Casino maximums and card craps

9 September 2014

By Frank Scoblete

FROM VINNY: Frank, we had a discussion at the golf course that said all casinos by law must pay out 28 percent of their revenue to players. Is this true and is it slot players or all players?

I read in “Casino Player” magazine a while back that the tax rate that a state imposes on casinos affects how tight slot machine payouts are. If this is true then, when they open casinos here in NY how do I find out what the tax rate is being charged to the casino?

I'm heading to Mohegan Sun tomorrow and will use the Speed Count from your book “Beat Blackjack Now: The Easiest Way to Get the Edge.” I've been practicing a lot more since the first time I attempted it earlier this year. I'll let you know how I make out.

Frank, I appreciate your quick responses since I figure you are so busy with questions from all over the country.

FRANK RESPONDS: There is no national standard for paybacks on games, be those games slot machines or table games. Individual states might have limits. I would certainly think that tax rates have some impact on what the casino does with paybacks on various games but, again, if no one plays the games, “tight” machines or table games won’t bring in the cash.

When casinos open in New York State it is possible that a New York State Casino Control Commission (or whatever they call it) will publish the statistics you are interested in.

Speed Count is a great way to play blackjack. Just keep your head and don’t go on tilt, and you’ll be fine.

I am sending you a free copy of my book “Confessions of a Wayward Catholic.”


FROM BILL: Frank, I live in Fort Worth and we drive to Oklahoma to play craps. Dice are not allowed. Cards are used.

Three cards are dealt out of a shoe and the middle one is the roll. It doesn't seem like there are very few hot rolls.

What advice do you have for playing card craps?

FRANK RESPONDS: Card craps usually has the same bets and odds as dice craps. Therefore, you should bet the best bets just as you would in dice craps.

On a personal level, I don’t find the idea of card craps to be exciting. Real craps, you get those dice in your hand and directly try to determine the outcome. You have a true sense of purpose in dice craps that you don’t have in card craps.

For your e-mail, I am sending you a copy of my book “The Virgin Kiss.”

Frank’s new book is “I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack,” available on Amazon.com and Kindle.