Do you want to know how the casinos get their edges over the players? This short answer is sufficient to fully explain the matter. Here it is: more money goes into the casinos then comes out of the casinos. Correct. You really don’t need a more detailed explanation than that.
That slot machine keeps more money than it pays out; so, does the blackjack game, and the craps game, and the roulette game and on and on it goes. You don’t need an advanced degree in mathematics to get this simple picture.
Now to make you forget precisely what is happening to you, the casinos structure their games to make them “fun.” You are always this close to winning the next decision. That fact allows the players to hang in there because the decision after the decision after the decision could be the winner!
Anticipation is a key to why people play casino games or lotteries and such. The anticipation is a strong enough feeling that it rivets most players to the games they love to play.
(At some point or other, the player will retire from playing. He or she could be ahead; more than likely he or she will be behind. And on it goes. Perhaps for eternity.)
How Many Players Should Be at a Table?
A lot of players prefer to play one-versus-one against the dealer. And that could be the fast way to epic losses. You want to play at full tables (or nearly full tables) in order to play the least number of decisions that you can.
Here is the truth: the more decisions that you play, the worse it will ultimately be for you. And you can’t escape that fact. More decisions means the game is better for the casinos. You can’t escape that fact.
Games that are fast (such as mini-baccarat) can hammer you even though the house edges at that game are rather small on two of the three bets. Play 150 decisions or so an hour and see where you wind up.
Oh, and don’t play the tie bet, one of the worst bets in the casino. Just play player and even better, just play bank which has the lowest house edge. One hundred fifty decisions – remember that number can be a mere one hour of play!
But even so. Such speed makes that game dangerous – low house edge or not.
Also, the number of superstitious players makes that game trying on your nerves if you find yourself surrounded by such players. At times they might (they actually might) blame you for their defeats. That has happened to me.
The house edges on the two best bets are good. The speed of the game is bad. If you want to play the game? Reduce the number of decisions you face by 50%! (Or more!)
Oh, Those Magnificent Slot Machines!
The number one casino game is the slot machines. More people play the slots than all the other casino games combined.
Slot machines are almost always one-versus-one, the player versus the machine. Machines come in with house edges between 8% and 16% – or thereabouts. No player is getting a break when he or she plays the slot machines.
They are fast if the player plays fast and most slot players speed up their play as time goes by. They take more than one coin (or credit) and they can lose a lot of money quickly and surely because some will take so many coins (or credits) that the wind in your hair will make you bald with how fast the machine obliges them.
Slot players do not – by and large – want to play table games because, well, because, just because. One-on-one at a machine is not scary, but having a bunch of other players playing the same game can horrify a slot player. Go figure.
Other than slot players who hit for outrageous sums on absolutely rare occasions which are (as stated) rare, the prospects for these players are dim and even dimmer than that.
Slot machines do have lights and sound effects and cartoons and such but these are simply there to distract you from the fact that losses are coming soon and sooner even than that. The world’s casino industry is built on slot machines.
How should a wise slot player play the machines if he or she must play the machines? Slow.
And seriously, even slower than that.
In fact, so slow that in a race the slot player will not even appear to be playing. You’ll have to speed up the film to notice movement!
The bottom line is to play one coin or credit per decision. There I said it. And do it slowly, oh, so, so slowly.
I do not care what kind of machine you are playing, just stick to one coin or credit per decision and take your time hitting the play button. Come on, do you really think you will be one of the rare players who will hit for millions? Play one decision at a time and enjoy your time in the casinos. It won’t be too costly.
And What About Blackjack?
The most popular game in the casino, other than slot machines, is blackjack. It has been the king of the casinos’ table games ever since Edward O. Thorp worked out a system called card counting in the early 1960s in his book Beat the Dealer.
This system would allow the knowledgeable player to actually get a real edge at the game (meaning more money coming out of the game and going to the player) and that would put the casinos behind such a player who could work such magic.
Craps, the World War II game, had been the leader in the casinos up to that time but blackjack quickly surpassed it. Why? Because everyone thought they could beat the game – even if they never learned how to count cards or had enough money to suffer and ultimately beat the bad streaks.
The casinos soon panicked and then started adding more decks to the game from one to two to four to six and to eight. They placed the cut card not as deep into the shoe and generally ruined the pristine game that blackjack had been. (Single deck with great rules. Farewell.)
Next came unlimited continuous automatic shufflers. Then came games where a blackjack only paid 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2. Then came all sorts of “different” blackjack games to sucker in the players. None really made big hits but they all won money from the players who were foolish enough to play them.
Still the good old single-deck game of blackjack from the 1950s was for all intents and purposes dead. Stone dead.
Some card counters are still out there but, in truth, they are rare. The casinos have seen to that. The game is just much tougher to beat. Even with an edge of 1% in favor of the players, they will see loads of bad streaks. A card counter’s bankroll has to be able to survive such losing streaks. Many blackjack players can’t survive the bad streaks.
But what else comes with blackjack? Now some decent news.
Blackjack is a game where your decisions on what to do with your hands count. These decisions mean you make more money or lose less money. Play properly and the casinos will still only have a half-percent edge over you. And that’s good.
Okay, do you double down on your first two cards? Split pairs? Double down after splits? What are your hitting and standing decisions? Do you ever take insurance? Are you getting paid 3 to 2 for a blackjack?
Anything else? Oh, indeed, yes. You see at blackjack there are some players, enough that you will definitely experience them, who want to “teach” you how to play properly as the game progresses. Are they expert players? They think they are. But, come on, are they really?
NOPE!
Most are total idiots. They subscribe to gaming gurus who think they have logically figured out the game but in reality their hitting, doubling, standing, and insurance decisions are by and large wrong. And they whine and moan when you make a good basic strategy decision that is right but unfortunately goes wrong.
And what is basic strategy? It is the computerized version of how to play every hand you are dealt against the dealer’s up-card. Even players who have played blackjack for decades can have played it wrong for decades. Sad but true.
The good news is that you can buy correct basic strategy charts from the Internet or from good gambling web sites. Yes, there are a number of different blackjack games but there are basic strategy charts for just about each and every game.
Buy the card(s) and take your time making your decisions about your hands. Doing this will mean you are playing a strong game against the house. And never rush your play. Players who rush will inadvertently make mistakes.
Craps: Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes!
I don’t know why this became a famous craps saying but it did. Craps, first known as crabs in the American South where it originated along the Mississippi River, became the “city game.” I guess it meandered into the alleyways of the North and became the number one game of soldiers during World War II.
The post-World War II casinos had craps galore as it was the number one game in just about every casino. That is until blackjack bumped craps out of first place. Blackjack is still in first place.
You’ve seen the craps tables and you have certainly heard the craps players cheering wildly when things are going well and moaning awfully when things are going poorly.
There are actually two craps games going on at the same time; the rightside game of players who are looking for the shooter to make points and numbers, and the wrong side game, known as the darkside, where the players are betting the shooter will seven-out as quickly as possible.
The darksiders make up a tiny percentage of craps players but they are out there. Rightsiders generally do not like darksiders. Some rightsiders hate darksiders.
Play craps on the rightside. Make no more than two bets – a pass-line bet and a come bet or a place bet of the 6 or 8. Craps is action-packed but too many players fall into the casinos’ trap of making many, many bets most of them with outrageously high house edges. Don’t fall into the trap!
And shoot the dice. It’s fun – although often it is also sad when you seven out quickly. Still, craps is a great game but a dangerous one if you don’t bet properly.
Do You Want Advice?
Many casino players do not want advice. If you are one of them then you can leave the room – but, better still, leave your wallet by the exit because, come on now, you will be losing just about every penny you bring with you to the casinos.
Over even a relatively short period of time that will probably happen. And that is why casinos make money; you lose, they win.
Advice: The house has the edge at almost every game almost all of the time. Chew on that will you? You can’t escape that fact.
What are the edges at the games? Here are a few:
- Blackjack with proper basic strategy: about one-half percent. Systems sellers will quibble or fully disagree with the true basic strategy for the various blackjack games. They are wrong. They will cost you a lot of money. They are, for lack of a better term, idiots.
- Craps if you make only the best bets which means pass line, come, don’t pass, don’t come and taking full odds when number is chosen by a roll of the dice.
- Placing the 6 or 8 in $30 increments. House edge 1.52%.
- Making other place bets? Don’t bother. The edges will go from single digits to double digits. And your bankroll will go into the drink. Just chew on that statement.
All the best in and out of the casinos!
