GamingTips

Alright.

This post is going to deal with bettingthe field. I’m starting with this because it is probably one of the easiest to understand, and one of the most common, bets on the layout.

The key thing to remember about the field is that the field is a proposition bet, that is, a one roll bet. Other than that, everything about it is written right on the layout. It is simply a bet that the numbers that appear will repeat before a 7. Those numbers are 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Also, as it will appear on the layout, the 2 and the 12 are special. They will pay either double or triple. Usually in Las Vegas, the 2 and 12 will pay double. In some off-strip casinos, one will pay triple, and the other double, and at some Indian casinos, both will pay triple.

Now let’s look at the odds, and why betting the field is a bad idea.

Take a look back at my post on Craps Odds. You’ll notice that there are 16 ways to roll the field numbers. It seems like a lot of numbers, but keep in mind that the four numbers that don’t appear on the most common numbers. In fact there are 20 ways to roll the non-field numbers. So, add one each for the 2 and the 12, which pay double. Now, the odds are 18:20, or 9:10, or 90%, giving the casino a 10% hold. Again, let’s compare that 10% hold to the hold on someone placing a come or an odds bet with double odds. The hold in that situation is 0.06%. Which bet would your ather take?

Let It Ride is a common, poker-based carnival game. 

The object is to creat poker hands, starting with a pair of 10s or better.  Anything below this is a losing hand.  Payouts for both the main bet and the ”bonus bet” are listed on the table in front of each player, and will sometimes vary from casino to casino, starting with even money for 10s or better and working up to $10,000:1 for a royal flush on the main bets.  Bonus bet payouts tend to vary more. 

To start, a player places equal bets in each of the 3 circles in front of their spot.  They may also bet a $1 bonus bet on the light-up, red circle in front of their spot.

Each player is then dealt 3 cards, starting to the dealer’s left.  The dealer then deals themselves three cards, and discards one.  All cards are dealt face down.  Each player may now look at their three cards, touching them with only one hand.

At this point, a player may scratch the cards on the felt, indicating that they wish to pull back their first bet; wave their hands over their cards, indicating that they wish to leave the first bet; or tuck the corner of their cards under the third bet, indicating they wish to leave all of their bets in play.

The dealer will now flip one of his or her cards, exposing it to all of the players.  Players who tucked their cards may not now play, however, those who pull back their first bet, or hold without tucking their cards again have a choice.  They may scratch the table with their cards to pull back the bet in the second circle, or they may tuck their cards immediately to leave the second bet in play.  After they have acted, all players must tuck their cards under the third bet.

The dealer will now expose their second card, and go around the table (from their right) flipping the players’ cards and paying or taking bets.

 The key point to remember is that the “dealer’s” two cards are really community cards, similar to the flop in Hold ‘Em based poker games.  The players are trying to create 5 card hands using their own 3 cards and the dealer’s two.  The other point to remember is that there is no bluffing, no drawing, etc.  The only real stratgy is deciding when to pull back a bet and when to “Let It Ride.”

I’ll look into the odds of this game, and post them when I find them.  My guess, and from what I’ve heard, is that the hold is probably pretty high.  Nonetheless, it’s one of my favorite games and, with proper patience and will power can be a great way to build a bankroll for other games.  That’s because, for instance, at a $5 table, a player really bets anywhere from $5-15 depending on the strength of their hand.  If, for instance, you have 10’s or better or 3 of a kind in your hand, you can bet $15.  If, however, you play conservatively, and wind up with nothing, you can bet only $5.  Also, the $1 bonus bet makes it possible to win a lot very quickly.  For instance, at most casinos, a flush pays 8:1, and the bonus is $50.  Do the math.

On a flush, the basic bet pays $40, plus $50 for the bonus bet, if the player plays conservatively and pulls back both of their first two bets.  If the player takes a few more risks, it is $120, plus $50 for the bonus, or $170.  Not that flushes are easy to get, but the first time I played, I did hit three of them in 45 minutes.

Alright.  For all of its reputation as a complicated game, Craps is actually pretty easy in terms of figuring out strategy and odds, and here’s why.  Unlike in card games, once a value comes up on the dice, it is not “discarded.”  The same two dice, with all six sides, are put back into play.  And, since luck is blind, the odds of a particular number coming up on any given roll are always the same.  So, here is a basic chart that helps explain how the odds work.  It is the odds of any particular combination of numbers coming up.  When I get into explaining bets and odds, I’ll refer back to it.  Just so you know, a “hard” number is a pair, and an “easy” number is any other way of rolling that number.

2-1

3-2

Hard 4-1

Easy 4-2

4-3

5-4

Hard 6-1

Easy 6-4

6-5

7-6

Hard 8-1

Easy 8-4

8-5

9-4

Hard 10-1

Easy 10-2

10-3

11-2

12-1

Total-36

Now, first of all, the means of calculating this.  There is one way to roll a 2, that is, a 1-1.  There are two to roll a 3, that is, a 1-2, or a 2-1, etc.  There will always only be one way to roll a number hard.

The pattern is important to note too.  Once you understand this, it will make it easier to remember odds for the main bets in craps.  Note that the odds are pyramid-shaped.  7 is the easiest number to roll, and outside of 7, the numbers, in pairs, get harder and harder to roll.   That is, 7 is the most common number, 6 and 8 are the next, 5 and 9 the next, 4 and 10 the next, 3 and 11 the next, and aces and boxcars (2 and 12) the hardest.

Why odds bets are the only bets on the casino floor on which the house has no advantage.  Look at the chart above.  Let’s go through each roll individually.   For a 4, there are 3 ways to roll it, versus 6 to roll a 7.  Or 3/6, or 1/2.  Note that the odds pay you the inverse of this.  Similarly.  There are 4 ways to roll a 5 or 9, to 6 ways to roll a 7, or 4/6 or 2/3.  The odds pay 3/2.  For a 6 and 8, there are 5 ways to roll it, and still 6 to roll a 7.  That makes true odds 5/6, which is why the odds pay 6/5.

It can also be seen why some bets that look great are sucker bets.  For instance, the proposition bet on “box cars,” which pays 30 for 1.  First of all, 30 for 1 is actually 29 to 1.  They give you 30 for the one they take from you.  Confusing, right?  Well, here’s the odds.  The bet pays 29:1, but should pay 36:1.  Now, that doesn’t seem like a big difference, but:  36-29=7.  7/36=19.44%.  That means that for every $100 you bet on aces or boxcars, the casino expects to keep $19.44 of it.  Compare that to the fact that there are bets on the Craps layout on which the casino expects, in the long run, to hold 6 cents for every $100 bet.

Again, the nice thing about Craps is that with this basic chart (which was not difficult to come up with) any bet and its payout can be evaluated to determine the hold using simple division, fractions, and percentages.

Betting wrong in Craps is the common term for people who bet “against” the shooter.  In reality, the shooter is also allowed to bet wrong, so this is not technically correct.

But, betting wrong is almost exactly opposite of betting right.  One important phrase on the table is “Bar 12,” which means that a 12 on the Come Out is a push.  That is, 7 or 11 lose on the Come Out, 2 and 3 win, and 12 is a push.  This evens out the odds on a Don’t Pass bet on the come out roll.

After the Come Out roll, a player may “lay” odds behind their bet.  The bet is actually a bet that a 7 does come up before the point repeats.  Since 7 is the most common combination of dice, the odds are actually in your favor.  However, the odds you lay reflect this.  That is, the odds laid pay the following:

6 or 8 pay 5:6

5 or 9 pay 2:3

and 4 or 10 pay 1:2.

 That’s right.  You will win less than your original odds bet. This is okay, because you will win more times than you will lose.

The Don’t Come is exactly the same as the Don’t Pass, but it is bet once the game is on.

This post is designed to explain how you can use your dealers as resources at table games.

Let me first state two basic facts which confuse most people.

First, the dealer wants you to do well.  Players tend to tip more when they win more, or lose less.  This is good for dealers.  Dealers want their players to do well.  Also, their job is to deal the games, not to win the games.  They get paid the same regardless of what the hold is on their table (assuming that they are not cheating).  The games themselves are designed to win for the house, and this is entirely out of the dealer’s control.

The casino also wants you to do well.  Players who do well tend to a) bet bigger, and b) attract more players.  Remembering that in the long run, the casino will always win, and taking into account the law of averages, the more bets are out, and the larger those bets, the better the day for the casino.  Even if you cash out ahead, the attention that an excited, winning player, and the large stacks of chips they hold, draw to a “hot” table will make the immediate loss worth it for the casino.

Now, for the three reasons I consider the dealers and other casino staff to be your best resource at a table.

First, as a new player, they will teach you the games.  Again, both the dealer and the casino benefit from having full tables.  People are more likely to start to play, or continue to play, if they know the game.  Dealers are trained in not only dealing, but explaining, the games.  They have taught so many new players to play that they can provide a clarity and ease to entering a game that a player will never get from a book, a website, or a blog.  If you’d like to try a game, sit down at the table, and say to the dealer, “I’ve never played this before.  How does it work?”  I was fortunate enough to actually learn blackjack, craps, roulette, and Hold ‘Em dealing them for an events company.  But Baccarat, 3-5-7 Poker, Let It Ride, and Three Card Poker were all games that I learned with the help of dealers at the casino.

Dealers will help you with strategy.  The extent of this varies from casino to casino.  At some casinos, dealers are allowed to answer the question, “what would you do?” or “what’s the book say?” They may also be able to offer you odds on the Craps table even when you don’t ask for them, or tell you what the odds of specific bets are (either specifically or relative to other bets).  At others, dealers are required to be more subtle.  They will still help you, particularly in tricky situations, you just need to pay more attention.  For instance, while a dealer may not be able to tell you whether they would hit or stand, they may call a Soft 18 an “18,” probably a good sign that you should stay, or, when the dealer shows a 6, call a Soft 15 a “5,” a good indication that you should hit.  Remember, the dealer cannot make up your mind for you, and you must play your own hand.  That’s right, if you ask to double a blackjack, or split a 20, the dealer must deal the cards as you’ve asked.  But, the dealer can be a resource.  Also, note that there is a common misconception that the casino doesn’t want players to know how to play the game, and that’s why the dealers are not allowed to offer advice.  This is not true.  The main reason casinos do not allow dealers to help players is the risk of a possibly intoxicated individual holding the casino or its staff accountable for a losing hand if the dealer advised the player to play it in a certain way.

Finally, dealers can “babysit” you.  If you’re tired, or have had a couple of drinks, you will sometimes forget something.  Whether it is putting out your odds or your come bet like you always do, or something as simple as picking up your winnings in blackjack or on a field bet in Craps, it happens all the time.  The dealer can remind you either a) of your own style of play, or b) the need/option of picking up your bets.  Keep in mind that a dealer does not have to do this.  If your money is out when betting is closed or the dice are rolled, technically, you just “stacked ‘em”, “parleyed,” or “let it ride.”  Which brings me to my two final notes.

First, you should seriously consider tipping your dealers for three reasons.  The first is selfish, and the others are more a matter of principal.  First, dealers remember players who tip.  They are more likely to do all of the above things for you when you do.  Remember, they are not required to do anything to help you, especially babysit your money.  Dealers who I have tipped are always quick to say, “Sir, do you want your odds?” or “No come bet this time, Zach?”  Second, if someone in the service industry (including the gaming industry) provides good service, especially if they exceed your expectations of someone in their position, it is the right thing to do to tip.

Finally, and this applies mostly to Las Vegas, it is impossible to say that dealers do not make a decent living.  That living, however, comes almost exclusively from tips.  In a city where, because of the union, even servers, bartenders, and other tipped employees make between $10 and $20 an hour just in wages, dealers are paid less than $8 an hour, often making minimum wage, with the exception of the Wynn Las Vegas, where the dealers have gone Union.  They are not guaranteed full time hours, benefits, or job stability like their peers in other areas are.  Particularly with casinos cutting both hours and bodies because of the economy, dealers depend on tips to feed their families.  And while they may be “just a dealer” in your mind, in Vegas, dealers, along with other casino staff, are considered professionals.  They have training, certifications, and years of experience.  They take pride in their jobs.  And, most importantly, without them, you couldn’t enjoy the game you’re playing, or even Las Vegas as it is today.  Remember, tip your dealers.  Especially if you are winning, or they are helping you out a lot.

Lastly, always treat your dealers, and other casino staff (yes, this includes cocktail servers, however short their skirts) with respect.  You may be on vacation, and this may be Las Vegas.  But it’s not the Vegas of the ’70s.  First of all, remember, the dealers only deal the cards, they don’t pick them.  It’s not their falt if you’re losing.

Second, as I mentioned, this is a career for the casino staff.  The table which is your vacation is their workplace.  You wouldn’t like to have your ass grabbed, or commented on, every time you went into work, would you?  You wouldn’t like it if your customers started swearing at you.  That being said, dealers, cocktail waitresses, etc. usually have a sense of humor, and enjoy having a good time.  That’s why they’re in the service and gaming industry.  A comment like “What are you doing to me, Joe?” with a smile is alright.  But harrasment is not.  That’s right.  Workplace harrasment can come from customers as well as coworkers.  This includes in casinos.  In fact, if you make a dealer, cocktail server, or other casino employee feel uncomfortable, you may even be “86′d” from a casino.  Complete with a security escort and a possible visit with law enforcement, is that really the kind of attention you’re looking for on your trip to Vegas?  So remember, it’s okay to have a good time with your dealers and other staff.  It’s not alright to have fun at their expense, or to make them feel threatened or uncomfortable.  These people deal with drunk winners and losers all the time.  If you are crossing their threshold for inappropriate behavior, chances are, your behavior is flat out unacceptable.

Okay, so I mention this in my basics of blackjack post, but it’s an important enough point that I figured I’d give it its own post, to explain the logic behind this, but also to give people an opportunity to debate this, ask questions, etc.

 My obsession with this stems largely from the fact that I am sick of people who think they know blackjack strategy getting upset when I play these hands correctly.  Remember that the low house advantage in blackjack is based on the idea that you play each hand with perfect basic strategy.  This is one of those areas that is a common, but huge, mistake.

 When the dealer has a 2 or a 3 showing, it is not a dealer bust hand.  Yes, if the dealer has a ten showing, and draws a 10, they will bust.  Yes, 10 is the most common value of any card.   But, the chances of them actually busting are slim to none.  Ignoring all the cards out on the table, in the discard, and behind the cut card, as well as the number of decks, etc., let’s look at the odds.  There is a 4/13 chance that the dealer’s down card will be a 10.  We’re already batting less than .500 on the dealer busting.  Now, basic statistics tell us that the chance of them drawing two 10s are 4/13 times 4/13, or 16/169.  That’s less than a 10% chance that the dealer will actually bust with a two showing.  And that’s ignoring all the cards already out of the shoe, behind the cut card, and in the discard.  Now, keep in mind that the odds of the dealer drawing two 10s in a row are actually lower than this, because once they draw the first 10, there is one less 10 to be drawn.

 The odds against a 3 are only slightly better.  Now, the dealer needs to draw no less than a 19 to bust.  There is a 5/13 (again, ignoring cards behind the cut, on the table, and in the discard) chance of the dealer hiding either a 9 or a 10 on.  There is then either a 5/13 or a 4/13 chance of them drawing the needed card.  (If they hide a 10 on the first hand, it is 5/13, since a 9 or 10 will still bust them, if they have a 9, they need a 10).

This explains why you should always hit to 14 against a dealer 2 or 3.

Alright.  For the sake of simplicity, I’m breaking up the Craps into multiple sections.  I’ll get more into detail on strategy and odds and such later, but, do know that I’m starting with what are the two best bets on the table (and, for that matter, the casino floor), as well as the two most central to the game of Craps itself.

 First, a basic clarification.  Only one person rolls the dice at a time in Craps, and this player rotates whenever a player sevens out.  All bets placed on the table are bets on the performance of this one roller, or “shooter.”

 The Pass Line is the basis of the entire Craps game.  The pass line should be bet when the “button,” or round plastic disc in front of each dealer, is black, and reads “off.”  This initial roll is called the come-out roll.

A bet is placed on the pass line.  On the come out roll, this bet wins even money on a 7 or 11, and loses on a 2, 3, or 12.

Any other number, as an attentive player will notice, is listed in a box across the top of each side of the Craps layout.  If any number other than 7, 11, or 2, 3 and 12 (Craps) is rolled, the button is flipped to the white “ON” side in or behind the box with that number, and the game is on, and the number rolled becomes the point.

Now, the pass line bet is a bet that the “Point” will repeat before a 7 is thrown.  This bet pays even money.  Now for the good part.  There is a bet, which, not surprisingly, is not listed on the layout, but is available at any casino craps table.  It is the odds bet.  It is the only bet on a Craps table, or on the casino floor, on which the house has no advantage (other than the fact that it must be attached to a pass line bet).  This bet pays true odds, or the actual odds that the number will repeat before a 7.  The odds very by point.

6 and 8 odds pay 6:5

5 and 9 odds pay 3:2

4 and 10 odds pay 2:1.

The maximum ammount of the odds bet should be listed next to the table limits.  For instance, in Las Vegas, it is common to see signs that read,

“Table limit-$5-5000

2xodds”

This means that you can bet twice your original pass line bet as an odds bet, or “behind the line.”

The pass line bet and the odds bet are only affected by rolling the point or a 7.  If the first roll is a 6, any number other than a 6 or 7 will leave the bets in tact.  A 6 will result in the pass line being paid even money, and the odds being paid 6 to 5.  Finally, a 7 will result in a loss of both the pass line and odds bets.

The come bet is identical to the pass line, except that it is made once a point has been established.  A player may only bet the “come” line when the game is “on.”  On the very next roll, a 7 or 11 will win even money; any Craps (2, 3, or 12) will lose.  Any other number being rolled will result in the dealer (not the player) sliding the bet into the box marked by that number.  To place odds on this bet, the player will drop chips on the table and ask the dealer to place the odds.  The bet will then remain intact unless the same number is repeated, or a 7 is rolled.

In the event that the point is rolled before a come bet hits or loses, the come bet still remains in tact.  The only confusing part about this is that, on a come out roll, the bet is working and the odds are not.  That is, if the point is 6, and a player has a come bet on the 9, and a 6 is rolled, the 9 bet is still the same.  If, on the very next roll, a 9 is rolled, the player will be paid even money on the come bet, and their odds will be handed back, but not paid.  If a 7 is rolled, the come bet will be lost, but again, the player will be given back their odds.

Alright.  This post is going to be dedicated to making sure that people used to Las Vegas strip gambling are able to adjust to Indian casinos, and vice versa.

 Let’s talk about the important stuff first.

Selection of games

At Indian casinos, you will almost always find a poker room, slots, and bingo.  Most of the time, they will also have blackjack tables.  A good number have craps, roulette, and poker-based carnival games.  The carnival games are likely to be limited to 3-5-7, 3 card, and Let it Ride poker based games.  I have never seen baccarat in an Indian casino.

Vegas casinos will always have machines, rarely have bingo, and sometimes have poker rooms.  The pits are still dominated by blackjack, but I have yet to find a strip casino that does not offer Craps, Roulette, and a wide variety of carnival games.  You will also, almost always, find baccarat, whether in a separate, high limit area, or on the main casino floor.  The carnival games are likely to include two of the three found in Indian casinos: Let it Ride, 3 card poker, and 3-5-7 Poker.  But many casinos do not offer all three.  Many also have Hold ‘Em based carnival games, as well as Pai Gow based carnival games.

Betting Limits, Odds and Rules

For most of us low-limit betters, Indian casinos will tend to be a better deal.  They often have lower table minimums (although you won’t find $2 and $3 tables like you will in downtown Veags or at Slots-A-Fun, Bill’s or O’Shea’s).  They also usually pay 3-2 on all of their blackjack tables.  Many will also allow you to take more odds on the Craps tables.  In fact, Indian casinos are usually 5x or 10x odds.  In poker rooms, there are often $1/2 limit and no limit games, or even $0.50/1.  But, since they are usually not as busy, there may only be one or two tables, and thus one or two games going on.  They will almost always be Hold ‘Em.

Vegas casinos are usually higher limit.  Few casinos offer anything less than $10 minimums on weekend nights on the strip.  They often feature single and double deck Blackjack tables, on which Blackjack will only pay 6 to 5.  And on Craps tables, although this is changing, most offer 2x odds, although some now offer 3,4,5x odds.  Poker games are generally going to be a little more expensive than at Indian casinos, but, because of the volume, this is not always the case.  They may have a $10/20 game going on right next to a $1/2 hand.  Also, if you are interested in more than just Hold ‘Em, Vegas card rooms are more likely to offer other varieties of poker.

Bonus Bets

Bonus bets in Indian casinos are limited.  Some trends sweep the tribal casinos for a little while, then go away.  Bonus bets are everywhere in Vegas.  In Craps, it’s a fire bet.  On Let it Ride, they offer not only the $1 bonus bet, but also a 3 Card Bonus.  In baccarat, there’s the Dragon Bonus.  In Blackjack, there’s the Pair Square, the Lucky Ladies, Hi Lo, and any number of other varieties.

Poker Rooms

In my personal opinion, for occasional poker players, Tribal Gaming is the way to go.  If you play a lot, and are aware that you have a distinctive style of play, Vegas may be for you.

At Indian casinos, you will often find the same players playing the tables all the time.  This gives the occasional player a huge advantage.  The players know each others’ tells, likely partake in table talk, and are generally pretty complacent.  As the outsider, yes, all eyes will be on you.  But, by the time the players figure out your tells or your style of play, you could have cleared the table.  My second time playing live poker, I won $1400 off of 7 locals in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.  I saw about 5 flops in an hour and a half, and the cards I did have were not that great.

On the other hand, if you are one of those regulars, but you are a skilled poker player, a Vegas poker room may be for you.  You will likely be playing against a wider variety of players.  That is, some will be much better than you find at home, and some will be far worse.  But, every night you play, although you may see some regulars, the vast majority of players will be different.  This means the game can be less predictable, but also a lot more fun.  Pay attention to tournaments in town when you are playing, particularly at the hotel you play at.  Often, poker tournaments are held in lounges or banquet facilities.  The poker room may be open to the public, and just seem a little crowded.  What you don’t realize is that the 6 players at your table are all here for the World Series of Poker Championship, which starts tomorrow.  Not a good situation to find yourself in.

Comps, drinks, etc.

Most Indian casinos do allow drinking on the casino floor, although some do not.  Most now have players’ clubs, although the benefits are often limited to free play, cigarettes, and key chains, since some do not have hotels or restaurants.  Expect to pay for your alcoholic beverages at a tribal casino.  Sodas, coffee, water, etc. are comped, but alcohol is not.  If your alcohol is comped, it will be done using a traditional slip comp.  That is, the floor supervisor will walk through their pit or slot aisles and occasionally hand out “Free drink” slips with their signature on them.  Unless you have one of these, expect a bill with your beer.

Vegas casinos have multiple bars on the floor.  Cocktail servers come by frequently (generally between 5 and 10 times each hour).  They all have some type of players’ club, and, if you gamble enough, you can pretty much get whatever you want comped.  With so many casinos owned by multi-casino corporations, you can often use your comps at other properties as well.  And, of course, alcohol is usually comped, as long as you are actively playing.  So hold off on that trip to the bar, sit down, and wait for a cocktail server.  If you’re playing, and drinking a normal drink, it will be free.

Just a fairly obvious point.  There are hundreds of casinos in Nevada, and hundreds of tribal gaming establishments around the country.  Each casino is different, and has its own policy.  This is a general account of the differences that I have noticed, and does not necessarily apply to every casino.  If you have had a different experience, please comment.

So to continue on the blackjack thought stream, here’s an important issue.  Remember that splits and doubles are what lowers the house advantage the most.  That in mind, this is a far stretch from a complete guide to splitting.  Instead, it’s going to be a focus on two simple rules to remember: Always split Aces and Eights and Never split anything that starts with an “F.”

First, when to split.  Aces and 8s.  The logic here is actually pretty simple.  Let’s start with Aces.  You have a 2 or 12.  Far from terrible hands.  But, you are more likely to get a 10 than anything else.  That means that the first time you hit, you will most likely wind up with a hard 12.  Hitting again is more likely to give you 22 (bust) than any other single point total.  The alternative is to split and have two Soft 11s.  Again, the most likely single value to come out of the shoe is 10.  Which means that you are more likely to get 21 than any other point total.  And, remember, you can’t bust on one hit.  Even if you don’t get a 9 or 10, you can still draw again safely.  Two 21’s are better than one 22.  Just remember, your first two cards were Aces.  What this means is that even if you pull two tens or face cards, and get two two card 21 hands, you don’t have blackjacks.  You have 21.

A lot less people realize why they should always split 8s.  If the dealer is showing a bust card, with 16, your best bet is to stay.  But, what if the dealer has something other than a 10?  Even if the dealer has an ace or two under their 6, they beat you.  16 is probably the worst point total in the game.  If you split, you now have two 8s, and, more likely than any other point total, will draw to have two 18s.  And, again, you can’t bust on your first draw.  Even if you draw a 2 or 3, you now have 10 or 11, and can hit again, hoping for 20 or 21.  If the dealer is showing a 7-A, you still want to split.  Remember, you want to hit to 17, or hard 18.  Now, if you hit a 16, you will probably bust.  If you hit an 8, however, you cannot bust, and are quite likely to wind up with a decent, if not good, hand.

 So, always split Aces and eights.

Now, for the bad splits.  Anything that starts with an “F,”.  That is, fours, fives, and faces.  Also, this rule covers 10s, which have the same value as a face card.  Fives, tens, and faces are fairly obvious.  You have either 20, or a 10, which, when hit, will likely turn into a 20.  If you have a 5 and hit, you will likely wind up with fifteen, which is one of the worst hands in the game.  Sometimes people get greedy and split 10s or faces against a bust card.  Again, remember that even with a 6 showing, there is a decent chance that the dealer does not have 16, or that even if they do, they will not bust.  Only so much can be predicted.  You are also not guaranteed to draw two more tens.  Why give up the second best point total?  You are almost guaranteed to win, or at least push, with a 20.

Fours are a little trickier for most people to understand.  Especially against a bust card.  If the dealer is going to bust, why not turn one winner into two winners?  Well, again, the dealer is never guaranteed to bust.  Remember, 18 is a pretty good hand.  Most likely, by hitting this hand, you will get 18.  18 is likely to win, even if the dealer does not bust.  Now, say you split.  You likely get two 14s, which, with the dealer having a bust card, you will hold.  The dealer doesn’t bust.  Your 14s lose.  If you are looking for a way to increase your winnings with a 4/4 against a 4, 5, or 6, double instead of splitting.  Doubling an eight against a bust card is an acceptable move.  Splitting an 8 for two fours is not.

This is probably a weird way to start out, since I’m going to cover blackjack rules differently than I will other games.  With other games, I will explain the rules in one post, then come back to strategy.  Because your play at a blackjack table affects other players, however, I’m going to cover the rules and some very basic strategy in the same post here.  There’s no law that says that if you’re walking slowly on a sidewalk, you should move over for faster walkers, is there?  But there should be.  Blackjack is the same way.

 First, the object.  The object of blackjack is simple.  Players play only against the dealer, not against other players.  The goal is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over.  For the purposes of simplicity, I will use the most common form of blackjack here, ignoring bonus bets of any kind.  That is, I will explain the game as it is played from a 4, 6, or 8 deck shoe, with blackjacks paying 3 to 2.  Be aware, some games are played differently, and I will try to address those in upcoming posts.

The steps to blackjack

Step one: bet

Players who wish to play the game may join at any time, although in some parts of the country, it is rude, and in some variations, against the rules, to join mid-shoe (the shoe is the plastic box from which the cards are dealt, but in this sense, is the group of cards contained within the deck).   There will be a box or a circle in front of each player.  Many players assume this is for the cards.  It is not, it is for their bets.  Place your bets in the box before the dealer sweeps her hand across the table twice (once each way) to be dealt in on the hand.

Step 2: Dealing

The dealer will now deal each player two cards, one at a time, going clockwise starting to his or her left.  The players’ cards and one of the dealers’ cards are dealt face up.  The dealer’s second (or in some casinos first) card is dealt face down.

Step 3:

Play.  Each player, starting to the dealer’s left, is given several options.  For now, we’ll stick to the basics, of hit or stay.  With the exceptions of some special bets which will be discussed later, a player may hit as few or as many times as they’d like, until they go over 21.  The goal, again, is to get closer than the dealer to 21, without going over.  If you get 22 or higher, you automatically lose.  This is called breaking or busting.

If a player’s first two cards equal 21 (An Ace and either a ten or a face card), the player has blackjack and wins an immediate 3 to 2 payout (at most casinos, at most tables; though sometimes blackjacks pay 6 to 5, mostly on single or double deck pitch tables).

After all players have acted, the dealer will expose their down card, and play according to set rules.  The dealer always hits to 17, and then stays.  The only variation in this is that some casinos have the dealer hit on a “soft” 17 (A/6, which can be a 7 or a 17), and others have them stay.  The table should say either “Dealer stands on all 17s” or “Dealer must hit on soft 17.”  If the dealer breaks, everyone who did not already break wins.

 Now, some details

Cards 2 through 10 carry their usual values.

Face cards are always worth 10 points.

Aces can be worth 1 or 11 points, and that choice is always the player’s to make when deciding whether to hit or stay.

To hit, a player should tap or lightly scratch or brush the felt of the table.  To stay, a player should wave one hand over the felt parallel to the table.

The basics of strategy

Yes, I said the basics of strategy, not basic strategy, which I will cover in a separate post.

If played ideally, and without counting cards, the advantage on blackjack is about 0.26%.  That means that for every $100 played, the casino should keep just over one quarter.  This is a deceptively low number unless you are used to thinking in terms of casino holds for three reasons:  First, this is assuming that a player makes no strategic mistakes, which is much harder than most players think.  Second, it is on all money played, not on the player’s buy in.  That is, if you buy in with $100, but win some, and actually play 6 $25 hands, your money played is actually $150, not the $100 you bought in for.  Make sense?  Third, luck is blind.  Just because there is a 0.26% hold does not mean that you will only lose 26 cents every hand that you play $100.  It does not even mean that you will only lose 26 cents per every $100 that you play that night.  For that matter, it does not even mean that you will only lose 0.26% over your career.  It means that in the long run, all the people who play perfect strategy should average giving the casino about 0.26%.

 My recomendation to everyone who wants to do well at blackjack would be to purchase a strategy book or card, or sometimse the used decks casinos give out or sell have a strategy card in them.  Please read this at home, before you get to the table.  Nothing annoys me more than someone sitting at a blackjack table and reading their card before every single hand.  Keep it with you to consult on the tough hands, but you should have the basics down before you sit.

 Now, the basic idea of the game is that there are 4 ways to pull a 10 at any given time, versus one way to pull a card of any other value.  This means that you should generally assume that any card that you cannot see will be a 10.

In blackjack, the dealer’s “up card” is at least as imortant as the player’s two cards in determining how to play. There are four basic scenarios.

1) The dealer has a 7-10 showing.  In this case, you assume the dealer has a 17, 18, 19, or 20.  Hit until your cards total 17, or soft 18.  Soft hands are hands which use an ace.  For instance, a hand with a 7 and an A is a “soft 18.”  Some players will call these hands 8 or 18 as well.  NOTE:  A 7/10/A hand is NOT a “soft 18.”  It is a hard 18, because using the ace as an 11 would cause the dealer to bust.  One of the most common, and unexcusable mistakes, is to stand on a 16 against a 7.  But won’t you bust if you have a 16?  First of all, yes, you are more likely to bust.  Ignoring all the cards on the table and in the discard, you have an 8/13 chance of busting, and a 5/13 chance of not busting.  But, remember that the dealer has a 4/13 chance of having a 17, and an enormous chance of having a 17, 18, 8, 9, 10, or 11.  All of these hands beat a 16.  If the dealer almost certainly has you beat, it makes sense to risk busting because you still have a 5/13 chance of improving your hand and possibly beating the dealer.  So, although it is tough until you get used to it, you should always hit a 16 against a dealer 7.  This is the most obvious tell of whether someone is an ameteur or a regular player.

2) The dealer has a 4-6 showing.  These are known as bust cards, because the dealer is statistically very likely to bust.  With a 6, for instance, again, ignoring all cards in the discard and on the table, there is an 8/13 chance that the dealer will bust.  With a 4 showing, it is still a 6/13 chance.  This is not accounting for the possibility that they do not bust or pull at least 17 on the second card.  In this case, they are again likely to bust.  In these cases, hit only to hard 12.  Soft hands are more discretionary.  This scenario is the main reason I am including any strategy at all in the basic rules information.  Not only are you likely to lose if you hit a 12 against a 6, but, you are likely to lose the rest of the table money, and piss the whole table off.  For instance, if you hit your 12, draw a 10, and get a 22.  You bust, losing your bet.  Everyone else stays.  The dealer has 16, as expected, and hits.  They now draw a 5.  If you had played according to strategy, the dealer would have had  10, and busted with 26.  Instead, they have 21.  You just lost the entire table money.  Never hit a hard 12 or higher against a 4, 5, or 6.

3) The dealer shows a 2 or 3.  I will do a whole separate post explaining this one in detail.  This is tricky and really depends on the number of decks, what blackjacks pay, and other factors specific to the table.  The basic rule, however, is to hit to hard 14 against a 2 or a 3.  Again, I will explain the logic and math of this in another post.  This is another sure tell of when someone is a rooky versus an experienced player.  A lot of mid-level players will actually yell at other players for “taking the dealer’s bust card” by hitting a 12 or 13 against a dealer 2 or 3.  They are wrong.  2’s and 3’s are not bust cards.

4) The dealer is showing an ace.  This scenario should be played very similarly to scenario 1, but is a little bit trickier because once the dealer confirms that they do not have a blackjack, you have no idea what the dealer has, other than that it is not a face card.  All other cards have equal probabilities.

Now, for the complicated bets, which will make more sense when we cover strategy.  You should know these, in case they come up in play.

First, insurance and even money.  If the dealer has a 10 or an A for an upcard, they will check to see if they have blackjack before players act.  With a 10, players have no options.  With an Ace, however, players are offered insurance and even money.  Insurance is available to any player, and is a bet equal to half of the player’s main bet.  The bet is actually a bet that the dealer does have blackjack.  The idea here is that a player is given the opportunity to lower their bet.  If the dealer has blackjack, they lose their main bet, but win half of it back.  If the dealer does not have blackjack, and the player beats them, the player still wins, but only half of what they otherwise would.  Insurance is not a wise bet because there is a third possibility.  The dealer could not have blackjack, but still beat the player.  Then the player lost extra money.  Even money is only available to players with blackjack.  This is an opportunity for players to win 1 to 1 on their bet instead of pushing.  The problem is, the 3 to 2 payout is a major reason that the house advantage on blackjack is so low.  Yes, winning something is better than winning nothing.  But, given that there is a 4/13 chance of the dealer having blackjack (approximately) and a 9/13 chance of them not having blackjack, they are more than twice as likely to not have a blackjack.  And remember, unless the dealer gets 21 on their first two cards any player who has blackjack gets paid 3 to 2.

Splitting.  Splitting is an option when players have two cards which match in value.  That is, two cards of the same rank, or two face cards.  When players split a hand, they must put a second bet out, equal to the value of their original bet, and hold two fingers out (for the surviellance cameras).  The dealer will then move their cards apart, and instead of, for instance, an 8/8 (16) hand, the player will now play two separate hands, each starting with an 8.  Strategy for splitting will be discussed later.  Importantly, however, you should see if there are any special rules about splitting before you attempt to split.  The standard rule is that players may split any pair, but may only draw one card on an A.

Doubling.  The rules for this bet vary from casino to casino and table to table.  In general, a player is allowed to double any hand they would like.  I will discuss when it is wise to do so in another post.  Some casinos, however, only allow a player to double on 8, 9, 10, or 11.  Doubling allows the player to increase their bet, but in return, they may only draw one more card.  The player puts an additonal bet behind their original bet (not on top of it).  They then hold out one finger to signify to the dealer and the camera that they want to double.  They are given one card (sometimes face up, sometimes face down), and may not draw again.  It is legal to double for less than your original bet, but it is not advised.  That is, you are technicaly allowed to bet an additional $3 if your original bet is $5.  It is not smart, though.

Surrender.  Surrendering is an option in some (I believe it is fewer than it used to be) casinos.  This option allows a player who believes that their hand is too bad to play to discard their cards and keep half of their original bet.

 Sorry this post was so long.  If anyone has any advice about formatting or making these posts more readable, please let me know.  My guess is that most of the game intros will be long like this.  When I do strategy, however, I’ll likely focus in more specifically.