Ask The Wizard #38

I've mentioned repeatedly that there's no reliable method to triumph in games that come with a house advantage. If a game truly had an even chance with no house benefit, it would be difficult to assure consistent wins or losses in practical scenarios. Over time, results will invariably align with the house edge. This isn't solely supported by simulations but is also rooted in the fundamental principles of probability.

Regarding video blackjack, it could represent the future of gaming. At the World Gaming Expo, I encountered fully digital tables equipped with video displays. There are also tables outfitted with cameras capable of monitoring every bet and player action, which helps the casino track player activity and identify card counters. These tables are designed to replicate the traditional blackjack experience, potentially putting card counters out of business if they gain popularity.

From those 100 points set, on average, you'd see about 41.67 occurrences of either 6 or 8, roughly 33.33 of 5 or 9, and about 25 occurrences of 4 or 10. Consequently, you can anticipate around 18.94 points on a 6 or 8, 13.33 on 5 or 9, and approximately 8.33 on 4 or 10.

You clearly recognize that a deck with an abundance of high cards benefits the player, while a deck dominated by low cards benefits the dealer. Even though your strategy is a very basic form of card counting, it still falls under that category. Casinos in Nevada are well within their rights to take such actions.

In the future, I suggest being more subtle in your betting approach. Avoid increasing your bet by more than double, and ideally only after winning. If you sense that you’re being observed, it’s better to leave before they have to ask you to. It’s wise not to linger too long at one table. Ian Anderson's \"Turning the Tables in Las Vegas\" contains many useful tips for blending in as an average player while engaging in card counting.

The odds of 9-2 imply that a $2 wager would yield $9 in winnings. Therefore, if you bet $2, you would receive $11 in total: $9 winnings added to your initial $2 stake. Similarly, the 7-2 odds indicate a $2 bet would win $7, while 10-1 means that a $1 bet would net you $10.

The likelihood of a specific number appearing three times in four rolls can be calculated as 38*4*(1/38)*(37/38) = 1/5932. However, if you play for long enough, you’re bound to notice unusual patterns such as this one. This isn’t quite sufficient to raise suspicion. Cheating can indeed occur in physical casinos, usually involving a rogue dealer that security eventually catches. Although there have been significant accusations of cheating against online casinos, to my knowledge, no governmental authority has ever secured a conviction in such cases.³Have you ever thought about how commissions work, especially since junket players receive compensation based on their turnover? While starting such ventures usually requires a substantial capital investment, these commissions can actually lessen the house's advantage. I’ve done the math, and it appears that if you adhere to basic strategy in blackjack, you could potentially tilt the odds slightly in your favor—even without resorting to card counting! Have you conducted similar calculations in the past? If so, what were your findings?

Where are the most reputable places to play Blackjack in Atlantic City, and what makes those locations stand out?

At casinos like Cowboy Casino (which has multi-player options), I often don't see other active players. The length of losing streaks I face there tends to be more frequent compared to places like Gold Club. Is it possible for Cowboy or any Boss Media casino to manipulate the games to be more difficult for specific players?

In your pai-gow poker guidelines, you mention A-2-3-4-5 as the second-highest straight. Why is it not the 9-10-J-Q-K that holds this distinction? Can you clarify?

I was curious about your recommendation to fold a 2-3-4 straight flush in the game \"Let It Ride.\" While I understand folding an A-2-3 makes sense—due to having only one side to match—why doesn’t the same logic apply to the 2-3-4, which seems comparable to any other outside straight?

Isn’t it even riskier to bet on multiple numbers at once in roulette, which many players do, as opposed to making a series of independent bets on one number? For instance, if I had $100, wouldn’t it be safer to place 10 bets of $10 on the number \"8\" rather than betting $10 on 10 different numbers simultaneously? It seems like hedging your bets ensures that several of those (in this example, 9 bets) will always result in a loss. Why don’t you address the concept of hedging on your site?

See my Ten Commandments of Gambling I went through your page on betting systems, and I’ve been sharing this information for years! I work as a dealer in roulette at a casino, and I have encountered numerous systems make their rounds. One particular system appears to 'work' in practice, even if it doesn't seem effective in computer simulations. This means I've seen it be more successful than not.¹⁰The method involves placing $75 on the 1 to 18, $50 on the 3rd 12, and $10 on the 0-00 split, which totals $135. This strategy covers all but six numbers (19 through 22) and results in a $15 payout whenever the ball lands on any of the other numbers, unless it hits 0 or 00, in which case it pays $40. While it may sound crazy, I assure you that I’ve witnessed it yielding more wins than losses. It can also be reversed. I’d love to understand the true odds of this technique, but it’s challenging to convince someone it doesn’t work when they leave my table with a profit of $2000.

In games with a fixed maximum payout, you should never wager an amount that would cause you to hit that payout cap. For instance, if the top payout is $2000 with odds of 100:1 for the biggest win, your bet shouldn’t exceed $20. Assuming a royal flush pays out at 100-1, the maximum bet should be $30. As long as you remain beneath these thresholds, the odds remain unchanged. The game variation that allows card switching is termed...

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