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[Muses_nightmare]

Lottery junkies (or cardboard crack addicts, as one of my regular customers calls them) are just as bad. I always love it when people ask me what's a winning ticket, or if we've had any big winners.

*rant* If I knew what ticket was going to win, I wouldn't be working a crappy convenience store job. I'd have already won big on the lottery, and be happily living the dream on that deserted island which keeps calling my name. Besides, if we've had any big winners, it wasn't me because I rarely ever play, so I really don't care enough to keep track. In short, pick a ticket, any damned ticket, and go away. I don't have time to play 20 questions with the butt scratchers who can't decide what ticket they want to scratch next.

Even better are the ones who chuck money into a bunch of tickets only to lose. Then, they fuss and whine about how I never sell them any winners or I hide the winners for myself. Oh yeah, I'm secretly wealthy, and only work this job for the prestige of rubbing elbows with a bunch of ass clowns all day. After they're done ranting about their losses, they chuck even more money into another batch of losing lottery tickets because surely they're going to find the big winner. *end rant*

I know the ones you mean, I used to work in a gas station so we sold lotto. I also had people try to get tickets that didn't exist, as in they would say "oh you just have to punch this button then this one on your machine, it's there" when it wasn't they claimed I had no idea how to do my job. *sigh* some people

[LambChop]

House still has the advantage, it's just the lowest advantage of any of the table games. Travel Channel, Discovery, and professional gamblers all agree.

Hehe...I watched that special last night too. Whenever I gamble, I always bring a set amount of money just for that. If I lose it, I walk away. If I win, it just means more money to play with. Most I've ever won was $500 in Atlantic City at the craps table.

[JustADude]

According to my instructor from the blackjack course I took the odds are in favor of the house, but not by much. I can't remember exactly what the percentage she gave was though.

IIRC: It's 11.xx%. I can't remember the exact fraction. It's somewhere in the low teens for sure. Compare that to Roulette and Slots where the house advantage is practically obscene, and you'll see why they recommend Blackjack to make your money last.

Hehe...I watched that special last night too. Whenever I gamble, I always bring a set amount of money just for that. If I lose it, I walk away. If I win, it just means more money to play with. Most I've ever won was $500 in Atlantic City at the craps table.

Very smart... and what a crappy way to win.

[MoxisPilot]

Hehe...I watched that special last night too. Whenever I gamble, I always bring a set amount of money just for that. If I lose it, I walk away. If I win, it just means more money to play with. Most I've ever won was $500 in Atlantic City at the craps table.

My husband and I do the same in Vegas. We set aside maybe $100 last time, just for Blackjack. (We're not big gamblers, obviously.)

Not-so-funny story, though - when we stayed at the Hilton, they gave use a $50 chip. We won $200 on it; I bought a pretty necklace from that.

The most I've ever won was comparative - $12 on a penny slot machine. Shoulda bet more, but what can you do?

[UncleImpy]

The percentage for blackjack is indeed very low, I think the base percentage is even lower than the 11% quoted earlier. The key is to play basic blackjack, where the dealer must hit on a soft 17, do NOT play the 'add on' bets (some games allow you to make a side bet on whether either of your cards will match the dealer's up card - these are sucker bets, stay away if you're really hoping to win money).

If you play a solid strategy (You know precisely what you should do with any specific card combination - there are sites and books that will give you a chart that has the play you should make that has the highest probability of winning based on the card hand), and dont play the side bets, you lower the house edge to something like 2-3%. If you can then count cards on top of that (and dont EVEN let on to the pit boss that you're doing that. Heh), and time your big bet when the deck is heavy...well, there you go.

Not that I, um, count cards. At all. Aheh

[depechemodefan]

I hate when people call for the winning numbers (for last night's game). Mostly because they will then ask do I have the winning numbers for this nights game.

There are also the "test numbers". A group of people call everyday asking for the test numbers of the pick three. I wish they call the number for the lottery, not us.

[aurelemsrealm]

If people call for lottery numbers, I just refer them to the lottery hotline. Most people take the hint from that, say thank you, and hang up. For the ones who don't, I inform them I'm busy with customers and need to get back to work immediately. They don't get a chance to argue any further because I simply hang up on them at that point.

[JustADude]

If you can then count cards on top of that (and dont EVEN let on to the pit boss that you're doing that. Heh), and time your big bet when the deck is heavy...well, there you go.

Not that I, um, count cards. At all. Aheh

Hey, there's nothing illegal about card-counting, despite what some of the gestapo hired by various casinos would try to make you think.

They can kick you out for winning too much, though, even if they know you're not cheating. Being on a hot-streak is not a status protected against discrimination, after all.

[Samaliel]

They're most likely to make you stay until you lose a good part of it back rather than kicking you out. After all, the advantage is on the house, isn't it ?

[scroob]

what on earth book did you read where it said the house advantage was 11%? maybe if you play the game wrong. the advantage playing basic strategy is .5%. if you count cards, you will have the advantage. thats why people play blackjack, as it is a game you can beat. casinos make their money from people not playing the game right. blackjack offers you the best odds of any game. case closed. look it up

[JustADude]

They're most likely to make you stay until you lose a good part of it back rather than kicking you out. After all, the advantage is on the house, isn't it ?

Normally, yes, but someone with enough skill can twist the long-run odds in their favor. As I said, card-counting and other feats of statistical analysis, if done in your own head with no mechanical assistance, even paper, aren't cheating, but they do put you ahead of the house if you do them right.

The house doesn't like to be behind, so they boot you if they figure you're too good. They're a business, and they aren't going to continue hosting someone that loses them money.

what on earth book did you read where it said the house advantage was 11%? maybe if you play the game wrong. the advantage playing basic strategy is .5%. if you count cards, you will have the advantage. thats why people play blackjack, as it is a game you can beat. casinos make their money from people not playing the game right. blackjack offers you the best odds of any game. case closed. look it up

Um, dude, I know Blackjack has the best odds. I said as much. As for "what book I read" for the exact numbers, I was just going off of something quoted by a Travel/Discovery/TLC special on Vegas I saw MONTHS ago. Pardon me if my recall isn't completely infaliable on a single statistic heard in passing back in January.

[dithers66]

I like to pay you, it means you are less of an ass towards me. I like pulling too many, it's easier for me, I just have to pay you all, not figure out who gets what.

For someone who'd bitch at YOU personally for something like that, why would you like paying them? I'd like to see them suffer, but them maybe I'm just prejudiced against assholes.

[Samaliel]

The house doesn't like to be behind, so they boot you if they figure you're too good. They're a business, and they aren't going to continue hosting someone that loses them money.

Yup, that's why before throwing you out, they'll try to take you to other games, where strategy doesn't matter as much as sheer luck, such as roulette or craps. But if even THAT doesn't work, yeah, they'll show you the way out.

[SuperB]

Ironically though, we were playing Caribbean Stud one night and the dealer mentioned that the week prior the automatic shuffler dealt someone a royal flush. He said they got rid of the machine.

If you count at blackjack it's not illegal but the casinos can refuse you service for any reason and they're pretty quick to ask you to leave if they suspect it and/or you're winning too much. My husband and 13 year old (blackjack table in the game room) can count cards in blackjack but I don't have the mind for it.

One night in Vegas we were playing at a little place on Freemont Street and my husband was counting but we were staying within $5 of the minimum when I noticed the pit boss staring at us. We were the only two at the table and he must have stared us down for, I'd say, at least 10 hands.
Creepy.

[smileyeagle1021]

One night in Vegas we were playing at a little place on Freemont Street and my husband was counting but we were staying within $5 of the minimum when I noticed the pit boss staring at us. We were the only two at the table and he must have stared us down for, I'd say, at least 10 hands.
Creepy.

I've had that happen to me in Wendover once...I was playing craps and I had won $80 off of $3 bets on nothing but pass line and field (yeah, I was on a hot streak that round... I think with all the people on the table that round ended up costing the casino a few grand)... I'm sure they must have thought I had found some way to set the dice (which to my knowledge there is theoretically no way to set the dice that it actually increases your odds if you are following the rules for throwing, which btw I do.)