A Hand By Any Other Name
. . .
9 May 2005
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
When making the Under/Over 13 bet in blackjack,
which bet is better, the Under or the Over 13?
Thomas D.
The Under/Over 13 is a side bet that pays even
money if the player correctly guesses that the
sum of the first two cards dealt to him or her
will be under or over 13. Aces count as 1.
As for making this side bet, I recommend
neither, Thomas, as both have a considerable
casino advantage. As for which is better, it
would be the Under 13 bet, as its house edge,
depending on the number of decks in play, is in
the 6% range compared to a whopping 10% plus for
the over 13 wager.
Dear Mark,
For the past 22 years I have been carrying the
Ace of Spades in my wallet. I feel it has
brought me good fortune over the years. Last
week you described an ace as a rocket. On the
World Poker Tour, you often hear the announcers
describe the Ace/King as "Big Slick." I am
curious as to what other slang names there are
for the Ace, and Ace plus an additional card
combination. Gerald C.
Yup, a rocket is an Ace. Other popular slang
monikers for the rocket are: spike, eye, seed,
bull, and tee pee.. Put an (s) next to any of
the above to pair them up (e.g. rockets). Also,
you often hear the term bullet for an ace, a
possible allusion to Hickok’s Dead Man’s Hand:
pairs of aces and eights. The obvious conclusion
is that Wild Bill drew a third bullet in the
back, filling the full house, but in death at a
very high price. Aces paired are often described
as Pocket Rockets, Snake Eyes, Sticks, Needles,
and the names of well-known individuals like
Alan Alda and Albert Anastasia.
As for Ace/Card pairings, here are some of the
more popular nameplates:
Ace/King - Big Slick (if of the same suit, Big
Slick in a Suit)
Ace/King - Walking Back to Houston (play this
hand too strong, and
you’ll often be left with no getaway money)
Ace/Queen - Big Chick (emulating Big Slick)
Ace/Queen - Anthony & Cleopatra
Ace/Jack - Ajax
Ace/Jack - Jack Ass (jack ace)
Ace/Jack - Black Jack (if both aces are black)
Ace/Ten - Bookends (both ends of a top straight)
Ace/Nine - Rounder’s Hand (from the movie)
Ace/Eight - Dead Man's Hand (When he was shot in
the back by Jack
McCall, Wild Bill Hickok was holding aces and
eights)
Ace/Seven - Red Baron (after Sven, the Flying
Ace)
Ace/Six - Mile High (the Flying Ace and sex)
Ace/Five- High Five (Ace and the "high five")
Ace/Four - Sharp Tops (both cards have sharp
tops)
Ace/Three- Baskin Robbins (31 Flavors)
Ace/Two- Acey-Duecy
Ace/Two- Hunting Season (A bullet and a duck)
Hope you weren’t counting, Gerald, as there is
plenty more that poker rooms and kitchen tables
yield that I haven’t mentioned. So, if any of
you readers have a favorite or a bright
invention you would like to contribute, please
e-mail me at pilarski@markpilarski.com.
Dear Mark,
I know that slots are computers and they use a
Random Number Generator for the outcome.
However, is it true that casinos purchase
winning Megabucks chips? In other words, do
casinos bid for the winning chip for the next
Megabucks session? Does IGT know in advance
which casino will get the next "hit"? Gayle, H.
The long answer to your question, Gayle, has
been covered often in this column. So, I’ll give
you the short version: NO, and NO!
Gambling quote of the week: "Your mother has
this crazy idea that gambling is wrong. Even
though they say it's okay in the Bible." - Homer
Simpson
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