Tag: edge

  • Baccarat for Beginners

    Baccarat is an adorable game of cards on the land of Europe. The term Baccarat means zero in both Italian and French. The game like many others has its own history. While some believe that Baccarat is an Italian product, others hold France as its motherland. Initially the game was plated with a tarot card deck. It gradually became the favorite of the high-class French society people from where its slightly modified form got its name as ‘Chemin de Fer’. After this the game made its way to the land of England and from there to the American soil.

    So basically there are four types of Baccarat played today-

    · Chemin de Fer

    · European Baccarat

    · American Baccarat – It is more or less a mixture of European Baccarat and Chemin de Fer form of it.

    · Baccarat Banque

    The best part is that all the four forms of the game have single vocabulary and playing objectives.

    There are two types of Baccarat tables- mini table and traditional Baccarat table. The two tables differ in size, the number of players that can play as well as the manner in which markings and labeling done on them.

    Next comes the card values where only aces are counted as one, all tens and faces are worthless-of zero value. Suits are insignificant here. The value of cards is first added and then the first digit is removed or dropped. So a total of 12 will be counted as 2, leaving the digit 1. In the game of Baccarat, which is most often known as the game of chance, there are only three options to wager. These are- banker wins, player wins or a tie case. There are more than one card decks used for this game. This always keeps one in a quandary as to who will emerge as the lucky winner.

    The best a player can do to win this game is to evaluate the number of odds. The odds break down is in the following way- Bank- 1.01% house edge, Player-1.29 % house edge, Tie-15.75% house edge. These figures are an outcome of the drawing rules that are made to produce these results. The number of decks used is also a considerable factor in winning the bet. For say if 6 decks are used then the chances of bank winning to the player are more.

    In the widespread American Baccarat either 6 or 8 decks are used. It requires three dealers and the main dealer is called the ‘croupier’. The shuffling of cards is the onus of the house dealer while the placement of cards in the shoe and handling it to the first player is the task of the croupier. If a player is disinterested in dealing, he may pass on the shoe, which rotates counterclockwise to the direction of the table to another player. The betting is to be done before the dealing of each hand. After this the croupier deals four down faced cards. The one who has made the largest bet on the ‘player’ gets the first opportunity to see the player’s hand. If there is an eight or nine – a ‘natural’ on any of the two hands, that player wins, the round comes to an end. If both cards are the same, it’s a tie case and if both hands are naturals, 9 outweigh the 8.

  • Taking the Mystery Out of Baccarat

    Baccarat has a mystique about it because it’s associated with the high rollers. But learning how to play baccarat is actually very easy, does not involve skill (only luck of the draw), and the croupier explains it all as you go along. Basically, if you can count to 9, you can play baccarat. Actually, even if you can’t, you can play, because the croupier adds up the hands.

    There are two important things you should remember about baccarat:
    1. The house edge is very low except for on “tie” bets.
    2. Avoid tie bets.

    Baccarat has three possible outcomes: banker wins, player wins, or tie. The cards that are drawn dictate the outcome. Here is how to play baccarat at a regular land casino.

    You’ll play at either a baccarat table that accommodates up to 13 players, or a mini baccarat table that accommodates fewer. Buy-ins may be as low as $25. The tables for the big spenders are usually off in another room, and buy-ins at them may be as high as $500.

    On the table are boxes where you place bets. The box closest to you is for betting on the “player” winning, and the box farther away is for betting on the “banker” winning. There is also a place to bet on ties. Tie bets have a house edge of over 14%, so even though tie bets may pay out at 8:1, they’re not advisable due to the big house edge. With baccarat, “player” and “banker” don’t refer to the actual dealer and you, but to a theoretical banker and player, and you bet on one or the other (or a tie).

    Both dealer and player are dealt two cards. Usually after two cards are dealt, there is a winner, and the winner is the hand that adds up closest to nine. Cards from 2-9 are scored based on face value, 10s and face cards are allotted zero, and aces get one point. If a hand adds up to more than ten, you only count the last digit. That’s why you only have to know how to count to 9.

    Two cards are dealt face-down for the “player” and “banker,” then the player’s cards are revealed, then the banker’s. The hands are added up by the croupier. The player is dealt a third card if the player’s hand adds up to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. The banker may be dealt a third card depending on the player’s third card. The rules for the banker getting a third card go according to the table:

    If Player’s 3rd Card is: —– Banker Draws if: —- Banker Stands if:
    2 or 3 His score is 0-4 —— His score is 5-7
    4 or 5 His score is 0-5 —— His score is 6-7
    6 or 7 His score is 0-6 —— His score is 7
    8 His score is 0-2 ———- His score is 3-7
    Ace, 9, 10, or face card —- His score is 0-3 —– His score is 4-7

    The dealer gives instructions if a third card is needed, so you don’t have to memorize the table. Once all cards are dealt, the hand closer to 9 is the winner, and ties are allowed. As for odds, the banker wins slightly more often than the player. The house edge is 1.36% on player bets and 1.17% on banker bets. The best, and really only baccarat strategy is knowing when to walk away with your winnings.

  • Roulette Winning Tips

    The best way to win at Roulette is to get lucky. Unfortunately, luck is an uncontrolled factor that you can’t make sure it always at your side. Therefore, don’t depend solely on luck when playing your favorite casino games because you may lose when the luck is not at your side most of times. Although there is no sure-win Roulette betting strategy to ensure you will win all the times, but if you play the game with some effective betting strategies that work, it is possible to win at Roulette. This article will outline the 4 winning tips that you never want to miss if you hope to make some winnings from the game.

    Tip #1: Never play without a strategy

    Although a good roulette betting strategy does not ensure you will win, but without it, you will surely lose, unless you are a lucky person. Therefore, learning some roulette strategies and choose one or two that work for you. You don’t necessary need to pay for roulette strategy guides because you can always get them free from internet. However, it is worth to invest some money for good paid-version of Roulette strategy guides that have been proven worked to win at Roulette.

    Tip #2: You have a better odd of winning at European Roulette

    The rule of thumb in selecting a type of Roulette to play is, always play at European Roulette to maximize the chance of winning at the wheel. Generally, there are two versions of Roulette wheels: American Roulette and European Roulette. The key advantage of playing at European wheel versus the American wheel is you have double the chance of winning at European wheel. With the extra slot of double zeros in American wheel, the house edge increase from 2.7% at European wheel to 5.3% of American wheel. The house edge is the figure to ensure the profit of casino in the long run. The higher the house edge figure, the more disadvantage to the player. Therefore, you should choose the Roulette type with lower house edge if you want to maximize the chance of winning at roulette.

    Tip #3: Don’t bet with double-up strategy without a limit

    Double-up betting strategy or better known as Martingale strategy is one of the favorite roulette betting strategies used by players. The strategy requires players to double their bet amount on every loss until they hit a winning turn. Although the strategy may work initially, it may lead to a big loss if the outcomes don’t turn out to be expected. Therefore, don’t use the strategy to place your bet without setting a losing limit. Generally, the Martingale strategy is proven flaw and does not work by itself; instead it needs to be used together with other strategy with a setting limit to take the loss if it happens. However, you are advised not to use the strategy at all if you don’t know how to use the strategy to win at the wheel.

    Tip #4: Only play with the money you can afford to lose

    Casinos have the advantage with house edge to make profit from players. The chances to lose money are more than the winning opportunities. If you play with the money that is needed for life necessities, you will be at a highly pressure situation when you are facing losses. You may try all the ways to get your money back by betting even more money, even swipe your credit card for advances that may lead you to serious debt problem. Therefore, don’t bet the money you can’t afford to lose.

    Summary

    You can win at Roulette if you play it right with a right roulette betting strategy that work. Use the above 4 winning tips as a basic guide when playing your favorite roulette game.

  • Craps Intermediate Strategy

    The Craps game is very dynamic and unpredictable and if you have started playing it then you must know that your knowledge about this game is resumed to just a little part of many of it’s secrets that can make the game even more interesting and that can also help you win additional money. A beginner player, after understanding the basic principles of the game can discover the intermediary strategies to improve his game, and finally to receive more money spending a good time at the craps playing table.

    Very important but also neglected strategies that must be used by a Craps player, are the psychological strategies. The psychological factor is essential in the craps game. The major advices in this case are, first of all choose a table that is not crowded, the crowd factor is very important in loosing your control over the game. Also keep your emotions under control and never let your enthusiasm caused by a lucky shot to overwhelm you. Craps is a very emotional game, you can see this when you enter any casino, keep this in mind and do not let the emotions control you. And the last but not the least, the attitude concerning the game, you must be a winner in your thoughts. If you have a positive attitude, you can change the game.

    Other strategies that you must use are the managing strategies; they may include the correct management of your money and the choosing of the correct time to leave the game. A Craps player must know how much money he has and how much money he wants to bet, once the money he wished to risk are lost, it is better to leave the game. Also it is very important to stop at the right moment, if you have won a big sum of money, it is better to take it and go, don’t joke with the fortune, it is very unpredictable.

    When you are prepared you can start the game, you must choose your gaming strategy and follow it. First of all you must know that the best bet in craps is the free odds bet, which is also named the “secret” bet. This is because the bet isn’t even marked on the table. The free odds bets are the ones where the casino has zero advantage. Other bets can have bigger odds against you reducing the chances to win. This bet can keep you playing for a long time getting you a big chance to win. Also some casinos are paying 2x odds while there are casinos that in promotional periods can raise the odds up to 100x. If you are lucky to play 100x free odds then your bet has a great chance to win, for example even at 2x odds the house has a edge of 0.6%. Other strategy that can be used with the free odds is to place maximum free odds bets. This is because the Casino has yet a small edge against the player on the “pass” or “don’t pass” wager that he made. This situation can be controlled by placing a free odds bet at maximum because it does not have an edge against the player, in conclusion the high odds improve against the Casino.

    The strategy works like this, the more you bet on free odds, the more the casino edge lowers on the initial wager. This makes this bet the best mathematically possible. A final advice for this strategy is that you can play the free odds bet with the pass line or don’t pass line bets, which may prove more effective. Other strategies may include avoiding the bets that involve a higher risk of loosing, this can be the Lay Bets, Field Bets and the Buy Bets. A strategy that can prove effective may be to put your bets for the shooters that usually win and against those who loose. You can always test these strategies, in an online craps game, but also in a real Casino, because many of the skills needed for a successful game come only with practice.

  • The Richochet Craps System

    It is a known fact that there is no such thing as a casino craps system that will break the casino, or give you any technical edge over the house. However, this does not mean that some systems are not better than others, and when combined with smart gambling give you the best odds of making money. We are going to take a look at the best and most underplayed craps system there is. This system is so underplayed because it involves “unadvertised” best, or bets that are not labeled on the table. It also uses the “Don’t” side of the craps table, which is not a very popular side to play because you are betting against the shooter.

    The first step to successfully implementing the Ricochet system is to chart the craps tables. This means you are going to walk around and look for a table that appears to be “cold” and going through shooters rather quickly. You do NOT want to use this system at a “hot” table. Following the trends is a very important thing to learn when playing the game of craps, as it will determine what you bet, when you bet, and how much you bet. When you have found a cold table that is alternating shooters frequently, you are ready to begin using the Ricochet craps system.

    Begin by allowing the shooter to establish a point, and do not make any bets until the shooter establishes a point. After the shooter has established a point, you are going to make what is called a “Lay” bet against the point number. This type of bet is not “advertised” on the table, but the dealers will know what you mean. It is often referred to as $41 no 4 or 10, $31 no 5 or 9, or $25 no 6 or 8 depending on what number you a laying against. By making this bet you are betting that a 7 is going to come before the number you are laying. If a 7 comes, you win. If the number you are laying comes, you lose.

    This lay bet acts only as a one roll hedge bet to cover your next bet, which is a $15 Don’t Come bet. The Don’t Come is the opposite of the Come, meaning that it will lose on a 7 or 11, win on a 2 or 3, push on a 12, and anything else will be a point number that it will “move behind.” When your $15 Don’t Come bet has moved behind a number, it acts just as a lay bet. You are betting that a 7 will come before the number you are behind. The odds in this situation are much in your favor, no matter what number you are behind. At the time you make your $15 Don’t Come bet, you can also choose to put $1 on the “Yo 11” bet, and this will act as an additional hedge to cover your $15 bet.

    After you have successfully gone behind a number with your $15 Don’t Come bet, take your Lay bet down. Do this by telling the dealer “Down on my Lay,” in reference to whatever number you were laying. You will now be sitting behind a number with a $15 bet with the odds in your favor, simply waiting for a decision on that bet. If you are behind the 4 or 10, your odds are 2 to 1 in your favor. If you are behind the 5 or 9, your odds to 3 to 2 in your favor. If you are behind the 6 or 8, the odds are 6 to 5 in your favor.

    The main concept behind this system is trying to find the best way to take advantage of the “Don’t” side of the table, which is where the greatest odds of winning are. If you are able to get behind a number safely, you are always going to have the odds to win because now you have the 7 working for you. The problem with playing the Don’t side has always been the 7 on the initial Don’t Come or don’t pass bet. What this system does, as you can see, is places a “lay” hedge bet on a number for one roll while you are establishing a number with your Don’t Come bet. This way the 7 can’t hurt your $15 Don’t Come bet, and the only thing you have to worry about is a repeat of the number that you are laying for one roll.

    Let us run through one quick example game. The shooter throws a 9 as their point. You tell the dealer “$31 no 9 please,” and then place a $15 bet on the Don’t Come and toss a $1 chip in the middle shouting “Yo 11.” The shooter then rolls a 4. Your Don’t Come bet moves behind the 4, and right away you tell the dealer “Down on my lay,” pointing to your $31 no 9 bet. You now sit with a 2 to 1 chance of winning your $15 bet as you wait for either a 7 or 4 to come.

    If everyone who played craps used this system it wouldn’t break the casino, but it would certainly give the casinos a much harder time. While this system alone will not give you the edge necessary to make money in the long run, if you combine it with all the essentials of gambling you can be sure to make money. Be sure to chart your tables, and set a loss limit and win goal. Use good discipline to walk away from the table when you reach either of these goals. Good luck at the tables!