Ask The Wizard #17

I appreciate you highlighting this particular variation for me. At Casino Niagara, they present the rules of casino war differently. What they neglect to clarify is that if there’s a tie, the original stake is considered lost.

Essentially, in this variation, a player receives twice the ante for winning after a tie, and three times the ante for achieving a tie following a tie. Generally, the typical rules still yield two times the ante for a secondary tie. This adjustment effectively reduces the house advantage from 2.88% to 2.33%.

This approach closely resembles the Martingale betting strategy, where the player doubles their bet after each loss. Although Martingale often leads to wins, there are times when a player might experience an unmanageable number of sequential losses resulting in significant financial damage. If your friend is consistently betting on the player, the likelihood of encountering nine consecutive losses is represented by the fraction (2153464/(2153464+2212744)).⁹ = .001727, or 1 in 579, assuming ties are ignored. There is more information available about the folly of the Martingale in my section on betting systems Nevertheless, the more outrageous a belief tends to be, the harder it is to shake off. Often, it takes a considerable loss for someone firmly believing in a betting system to reconsider their approach.

Indeed, I incorporate pushes into the calculation of the house edge. The only exceptions are specific bets in craps that typically result in a push—such as place, buy, lay, and hard ways—which usually stay active until they are resolved. For these types of bets, my definition of the house edge is based on the anticipated loss per bet that has been resolved.

Bovada features a wide variety of games available for enjoyment, including blackjack. You don’t need to create an account; simply click once to start playing. Head over to the Instant Play casino section and click on 'practice' to play blackjack.

Finding a blackjack game where a player utilizing basic strategies holds an advantage over the house is quite rare. The player advantage shown for single-deck blackjack on my site derives from rules typically associated with multiple-deck games, which are seldom found in single-deck variants. I organized the data this way to showcase how the number of decks impacts gameplay. Unified Gaming presents the best blackjack option for basic strategy players that I’ve come across in any venue. You can find a list of them on my site. online casino index If you happen to engage in a game that has a negative house edge, then yes, that certainly provides you with better odds than what the house offers, provided you adhere to the basic strategy.

No, even when you download the software, you are still engaging in gameplay governed by a remote server. Though there might be a day when players can use their own systems, casinos would be faced with the concern of cheating on players’ parts. Regardless of whether the game is downloadable or Java-based, the results in roulette are dictated by a distant server. The software you install merely presents the visuals and creates the connection with the casino's online server.

Sadly, instances of cheating in casinos do arise. I maintain a log of various suspicious incidents on my site. blacklist .

I noticed your email is affiliated with U.C. Santa Barbara, which is my alma mater. I graduated with a BA in mathematics/economics in ’88. As a fellow Gaucho, I dedicated some time to play this game and aimed to help! During one session, I managed to amass 426 points. For those who might be curious, this game consists of 17 rounds of jacks-or-better video poker, featuring a pay table quite different from those in actual casinos. Notably, a high pair pays out at 2:1, while two pair awards 4:1.

Given the generous payout structure of this game, players should opt for the maximum wager unless they’re dealt completely worthless cards. When dealt garbage, the expected return hovers around 0.7 times the amount bet. If obtaining a single high card, the return increases to 0.94 times the wager. With a low pair in hand, players can expect a return of 1.53 times their bet. Opting for the maximum on a solitary high card might seem unwise, but aggression is essential in this context. As you get closer to the target, it's wise to continue betting the maximum, even if the cards are subpar, because it may take a long shot to ultimately achieve 500. Holding back pairs for the sake of going for four to a straight or flush might not be advisable; you'll likely need a four of a kind to hit the 500 mark.

Using your fundamental strategy for Cryptologic, what are the odds of earning five units prior to incurring losses of 20? If I participated every day for a year, only withdrawing after either gaining five units or losing 20 units, what might my overall net outcome look like?

Accurate mathematical strategies and insights regarding casino games such as blackjack, craps, roulette, and hundreds of others are available for players.