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Gaming Guru  Great Internet Roulette20 June 2021
By John Grochowski In the first few states to legalize online casino gambling, a brave new world is opening to American roulette players. Many online venues are offering single-zero roulette, something infrequently seen in brick-and-mortar casinos. Not only that. Some are offering French roulette complete with rules that can trim the house edge to 1.35 percent. That would please an old colleague of mine who once toured casinos with me during a trade show week. I lost touch with him years ago, but at our 1990s meet-up, Daan pointed to the table pits and asked, "Where is the roulette?" There were only a couple of wheels among dozens of blackjack tables and a good sprinkling of craps tables. That seemed paltry to someone whose casino experience consisted of a few outings in Europe, where single-zero roulette was more common and the game was more popular than in the U.S.. Single-zero games have a basic house edge of 2.70 percent, a far better deal than the 5.26 percent on double-zero roulette, the dominant American version. Some online casinos give you a choice among American roulette, European roulette and French roulette. French roulette has a couple of favorable rules that enable you to cut the house edge to 1.35 percent if you stick to bets with even-money payoffs: red or black, odd or even, and 1-18 or 19-36. The rules that give you the low house edge are called "la partage" and "en prison.". With la partage, if you make one of those even-payoff wagers and the ball lands on zero, the house takes only half your bet. New Jersey players will be familiar with the rule. It's the same as the Atlantic City "half-back" rule in live casinos. The difference is that in live casinos, half-back is used on double-zero wheels, so the house edge on even-payoff bets is reduced from 5.26 to 2.63 percent. Online, la partage comes on single-zero wheel and cuts the house edge from 2.70 percent to 1.35. Imagine you bet $10 on black and the ball drops into the zero slot. Without la partage, you lose $10. But on a French wheel, the house takes only $5 and you get $5 back. That cuts the house edge in half. Imagine you bet $10 on black for 37 spins and each number turns up once. You risk $370. If each number turns up once on a European wheel, the 18 winners each give you back your $10 and you get $10 in winnings for a total of $360. The house keeps $10. On a French wheel, you also get $360 on your winners, but you also get $5 back when you lose to a zero. That drops your loss to $5. If you have just a small bit of good luck and there's one more black number than usual, then per 37 spins you'd win $10 on a European wheel but $15 with French rules. As long as French rules are available within your budget limits, it makes sense to seek them out. "En prison" is a similar concept, but it extends the process. If you make an even-payoff bet and the number comes up 0, then your bet is put in prison. If your choice is a winner on the next spin, then your whole bet is returned to you. That also cuts the house edge to 1.35 percent. That's a giant step away from the 5.26 percent double-zero edge toward casinos' bet no-strategy, single-bet wagers such as craps (pass, 1.41 percent, don't pass 1.36 percent) and baccarat (banker, 1.06 percent, player 1.24 percent). Look for John Grochowski on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/7lzdt44) and Twitter (@GrochowskiJ). 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. Sevens Wild17 June 2021
QUESTION: I found a video poker game online called Sevens Wild. It's the same as Deuces Wild except the wild cards are 7s instead of 2s. I talked about it with a guy at the office who's a big video poker fan. He said I should stick with Deuces and that Sevens Wild had lower returns. I don't understand why that should be. ... (read more)
Compromise13 June 2021
Life is full of compromises, and sometimes casino players compromise on the games they play. Maybe they compromise because they're with a group and want to be part of the gang. Maybe they compromise because of budgets or bankrolls. I've accumulated a few stories from readers who sometimes played games that weren't their favorites because of outside influences. ... (read more)
Deuces Wild VP and Roulette Advice10 June 2021
QUESTION: One thing I see a lot in Deuces Wild video poker is four of a kind and full houses paying the same amount. If you bet five coins you get 20 back. Sometimes you see full houses pay only 15, and I'm told four of a kind can pay 25, though I've never seen it. I know Deuces Wild odds can be lot ... (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 |
