Dear Mark: What happens at a blackjack table if every player refuses to cut the deck? Alex H.
Superstition, especially when it comes to cutting cards, can sometimes get screwy at a blackjack table. Players who refuse to cut will typically say, "I don't want to be blamed for a bad deck" or "I'm always unlucky," to which I used to respond as a dealer to the hapless player, “What the hell are you doing in a casino if you are always unlucky?”
Those living in the compos mentis world know that the cut really isn’t critical to the flow of the cards, nor does it make any difference who cuts or where.
Of course, Alex, exclusive of the horse sense above, it really depends on where you are playing as to what happens if no one chooses to cut his or her luck. Some casinos just have the dealer insert the cut card at a pre-determined spot in the deck(s), like two-thirds deep, and pitch away. Yet in the three joints where I dealt cards, if everyone refused, I personally hoodooed the players by my witching cut, and then watched their luck wither away.
Dear Mark: How do they determine the house edge in roulette? Bobby S.
By the house including the zero and double-zero on the layout and not paying you true odds for their inclusion. The casino pays all wagers on the layout according to odds that would be accurate if there were just 36 numbers on the wheel. But by adding 0 and 00, they produce 38 numbers. True odds of winning a single-number bet should, therefore, be 37 to 1, but winners are paid only 35 to 1.
Dear Mark: For the complete novice, which bet in the casino would you recommend that has a minimal house advantage, but also a game where you don’t have to use any type of basic strategy to lower the house edge? Chad R.
For the person with little or no gambling experience, who like you, wants to put an emphasis on something way easy to play, I would suggest baccarat, and betting on the banker hand every time. House edge: 1.17%.
Dear Mark: Do blackjack machines use a random number generator just like a video poker machine does? Tyler L.
It is a Nevada state law that an electronic game, which uses the representation of cards, must be truly random. Hence, both video poker and video blackjack machines both use random number generators. And although your letter, and presumably you, came from outside the Silver State, almost every gaming jurisdiction in the US more or less goes by Nevada regulations.
Dear Mark: An online casino offers two for one on all blackjacks. How much of an advantage do I get with this slight rule change? Christopher F.
First, Christopher, any and all rule variations have an effect on a player's expected return. By taking into account that you are probably playing proper basic strategy, and specific rules of where you are playing are relatively the same, blackjacks that pay 2 to 1 give the player an additional 2.2 percent advantage.
Dear Mark: In video keno, is there any difference between playing the same numbers each time or should I change them up each game? Sherry C.
It doesn’t make any difference, Sherry, either playing the same numbers or changing them up.
By the way, Sherry, since keno carries such a colossal casino advantage, any chance that I can convince you to play something else?
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “What are hunches but mysterious messages coming out of the depths of our minds through some sort of mental telepathy.” Harold S. Smith, former Owner of Harold’s Club in Reno
http://www.tops-poker.net
http://www.casinohotshots.com
http://www.top10online.com
http://www.guidetogambling.co.uk
Superstition, especially when it comes to cutting cards, can sometimes get screwy at a blackjack table. Players who refuse to cut will typically say, "I don't want to be blamed for a bad deck" or "I'm always unlucky," to which I used to respond as a dealer to the hapless player, “What the hell are you doing in a casino if you are always unlucky?”
Those living in the compos mentis world know that the cut really isn’t critical to the flow of the cards, nor does it make any difference who cuts or where.
Of course, Alex, exclusive of the horse sense above, it really depends on where you are playing as to what happens if no one chooses to cut his or her luck. Some casinos just have the dealer insert the cut card at a pre-determined spot in the deck(s), like two-thirds deep, and pitch away. Yet in the three joints where I dealt cards, if everyone refused, I personally hoodooed the players by my witching cut, and then watched their luck wither away.
Dear Mark: How do they determine the house edge in roulette? Bobby S.
By the house including the zero and double-zero on the layout and not paying you true odds for their inclusion. The casino pays all wagers on the layout according to odds that would be accurate if there were just 36 numbers on the wheel. But by adding 0 and 00, they produce 38 numbers. True odds of winning a single-number bet should, therefore, be 37 to 1, but winners are paid only 35 to 1.
Dear Mark: For the complete novice, which bet in the casino would you recommend that has a minimal house advantage, but also a game where you don’t have to use any type of basic strategy to lower the house edge? Chad R.
For the person with little or no gambling experience, who like you, wants to put an emphasis on something way easy to play, I would suggest baccarat, and betting on the banker hand every time. House edge: 1.17%.
Dear Mark: Do blackjack machines use a random number generator just like a video poker machine does? Tyler L.
It is a Nevada state law that an electronic game, which uses the representation of cards, must be truly random. Hence, both video poker and video blackjack machines both use random number generators. And although your letter, and presumably you, came from outside the Silver State, almost every gaming jurisdiction in the US more or less goes by Nevada regulations.
Dear Mark: An online casino offers two for one on all blackjacks. How much of an advantage do I get with this slight rule change? Christopher F.
First, Christopher, any and all rule variations have an effect on a player's expected return. By taking into account that you are probably playing proper basic strategy, and specific rules of where you are playing are relatively the same, blackjacks that pay 2 to 1 give the player an additional 2.2 percent advantage.
Dear Mark: In video keno, is there any difference between playing the same numbers each time or should I change them up each game? Sherry C.
It doesn’t make any difference, Sherry, either playing the same numbers or changing them up.
By the way, Sherry, since keno carries such a colossal casino advantage, any chance that I can convince you to play something else?
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “What are hunches but mysterious messages coming out of the depths of our minds through some sort of mental telepathy.” Harold S. Smith, former Owner of Harold’s Club in Reno
http://www.tops-poker.net
http://www.casinohotshots.com
http://www.top10online.com
http://www.guidetogambling.co.uk