Dear Mark,
You column is always filled with sage advice and
smart betting opportunities. How about refresher
list of the bets players should avoid? Gary A.
For
those who have any interest in beating the casino at
their own game, bomb, blast, and ban these wagers from
your playing repertoire. Proposition bets on a crap game: These are bets
the stickman will entice you to make, such as, one number
bets-2, 3, 7, 11, and 12-but these wagers have an edge
of over 16% against you. Also, avoid hardway bets; the
casino advantage on hardways is between 9-11%.
There are decent wagers on a
crap game if you play
smart, like betting the pass line bet and come bet
with full odds, or place the 6 and 8.
Side bet in Caribbean
Stud Poker: Don't let that progressive meter
of $50,000 suck you into a dollar wager with hope
of being dealt a "natural" royal flush.
The true odds are almost 650,000 to 1. Unless you
see a progressive figure closing in on those high
odds, it is a no-value bet. Slots: Not all slots are bad, as some casinos
do advertise a decent return on "selected"
machines. But, most slots have a huge house advantage,
which can be up to 20%. Blackjack: Disavow the style of play where
you let the dealer know you've been playing 30 years
and say, "Shut up and deal, I know how to play."
Good chance that you really don't, and blindly egotistical
or superstitious play will give the house an advantage
of more than 5%. Video Poker: As with blackjack, the bettor's
haphazard or hunch play with no strategy allows
casino owners to sleep comfortably, snoring profits
all night long. Keno: Dash wildly away from the keno game,
anywhere. The casino advantage at the bare minimum
is 25%. The Big Six: Minimum house edge, 15%; run
from this game. Double Zero roulette: Albert Einstein once
said, "You can't beat a roulette table unless
you steal money from it." He was right if you
play on a Double Zero American wheel. The house
edge is 5.26% against you no matter how you bet
it. If roulette just happens to be your favorite
game, at least look for the single zero wheel where
the house edge is in the 2% range.
As you can see, Gary, making a choice which games
you will play, and NOT play, can drastically affect
the outcome of your casino visit.
