TABLE GAMES

WHO’S WINNING IN ARIZONA CASINOS?

Noise And Excitement Create Interest!

Wandering your favorite casino, you might see blackjack players wagering thousands of dollars saying nothing as their blackjack hand of twenty gets whacked by a dealer five-card 21, and sports bettors with fivedollar tickets on a football game cheering wildly when their team’s quarterback throws a touchdown pass - in the first quarter! That’s quite a difference, but things change.

Back when slot machines paid out in actual coins, some casinos had rounded bowls the coins fell into that offered acoustic advantages (noise) when the machines paid off. And some casinos paid “starters” to sit with a bucket of coins at the dollar slots and whoop and holler every time their machine paid anything. Noise and excitement create interest.

The best thing about casinos is they are a great escape. And casino enthusiasts say they have more fun playing blackjack and roulette than playing lottery scratchers. You can’t win millions, but you’ll win more often, and you win when you have fun.

Roulette and Craps in Arizona

We are lucky enough now to have live roulette and craps in Arizona, and you don’t have to be quiet about it. Although roulette may have originated in Europe, where only the rich quietly played the wheel while dressed to the nines, you can have fun and cheer in Arizona.

However, the most noise you’ll ever hear in a casino (except during the Super Bowl) is at the craps game! Craps players love to root for numbers. On the first roll, it’s seven come eleven! Afterward, you might be screaming for the Hardways or a second-roll eleven, but there’s no confusing a dice game with a poker game.

The game of craps takes a crew to run, with a boxman watching and three dealers, so the limits may be a bit higher than you are used to in Arizona for a table game. But even if the Pass Line wager is $15 minimum or $25, the proposition wagers (like the hardways and horn bets) are available for less. And, a craps game is different than every other table game.

At craps, when you bet the Pass line, Come, Buy, Place, and even the Hardways, your wager can last a long time. Your Pass line wager stays in action until a craps number (2, 3, 12) is rolled on a come-out roll, or the shooter rolls seven after establishing a point of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. It could be one roll, or it could be 50. It’s a fantastic game.

And, it’s the only game where you are encouraged to shout out your numbers and cheer when you want. Does the cheering help? I’m not sure. But Harold Smith, Sr., thought so.

Editor’s Note: According to Wikipedia.org, Harold's Club casino was established in 1935 by Harold S. Smith Sr. (1910-1985) and his brother, Raymond A. Smith. Soon afterwards, their father, Raymond I. ("Pappy") Smith (1887-1967), was appointed general manager and became the public face of the casino. The casino expanded by buying adjacent Virginia Street properties. Harold's Club constructed a seven-story building as part of the casino, but never had a hotel on the property. Pappy Smith developed a marketing campaign that made the casino famous, using more than two thousand billboards across the United States advertising "Harold's Club or Bust", often written on a Conestoga wagon. Harold Smith Sr. strongly believed in a carnival-style atmosphere in his casino. $

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.

SHOULD YOU PLAY AT A FULL TABLE?

Examining All The Pros And Cons

First of all, let me debunk the myth that the actions of the other players at a table determine whether you are going to win or lose. The players that subscribe to this theory usually play marginal basic strategy at best. After the hand is over these players will then point out that if a player wouldn't have done this we would have all won, or will take credit for everyone winning the hand since they took the dealer’s 5 that would have given them 21.

The truth is that you tend to remember the hand that the player took the dealer’s bust card on that caused everyone to lose, and forget when a stupid play caused you to win. In the long run the way the other players play their hand has no effect on your long term results. They help you just as much as they hurt you, so it all balances out.

If you are new to the game of blackjack, a full table can be helpful because it slows the game down, and gives you more time to make the correct play for your given hand. Typically you will play about 50 to 60 hands per hour at a full table. If you are playing perfect basic strategy the casino has a long term advantage over you and this means that you will lose less money per hour at a full table.

If you are not playing perfect basic strategy when you play blackjack you are giving more of your money away. For example, if you stand on 12 against a dealer’s up card of 2, you will lose 29.3% of all the money you bet in that situation. If your average bet is $10 it costs you $2.93 to stand. By hitting, you reduce your loss by $0.40 or $2.53 per hand.

If you play just 4 hours a week, the amount you donate in this situation may surprise you. Over a year’s time you will play about 12,000 hands, and you will see 12 vs. a 2 about 75 times. Standing instead of hitting your 12 vs. a dealer up card of 2 over a year’s time adds up to $30 a year. Do you really want to give your favorite casino $30 more a year? Do you think they need an extra $30? If you're scared of busting or “taking the dealer's bust card,” you're giving the casino a gift each and every time you stand.

This is only one example of what it costs you to misplay a hand. Each time that you deviate from basic strategy you are giving more of your money to the casino. How much? The chart below will demonstrate the amount you give to the casino by misplaying your hand. This chart is based on 4 hours of play per week, and an average bet size of $10.

WRONG CORRECT COST OF WRONG PLAY

Stand with 12 vs. 3 Hit $10.20 a year Stand with A-7 vs. 9 Hit $9.28 a year Hit 11 vs. 10 Double $99.00 a year Stand A-7 vs. 3,4,5,6 Double $32.89 a year Stand A-6 vs. 7 Hit $21.89 a year Double 9 vs. 7 Hit $19.44 a year Stand 16 vs. 7 Hit $37.00 a year Stand 16 vs. 10 Hit $12.09 a year

Keep in mind that this is only a partial list of misplayed hands. Can you imagine the amount that is needlessly given away by a "hunch" player? These are also the players that complain that they never win and don't know why. Well now they know.

Hopefully this chart is a wake up call to those of you that know basic strategy, but play hunches and gut feelings some of the time. The difference between a player who makes money at blackjack, and those who don't is simple. The perfect basic strategy player will double on 11 against a dealer’s 10 twelve times in a row and lose all twelve, but on the thirteenth time he will do it again, because he has complete faith in basic strategy. Hunches and intuition have no place in the game of blackjack.

If you decide that card counting is for you and would like to take your game to the next level, I cover card counting in my new book. My system keeps track of all the cards as they are dealt, and has a betting and playing strategy according to the count. By playing this way you have a mathematical advantage over any casino. Then it will be you, not the house, who has the advantage when you sit down to play. My new book “How to Become a Blackjack Jedi,” by TJ Jorgensen, is available in digital and printed versions at Amazon.com. $

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.