Archive-name: gambling-faq/part1 ================================== This is the rec.gambling Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list. I wish to thank Frank Irwin for helping to compile much of the information that appears in this list. I also wish to thank those who contributed information, as well as those who spent countless hours running blackjack simulations in order to help answer many of these questions. Changes or additions to this FAQ list should be submitted to: jacobs@cs.utah.edu ================================== Table of Contents Section S: Spare us! S1 Martingale betting systems -- just double your bet until you win S2 The Inevitable Monty Hall S3 How much would you pay to play this game? Section G: General Gambling Topics G1 What's in it for me? (Why read rec.gambling) G2 What casino game has the best odds? G3 Where can I get books about gambling? G4 Is there a gambling archive? G5 How do you get comps? G6 What comps are available? G7 How do I get a casino credit line? G8 How are "markers" used? G9 What are the phone numbers for hotels/casinos in Las Vegas? G10 What are some good places to play/stay in Reno? G11 What are some cheap places to stay in Vegas? G12 Where can I get casino quality chips? G14 What are matchplay chips G15 Is this Vegas World offer worth it? G16 When did rec.gambling get started? G17 What is BARGE? G18 Where the hell is Elko Nevada? G19 Where the hell is Foxwoods? Section B: Blackjack B1 What do these funny acronyms mean ... B2 What special terminology is used by blackjack players? B3 What special terminology is used by card counters? B4 What are "pit critters"? B5 Why is there so much talk about blackjack in rec.gambling? B6 Is casino blackjack a "beatable" game. B7 How much of an advantage can card counting give? B8 Is card counting illegal? B9 Can the casino ban card counters? B10 What is the correct basic strategy for single deck Blackjack? B11 What is the correct basic strategy for Atlantic City blackjack? B12 What is the house edge when playing basic strategy? B14 Why are single deck games better than multi-deck games? B15 Do 'bad' players at third base have any effect on expected gain? B16 Where is the best place to sit at a blackjack table. B17 How is card counting done? B18 What counting system is "best"? B19 What counting system is easiest to use? B20 What BJ counting system is most effective? B21 Does penetration have any effect on basic strategy expectation? B22 What is the correct strategy for late surrender? B23 What is the correct strategy for "multi action" blackjack? B24 What is "Over/Under" Blackjack? B26 What is the counting strategy for Over/Under blackjack? B26 What are some good/bad books on Blackjack? B27 What are some other sources of blackjack/gambling information? Section C: Craps C1 What special terminology is used at the Craps table? C2 How is Craps played? C3 What are "Odds?" C4 What are "Come" and "Don't Come" bets? C5 What are all those other bets? Section V: Video Poker V1 Is it possible to gain an advantage at Video Poker? V2 What is the "basic strategy" for Video Poker? Section P: Poker P1 How is Texas Hold'em played? Section M: Miscellaneous M1 How is Baccarat played? M2 How is Red Dog played? M3 Can the lottery be beat when the jackpot gets high enough? M4 How is Pai Gow Poker played? M5 Is there a horse racing newsgroup? ================================== Section S: Spare us! These questions come up occasionally, causing a lot of heated discussions and wasted bandwidth. The rec.gambling regulars are pretty sick of seeing these questions, and they would appreciate it if you just didn't ask them. If you do ask, we'll probably just say "see the FAQ list". Q:S1 Martingale betting systems -- just double your bet until you win A:S1 (Frank Irwin, Steve Jacobs) From: "The Eudaemonic Pie" by Thomas A. Bass The word comes from the French expression "porter les chausses a la martingale," which means "to wear one's pants like the natives of Martigue," a village in Provence where trousers are fastened at the rear. The expression implies that this style of dress and method of betting are equally ridiculous. The betting scheme merely states that you would want to double your bet after each loss. Beginning with one unit, you would bet two units if you lost the first. Then four, then eight, until you win a bet. You would then revert to a one unit bet. The theory is that with each win you will win all that you lost since the last win, plus one unit. The reality is that you will quickly come to a betting ceiling, governed by either your bankroll or the house limit, above which you may not increase your bet. After 9 straight losses (it's happened to me) you would be betting 512 units. In practice, a lot of people get sucked into betting this way because it gives the illusion of really working. This is because most of the time, you will end a string of bets with a win. However, on those rare occasions when you do lose, you will lose a lot of money. So, the end result is that you win a small amount almost always, but when you lose you will lose more than all of your little wins combined. The important point to realize is that most games simply cannot be beat in the long run. In games such as craps, roulette, and non-progressive slot machines, it is mathematically impossible to gain an advantage over the house. Q:S2 The Inevitable Monty Hall A:S2 (Steve Jacobs) You are a contestant on "Let's Make A Deal", and Monty Hall offers you your choice of three doors. One door has a prize, and the other two doors are empty. Monty knows in advance where the prize is, and no matter which door you pick, Monty will open one of the other doors to show you that it is empty. Monty then offers to allow you to trade your door for the other unopened door. What should you do? My best advice is to grab Monty around the neck and strangle him :-) The short answer is that you should switch doors, because it increases your chance of winning from 1/3 to 2/3. The odds are not 50/50, because the probability that the prize is behind the door you originally picked is 1/3, and this probability never changes until the prize is revealed. This can be seen by considering what happens if you decide to *never* switch doors -- in this case you will win one time in three, since you will win only if your original pick is correct. So, if you *always* switch you will win 2/3 of the time, since you win whenever your original pick was wrong. Since Monty can (and will) always show an empty door, it is as if he is saying "you can keep your door, or you can trade it for BOTH of the other doors, and to confuse you I will show you that one of the other doors is empty, even though you already knew that". Some of you won't believe that this is correct. You will say "after Monty opens a door, there are only two choices so you have an equal chance of winning whether you switch or not". This is wrong. The fact that there are only two choices does NOT imply that the two choices have equal probability. Still not convinced? Suppose there are 100 doors, and only one prize. You pick a door, and Monty shows you 98 empty doors (he can always do this, since he knows where the prize is), and offers to let you switch. The chance that your original pick was right is 1/100. If you never switch, you will almost always lose. Therefore, if you always switch you will almost always win. Not convinced? Try it yourself, but try playing the role of Monty in order to help see how it works. Don't ask rec.gambling, because we'll know you didn't really try it yourself. The confusion caused by this question shows that probability problems often go against human intuition. This question appeared (several times) in the "Ask Marilyn" column of the "Parade" insert that appears in many Sunday newspapers in the United States. Many people with Ph.D.'s in mathematics claimed in wild disbelief that Marilyn's answer [2/3] was wrong, and that it was a sad commentary on the American education system. Indeed it is, because the mathematicians were wrong. Q:S3 How much would you pay to play this game? A:S3 (John P. Nelson) >I flip a coin until it comes up tails. If it comes up tails the first >time, you get $2; if the second, $4; if the third time, $8. That is, >if I flip the coin N times, you get 2^N bucks. [How much would you >pay to play this game?] The problem is, of course, that the "expected value" of this game is an infinite series that does not converge: The "expected" win appears to be infinite. However, in any REAL implementation of this game, there would have to be an upper limit to your liability: It would be unreasonable to expect you to really pay off a win of trillions of dollars. If you put an upper limit on the number of flips, then the expected value of the game converges, and it is quite easy to calculate the "break even" wager. If we limit the game to N flips, and you pay me $2^M if tails comes up on the M'th flip and if N flips occur with no tails, you pay me 2^(N+1), then the expected value of each game is simply N+2. (A variation on the rules: If you pay me 0 if N flips occur with no tails, then the expected value of the game is $N). This is fairly easy to calculate: On each independent trial, the chance of a tails is 1/2. Clearly, the chance of a tails on the second trial is 1/4 (1/2 chance of heads on the first trial, times 1/2 chance of tails on the second trial). The odds of a tail occuring on the Nth flip is 1/(2^N). The payoff at that point is 2^N. So we have the series: 1/2 * payoff-1flip + 1/4 * payoff-2flip + 1/8 * payoff-3flip or: $2 $4 $8 $(2^N) -- + -- + -- ... ------ 2 4 8 $(2^N). Given a maximum of N flips, the expected win is 1+1+1..., N times. Given a $0 payoff on N heads in a row, that is the total expected win: N. If you pay off 2^(N+1) after N tails, the final term is $(2^(N+1)) ---------- = 2 $(2^N) Which explains where the +2 in (N+2) comes from. ================================== Section G: General Gambling Topics Q:G1 What's in it for me? (Why read rec.gambling?) A:G1 (Chuck Weinstock) One of our rec.gamblers (Chuck Weinstock) has established a relationship with three publishers of gambling books and newsletters. The publishers are Arnold Snyder of RGE Enterprises (publisher of the Blackjack Forum newsletter, and books on blackjack including the Red 7 and Zen counts), Stanford Wong of Pi Yee Press (publisher of Professional Blackjack, and other books and newsletters on gambling), and Anthony Curtis of Huntington Press (publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, Griffin's Theory of Blackjack, and other books on gambling). All three publishers have agreed to offer their products at a discount to rec.gamblers. Orders must be placed through Chuck Weinstock (weinstock@sei.cmu.edu). Contact him for a list of what is available, and ordering information. Q:G2 What casino game has the best odds? A:G2 (Steve Jacobs) In general, blackjack is the most favorable game in the casino. The house edge for blackjack ranges from about 0.15% to 0.45%, depending on the house rules and number of decks. Occasionally, single deck games can be found which give a slight edge to the player (as of June 93, the Frontier in Vegas has been dealing such a game consistently for the past year or so). The house edge for other casino games is listed below. In games involving skill, these numbers assume that an optimal betting and playing strategy is used. Video Poker (Jacks or better, "9/6" payoffs): 0.5% Progressive Video Poker ("8/5" payoffs): 2.2% to -2% Craps line bets with single odds: 0.8% Craps line bets with double odds: 0.6% Baccarat "bank" bet: 1.06% Baccarat "player" bet: 1.24% Red Dog: 2.8% Roulette, double zero wheel: 5.26% Roulette, single zero wheel (rare): 2.6% Keno (estimate): 20% to 25% State Lottery: 50% or more Q:G3 Where can I get books about gambling? A:G3 (Steve Jacobs) Gambler's Book Club has a vast selection of books on topics related to gambling. They are located at 630 South 11th Street in Las Vegas. Gambler's Book Club Box 4115 Las Vegas, NV 89127 (702) 382-7555 (702) 382-7594 (FAX) (800) 634-6243 (orders only) Q:G4 Is there a gambling archive? A:G4 (Michael Hall) The gambling archive is intended to store stuff *useful* to rec.gamblers, like the FAQ list, blackjack card-counting information, poker statistics, etc. It is not intended at this time to store all the daily drivel of rec.gambling. The archive is accessable via anonymous ftp to soda.berkeley.edu (128.32.131.179). (Type "ftp soda.berkeley.edu" or "ftp 128.32.131.179" and then "anonymous" when it asks for the name. Then "cd pub/rec.gambling".) If you have some things you would like to contribute to the archive, contact ctl@soda.berkeley.edu. Q:G5 How do you get comps? A:G5 (Frank Irwin, Michael Hall) The prerequisite for getting comped is to let the floormen/pit boss know how much you are betting. You can do this in two ways: In Nevada, tell the floorman that you'd like to be rated, as you sit down to the table. If your action (the amount you bet) is high enough, he will fill out a rating slip on you. Sometimes, the floorman will approach you and ask you if you want to be rated. In A.C. [and some Vegas casinos, e.g. Tropicana, Frontier, Golden Nugget], you give the floorman a card, much like a credit card, as you approach the table. He will either just fill out a rating slip, as in Vegas, or he will swipe the card through a reader. When you leave, ask for your card back. The floormen will keep track of your buy-in, your initial bet, your average bet, and how much you leave the table with. If you decide to try to decrease the amount they see you leave with by squirreling chips away, be sure to do it well. Those dealers are much more aware than they let on. The amount of your comp worth is generally half of your average bet per hour. In most Las Vegas casinos (except places such as the Mirage and Caesars) you are expected to play for 4 hours/day at an average $25 bet to qualify for a room. A sample comp chart, from the Stardust Casino, follows. Q:G6 What comps are available? A:G6 (Frank Irwin) The following is a listing of the comp schedule for the Stardust Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This can be considered typical for a Las Vegas casino (casinos such as the Mirage or Caesars may require more action). Player Line or Average Hours Complimentaries Front Money Bet Played Extended $25 4 Comp. Room $50 4 Comp. Room, Limited F & B $5,000 $75 4 Room, Food & Beverage $100 4 RFB & $150 Airfare Reimburs. $10,000 $125 4 RFB & $250 Airfare Reimburs. $150 4 RFB & $400 Airfare Reimburs. $175 4 RFB & $575 Airfare Reimburs. $200 4 RFB & $750 Airfare Reimburs. $20,000 $250 4 RFB & $1000 Airfare Reimburs. $300 4 RFB & $1200 Airfare Reimburs. $400 4 RFB & $1500 Airfare Reimburs. $500 4 RFB & $1500 Airfare Reimburs. NOTES: A. These requirements are based on four hours play per day. Excess playing time reduces the average bet requirement and higher average bets reduce the playing time requirement. For Example: A $200 bet for 2 hours is equial to a $100 bet for 4 hours. B. Airfare reimbursements are based on a minimum of 12 hours playing time. C. Complimentary food and beverage are to include the player and one guest. D. Size of bet in dice is the sum of all flat, place, proposition, field, come and buy bets. E. Excessive RFB usage reduces airfare reimbursement amounts. F. Please let our friendly floor staff know who you are when you initiate play at any table. Q:G7 How do I get a casino credit line? A:G7 (Frank Irwin) This is easy. Just call up one of the casinos and ask for a casino host. Tell him that you would like to set up a line of credit. Either he'll ask you some questions, or send you to someone who will. They just take down your name, address, phone, place of business, what you do, and a bank account number. You can ask for a particular credit line, but what they give you will depend on how much you have in your account. If you have a savings account that contains more than your checking account, give them that number. Q:G8 How are "markers" used? A:G8 (Frank Irwin) At the beginning of your first trip to a casino after establishing credit, you will be required to go to the cage to sign some papers and let them copy your driver's license. You will also indicate how you wish to pay for any outstanding markers upon your departure. If it's your first trip, they may want you to settle before you leave. Later, you may be able to work our some sort of payment plan. When you walk up to a table, ask the floorman for a marker. He'll get your name and go away for a little while. When he comes back, he'll give you a bank check to sign. This is a regular check. They may take money out of your account on this check. If you win at the table (and don't squirrel chips away :-), the floorman may ask you to buy back your marker. This is exactly what you do; you give the dealer chips equal to your marker, and the floorman gives you your bank check. Q:G9 What are the phone numbers for hotels/casinos in Las Vegas? A:G9 (Eric Vincent, Jim Piercy, Blair Houghton, John Schwab) Call the 800 Information service at 1-800-555-1212 and ask them for the number for that hotel, giving the city (AC, Vegas, Reno, etc.) If the facility has no WATS line, the answer is to dial long-distance information (which is _free_) for Las Vegas at 1-702-555-1212 or AC at 1-609-555-1212 and ask them. The following is a list of toll-free numbers for the hotels/casinos in Las Vegas. The source is "Tourguide Magazine" of May 3, 1991. This is a weekly tourist publication in LV. Aladdin (800) 634-3424 The Nevada Palace (800) 634-6283 Alexis Park (800) 582-2228 O'Sheas Casino (702) 792-0777 Arizona Charlie's (800) 342-2695 Paddlewheel (800) 782-2600 Bally's Resort (800) 634-3434 Palace Station (800) 634-3101 Barbary Coast (800) 634-6755 Park Hotel (800) 782-9909 Binion's Horseshoe (800) 237-6537 Quality Inn (800) 634-6617 Bourbon Street (800) 634-6956 Ramada Las Vegas (800) 634-6599 Caesars Palace (800) 634-6661 Ramada Suites-St. Trop. (800) 666-5400 California Hotel (800) 634-6255 Rio Suite Hotel/Casino (800) 888-1808 Circus Circus (800) 634-3450 Riviera Hotel (800) 634-6753 Continental Hotel (800) 634-6641 Royal Hotel & Casino (800) 634-6118 Desert Inn (800) 634-6906 Sahara Hotel (800) 634-6666 Dunes Hotel (800) 243-8637 Sam's Town (800) 634-6371 El Cortez (800) 634-6703 Sands Hotel (800) 634-6901 El Rancho (800) 634-3410 Santa Fe (800) 872-6823 Excalibur (800) 937-7777 Showboat Hotel (800) 826-2800 Fitzgeralds (800) 274-5825 Silver City (702) 732-4152 Flamingo Hilton (800) 732-2111 Slots-A-Fun (702) 734-0410 Four Queens (800) 634-6045 Stardust Hotel (800) 634-6757 Fremont Hotel (800) 634-6182 Townhall/Vagabond (800) 634-6541 Frontier Hotel (800) 634-6966 Tropicana (800) 634-4000 Gold Coast (800) 331-5334 Vacation Village (800) 338-0608 Gold Spike (800) 634-6703 Union Plaza (800) 634-6575 Golden Gate (800) 426-0521 Vegas World (800) 634-6277 Golden Nugget (800) 634-3454 Western Hotel (800) 634-6703 Hacienda Hotel (800) 634-6713 Westward Ho (800) 634-6651 Holiday Casino (800) 634-6765 Colorado Belle (800) 458-9500 Hotel Nevada (800) 637-5777 Edgewater Hotel (800) 67-RIVER Hotel San Remo (800) 522-7366 Flamingo Hilton (800) HILTONS Imperial Palace (800) 634-6441 Golden Nugget (800) 237-1739 Lady Luck (800) 523-9582 Harrah's (800) 447-8700 Las Vegas Club (800) 634-6532 Pioneer (800) 634-3469 Las Vegas Hilton (800) 732-7117 Ramada Express (800) 2-RAMADA Mardi Gras Inn (800) 528-1234 Regency Casino (800) 551-1950 Maxim Hotel (800) 634-6987 Riverside Resort (800) 227-3849 The Mirage (800) 627-6667 Sam's Town Gold River (800) 835-7903 [ The following is a list of toll-free numbers for the hotels/casinos in Atlantic City. -- John Schwab] Bally's Grand (800) 257-8677 Sands (800) 257-8580 Bally's Park Place (800) 225-5977 Showboat (800) 621-0200 Caesars Atlantic City (800) 257-8555 Tropicana (800) 257-6227 Claridge (800) 257-7676 Trump Castle (800) 441-5551 Harrah's Marina (800) 242-7724 Trump Plaza (800) 441-0909 Resorts International (800) 438-7424 Trump Taj Mahal (800) 825-8786 Q:G10 What are some good places to play/stay in Reno? A:G10 (Mike Northam) Well, this is just IMHO, of course. For cheap rooms: Circus Circus, Fitzgerald downtown, Clarion (with the $29 coupon) if you have a car. If you're going to be gambling something more than nickels ($5 bets), you might call a place like the Flamingo Hilton and get a credit application. Then you'll qualify for the "gambler's rate", which will usually be about half price. You've gotta gamble for at least four hours per day to get this, in most casinos. The best rooms are at Harrah's, but they have standard northern Nevada rules. (If you're a gambler, check with their VIP services to see if they have any special deals going. They often have special packages if you buy-in for $1200, or some such.) Best gambling for BJ: Horseshoe Club (preferential shuffling unless you toke, IMHO), Flamingo Hilton (though a friend of my friend's brother says they recently went to double down on 10/11 only--anyone else hear this?), Clarion, Bally's (roughly in that order). Everyplace else runs northern Nevada rules, I think. The Comstock, I guess, no longer has their over-under game, but you might check it out to be sure. Craps: most every place has double odds. You can play for 25 cents at the Palomino (?) in Sparks and at one of the dives in downtown (Nevada Club?--can't remember). [The Union Plaza and it's 25c, 10x-odds Craps tables are one of the best and most consistent pure gambling deals in Vegas. -- Blair Houghton] Shows: well, my favorite is the planetarium at the University of Nevada :-). Reno is not a big show town, but Harrah's usually has some country western star and sometimes a decent cabaret act. The Hilton has a comedy club and usually a pretty good lounge act (which you can watch while you play BJ, which is fun). Bally's has a big stage show (I think Oba Oba from Brazil is still there.) The big headliners usually are found at Tahoe, not Reno. Restaurants: I've always liked the Presidential Car (I think in Harold's--I never can remember). A romantic (and expensive) meal can be had at sunset at the Top of the Hilton. Several people have mentioned a good Italian restaurant at the El Dorado, but I haven't tried it myself. Harrah's has a pretty good $5 or so buffet, but their other restaurants are only so-so. Bally's has a nice steak house. If you like screaming kids with your meals, check out Circus Circus (though I haven't been there for years, so maybe things have changed?). Since you've never been to Reno before, I should mention that you can easily walk to all the downtown casinos. There's a shuttle bus from downtown to Bally's (the closest to the airport--we traditionally stop in there on our way out of town for a few hours). There's also a group of casinos in Sparks (centered around John Ascuaga's Nugget). If you have a car, the Peppermill (popular with the yuppie crowd) and the Clarion (Reno's newest casino, and quite nice) are out on south Virginia St. Q:G11 What are some cheap places to stay in Vegas? A:G11 (Ron Birnbaum) In response to those looking for nice but inexpensive accomodations in Vegas, I can recommend two places: Downtown: The Ogden House - Fremont Street I don't have their number, but some friends stayed there in June for $18 per night, and found it clean and comfortable. Their phone number is (702) 385-5200. Strip: King Alburt Motel, 185 Albert Ave. (off Kovel, behind the Maxium) It's behind the Flamingo Hilton/Imperial Palace/Barbary Coast area. Every unit is furnished with a kitchen, tv, and private bath, with simple but clean furnishings. Their location is ideal, and they quoted me day rates of $25/wk $40/wkend per night for a single. And these prices were for March,('92) - usually a busy and high priced season. And you can do even better than these rates for a weekly rental. They are happy to negotiate! Their phone number is (800)-553-7753 or (702) 732- 1555 Caveat Emptor: Another rec.gambler says to avoid this place, it is a dump. Call the Las Vegas Tourism Beareau for details of other low-cost area lodging. They have an toll-free number - 1-800-522-9555. Woops - I just called it and they only handle casinos. But these 800 numbers DO handle the smaller places as well. I called the LV Chamber of Commerece for these numbers, and they had even more than these: 800 - 548-2008 800 - 345-7177 Through the 7177 number, I arranged a room in the beautiful new tower at the Stardust for much lower than what the hotel quoted me directly, also at a lower rate than the other 800 numbers could offer (32/wk 40/wkend). They are a room 'wholesaler' and seem to be the best place to make reservations through. The new tower at the Stardust is supposed to be ****1/2, according to Julie - the agent I spoke with. She also asked for a high floor which she said have spectatular views of the entire strip. They know all the deals in town! Good luck, hotel bargain hunters!! Q:G12 Where can I get casino quality chips? A:G12 (Michael Hall) CHIP SUPPLIER CITY, STATE PHONE REGULAR PERSONALIZED ================= ============== ============== ============== ============= The Poker Store Stanton, CA (714) 895-3783 ? $55/100 Paulson Las Vegas, NV (702) 384-2425 $.35/each $.40/each " ???, NJ (609) 348-8771 $.35/each $.40/each " Reno, NV (702) 786-2465 $35/100 $40/100 Bud Jones Company Las Vegas, NV (702) 876-2782 ? 1 color:$25/100 " " ? 2 color:$40/100 Gambler's General Las Vegas, NV (800) 322-CHIP ? $40/100 Store Note that the chip prices above are for CASINO QUALITY, which means they're heavy clay and thus rather expensive. The suppliers also have lighter clay chips and cheap-o plastic chips. One reason you might want personalized chips, other than for vanity's sake, is to have dollar amounts put on them. Several places said they can put your initials on one side and the dollar amount on the other, which is kind of neat. For their unpersonalized chips, you had a choice of a starburst or a horseshoe insignia. Paulson was the most flexible, since they'd let you order any quantity (not just multiples of 100) with no minimum order. All of the suppliers had a wide variety of colors. Bud Jones Company had solid one color chips as well as the two colored chips that many casinos use. Q:G14 What are matchplay chips A:G14 (Chuck Weinstock) A matchplay chip is a non-negotiable chip, usually given by the casino to induce play at their tables. The chips are good at any table game, but only for even money bets. Thus you can bet them on craps (line bets), blackjack, roulette (odd/even, black/red), but not, for instance, the field at craps. When you play a matchplay chip you must match it with a chip of your own (hence the name). For the Bally offer I understand the chips have a value of $5.00, so you must play each one with $5.00 of your own money. If you lose the bet, you lose your $5.00 and the matchplay chip. If you win your bet you win $5.00 on your $5.00 and $5.00 (real money) on the matchplay chip. However, even if you win they take the matchplay chip. (I'm not sure if this is universal, but it certainly is typical.) I'm not sure how they pay off Blackjack (which pays 3-2). [ They always take your matchplay chip, win or lose. Blackjack pays even money on the matchplay chip. - FAI ] [Most casinos don't take the match play chips on pushes and do pay even money on the match play portion of blackjacks. Some casinos (e.g. Four Queens) pay 3:2 on the match play portion of blackjacks. -- Michael Hall] If you are playing in an even expectation game, you would expect to win half of your bets. Thus the $200 in matchplay has an expected value of around $100. Of course this is only an expectation, and you could win or lose much more than that. Q:G15 Is this Vegas World offer worth it? A:G15 (Steve Jacobs, Michael Hall) Vegas World is constantly running ads for a special casino package deal. It works something like this: you send $396 to Vegas World in exchange for a "free vacation" deal that includes a room for 2 or 3 nights, some "prizes", and $1000 in casino "action" chips. Forget the "prize", it will undoubtedly be some cheap jewelry that is virtually worthless. If you read the ad carefully, you will find that the "action" chips are good for one play, win or lose. This means that if you win the bet, they take away the action chip and replace it with a real chip. This reduces the $1000 in chips to an expected value of less than $500, assuming you could play them all at craps or blackjack. However, $400 of this $1000 is "slot action" that can only be played in special slots that return maybe 10% of what is put into them. So, your expected return on the $1000 in action is about $340. So, you can't really expect to come out ahead on this deal. The second big problem with Vegas World is that most of the games have funny rules that confuse the tourists and rob them of their money. Blackjacks are paid even money, giving the house a 2% edge. They offer "crapless" craps, which is supposed to sound like a good deal, but is really designed to increase the house edge. But, if you like mirrors, you should check out Vegas World. Their display of $1 million in cash is also somewhat amusing. It is worth stopping in if you are really bored with the classy casinos. Try out their huge Money Wheel, but be careful -- if it lands on "Bob Stupak", it will be your turn to take care of Bob for a week :-) Packages can be found at other casinos by calling the casino's marketing office or sometimes room reservations. Bally's, Dunes, Four Queens, and Sands are some places to try in Las Vegas. Often you are required to gamble for 8 hours at a certain minimum bet to qualify for the rebates. Local travel agencies sometimes have information on packages. Consult your local phone book or the travel section of your local newspaper. Q:G16 When did rec.gambling get started? A:G16 (Matt Wilding) alt.gambling began in August, 1989. It had plenty of traffic, so a newsgroup election for rec.gambling was held. rec.gambling passed 189-41. The election results were announced on September 23, 1989, and the group created one week later. Q:G17 What is BARGE? A:G17 (Steve Jacobs) BARGE stands for "Big August Rec.Gambling Excursion". This is the annual rec.gambling gathering, so far always in August (can you imaging a worse time to go to Vegas?), but if we go some other month we can change the "August" to "Annual" in order to preserve the acronym. The first BARGE consisted of maybe a dozen people, mostly in Vegas to attend SIGGRAPH '91 (well, at least that's how they got their companies to pay the airfare). BARGE 2 had more attendees, about 20 in all, and included meetings at the Frontier, GBC, and a live poker tournament. Previous BARGE trips have been mostly spontaneous events, with little advance planning and consequently little advance notice, so if you couldn't drop everything and fly to Vegas then you missed out. BARGE 3 can only be bigger, now that we've set an Aug. 7 date well in advance. No excuses, if you miss out on BARGE this year it's your own fault. Q:G18 Where the hell is Elko Nevada? A:G18 (Mike Northam, Steve Jacobs) [NOTE: Elko is about 120 miles west of the Utah/Nevada border. --SRJ] Casino Express (800) 258-8800 or (800) 654-0888 in Canada, owned by the people who run the Elko Red Lion Inn, runs numerous junkets to Elko, NV. They own at least one Boeing 737 aircraft, and charter several others on weekends. They fly from several western cities (Seattle, Bellingham, Spokane, Portland, Eugene, Salem, San Jose, Fresno, Modesto, Santa Maria, Ontario, Denver, Salt Lake City, etc.) and have multiple-day junkets from Canadian and midwest cities (Minneapolis, Mason City, etc.) The casino has BJ, single and double deck, Northern Nevada rules (H17, DD 10/11 only). $5 minimum for single deck. Penetration varies with the dealer, so there apparently isn't a house rule. There is no heat whatsoever, so 10:1 spreads are no problem. During the 'gambling frenzy' of the last few moments before the airport bus departs, *massive* spreads are possible--I've gone from $5 to $200 (40:1) no problem. All the tables are *always* full, so two rounds of seven is all you'll see on the single deck. There's also craps, roulette, and a small sports book. Keno for the truly adventuresome :-). From Portland, the junket cost is $49 for a 12-hour turnaround flight [these are $19 from Salt Lake, so you're price may vary], you have to show $300 in cash to board the flight. Since it's a charter flight, there is a nice party atmosphere on board the plane. Your play is rated, and presumably, if you don't gamble enough, you might be barred from a future flight, though this hasn't been a problem for any of my friends. Elko also has a poker room, but it doesn't open until 5 pm. They play 7-stud ($1-$4) and Texas Hold'em ($4-$10). These can be great games if there are several junket people (junkies?) at the table. You can also fleece the locals if you catch them offguard, since they have great difficulty believing that anyone who flys to Elko could know anything about poker. Q:G19 Where the hell is Foxwoods? A:G19 (Dave Tahajian) There is now an Email alias group to exchange information about Foxwoods! This alias can be used for just about any topic; how to get there, new game info, special events, carpooling and ride sharing, places to stay and eat in the area, or just about anything to do with Foxwoods! I invite anyone who goes to Foxwoods to join our group. Just send some Email to: foxwoods-request@aries.East.Sun.COM Foxwoods is located within an Indian reservation in Ledyard, Conn. It is located approx. 15 miles SW of the Rhode Island/Conn border, 15 miles NW of Mystic Conn, 40 miles South of Worcester Mass, and 40 miles NE of Hartford Conn. Foxwoods is located directly on Rt. 2, almost in the middle of I395 and I95 (which run in parallel). There is a 200 room hotel on site called the Two Trees Inn. Currently, 50 rooms are open, and the others will be open shortly. They are also building another casino about 1-2 miles "down the road" which will have a major hotel (several hundred rooms), a shopping area, and a second casino. A tram (rail car) is being built to link the two sites together. This project will open in phases, phase one (the second casino) will be open sometime in September. The current casino has 3 restaurants on site, as well as a couple of self service snack-bars. There are only 2 transportation methods available, cars and charter buses. There is no major airport in the area, and no trains. Some local hotels provide free shuttle service. There's valet parking as well as self parking (free). Foxwoods offers almost all casino games, plus a 50+ table poker room. They also have slots, a horse book, keno, and a massive bingo room which holds major events approx every month. For even more info, call them at 800-PLAYBIG. ================================== Section B: Blackjack Q:B1 What do these funny acronyms mean ... A:B1 (Michael Hall) The acronyms that are often used in blackjack articles in rec.gambling are listed below. Abbreviations: BSE = Basic Strategy Edge H17 = Hit soft 17 (dealer must hit) S17 = Stand on any 17 (dealer must stand) DOA = Double On Any first two cards D10 = Double on 10 or 11 only DAS = Double After Splitting is allowed RSA = Re-Splitting Aces is allowed ESR = Early Surrender LSR = Late Surrender O/U = Over/Under 13 side bets are allowed Q:B2 What special terminology is used by blackjack players? A:B2 (Steve Jacobs) Blackjack Terminology: "basic strategy" -- a playing strategy that is designed to minimize the house edge as much as possible without using techniques such as card counting, shuffle tracking, or dealer tells. Basic strategy is used as a foundation for card counting, but is also used by many non-counters. "burn card(s)" -- cards that are discarded without being dealt to the players. After the cards are shuffled by the dealer and cut by one of the players, one or more cards are "burned" before any cards are dealt to the players. "bust" -- after a "hit", the player is said to "bust" if the new card causes the player's total to exceed 21. "card counting" -- a system for improving the player's edge by assigning "weights" to each card face and summing the card weights as each new card is turned face up. The "count" indicates when the game is favorable for the player, so that the player can place larger bets and/or make changes in playing strategy. "cut card" -- a (usually colored plastic) card that is used to cut the cards after they have been shuffled by the dealer. "double down" -- to double the initial bet and receive exactly one more card. The option to double is often allowed on the players first two cards only, although some casinos allow doubling after splitting a pair. Many Northern Nevada casinos allowing doubling only with a two-card total of 10 or 11. It is very rare to find games that allow doubling of hands that have more than one card. "early surrender" -- surrender that occurs _before_ the dealer peeks at the hole card. Very valuable to the player, but rarely (if ever) offered by the casinos. "even money" -- taking insurance when holding a blackjack results in a net gain of one bet. This process is called "taking even money". "first base" -- the first player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting at "first base". "flat bet" -- to bet the same amount on each successive hand. "hard hand" -- any hand that is not a soft hand. "head up" -- playing at a table that has no other players. "hit" -- drawing a new card to add to the player's hand. "hole card" -- the dealer's card that is placed face down. "insurance" -- a side bet of 1/2 the original bet that is offered when the dealer's upcard is an ace. This bet pays 2:1 if the dealer has a natural 21. "late surrender" -- surrender that occurs _after_ the dealer peeks at the hole card. "natural" -- a hand that totals 21 on the first two cards. "over/under" -- a rare bet that the first two player's cards will total over 13, or under 13, when aces are counted as one. "preferential shuffling" -- shuffling when the deck is favorable to the players, while avoiding a shuffle when the deck is unfavorable to the players. "push" -- a tie hand, the original bet is returned to the player. "shoe" -- a "box" for holding the undealt cards when several decks are used. "soft hand" -- any hand that includes an ace that can be counted as 11 without having the value of the hand exceed 21. It is always possible to draw one card to a soft hand without busting. "split hand" -- hands that start with two cards of the same rank can be split to form two independent hands. This option is exercised by adding a new bet to the second hand, and these hands are played independently. "spread" -- to place more than one bet before the cards are dealt. "stand" -- to stop drawing cards. "stiff (hand)" -- any hand that has a small change of winning regardless of how the hand is played (usually 12 - 16). "surrender" -- the option to give back the player's first two cards in exchange for a refund of 1/2 of the original bet (rarely allowed). Some hands, such at 16 vs. dealer's 10, are so bad that it is less costly to surrender rather than play the hand. "third base" -- the last player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting at "third base". "upcard" -- the dealer's first card, dealt face up. The correct playing decision often involves some consideration of the dealer's upcard. Q:B3 What special terminology is used by card counters? A:B3 (Steve Jacobs) Card Counting Terminology "betting correlation" = a measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the player's favorability when the cards are seen by the player and removed from the deck. This gives an estimate of the accuracy of the card counting system. "back counting" -- counting cards and waiting for the count to become favorable before sitting down to play. Usually done standing in back of the players. "balanced count" -- any counting system that has a count starting at zero when the cards are shuffled, and ending at zero when all cards in the deck(s) have been exposed. Most counting systems use a balanced count. "bet spread" -- the ratio between maximum and minimum bet size. A player who uses $20 maximum bets and $5 minimum bets is using a 4:1 bet spread. "card weight" -- the "value" assigned to each card face. This weight is added to the "count" as each new card is exposed. Weights are usually small integer values like -1, +1, or +2. "count" (noun) -- a number that represents the player's estimate of how favorable or unfavorable. "cover bet" -- a bet (usually large) placed at the "wrong" time, in order to fool the pit critters into thinking that the player is not counting cards. "insurance correlation" = a measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the player's favorability for placing insurance bets. This gives an estimate of the accuracy of the card counting system for predicting when to take insurance. "penetration" -- the number of cards that are dealt before the cards are shuffled. Penetration is usually expressed as a percentage of the cards, as in "75% penetration". Good penetration is extremely important to card counters. "playing efficiency" = effectiveness of strategy variations in tracking the optimal playing strategy as the deck composition changes. Efficiency is given by E = AG / PG, where AG is the actual gain from making the strategy changes, and PG is the possible gain that could be made by using a playing strategy that is "computer perfect". "running count" -- the total of the weights of all cards that have been exposed since the cards were shuffled. "shuffle tracking" -- a system to predict which sections of the deck/shoe will be favorable to the player, based on the locations of favorable sections of the previous deck/shoe, and on studying the method used to shuffle the cards. "side count" -- a count in addition to the "main" count, usually involving a single card face, as in "ace side count". "strategy variations" -- varying from basic strategy when the count indicates that it is profitable to do so. "ten poor" -- a deck that has a lower than average density of tens and face cards. "ten rich" -- a deck that has a higher than average density of tens and face cards. "true count" -- a count that is adjusted according to the number of undealt cards, usually by dividing the running count by the number of undealt *decks* (or half-decks). "unbalanced count" -- any counting system that has a count that starts or ends on a non-zero value (see "balanced count"). Red 7 is an example of an unbalanced count. "wonging" -- improving the player's edge by placing bets only when the count is favorable for the player, and "sitting out" when the count is unfavorable. Q:B4 What are "pit critters"? A:B4 (Steve Jacobs) Casino personnel who are responsible for supervising the games and dealers are often "affectionately" referred to in rec.gamblinng as "pit critters". The various species of pit critters are described below: "floorman" -- the lowest level of pit critter, and the most likely to be encountered by players. The floorman is usually responsible for only a few tables. "pit boss" -- the next level of pit critter, responsible for several floormen and their tables. This pit critter supervises one "pit" in the casino. "shift supervisor" -- the head pit boss during a particular shift. "casino manager" -- the mother of all pit critters [and usually the owner's son. -- Blair Houghton] Q:B5 Why is there so much talk about blackjack in rec.gambling? A:B5 (Steve Jacobs) Blackjack is the most popular table game in American casinos, and the abundance of blackjack articles in rec.gambling is a reflection of this popularity. Unlike many other casino games, skillful play in blackjack allows the player to gain a slight advantage over the casino. However, there is no single form of the game that is found in all casinos, and it is often possible to find several slightly different forms of blackjack within the same casino. When playing blackjack, the "correct" strategy to use will depend on the number of card decks used and on the particular "house rules" that are in effect during play. All of these factors combine to make blackjack a very complicated topic. Q:B6 Is casino blackjack a "beatable" game. A:B6 (Matt Wilding) Background: Many books have been written that claim that BJ is beatable. Answer: Simulations performed by rec.gamblers show different amounts of potential player advantage in theory in BJ, depending on strategies, exact rules, and playing conditions. These numbers typically approach 1% (an average penny gain for every dollar bet) though in certain particular, ideal circumstances this can get somewhat higher. There is disagreement on the net about how much advantage this translates into in "real-world" casinos, but it's generally believed that players can play with a small, long-run advantage in BJ. The variance is very high in this game, however, which makes the slight advantage in BJ far from a sure thing. Q:B7 How much of an advantage can card counting give? A:B7 (Steve Jacobs) A typical card counter will have an edge of 1.5% or less, depending on the counting system used, the skill of the player, and the particular house rules that the player is fighting against. It is quite unusual to find playing conditions that allow the player to get more than a 2% edge against the house, even against single deck games. The player's edge against multi-deck games is generally less than 1%. Q:B8 Is card counting illegal? A:B8 (Steve Jacobs) No. The casinos would like you to believe that card counting is illegal, immoral, and fattening, but the fact is that card counters are simply using a greater level of skill than the typical blackjack player. The Nevada courts have ruled that blackjack players are free to use any information that is made available to them, provided that there is no collusion between a player and casino personnel. For example, if a dealer accidentally handles the cards in such a way that a player can see the dealer's hole card, the player can make use of this information without breaking the law. Q:B9 Can the casino ban card counters? A:B9 (Steve Jacobs) This depends on where you play. In Atlantic City, where games of skill are not permitted, the casinos are not allowed to ban skillful players. In Nevada, casinos are allowed to refuse service to anyone at any time for any reason. Players are routinely "barred", usually by being asked to leave or by being told that they are welcome to play any game other than blackjack. If you are barred but persist in trying to play, the casino can have you arrested for trespassing. Q:B10 What is the correct basic strategy for single deck Blackjack? A:B10 (Steve Jacobs) The following basic strategy is for single deck games without DAS (double-after-splits). +-- Player's hand | | dealer dealer | <-might bust-><-might stand-> V 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X A <------- dealer's upcard ---+------------------------------- XX | S S S S S S S S S S never, ever, ever split 99 | P P P P P S P p s s split if (d <= 9), except 7 88 | P P P P P P p p p p always split 77 | p p P P P p h h s h split if (d <= 7), stand against 10 66 | p p p P p h h h h h split if (d <= 6) 55 | D D D D D D D D H h never split, treat like hard 10 44 | h H H DH DH H h h h h never split, double against 5, 6 33 | h h P P P p h h h h split if (d >= 4) and (d <= 7) 22 | h p P P P p h h h h split if (d >= 3) and (d <= 7) AA | P P P P P P P P P p always split ---+------------------------------- A9 | S S S S S S S S S S always stand A8 | S S S S *DS S S S s s double against a 6 A7 | S DS DS DS DS S S h h h* double 3-6, hit against 9, 10, A A6 | DH DH DH DH DH H h h h h double low, hit high A5 | h H DH DH DH h h h h h \ A4 | H H DH DH DH H h h h h \ double against 4,5,6 A3 | H H DH DH DH H H h h h / A2 | H H DH DH DH H H h h h / ---+------------------------------- 21 | S S S S S S S S S S always stand 20 | S S S S S S S S S S always stand 19 | S S S S S S S S S S always stand 18 | S S S S S S S s s s always stand 17 | s s s s s s s s s s always stand on HARD 17 or above 16 | s s s s s h h h h h \ 15 | s s s s s h h h h h \ 14 | s s s s s h h h h h > hit if dealer might stand, 13 | s s s s s h h h h h / stand if dealer might bust 12 | h h s s s h h h h h / (special case against 2, 3) 11 | D D D D D D D D D D always double 10 | D D D D D D D D h h double if (d < 10) 9 | DH DH DH DH DH H H h h h double if dealer might bust 8 | h H H DH DH H h h h h double only against 5, 6 7 | h h h H H h h h h h 6 | h h h H H h h h h h (4-2) 5 | h h h H H h h h h h (3-2) 4 | h h h H H h h h h h (this hand is really 2-2 pair) ---+------------------------------- S=stand H=hit D=double P=pair(split) DH= double if allowed, otherwise hit DS= double if allowed, otherwise stand = "strong" hand, favorable to player = "weak" hand, favorable to house (*) notes: Playing A7 against dealer's ace: hitting gains 3.63% if dealer must hit on soft 17 standing gains 0.32% if dealer must stand on soft 17 Playing A8 against dealer's 6: doubling gains 1.96% if dealer must hit on soft 17 doubling gains 0.03% if dealer must stand on soft 17 (this rule may be ignored to simplify the strategy) Q:B11 What is the correct basic strategy for Atlantic City blackjack? A:B11 (Steve Jacobs) The following basic strategy is for typical Atlantic City rules. HOUSE RULES: Cards are dealt from 6 decks. Dealer must stand on any 17. Double-down allowed on soft hands. Pairs may be split only once. Player may double-down after splitting pairs. Surrender is not allowed. Strategy Table <---might bust---> <---might stand---> <---- dealer possibility ---+---------------------------------------- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X A <---- dealer's up card ---+---------------------------------------- Pairs XX | S S S S S S S S S S 99 | PS PS PS PS PS S PS ps s s 88 | Ps Ps Ps Ps Ps Ph ph ph ph ph 77 | ps ps Ps Ps Ps ph h h h h 66 | ph ph ps Ps Ps h h h h h 55 | DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH H H 44 | h H H PH PH H h h h h 33 | ph ph Ph Ph Ph ph h h h h 22 | ph ph Ph Ph PH ph h h h h AA | PH PH PH PH PDH PH PH Ph Ph Ph ---+---------------------------------------- Soft Hands AX | S S S S S S S S S S A9 | S S S S S S S S S S A8 | S S S S S S S S S S A7 | S DS DS DS DS S S h h h A6 | H DH DH DH DH H h h h h A5 | h H DH DH DH h h h h h A4 | h H DH DH DH H h h h h A3 | H H H DH DH H H h h h A2 | H H H DH DH H H h h h AA | H H H H DH H H h h h ---+---------------------------------------- Hard Hands 21 | S S S S S S S S S S 20 | S S S S S S S S S S 19 | S S S S S S S S S S 18 | S S S S S S S s s s 17 | s s s s S s s s s s 16 | s s s s s h h h h h 15 | s s s s s h h h h h 14 | s s s s s h h h h h 13 | s s s s s h h h h h 12 | h h s s s h h h h h 11 | DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH H 10 | DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH H H 9 | H DH DH DH DH H H h h h 8 | h H H H H H h h h h 7 | h h h H H h h h h h 6 | h h h h h h h h h h 5 | h h h h H h h h h h 4 | h h h h H h h h h h ---+---------------------------------------- S=stand H=hit D=double P=split Q=surrender NOTES: 1) If more than one option is listed, options to the left are preferred over options to the right. Options less favorable than STAND or HIT are not shown. 2) Use the "Hard Hands" table only when the other tables do not apply. 3) If splitting Aces is not allowed, use the "Soft Hands" table. 4) Uppercase options favor the player, lowercase options favor the house. ---+---------------------------------------- Q:B12 What is the house edge when playing basic strategy? A:B12 (Steve Jacobs) The expected gain for basic strategy play depends on the house rules and the number of decks. The following table summarizes the players expectation for a variety of games. All numbers are in units of percent of initial bet. <-- number of decks --> | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 100 | ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ AC | .1541 -.2228 -.3991 -.4569 -.5368 -.5638 | AC + LSR | .1761 -.1717 -.3323 -.3843 -.4552 -.4790 | AC + ESR | .7694 .3952 .2265 .1721 .0968 .0714 | ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ strip | .0497 -.3191 -.4904 -.5468 -.6245 -.6507 | strip + LSR | .0707 -.2685 -.4239 -.4744 -.5429 -.5659 | strip + DAS | .1809 -.1795 -.3472 -.4021 -.4779 -.5034 | strip + ESR | .6511 .2927 .1320 .0801 .0084 -.0157 | ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ vegas |-.1445 -.5243 -.7036 -.7625 -.8445 -.8722 | vegas + LSR |-.1095 -.4594 -.6221 -.6747 -.7469 -.7713 | vegas + DAS |-.0103 -.3813 -.5570 -.6146 -.6951 -.7223 | vegas + ESR | .5403 .1720 .0046 -.0493 -.1245 -.1500 | ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ reno |-.4208 -.7386 -.8928 -.9439 -1.0154 -1.0396 | reno + LSR |-.3858 -.6737 -.8113 -.8560 -.9178 -.9387 | reno + DAS |-.3121 -.6176 -.7658 -.8151 -.8840 -.9073 | reno + ESR | .2639 -.0423 -.1846 -.2307 -.2307 -.3174 | ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ "AC" rules: (typical of Atlantic City) dealer stands on soft 17 double down on any two cards double after splits no resplitting "strip" rules: (typical of Vegas Strip) dealer stands on soft 17 double down on any two cards (but not after splits) "vegas" rules: (typical of Vegas Downtown) dealer hits soft 17 double down on any two cards (but not after splits) "reno" rules: (typical of Reno, northern Nevada) dealer hits soft 17 double down allowed on two card total of 10 or 11 only DAS = Double After Splitting LSR = Late Surrender ESR = Early Surrender (no longer available) Q:B14 Why are single deck games better than multi-deck games? A:B14 (Michael Hall) There are some surface differences, such as single and double deck usually being hand-held, while four or more decks are dealt from a shoe, but there are fundamental mathematical differences too. Single deck blackjack is usually better than multiple deck blackjack for card counters, basic strategists, and the clueless. Additional decks make busts less likely, since one can draw to hands like 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 (for 18) which are improbable/impossible in single deck. Busting less often helps the dealer's hand more than yours, since the dealer is forced by the rigid rules to hit more often than you. Blackjacks are also less frequent, which is bad since you get paid 3 to 2 for those. All in all, multiple decks will cost a basic strategist nearly 0.5% in advantage, which is more than all but the very best package of favorable extra rules will give you. This was an intuitive explanation; a complete mathematically sound (albeit huge) proof can be generated by a combinatorial analysis program. Card counters face the additional problem that the count is less volatile with multiple decks and hence offers less frequent opportunities for large favorable bets. Consider the difference between an urn with 1 black and 1 white marble versus an urn with 100 black and 100 white marbles. Draw half the marbles: what is the probability that all the remaining marbles are white? In the 1 and 1 case, there is a 1 in 2 chance. In the 100 and 100 case, there is only a 1 in 100,891,344,545,564,193,334,812,497,256 chance! Q:B15 Do 'bad' players at third base have any effect on expected gain? A:B15 (Steve Jacobs) No. It is a common misconception that incorrect plays by the player at third base will "take the dealer's bust card" or "leave the dealer a good card". As long as the shuffle is sufficient to randomize the cards, improper play of other players will be just as likely to help as it is to hurt. However, bad players can cause frustration and anxiety which may increase the likelihood of making mistakes. It is best to avoid the temptation to strangle bad players. Q:B16 Where is the best place to sit at a blackjack table. A:B16 (Steve Jacobs) It depends. For basic strategy players, seat position has no significant effect on the player's expected return. For card counters who use strategy variations, it is probably best to sit at third base in order to see as many cards as possible before playing the hand. When playing against a "front loading" dealer, the best seat is whichever seat gives you the best shot at getting a glimpse of the dealer's hole card. When playing at the Rio, the best seat is the one that gives the best view of the cocktail waitresses. Q:B17 How is card counting done? A:B17 (Steve Jacobs) The card counting system described below is an unbalanced 10 count that is 100% accurate for determining when to take insurance. As a general purpose card counting system, it is relatively weak and not particularly recommended, but it illustrates many of the principles behind card counting. This is intended only to give a feel for how card counting is done, and is not recommended for actual practice, although I've used it because of its simplicity. This counting strategy is listed as "Unbalanced 10 Count" in other parts of the FAQ list. --------------------------------------------------------------- For SINGLE DECK games: 1) Start the count at -4 when the deck is shuffled. 2) Count -2 for 10, J, Q, K 3) Count +1 for everything else (including aces) 4) Bet low when the count is negative, high when the count is positive (actually, simulations show that you can bet high for a count of -2 or above). 5) Take insurance when the count is positive. 6) Play basic strategy at all times. --------------------------------------------------------------- For N deck games: 1) Start the count at (-4 * N). 2) all other rules are the same. --------------------------------------------------------------- NOTES: The unique feature of this counting method is that it is perfectly accurate for dealing with insurance. When the count is positive, the player has the advantage when taking the insurance bet. When the count is negative, the house has the advantage, so insurance should not be taken. Counting is best done by counting several cards at once. It is easy to practice this counting method in the following way: 1) Count through a deck of cards, counting one card at a time. Start at -4, and count through the entire deck. After all of the cards have been seen, the count should be ZERO. If it is not zero, a mistake has been made somewhere. Repeat counting through the deck one card at a time, until you can do it quickly without making mistakes. 2) Count through the deck, counting two cards at a time. Look for the following patterns, adding the correct amount for each pattern (X = 10, N = non-ten) NN +2 XN -1 XX -4 Again, the count should be zero after all cards have been seen. Repeat until you can do it efficiently. 3) Count through the deck, counting three cards at a time. Look for the following patterns, adding the correct amount for each pattern. (X = 10, N = non-ten) NNN +3 XNN 0 (this pattern is common) XXN -3 4) Practice against a computer blackjack game. When I play, I usually count the cards by counting an entire hand (player's or dealers) at once. If there are more than three cards in the hand, I mentally break it up into groups of 1, 2, or 3 cards (I usually look for "XNN" patterns and ignore those cards, since they add up to zero). I usually count the cards just before the dealer picks up the hand (exception: for insurance, you should count your cards and the dealer's up card immediately). --------------------------------------------------------------- Q:B18 What counting system is "best"? A:B18 (Matt Wilding) This has been answered by rec.gamblers using different approaches. The first approach is to evaluate different systems by simulation. This approach obscures the particular advantages of each system, but it's easy to see how a system will perform in one particular realistic casino playing situation, and not hard to judge the tradeoff between performance and ease of use (see Q/A B15 for more details). The second approach estimates several performance parameters of each system that collectively approximate the system's inherent potential. This allows the strengths of different BJ systems to be studied in detail, which should allow better, more precise comparison of different systems and aid efforts to improve a particular system. This approach gives results which may be used to determine which counting system is _theoretically_ most profitable, but does not address the issue of how easy it is to use the counting system under actual playing conditions (see Q/A B16 for more details). It's not yet clear how these two studies relate, and no rec.gambling consensus has emerged as to how the more sophisticated performance parameters actually translate to advantage at the tables as in the simulations. Q:B19 What counting system is easiest to use? A:B19 (Matt Wilding) Background: Lots of systems are available. There is an important tradeoff between complexity and theoretical power, as more complex systems are harder to use and more error-prone. Answer: You pick'em. A rec.gambling study was accomplished that compared different systems, and here a summary of what came out: Complexity is a subjective measure with guidelines described in the results paper. Power is the integer closest to p/0.05%, where p is the % advantage of the strategy one-on-one in a single deck, dealer hits on soft 17, no DDAS, resplitting-allowed game that's dealt down to 20 cards and using a 1-4 betting spread. 15,000,000 hands guarantee correctness to within 1 point 99% of the time. name complex power card weights reference A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X -------------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC 0 -5 Steve Jacobs UNBALANCED 10 2 13 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -2 Steve Jacobs úÿ (continued next message) ****************************************************************************** From Packet: CHANNEL1 Message # 45331 Area : 1446 answers From : Jacobs@cs.utah.edu 09-20-93 08:39 To : All Subj : rec.gambling Frequently A ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ÿ@SUBJECT:rec.gambling Frequently Asked Questions ÿ@PACKOUT:09-21-93!Fr úÿ(Continued from last message) SUPER-SIMPLE OPT-I 2.5 16 1 1 1 1 -1 WGBJB (1) REVERE PM 3.5 16 -1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 PBaaB RED SEVEN 3.5 19 -1 1 1 1 1 1 R:1 -1 BiB OPT1-6+6 5 18 1 1 1 1 -1 WGBJB WONG HIGH-LOW 5 19 -1 1 1 1 1 1 -1 PB ZEN 5 19 -1 1 1 2 2 2 1 -2 BiB HORSESHOE 6 14 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 -1 -3 MDB (2) REVERE APC 6 17 -2 1 2 2 2 2 1 -2 PBaaB OPT1-6+6 W/ ACE 7 23 1 1 1 1 -1 WGBJB ANDERSON 9.5 16 -2 1 1 1 2 1 1 -1 -1 TtToLV USTON APC 10 22 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 -1 -3 MDB WGBJB: "World's Greatest BlackJack Book" by Humble and Cooper PBaaB: "Playing Blackjack as a Business" by Lawrence Revere BiB: "Blackbelt in Blackjack" by Arnold Snyder PB: "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong TtToLV: "Turning the Tables on Las Vegas" by Ian Anderson MDB: "Million Dollar Blackjack" by Ken Uston (1) with modifications by Matthew Wilding (2) with modifications by Paul C. Kim Q:B20 What BJ counting system is most effective? A:B20 (Michael Hall, Jeff Jennings) The playing efficiency, betting correlation, and insurance correlation is listed below for several counting systems. These numbers give an indication of the effectiveness of the counting system. When two numbers are listed, the second number results from adding an ace side count in addition to the "main" count. See answer B3 for definitions of "betting correlation", "playing efficiency", and "insurance correlation". EXPLANATION OF COUNTING SYSTEMS =========================================================================== COUNTING COUNTING VALUES "BEST" EFFICIENCY CORRELATION SYSTEMS 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 X A SOURCE PLAY+ace BET+ace INSURE -------- ---------------------------- ------ -------- -------- ------ Griffin 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 0 Griffin 64-64+ .85-.95 .85 Hi-Opt I 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 -1 0 Humble 61-63 .88-.97 .85 Hi-Opt II 1 1 2 2 1 1 0 0 -2 0 Humble 67-67+ .91-.99 .91 High-Low 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 -1 -1 Wong 51-63 .97 .76-.85 Ita 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 -1 -1 -1 Sys.Res. 53-63+ .96 .69-.76 Red 7's 1 1 1 1 1 ** 0 0 -1 -1 Snyder 54-64+ .98 .78-.87 Unbal 10's 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 -2 1 Roberts 61-61+ .73-.94 1.00 Uston +- 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 -1 -1 Uston 55-64+ .95 .76-.85 Uston APC 1 2 2 3 2 2 1 -1 -3 0 Uston 69-69+ .91-.99 .90 Wong Halves 1 2 2 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -2 Wong 57-67+ .99 .72-.85 Zen 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 0 -2 -1 Snyder 63-67+ .97 .85-.91 ** red 7's +1, black 7's 0 Note: Playing efficiencies have a pratical maximum of about 0.7. "Unbal 10's" is short for "Unbalanced 10 Count" Q:B21 Does penetration have any effect on basic strategy expectation? A:B21 (Steve Jacobs) Probably not. Unless the dealer is cheating, the cards will be in a random order after the shuffle. If the player is not counting cards or using other techniques to gain an advantage, it will not matter if there are several rounds or only a single round between shuffles. But, if the dealer if using preferential shuffling, this will hurt the basic strategy players as well as the card counters. Q:B22 What is the correct strategy for late surrender? A:B22 (Michael Hall) Basic strategy for late surrender in AC multi-deck games is: Surrender hard 16 (but not 8-8) vs. 9, 10, ace Surrender hard 15 vs. 10 If you are the least bit risk-adverse, you should also: Surrender hard 15 vs. ace At some casinos you can surrender your first two cards. You lose half your bet in return for not having to play through the hand. With early surrender, you get back half your bet even if the dealer has blackjack, while with late surrender you lose anyway when the dealer has blackjack. Q:B23 What is the correct strategy for "multi action" blackjack? A:B23 (Steve Jacobs) Multi Action blackjack allows the player to place up to three bets simultaneously on the same blackjack hand. The player is dealt a single hand, and the three bets are played out against the same dealer upcard, but with different "drawn" cards for each bet. Many players feel nervous about hitting stiff hands against a high dealer's upcard (7 or higher), since they will lose all three bets if they bust. However, basic strategy is COMPLETELY UNCHANGED for this game, and the correct strategy is no different than if the player had only a single bet at risk. Q:B24 What is "Over/Under" Blackjack? A:B24 (Steve Jacobs) Caesar's Tahoe introduced the Over-13 and Under-13 side bets that are allowed at some blackjack tables. These bets are based on the player's total for the first two cards, when aces are counted as one. Over-13 bets win when the player's cards total 14 or higher, while under-13 bets win when the player's cards total 12 or under. Either bet will lose when the player's total is exactly 13. These bets are placed at the same time as the blackjack bet, and usually the side bet can be no larger than the bet on the blackjack hand. Over/under games are usually dealt from a six deck shoe, and the player's first two cards are always dealt face up. Although these are "sucker" bets for basic strategy players, with a house edge of 6% to 10%, special card counting strategies can be used to give the player a significant edge on these bets. Q:B25 What is the counting strategy for Over/Under blackjack? A:B25 (Steve Jacobs) The card weights used for the Over/Under count are as follows: count +1 for Ace, 2, 3, and 4, and count -1 for tens and face cards. The deck becomes favorable for counts of +2 and above, and for counts -4 and below. Over-13 bets should be placed when the count is +3 and above. Under-13 bets should be placed when the count is -4 and below. When playing Over/Under blackjack with this counting scheme, virtually all of the player's profit comes from the over-13 and under-13 side bets. This counting scheme is very poor for playing the blackjack portion of the bet, and will only allow the player to play about even with the house on the blackjack bets. However, the over/under bets can be very profitable if the game has good penetration. A 6-deck over/under game with good penetration can give the player an advantage of 1.5% or more. Single deck over/under games with good penetration (very rare) can give the player an edge of over 4% when using the over/under count. Snyder's "Over/Under Report" discusses the over/under game in detail, and is available from RGE at an outrageous price. Q:B26 What are some good/bad books on Blackjack? A:B26 The individual book reviews given below are grouped according to the person doing the review. If you have an opposing view or wish to express another view of any of these books, write your own review and send it to the maintainer of the FAQ list, and it will be included. Reviews of books that are not mentioned here are especially welcome. There are undoubtedly many good books that are not listed here, as well as many terrible books that are not listed here. These reviews are only the opinions of the reviewers, and your mileage may vary. Review by Michael Dalton (as reported by Michael Hall) Dalton, Michael. _Blackjack:_A_Professional_Reference_. Spur of the Moment Publishing, PO BOX 541967, Merritt Island, FL; 1991. (1964 pages) - Written by a NASA computer systems engineer, this book is a comprehensive _reference_ to the game of blackjack. Over 1000 entries listing books, magazines, publications, newsletters, articles, reports, videos, software and other products available for serious players of the game twenty-one. Also included is the most comprehensive blackjack dictionary ever compiled explaining blackjack terminology, system and strategy descriptions, rules, and miscellaneous blackjack trivia. Complete basic strategy charts that cover most blackjack games in the world are also presented. Fully cross-referenced with recommendations. Reviews by Edmund Hack: Blackjack Video: "Winning at Blackjack with Bobby Singer", JCI Video, 1987, 103 minutes. This video is a tape of a sales pitch/introduction to card counting seminar hosted by Bobby Singer, billed as the "World's biggest winner at the game of Blackjack" on the back cover. The tape covers 5 areas: Basic Strategy, Card Counting, Money Management, Team Play and Casino Awareness. Unfortunately, the information is incomplete. For example, the basic strategy section only covers hard and soft hands and the card counting section only covers the card values for the Hi-Lo count, but no bet sizing or strategy adjustments. The rest of the information is avaiable for $149.00. For this price, you get a set of notebooks with lessons and audio tapes covering the Hi-Lo count and an 800 number you can call to find out where the best games are in the city you plan to play. I rented the tape for $1.50 and maybe got my money's worth. One interesting point covered in moderate detail is team play. Singer advocates playing 4 deck or up shoes with the "Big Player" approach pioneered by Uston and others. He advised using a counter at one or more tables who flat bets and uses hand signals (i.e. scratching the head) to call in a big money player. The current count is signaled to the Big Player by the stacking of chips in front of the counter in a particular way. The Big Player can then play out the rest of the shoe, presumably free of heat. If the count goes bad, the big player leaves, proclaiming a trip to the rest toom is needed. The home study course is said to have info on bet sizing related/risk of ruin for teams and individuals. "The Winner's Guide to Casino Gambling", Edwin Silberstang, Plume, 1980 and 1989. This is a general overview of casino gambling with chapters on casino operations, comps, junkets, credit and the games offered. Detailed sections on craps, baccarat, roulette, keno, slots, video poker (89 edition only) and blackjack give the staff, rules, and procedures of each game, the house advantage, a glossary, and the best plays for each. In addition, there are anecdotes about playing the games. As the author has separate books on poker and sports betting, there is little information on them here and Red Dog and Pai Gow poker are not covered. The blackjack section has correct basic strategy information for 1,2, and 4+ deck games with and without DAS, and a discussion of Strip, Reno and Downtown rules variations. He presents the Hi-Opt I count (not by that name) and how to use it for bet sizing and insurance bets, but no strategy adjustments. There is a section written by a professional blackjack player on how to hide the fact that you are counting and life as a pro. If you want a single book as an introduction to casino gambling, this is it. [Note: there are 2 versions of the book out - a small green paperback from 1980 and a black trade paperback from 1989 that has been updated.] Reviews by Michael Hall: "Fundamentals of Blackjack" by Chambliss and Rogenski - this book is pretty much a standard blackjack book, but it has exceptionally good tables of information. I advise buying this book as a supplement to whatever book you use for your counting system (probably either "Professional Blackjack", "The World's Greatest Blackjack Book", "Blackbelt in Blackjack" or "Million Dollar Blackjack".) The counting system discussed in "Fundamentals..." is not one that you would actually want to use, but the tables don't assume this system is used. Unfortunately, many of the tables were generated using Snyder's "Blackjack Formula", and so the accuracy is not as good as would be the case with computer simulations. "Card Counting for the Casino Executive" by Bill Zender - this book is written for casino executives, as you might suspect, which makes it insightful reading for card counters. The book goes into detail about how pit critters should go about identifying and discouraging card counters. It also lists all kinds of ways the players can win, both honestly and by cheating. The author is fairly counter-tolerant, which is refreshing. Alas, the book is spiral bound, only 138 pages long, and *full* of white space. Reviews by Steve Jacobs: "Million Dollar Blackjack" by Ken Uston. This is a good all-around blackjack book, although the advanced counting scheme is much more difficult than most. Ken gives a balanced view of blackjack, without the exaggerated claims that many BJ authors are fond of. "World's Greatest Blackjack Book" by Humble & Cooper. This is a good book with a pretty reasonable counting scheme. The authors are _way_ too paranoid about cheating, to the extent that they attribute virtually all of their losses to cheating. Otherwise, it is a good book. These guys have absolutely nothing nice to say about Lawrence Revere, so if you've read "Playing Blackjack as a Business" and would like to read an opposing viewpoint, this is the book for you. "Blackbelt in Blackjack" by Arnold Snyder. The Red Seven count in this book is simple, and quite effective against single deck games. The Zen count is more difficult, but more powerful. Snyder includes some interesting ideas that aren't found in other books, such as "depth charging". This book is probably not as good for beginners as are the previous two books, but is a good book for more advanced readers. "Theory of Blackjack" by Peter Griffin. This is one of the few good books that cover the mathematical considerations of the game. This book is either a complete must or a complete waste of time, depending on how you feel about mathematics. "Beat the Dealer" by Edward Thorp. This book is a classic, and is still worth reading. The card counting schemes are now somewhat dated, but it is still a good book for card counters. "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong. Some people really like this book, but I didn't find it all that exciting. It is considered a classic, and has a lot of good material. "Playing Blackjack as a Business" by Lawrence Revere. This is one of the most accurate books for basic strategy, and the color charts are very nice. The numbers in the tables were provided by Julian Braun, and are about as accurate as any available, but don't believe the numbers that Revere gives for player's expected gain. Revere's counting scheme isn't of much value, and Revere's "I'm right and everyone else is a dope" attitude is very annoying, although partially justified if you account for the date of first publication and the scarcity of good books at that time. Revere also makes many inflated claims about player's expectation, which Humble & Cooper would attribute to character flaw. "Scarne on Cards" by John Scarne. This book is simply wrong when it comes to blackjack, and Scarne was too arrogant to even consider the possibility that he might have been wrong. He spends a lot of time trying to discredit Thorp. This book has _negative_ value for serious blackjack players, and should probably be avoided completely. "Turning the Tables on Las Vegas" by Ian Anderson. This is an entertaining book that describes techniques for disguising your play to avoid detection by pit critters. "Tournament Blackjack" by Stanford Wong. This book covers some of the unique considerations that only come up in tournament play. If you plan to play in tournaments and you can laugh at the $100 price, then this book may be for you. I personally felt that it was _way_ overpriced. Q:B27 What are some other sources of blackjack/gambling information? A:B27 (Jonathan Rosenberg, Michael Hall) RGE Publishing, 414 Santa Clara Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610, (415) 465-6452 Publishes Blackjack Forum, $30/year (4 issues). Call for their very interesting catalog. Includes books, videos, PC based BJ practice programs, analyzers and simulators, and back issues of Blackjack Forum. Current Blackjack News, by Stanford Wong. $95/year (12 issues). Available through RGE. Blackjack Confidential Magazine, 513 Salsbury Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 $99/year (10 issues). Win Magazine, 16760 Stagg St. #213, Van Nuys, CA 91406, (818) 781-9355 Formerly Gambling Times. $36/year (12 issues). Covers all gambling and gaming topics. The Experts Blackjack Newsletter, Gambling Times Incorporated, 16760 Stagg St. #213, Van Nuys, CA 91406, (818) 781-9355 New, advertised in WIN Magazine. $30/year (6 issues) The International Gamblers' Club Newsletter, P.O. Box 73, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L3T 3N1 $24/year (4 issues). Founded by Lance Humble. They'll send you a free but dated sample if you write. Mainly BJ but contains some sports betting information. (I wasn't impressed with my sample). Gambler's Book Club, 630 South 11th Street, Box 4115, Las Vegas, NV 89127, (800) 634-6243. Not a newsletter but call for their awesome, awesome, awesome catalog containing not only just about every blackjack book ever written but practically every book ever written on any gambling topic. They also operate a book store at the above address in Las Vegas. [And they have gambling experts (including card counters) working at the store most of the time, willing to answer questions -- Michael Hall] Las Vegas Advisor, Huntington Press, PO Box 28041, Las Vegas, Nevada 89126, (702) 871-4363. $30/year (12 issues). Produced by Anthony Curtis. Lots of information on deals and freebies available in Las Vegas. Sometimes includes valuable coupons or arranges special deals for subscribers. (I have personally more than recouped the $30/year cost in actual cash back from coupons for about half year's worth of the subscription. -Hall) ================================== Section C: Craps Q:C1 What special terminology is used at the Craps table? A:C1 (Steve Jacobs, Ken Elliot III) Craps Terminology: "any craps" -- a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12. This bet pays 7:1 and has a house edge of 11.1%. "any seven" -- a bet that the next roll will be 7. This bet pays 4:1 and has a house edge of 16.7%. "big 6" -- a bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 6 pays 7:6 and is almost identical. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of 1.5% "big 8" -- a bet that an 8 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 8 pays 7:6 and is almost identical. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of 1.5% "buy bet" -- giving the house a 5% commission in order to be paid correct odds for a place bet. The buy bets on 4 and 10 allow the player to reduce the house edge from 6.67% to 4% on these bets. "come out roll" -- the first roll of the dice in a betting round is called the "come out" roll. Pass/come bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while pass/come bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don't bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and don't bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don't bets tie when the come out roll is 12. "dice pass" -- The dice are said to "pass" when the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll. The dice "don't pass" when the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out. If the come-out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, this roll sets the "point", and the shooter continues to roll until the point is rolled again or a 7 is rolled (see "seven out"). If the shooter rolls the point before rolling a seven, the dice pass. If the shooter sevens out, the dice don't pass and the shooter loses control of the dice. NOTE: in this context, "pass" does NOT mean that the dice to given to the next player. Control of the dice is tranferred only when the shooter "sevens out" or when the shooter has completed a game and no longer wishes to roll the dice. "don't pass bet" -- a bet that the dice will not pass. This bet can be placed only immediately before a "come out" roll. House edge on these bets is 1.40%. "double odds" -- an odds bet that is about twice as large as the original pass/come bet. "field bet" -- a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. "hard way" -- a bet on 4, 6, 8, or 10 that wins only if the dice show the same face. A "hard 8" occurs when each die shows a four. "hop bet" -- a bet that the next roll will result in one particular combination of the dice, such as 2-2 or 3-5. "horn bet" -- a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 11, or 12. "lay bet" -- a bet that a particular number (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) will NOT be rolled before a 7 comes up. The casino takes 5% of the winnings on these bets, up front. "lay odds" -- after a point has been established, the don't-pass bettor can place an additional odds bet that will win if the original don't-pass bet wins. The odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with no house edge. "line bet" -- a bet on the "pass line" or the "don't pass line" is called a "line" bet. These bets are placed at the beginning of the game, before the "come out" roll. "odds off" -- odds bets that are "not working". Odds bets can be called "off" by the player at any time, but are left on the felt until the bet is resolved. Also, odds bets are usually "off" during the come out roll, unless the bettor asks to have the odds bets "working". Odd bets that are "off" will be returned to the player if the line bet loses on the come out roll. "pass bet" -- a bet that the dice will pass. This bet can be placed only immediately before a "come out" roll. House edge on these bets is 1.41%. "place bet (to win)" -- a bet that a particular number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) will be rolled before a 7 comes up. These bets are paid at slightly less than correct odds, giving the house an edge of 1.52% on 6/8, 4% on 5/9, and 6.67% on 4/10. "place bet (to lose)" -- a bet that a 7 will be rolled before the number you are placing (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) comes up. The casino requires you to lay slightly more than the correct odds, giving the house an edge of 3.03% on 4/10, 2.5% on 5/9, and 1.82% on 6/8. "point" -- if a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled on the come out roll, then this number becomes the "point". The shooter must roll the point again, before rolling a seven, in order for the dice to "pass". "right bettor" -- a player who bets that the dice will pass. "seven out" -- when the shooter rolls seven after a point has been established. Control of the dice is transferred to the next shooter. "shooter" -- the player who is rolling the dice. The shooter must place a "line" bet ("pass" or "don't pass") in order to be eligible to roll the dice. Of course, the shooter can place other bets in addition to the required "line" bet. Most shooters (and players) tend to play the "pass" line. Note that shooters who make "don't pass" bets are not betting against themselves, they are simply betting that the dice will not "pass". "single odds" -- an odds bet that is about as large as the original pass/come bet. Some casinos allow "double odds", or even larger odds bets. "take odds" -- after a point has been established, the pass/come bettor can place an additional odds bet that will win if the original pass/come bet wins. The odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with no house edge. "working odds" -- odds bets that are in play are said to be "working". Odds bets are usually "off" during the come out roll, unless the bettor asks to have the odds bets "working". "wrong bettor" -- a player who bets that the dice will not pass. Q:C2 How is Craps played? A:C2 (Dave Decot, Frank Irwin, Alan Mintz, Ken Elliot III) Each player bets a minimum amount determined by the table. Each die has six sides, each side with a different number of spots from one to six. Two such dice are rolled by one player called the "shooter". The shooter must place a "pass" bet or a "don't pass" bet in order to be eligible to roll the dice. Exception: the shooter can let his Hot Babe (TM) roll the dice for him if he has a pass or don't pass bet down. The total number of spots on the tops of the dice after the shooter has rolled is called the "roll". A game consists of a series of rolls. A roll of 2, 3, or 12 is called "craps". The first roll by the shooter during a game is called the "come-out roll". If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the game is over: Bets on the "Pass line" win 1:1. Bets on the "Don't Pass line" lose. If the come-out roll is craps, the game is over: Bets on the "Pass line" lose. Bets on the "Don't Pass line" win unless: The "Don't Pass" line says "Bar " and the roll is the indicated value, in which case the bet pushes. Otherwise, the come-out roll becomes the "point", and a large white marker is placed on the number representing the point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10). For each roll in a game subsequent to the come-out roll: If the roll is the point, the game is over: Bets on the "Pass line" win 1:1. Bets on the "Don't Pass line" lose. If the roll is 7, the game is over: Bets on the "Pass line" and lose. Bets on the "Don't Pass line" win 1:1. The turn of the "shooter" is over. Otherwise, the game continues and the shooter rolls again. During a game, bets on the Pass line cannot be removed or changed. Bets on the Don't Pass line may be decreased or removed, but not increased. When a game is over: If the game was over on the come-out roll, or because the point was rolled again, the shooter may continue to be the shooter for another game, or pass the dice on to the player just clockwise, who becomes the new shooter. Otherwise, the shooter must pass the dice on to the player just clockwise, who becomes the new shooter. Q:C3 What are "Odds"? A:C3 (Matt Wilding) Casinos allow a player to place "odds" on pass, don't pass, come, and don't come bets after a "point" has been established. If the bet on which odds are placed wins, the odds bet is paid fairly. This means the odds on pass and come bets are paid 2-1 for the 4 and 10, 3-2 for the 5 and 9, and 6-5 for the 6 and 8. The odds for don't pass and don't come bets are paid 1-2 for the 4 and 10, 2-3 for the 5 and 9, and 5-6 for the 6 and 8 (this is called "laying" odds). The player should make odds bets that can be paid exactly, or the dealer will pay off by rounding down. Odds on the pass line and come bets should be a multiple 5 if the point is 6 or 8 and a multiple of 2 if it's a 5 or 9. (Don't betters can figure this out themselves.) Casinos advertise the maximum odds bets they allow as the maximum amount "times" the original bet the odds bet may be. You can increase your odds bet over this advertised maximum only enough to allow you to make an odds bet that can be paid exactly. A player can modify his odds bets at any time. Q:C4 What are "Come" and "Don't Come" bets? A:C4 (Dave Decot, Frank Irwin, Alan Mintz) Other bets can be made during the game after the come-out roll by anyone, called "Come" and "Don't Come" bets. These are made by placing the bet on the "Come" line or the "Don't Come" line; these bets are regarded as Pass bets, but as if the very next roll of the dice were the "come-out" roll of a new game. That is, if the next roll is 7 or 11, the Come bet wins immediately; if the next roll is 2, 3, or 12, the Come bet loses immediately; otherwise, the number rolled is the point for that Come bet. Such a Come bet is moved onto the area of the table where its point appears, awaiting a roll of either its point or seven. The game for a Come bet always continues until this happens, even though the shooter rolls the point for the Pass line, even though the shooter begins a new game for the Pass line, even though another shooter begins rolling, as long as the termination conditions for that Come bet have not yet occurred. Note that rolling a seven always terminates all Pass, Come, Don't Pass, and Don't Come games on the table; since it results in immediate win or loss. When this happens, the shooter is said to "seven out". The payoffs for Come and Don't Come bets are the same as for Pass and Don't pass bets. It is possible to place odds bets on the points of your own Come and Don't Come bets by handing the bet to a dealer and stating that you want "odds on my ". Unless you specify otherwise, odds bets on Come are declared "not working" on a come out roll after a point is made. However, odds on Don't Come bets are usually working by default. Q:C5 What are all those other bets? A:C5 (Dave Decot, Frank Irwin, Ken Elliot III) Other bets are possible: Place bets (to win): Bets that an indicated number will be rolled before 7 is rolled (come-out rolls are ignored for the purpose of determining this, unless otherwise specified by the player making the bet). Place bets (to lose): Bets that a 7 will be rolled before the indicated number is rolled (come-out rolls are ignored for the purpose of determining this, unless otherwise specified by the player making the bet). One roll bets: Bets that a certain roll, or a certain pair of dice faces, or one of several rolls, will appear on the next roll of the dice. Such bets may be made before any roll. These all pay higher than 1:1, This includes "Any craps", "eleven", "seven", "Horn", and "field" bets. Field: A special case of one-roll bet. This pays 1-1 whenever 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 is rolled, and possibly higher amounts when 2 or 12 is rolled. Hardways: Bets that a certain pair of dice faces will appear before 7 is rolled, and before any other pair of dice faces with the same total value are rolled. For example, a bet on "hard 4 (2 and 2)" loses when (1 and 3) is rolled, because this is an "easy way" to roll 4. A bet on "hard anything" loses when 7 is rolled. Hopping hardways: Bets that a certain pair of identical dice faces will appear on the next roll. These all pay 30:1 (or sometimes higher or lower). Horn bets: Basically, just betting on the 2,3,11, and 12 at once. This requires 4 units, since you are really making 4 bets. Q:C6 What are the odds for all these bets? A:C6 (From: "Winning Casino Craps" by Edwin Silberstang, and Ken Elliot III) Bet Casino Payoff Casino Advantage Pass-Line 1:1 1.41% With Single Odds 1:1 + odds 0.8 With Double Odds 1:1 + odds 0.6 Come 1:1 1.41% With Single Odds 1:1 + odds 0.8 With Double Odds 1:1 + odds 0.6 Don't Pass 1:1 1.40% With Single Odds 1:1 + odds 0.8 With Double Odds 1:1 + odds 0.6 Don't Come 1:1 1.40% With Single Odds 1:1 + odds 0.8 With Double Odds 1:1 + odds 0.6 Place Numbers (to win) 4 or 10 9:5 6.67% 4 or 10 (bought) 2:1 (-5% commission) 4.76 5 or 9 7:5 4.0 6 or 8 7:6 1.52 Place Numbers (to lose) 4 or 10 5:11 3.03% 4 or 10 (layed) 1:2 (-5% commission) 2.44 5 or 9 5:8 2.5 6 or 8 4:5 1.82 Big 6 and Big 8 1:1 9.09% Field With 2 and 12 paying 2:1 1:1 except 2 & 12 5.55% With 2 pay 3:1, 12 pay 2:1 1:1 except 2 & 12 2.77% With 2 pay 2:1, 12 pay 3:1 1:1 except 2 & 12 2.77% Proposition Bets Bet True Odds Casino Payoff Casino Advantage Any 7 5:1 4:1 16.67% Any Craps 8:1 7:1 11.1 2 or 12 35:1 30:1 13.89 29:1 16.67 3 or 11 17:1 15:1 11.1 14:1 16.67 Hardways 4 or 10 8:1 7:1 11.1% 6 or 8 10:1 9:1 9.09 ================================== Section R: Roulette Anybody out there really care about roulette? ================================== Section V: Video Poker Q:V1 Is it possible to gain an advantage at Video Poker? A:V1 (Steve Jacobs) The video poker strategy discussed here is for the common "8/5" machines (called 8/5 because of the 8-for-1 payoff for a full house and 5-for-1 payoff for a flush). "Joker's Wild" and "Deuces Wild" machines will require a much different strategy. In order to have an advantage over the house, you must find a machine with a progressive jackpot that is larger than about 1750 maximum bets. ($8750 for $1 machines, $2200 for $.25 machines, $440 for $.05 machines). The level only makes the game even with the house. The jackpot must be higher than this in order to gain an advantage. The player's edge increases by about 1% for each addition of 350 maximum bets into the progressive jackpot. In order to have a 2% edge, the jackpot must be about 2500 max. bets. ($12,500 for $1 machines, $3125 for $.25 machines, $625 for $.05 machines). The main difficulty with playing video poker is that it takes an average of 60 hours of rapid play to hit a royal flush, and it takes a _huge_ bankroll to survive long enough to win. During this times, the casino enjoys an advantage of approximately 5%. Straight flushes can be expected about once every 6 hours on average, but these contribute only about 0.5% to the player's edge. 4-of-kind hands occur only about once per hour, and these hands account for about 5% of the player's return. What this all means to the video poker player is that you will be playing with about a 10% disadvantage while waiting for an occasional "boost" from a 4-of-kind or straight flush. On average, it will take a bankroll about as large as the progressive jackpot to survive long enough to hit the royal flush (and this assumes that the jackpot is large enough to give the player a reasonable edge over the house). The following table shows the relative frequency of each hand, and the resultant effect on the expected return, assuming the given strategy is used. The table shows that you can expect to get nothing back about 55% of the time, and hit either a high pair, two pair, or three of a kind another 41% of the time. Hands of higher value occur only about 3.6% of the time. This means that the house has a whopping 31% edge most of the time. return % rate frequency variance ------------------------------------------ 5.308 -> 0.00306 -> 1/32680 91.90 --==-- 0.492 -> 0.00984 -> 1/10163 0.246 STRAIGHT FLUSH!!!! 5.878 -> 0.235 -> 1/425 1.469 FOUR OF A KIND!!! 9.183 -> 1.148 -> 1/87 0.735 FULL HOUSE!! 5.584 -> 1.117 -> 1/89.5 0.293 FLUSH! 4.512 -> 1.128 -> 1/88.7 0.180 STRAIGHT! 22.227 -> 7.409 -> 1/13.5 0.667 THREE OF A KIND 25.780 -> 12.890 -> 1/7.76 0.516 TWO PAIR 21.053 -> 21.053 -> 1/4.75 0.211 HIGH PAIR ------------------------------------------ 44.993% 4.317 + royal Q:V2 What is the "basic strategy" for Video Poker? A:V2 (Steve Jacobs) Strategy based on the following payoffs: high pair 1 for 1 two pair 2 for 1 3 kind 3 for 1 straight 4 for 1 flush 5 for 1 full house 8 for 1 4 kind 25 for 1 str flush 50 for 1 royal flush 2500 for 1 (expected return 102%) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Simplified strategy (find first hand that matches, keep only needed cards). Best draws are listed in order of decreasing expected value. Expected value of each draw is shown, in units of one max. bet. Numbers in () vary, depending on progressive jackpot (value shown is for jackpot of 2500 max. bets). drawing value hand -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0 (2500) royal flush 1 ( 54) 4/royal (break up KQJT9 str-flush) [1] 0 50 straight flush 0 25 4 kind 0 8 full house 0 5 flush 2 4.24 3 kind 0 4 straight 1 3.4 4/str-flush 2 ( 2.9) 3/royal (break up pairs) [2,3] 1 2.51 two pair 3 1.53 high pair 1 1.0 4/flush 1 0.87 KQJT 4/straight 3 0.814 low pair 1 0.809 QJT9 4/straight (outside, two high cards) 1 0.745 JT98 4/straight (outside, one high card) 2 0.699 QJ9 3/str-flush 2 0.697 JT9 3/str-flush 3 ( 0.69) 2/royal (both non-tens) 1 0.681 4/straight (outside, no high cards) 2 0.599 3/str-flush (one high card, spread 4) 2 0.597 3/str-flush (spread 3) 3 ( 0.59) 2/royal (10 + one high card) 1 0.596 AKQJ straight (4 high cards) 1 0.532 AKQT/AKJT/AQJT/KQJ9 straight (3 high cards) 2 0.515 KQJ unsuited 3 0.509 QJ unsuited 2 0.502 3/str-flush (one high card, spread 5) 2 0.500 3/str-flush (none high cards, spread 4) 3 0.48 3 unsuited high cards (keep lowest two) 3 0.48 2 unsuited high cards 4 ( 0.48) high card 2 0.402 3/str-flush (none high cards, spread 5) 5 0.360 garbage (draw 5 new cards) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Keep KQJT9 straight flush if progressive jackpot is below 2282 bets. [2] Keep two high pair if progressive jackpot is below 2100 bets. [3] Keep high pair plus paired 10's if progressive is below 2175 bets. The following draws should NOT be taken, since drawing 5 new cards gives a greater expected gain. 1 0.340 4/straight (inside, no high cards) --> keep none 2 0.305 3/flush (no high cards) --> keep none 2 0.275 3/straight (no high cards) --> keep none -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================== Section P: Poker Q:P1 How is Texas Hold'em played? A:P1 (Will Hyde) TEXAS HOLD'EM RULES (From the Garden City, San Jose, Rulebook): Each player is dealt two down cards (hole, or 'pocket' cards) as their initial hand. There is a round of betting after these cards have been delivered. Three board-cards are turned face up simultaneously (which is called 'the flop') and another round of betting occurs. The dealer then turns a fourth card face up on the board, and the third round of betting follows. [the 'turn' card] After a fifth card is turned face up on the board, the final round of betting takes place. [the 'river' card] The five face up board-cards are called community cards and a player may use any combination of five cards to determine his best hand. Best five-card hand wins. A player may use any combination of board cards or hole cards to make a hand. ================================== Section M: Miscellaneous Q:M1 How is Baccarat played? A:M1 (Steve Jacobs) Baccarat is a card games that is usually dealt from a shoe that holds 6 or 8 decks of cards. Two hands are dealt by the house dealer, the "bank" hand and the "player" hand. Before the hands are dealt, the players can bet either on the bank hand or the player hand, or on a tie. Winning bets are paid 1:1, but a 5% commission is charged on bank bets. Tie bets are paid 8:1. Once a bet has been placed, there are no opportunities for the player to make decisions -- both the bank hand and the player hand are dealt according to fixed rules. A game of baccarat is started by dealing two cards for the player hand and two cards for the bank hand. The object of the game is to be dealt the hand with the highest rank. The rank of a hand is determined by totalling the ranks of the individual cards. Tens and face cards are counted as zero, while all other cards are counted by the number of "pips" on the card face. No baccarat hand can have a total greater than nine. If a card is added that would give a total greater than nine, the hand rank is adjusted by subtracting 10. According to the rules of baccarat, the player will stand if the first two cards total 6, 7, 8, or 9. An eight or a nine is a "natural", and is an automatic winner if the other hand has a lower total. If both hands are eights or both are nines, then a tie occurs and neither side wins. If neither hand is a natural, then cards might be drawn before the game ends. If the player hand totals 5 or less, then a third card is drawn for the player hand and the player will stand regardless of the total. The banker stands when holding 7, 8, or 9, and always draws one card when holding 0, 1, or 2. For other banker totals, drawing is determined by the rank of the player hand, according to the following table: Bank 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 <- player hand rank -------------------------------------- 9 s s s s s s s s s s 8 s s s s s s s s s s 7 s s s s s s s s s s 6 s s s s s s H H s s 5 s s s s H H H H s s 4 s s H H H H H H s s 3 H H H H H H H H s H 2 H H H H H H H H H H 1 H H H H H H H H H H 0 H H H H H H H H H H When baccarat is dealt from 8 decks, the probability of a banker win is 45.86%, the probability of a player win is 44.62%, and the probability of a tie is 9.52%. The house edge on "player" bets is about 1.24%. Winning "bank" bets are charged a 5% commission, resulting in a 1.06% edge on these bets. The house edge on "tie" bets is about 4.9%. Q:M2 How is Red Dog played? A:M2 (Steve Jacobs) "Red Dog" is also known as "Acey Duecey" or "between the sheets". It is a card game that is usually dealt from a shoe containing four or five decks, although single deck games can be found occasionally. After the players bet, two cards are dealt face up on the table. If the two cards are adjacent, it is a tie. If the two cards are not identical, the player is allowed to place a "raise" bet, up to the size of the original bet. If the third card drawn is _between_ the first two cards, the player wins. If the first two cards are identical the player is not allowed to raise, and if the third card matches the first two, the player is payed 11:1. Payoffs are at even money unless the first two cards are a pair or the "spread" is 3 or less. Spread Payoff ---------------------------------- pair 11:1 0 (adjacent) push 1 5:1 2 4:1 3 2:1 4 - 11 1:1 The number of players at the table is totally irrelevent, since all players win or lose simultaneously. The only strategy decision that the player is allowed to make is whether or not to double the bet. With these payoffs, the bet should be doubled only when the spread is 7 or greater. The house edge for Red Dog is about 3%, and decreases slightly as more decks are used. Q:M3 Can the lottery be beat when the jackpot gets high enough? A:M3 [under construction] Q:M4 How is Pai Gow Poker played? A:M4 (John F. Reeves) Pai-gow poker is a banking poker game played in Las Vegas and some of the California card clubs. The object of pai-gow poker is to make two poker hands that beat the banker's hands. The player is dealt 7 cards that he makes into a five card hand (high hand) and a two card hand (low hand). The hands are played and ranked as traditional poker hands (with one exception: A2345 is the second highest straight), and the 5 card hand must be higher than the 2 card hand. If both hands are better than the banker's hand, you win, if both lose, you lose, otherwise it's a push. The banker wins absolute ties (i.e. K Q vs K Q). The game is played with a 52 cards plus one joker. The joker can be used as an Ace or to complete a flush or straight. The table layout has 7 spots one in front of the dealer and 6 for players, like this: Dealer 7 1 6 2 5 3 4 Each player spot has spaces for a bet, low hand, high hand and sometimes the house commission. The dealer deals 7 7-card hands in front of the chip tray. The banker can be a player, but is usually the house. The banker designates which hands go to which player by shaking a dice cup with three dice; the banker's position is either 1, 8 or 15 and the hands are passed out counterclockwise. So, if the dealer is the bank and the dice total to 6, player 5 gets the first hand, player 6 gets the second, the dealer gets the third and so on. The dice mumbo-jumbo appears to be ritual stuff --- you don't need to worry about anything until you get your hand. The player puts the two card hand face down in the box closest to the dealer, and the five card hand face down in back. Once everybody has set their hand, the dealer turns over and sets the bank's hand. The dealer goes counterclockwise around the table comparing the banks hand to the players, and taking, paying, or knocking. There is a 5% commission on winning bets that you can either put out next to your winning bet, or the dealer will subtract from your payoff. The lowest minimum bet is $5, seen at the Imperial Place and Four Queens. In pai-gow poker, the only strategic decisions are how much to bet and how to set your hand. The simple basic strategy for setting your hand is to make the highest 2-card hand that is less than your five card hand. If you can't figure out what to do, you can show your hand to the dealer and they will tell you how the house would set it. Since pairs generally win the 2-card hands, and two-pair wins the 5-card hands, the only difficult decisions are when to split two pairs. The house rules at the Four Queens were not to split low pairs (<= 6) and not to split pairs <= 10 if there was a Ace high two card hand. So the house would set A 10 10 6 6 5 3 => A 5 / 10 10 6 6 3 K Q 10 10 6 6 3 => 6 6 / 10 10 K Q 3 A ``Pai-gow'' is a hand with no pairs, such as Q J / K 7 8 6 2. Things get a little weird if a player wants to be the bank. To quote from the IP house rules: ``The House Dealer or the player may be the ``BANKER.'' The Bank wagers against all players. The bank will alternate between the house and the player (the House Dealer will at least take the bank every other hand). The BANKER will be signified by a white plastic marker. A Bank Player must either cover half or all wagers against him/her. The House will co-bank at 50/50 only at the Bank Player's request. The hand will be set according to house way and the table limit will apply if the House acts as a co-banker. In order to bank, a player must have played the previous hand against the House. The House will wager a sum equal to that player's wager against the house the previous hand. The player may request that a smaller amount be wagered. A Banker must be bank at the same spot of the hand he previously played against the house.'' Got that?? In the CA card clubs, all wagering is between players, so the option to be the bank rotates among the active players. The rule differences from the IP rules are that the Joker is wild, and the house commission is a flat $1 per hand ($10 minimum bet). Pai-gow poker is an easy game to play, and since each hand takes a while to play (dealer has to shuffle for each game) and most hands push, you can play on $20 at a $5 table for quite a while. Q:M5 Is there a horse racing newsgroup? A:M5 (John Wilkes) Not another newsgroup, but there is a mailing list for discussion of horse racing and handicapping. If you are interested in joining us, send a note to derby-request@ekrl.com and be sure to include an Internet email address (i.e., a "@" address.) Uucp "bang-style" addresses severely confuse the local software that processes alias mail, so I cannnot accept them for the list. ******************************************************************************