Wrong bettor wants better
odds
17 August 2004
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
What would my edge be if the (Bar 12) were
omitted from Don't Pass and Don't Come wagers?
Gary N.
In craps, before a point is established, most
players typically have a pass line wager.
However Gary, as his question suggests, bets the
backside by being a "Wrong" bettor and placing a
wager on the don't pass line.
A don't pass wager is an even-money bet that the
shooter will do one of the following: Roll a
seven before the point number repeats itself,
or, crap-out on the come-out roll by rolling
either a two or a three. Although a two, three
and 12 loses for the pass-line player on the
come-out roll, a 12 is only a tie for the don't
pass bettor. Reason being, winning this bet
instead of a push would give the don't-pass
bettor a slight advantage over the casino.
Casinos, Gary, are not in the business of giving
you an edge at anything, and if the Bar 12 were
absent from the table layout, the game would
then favor the player by 1.414%.
By the way, Gary, in some casinos, instead of
the 12 being a tie for don't-pass bettor, the
two is. You will find the rules for which number
is barred displayed in the area of the crap
table marked "Don't Pass Bar" and "Don't Come
Bar."
Dear Mark,
I find this one of the trickiest hands in
blackjack: To double down, or not, when you have
an 11 against an Ace. Your opinion on this hand
would be appreciated. Tom C.
To double or hit an 11 against an Ace can cause
disagreement even amongst many pros. I recommend
playing this hand differently depending on the
number of decks in play. With a multiple-deck
game, you would just hit your 11 against an ace,
whereas when playing single deck, you would
double down. Reason being, you are more likely
to get a decent card on a single deck game than
one using multiple decks.
For instance, say you have a two-card 11, an
eight and a three. In a single deck game,
without considering depletion, there are 50
remaining cards, and 16 of them, or 32 percent,
are 10-value cards that will give you a 21 on
your double down. With an 8-deck game, there are
414 remaining cards, and 128 of them, or 30.9
percent, are the favorable 10-cards.
Of course, sometimes my logic fills the mailbag
with disagreement, so if you have a differing
opinion, please let me know what your take is on
this hand and why.
Dear Mark,
In Jacks or Better video poker, let's say my
initial cards dealt are a seven of hearts, an
eight of diamonds, a Jack of Clubs, a Queen of
Spades, and an Ace of Hearts? In the past, I
have always kept all three face cards (the ace
representing a face card). However, recently I
was advised by an old-time VP player that I
should discard the ace. Should I? Tyler T.
The counsel received, Tyler, was correct. Three
face cards, especially with an ace, may look
impressive when they appear on the screen, but
when dealt as three picture cards of different
suits, most experts will tell you to discard the
ace if it is included in the three. The
Jack/Queen off suit is a higher valued hand for
openers in video poker than a Jack/Queen/Ace of
differing suits.
Gambling quote of the week: "Nathan Detroit's
crap game is apt to be anywhere, because it
moves about every night." Damon Runyon, Blood
Pressure (1929)
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