The grass is still greener over there

24 May 2016

By Frank Scoblete

Last week I shared with you the idea that if you are getting bored with the casino games you’ve been playing or becoming satiated by them, then perhaps learning to play other games might be the best medicine for your gambling soul.

In other words, for those of you dulled by your regular playing routine, perhaps the grass is indeed greener on the other side of the fence. Like a cow stretching its head to eat the neighbor’s grass, you can do this (by way of analogy) too. (Listen to me now: I am not calling my readers cows.)

Last issue I sent our slot player over to the craps tables to play that exciting game. I gave very simple advice on how to get into a game without ever having played it or even read about it.

Now what about you blackjack players? Are you playing happily ever after? Or are you looking to be fed elsewhere, at least for a little while?

I know many blackjack players will play an amazing number of hours, often in a bleary-eyed loss of substantial time, while often being annoyed by other blackjack players who fancy themselves experts who are actually only experts in giving the wrong advice on how to play one’s hands.

So why not just amble over to the roulette tables? Play either red or black every other spin. The house edge is somewhat high at roulette but the game is leisurely and if you bet every other spin you are reducing the grind on your bankroll. Also, roulette players are an interesting lot. Some are frantic, worrying that they can’t get all their bets on the layout. Some of these people are pushy too.

Many roulette players are really superstitious and have litanized how they decide what numbers to wager. You don’t have to worry about any of that. Just bet either red or black on every other spin and enjoy the show.

Roulette players, what about you? Have you become bored by the slowness of the game and annoyed by players betting every other spin? Do you want a fast game with so many decisions per hour that it will be hard not to lose count of them? Then give mini-baccarat a try.

Just bet either “player” or “bank” (never bet tie, as that bet is more of a neck-tie, in Western parlance) but I do warn you this: The game has a low house edge, but it is so fast you might also want to bet every other decision. A good thing to remember is that a fast game with a low house edge can be more dangerous than a really slow game with a far bigger house edge.

What about all you bored table-game players heading over to the slot machines? That’s fine. But only play non-progressive machines and only play one coin in them. Playing multiple coins increases how much the house edge has to grind away at even though the jackpot is bigger with multiple coin — much more money with a slightly lower edge is much more in losses.

Why not go up and down the aisles playing non-progressives (of a low denomination) to see if you can bag a few wins? You’ll get some exercise and you certainly will not be bored — well, I don’t think you will be bored.

Okay, my cows — oops, I mean my lovely readers — jump over the fence to where the grass may indeed be greener.

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.