Hidden dangers and hidden pleasures

12 September 2017

By Frank Scoblete

There is math galore in casino games. The mathematics is the reason why and how casinos have the edge over the players. There are money management systems galore too – just about all players manage their money in some way or other, even if it is just to throw it away.

But there are hidden dangers in casino games – germane hidden dangers at that; and there are hidden pleasures as well. Those pleasures add to the fun of playing games against the house. The hidden dangers often end in misery.

Let us take craps as an example. Craps is perhaps the most exciting game in the casino. Let us see what hidden danger exists in that game.

You are at the table and a shooter starts to hit number after number and players are yelling and screaming as they rake in their winnings. Chips are being thrown onto the layout and various high-house-edge bets are being called out (“Give me a yo!” “High low!” “Any craps!” “All the hard ways!”). The shooter hits one after another, and a whole bunch of players who bet the various propositions scream in delight.

The game now resembles a controlled riot as the players are no longer actually using words but must resort to cheers and grunts and hollers as their reactions. The craps table has become something of an altar, and the players are now high priests with the intent of killing the game, leaving it bleeding dead.

Okay, what’s so dangerous about that? You might get caught in the madness and start acting just like the rioters, throwing out bad bets as the other players are continuing to do, thinking such a heated run with the dice will continue. It won’t. And those high-house-edge bets will ultimately kill a player’s bankroll as opposed to killing the game of craps. No one should want to be in such a riotous mood.

But, here’s the rub. This same wild riotous mood can also be considered a fun party. Most of us love great parties, and a hot hand at craps is nothing short of a wild party. If one can keep one’s betting under control, then enjoying the antics of the other players can be the ultimate fun. You are winning on your low-house-edge bets and enjoying the riotous behavior of your craps brethren.

The riot is a danger; the wild party is the pleasure. Let the high fives commence!

Blackjack is another game where hidden danger awaits and that hidden danger does not rely on you winning or losing bets. The hidden danger concerns some of the other players, the ones who conceive of themselves as experts, always willing to tell you what you are doing wrong and how to set it right. That’s a downer even if you know every play of every player hand against the dealer’s up card. (“Why are you splitting eights against a dealer’s 10?” “Never double your 10 against the dealer’s nine!” “You hit your 16 against the dealer’s 10 and you just took the dealer’s bust card!” “You are ruining the game for everyone at this table!”)

But blackjack can be a friendly and sociable game too. That’s the pleasure of it. You might have a really friendly dealer and fun players at your table; players not there to find fault or to criticize other players. You might win, that’s great; you might lose, not so great; but you will not have your chops busted by other players and your memory of the game will probably be good. Those are the hidden pleasurable aspects of blackjack.

The hidden danger/hidden pleasure probably exists for most casino games. The danger can make us miserable but the hidden pleasures can make us happy.

[Read Frank Scoblete’s books I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack, I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps and Confessions of a Wayward Catholic! All available from Amazon.com, on Kindle and electronic media, at Barnes and Noble, and at bookstores. Visit Frank’s website at www.frankscoblete.com.]