Eliot Jacobson Ph.D.

I just received an email from an AP in which he told me about a play he has against Mississippi Stud (MS) that is almost beyond belief. He told me that the dealer does not collect his Ante bet if he folds pre-Flop. The dealer does collect the Ante if the AP makes a Flop wager, so from the Flop on, it's just MS played the normal way. But, there's more.

Mississippi Stud (MS) certainly has its share of game protection issues. For the savvy advantage player, just about everything works. There is one more method to beat MS that I have yet to discuss in this blog: player collusion. It's not a big play, but the fact that collusion is even possible comes as a surprise to many who operate the game. Indeed, some casinos deal MS face-up.

The Pairs bet (PB) is a non-proprietary baccarat side bet that pays 11-to-1 for a dealt pair. The player can wager on either or both of the Player or Banker side to be dealt a pair.

My posts are devoted to advantage play, but proprietary games seem to be drawing cheats like never before. I have no particular objection to advantage play. Though I am clearly on the side of game protection, advantage players have every right to try to get away with it. Advantage play is not cheating. Cheating is not advantage play.

In my opinion, Mississippi Stud (MS) is the most vulnerable proprietary game or side bet with widespread placement in casinos today. The multitude of dangers that MS poses for casino surveillance and table games management involve a wide variety of techniques spanning both legal advantage play and outright cheating.

Let it Ride (LIR) is a game that has been in casinos since the time of the dinosaurs. Because the dealer is dealt two face-down cards, the question of hole-card play naturally arises. Back in 2002 at a Las Vegas strip casino, I found a dealer exposing a hole-card, but at the time had no idea how to play against it.