Here is a look at a few questions from readers about casino gambling.
A question from Doris about blackjack:
Mr. Scoblete, I am assuming you have played or read about most games. I know that blackjack is a tough game to play because you have to memorize “basic strategy” that explains why you have to hit, stand, double down or split pairs. I know there are other rules to follow when you play the game too.
Now, all of that seems very complicated. Why have a game that requires the player to memorize so much stuff – and that player will still have to face the house edge no matter what? Does that seem fair or even make sense? I doubt it.
I never thought that casino playing would require me to memorize a list of rules this long! Have you seen them?
I can’t even get through one playing card and then I discovered there were many cards depending on the type of blackjack game you are playing. You know that the rules of the game, the number of decks, what the dealer can and can’t do, yikes, changes how you play some of the hands! That’s a lot of work for not too much reward since you are doomed to lose ultimately, no matter what.
Now, here was my first experience playing the game. Yes, I sat right down and started playing and one guy – a real bully – kept criticizing my decisions. Finally. I had enough and told him to shut up.
I soon left the table and went to the bathroom where I cried. I’m not a little girl but this guy got to me. He really distressed me. It was like being in junior high school.
Now, here is what is weird. I still want to play blackjack. Yes, I do. It is the most popular table game in the casino and it seems like fun to play – if you know how to play it, that is. But do I really have to go through a college-level learning course to do so? Help required.
– Doris
Frank responds:
Sorry, Doris, but you ran into the biggest P.I.T.A that shows up at blackjack tables on occasion – the “expert,” the “professor,” the “Doctor” who often has little idea of how to play the game correctly but will ladle out a tremendous amount of advice, often the wrong advice too. And yell at you if you don’t follow his ideas.
It seems he’ll always be yelling. (Sometimes the expert is a “she.”) I’m sorry you had to be badgered by this guy but once you know how to play, guess what? You’ll still get badgered on occasion! It’s the price, other than facing the house edge, that we blackjack players have to face.
Still, when you can handle the game properly, you can just tell the “professor” you like to play the way you like to play and that’s that. “Sir, it’s my money.” That usually shuts them up.
Now, yes, you do have a lot of “types” of blackjack games where some of the rules aren’t like other rules other casinos might use. Take the handling of a soft 17 (A:6). Some blackjack games will have the dealer stand on the hand (that is good for the players) but many now will have the dealer hit that hand (that is good for the casinos).
Blackjack players – all other things being equal (which they rarely are) – should opt for the rules that are good for them if they can find those rules.
Okay, tonight, right now, purchase playing cards that explain how to play the different versions of “regular” blackjack that you will face. Don’t dive into Spanish 21 or the like, just get the right cards for regular blackjack.
Most casinos will let you refer to the cards while you play. And that’s how you’ll play until you get a handle on the game.
Blackjack is a great game but as you discovered there are (human) irritants involved in it. If you become a good player you will face about a 0.5% house edge, which means an expected loss of 50 cents per $100 wagered. That’s about the best bet in the casino.
More Lessons
Now, I am going to give you some insider tips to help make your blackjack play as close to perfect as possible. Follow these and you will find the game of blackjack even more fun.
- The general rule is that the more decisions you face the better it is for the casino. So, we try to keep the number of decisions low.
- Play at a full or almost full tables.
- Only play one hand. Do not spread to two or three hands. That simply means more money going to the casino over time.
- When you have to go to the bathroom, go while the game is being played, not when the dealer is shuffling. The hands you miss simply reduce the number of hands you played. Fewer decisions are better for the player. Fewer decisions are good for the player.
- Until you are comfortable with the total number of decisions you face at the game, always play with your strategy-playing cards in front of you – and take your time looking at the cards before deciding what to do. If other players try to speed you up when you aren’t ready, just ignore them or apologize for being a new player.
- A general rule here: Do not whine when things are going poorly for you. All blackjack players face streaks, some good, some bad. They are a part of the game.
- Do not play continuous automatic shufflers. These are killers for a blackjack player’s bankroll.
- When a dealer cuts cards out of the shoe look for the ones who cut a lot of cards out. That means you will play fewer hands. If you were a card counter, you would want the dealer to cut very few out of the shoe which means you’d get to see more cards to count. (If you have an edge, you want more. If the casino has the edge, you want less.)
- Should you tip the dealers? That’s up to you. I will tip.
A Question from Felix about Craps
I don’t know, I really don’t. I love to play craps but I am getting killed. Does anyone ever win? It seems like it should be easy but I am being slowly roasted.
I do get caught up in the game. That I will admit. I make a pass line bet and back it with full odds. I place the 6 and 8 unless one of those is my point. Then I buy the 4 and 10.
As the game flows I will throw out bets on some of the longshots, like the hardways, the field, snake eyes and the 12. I also like going up on the 11. These bets have big payouts. If the table has the Fire bet, yes, I will bet that because the payout is terrific.
I do not seem to be able to catch fire in the bottle when I play. I have made some great hits but they don’t sustain me for very long. What am I doing wrong?
I think I need some schooling.
– Felix
Frank responds:
Felix! Felix! Felix! Schooling? You need detention. Simple first: the more bets you make, the more bets you have to win. Even those longshot bets have to be hit enough times to keep you ahead of the game.
Yes, I know, I know those longshot bets are fun. But seriously no one – and I mean no one – can beat the game of craps for any serious length of time by making those bets. Just think of how much money you are putting on the table. And how many hits you must get to be ahead.
The late Captain, my mentor from Atlantic City, had a rather simple philosophy when it came to betting. Have a large bankroll and make a small bet. Don’t bet those "Crazy Crapper" bets either. Those are the longshot bets you referred to. You cannot beat craps by making those bets. That’s why the Captain called those bets Crazy Crapper bets.
A pass line bet with odds, and at best only have two bets with a come bet as your second bet, and leave it at that. Make sure the odds part is maximum if you can afford it. If not, make just one bet.
I know, this way of betting doesn’t seem exciting but as you start to see wins occasionally entering your ledger, you will see this is the only way to wager. (Always keep a ledger. You don’t have to show it to anyone but it will keep you honest with yourself.)
I am a big fan of craps. I know the fun of the game. But I also know that the only way to have a chance to win (short of learning dice control) is to make no more than a couple of good bets and let that be that.
Many craps players are totally caught up in the excitement of the game. That’s great of course but it comes with a downside. You lose money if you start throwing your money around on longshot wagers. Yes, the house has an edge on every bet but a couple of low-house edge bets gives you a chance to win some money.
Okay, enjoy your fellow players jumping up and down and screaming in joy or moaning in misery. That’s also a part of the fun of the game.
– Frank
A Question from Sean
This is about roulette. It does seem to me that this game has too high an edge on the double-zero wheel and seriously forget about the triple-zero wheel. How can you hope to beat a 5.26% house edge? The triple-zero is even worse.
But I can’t seem to find any single-zero wheels that I can afford to play. How can they make the payout for a hit a measly 35 to 1?
That’s my negative feeling. My positive feeling is that I love the game. I do. And not just because my first name is Sean (as in Sean Connery) the original and best James Bond.
My understanding is that roulette is the oldest casino game. Do you know its origins? Any information would be helpful.
– Sean
Frank responds:
I loved Sean Connery as James Bond. Some actors have “it” and he had “it” in spades. Actresses can have “it” too. There used to be an actress long, long ago, who was called the “it” girl, her name was Clara Bow.
Connery created the idea that James Bond would always bet the number 17 and for years now it is the number one number played at roulette.
Blaise Pascal, a scientist, mathematician, theologian, and philosopher tried to create a perpetual motion machine. He and so far everyone who has tried to invent that machine has failed. Oh, well. But Blaise did invent roulette and that game has been in the casinos since the late 1600s. That may be his perpetual motion machine.
It used to be the number one game, surpassed by craps in the 1940s and then blackjack in the mid-1960s. It is still one of the top three games in the casino.
As for the payouts, those wins do pay 35 to 1 but you really have long losing streaks at times if you go straight up on a number.
Let me suggest this: Make one of the even-money bets of red/black, high/low, or odd/even. These are “even money” because they pay even money (1 to 1) but you won’t find really long losing streaks on these.
You can also take a pause between spins. Maybe sit out three spins out of 20 or something to that effect. The casino’s edge can’t take your money when you are sitting out. Give this a try.
All the best in and out of the casinos!
