Nominate your candidate for the ten best
bets in the casino
June 26, 2009
Dear Mark: A
column of yours in the past mentioned some of
the best bets in the casino. One such bet was
the six or eight in craps. Although I have never
played the game of craps before, it seems like
fun and would be interested giving it a try,
especially since some of the group I go gambling
with weekly do play it. How do I go about making
that bet without looking like a beginner? Jayne
M.
Yes, Jayne, craps can be richly enjoyable
entertainment, and based on your wanting to
stick with one of the best bets the game offers,
that being Placing either the six or eight,
let’s make you look like an expert amongst your
gambling associates.
Placing the six or eight, or grabbing a Pass
line bet for those so inclined, are really the
only wagers you want to make on a crap table.
They have a casino edge of 1.5% or lower. Most
players who belly up to the crap table are
greener than the felt on the table, but by
exploiting only the best bet(s) the game offers,
you join the less than one percent of players
who truly understand dice.
You could ask your friendly dealer how to Place
the six or eight, but all you really have to do
is walk up to the table, set down $6 ($12 if
you’re betting both numbers) on the layout and
state your preference: "Six (or eight) for six
dollars," then cheer on the six or eight to
appear before the seven, and you're off to the
races. You'll get paid $7 if the six or eight
hits, but you'll lose, if the seven appears.
Craps 101 isn’t over yet, Jayne. We’ll revisit
in the future another best bet in the casino,
the Pass Line wager, then move you into odds
after that, all of which nudges you ever closer
to your Winners University diploma.
Dear Mark: I’ve noticed that certain
machines I play on pay out jackpots often, while
others never seem to pay. Why is that? Molly F.
Regrettably, Molly, your letter didn’t mention
the specific machines you play, so all I can
give you is a generalized answer.
Yes, Molly, you are observing correctly; certain
machines do seem to pay more jackpots than
others. That’s because some machines are
designed to pay less frequent, though larger
hits, (in gamblese they’re called low hit
frequency machines), while others are
specifically designed to pay numerous, but
relatively smaller hits. Appropriately those
would be high hit frequency machines.
There’s also the possibility of skewed
observation. Might you be selectively eyeballing
your favorite machine(s) more than the others,
making you more aware of what happens on them,
and possibly missing the jackpots on the other
slots? If you observe long enough, you might
find that those other machines pay off just as
often.
When all's said and done, Molly, because some
players like lots of small hits, while others
prefer fewer, larger hits, what your research
will eventually identify as normal, is that
casinos have machines at many different hit
frequencies, some even side-by-side.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “Ever
since I bought those two huge Doyle Brunson
Super System books, I’ve become a much stronger
player. Each morning before breakfast, I put one
in each hand and do curls with them.” VP Pappy
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