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Pastimes : Gamblers--can you make a living? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SI Dave who wrote (11)	7/2/2005 12:27:13 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 113

"Craps has the best odds (lowest house edge) when played correctly," European game of Roulette when they offer partage reduces the vig to 1.35 %, Taking the free odds in Craps takes the normal 1.41% down to .85%--a great situation--but it does tend to confuse betting strategies which I have not found a good way around yet. Place bets on 6 and 8 are worth the play with a vig of 1.5. They can be used with betting strategies such as Oscars grind. "If it's Bank, bet on Bank again." The streak is just as likely to be player/bank, player/bank, etc. But I also like to wait for the "same winner" streak as it is more discernible and pleasing than other random patterns. Never play blackjack with a bad player sitting in the anchor position." This is a gambler's fallacy. Drawing or not drawing, going to the bathroom, new players sitting down--all these things change the particular (randomized) cards that will come your way for the rest of the shoe--all of which keeps changing as the drawing events (leaving the table, adding new players, etc. takes place). HOWEVER, although the cards will be different--the results will be indifferent. Drawing or not drawing from another player will help as much as it will hurt. The PROBABILITIES do not change because you go to the bathroom and STOP drawing cards; and the PROBABILITIES do not change because I sit down and START drawing cards. The anchor can sit on 3 or draw to a 20 for all I care. In order for me to have any interest in his behavior at all, I would need to have a secret look at all those randomized cards--which the house seems reluctant to give me! Blackjack players are fond of looking at the next card. "See...he would have busted!". But otherwise, they will say: "Lucky it worked. It was a bad play...go figure." What they never remember to remember is "Gee, I guess I would not have gotten this blackjack if that anchor(3 hands ago) had not stood on that last hand!" (And if that cute girl in the short skirt had not asked for a marker)! Otherwise, I agree with most of what you've said. Another caution for new Baccarat players. KNOW THE RULES. I have had to stop many dealers from an improper draw or stay. It seems to be usually because they get confused--but it might sometimes have to do with all the money being on one side or the other... btw, a two bet parlay is mathematically ALWAYS superior to two flat bets. Have a winning limit and a losing limit. The least you are content to win, the more often it will occur. I usually set out to win ten units. But if my units are say $100, then I can be well content with 5 units. Nothing, btw, is ever "due" in gambling. I am amused watching baccarat players charting out the "patterns", or roulette players saying: 5 reds...the next one must be red, too!" or "5 reds...the next one just MUST be black."! The odds of it being either are the same as they always were--just under 50%. Nothing is due because of past performance. The dice, the cards, ad the little round ball have no memory. I am working on a Baccarat system playing a labby system but redividing and positioning the numbers rather than let them get too high after some bad luck. They need to have a range in order to recoup--but it doesn't need to be extravagant. One can even take half the losses out and save them for a brand new labby if one can successfully get out of the first and pocket the expected winnings. One still needs to set the limits, though. Well, I am not at my own computer. It had to be sent to Calgary for repairs which will take 2 or 3 weeks. So that is for today... Thanks for your good insights. Another thing I like (but most players hate) is to get out there at four in the morning and go head to head with the dealer at blackjack. The two of us get to divide all the aces and tens. At a full table I can sit forever without seeing a blackjack (or an ace for that matter)! Head to head we will both get blackjacks but my 3/2 pay-off certainly is in my favor! I also double on tens against a ten when the dealer has checked and found no blackjack. Firstly, I automatically have the superior chances for getting a 21 with an ace. Secondly, I have as much chance as he/she of getting 17 to 20 on my only allowed pull. We both have an equal chance of getting 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. (as I said--he already has from 12 up to 20. In the 12 to 16 range we are both in trouble but he MUST draw while I MUST stay.