TABLE GAMES

NEW TABLE LIMITS & YOUR BANKROLL

Adjusting Your Scope Of Wagers At Craps And Roulette

Several Arizona casinos have raised their table game limits from $1,300 to $4,000 since the new game expansion in July. Those that haven’t may be experiencing a loss of high-end players, but what about the challenges players are experiencing with bankroll requirements?

Fortunately, most of us won’t be impacted by the increase because we simply won’t be betting $1,000 on the craps pass line and taking $2,500 odds. But craps and roulette can affect a players’ overall betting patterns and their ability to afford higher limits. We all know $100 doesn’t go as far as it used to.

There’s no way to perfectly align your smaller wagers with larger ones at a slot machine. If you want to qualify for the main jackpot and the slot requires a maximum bet, you’re stuck. At craps and roulette, players run into a similar problem when spreading out their wagers and their bankrolls too thin.

Roulette offers the same house percentage of 5.26% on every wager except the basket, where you are wagering on 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 and getting paid 6 to 1 for a house edge of 7.9%. Avoiding the basket wager will help. Avoiding the temptation to make too many wagers each spin will help too.

Unlike blackjack with its single standard bet, roulette offers dozens of places to wager. The problem with not heeding the temptation to splash your chips around like a Jackson Pollack painting is that you’ll have color everywhere, so even when you hit something, the payoff won’t be enough to keep you ahead. You’ll basically be betting against yourself often and helping the casino make bank.

If you bet the third column because your single number bets are all in the first column, you’ll get paid more often. Still, you won’t exactly win, so avoid the idea that you should back up your individual number wagers with a bet on red, even, or perhaps green to hedge your main bets. Successful roulette players can play the outside bets or inside numbers, but rarely both.

My best advice is to get a color at the minimum per chip amount and concentrate your bets on as few as one or two numbers straight-up and perhaps a few split or corner bets attached to them. You’ll lower your per-spin cost, and when you hit your numbers, you’ll get to keep most of the payoff instead of tossing back most of it on additional bets.

Craps also offers many wagers, but unlike roulette, the Horn and Hard Way bets aren’t a friendly 5.26%; they can be as high as 16.6% each roll! Nothing will decimate your bankroll faster than a lousy series of rolls and a high house edge.

To get the most out of your bankroll at craps, keep your eyes and wagers on the Pass or the Don’t Pass Line and take full odds. Then, consider a Come wager or two with odds and wait for a payoff.

Craps players often must wait quite a while for their Pass Line or Come wagers to win or lose, but it’s better to be patient with your tiny 1.41% odds-against than losing a bunch of high-odds bets while waiting! Be cool. $

Writer Al Moe has worked in the casino industry for many years. He has lived and worked in Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. He also attended the University of Nevada, Reno. He is an avid writer and blogger. His book, “Vegas and the Mob," is available online at Amazon.com. He is also the proud father of four beautiful girls.

HIGHER LIMIT GAMES

Insight Into How I Play

Iam often asked what blackjack table limits I like to play. When I am in Las Vegas, I like to play the $25 minimum double deck game. The reason I like this game is because with the higher minimum bet you generally get better rules for the player. However, if you play at this level, you really need to play a very good game of blackjack. Otherwise, you could end up losing a lot of money very quickly. At the very least you want to have basic strategy perfectly mastered, as well as the ability to count cards. You also need to understand how the player advantage or disadvantage changes according to what cards have been dealt.

By playing in this informed manner, you can make decisions as to the proper time to wager more based on when you have the advantage. In addition, you’ll know when to bet the minimum when the casino has the edge.

Let me provide you with some insight into my play. On my last trip to Las Vegas, I played over a three day period. When I play a blackjack session, it usually lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. I don’t like to play longer than that because it gives the casino too much time to zero in on you and figure out what you are up to. The casinos have what they call the “Griffith Book.” It’s a book of known card counters and once you are in their book, your career is over. With one corporation now owning several casino properties, if you get banned in one you’re banned in all of them. As a result, I like to fly under the radar. My sessions aren’t very long and I try to make my bet size look like a typical gambler. If I need to increase my bet, I will usually wait until I win a hand and double up. This looks more natural then going from a minimum bet to a bet that is four times what you bet the previous hand. I also don’t get crazy with my betting, even though there are times when I would like to make a much larger bet than what I have out. The key is to not attract attention to yourself and try to blend in. I also don’t play in the same casino very long. In Las Vegas this is fairly easy to do because there are so many casinos.

My advice is to avoid the really small casinos. They especially don’t like it if you give them a good spanking on their home turf. Some of them can get very rude to players who they think can beat their game.

On my last trip to Las Vegas, I was fortunate enough not to have any losing sessions. During my first playing session, I showed a net profit of $380. Not a bad way to start! A little later, on that same day, I played my next session which resulted in a $1,150 net win. Finally, I ended up with a $330 net win at the end of my final session of the day.

On the second day of my trip I started off with a net win of $1,500. I changed casinos and an hour later I left the casino with a net win of $430. At this point I took a six hour break and did some shopping to appease my travelling partner. One thing I can tell you about having someone with you is that if they are not happy, neither are you! In any event, I didn’t play again until later that evening when I had a nice run of cards and came out with a $620 net win.

On my final day in Las Vegas, I only played one session and ended up with a net win of $300. I won 7 straight sessions and ended up with a $2,850 profit for my trip. It’s nice when things go your way but you have to remember that it also can go the other direction as well. In the long run I win, on average, about 7 out of 12 sessions. So, when a streak comes along like this it is always appreciated!

If you would like to be the one that has the winning edge over the casino my new book, How To Become A Blackjack Jedi by TJ Jorgensen, is available on Amazon in both hard copy and eBook format. I teach how to overcome the house advantage. After all, it’s much more fun to win than it is to lose. Who knows, you might even improve your overall blackjack playing skills too! $

Writer TJ Jorgensen has been a professional Blackjack player for over 20 years. He is well known for his tournament play and has beaten some of the top tournament players in the world. He has also won the World Series Of Blackjack. His newest book “How To Become A Blackjack Jedi” is available online at Amazon.com.