Ask The Wizard #65

During my recent visit to Treasure Island in Las Vegas, I came across an intriguing game named Triple Shot. This unique game combines elements of War, Blackjack, and a variant of Poker known as 6 card stud. I found it fascinating, but I'm eager to learn all the rules and how the payout system works. Could you assist me? Additionally, are there any other casinos on the Vegas Strip that feature this game?

Do the gaming machines that accept five, ten, and twenty-five dollar bets provide slightly better returns? I've had a bit more luck with them compared to the quarter machines, which tend to consume a twenty-dollar bill quite quickly.

I just received a promotional email from Casino Grand Bay and successfully downloaded their software. However, I couldn’t find the bonus requirement details. According to bet2gamble.com, the casino requires players to wager 1x their deposit to unlock the bonus, followed by a 7x wager on the bonus itself before any withdrawals can occur. If this information is accurate, it seems like an attractive offer. Yet, I read that playing Blackjack does not count towards meeting the bonus requirements. What game should I choose to minimize the risk of losing both the bonus and my deposit?

The result of the draw is predetermined. Once you press 'deal' the first time, both the initial draw and the following cards are selected.

The impact of this rule is influenced by the number of decks in play. I have only encountered this rule in single-deck games, so we'll use that assumption. The chance of getting a blackjack in a single-deck game is calculated as 2*(4/52)*(16/51)=0.0483. The dealer’s probability of not having a blackjack when the player does is 1-2*(3/50)*(15/49) = 0.963265. This leads to a probability of the player holding a blackjack while the dealer does not as 0.046492. Each occurrence of this situation allows the casino to keep an additional 0.3 units, resulting in an increase of about 1.39% to the house edge. This makes it one of the least favorable blackjack variations in Las Vegas.

I appreciate your kind words. To clarify, the standard deviation for any even-money bet is actually 0.998614, while for a single number bet it is 5.762617. The probabilities of finishing ahead with flat betting on even-money bets over 1, 100, and 10,000 spins stand at 0.473684, 0.265023, and 0.00000007 respectively. For single number bets, the probabilities are 0.0263158, 0.491567, and 0.18053280. It seems you are trying to assert that single number bets are superior due to their better likelihood of yielding a profit across many trials. While this may be true, it's equally important to acknowledge that the potential for significant losses is also much higher. Over the course of a session, results tend to fall along a bell curve. Low variance bets like red or black create a sharp bell curve, indicating that outcomes will not deviate far from minor losses, whereas high variance bets such as single numbers produce a wider bell curve, allowing for a broader range of potential outcomes, including substantial gains or losses.