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A few Quick Vegas Tales

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  • #16
    Quoth jnd4rusty View Post
    Those penny machines actually can pay out if you find the right one.
    you don't even have to find the right one... all penny slots pay out well, and for good reason. The house does that to build your confidence, they'll get you comfortable with slots by paying out on small bets so when you move up to larger bets you don't realize how much you've lost (because after all, you won so much on the penny slots, when really you burned through that after only a few minutes).
    As far as table games, the two games you have the best odds on are blackjack and craps. Those are the two games in which the house and the player are nearly even in odds... notice I said nearly even, the house still has an advantage.
    If you wish to find meaning, listen to the music not the song

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    • #17
      Quoth smileyeagle1021 View Post
      you don't even have to find the right one... all penny slots pay out well, and for good reason. The house does that to build your confidence, they'll get you comfortable with slots by paying out on small bets so when you move up to larger bets you don't realize how much you've lost (because after all, you won so much on the penny slots, when really you burned through that after only a few minutes).
      As far as table games, the two games you have the best odds on are blackjack and craps. Those are the two games in which the house and the player are nearly even in odds... notice I said nearly even, the house still has an advantage.
      Hate to break it to you, Smiley, but though a lot of people think that Blackjack has quote "some of the best odds in the house" I can tell you that just isn't so. And why is that? Because the whole "best odds" thing hinges on one, very major detail: Everyone must be playing perfect strategy, every hand, every time, no deviation. One person makes a non-optimal call, and the whole shebang goes down the chute quicker than you can imagine. And no one, in the 5 years I've been dealing Blackjack, has ever had the willpower to play a 'perfect' strategy, even the ones with the little strategy cards right in front of them.

      You really want the best odds in the house, you're looking at 3 games. Craps, Roulette, and Baccarat/Mini-Bac. You could also consider Pai-Gow Poker, since there are a lot of pushes in that game.

      And on the topic of "penny machines pay out more," that all depends on the casino. Most places, the penny machines actually have a higher hold percentage than the nickle/quarter machines, again for a simple reason. It takes a player more spins to lose the same amount on a penny machine then it does on a quarter machine, so they're less inclined to 'up' the payout percentages. Sure, you may hit a bonus game for a 'big win', but the higher-value machines will give you smaller wins more often. At least from what I've observed.
      Dealer hits... 21. Table loses.

      This happens more often than most people want to believe.

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      • #18
        Quoth Tuxian View Post
        You really want the best odds in the house, you're looking at 3 games. Craps, Roulette, and Baccarat/Mini-Bac. You could also consider Pai-Gow Poker, since there are a lot of pushes in that game.
        Not quite true. Have a look at http://wizardofodds.com/. He's pretty good about his analysis of different Vegas games, and tends to trend towards certain slots and video poker games as being your best bet. He also breaks down different rule sets and optional plays as to which work for you vs. the house. Also a good read for math geeks.
        The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
        "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
        Hoc spatio locantur.

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        • #19
          Quoth Geek King View Post
          Not quite true. Have a look at http://wizardofodds.com/. He's pretty good about his analysis of different Vegas games, and tends to trend towards certain slots and video poker games as being your best bet. He also breaks down different rule sets and optional plays as to which work for you vs. the house. Also a good read for math geeks.
          *chuckles* Oh, I know all about Wizard of Odds. And while yes, from a math junkie's perspective, Blackjack seems to be a game you have better odds with. But that's just from the math. When it comes to the real world, and you have a table full of people (5-7, depending on where you play), those numbers go right out the window, because, as I said before, no one has the willpower to play optimal strategy 100% of the time because it's boring, there's no decisions to make. People love to agonize over "Should I hit this, or leave it, double or just hit, etc, etc." So the math breaks down when you apply real-world experience to it.
          Dealer hits... 21. Table loses.

          This happens more often than most people want to believe.

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          • #20
            Quoth Tuxian View Post
            People love to agonize over "Should I hit this, or leave it, double or just hit, etc, etc." So the math breaks down when you apply real-world experience to it.
            Actually, I wasn't talking about blackjack either. Some video slots/video poker, depending on the rules and specials at the time, can actually have odds slightly in the player's favor on a long-term play (thousands of pulls). Even the wizard admits the mathmatics are difficult to run in a fast-and-furious real world game. I'm a follower of his best advice: Just play for fun, and don't bet what you can't afford to lose.
            The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
            "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
            Hoc spatio locantur.

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