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10.5 Other casino table games The main table games in a casino (other
than Backjack) are Craps, Roulette, Baccarat
and, of course, poker. Betting on ball games,
fights or horse races is carried out in the
casino’s sports book operation. CRAPS is an exciting dice game played on a complicated layout ...often accompanied by yelling and screaming! Unless you are familiar with the game, leave this one to those who know how to play.
There are dozens of different bets that can be made ...some with huge house advantages. An absolute beginner should stick to Pass and Don’t Pass line bets. They pay even money. (And Pass and Don’t Pass bets have a very small house advantage, only 1.4%.) PASS LINE BET - A shooter wins if (1.) a seven or eleven is first rolled (the "come out" roll) ...or (2.) the shooter makes his point before rolling a seven. A Pass line bet wins if the shooter wins. To bet with the shooter, you must place your bet in an area marked "Pass Line", before the new shooter "comes out." DON’T PASS LINE BET - is just the opposite of a Pass Line bet. It is a bet against the shooter. A Don’t Pass bet wins if (1.) the shooter "craps out" ..that is, initially rolls a two or three. (A dice roll of twelve - or sometimes a two -is considered a tie or "push" and neither wins nor loses) ...or (2.) fails to make his "point." (If the roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10; a 7 must come out before that point is repeated to be a winner.) To bet against the shooter, you must place your bet in an area marked "Don’t Pass." This area is generally located just inside "Pass Line" on the table layout. ROULETTE is an extremely easy game to play. You merely place a chip on a color, number or combination of numbers. A horizontally mounted wheel is spun and if a little white ball lands on an area or number you bet on, you win. But there is more to it than that. For one thing, it has a high house advantage ...over 5%. (Better to stick with Blackjack or pass line bets at Craps.)
The casino advantage on a USA (double zero) roulette wheel is a hefty 5.26%. That means that on every $10 bet the house makes nearly 53 cents profit. Contrary to what some would have you believe, there are no roulette playing or betting systems that work to the player’s advantage. Winning at roulette (provided it is an evenly balanced wheel) is based totally on luck, nothing else. The five number bet (0, 00, 1, 2 & 3) is the worst bet you can make and carries a whopping house advantage of 7.89%. The European
wheel (with only a single zero) has better odds
for the player: 2.7%. Some Las Vegas casinos
offer single zero roulette ...most often in the
"high roller" rooms where minimums are usually
high. (Check the Monte Carlo, Stratosphere, and
Mirage.)
The newest wrinkle in roulette is called "RAPID ROULETTE." It is played the same way as traditional Roulette (and carries the same odds) except that you play at your own individual player terminal and place your bets on a touch screen. It is called Rapid Roulette because a casino runs the game at about one a minute which includes about 30 seconds for betting. Traditional roulette takes about twice as long. The 12-position Rapid Roulette system at Harrah's Las Vegas has more than an 80% occupancy rate. Result: twice as much profit with twice as many people playing. Essentially,
Rapid Roulette combines the traditional
roulette table with the latest in electronic
technology. It is seen as a way to attract
players away from the slots and back to the
table. Two-zero roulette is a very profitable
table game for casinos ...with more than 5%
house advantage. BACCARAT (pronounced Bac-cah-rah) is popular in European casinos. It is played with six or eight decks of cards shuffled together and placed in a "shoe" (similar to Blackjack.) The table has several player spots and in front of each are three betting areas, "Bank," "Player" and "Tied."
A person holds the "shoe" and continues to be the banker as long as the banker's hand wins. When the player's hand wins, the "shoe" is then passed on to the next player who then becomes the banker. A player does not have to become a banker and may pass the "shoe" if desired. Only two hands are dealt by the house dealer, a "banker" and a "player" hand. Before the hands are dealt, bets are placed on whether the "banker" hand or the "player" hand will win ...or if a tie will result. Winning bets on the "banker" or "player" are paid 1:1, but a 5% commission of 5% is charged on bank bets making odds on such bets 0.95 to 1. (The commission is charged because betting on the "banker" yields a 1.06 percent advantage.) Tie bets are paid are paid at 8:1 (sometimes 9:1 depending on the casino.) A "push" results in the event of a tie and bets on the banker or player are returned. Both the "banker" and "player" hand are dealt according to fixed rules, resulting in final hands of either two or three cards for each. Unlike Blackjack, neither "player" nor "bank" have an option to draw a card. Drawing is all determined by rule. The value of a hand is determined by adding the values of its individual cards. Tens and face cards are counted as zero. All other cards are counted at card value. Only the last digit of the total is used, so all baccarat hands have a value between zero and nine. (For example, an eight and nine has a value of seven.) The hand with the higher value wins. A tie results if the value is the same. Two cards are dealt to the "player" hand and the "bank" hand. If the value is 8 or 9 (a "natural") the cards are shown and the game ends, otherwise play continues. Rules for the "player" hand: The "player" must stand if the first two cards total 6 or more ... and draw one card if the total is 5 or less. Rules for the
"banker" hand: The "banker" must draw one card
if the first two cards total 0, 1, 2 - and
stand if 7 or more. Here is the confusing part:
If the "banker's" two dealt cards total 3, 4,
5, or 6, then the banker draw is determined by
whether the player drew, and if so, the value
of the player's draw card, as shown by the
table below.
D = draw, N = no card drawn by player Confusing? Yes. But it really is an easy game to learn and play. Why not practice at this website. The only difference between Baccarat and Mini-Baccarat is that the dealer is always the banker in the "mini" version. (The house advantage is the same with both.) RACE & SPORTS BOOKS - Nevada is the only state in the nation that allows legal betting on all major individual sporting events. Under state law, wagers must involve the outcome of "athletic contests." Included in this definition is automobile, dog and horse racing.
Here is an example of how a professional football game might be listed in a Las Vegas sportsbook. (The home team is listed last.)
The "spread" is a point advantage given to a weaker team in order to make even bets possible. But they are not really "even money" bets. You make a 11-10 bet when you bet against the spread. That is, you win $10 if you bet $11 (for a total of $21) if your team covers the spread. Wagers are refunded in case of a tie. The favorite team is indicated by a minus number, the underdog by a plus number. In the example shown above, Dallas is a 6 point favorite. Betting $11 to win $10 is how the casino makes a profit. You would win if Dallas wins by 7 or more points. If the total game score exceeds 40 points, you also would win if the total is over that amount ...providing you bet the "over." You bet on a team without a point spread when you place a "money line" bet. There are two totals given for either side on a money line bet. A negative and a plus side. In the example above, for every $18 you bet on Dallas, you win $10 if they win. For every $10 you bet on New York, you win $15 if they win. By juggling the "money line" amounts casinos can make money from games without a point spread. If there is no favorite, each team is listed at -$110. For either side you must risk $110 to win $100. Sportsbook betting is a little more complicated than the above, but this will get you started. Best sports book in Vegas? We think it is at Caesars Palace. A good website to learn more about sportsbook betting is located here. This website lists information about each Las Vegas hotel-casino’s sportsbook. |
Factoid: In Nevada,
you can drive at 16, vote and smoke cigarettes
at 18, but you must be 21 to drink alcohol or
gamble.
Factoid: On an average day in Las Vegas, gamblers spend over $65 million on games of chance and $275 million on slots. |
Standard layout:
craps
table
European roulette wheel
has only one green
zero
Sportsbook at
Harrahs