Skill in Throwing Craps Dice
March 8, 2008
I was at the casino recently playing craps in a game where a guy threw the number seven about a dozen times without the point ever being made. Of course I was happy to be enjoying his luck until he starting telling us that he had the skill of willing the number seven. Of course, two hours later, he was broke. Now I don’t think there is such a thing as willing the numbers, but it got me wondering if there was any skill involved in throwing dice? The dice though have no idea who is throwing...
Difference Between Bluffing & Semi-Bluffing
March 8, 2008
I’m sure if you have ever watched any poker on television then you have heard the terms bluff and semi-bluff. A lot of beginners do not know the difference and I’ve even hear them make the mistake of thinking that a semi-bluff is just a bluff for less money. In reality bluff and a semi-bluff are only very distant cousins and not distinguished by the amount of money at risk. In poker, there are generally two ways to win a hand. One is for your opponent to fold, conceding the pot; and...
Simple Basic Strategy for Blackjack
March 8, 2008
When people head out to Vegas they often want a crash course in how to play blackjack. Well it’s not quite that simple but we can make sure that you play as good as possible given your time constraints on learning the game. So here is the basic strategy that you are going to want to learn: If dealer shows 2 or 3 take cards until you have 13 or more. If dealer shows 4 5 or 6 take cards until you have 12 or more. If dealer shows 7 8 9 10 or Ace take cards until you have 17 or more. If you...
Doubling Down After You Lose in Blackjack
March 8, 2008
Have you ever heard someone say that they have a foolproof way of winning at blackjack? The best part is that you don’t have to be very smart, good at math, understand probabilities, count cards, or even really know basic strategy. It’s one of the one of the oldest and obviously fallacious ones around, simply doubling your bet every time you lose. When you win, just go back to your basic betting unit, $10.00. Sounds too good to be true? That’s because it is. The system described...
What is Faro?
March 8, 2008
Faro is an even-money game you can set up on your kitchen table and learn in less than a month; in fact, two minutes should do it. So, Peter and other readers, go fetch yourselves two decks of cards and learn by doing. Lay out in neat rank order‹ace through king‹the thirteen cards of a single suit (traditionally spades) face up on the table top (or on an enameled green cloth if one happens along). It is on this spread that you do your betting. The other deck is for the game itself. As the bettor,...
How Continuous Shuffling Affects the Odds
March 8, 2008
A common question asked is how big of a disadvantage does the blackjack player have who counts cards have against continuous shuffle machines? And a related question of how often do online casinos shuffle their cards? We turned to casino expert Mark Pilarski to allow him to help assist us with these questions and more. Casinos thwart card counters by using different countermeasures. They can use more decks, which decrease the player’s advantage, or they can shuffle prematurely. The downside...
Odds on Natural Royal Flush in Video Poker
March 8, 2008
You could almost bet someone a large amount that they would never be dealt a natural royal flush on a video poker machine and feel pretty safe that you are never going to have to pay up. With a 52-card deck there are 2,598,960 possible hands, and what you’re asking for is that one of them to be dealt straight away. Those are long, tall odds. And what about all that time and money spent chasing down a natural Royal flush in hearts? Well, here’s the barnyard math. At a buck and a quarter...
Video Poker Odds Royal Flush
March 8, 2008
Doesn’t it seem that every time you are dealt one card short of the royal flush, when you draw you never get the card that you need? It can lead you to believe that the casino controls who and when someone hits the jackpot and takes home the cash. However, casino expert Mark Pilarski is here to deal with this nasty rumor and set you down the right path: I could bore you to tears by trying to explain how the pseudo-random number generator determines the cards you will get, but instead, I’ll...
Video Poker
March 8, 2008
In video poker, only 21% of the hands dealt are winning hands of Jacks or better and 79% are downright dogs. Herein lies the difference between the winning and losing player: what you do with those 79% of the hands that need to be groomed into winning greyhounds. The best way to give yourself the greatest chance of victory at video is to read, absorb, embrace and pledge allegiance to these playing tips. o Seek out Jacks or better machines that pay 9 coins for a full house and six coins for a flush. o...
Video Blackjack Odds
March 8, 2008
If you want the video blackjack odds then take a look at the house edge and different strategies to help you win. We have frequently been asked about the house edge on Video Blackjack and how different rules and playing perfect strategy affect the odds against you. Many players like the smaller wager limits with the video version and the fact that they can play at my own slower pace.These visitors are right in that there are plenty of advantages to video blackjack with the low minimum bankroll...
