Bt taking these free odds, you’ve reduced the house advantage on the pass line to less than one per cent, clearly the best bet in the house.

In most casinos, you may reduce your advantage even further, because the majority of gaming halls allow you to take at least double odds. That means, for the four and ten, you can bet £5 in free odds behind your £2.50 pass-line bet. Should a four or ten be rolled before a seven, the dealer will pay you 2-1 on your free odds and even money on your pass-line bet, for a total of £12.50 for £7.50 risked.

Because there is a dwindling pool of craps players, casinos in major locations value their loyal customers. If they didn’t have excitement at their craps games, the game would eventually disappear in individual casinos, severely impacting the bottom line. So many casinos use odds as a marketing tool. In some places, you can get triple, quintuple and even ten-times odds at the craps ‘game. These promotions are very valuable to intelligent players. In some casinos, for example, in Tunica, Mississippi, in 1995, craps games were offering the unheard-of 20-times odds.

Understand, however, that, while the casino has no house advantage on the free-odds bet, you must risk more money than your original bet to win. And even though there is no house advantage, the chances of winning or losing the bet is right down the middle, 50-50. If you’ve got a small
fund, and take double odds on your £2.50 line bet each time, you could be in trouble if you hit a losing streak. It doesn’t take long to lose your stake, even playing even with the house.

You may not remove pass-line bets until they are resolved one way or another, but you may remove odds bets at any time. Since the casino would prefer you don’t take odds to begin with, it will allow you to remove them whenever you want. Don’t do it.

More »

The best bet on the dice table isn’t even printed on the table. The best bet on the table is the “free odds” that you get to place behind your pass-line bet. Pass-line bets are paid at even money. If you bet £5 on a shooter and he rolls a six as the point, and makes that six, the dealer will pay you £5 for your pass-line bet. The house has a small advantage of 1.4 per cent on pass-line bets.

You can reduce that advantage substantially by putting up free odds, an additional bet that gets paid at the true odds of the number rolled. Let’s say you bet £5 on the pass line, and the shooter rolls a four. The odds of rolling a four are 2-1, but you only get even money on the pass line. But if you take free odds, you get paid 2-1 for your free odds because there are only three ways to make a four, while there are six ways to make a seven.

The ten and four are called “sister” numbers because the true odds of rolling a four and ten are the same. Other sister numbers are the six and eight, and the five and nine. The free odds are more complicated for these numbers.

When you roll a six, there are five ways to make a six, while we’ve seen there are six ways to make a seven. So if you have a £5 bet on the pass line, and back that up with £5 in free odds, and a six is rolled, you’ll get paid £5 on the pass line, and £6 on your free odds, for a total payout of £11. The same is true for the eight.

Now the five and nine are a little more complicated. There are four ways to make the five or the nine. So true odds are 6-4, or 3-2, or 9-6.

More »

OK, so you see the d’Alembert system is destined to lose. So why not do the exact opposite? Since the Martingale system will lose, let’s try the reverse. This can be applied to many systems but, unfOltunately, the logic doesn’t hold up. You see, any system is irrelevant. Players lose because the loss is only a combination of the amount bet with the house advantage. It’s impossible to defeat the house advantage. In the long run, the player would lose just as much money by betting one unit at a time, as he would by utilizing one of the above systems. A system may only alter the size and times of the wins or losses; for instance, many small losses and a few large wins.

More »

At each position there are three bets. The “Banker,” the “Player” and the Tie. B-A-N-K-E-R and P-L-A-Y-E-R are spelled out on each side of the table in the corresponding areas. The position for the Tie bet is generally above the Banker and Player bets.

Three dealers work the games at all times and perform similar functions as the dealers at the craps table. Two dealers sit or stand behind the chip rack and pay or take the players’ bets on each side of the table, depending upon the outcome of the hand.

A croupier, sometimes referred to as the “caller”, stands in the middle of the table and makes the calls on the hands, directing the players on the procedures of the game. Baccarat is the only game where the players deal the cards.

Before starting the game, the dealers shuffle eight decks of cards together and place them in a covered shoe. Even the shuffling procedure is elegant. The croupier takes two decks off the top of the deck and “laces” - intersperses - them throughout the remaining cards. Player number one is offered the opportunity to be the Banker.

As Banker, the player deals two cards for each hand. The first card is the first Player card, and goes to the croupier. The second card, the first Banker card, goes under the corner of the shoe. The third card, the second Player card, goes to the croupier, and the initial deal is complete with the fourth card, the second Banker card, which joins the first under the corner of the shoe. The croupier then passes the Player’s cards to the player at the table with the highest bet on the Player’s side. lf no one is betting on the Player side, the croupier exposes the cards.

Players need not accept the shoe to act as the Banker. It is not considered incorrect to pass the shoe, particularly if you plan to make a Player’s bet. But you may take the shoe and bet the Player’s side. Other players may comment that you’re betting against yourself but, once again, the rules are predetermined and the cards are already in the shoe, so it doesn’t really make any difference what side you bet when you deal the cards.

The rules of the game determine whether a third card can be taken but, in the end, the winner is the hand with a total closest to nine. Face cards and Tens have no value and when the total of the cards is more than nine, the left¬hand digit is dropped. For instance, in baccarat, Eight and Seven equals Five, because you drop the ten-count of the true total, 15.

The only other bet that a player can make in baccarat is the Tie bet. It is a side wager that is usually placed along with a Banker or Player bet. When a tie occurs, the two hands end up with the same total. Neither the Banker nor the Player loses, and the casino pays the bets that were placed on the tie for that hand only. Ties pay 8-1, but the odds favour the house to such an extent that the tie wager is considered a bad bet.

Because the Banker bet has a slight advantage - without ties the Banker bet wins 50.7 percent of all hands - a winning wager on the Banker option owes the house a five per cent commission, in other words winners are paid out not at evens but at 19-20. The dealer keeps track of your commission in a box in front of the chip rack by using plastic lammers designating the amount owed. You may pay this commission at any time, but it must be collected after the shoe is completed. Player bets are paid even money. The Tie bet pays 8-1, but the true odds are more like 9-1, making the Tie bet the worst at the baccarat table.

After placing his bet, the Player has no more decisions to make. There are no double downs, splits, or free odds. The game proceeds according to a set of complicated rules that need not concern the casual player. With simple choices and clear cut decisions, the game is a real favourite with those gamblers who really like to rely on systems.

More »

John is one of those believers of a system that has been discredited for years. But the appeal of his argument is so strong, he gets at least a ten per cent response whenever he finds a new list upon which to foist his sweet-sounding direct mail efforts.

The system is known as the “third column” system, and John is adept at eXplaining why it should work for you. Because the third column on the roulette table contains eight red numbers and only four black numbers, John reasons that it is a mathematical flaw that can be exploited by roulette players.

John believes that by placing a two-unit bet on black, which pays even-money, and a one-unit bet on the third Column, which pays off at two-to-one, he will mitigate the 5.26 per cent house advantage. With 18 black numbers in action and eight red numbers, he has reduced the prospect of losing to only the 12 remaining numbers (ten red numbers and the “0″ and “00″.

John does very well when he lays this system out for his suckers … er, clients. “You’re covered on 26 of the 38 numbers,” he says. “How can you go wrong?”

Here’s how. Let’s run the maths. For theoretical purposes, let’s use 38 spins, one for each number on the roulette wheel. Let’s assume that each number comes up once. Because you’re betting three units for each spin, you’ve put 114 units in action (3 X 38).
By allowing each number to win once, when you’ve done the experiment, you’ll have lost six units. That’s six out of 114. Can you guess what that makes the house advantage on this bet? That’s right, 5.26 per cent.

John doesn’t want you to do the maths and, because of his winning manner, very few of his clients even question his system. But there’s a loophole in every system. You just have to know where to look.

More »

Frankie prefers to see all the other cards come out before his cards. He’s not a card counter, but all the same he gets certain feelings about which cards are coming next, and third base is the perfect place for this.
What drives Frankie crazy when he doesn’t sit at third base is when the last player takes the dealer’s bust card. He never does that when he sits there.

Does it really matter whether you sit at first, second or third base at the blackjack table? Your seat has absolutely no bearing on the natural order of how the cards come out in the shoe, so it doesn’t matter.

Many players complain about how the third base player disturbs the order of the cards, by taking the dealer’s breaking card, By sitting at the third base, or “anchor” position, they feel they can dictate what kind of card the dealer receives.

Is this logical? How can Frankie tell whether the card coming to him would be beneficial? He can’t, and he conveniently forgets it when his draw card would have busted the dealer.

Even a card counter wouldn’t be able to know for sure whether a Ten or a low card was coming, and his play would be dictated by what’s best for him, not what was worst for the dealer. If you’ve got a 15 and the dealer has 10, a Ten-value card coming would be detrimental to the third base player regardless of whether he drew it or the dealer drew it.

And one thing players tend to overlook is that the third base position will do as much to help the other players at the table as to hurt them. It just follows that the natural order of cards would not necessarily favour either player or dealer.

You can prove this for yourself. Keep track for a decent amount of time of how many times the third base player hurts the other players, and how many times he helps them. You’ll be surprised at what little effect the “anchor” has on the game.

But you’ll never be able to convince Frankie!

More »

Three basic rules govern this play for hard hands:

- Double down when the player’s cards total 11 and the dealer shows a Ten or less.

- Double down when the player’s cards total nine and the dealer shows a Four, Fire or Six.

- Double down when the player’s cards total 10 and the dealer show a Nine or less.

For soft hands, three rules also are essential:

- Players double down with a soft 13 and soft 14 when the dealer shows a Five or Six.

- Players double down with a soft 15 and soft 16 when the dealer shows a Four, Five or Six.

- Players double down with a soft 17 and soft 18 when the dealer shows a Three to Six.

Any other situation should be handled by the rules for standing and hitting.

More »

When the player is dealt, for instance, a Queen and an Ace, and the dealer has an Ace showing, there is a great propensity on the part of the player to “protect” that hand by buying insurance. After all, the logic goes, the blackjack is a bonus hand, which pays off at three-to-two odds. The dealer doesn’t give out too many blackjacks, so players feel they had better get something out of that hand. If they have a blackjack and the dealer also has one, it’s a push (a tie) and the player gets nothing.

By taking insurance, the player reasons he will always end up with a profit. That thinking is logical, but it’s also flawed. In a 52-card deck, there are 16 Ten-value cards, and 36 non-Tens, a ratio of 2.25 to one. When you are faced with the situation in which you have a two-card blackjack and the dealer has an Ace showing, there are now 15 Tens and 34 non-Tens remaining, which gives you a ratio of 2.27 to one. Since insurance pays only two-to-one, you’re getting the worst of it on that basis alone.

Let’s say you’ve got a £10 bet and are dealt a blackjack while the dealer has an Ace showing. There are four different results that can occur:
•    You take insurance and the dealer has blackjack.
•    You take insurance and the dealer does not have blackjack.
•    You do not take insurance and the dealer has blackjack.
•    You do not take insurance and the dealer does not have blackjack.

In the first two results, the player wins £10. If the player bets £10 and insures for £5, he’ll push the original bet and win £10 on the insurance bet. If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, the player wins £15 from the original bet, but loses the £5 insurance bet, leaving a £10 profit.

In the third result, you have not wagered on insurance, and tied the dealer with your blackjack. You keep your £10 bet, giving you a net gain of zero. In scenario four, you beat the dealer with your blackjack, giving you a gain of £15 on the hand. In three situations, you make money, while in the remaining one, you win nothing.

When you have a blackjack and the dealer shows an Ace, theoretically, there are 15 Tens and 34 non-Tens left in the deck, making a possible total of 49 cards remaining. Since the dealer has to have a Ten in the hole to complete a two-card blackjack, he has to get one of those Tens, which gives him a possibility of 30.6 per cent of having blackjack. That means that 69.4 per cent of the time, the dealer will not have blackjack. Clearly, results two and four are going to happen much more often than results one and three.

Your most profitable result, therefore, is the one which also occurs the vast majority of the time. Without boring you with the maths, you are gaining a very worthwhile 4.1 per cent by not insuring.

The truth is, in no situation should anyone playing basic strategy execute the insurance option. The only player who would gain is someone using a card-counting strategy.

More »

Even if you’ve played the game in a casino after having learned it at home, it’s important to review the basics of the game. While you might know when to hit (want another card) or stand (stick with what you’ve got), the key to winning at blackjack is knowing when to split and double down.

In the UK, blackjack rules are fairly standard. One big difference from other countries is that the dealer does not take a second card until after all the players have acted (making no difference in the odds). Players are only permitted to double on 9,10, and 11. They can split any pair except Fours, Fives and Tens. There is no surrender of any kind in the UK.

THE BIG DEAL
The blackjack table in a casino is generally set up with seven betting spots, although some games have as few as five. A permanent dealer acts for the house.

When you’ve decided upon the game you want to play by examining the sign that announces the minimum and maximum wagers, you will buy your chips. Do not place your money in the betting box (or in some casinos a betting circle) in front of your seat. Some casinos permit cash to play on the first bet, and you may lose your entire stake on one hand. Instead, set it to one side and wait for the dealer to convert it into chips. Start small and place the minimum bet in the box or circle in front of your seat.

The blackjack dealer shuffles the cards, and if he’s dealing more than two decks, he’ll place the shuffled cards in a box known as a “shoe”. After he shuffles, he’ll ask a player to “cut” the deck, by using a yellow card, known as the cut card. The player simply slides the yellow card into the deck at any point.

The dealer divides the deck at the cut point, and takes the cut card and places it about two-thirds the way into the deck. This deck “penetration” varies from casino to casino, and sometimes even from table to table.

The dealer then places the cards into the shoe, or arranges them in his hand (for two or less decks). The dealer will then discard - “burn” - the first card, and check to make sure that all players have their bets in the right place and in the right amount. He begins distributing the cards to the players from the front of the shoe or the top of the deck.

He’ll begin with the player farthest to his left and then proceed to give one card to each player, including the dealer’s “upcard.” He’ll repeat the motion until every player has two cards. He completes the deal by sliding his “hole card” under his upcard.

In some casinos, the players are allowed to handle the cards. In this situation, the players receive their cards face down, and pick them up with their hands. If you’re playing this type of game, do not use two hands to pick the cards up. Pick them up with one hand and hold them over the table . Never remove them from the table or shield them in any manner from the dealer’s view.

In casinos in most other countries, the players’ cards are dealt face up, and the players are prohibited from touching them at all. The dealer has to handle all the cards and chips.

More »

If you get hit and lose a big pot, try not to let your opponents see how devastated you are. While you are recovering, do not become morose and depressed - or worse still, angry - but instead ask yourself what, if anything, you did wrong. Could you have played the hand better, or did your opponent just get lucky? If you made a mistake, learn from it; if you played correctly and “took a bad beat”, at least take comfort from the fact that you played the hand well and that you are improving your game. Remember that in the short term, there is a lot of luck in Texas Hold ‘Em. In the long run, however, the cream will always rise to the top.
If you get beaten, try muttering, “nice hand” or even “very nice hand” - it’s a fairly non-committal comment and it acknowledges the cards, rather than your opponent: so it always has a slight edge to it.

If you win a big pot, particularly if it’s a lucky win don’t brag too much. You really don’t want everyone staring you down and seeking revenge. Keep your head down and mutter how lucky you are.

As for the behaviour of others, poker can be a rough, tough game, though, unlike in the movies, you will probably not see the guns come out at the end of a big hand. You will, however, at some stage face angry, frustrated, losing opponents who claim that you are ignorant, lucky, foolish, incompetent and that you don’t know the game. “How could you call?” they’ll ask you. If you’re good with your tongue, knock ‘em dead. If not, smile and tell them you’re learning the game. Then, resolve to get them agam, just as soon as you can.

Above all, don’t forget, this is not a genteel parlour game. It’s war - hand-to-hand combat - and the pressure never lets up. If you don’t like the sound of that, it’s time to look for a different kind of game.

More »