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Gaming Guru  Craps Odds on the Do and Don't13 May 2021
By John Grochowski QUESTION: I've been looking at craps charts online, and I get that the house edge is lower at 1.36 percent on don't pass than the 1.41 percent on pass. What I don't get is that when you take odds on pass or lay odds on don't pass, the house goes down even more on the don't side. With single odds, I'm seeing 0.85 percent on pass and 0.68 on don't pass. Then it's 0.61 and 0.46 with double odds, 0.37 and 0.27 with 3x, 4x, 5x odds, 0.18 and 0.12 at 10x, and 0.02 and 0.01 at 100x. That makes no sense to me because when you lay the odds, you're a favorite to win on the don't side. If the point is 5, why would I bet $6 to win another $4 when I'm already the favorite to win even money on my don't pass bet? ANSWER: The house edges for pass-odds and don't pass-lay odds combinations are weighted averages for your total wager. The house edge on don't pass alone is reduced in the combo by having a percentage of your wager invested in lay odds. If regard the odds as add-ons, then a don't bettor may well decide to skip them. If it's time to lay odds, you've passed the prime danger zone. That's the come-out, where you have eight ways to lose (six ways to make 7 and two to make 11), one way to push (12) and only three ways to win (2 and two ways to make 3). Once the shooter has established a point, don't bettors are favorites to win. However, lay odds bets are best looked at not as add-ons but as part of your total bet package. If you're playing at a table with a $5 minimum bet and intend to bet about $15, then it's to your advantage to reduce your don't pass wager to table minimum and reserve the rest to lay odds. That way, only $5 of your package is at risk at the most dangerous time. The come-out is so costly to don't players that reducing your exposure to the opening roll is more beneficial than having more money on don't pass after the prime danger is past. Bottom line: If you bet $15 on don't pass, your average loss is about 20.4 cents. If you bet $5 on don't pass make up the rest with double lay odds, your average loss is about 6.8 cents. So even though you're past the come-out when it's time to make an odds decision, the come-out has to be a factor from the very beginning in deciding your total wager. QUESTION: In a five-day period, I managed to hit 10 royals (in video poker). Pretty amazing since I usually manage maybe one or two a trip. The funny thing is, out of all that money I ended up net $900. Better than losing, but goes to show you easy come, easy go. ANSWER: Wow! That's a lot of royals. Congratulations on your streak. Royals occur an average of about 1 in 40,000-plus hands, with exact figures depending on the game and your drawing strategy. But there's nothing to stop clusters of royals to happen in times of good fortune. You don't tell us what coin denomination you were betting. If we assume quarters and that each royal was worth $1,000, then leaving with a profit of only $900 tells us you were playing A LOT. That's a matter between you and your bankroll, but here's hoping the player rewards for your next trip are ample. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. Video Poker Multipliers9 May 2021
When I play video poker, I usually search for no-frills games with the best pay table. I do love multi-hand games with bonus multipliers, though, so I'm eager to try Super Times Pay Super Stacks, one of the latest games to come out of International Game Technology's partnership with Action Gaming. Games with multipliers usually have lower base pay tables than their no-frills cousins. ... (read more)
Video Poker and Craps Answers6 May 2021
QUESTION: I play 9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker. It's the one game with a full pay table at casinos near me. I have a strategy question. I know that if I have two pairs including Aces, I should hold the Aces and discard the other pair to go for the big four-Ace hands. What if I have a high pair and low pair, ... (read more)
Favorite Games2 May 2021
Different casino games appeal to different personalities and playing styles. Players sometimes find themselves at a game they don't really like, and they move on. Recent emails include a couple from players who tried games, didn't like them and chalked it all up to experience. DIANA: I started as a slot player. ... (read more)
Craps SystemsCraps players love systems, trying to mix and match bets in hopes of finding the magical formula that will beat the casino. Just about any system will work sometimes, and when a player wins with a system, it encourages another try, and another, and another. In the long run, of course, the casino comes out on top. ... (read more)Multi Strike PokerIt was a Friday morning in Joliet, and I'd been playing a little video poker aboard Empress II, waiting for the 11 a.m. opening of Empress I and its video poker room. Soon, if it hasn't already happened by the time you read this, Empress' new barge will open, ending such little scheduling inconveniences, but on this day, I found myself passing time with a little quarter Triple Play Poker. ... (read more)Comps - The BasicsA colleague of mine likes to refer to casino comps as "free stuff." And for those who know their basic strategy in blackjack, optimal strategies for certain video poker games and who know how comping systems work, the "stuff" really is free--the value ... (read more)Basic Strategy for Spanish 21In the last couple of weeks, we've looked at basic strategy in blackjack. Sit down at most blackjack tables in any jurisdiction, play basic strategy and you'll narrow the house edge to a half-percent or so, perhaps a little more or a little less depending on house rules. ... (read more)Single-Deck Basic StrategyThose whose casino memories stretch back far enough may recall a time when the standard "Las Vegas Strip" blackjack game was dealt from a single deck of cards, with the dealer standing on all 17s. That started to change in the 1960s as operators grew ... (read more)John Grochowski |
John Grochowski |
