More of gambling's fads and facts

23 February 2016

By Frank Scoblete

I am covering some of the many (as in many, many, many) gambling systems that players use to win money – even if the systems actually lose money, which almost all of them do. The “fad” is what players think the system does and why they play it; the “fact” is what the system actually accomplishes. These are adapted from e-mails and letters I have received.

FAD: I enjoy betting the “tie-bet” at mini-baccarat. I wait for the “tie” not to hit for 10 decisions and then I bet it until it does hit. When it does I stop betting it and wait for 10 more decisions. I always bet the other two bets at the game, that is the “banker” and “player” bets. Mini-baccarat is a great game and it is fast so you get to play a lot of decisions.

FACT: The “tie-bet” stinks no matter when you make it. The house has more than a 14% edge on the bet. That means for every $100 you wager your expectation is to lose about $14. That’s a head-banging edge over the player. Skip the bet completely. It is a waste of money.

Now, mini-baccarat is a fast game going to 150 to 190 decisions an hour. Even though both the “banker” and “player” have low house edges in the 1% range the number of decisions makes those edges quite sharp. You have to cut down – by at least – half how many decisions you face.

I admit it is a fun game, but it has to be approached cautiously.


FAD: I prefer to bet on the inside numbers at roulette because I like getting a big hit. I play in Atlantic City where you get back half your bet on the outside propositions of the red/black, high/low and odd/even if the 0 or 00 hits. This really does not make much of a difference at the game because I mean those 0 and 00 hits are not that frequent.

FACT: The American roulette wheel which has those 0 and 00 pockets comes in with a house edge of 5.26% – an expectant loss of $5.26 per $100 wagered. However, the Atlantic City casinos offer something called “surrender” when you are betting those proposition bets you mentioned; in short, returning half your money if the 0 or 00 hits. That reduces the house edge in half, to 2.63%. That is a far, far better bet than on the inside numbers and one I would recommend.


FAD: The pass line and the come bets, along with their darkside counterparts, are a waste of money because you can’t take them down as you can with a place bet.

FACT: It is true that you cannot take down your pass or come bets but you can take down your don’t pass and don’t come bets. Why is that? The house edge on the “don’t” side of the game nails you with the very first placement of the bet because the house will win 8 times and only lose 3 times. Once a darkside player is up on the numbers the edge turns in his favor so (of course) the casino will allow you to take those bets down.

Place bets are not as good as pass or come. You’d have to take place bets down about 80% of the time to make them the equivalent.


Frank Scoblete’s new books are “I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps”; “Confessions of a Wayward Catholic” and “I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack.” All available from Amazon.com, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and at bookstores.