Swain Scheps - Casino Gambling For Dummies

None of the above. I’m talking about the marketing gurus at modern casinos. They’re constantly studying reams of data on millions of gamblers to develop profiles of guests who most willingly spend their discretionary income on a couple of hours of distraction.

Nothing is left to chance in a modern casino. Every possible element, from the design of the wallpaper to the thickness of the carpet, is there to draw you in and keep you gambling as long as possible. All the colors, sights, sounds, and sensations serve one purpose: to make you happy — even when you lose.

The casino’s first commandment is “The house shall always win.” A couple of games permit sharp players to break even or eke out a small edge occasionally. But casinos are in business to make money, so winning is a losing proposition for most players.

Why? Three good reasons:

In many games, the casino doesn’t pay out true odds. In roulette, for example, the odds of betting on the right number are 37 to 1. That means you can expect to guess right once for every 37 spins of the wheel. But if you win, the payout is only 35 to 1 — or $35 profit for every $1 you bet. The difference between 37 and 35 seems small, but that discrepancy actually gives the house one of its biggest edges. (Refer to Chapter 3for an explanation of true odds and Chapter 9for more info on roulette.)

The casino has a house edge — a mathematical advantage over the player in any game. Throughout the casino, players must overcome odds that aren’t favorable to winning. (Read more about the edge in Chapter 3.)Your goal is to find games where the casino has the lowest edge. Craps is a great example. This fun, exciting game offers great odds — if you stay away from the bad bets. We explore craps in Chapter 8.To get the lowdown on house edge in other games, check out the individual chapters in Parts II and III.

The house charges a vigorish (commission) in some games, such as sports betting. (Check out Chapter 15.)

For most people, developing a strategy for doling out their gambling bankroll can keep them out of serious trouble. Set a budget and stick to it. Consider contingencies (such as losing your bankroll in the first few minutes of your visit) and know how to respond when your wallet gets whacked.

Your strategy, however, is only as good as your willpower. Nothing jacks up casino profits faster than undisciplined gamblers. If you’re an impulsive type, then gambling may leave your bank account looking like it just went 15 rounds with a heavyweight boxing champion. (Refer to Chapter 4, where we discuss important money-management issues.)

Now, it’s certainly true that most people can save their money by avoiding casinos altogether. So, for folks who don’t want to lose money: Don’t gamble! But the conservative and prudent path in life isn’t the only choice. (And that would make for a very short book.) Gambling can be a great way to spice up a vacation and break out of a boring routine. Gambling is all about taking a risk — exposing yourself to a chance of loss.

Don’t overdo it. Government studies show that as many as 1 in every 25 adults has a problem with compulsive gambling. Think about that the next time you sit down at a blackjack table. Several people in the pit probably shouldn’t be there. Could you be one of them? Gambling addiction is a serious matter. (Refer to Appendix B for some helpful info.)

Knowledge is power and is your only ally against the formidable forces that threaten to separate you from your hard-earned cash. One piece of knowledge you definitely need, particularly if you’re going to wade into the shark-infested waters of table games, is the varying colors and matching denominations of standard casino chips, the little round tokens you use when you bet.

The casinos make this bit easy for you because the chips also have a denomination printed on them so that you know the red chip, for instance, is worth $5 and the green chip is worth $25. The following is a standard list of casino-chip colors, as well as their corresponding values:

White: $1

Red: $5

Green: $25

Black: $100

Purple: $500

Burgundy or Yellow: $1,000

Brown: $5,000

Casino games are as diverse as the people who play them — and that’s part of the fun. You may think of craps as a rough-and-tumble game, played by hustlers and wiseguys, but step into a casino, and you’re just as likely to spot an angelic-looking nurse rolling dice next to a cursing cowboy from Texas. And because no game has a precise player profile, don’t restrict yourself to the few games you think suit you. Give each one a try and see where it takes you.

Although the majority of casino visitors prefer slot machines, chances are, if you’re reading this book, you’re willing to try new ways to gamble. After you read this book and know which games have the best odds, take a quick walk around the casino floor to see where you want to start and give several of them a try.

In a casino, the tables come in all shapes and sizes, from the stadium shape of poker tables, to the half-round crescent of blackjack, and to the long rectangular craps tables. And the table is just about all they have in common.

Unspoken rules seem to govern the table games. Most casino guests have discovered from experience to avoid the taboos: holding your cards with two hands, touching chips in the betting circle after the cards are dealt, and throwing the dice so wildly that they fly over the rail and end up in somebody’s drink. You can discover general casino etiquette in Chapter 5and more game-specific rules in most chapters. However, before you worry about acting properly, this section includes a brief overview of the main table games that you may encounter in a casino.

Poker rooms have been a staple at Nevada casinos since the 1940s. But it took the advent of the Internet to transform poker from a backroom game into something akin to an international sport, complete with major events, television coverage, and superstars. Starting in 2004, the online poker boom created an insatiable American market for poker that has resulted in more than 20 states legalizing live casino poker, card rooms, poker clubs, or online poker.

The Internet was the catalyst, but the underlying appeal of the game is even simpler: Good players can consistently win. In poker, you compete against other players rather than the house. And with honed skills and intimate knowledge of the game, you can have a significant edge over those other, less-prepared gamblers.

Hiding your emotions is a requisite skill for a successful poker player. They don’t call it a poker face for nothin’! So, if you can’t control your nervous ticks when you bluff, or if your eyes get as big as saucers when you make a full house, either play your poker online or put a bag over your head. (For other tips, read Chapter 6.)