Can you beat games with betting strategies?

8 December 2015

By Frank Scoblete

There are two ways that casino players think they can beat the casinos’ games. The first and most popular is to figure out a betting scheme that (they think, they wish, they hope and they believe) will overcome the negative expectation. The second is trying to learn (or develop) real advantage-play techniques such as card counting at blackjack that can be shown mathematically that they do, indeed, turn the tables on the casinos and give the player the edge.

Real advantage-play methods actually do work as they give players edges at the games. There are real advantage-play methods for blackjack, craps, some slot machines, video poker and pai gow poker. Sadly, these advantage-play methods give small edges over the house and bad streaks are going to happen. Having an advantage does not mean you are going to win all the time.

Betting systems do not work to create an edge over the casinos. You can bet a small unit, a big unit, an in-between unit, you can double-up after a loss and double up some more, you can do a trend betting system or a non-trending system and a this, a that and the other betting-thing system and guess what? Your expectation is to lose. Period. End of discussion. The history of mathematics shows that no betting system can turn the tables on the casinos.

Too many players think there is some perfect betting system that can overcome the games they want to play. There isn’t. The best way to bet is to go with the smallest house-edge bets and hope such a close contest might see you take home the laurels.

But you knew that right? If not, you know it now. The best bets are, well, the best bets. No, these bets can turn the game upside down but it can give you a decent shot at a win. Good bets are just as much fun as making bad bets because good bets give you a relatively close contest with the house.

The second betting criterion is not to play too many decisions. If you take the game of mini-baccarat, the speed of the game makes the small edges quite dangerous. In such cases you have to reduce how many hands you play — reduce by at least 50%. Same goes for blackjack. If you are not an advantage-player, then play at crowded tables with slow dealers, talkative players and good rules. You must play basic strategy which is not hard to do since many casinos sell basic strategy cards in their gift shops.

Craps players are presented with a host of options, most of them disastrous to the players’ bankrolls. Stick with pass and come with as much as you can afford in odds. If you wish to travel the darkside, then don’t pass and don’t come with as much as you can afford in odds.

Roulette has a pretty high house edge, but playing outside propositions such as red/black; odd/even and high/low in casinos that offer surrender is the way to go. Surrender is a special option where you only lose half of those outside bets should the 0 or 00 appears. This option reduces the house edge, cutting it in half.

I will be happy to send a free copy of my books “The Virgin Kiss” and “I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps.” If you are a blackjack player I’d be happy to send you “I Am a Card Counter.” Just e-mail me your address (fscobe@optonline.net).