Dear Mark: How
much money is needed for a bankroll before I
can expect to hit a royal flush? Andy A.
It could be more than
your net worth, Andy.
Plenty of players, my
Mom for example, went years, stretch that,
decades, without ever hitting one. Of
course, she’s a worst-case scenario, made
worse by the fact that she’s no longer with
us. Possibly by now she’s caught her first,
playing at St. Peter’s Casino and Resort
Hotel.
But on average, Andy,
you can expect to hit a royal approximately
once every 40,000 hands. By factoring in
smaller wins (a pair through a straight
flush) along the way, the average bankroll
required is 4000 to 5000 units ($200 to $250
for nickels, $1000 to $1250 for quarters,
and $4000 to $5000 for dollars) to keep you
in the game between royal flushes.
Dear Mark: I love
playing in craps tournaments, yet I have
never been able to win one. Either I can’t
maintain the lead or catch the leader when
behind. Any suggestions? Jason D.
Successful tournament
players, once ahead in a craps tournament,
mimic every bet of those competitors who are
close behind so their rivals have no chance
of catching up. If the closest challenger
makes a $500 pass line bet, the leaders
often do the same.
You can only catch
the leader by betting the opposite of the
leader’s bets. Do your best to let them lead
out, and if they are betting $500 on the
Pass line, you bet $500 on the Don't. This
way, you win if they lose.
The other way to
catch up in short order is by making
proposition bets that pay off in large
amounts. The odds remain awful on these long
shot wagers, and I would never recommend
them for conventional craps play, but I’ve
seen a few tournaments won with these
come-from-behind long shot wagers,
especially in the latter stages of a
tournament.
Dear Mark: Do you
have any idea who in gambling is credited
with the term “beat the house.” Sue F.
I believe that term,
Sue, predates legalized gambling (1931) in
the United States.
Its genesis, Sue, is
a pre-revolutionary expression, where
"house" referred to a merchant's place of
business. Those who could talk a shopkeeper
into giving them a better deal could
literally boast that they had "beaten the
house."
In today's usage,
"house" refers to a gambling establishment,
and giving it a whopping is referred to as
“bringing down …” or “beating the house.”
Dear Mark: In last
week’s column you shared with us the virtues
of doubling down. You didn’t mention it, but
what are your thoughts about doubling down
for less? Gene R.
Let’s review. Last
week I wrote that the three main reasons why
doubling down is so advantageous to you are
1) you know the dealer’s up-card, 2) the
casino is allowing you to bet more money
with that information, and 3) your chances
of winning the hand are better than the
dealer’s.
With those reasons
working in your favor, Gene, especially
reason number three, doubling down when
you're more likely to win the hand than not,
why would you not want to put up the maximum
amount?
The primary reason
you play blackjack over most other casino
games is because it offers opportunities
where you can have the edge over the casino,
not the other way around. Hereafter, Gene,
never shortchange yourself when a doubling
down situation arises.
Dear Mark: Is
there any one particular seat at a blackjack
table that gets better cards? Sunny G.
No seat, Sunny, be it
first base or third, has a better chance of
being dealt good cards.
Considering expert
card counters who track what's been played,
they do get to observe additional
cards from the third base position before
they make a decision, but that extra
information only helps them, not the Average
Joe.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week:
"Compulsive winning is as self-destructive
in its own way as compulsive losing."
--David Spanier, Total Poker
