memorize one and play it perfectly. After you learn to count and after you become proficient, then begin to incorporate the changes in basic strategy for the various types of games.
8. Is there anything else?
Yes. Once you become proficient and once you alter the basic strategy for the game you are playing then you will want to learn about 16 or so basic strategy changes based on the count. All of this is easy. Most good blackjack books will give you all the information you will need to become a winning player.
9. What blackjack books would you recommend for a motivated beginner?
Lacking even a shred of humility, I recommend my own book, Best Blackjack, and I also recommend Henry Tamburins book, Blackjack: Take the Money and Run as good books to learn what you need to know to win at blackjack. Once you have learned to count, then I would also recommend that you read Ken Ustons, Stanford Wongs, and Arnold Snyders books. There are many other good blackjack writers as well, such as Walter Thomason, Fred Renzey, Lance Humble, and Bryce Carlson. If you really get into blackjack, you will find that there is an enormous amount of literature on the game and that most of it spans a continuum from good to damn good with a few not-worth-reading books thrown in for bad measure. You cant go wrong with the writers Ive mentioned, however.
10. Can the slot machines be beaten?
Of course! If you buy the right Craftsman hammer and plant one or two whacks firmly on the frontage, you should be able to get the money. A good drill would help as well. This technique should only be used in casinos where the security guards are sluggish and, preferably, unarmed. This is a great strategy for people who dont fear jail.
11. Does it really matter which slot machines I play?
Actually, it matters very much which machines you play. The fact that a machine cant be beaten doesnt mean there arent better or worse machines to play and better or worse ways to play them.
12. Which machines should I play?
You have to judge your temperament. If you want to go for the big score such as Megabucks and you dont mind bucking odds of around 50 million to one, then be my guest. You will lose almost every time you go to a casino when you exclusively play those progressives because they are keeping anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the money put in them.
13. But someone wins the progressives, right?
Yes, once in a while someone wins -- but look at how long the jackpot builds before it is hit. Sometimes over a year. Sometimes up to two years! If you want a chance to come home with some money tonight, I would recommend that you stick to equal distribution or straight multiplier machines such as Double Diamond. Then only play one coin because there is no added benefit to playing two coins. You have an excellent chance of winning some money on a given night that way. You also have an excellent chance of not losing all that much.
14. Are there really loose and tight machines in a casino?
Yes. There are also loose and tight people in a casino.
15. Where are they?
They are located in chapter six of my book Break the One-Armed Bandits!. Okay! Okay! Heres a hint: Where would you put the best-paying machines in a casino if you owned the casino? Of course, you would put them in areas that would encourage other slot players to continue playing or to play at a faster pace. You would not put them in areas where people would get annoyed with hearing slot players yelling and screaming -- like around the table game area. Those machines are usually tight because astute slot managers realize that table-game players arent interested in hearing coins being pumped into slots and these same managers know that if the table-game player is going to dump a few coins in a machine, he or she isnt expecting to win. So why give a table-game player a loose machine? Why give him anything? Keep those few coins for yourself. Anyway, no one knows where every loose or tight machine is in every casino [even the source I used for my book could only tell me definitively where they were in his/her casinos although he/she stated that the psychology of placement is basically the same for most casinos] but as a general rule of thumb, the areas where slot players will be encouraged to play will be loose, the areas where solitary players might put in a few coins before going here or there to do this or that will be tight.
16. What is the dumbest thing you ever did in a casino?
I played a Martingale at roulette when I first started playing. Thats the double-up-after-you-lose system. It worked great for almost three days. On the third day I had to go to a huge bet to try to recoup my $5 initial wager. I almost had a heart attack.
17. What is the most you ever won in one session?
Just enough to keep me in writing.
18. What is the most you ever lost in one session?
Just enough to keep me in writing.
19. Whats the oldest gambling game?
Marriage. After that it is probably rolling dem bones. I think dice of a type are about the oldest implements for divining luck and divining luck was the oldest form of gambling. In archeological digs, the ankle bones of ancient sheep have been found with all sorts of designs on them. Primitive people would roll those bones or throw them and ask the gods questions and depending on which symbols came up, that would be the answer to the question. By the way, some of those same primitive people can also be found at modern craps tables today.
20. Is there a way to beat craps?
The math is unassailable - craps cant be beaten in the long run. But it is possible that the math is not the be-all and end-all of the game of craps. There is the real world where shooters get to roll them bones. The legendary Captain of craps believes, and I tend to believe, that some shooters are physically controlling the dice to slightly alter the nature of the game.
21. What makes you believe that some people might be capable of physically altering the game of craps?
First, it makes sense that such a thing might exist. It would also explain why the Captains 5-Count has worked for him for some 20 years now. The Captain knows that if you bet on every shooter at craps you will lose -- because that house edge, even on the best bets, will grind you down. Most shooters seven-out rather quickly as anyone who has ever played craps for any extended period of time has experienced. But which shooters should you risk your money on? The 5-Count is the way to select the shooters to risk money on. I think the reason the Captain, myself, and the many people who have written to me to tell me of their success with the 5-Count have had that success partially due to the fact that some of the shooters we risk our money on are actually what the Captain calls rhythmic rollers. They are changing the math of the game by controlling the throw to a small extent. The 5-Count eliminates the bad shooters -- the ones you lose your money on -- and positions you to, hopefully, be there for the good shooters a small percentage of which are these rhythmic rollers.
22. So you think the 5-Count guarantees that you will win at craps in the long run?
No. Some people have written to me to tell me that while using the 5-Count has decreased their losses markedly (after all you are reducing your exposure to the house edge by using it), they are still behind after extended play. Of course, I have had blackjack card counters tell me the same thing -- they are still down after extended play even with a mathematical edge. But if you want to know what I believe, here it is: I would never ever play craps any other way than with the Captains 5-Count, and making the smallest house-edge bets. I want the best chance to take home some money at craps tonight and a way to reduce my potential losses over time and keep my level of comps the same. The Captains methods give me that.
23. How can a player have a mathematical edge and still lose?
Easy. Lets flip a coin. I am going to give you an approximately one percent edge over the casino -- the same kind of edge that most blackjack card counters might have. You get to call the flip. Every time you win, you will be paid one dollar and two cents. Every time you lose, you will give up one dollar. The math shows us plainly that you will theoretically win in the long run because flipping a coin is a 50-50 proposition and youre getting paid more for a win than you are losing for a loss. So in 200 flips, you theoretically win 100 and lose 100 and come out ahead by 200 pennies or two dollars. Now, start flipping a real coin and start betting and keep track of it on paper. Do it right now and then come back and read the rest of this. Go ahead. Do it. Surprised arent you? Some of you went on a winning streak that made you a nice chunk of change but some of you started to lose and by the time you got tired of flipping that coin and keeping track of your wins and losses, you were down a pretty penny.
24. But if I played long enough I would have to win, right?
Yes, if you didnt go broke first. Were going to flip a coin again with the same stipulations as above. But this time, you have only four dollars to play with and your opponent has, oh, $10,000. Dont bother going off and doing the experiment -- you are going to get wiped out even with your one percent edge. Why? Because your bankroll cant sustain the fluctuations of probability inherent in a gambling game. Thats a fancy way of saying you dont have enough money to weather the bad streaks that will inevitably come your way. You have the edge but that edge is only mathematical. In the real world the guy with the $10,000 against your four dollars has the real edge.
25. What is the best show you ever saw in Las Vegas?
Dennis Rodman playing craps at the Mirage before he was kicked out.
26. Can roulette be beaten?
Yes, if you can find a wheel that is biased or a dealer that can hit your numbers on purpose (if such a thing exists) or if you can figure out a dealers signature (if such a thing exists) or if you can predict where the ball will fall either because you are psychic (if such a thing exists) or because you can follow the ball with your eyes without your head spinning and your stomach churning. Otherwise, bet the lowest amount that still gives you the thrill youre looking for but do not bet a penny more.
27. What are your favorite restaurants in Las Vegas and Atlantic City?
In Vegas, its Al Dente at Ballys; Antonios at Rio, and The Garden of the Dragon at the Hilton. When writers discuss Chinese food in Vegas, The Garden of the Dragon is always overlooked. It is a terrific place. In Atlantic City, its Peregrines at Hilton, Casa di Napoli at Showboat, and Regent Court at Tropicana. In either city, just about every casino gourmet room is great, so all the gourmet rooms I didnt mention are worthy of consideration.
28. What is the longest dice roll in history?
No one has an official record book but several stories have circulated about an Hawaiian who had a three-and-one-half hour roll at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
29. What is the longest roll you ever witnessed personally?
I saw the "Arm" in Atlantic City roll for about an hour. Ive been in on my share of 30 to 45 minute rolls as well, one as recently as the summer of 1998 that I wrote about in my magazine The New Chance and Circumstance. Of course, it is not always the duration of the roll but the quality of the roll that dictates whether it is good for you. If the shooter is hitting your numbers, you will make money; if he isnt, its as if the roll never happened.
30. Who is the biggest gambler in the world?
The mantle of the biggest whale (whale is casinoese for mucho high roller) must belong to Australian billionaire Kerry Packer who has been known to bet a quarter of a million dollars on one round of blackjack or baccarat. Rumor has it that he has won and lost upwards of 20 to 40 million dollars in a single casino stay. He is also rumored to be a generous tipper and the best rumor of all is that he once gave a dealer he liked a house for a tip! These are the types of gaming rumors even I enjoy spreading.
31. What are your favorite games?
Craps for excitement. Blackjack for sustained money-making play.
32. What are your least favorite games?
Any game that gives the casino a huge edge over the player is out. So the Big Wheel and Sic Bo are out. I also dont enjoy playing Caribbean Stud -- too many frustrating hands and a pretty high house edge to boot. I am also not a video poker lover -- even though some of the best games in the casino are in video poker. I spend a tremendous amount of time in front of my computer screen so that when I go to a casino I want to play games where I get to see people in action with me. Also video poker has many more losing sessions than winning sessions -- even when you have the edge -- because you have to hit your share of four-of-a-kinds and royal flushes to get into the black.
33. Which games make the most money for the casinos?
The most overall money is made from slots, followed by blackjack, with craps and roulette right behind. More people play those games than any others. However, there is another way to figure what the casinos make and that is on a per game per $100 bet ratio. This is called the win rate. Here are the most recent real-world win rates for the various games in both Atlantic City and Las Vegas. My guess is that other gambling jurisdictions such as Mississippi and Illinois are probably consistent with these results as well. However, these jurisdictions do not release their figures based on individual games. You can check the Casino Player slot charts for the returns on the machines. The percent means that for every $100 bet, the casino kept that percentage. Remember that the casino win rate is really the player loss rate! Hold your breath.
Atlantic City Las Vegas
Blackjack 12.4% 14.2%
Craps 14.5% 14.1%
Baccarat 12.5% 14.4%
Let It Ride 16.3% 20.2%
Big Wheel n/a 45.2%
Mini-Baccarat 13.8% 15.6%
Pai Gow Poker 21.9% 21.9%
Roulette 25% 22.6%
Keno 26.7% 27.8%
Caribbean Stud 21.1% 25%
34. I thought Las Vegas had better games than Atlantic City but it seems that Vegas players are losing more?
It does and they are. You can find single and double-deck games in blackjack, 100X odds at craps, and the best of a variety of video poker machines in Las Vegas. Its heaven on earth for a good gambler. So why are the Vegas figures in this survey showing that Vegas players are hitting the deck at a greater rate in many of the games? Some of it can be attributed to the normal fluctuations that occur in gaming. When you look at long-range figures, youll note that the casino win rates do fluctuate up and down from month to month. Some of it can also be attributed to the fact that many people who come to Vegas are first timers or just vacationers who really arent schooled in the games. My own experience is that more Atlantic City blackjack players play basic strategy than their Vegas counterparts. Even in the eight-deck monstrosities of Atlantic City, a basic strategy player is facing a little more than a half percent house edge. But look at those figures carefully and realize just how much money people lose to the casinos -- money that they dont have to lose if they played the best strategies for the games of their choice. A sizeable percentage of those loss percentages is due to poor play!
35. Whats the best buffet in Vegas?
Just about every major casino-hotel has a great buffet. I like the buffets at the Golden Nugget, Caesars and Rio, but I havent tried every buffet in Vegas because Im fat enough as it is.
36. Whats the best buffet in Atlantic City?
Ive never eaten at an Atlantic City buffet.
37. Is there such a thing as luck?
Yes. Theres good luck and bad luck. Good luck is defined as you winning. Bad luck is defined as you losing. Mathematicians dont believe in good or bad luck but simply call all events, streaks, circumstances (and so on) that are involved with chance fluctuations in probability.
38. How much money should you bring to a casino?
Always bring enough money to last you for the amount of time you want to play. As a rule of thumb for every session of blackjack have at least 40 times your bet. If you are a five-dollar bettor then have $200. For craps, always have 10 times your bet spread. If you are up on three numbers at the height of your betting, then have 10 times the amount of the three combined wagers. In roulette and all other games, use the blackjack formula. Bring enough money to play all the sessions you plan to play. So the five-dollar bettor in blackjack who wants to play six sessions in two days should bring $1,200. Never use a win -- or any leftover money -- from one session in another session. Put it away. This will almost guarantee that you will go home with some money. Nothing feels worse than getting wiped out.
39. What about hedging bets at craps? Like betting an Any Seven on the come-out to protect against the seven showing?
Not a good idea. Every bet can and must be figured independently. You will lose more money if you bet Any Seven on every come-out roll than you will save by attempting to protect your pass line bet on the come-out.
40. Who are your favorite gaming authors?
I like just about all gaming writers -- even the ones whose ideas I might disagree with. My criteria for selecting my favorite writers is simply the sheer enjoyment I get from reading their books and the insights they give me. My all-time favorites, in no particular order, are: Ken Uston, Henry Tamburin, Walter Thomason, Edwin Silberstang, Anthony Curtis, Lyle Stuart, Barney Vinson, Arnold Snyder, John Grochowski, Marvin Karlins, Russell Barnhart, John Gollehon, Bryce Carlson, Max Rubin, Sam Grafstein, Stanford Wong, Jean Scott and Darwin Ortiz.
41. What are the three most important books ever written about casino gambling?
There were probably books written by mathematicians such as Pascal that did all the ground-breaking work in probability that allow us to analyze the underpinnings of todays casino games. However, in the post World War II era, the following three books are my choices for the all-time most important. Beat the Dealer by Edward O. Thorp, which was the first book about card counting. Although the method advocated by Thorp in his book is now outdated, the book was the battering ram that broke down the doors to the casino treasuries. It was also an enjoyable read. The Casino Gamblers Guide by Allan N. Wilson was the first rational analysis of modern casino games and their mathematical underpinnings that the non-mathematician could understand. Again it was a fun book to read as well. And Ken Ustons The Big Player, which gave playing blackjack a romanticism and lore that inspires many blackjack players to this day. Uston was the Zorro of blackjack!
42. How important are comps?
They are not important at all and they are very important. If you can con the casinos into giving you more comps then your play deserves then you are getting value for your time. If you merely get the comps that are commensurate with your play then you are just getting what everyone else would get, which is also just fine -- take what they give you. Always hand in your players card to get what the casinos are giving but never give the casinos more than what you can afford to give in order to get a comp. Some people equate getting comped with their self-worth as in The casinos gave me a free room, a free gourmet meal, free show tickets and all the hosts called me sir! and I only had to bet $200 per hand for four hours to get it. Thats silly, stupid, and costly if you cant truly afford to bet $200 per hand. Play at the level that gives you the manageable thrill you are looking for but not for one penny more. The comps will come and they have absolutely nothing to do with your self-worth. Casino personnel would call the devil himself sir! if he bet big enough. Their job is, after all, making us feel good about losing our money.
43. Is the Captain a real person or are you the Captain?
Yes, the Captain is a real person. No, I am not the Captain ... but I am real, too.
44. What is the average number of craps rolls before a shooter sevens out?
About 3.5 rolls.
45. What games have some of the highest win percentages for the players?
If you lay against the four or 10 in craps, you have 66 percent win ratio while laying the five or nine has a 60 percent win rate. Of course, you have to put up more money than the bet is worth, so you will still lose even with this win rate. In baccarat, the bank wins about 50.5 percent of the time if you exclude ties. So you will actually win more than half your bets if you play this proposition exclusively at baccarat. Thats why the casino takes a commission from the winning bets. The pass line at craps has a 49.3 percent player win ratio. Blackjack has around a 48 percent win rate if we exclude ties. The even-money bets at roulette (red/black, odd/even, high/low) have a 47.4 percent player win ratio.
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UK Casino - Top 45 Casino Gaming Questions
