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Ask Our Experts
Edited by Edwin Silberstang
Q: I played 21 at a casino in Las Vegas where
the house takes its down card after the players play their hands.
Who has the advantage in this case, the house or the player?
J.A.B. Myrtle Point, OR
A: The house has the advantage. This is called the English
form of blackjack, where, to insure against the dealers collaborating
with the players to cheat the house by signaling their hole
cards, the English casinos instituted a policy of not dealing
the hole card until after all the hands were played. This method
is rarely played in Las Vegas but is played in Atlantic City
in a modified version, where the dealer gets his hole card immediately
but doesn't look at it until all the players have played out
their hands.
The house has this advantage-if a player doubles down or splits his cards, increasing his bets in either case, he may be doing this against a dealer's blackjack, and there is no way of him knowing this until the hole card is dealt. On the other hand, if surrender is permitted, as it is in Atlantic City, a player may surrender half his bet, even against a dealer's blackjack.
My advice is this-try not to play against this English rule, but if you must, play where the house allows surrender.
Q: In regards to craps, what are the odds and/or
percentage against the shooter passing once, two times and three
times? B.J. Cedar Rapids, IA
A: On a straight pass line bet, the house has an advantage of approximately 1.4 percent. This means that the chances of a player passing once are slightly under 50 percent, or to be exact, 48.6 percent. To do this twice in a row, the house chances are down to 24.3 percent, and for the dice to pass three times in a row, the chances of this happening, reduced to a percentage, is 12.15 percent. in other words, for three passes in a row to occur, the odds are slightly more than 7-1 against this possibility.
Q: In my research on blackjack, all authors
except one agree that when the deck is plus, the bet should
be increased, and when it is minus, the minimum bet should be
played. However, in Mike Goodman's Guide to Casino Gambling,
the theory is that when the deck is running hot, the bets should
be increased at a fast pace, with an increase such as $10-$30-$60-$60-$90-$90,
and add $50 thereafter.
It doesn't take much logic to see that if one were to win one
hand and lose the next, it would not take long to lose a considerable
amount of money. Since Goodman is the only source for a "system"
like this, I was wondering if you would comment on the advisability
of such a system. Dr. M.L.G. State College, PA
A: Since a player can reasonably forecast whether or
not he has the advantage over the casino on the next round of
play by keeping an accurate count, it would be futile to work
out a system of raising bets purely based on whether or not
the cards are running "hot." What Goodman doesn't take into
consideration is that a "hot" deck can only be known after the
fact and can't be forecast, because the way he looks at blackjack
is totally different from the way it should be examined.
Blackjack is essentially a game of skill, and to negate the skill by making it into a "hunch" game of luck is to take away the player's advantage completely. I agree with you wholeheartedly. To play this kind of "hot" system at blackjack is going to lose a lot of money. I've personally seen too many players who do this at the tables. They may run well for awhile, but eventually they go broke, trying to anticipate a "hot" run of cards. It can't be done without leaving the player open to financial ruin.
Q: I am fairly familiar with the various ways
of betting in casino craps. However, I cannot comprehend the
difference between the buy bet and the place bet. As stated
in Gambling Times, when buying a bet, there is a charge of five
percent vigorish and then full odds prevail. What, precisely,
is meant by full odds? How does it vary from the place bets?
Can either bet be activated at any time? Please elaborate, as
I seem to have missed something along the line. K. G. Minneapolis,
MN
A: Place bets can be made on any of the point numbers,
4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and/or 10. When making place bets on the 6 and
8, the house advantage is 1.52 percent; when making them on
the 5 and 9, the casino edge is four percent, and when making
place bets on the 4 and 10, the house advantage is 6.67 percent.
Since the player pays a five percent commission to buy a number,
it is only worthwhile, therefore, to buy either the 4 and/or
the 10, since the other place bets give the house a smaller
advantage than five percent.
A place bet is activated immediately after a point is established on the come-out roll, since place bets are off on come-out rolls. So are buy bets. When the 4 or 10 is bought, the player gives the dealer five percent on that bet, along with his basic wager. For example, if he is buying the 4 for $20, he gives the dealer $21, the extra dollar being the "vig. " Should the 4 be thrown, instead of the normal place payout at 9-5, or $36 for a $20 bet, he will receive the full $40 at the correct odds of 2-1. This is what is meant by full odds.
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