Casino Odyssey V: What I've Learned

27 February 2024

By Frank Scoblete

I guess I have played most casino games in the past four decades and I certainly have made a career in the casino-playing world. I’ve had great experiences in the casinos too and, yes, awful ones as well.

I have met wonderful people and rotten rats. I’ve had a long career and I am proud of it. My wife has been my greatest partner and without her I’d be without everything I am.

I am just like most players in all these casino things too. I’ve had the ups and the downs – and that is par for the course for most casino players and even the few true advantage players that remain out there.

But I have learned some simple things that can help players – new players and veteran players too. Keeping these simple things in mind when you play will help you immensely. These things help me every time I go up against the casino

More is usually less when it comes to the casinos’ games. Just about all bonus events at just about all games offering such are coming in with high house edges against the players.

If you play mini-baccarat, a game with a really good house edge on two of its three bets, the speed of this new-fangled variation of traditional baccarat could hang you out to dry. Traditional baccarat might come in with 40 decisions per hour while mini-baccarat could come in with 150 decisions. Small house edge? Yes. Speed? Way, way too much. Speed can make the small house edge deadly.

The new roulette game has added something to make it less of a game, three green zeroes (0, 00, 000) that zoom up the house edge to 7.69 percent, generally the level of a slot machine when it comes to edges.

Blackjack has restructured the game and now even blackjacks might just pay 6-to-5. Splitting and doubling down on hands has been contained in many casinos. Some casinos might not allow doubling after splits or doubling down at all.

There is one bet that can be considered a good added bet and that is the “odds” bet at craps. The house has no edge on any money bet on odds. The best way to utilize the odds bet is to bet as much in odds as you can afford and diminish the line or come bet accordingly. It is better to have $10 in odds than $10 on the line.

The house minimums have gone way up over the past four decades. The five-dollar game is more or less dead.

Comps are not as generous as they used to be when I first started playing, except perhaps for slot machines – the leader of the pack when it comes to casino games. The tendency for slot players is to play many more coins in order to get all the lines covered. Penny machines can wind up being the equivalent of fifty-cent machines or thereabouts.

How should a casino player think of the games?

First, you play to have fun and (and!) to protect your money. Avoid almost all side bets or bonus bets. They usually come in with high house-edges and cost you to make them. What’s the point? They simply cost you more money. Stick with the basic game and let those side bets and bonus bets disappear from your consciousness.

That simple warning can save you a bundle – and it’s good to save a bundle!

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete’s web site is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries, and bookstores.