Winning Games for Players

28 August 2021

By John Marchel

There are only five gambling games where the player can obtain the advantage over the house using skill. Those five games are: Blackjack, Video Poker, Poker, Sports Betting and Horse Racing. Each one requires a great deal of knowledge, practice and perseverance by the player.

These games are readerly available throughout the US and the world. Pick your favorite or study one or study all five before selecting one to specialize in. You will find a many books about the subject in the library, bookstore and on the internet. Visit websites, and tables that offer these games when you go to a casino, racetrack or cardroom. Try to learn all about them BEFORE you play them.

Here are some briefs about each game:

Blackjack – You have to know basic strategy for single, double and multi-deck games. Card counting is a must. Lots of little extra things must also be included like knowing about deck penetration, side counts, plus good money management and most of all developing an act to prevent barring by casino management.

Poker – You are always playing against your follow players. It’s been said that poker is 50 percent skill and 50 percent luck, and which is which when playing is hard to tell. You can play poker almost anywhere, in casinos, card rooms even among friends at home. When first beginning to play I suggest you specialize in one game like Texas Hold'em, five or seven card stud, or draw poker. Learning odds is very important as well as learning to read other players. When it comes to bluffing it’s when, who, how and a lot more.

Video poker – When playing video machines, it’s one-on-one against the house. You don’t have to worry about other players like “live” poker. You only have one draw but that’s ok. The strategy is a little different then live poker but can be learned easily. Knowing the right machines to play is most important. The machines can be beaten, and by beaten, I mean the return can be 100 percent and even better.

Sports betting – As of the start of the 21st century only Nevada legally accepted sports wagers. Today, 12 states have a legal sports betting operation running in some form. Another six - Montana, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina and New Hampshire - have passed legislation in 2019 and are awaiting launch.

There is still a lot done illegally with bookies, friends, co-workers and now on the Internet. How long it will last on the Internet remains to be seen because of pending federal legislations. Similar to horse racing you need to know lot about teams, specific players, home field advantage and much more. Most professional gamblers make their living by betting on sports.

Horse racing – Here you must have lots of experience in handicapping races. You need to know which items are dominant, which must be weighted and what must be even slightly considered when reviewing an upcoming race. Don’t forget you also need to pass up races that you feel might be too close to call. You continuously need to overcome the house vig of 17 to 20 percent; this can be a very difficult task without a wide range of knowledge.


BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW

• In 1947 McCarran Airport in Las Vegas had a schedule of 12 flights a day provided by Bonanza, Western, United and TWA Airlines. In 2020, over 30 airlines provided passenger and cargo service. The airport today is ranked 8th in the world for aircraft movements with 527,739 takeoffs and landings.

• The largest gold producing state in the US is Nevada. It is also the 2nd largest in the world behind South Africa.

• The volcano at the Mirage in Las Vegas cost $30 million to build in 1989 which was equal to the original construction cost for the entire Caesars Palace Casino-Hotel next door.

• In 1977, the Las Vegas Hilton hosted the entire season filming of the TV game show “Lets make a Deal.”

• The Fiori di Como glass chandelier in the Bellagio lobby in Las Vegas cost $10 million to build. (Every morning between 2 and 5 am, a team of engineers clean and maintain the sculptures!)

• There are four casinos in the Principality of Monte Carlo, Monaco. The most famous one is Casino de Monte Carlo built in 1863. The others are Café de Paris, Loews Monte Carlo, and Monte Carlo Sporting Club and Casino.

• The Zuni, Papago, and Hopi Indians of the Southwest were known to enjoy betting on foot races.

• Led by New York State in 1881, anti-gambling legislation began to sweep the country and “open gambling” was gradually shut down. Nevada was the last state to make gambling illegal in 1910.

• Just before the start of the US civil war, in 1860, riverboat gambling reached a peak of 557 riverboats that allowed gambling on board.