Ask The Wizard #26
Are these very fair rules:
- The dealer uses an endless deck for dealing cards.
- Dealer stands on soft 17
- No surrender allowed
- Player can split any pair
- Player can re-split, except for aces
- Insurance is available only if the player holds two cards.
- Player can double down on any hand
- Player can double after a split
These are the specific regulations at the 4 Aces casino, where I frequently encounter bad luck by hitting a 12 or 13 while the dealer consistently scores over 40 instances of 21, including hitting 21 four times in succession. While their rules state otherwise, they do permit late surrender. What exactly does an infinite deck mean? If these rules are favorable, could you suggest an effective strategy?
According to my blackjack house edge calculator With these particular rules and considering eight decks, the house's advantage stands at 0.45%. When the impact of infinite decks is compared to the eight decks, it adds an additional 0.10% to the house’s edge. Therefore, the overall house advantage would be 0.45% plus 0.10%, totaling 0.55%.
It appears you are suggesting that this casino does not offer a fair gaming experience. I cannot provide an opinion on that unless you present solid evidence.
How do you interpret the odds displayed on the racetrack board? For instance, if there is a 20-5 payout, how much would a $20 win bet yield?
I believe the odds wouldn't be displayed as '20-5', but instead as a simplified 4-1 ratio. This indicates that the payout would be four times your wager. Hence, if you win a $20 bet at 4-1 odds, you'd receive $80 in winnings. When you take your ticket to the payout window, they will return $100, which includes your $80 winnings plus your original $20 stake.
In Finland, certain nightclubs and restaurants feature blackjack tables, but they operate under peculiar rules: six decks are used, ties only push on 21 and blackjack, and for ties at 17, 18, 19, and 20, the house automatically wins! There is no surrender option, and the European no-hole-card rule applies. Players can double down only on 9-11, and splits are unlimited. I know this is disadvantageous for players, but just how severe is it? What would the house edge be in this game?
I encountered these very same rules during my visit to Helsinki back in 1986, and they were undoubtedly the worst blackjack rules I have ever experienced.
To answer your question, my blackjack house edge calculator The calculation indicates that the house edge stands at 0.54% before factoring in the rule where ties at 17-20 result in losses. My findings suggest that... rule variations The impact of the rule that ties lose on 17-20 is an additional 8.38% in favor of the house. Therefore, the cumulative house edge would be 8.92%, which is quite significant!
I’m a bit uncertain regarding the hand rankings in five-card and seven-card poker. For example, I know a flush beats a straight, but could you clarify the complete list of hand rankings?
Here's the ranking of hands from highest to lowest in both five-card and seven-card poker: straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and pair.
Consider a slot machine similar to sizzling sevens, which awards a maximum prize of 60 coins for a single coin, 500 coins for two, and a progressive for three coins. If the machine is primarily played by individuals betting one coin, they would only receive the maximum prize of 60 coins. In this scenario, how does the manufacturer ensure compliance with local gaming regulations, given that the machine will never pay out more than 60 coins? Clearly, the payout for one coin players differs significantly from that of three coin players. Does this not contravene the minimum payout regulations, or is the machine adjusted to account for this?
Unlike typical slots, this particular game features varying prizes based on the number of coins wagered. The first coin allows players to hit smaller but frequent 'bar' wins ranging from 2 to 60 coins. The second coin increases potential 'seven' payouts from 100 to 500 coins. The third coin doubles the 'seven' winnings but also qualifies players for the progressive jackpot when hitting three sizzling sevens.
The design of these machines is intentionally structured so that players receive a marginally greater return for each additional coin bet. For instance, a single coin may yield a 92% return, while the second coin bumps it up to 93% and the third to 94%. You might think that one-coin returns are minimal due to lower payouts, but those wins occur significantly more frequently than the jackpots associated with sevens.
In Nevada, regulations mandate that slot machines must theoretically have a minimum payout of 75%. Even the stricter machines at airports typically pay at least 85%. I have no doubt that the return rates for any number of coins played in Blazing Sevens adhere to industry standards.
When using a standard 52-card deck, what are the chances of drawing a pair of Jacks?
If you draw five cards and are interested in the combinations that yield exactly two Jacks, the probability can be calculated as combin(4,2)*combin(48,3)/combin(52,5) = 6*17296/2598960, resulting in a 3.99% chance.
The www.ccc-casino.com features a no-zero roulette, known as Super Chance Roulette. Are there effective betting systems to employ, considering there’s no zero? If there’s no zero, could one feasibly bet on both black and red at the same time?
I tried the game in practice mode, and it appears to be a legitimate no-zero roulette wheel. There is no system that can win or lose consistently against this game over the long term; the more you play, the closer the ratio of net wins to total bets will approach zero.
Update: This casino has since closed.
Many casinos provide 'comps' based on different levels of wagering activity. I would like to know if there’s a way to estimate how much I would need to bet to earn these perks.
The offers for comps rely on several factors, including your average bet, the duration of play, hands played per hour, house edge, and a 'comp' constant, typically ranging from 33% to 40%. I have detailed the assumptions made by one casino on the Vegas Strip regarding house edge and hands per hour in my analysis. house edge summary.
How can I transform your probability calculations into the x to y betting odds format?
Stating that the odds of a specific event are expressed as x to y implies that for every y occurrences in which the event does not happen, it will occur x times. To convert, let p denote the event's probability. The odds might also be articulated as (1/p)-1 to 1. For instance, the probability of achieving a full house in five-card stud is 0.00144058, which translates to approximately 693.165 to 1.
I'd like to learn about the player's advantage in Let It Ride if they can see both community cards versus just one. I've heard it can be calculated.
If you're able to view both community cards, your player advantage would be 42.06%. I'm not sure about the advantage when only one card is visible, but it likely remains substantial, especially if the second card is revealed.
At Casino Niagara, the video poker machines do not feature progressive jackpots. According to Stanford Wong, a quarter machine with an 8/5 payout rate should have at least a $2,200 jackpot when five quarters are played; otherwise, it’s advisable not to play. What are your thoughts on this?
If you played using traditional 8/5 strategy, your return on this setup would be 99.68%. However, if you used the optimal strategy tailored for this specific jackpot, your return could hit 100.08%. Therefore, Wong's assertion holds valid.