WOO logo

Ask The Wizard #70

How is the house advantage at craps calculated? If you PLACE 6 for $6 36 times you "should" win 5*$7 =$35 and lose 6*-$6 for a lose of $1. Or a per roll lose expectation of $.03 which on a $6 bet is only .5% Everything I read gives the house advantage as 1.8% on this bet. Where is my thinking faulty?

MARSHALL FAY from ST. LOUIS, USA

That's an interesting inquiry. When a house edge of 1.52% is indicated for a bet placed on 6, it's calculated per individual bet made. This means it is expected that the player will keep the bet until either a 6 or a 7 is rolled. However, if the player's intention is to only maintain the bet for a single roll, the house edge would drop to 0.46%.

I frequent a casino that has 'match plays', which are essentially vouchers that allow me to bet $5 and if I win, I receive $10. If I obtain two coupons for a session lasting three hours with a total bankroll of $100, how much advantage do I gain from using these coupons compared to playing at a casino that does not provide them?

Edward from Clearwater, USA

Match play coupons are valued approximately at half of their face value when utilized in games like blackjack or craps. If you receive two $5 coupons for a play period of three hours, you would expect to lose around $6 by playing basic strategy blackjack at $5 a hand but would gain $5 from the match plays. Thus, all else being equal, I'd prefer to play in a location that offers these match plays.

Which blackjack software would you recommend purchasing for my computer? I’m eager to learn the game, but as a novice, the casino tables seem quite overwhelming. Given that I need to drive over 130 miles just to reach the nearest casino, this doesn’t seem like the most cost-effective way to gain experience.

Floyd from Mattoon, Illinois

I suggest you download some online casino software and play in practice mode. However, for mastering basic strategies, creating flash cards that outline every potential play would be beneficial. Simply dealing cards randomly may not provide enough opportunities to practice soft doubles and splits effectively.

I recently discovered your website, and I really enjoy it. I noticed that the online casino reviews section has been removed. Will it be reinstated?

Floyd from Mattoon, Illinois

I'm not certain about that. The site has been underperforming, particularly regarding advertising income. I believe viewers were bypassing the ads and directly accessing the free links in the reviews, which resulted in me losing a significant amount of traffic.

Some casinos are now introducing single-deck blackjack games that only pay 6:5 for a natural. What impact does this have on the house edge?

Marty from Redlands, CA

This adjustment raises the house edge by 1.39%! It's undoubtedly one of the least favorable blackjack games you can find in Las Vegas.

Do you happen to have or can you create a basic strategy chart specifically for Lasseters’s blackjack? I haven't been able to find one online.

Boyd from Canton, USA

Here you go..