Casino Gambling

BLACKJACK DIFFERENCES

2008-02-29T03:20:00.000-08:00

I have been trying my hand in many casino games and I have earned a lot through this but black jack has proved the best source for making money. Here I want to tell all the newbie the difference between single and multiple deck blackjack.

As we have seen, the main variations in strategy take place with our doubling and splitting strategies - moves which entail an increased wager on the hand. Let's now see just why the single and multiple deck blackjack games are slightly different.

The greater number of cards used in a multiple deck game makes the removal of any particular card or cards less important for composition change purposes and, as a result, our doubling and splitting strategies are less aggressive.

For example, the removal of three cards (5, 3, 5) creates a favorable imbalance for the player in a single deck game and makes a 53 double vs. the dealer's 5 a profitable play. Not only will these cards be poor draws for the player's double but they're three cards the dealer needs to improve his hand. The effective removal of these three cards gives the player a better chance of drawing a 10on his 8 and, at the same time, increases the dealer's chance of busting. Thus, a single deck game, 53 vs. 8 is a favorable double.

However, the removals of these three cards are barely felt in a four deck game. There are twenty nine other 3s and 5s in a four deck game as compared to only five in a single deck. Thus, not enough of a favorable imbalance has been created in the multiple deck game, and the double down is not a correct play.

This lack of sensitivity to particular card removal accounts for nine strategy changes in the multiple deck game from the preceeding single deck master charts we just presented.

Except for the following nine changes in the doubling and splitting strategies, multiple deck basic strategy is identical to the single deck basic strategy.

ATLANTIC CITY MULTIPLE DECK

The blackjack games offered in Atlantic City differ from the Nevada games in several ways. For one thing, all the Atlantic City games are dealt from a 4, 6 or 8 deck shoe. They do not offer single or double deck games as in Nevada. Doubling allowed after splitting is standard in Atlantic City as opposed to Nevada, where only a few casinos offer this option. Resplitting of pairs is not allowed in Atlantic City. Nevada casinos generally allow the player to resplit pairs as often as they wish.

The Atlantic City game is singular in some other ways as well. To protect against collusion between the player and the dealer, the dealer does not check his hole card for a blackjack (as is standard in Nevada) until all the players have finished playing out their hands. This casino safeguard does not affect the player's chances of winning, for if the dealer does indeed have a blackjack, any additional money the player may have wagered on a doubled or split hand will be returned. Only the original bet is lost.

Another difference is that all player hands are dealt face up in Atlantic City. No casinos allow the player to physically handle the cards. The player must employ hand signals to convey his strategy intentions to the dealer. (Single and double deck games in Nevada are generally face down games where the player can handle his cards, while multiple deck games are played similarly to the Atlantic City face up game.)

The Atlantic City basic strategy is the same as Nevada multiple deck strategy except for more frequent pair splitting due to the player being allowed to double after splits.

EUROPEAN NO HOLE CARD RULES

These strategies are for multiple deck play and take into account that players may only double on totals of 9, 10 and 11, and also will double and split less aggressively when the dealer shows a 10 or Ace due to the no hole card rule.

In no hole card games that allow the player to double after splitting, the player will split more aggressively to take advantage of this favorable option. We'll also show that strategy in a master chart.

The Myths of Blackjack

2008-02-19T02:45:00.000-08:00

Casino blackjack is catching the eyes of many gamblers across the planet as it proved to be the best option for making big money.

I could cite much more evidence, but that is not the purpose of this book. Every mathematical simulation done on blackjack will tell you the same thing-progressive betting will never make you a winner over the long haul. If the house has a 1 percent edge on a given game, then you will lose approximately 1 percent of your money regardless of how often you change your bets. In the short run, you might get lucky and push out the big guns at the right time. But unless you're counting, there's no reason to ever jump your bets and expect to gain any advantage by doing so. If progressive betting makes you happy and gives you a more pleasurable gaming experience, then feel free to continue frolicking. However, if your concept of fun involves winning rather than losing, then let me explain how card counting works.

CARD COUNTING 101

This section is markedly different from the earlier part of the chap¬ter because card counting is not just another false system. Indeed, the casinos would like people to dismiss card counting as just another one of the myths of gambling-one that is impossible to do without a photographic memory-or is an outdated technique that no longer exists because of six-deck shoes. If becoming a winning card counter were truly unattainable for us mortals, then my writing and you reading this book would be a complete waste of time. Yet it can be done-by people like me and by readers like YQU.

Later chapters will cover the how of card counting. At this juncture all I will cover is the why. It's important this concept is fully understood before you try to improve your blackjack skills, because if you truly believe it can be done, then you will be far more motivated. It is only natural that some people are skeptical of card counting. Almost every game of chance has its share of quacks selling books with a secret system guaranteed to beat the house. Unfortunately, they forgot to put the truth in the blurbs-that the only way they got rich was by selling suckers their book, not by using their anniversary date to beat the lottery. I suggest you check out the credentials of anyone who wants to sell you a book showing how to win easy money. My guess is few of their tax returns would measure up to their claims.

MEMORY

I consistently won because blackjack is different from other casino games. This quirk that allows people to exploit the game is best illustrated by two key words-dependent and independent. Those terms aren't used just to explain the status of your relationship after you return home from an all-night gambling bender. They also have some applications in mathematics and show why the game of twenty-one differs markedly from other table games.

Craps and roulette are the best models to illustrate the concept of independent trial processes. Simply put, it means each new roll or spin is totally independent of any previous results. This is intuitive to most people, yet commonly ignored.

For example, a shooter may be hot as a pistol at the craps table.

Yet the odds against him throwing another seven on his next roll is exactly the same as when he started-5 to 1. The dice have absolutely no memory, and the past does not affect the future:

The flip side of that example can be found in roulette. A tourist may be monitoring the sequence of numbers that have hit over the last few hours at the wheel. He has noticed that his favorite number (22) hasn't come up once, so he assumes it is due and starts betting it heavily. However, the odds again remain unchanged. The hence of hitting 22 remains fixed, no matter what has transpired earlier in the’ day, since the little ivory ball has no memory.

International Blackjack Opportunities

2008-02-02T01:36:00.000-08:00

Casino offers many games for gamblers with a chance of earning lot of cash and in quick time too. I’ve been playing all the casino game for more than six years and out of all the games I like black jack as it proved to be the best for me.

Some of the casinos in Puerto Rico were exceptionally generous, and I not only received free room and meals, but also got my airfare camped up front. However, the rules were bad. Players could only double on 9, 10, or 11 and weren't allowed to respite pairs. These restrictions cost me about :25 percent over the average shoe game I .normally played back in the States.

Was gambling in Puerto Rico worth it just to get a tan? It's a tough call. I played about twenty hours on each trip, so my expected return was reduced by about a thousand bucks because of the inferior rules. Yet I did get several thousand dollars in free benefits (ocean-view suite, gourmet meals, and cute drinks with pink umbrellas).

My advice is this-if you're already planning a vacation to a hot beach spot like Aruba or the Bahamas, then playing some blackjack can be a very smart move. The downside is that when the cards go bad, it can really put a damper on your family vacation. Losing is never fun, but it's especially aggravating when you're dumping money like crazy in a game that you'd normally not even play back home.

I had two particularly brutal beatings at the blackjack tables in Puerto Rico. One ended up as the worst day I'd ever had gambling, and it 'came just before Christmas. The joy of spending the holidays festively in the islands with loved ones quickly evaporated into questioning the wisdom of mixing business with pleasure.

Of course, there were many other trips during which I won big and still got free waffles every morning for my kids. Those are the fun times that make it seem worthwhile. But a general principle is this-you are usually better off playing only the best games and taking your vacations away from the green felt jungle to some place like Hawaii.

THE BOTTOM LINE

However, you still should incorporate foreign casinos into your schedule. The best games are almost always at places that lie off the beaten path. By traveling frequently, serious blackjack players greatly increase their odds of finding that rare gem that will fatten their bankroll-especially if they can milk the game before some big-money team discovers the game and burns it out.

I have had the good fortune of unearthing several gold mines over the years, one of which was a small casino in the Dominican Republic that no other card counter ever stumbled across (at least while the fantastic conditions were in place). Other adventuresome counters I know have also found riches by going the extra mile.

One player won over a million dollars in Malaysia before the casino pulled the plug. And the Czech team found many incredible opportunities, including a French casino that dealt every card in the six deck shoe. So I'm convinced the potential rewards outweigh the risks and difficulties of playing blackjack abroad.

"Dont Come Wager"

2008-01-14T00:53:00.000-08:00

Casino is like a wheel of luck one day it can turn in your way and other day it turns against your way. It depends how lucky you are .Playing casino is very exciting for all those who believe that they can fulfill all their dreams.

As you have probably figured out by now, the don’t come wager is the opposite of the come bet. The relationship between the don’t come wager and the don’t pass bet is the same as the relationship between the come wager and the pass bet. As with the come bet, the don’t come bet can be made at any time except before a come-out roll, that is, a don’t come bet can be made any time a don’t pass bet is not normally made. When a don’t come bet is made, the very next roll acts as a come-out for that don’t come bet, independent of what is happening with the pass and don’t pass bets.

By placing a don’t come bet, any roll (except the come-out) can establish a point for that bet, and the same rules apply as for a don’t pass bet. You can make as many or as few don’t come bets as you wish. In this way, you can make bets against additional points while the pass line shooter is trying to repeat his original point. Thus, depending on how many don’t come bets you make, you can have two or more points working at the same time.

To make a don’t come bet, place your chip or chips in the small don’t come box—you should do this only when the white side of the puck is facing up. If the next roll is neither a 7 or 11 (which you would lose) nor a 2 or 3 (which you would win), then it is your point and the dealer will move your bet to a small box above the appropriate place-number box. Now the only numbers that have meaning on the succeeding rolls are a 7 (you win) or your don’t come point (you lose). As you can see, this is the same as making a don’t pass bet, except that the point is a different number.

LAYING ODDS

Just like the pass bettor, the don’t bettor can add an odds bet to his don’t pass or don’t come wager. The only difference is that the pass bettor takes odds, meaning that if he wins, he gets paid more than the amount of his bet, whereas the don’t bettor has to lay odds because he gets paid less than even money on the odds portion of the bet.

Like pass bettors, when don’t bettors win, they are paid at true odds for the odds portion of their bet. They are paid less than even money, however, because they have a better than even chance of winning the bet as the previous chart indicated.

Just as for pass bettors, the odds bet has to be made as an add-on to an existing don’t pass or don’t come wager. The only time a player can lay odds for a don’t pass bet is after a point has been established.

The bet is made by stacking additional chips alongside the don’t pass bet. The dealer will reposition the chips, but you don’t have to worry about that.

For a don’t come bet, you can lay odds only after a point is established for that don’t come bet. The odds bet can be made after the dealer relocates the don’t come bet behind the appropriate point number. Instead of putting the chips next to the don’t come bet, put them in the don’t come box and tell the dealer that you want to lay odds. The dealer will then place them alongside your don’t come bet and heel the stack, so he can tell which portion of the bet is for the odds. When a stack is heeled, the bottom chip lays flat and the rest of the stack is tilted so that it is half on and half off the bottom chip.

The payouts for the different point numbers are shown in the following chart, which is an expansion of the previous chart on don’t pass bets.

PLAYING IN THE CASINO

2007-12-15T00:06:00.000-08:00

WAGERING ETIQUETTE OFPLAYING IN CASINO

Casino table games have unwritten rules of behavior that are followed as a matter of courtesy to the dealer and to the other players. These rules are primarily designed to avoid misunderstandings and to keep the game moving smoothly.

When you first sit down at a table, you will need to buy in. If you brought chips from another game at that casino, you can play with those; however, you cannot use chips that you brought in from a different casino. In Nevada, real currency can be played at most table games. If you toss a bill on the bet circle, the dealer will call out (for the floor person to hear), “Money plays.” If you win your money bet, you will be paid off with casino chips.

To buy in, place your money on the layout; never hand it to the dealer. The dealer will not convert your cash until the current hand is concluded, so don’t think she is ignoring you. If you lay out a large bill, it will be converted entirely into chips; the dealer cannot make change. You may, however, ask for specific denominations of chips. When you quit playing and are ready to change your chips back to cash, you can do so at the cashier’s cage.

No matter which game you are playing, at the start of each hand you need to put up one or more bets. If you are slow in doing this, the dealer will gently remind you, but it will also hold up the game. In some games, such as baccarat, you are not expected to bet every hand.

Once the dealer starts distributing the cards, you may not touch your original bet. If you do, you will be admonished. This is because one method of cheating is to change the amount of the bet after seeing how good a hand was dealt.

The above rules are general and apply to all table games. Every different type of game also has some unique rules of its own. These additional rules are covered in the chapters on the specific games.

OBTAINING CREDIT

If you are a serious table player and would rather not carry around large sums of cash, you may wish to establish a line of credit at the casino. To obtain credit, you first have to stop at the cashier’s cage and get rated. You will have to fill out a credit application, so they can check your credit history. If you already have credit at another casino, it won’t take very long because all casinos use the same credit agency. If you have never established credit at a casino before, they will have to check with your bank, which could take a day or two—and even longer on a weekend. In any case, the casino is not likely to give you more credit than 75% of your average checking account balance as they expect you to settle any losses by writing a check before you leave.

Once your credit is established at a casino, you can step up to a gaming table and ask for a marker for a specific amount. (Bear in mind that few casinos will write markers for less than $500.) The dealer will pass your request to a floor supervisor, who will ask you for identification. He will either check his computer or call the cashier to verify that you have adequate unused credit. He will then ask you to sign a marker (which is a simple IOU), and instruct the dealer to give you chips in the requested amount.

If you have a large number of chips when you are finished playing, you will be expected to redeem your marker before you leave the table. In any case, you should settle up at the cashier’s cage before you leave the casino.

Fun and Money at casino

2007-10-27T00:46:00.000-07:00

A child of the computer age, Spanish 21 is a mathematically-derived variation of blackjack. The term “Spanish” refers to the 48-card deck used in some Spanish card games. It is a regular 52-card deck with the four tens removed. Although, in most respects, Spanish 21 is played just like standard blackjack, the basic strategy is somewhat different.

As a uniquely-designed modification of blackjack, Spanish 21 has liberalized rules and numerous bonuses. The casinos can be so generous because removal of the four tens from the deck gives the house a large advantage. The changes in rules and payouts were designed to attract jaded blackjack casino players and have made the game popular. The modified rules have considerable appeal. For instance, in standard blackjack, it is always exhilarating to hit a count of 21 on the nose, but it quickly turns into a disappointment if the dealer also hits 21 (resulting in a push instead of a win). In Spanish 21, if both dealer and player have 21, the player wins!

In addition, bonuses are paid for getting 21 with five cards, six cards, and seven cards, and for getting certain three card combinations such as 6 7 8 and 7 7 7. Then there is the super bonus: If you get a suited 7 7 7 and the dealer’s upcard is a 7, a bonus is paid to all the players at the table. It’s no wonder that many blackjack players are migrating to Spanish 21.

Spanish 21 is played on a regular blackjack table. Except for the liberal payoffs, the game appears to be almost identical to standard blackjack, which is what fools some experienced blackjack players. Many of them don’t realize that the basic strategy for standard blackjack does not work very well, and that the house edge is higher. To keep from losing your shirt, you have to learn a modified strategy.

Like regular blackjack, the game is easy to learn and play. You are dealt two cards and then take additional cards (hits) one-by-one, trying to get as close to a total count of 21 without going over. When all the players are through taking hits, the dealer does the same by following a fixed set of house rules. If you beat the dealer, you win even odds, and if the dealer beats you, you lose your bet. If your hand has the same numerical count as the dealer (except for a count of 21) it is a tie (called a push), and no money changes hands.

My Passion- Casino Gambling

2007-10-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

The player should consider doubling only when his hand has the value 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20. Since, in general, one can double only on the initial two-card hands, this means that the player should consider doubling only when he has (A, 2), (A, 3), (A, 4), (A, 5), (A, 6), (A, 7), (A, 8), or (A, 9). When the player should double with such a hand is indicated in Table 6of casino.

Splitting (When Doubling After Splitting Is Not Allowed) The strategy for splitting pairs is given in Table 7. When the number in a block is followed by a dot, the player should split only when the running index is less than that number.

Splitting (When Doubling After Splitting Is Allowed) The corresponding strategy is given in Table 8. Insurance, the player should place the insurance bet only when the running index is greater than, or equal to +14 We have assumed above that the game is dealt from a four-deck shoe. When the number of decks used in the casino game is different, 14 should be replaced by the following indices: six-deck games 15 two-dec games 12 one-deck games 7

Surrender

When the option may be exercised only after it was determined that the dealer does not have blackjack, the player should follow the strategy given in Table 9. When early surrender is offered, the player should follow the strategy given in Table 10. The early surrender option should be exercised before the insurance option.

No Hole-Card Games

In no hole-card games of type I, the modifications in the player’s strategy are identical with those indicated in Chapter 3, except in the case of (A, A) and hard 11 against a dealer’s ten. In any case to facilitate the reading of this subsection, we provide complete details.

When the dealer’s up card is 2,3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 the playing strategy remains unchanged. When the dealer’s up card is ten or ace the following modifications should be made to the strategy given previously:
do not split (8, 8) against a ten or ace;
do not split (9, 9) against an ace;
do not split (A, A) against an ace;
split (A, A) against a ten, only if the running index is greater than or equal to —25;

do not double on ten against a ten or ace; double on 11 against a ten only if the running index is greater than or equal to +48; do not double on 11 against an ace In no hole-card games of type II the player should use the strategy given earlier in this chapter

THE PLAYING STRATEGY FOR
SINGLE-DECK GAMES

Although the strategies for multiple-deck and single-deck games are similar, there are, however, a number of differences. Some of them are listed in Table 11 below.

The numbers in the third column are critical indices. They replace those corresponding to multiple-deck games.

THE 99-COUNT AND THE ADJUSTED-COUNT

To facilitate reference we shall call it the adjusted-count. The name is justified since this count can be obtained by correcting the 99- count for tens and aces. The adjusted-count is excellent for making playing decisions. The corresponding strategy tables can be found at the end of this chapter.

The player who can use the 99-count for betting decisions and the adjusted-count for playing decisions will improve his overall strategy. We observe, however, that the betting performance of the adjusted- count is not as good as that of the 99-count. The adjusted-count should not be used without corrections, unless, for various reasons, the player must bet always the same amount.
The player who decides to use the 99-count and the adjusted- count, should proceed as follows: He should start by keeping track of the running count corresponding to the adjusted-count; denote this running count by AC. Then, he should keep track, separately, of the running count corresponding to the count defined by:

denote this running count by TA. When he must make a playing decision he should use the running index corresponding to AC and the strategy tables given at the end of this chapter. When he must make a betting decision he should, first, add AC and TA; then, he should compute AC+TA/ number of unseen cards (6).