Amiga Plus 1995 #2/Amiga Plus CD - 1995 - No. 2.iso/internet/faq/englisch/rec.gambling

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Archive-name: gambling-faq/general
URL: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/general.html

-----------------------
General Frequently Asked Questions

This is the General section of the rec.gambling Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) list.

Changes or additions to this section of the FAQ should be submitted to:
[e-mail].

Page last modified: 12-29-94

I wish to thank Frank Irwin for helping to compile much of the information that
appears in this list. I also wish to thank those who contributed information,
as well as those who spent countless hours running blackjack simulations in
order to help answer many of these questions.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table of Contents

Section S: Spare us!
S1 Martingale betting systems -- just double your bet until you win
S2 The Inevitable Monty Hall
S3 How much would you pay to play this game?

Section G: General Gambling Topics
G1 What casino game has the best odds?
G2 How do you get comps?
G3 What comps are available?
G4 How do I get a casino credit line?
G5 How are "markers" used?
G6 Where can I get casino quality chips?
G7 Are chip colors standardized?
G8 What are matchplay chips
G9 What are "pit critters"?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Section S: Spare us!

These questions come up occasionally, causing a lot of heated discussions and
wasted bandwidth. The rec.gambling regulars are pretty sick of seeing these
questions, and they would appreciate it if you just didn't ask them. If you do
ask, we'll probably just say "see the FAQ list".
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S1 Martingale betting systems -- just double your bet until you win
A:S1 (Frank Irwin, Steve Jacobs)

From: "The Eudaemonic Pie" by Thomas A. Bass

     The word comes from the French expression "porter les chausses a la
     martingale," which means "to wear one's pants like the natives of
     Martigue," a village in Provence where trousers are fastened at the
     rear. The expression implies that this style of dress and method of
     betting are equally ridiculous.

The betting scheme merely states that you would want to double your bet after
each loss. Beginning with one unit, you would bet two units if you lost the
first. Then four, then eight, until you win a bet. You would then revert to a
one unit bet. The theory is that with each win you will win all that you lost
since the last win, plus one unit. The reality is that you will quickly come to
a betting ceiling, governed by either your bankroll or the house limit, above
which you may not increase your bet. After 9 straight losses (it's happened to
me) you would be betting 512 units.

In practice, a lot of people get sucked into betting this way because it gives
the illusion of really working. This is because most of the time, you will end
a string of bets with a win. However, on those rare occasions when you do lose,
you will lose a lot of money. So, the end result is that you win a small amount
almost always, but when you lose you will lose more than all of your little
wins combined.

The important point to realize is that most games simply cannot be beat in the
long run. In games such as craps, roulette, and non-progressive slot machines,
it is mathematically impossible to gain an advantage over the house.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S2 The Inevitable Monty Hall
A:S2 (Steve Jacobs)

You are a contestant on "Let's Make A Deal", and Monty Hall offers you your
choice of three doors. One door has a prize, and the other two doors are empty.
Monty knows in advance where the prize is, and no matter which door you pick,
Monty will open one of the other doors to show you that it is empty. Monty then
offers to allow you to trade your door for the other unopened door. What should
you do?

My best advice is to grab Monty around the neck and strangle him :-)

The short answer is that you should switch doors, because it increases your
chance of winning from 1/3 to 2/3. The odds are not 50/50, because the
probability that the prize is behind the door you originally picked is 1/3, and
this probability never changes until the prize is revealed. This can be seen by
considering what happens if you decide to *never* switch doors -- in this case
you will win one time in three, since you will win only if your original pick
is correct. So, if you *always* switch you will win 2/3 of the time, since you
win whenever your original pick was wrong. Since Monty can (and will) always
show an empty door, it is as if he is saying "you can keep your door, or you
can trade it for BOTH of the other doors, and to confuse you I will show you
that one of the other doors is empty, even though you already knew that".

Some of you won't believe that this is correct. You will say "after Monty opens
a door, there are only two choices so you have an equal chance of winning
whether you switch or not". This is wrong. The fact that there are only two
choices does NOT imply that the two choices have equal probability. Still not
convinced? Suppose there are 100 doors, and only one prize. You pick a door,
and Monty shows you 98 empty doors (he can always do this, since he knows where
the prize is), and offers to let you switch. The chance that your original pick
was right is 1/100. If you never switch, you will almost always lose.
Therefore, if you always switch you will almost always win.

Not convinced? Try it yourself, but try playing the role of Monty in order to
help see how it works. Don't ask rec.gambling, because we'll know you didn't
really try it yourself.

The confusion caused by this question shows that probability problems often go
against human intuition. This question appeared (several times) in the "Ask
Marilyn" column of the "Parade" insert that appears in many Sunday newspapers
in the United States. Many people with Ph.D.'s in mathematics claimed in wild
disbelief that Marilyn's answer [2/3] was wrong, and that it was a sad
commentary on the American education system. Indeed it is, because the
mathematicians were wrong. [Note: there has been some discussion as to whether
Marilyn phrased the question correctly and/or unambigously in her column. This
report is based on (possibly flawed) memory. Slight changes in the wording of
the question can result in much different answers, which obviously adds to the
confusion. --SRJ]
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S3 How much would you pay to play this game?
A:S3 (John P. Nelson)

     I flip a coin until it comes up tails. If it comes up tails the first
     time, you get $2; if the second, $4; if the third time, $8. That is,
     if I flip the coin N times, you get 2^N bucks. [How much would you
     pay to play this game?]

The problem is, of course, that the "expected value" of this game is an
infinite series that does not converge: The "expected" win appears to be
infinite. However, in any REAL implementation of this game, there would have to
be an upper limit to your liability: It would be unreasonable to expect you to
really pay off a win of trillions of dollars.

If you put an upper limit on the number of flips, then the expected value of
the game converges, and it is quite easy to calculate the "break even" wager.
If we limit the game to N flips, and you pay me $2^M if tails comes up on the
M'th flip and if N flips occur with no tails, you pay me 2^(N+1), then the
expected value of each game is simply N+2. (A variation on the rules: If you
pay me 0 if N flips occur with no tails, then the expected value of the game is
$N).

This is fairly easy to calculate: On each independent trial, the chance of a
tails is 1/2. Clearly, the chance of a tails on the second trial is 1/4 (1/2
chance of heads on the first trial, times 1/2 chance of tails on the second
trial). The odds of a tail occurring on the Nth flip is 1/(2^N). The payoff at
that point is 2^N. So we have the series:

1/2 * payoff-1flip + 1/4 * payoff-2flip + 1/8 * payoff-3flip

or:

  $2     $4     $8      $(2^N)
  --  +  --  +  -- ...  ------
   2      4      8      $(2^N).

Given a maximum of N flips, the expected win is 1+1+1..., N times. Given a $0
payoff on N heads in a row, that is the total expected win: N. If you pay off
2^(N+1) after N tails, the final term is

    $(2^(N+1))
    ----------  = 2
      $(2^N)

Which explains where the +2 in (N+2) comes from.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Section G: General Gambling Topics

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G1 What casino game has the best odds?
A:G1 (Steve Jacobs)

In general, blackjack is the most favorable game in the casino. The house edge
for blackjack ranges from about 0.15% to 0.45%, depending on the house rules
and number of decks. Occasionally, single deck games can be found which give a
slight edge to the player. The house edge for other casino games is listed
below. In games involving skill, these numbers assume that an optimal betting
and playing strategy is used. Note that many forms of video poker are favorable
to the player, although these machines are often difficult to find.

     Video Poker (Jacks or better): 0.5% to -0.7%
     Video Poker (Deuces Wild): 4% to -1.7%
     Progressive Video Poker ("8/5" payoffs): 2.2% to -2%
     Craps line bets with single odds: 0.8%
     Craps line bets with double odds: 0.6%
     Baccarat "bank" bet: 1.06%
     Baccarat "player" bet: 1.24%
     Red Dog: 2.8%
     Roulette, double zero wheel: 5.26%
     Roulette, single zero wheel (rare): 2.7%
     Keno (estimate): 20% to 25%
     State Lottery: 50% or more

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G2 How do you get comps?
A:G2 (Frank Irwin, Michael Hall, Dave Everett)

The prerequisite for getting comped is to let the floormen/pit boss know how
much you are betting. You can do this in two ways:

In Nevada, tell the floorman that you'd like to be rated, as you sit down to
the table. If your action (the amount you bet) is high enough, he will fill out
a rating slip on you. Sometimes, the floorman will approach you and ask you if
you want to be rated.

In many casinos, you give the floorman a card, much like a credit card, as you
approach the table. He will either just fill out a rating slip, as in Vegas, or
he will swipe the card through a reader. When you leave, ask for your card
back.

The floormen will keep track of your buy-in, your initial bet, your average
bet, and how much you leave the table with. If you decide to try to decrease
the amount they see you leave with by squirreling chips away, be sure to do it
well. Those dealers are much more aware than they let on.

If there is only one person at the table getting green chips, and you are that
person, the floormen will know how many you've squirreled away by subtracting
what's in the tray from what they started with, and the difference is what you
have. Similarly, if there are only two players getting green chips, and the
other one has all his on the table, they can figure out what you have. And they
do. The floormen are better at this than they let on.

The amount of your comp worth is generally half of your average bet per hour.
In most Las Vegas casinos (except places such as the Mirage and Caesars) you
are expected to play for 4 hours/day at an average $25 bet to qualify for a
room. A sample comp chart, from the Stardust Casino, follows.

[The amount of the comp is worth some constant fraction times the average bet
per hour, that constant depends upon the casino management's evaluation of
their advantage per decision, and the number of decisions per hour. Half is
high. A quarter is more likely for blackjack out of a shoe. --Dave Everett]
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G3 What comps are available?
A:G3 (Frank Irwin)

The following is a listing of the comp schedule for the Stardust Casino in Las
Vegas, Nevada. This can be considered typical for a Las Vegas casino (casinos
such as the Mirage or Caesars may require more action).

  Player Line or    Average     Hours       Complimentaries
   Front Money        Bet       Played         Extended

                        $25       4         Comp. Room
                        $50       4         Comp. Room,
                                            Limited F & B

  $5,000                $75       4         Room, Food
                                            & Beverage
                       $100       4         RFB & $150
                                            Airfare Reimburse

  $10,000              $125       4         RFB & $250
                                            Airfare Reimburse
                       $150       4         RFB & $400
                                            Airfare Reimburse
                       $175       4         RFB & $575
                                            Airfare Reimburse
                       $200       4         RFB & $750
                                            Airfare Reimburse

  $20,000              $250       4         RFB & $1000
                                            Airfare Reimburse
                       $300       4         RFB & $1200
                                            Airfare Reimburse
                       $400       4         RFB & $1500
                                            Airfare Reimburse
                       $500       4         RFB & $1500
                                            Airfare Reimburse

  NOTES:

  A.  These requirements are based on four hours play per day.  Excess playing
      time reduces the average bet requirement and higher average bets reduce
      the playing time requirement.  For Example:  A $200 bet for 2 hours is
      equal to a $100 bet for 4 hours.

  B.  Airfare reimbursements are based on a minimum of 12 hours playing time.

  C.  Complimentary food and beverage are to include the player and one guest.

  D.  Size of bet in dice is the sum of all flat, place, proposition, field,
      come and buy bets.

  E.  Excessive RFB usage reduces airfare reimbursement amounts.

  F.  Please let our friendly floor staff know who you are when you initiate
      play at any table.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G4 How do I get a casino credit line?
A:G4 (Frank Irwin)

This is easy. Just call up one of the casinos and ask for a casino host. Tell
him that you would like to set up a line of credit. Either he'll ask you some
questions, or send you to someone who will. They just take down your name,
address, phone, place of business, what you do, and a bank account number. You
can ask for a particular credit line, but what they give you will depend on how
much you have in your account. If you have a savings account that contains more
than your checking account, give them that number.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G5 How are "markers" used?
A:G5 (Frank Irwin, Dave Everett)

At the beginning of your first trip to a casino after establishing credit, you
will be required to go to the cage to sign some papers and let them copy your
driver's license. You will also indicate how you wish to pay for any
outstanding markers upon your departure. If it's your first trip, they may want
you to settle before you leave. Later, you may be able to work our some sort of
payment plan.

When you walk up to a table, ask the floorman for a marker. He'll get your name
and go away for a little while. When he comes back, he'll give you a bank check
to sign. This is a counter check, which is a form of bank draft, and has the
legal force of a regular check. They may take money out of your account on this
check. Additionally, these markers may require manual intervention and
attention when presented to your bank for processing. If you don't want your
banker to know where your money is going, don't leave behind a marker; pay it
up with a regular bank check.

If you win at the table (and don't squirrel chips away :-), the floorman may
ask you to buy back your marker. This is exactly what you do; you give the
dealer chips equal to your marker, and the floorman gives you your bank check.
In many casinos, markers are not redeemed at the table, but the player must go
to the cashier's cage to buy back the marker. In order for you to establish a
credit line, Atlantic City casinos commonly have you sign a statement in which
you agree, more or less, not to "walk" with chips when you owe them money for a
marker. This also means that you are not supposed to convert chips to cash
while they hold your marker. This is usually not interpreted as being on a
daily basis, but rather on a trip basis. That is, if you've signed markers for
$1000, and have 7 black chips in your possession, they do not want you to cash
the 7 chips, and walk with their $700 while you owe them $1000. They want you
to turn in the chips, and owe them $300.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G6 Where can I get casino quality chips?
A:G6 (Michael Hall)

   CHIP SUPPLIER        CITY, STATE      PHONE     REGULAR        PERSONALIZED
  ================= ============== ============== ============== =============
  The Poker Store    Stanton, CA   [phone]  ?               $55/100
  Paul Son           Las Vegas, NV [phone]  $.35/each       $.40/each
     "               ???, NJ       [phone]  $.35/each       $.40/each
     "               Reno, NV      [phone]  $35/100         $40/100
  Bud Jones Company  Las Vegas, NV [phone]  ?       1 color:$25/100
     "                "                            ?       2 color:$40/100
  Gambler's General  Las Vegas, NV (800) 322-CHIP  ?               $40/100
     Store

Note that the chip prices above are for CASINO QUALITY, which means they're
heavy clay and thus rather expensive. The suppliers also have lighter clay
chips and cheap-o plastic chips.

One reason you might want personalized chips, other than for vanity's sake, is
to have dollar amounts put on them. Several places said they can put your
initials on one side and the dollar amount on the other, which is kind of neat.
For their unpersonalized chips, you had a choice of a starburst or a horseshoe
insignia. Paulson was the most flexible, since they'd let you order any
quantity (not just multiples of 100) with no minimum order. All of the
suppliers had a wide variety of colors. Bud Jones Company had solid one color
chips as well as the two colored chips that many casinos use.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G7 Are chip colors standardized?
A:G7 (Dave "4" Everett)

Yes and no.

In the United States, almost all casinos use red for $5 chips,green for $25,
and black for $100. In Las Vegas, other denomination chips can be any color
whatsoever, though $1 chips are generally white or blue.

In Atlantic City, they use the Munsel Color Code system, and is a matter of
regulation. In addition the "inserts" or edge marks used by each casino must be
different in color(s) than those used by all other A.C. casinos for the same
denomination.

  chip value              color           Notes
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  $0.50                   mustard         Never issued.
  $1                      white
  $2.50                   pink            Used for paying blackjacks
  $5                      red
  $20                     yellow
  $25                     green
  $100                    black
  $500                    purple
  $1000                   orange          larger diameter than those above
  $5000                   gray            same diameter as orange chips

Foxwoods and Turning Stone use the same scheme, though neither uses yellow.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G8 What are matchplay chips
A:G8 (Chuck Weinstock, Dave Everett)

A matchplay chip is a non-negotiable chip, usually given by the casino to
induce play at their tables. The chips are good at any table game, but only for
even money bets. Thus you can bet them on craps (line bets), blackjack,
roulette (odd/even, black/red), but not, for instance, the field at craps. When
you play a matchplay chip you must match it with a chip of your own (hence the
name). For the Bally offer I understand the chips have a value of $5.00, so you
must play each one with $5.00 of your own money.

If you lose the bet, you lose your $5.00 and the matchplay chip. If you win
your bet you win $5.00 on your $5.00 and $5.00 (real money) on the matchplay
chip. However, even if you win they take the matchplay chip. (I'm not sure if
this is universal, but it certainly is typical.) I'm not sure how they pay off
Blackjack (which pays 3-2). [ They always take your matchplay chip, win or
lose. Blackjack pays even money on the matchplay chip. - FAI ] [Most casinos
don't take the match play chips on pushes and do pay even money on the match
play portion of blackjacks. Some casinos (e.g. Four Queens) pay 3:2 on the
match play portion of blackjacks. -- Michael Hall]

If you are playing in an even expectation game, you would expect to win half of
your bets. Thus the $200 in matchplay has an expected value of around $100. Of
course this is only an expectation, and you could win or lose much more than
that.

There are also such things as match play coupons. They work just like match
play chips, but they are coupons, printed on paper. It is typical for match
play chips and/or coupons not to be allowed on games where the payout odds are
other than 1:1. In most casinos, a bet consisting of a $5 regular chip and a $5
match play chip will result, if it wins, with a payout of $10 and forfeiture of
the match play chip. If a blackjack occurs, the payout will generally be $7.50
for the regular chip and $5 (even money) for the match play chip, for a total
of $12.50, not $15. At some casinos, they _do_ pay that blackjack as though it
were a $10 bet, and it gets $15.

Another aspect of match play chips/coupons is whether their face value counts
toward meeting the table minimum. At some casinos it does, and at some it does
not. At some casinos, a $5 regular chip and a $5 match play coupon played
together will be considered a $10 bet and will qualify for play at a $10
minimum table. At other casinos, the match play value must be played in
addition to the table minimum in regular chips.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:G9 What are "pit critters"?
A:G9 (Steve Jacobs)

Casino personnel who are responsible for supervising the games and dealers are
often "affectionately" referred to in rec.gambling as "pit critters". The
various species of pit critters are described below:

floorman
     the lowest level of pit critter, and the most likely to be encountered by
players.
     The floorman is usually responsible for only a few tables.

pit boss
     the next level of pit critter, responsible for several floormen and their
tables.
     This pit critter supervises one "pit" in the casino.

shift supervisor
     the head pit boss during a particular shift.

casino manager
     the mother of all pit critters [and usually the owner's son. -- Blair
Houghton]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archive-name: gambling-faq/sports
URL: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/sports.html

-----------------------
Frequently Asked Questions about Sports Betting

This is the Sports Betting section of the rec.gambling Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) list.

Most of the information in the FAQ was taken from the Art Manteris book
"Superbookie". Published by Contemporary Books Inc. Copyright 1991.

Changes or additions to this section of the FAQ should be submitted to:
[e-mail].

Page last modified: 2-5-95
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table of Contents

Section S: Sports Betting
S1 Where can I bet legally on Sports?
S2 What sports can I bet on?
S3 What is "the spread"?
S4 Why do I have to bet $11 to win $10?
S5 What are all of the different types of bets?
S6 Can I make a million dollars with one bet?
S7 Who makes the odds?
S8 Do I have to be over 21 to bet on sports?
S9 What is the minimum bet that must be reported to the IRS?
S10 Are there any good books or articles on sports gambling topics?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S1 Where can I bet legally on Sports?
A:S1

You can bet leaglly on Sports in the United States only at a licensed
Nevada Sports Book and in the Oregon State Lottery. If you try hard enough
you can probably find an illegal bookie in your home town, but frequently
their odds are worse than those can get in Nevada. In most cases, you are
not allowed to phone in wagers to a Nevada Sports Book across state lines,
but there are exceptions. (What they are, I'm not sure. Anyone else know?)
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S2 What sports can I bet on?
A:S2

You can bet on any sport the Sports Book you are wagering with covers. At
most books, this includes professional and college football and basketball,
professional baseball, professional hockey, and horse and dog racing. Every
now and then Sports Books will offer proposition bets (see below) on events
like professional golf tournaments and the Indy 500 and the like, but not
on a regular basis for other events in those sports.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S3 What is "the spread"?
A:S3

The spread is a point advantage given to a weaker team that is expected to
lose by X number of points. This is the odds makers way of making even bets
possible for a Sports Book. Usually if you bet against the spread you make
an 11-10 bet. This means that you win $10 if you bet $11 for a total of $21
if your team covers the spread.

A team covers the spread if it wins the game with the score modified by the
spread. If Dallas and Washington are playing and the spread is (Dallas -7),
then Dallas has to win by at least 8 points to cover. Half-point spreads
are also possible.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S4 Why do I have to bet $11 to win $10?
A:S4

This is one of the many ways the Sports book makes it's money. In an ideal
situation, the same amount of money will be bet on both sides of the line
and the Sports Book will take it's 10% from the losing side. If $55000
($50000 and an addition $5000 to make the bets) was bet on Washington and
$55000 bet on Dallas, no matter who wins the game the SB will make $5000.
In case of a tie, all money is refunded. This is a rather simplified
version as the spread moves when one side becomes more heavily bet on.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S5 What are all of the different types of bets?
A:S5

Proposition bet

A prop bet is a bet the SB offers at odds and conditions of it's choosing.
Prop bets can be exotic bets like which team will score the most
touchdowns, which team will shoot the most three pointers, which running
back will rush for the most yards, etc. Most prop bets are offered at 11-10
odds, but some of the exotics will be offered at better or worse odds,
depending on the bet.

Money Line Bets

A money line bet is a bet on the straight up total of an event or the odds
for a straight up prop bet. There are two totals given for either side on a
money line bet. A negative and a plus side.


                        Dallas          -170
                        Washington      +150

What this means is that for every $17 you bet on Dallas, you win $10 if
they win. For every $10 you bet on Washington, you win $15 if they win.
This is the way SB's make money off games by not giving points.

Spread Bets

These are the standard bets to make. Basically a proposition bet at 11-10
odds where the conditions are you give or take points on the team you are
betting on hoping that the modified total of your teams score beats the
other teams straight score. Bets on the spread are often know as straight
bets because they pay even money (minus the 10% vig).


                        Tampa Bay       +19 1/2
                        Miami           -19 1/2

This means that if you bet on Miami, Miami needs to score at least 20 more
points than Tampa to cover. If you bet on Tampa, the score must be at least
within 19 for you to win. The bottom team is almost always the home team.

Over/Under Bets

These are also 11-10 bets on what the total of the game will be. If the
total posted on a game is 39 1/2 points, then you can wager that the total
score of both teams added together will be either over or under the posted
total. Betting the over is known as "betting on the ball", betting under is
known as "betting on the clock".


                        Chicago         -5 1/2  +130    1:00 pm
                        Atlanta         +5 1/2  -150    42 1/2

This gives the money line, the point spread, and the total for the game. It
also tells you that Atlanta is the home team, and the game starts at 1:00
pm. As far as I know, this is the standard posting at mosts Books.

Parlays

A parlay bet is betting on the outcome of two or more events, and getting
higher odds than betting on the outcome of both events. The drawback is
that the odds aren't right and that you must win all of the events to win
the parlay.


                # of plays      Standard Odds   True Odds
                ----------      -------------   ---------
                2 plays             13-5           3-1
                3 plays             6-1            7-1
                4 plays             10-1           15-1
                5 plays             20-1           31-1
                6 plays             40-1           63-1
                7 plays             80-1           127-1

The more events parlayed the worse the odds shift in the casinos advantage.
The advantage for the player for parlays lies in the fact that he can bet
more on the same game (spread and over/under) and he can bet more on two
teams who are playing at the same time.

In order to be competitive, some casinos offer ties-win parlay cards. This
greatly helps the player. The Las Vegas Hilton SB is one of these.

Teasers

A teaser bet is a bet where you can move the spread by a set amount, but
have to pay to do it. You must bet at least two teams like a parlay and win
both. You can move the spread by on all the games by the set amount.

                              Football Teasers


        # of teams      6 pts           6 1/2 pts       7 pts
        ----------      -----           ---------       -----
        2 teams         11-10           5-6             5-7
        3 teams         8-5             3-2             6-5
        4 teams         5-2             2-1             9-5
        5 teams         4-1             7-2             3-1
        6 teams         6-1             5-1             4-1

                             Basketball Teasers


        # of teams      4 pts           4 1/2 pts       5 pts
        ----------      -----           ---------       -----
        2 teams         11-10           5-6             5-7
        3 teams         8-5             3-2             6-5
        4 teams         5-2             2-1             9-5
        5 teams         4-1             7-2             3-1
        6 teams         6-1             5-1             9-2


Buying a half point

You can shift the spread a half point in your favor by laying 6-5 odds
instead of the standard 11-10. This is called buying a half point. You
usaully want to stay away from this bet except on three point spreads on
football games. This is also know as "buying the hook".
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S6 Can I make a million dollars with one bet?
A:S6

Sure. Either bet $550,000 straight up, or go to Little Ceaser's which
offers a $2,000,000 payoff on a $5 parlay card if you can pick 20 out of
20.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S7 Who makes the odds?
A:S7 (Philip Galanter)

Las Vegas Sports Consultants Inc., establishes the odds for about 75% of
the licensed Sports Books in Nevada, as well as for the Oregon State
Lottery. It is run by Michael 'Roxy' Roxborough. He also operates as a
consultant on gaming stratigies, management, marketing, and personnel. Most
illegeal books in and out of Nevada draw their odds from what is posted at
the various casinos. Transmitting gambling information across state lines
for the purpose of placing or taking bets is illegal. News items about
point spreads and the like can be reported for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S8 Do I have to be over 21 to bet on sports?
A:S8

Yes.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S9 What is the minimum bet that must be reported to the IRS?
A:S9

Well all gambling wins and losses are supposed to be reported to the IRS at
the end of the year, but if you bet more than $10,000 at once, you must
fill out some IRS paperwork at the ticket counter. All money won must be
reported to the IRS.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:S10 Are there any good books or articles on sports gambling topics?
A:S9 (Philip Galanter)

Here are some sports gambling related books I've found to be useful, in
suggested reading order for beginners. The obscure ones I've purchased from
the Gamblers Book Club, although I don't know if they are still in print. I
tend to like writers that are objective and more interested in your winning
than being a fan.

Orkin, Mike. "Can You Win?", W.H.Freeman and Co., 1991. IBSN 0-7167-2155-4
(soft)

     Presents a general overview of gambling presenting the real odds
     of various games. It only assumes a high school level of
     mathematics understanding. The 32 page section on sports betting
     doubles as a guide to the various betting options available, and
     there is also a 16 page section on horserace betting. A brief
     treatment on Kelly betting as applied to sports gambling is
     included.

     An overview concentrating on the question posed by the title, the
     author concludes the sports section with the observation:

     "If you're going to gamble, which games should you play? I
     recommend sports betting. There are two reasons for this: 1 -
     Unlike in roulette, craps, and keno, it's impossible to prove
     that you can't win in the long run. 2 - When you win, it's
     because you're smart, and when you lose, it's because somebody
     fumbled."

Sugar, Bert Randolph. "The Caesars Palace Sports Book of Betting", St.
Martin's Press, 1992. IBSN 0-312-05058-5 (paper)

     The author is a well known sports writer and Las Vegas insider. A
     good popular introduction to sports betting with equal amounts of
     information on betting terms, options, odds, and the like,
     various considerations for each major sport; advice on
     handicapping based on matchups, streaks, injuries and stat.s;
     history and color; and money management.

Manteris, Art, (with Rick Talley). "SuperBookie - Inside Las Vegas Sports
Gambling", Contemporary Books, 1991. IBSN 0-8092-4430-6 (cloth)
0-8092-3845-4 (paper)

     A good second book to read, after perhaps the Sugar or Orkin
     books as an introduction, Manteris shares his observations as the
     Director of the Hilton Race and Sports Organization...aka the
     SuperBook. Interesting stories about the early days, why the
     house doesn't always win, how point spreads are set and moved as
     a practical matter, how the house calculates its take, scams, mob
     involvement (now mostly not) and more.

Peter Asch and Richard E. Quandt. "Racetrack Betting - The Professors'
Guide to Strategies", Praeger Publishers, 1986. IBSN 0-275-94103-5 (paper)

     Written by 2 academics from Rutgers and Princeton, this book
     seems to be a trustworthy analysis of betting at the horseraces.
     Included is an overview and analysis of popular strategies,
     subjective and objective analysis of available information and
     statistics, utility functions as applied to the public and
     wagering behavior (important given the paramutual basis of the
     odds), and the bottom line on some complex systems by the
     authors, Ziemba, and Quandt which seem to actually work.

Bob Carrol, Pete Palmer, and John Thorn. "The Hidden Game of Football",
Warner Books, 1988. IBSN 0-446-39091-7 (paper)

     While addressing sports betting only in passing, this book
     concentrates on innovative methods for detailed sports statistics
     analysis leading to accurate predictions. "Scientific"
     handicappers will find this book very stimulating.

Miller, Colonel J.R. "How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football
Pointspread - a step by step textbook guide", Flying M Group, 1993. IBSN
0-9636500-0-9 (spiral bound)

     This is a self published specialty book available from Gamblers
     Book Club or by mail order. While the quality of most spiral
     bound gambling editions are suspect, this book is reasonably
     good. It provides a detailed analysis of how a serious gambler
     factors in pointspreads, power ratings, injuries, motivations,
     weather, and statistics to win over the long haul. The section on
     money management should be taken with a grain of salt, as it
     proposes flat betting as almost optimal, a modified plateau
     system as even better, and the "Kelly system" as a formula for
     disaster, in a rather unqualified way.

Michael Roxborough and Mike Rhoden. "Race and Sports Book Management - a
guide for the legal bookmaker", (publisher not noted) 1991. IBSN
0-31-53873-6 (spiral bound)

     Written by "Roxy" Roxborough, the provider of the spread and
     other services to most major sports books in Nevada via his Las
     Vegas Sports Consultants Inc. This book covers in moderate detail
     the mechanics of running a legal sports book, including setting
     and moving the spread, various economic measures such as the
     handle and practical hold percentage, overlays, parlays, limits,
     the law and regulations.

Pascual, M. "Bankroll Control - the mathematics of money management",
(publisher not noted) 1987. No IBSN noted.

     While poorly published (xeroxed, white-out corrections, hand
     written corrections and page numbers) this odd and perhaps
     difficult to find spiral book is a treasure trove of practical
     analysis applying Kelly betting to sports and racing gambling.
     Theory is light and presented with (hand drawn) graphs where
     possible. The book presents a numerical recipe approach to even
     complicated betting scenarios such as simultaneous games,
     simultaneous single and multiple parlay plays, win-show-place
     betting, and more. Also included are some useful tables
     (variables include % of wins, number of teams, variations to
     include parlays or not) showing optimal bets, risk and
     expectancy. Also included are some program listings in BASIC for
     (now mostly obsolete) hand calculaters that may be useful as
     pseudocode.

     The cosmetics do not, however, inspire trust. It would be nice if
     a r.g math ween would review it.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archive-name: gambling-faq/misc
URL: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/misc.html

-----------------------
Miscellaneous Frequently Asked Questions

This is the Miscellaneous section of the rec.gambling Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) list.

Changes or additions to this section of the FAQ should be submitted to:
[e-mail].

Page last modified: 1-31-95
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table of Contents

Section V: Video Poker
V1 Is it possible to gain an advantage at Video Poker?
V2 What is the "basic strategy" for Jacks or Better Video Poker?
V3 What is the "basic strategy" for Deuces Wild Video Poker?

Section M: Miscellaneous
M1 How is Baccarat played?
M2 How is Red Dog played?
M3 How is Caribbean Stud Poker played?
M4 Can the lottery be beat when the jackpot gets high enough?
M5 How is Pai Gow Poker played?
M6 Is there a horse racing newsgroup?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Section V: Video Poker

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:V1 Is it possible to gain an advantage at Video Poker?
A:V1 (Steve Jacobs)

The video poker strategy discussed here is for the common "8/5" machines
(called 8/5 because of the 8-for-1 payoff for a full house and 5-for-1 payoff
for a flush). "Joker's Wild" and "Deuces Wild" machines will require a much
different strategy.

In order to have an advantage over the house, you must find a machine with a
progressive jackpot that is larger than about 1750 maximum bets. ($8750 for $1
machines, $2200 for $.25 machines, $440 for $.05 machines). This level only
makes the game even with the house. The jackpot must be higher than this in
order to gain an advantage. The player's edge increases by about 1% for each
addition of 350 maximum bets into the progressive jackpot.

In order to have a 2% edge, the jackpot must be about 2500 max. bets. ($12,500
for $1 machines, $3125 for $.25 machines, $625 for $.05 machines).

The main difficulty with playing video poker is that it takes an average of 60
hours of rapid play to hit a royal flush, and it takes a _huge_ bankroll to
survive long enough to win. During this time, the casino enjoys an advantage of
approximately 5%. Straight flushes can be expected about once every 6 hours on
average, but these contribute only about 0.5% to the player's return. 4-of-kind
hands occur only about once per hour, and these hands account for about 5% of
the player's return.

What this all means to the video poker player is that you will be playing with
about a 10% disadvantage while waiting for an occasional "boost" from a
4-of-kind or straight flush. On average, it will take a bankroll about as large
as the progressive jackpot to survive long enough to hit the royal flush (and
this assumes that the jackpot is large enough to give the player a reasonable
edge over the house).

The following table shows the relative frequency of each hand, and the
resultant effect on the expected return, assuming the given strategy is used.
The table shows that you can expect to get nothing back about 55% of the time,
and hit either a high pair, two pair, or three of a kind another 41% of the
time. Hands of higher value occur only about 3.6% of the time. This means that
the house has a whopping 31% edge most of the time.

    return    % rate    frequency    variance
  ------------------------------------------
    5.308 ->  0.00306 -> 1/32680     91.90  --=<ROYAL FLUSH!!!>=--
    0.492 ->  0.00984 -> 1/10163      0.246 STRAIGHT FLUSH!!!!
    5.878 ->  0.235   -> 1/425        1.469 FOUR OF A KIND!!!
    9.183 ->  1.148   -> 1/87         0.735 FULL HOUSE!!
    5.584 ->  1.117   -> 1/89.5       0.293 FLUSH!
    4.512 ->  1.128   -> 1/88.7       0.180 STRAIGHT!
   22.227 ->  7.409   -> 1/13.5       0.667 THREE OF A KIND
   25.780 -> 12.890   -> 1/7.76       0.516 TWO PAIR
   21.053 -> 21.053   -> 1/4.75       0.211 HIGH PAIR
  ------------------------------------------
             44.993%                  4.317 + royal

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:V2 What is the "basic strategy" for Jacks or Better Video Poker?
A:V2 (Steve Jacobs)

Strategy based on the following payoffs:

        high pair          1 for 1
        two pair           2 for 1
        3 kind             3 for 1
        straight           4 for 1
        flush              5 for 1
        full house         8 for 1
        4 kind            25 for 1
        str flush         50 for 1
        royal flush     2500 for 1 (expected return 102%)

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simplified strategy (find first hand that matches, keep only needed cards).
Best draws are listed in order of decreasing expected value.

Expected value of each draw is shown, in units of one max. bet. Numbers in ()
vary, depending on progressive jackpot (value shown is for jackpot of 2500 max.
bets).

  drawing  value          hand
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    0     (2500)     royal flush
    1     (  54)       4/royal (break up KQJT9 str-flush) [1]
    0        50      straight flush
    0        25      4 kind
    0         8      full house
    0         5      flush
    2         4.24   3 kind
    0         4      straight
    1         3.4      4/str-flush
    2     (   2.9)     3/royal (break up pairs) [2,3]
    1         2.51   two pair
    3         1.53   high pair
    1         1.0      4/flush
    1         0.87     KQJT 4/straight
    3         0.814  low pair
    1         0.809    QJT9 4/straight (outside, two high cards)
    1         0.745    JT98 4/straight (outside, one high card)
    2         0.699    QJ9 3/str-flush
    2         0.697    JT9 3/str-flush
    3     (   0.69)    2/royal (both non-tens)
    1         0.681    4/straight (outside, no high cards)
    2         0.599    3/str-flush (one high card, spread 4)
    2         0.597    3/str-flush (spread 3)
    3     (   0.59)    2/royal (10 + one high card)
    1         0.596    AKQJ straight (4 high cards)
    1         0.532    AKQT/AKJT/AQJT/KQJ9 straight (3 high cards)
    2         0.515    KQJ unsuited
    3         0.509    QJ unsuited
    2         0.502    3/str-flush (one high card, spread 5)
    2         0.500    3/str-flush (none high cards, spread 4)
    3         0.48     3 unsuited high cards (keep lowest two)
    3         0.48     2 unsuited high cards
    4     (   0.48)    high card
    2         0.402    3/str-flush (none high cards, spread 5)
    5         0.360    garbage (draw 5 new cards)
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  [1] Keep KQJT9 straight flush if progressive jackpot is below 2282 bets.
  [2] Keep two high pair if progressive jackpot is below 2100 bets.
  [3] Keep high pair plus paired 10's if progressive is below 2175 bets.

  The following draws should NOT be taken, since drawing 5 new
  cards gives a greater expected gain.

    1         0.340   4/straight (inside, no high cards) --> keep none
    2         0.305   3/flush (no high cards) --> keep none
    2         0.275   3/straight (no high cards) --> keep none

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:V3 What is the "basic strategy" for Deuces Wild Video Poker?
A:V3 (Derek Franks)

Based upon the following payout schedule:

        Royal Flush     800
        4 deuces        200
        Wild Royal       25
        5-of-a-kind      15
        Straight Flush    9
        4-of-a-kind       5
        Full House        3
        Flush/Straight    2
        3-of-a-kind       1

Average payback is 100.761%

The following strategy yields an average profit of 350 units per average royal
cycle of 45,278 hands.

  #d Hand Type            Expected Value

   4 Four deuces          200
   3 Royal Flush(wild)     25
   3 5-of-a-Kind(10-A)*    15
   3 deuces alone          15.026
   2 Royal Flush(wild)     25
   2 5-of-a-Kind           15
   2 Straight Flush         9
   2 4-of-a-Kind            5.851
   2 Royal Flush 4          4.606
   2 Straight Flush 4       3.340
   2 deuces alone           3.260
   1 Royal Flush           25
   1 Straight Flush        15
   1 4-of-a-Kind            5.851
   1 Royal Flush 4          3.501
   1 Full House             3
   1 Straigh Flush 4        2.209
   1 3-of-a-Kind            2.018
   1 Flush or Straight      2
   1 Straight Flush 4 i     1.974
   1 Straight Flush 4 di    1.698
   1 Straight Flush 4i ace  1.421
   1 Royal Flush 3          1.098
   1 Straight Flush 3       1.091
   1 deuce alone            1.029
   0 Royal Flush          800
   0 Royal Flush 4         19.626
   0 Straight Flush         9
   0 4-of-a-Kind            5.851
   0 Full House             3
   0 3-of-a-Kind            2.018
   0 Flush or Straight      2
   0 Straight Flush 4       1.643
   0 Straight Flush 4i      1.370
   0 Royal Flush 3          1.325
   0 Straight Flush 4i ace  1.106
   0 one pair **             .561
   0 Straight Flush 3        .520
   0 Flush 4 or Straight 4   .511
   0 Straight Flush 3 i      .438
   0 J-10 suited             .362
   0 Straight Flush 3 di     .355
   0 Straight 4 i            .340
   0 Q-J or Q-10 suited      .332
   0 garbage - draw 5        .322

  * Don't break up 5-of-a-kinds of tens through aces.  The removal
  of those 2 cards reduces the wild royal possibilities.  OTOH,
  discarding two low cards makes 3 deuces alone worth 15.06.

  ** Never draw to 2 pair.  Discard either pair and draw 3.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Section M: Miscellaneous

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q: How is Baccarat played?
A:M1 (Steve Jacobs, Steve Brecher)

Baccarat is a card game that is dealt from a shoe that holds 6 or 8 decks of
cards. Two hands are dealt by the house dealer, the "banker" hand and the
"player" hand. Before the hands are dealt, bets may be placed on the banker
hand, on the player hand, or on a tie. Winning bets on banker or player are
paid 1:1, but a commission of 5% is charged on bank bets making the net odds on
such bets 0.95 to 1. Some casinos may charge a lower commission (e.g., at this
writing, Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas charges 4%.). Some sources report that
tie bets are paid 8:1, while others claim that tie bets are paid 9:1, so this
may vary from casino to casino. If there is a tie, bets on the banker or player
are returned. Once a bet has been placed, there are no opportunities for
further decisions -- both the banker hand and the player hand are dealt
according to fixed rules, resulting in final hands of either two or three cards
for each.

The value of a hand is determined by adding the values of its individual cards.
Tens and face cards are counted as zero, while all other cards are counted by
the number of "pips" on the card face. Only the last digit of the total is
used, so all baccarat hands have values in the range 0 to 9 inclusive. The hand
with the higher value wins; if the hands have the same value, the result is a
tie.

A game is started by dealing two cards for the player hand and two cards for
the bank hand. An initial hand with a value of 8 or 9 is called a "natural." If
either hand is a natural, its holder must expose it and the game ends.
Otherwise play continues, first with the player hand and then with the banker
hand, according to the following rules.

Rules for the player hand: If the player's first two cards total 6 or more,
then the player must stand without drawing a card. If the player's first two
cards total 5 or less, the player must draw one additional card.

Rules for the banker hand: If the banker's first two cards total 7 or more,
then the banker must stand without drawing a card. If the banker's first two
cards total 0, 1, or 2, then the banker must draw one card. If the banker's
first two cards total 3, 4, 5, or 6, then whether the banker draws is
determined by the whether the player drew, and if so the value of the player's
draw card, as shown by the table below.

            Bank Drawing vs. player's draw

       Bank     N  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  <--- player's draw card
      ------------------------------------------
        9       -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
        8       -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
        7       -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
        6       -  -  -  -  -  -  -  D  D  -  -
        5       D  -  -  -  -  D  D  D  D  -  -
        4       D  -  -  D  D  D  D  D  D  -  -
        3       D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  -  D
        2       D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D
        1       D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D
        0       D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D
      ------------------------------------------
        D = draw, N = no card drawn by player

The probability distribution for a hand dealt from a complete shoe is as
follows:

                  Probability   Probability of   Probability
                  of bank win   of player win      of tie
    ----------------------------------------------------------
      6 decks     0.458652719    0.446278570     0.095068711
      8 decks     0.458597423    0.446246609     0.095155968

This implies the following house advantages:

             Bet bank   Bet bank   Bet player    Bet tie     Bet tie
     decks    5% vig.    4% vig.                   9:1         8:1
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
       6     1.05585%   0.59720%    1.23741%    4.93129%   14.43816%
       8     1.05791%   0.59931%    1.23508%    4.84403%   14.35963%

Edward O. Thorp and others have determined that card counting is not effective
in overcoming the house edge at the baccarat tables. Compared to blackjack,
card counting is about 9 times less effective when used against baccarat. See
Thorp's "The Mathematics of Gambling" for details.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:M2 How is Red Dog played?
A:M2 (Steve Jacobs)

"Red Dog" is also known as "Acey-Deucey" or "between the sheets". It is a card
game that is usually dealt from a shoe containing four or five decks, although
single deck games can be found occasionally, as can games with 6 or 8 decks.

After the players bet, two cards are dealt face up on the table. If the two
cards are adjacent, it is a tie. If the two cards are not identical, the player
is allowed to place a "raise" bet, up to the size of the original bet. If the
third card drawn is _between_ the first two cards, the player wins. If the
first two cards are identical the player is not allowed to raise, and if the
third card matches the first two, the player is paid 11:1. Payoffs are at even
money unless the first two cards are a pair or the "spread" is 3 or less.


                Spread          Payoff
        ----------------------------------
                 pair            11:1   (w/ matching 3rd card)
                 pair             push  (w/ non-matching 3rd card)
                   0 (adjacent)   push
                   1              5:1
                   2              4:1
                   3              2:1
                   4 - 11         1:1

The number of players at the table is totally irrelevant, since all players win
or lose simultaneously. The only strategy decision that the player is allowed
to make is whether or not to double the bet. With these payoffs, the bet should
be doubled only when the spread is 7 or greater.

The house edge for Red Dog is about 3%, and decreases slightly as more decks
are used.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:M3 How is Caribbean Stud Poker played?
A:M3 (Steve Brecher)

The player antes, and is then dealt a five-card hand; the dealer is also dealt
five cards of which only one is exposed. The player now either folds, losing
his ante, or bets an additional amount equal to exactly twice the ante. The
dealer then reveals his remaining four cards. If the dealer's hand is not
Ace-King or better, the player is paid even money on the ante and nothing
(i.e., a push) on the bet. If the dealer's hand is Ace-King or better it is
said to "qualify" (for play against the player). In that case if the dealer's
hand is better than the player's, the player's ante and bet are collected by
the house. If the dealer's qualifying hand is worse than the player's hand, the
player is paid even money on the ante and an amount on the bet according to the
player's hand as follows:

        AK or pair                1:1
        two pair                  2:1
        three of a kind           3:1
        straight                  4:1
        flush                     5:1
        full house                7:1
        four of a kind           20:1
        straight flush           50:1
        royal flush             100:1

There is an optional independent side bet of $1.00 available for which the
player is paid for being dealt premium hands (flush or better); the payoff of
this side bet is based on a progressive jackpot for straight flushes (10% of
jackpot) and royal flushes (100%), although some places cap the straight flush
payoff (e.g., $5000 max). The jackpot bet is extremely unfavorable except for
the case of a very large jackpot. If the jackpot payoff is $50/75/100 for
flush/full house/quads and there is no straight flush cap, then the expected
return per $1 jackpot bet is approximately $0.23 plus 2.924 cents for each
$10,000 in the jackpot; if the flush/ full house/quads payoff is $100/250/500,
the expected return is approximately $0.68 plus 2.924 cents for each $10,000 in
the jackpot. Examples:

        Jackpot        Expectation per $1 bet
        -------        50/75/100  100/250/500  --flush/full/quads payoffs
                       ---------  -----------
        $10,000          0.26        0.71
         20,000          0.29        0.74
         50,000          0.38        0.82
         75,000          0.45        0.90
        100,000          0.52        0.97
        110,542          0.55        1.00
        150,000          0.67        1.12
        200,000          0.82        1.26
        250,000          0.96        1.41
        263,228          1.00        1.45
        400,000          1.40        1.85
        500,000          1.69        2.14

If the jackpot payoffs are different, you can calculate the expectation from
the following formula:

     0.0019654*flush$ + 0.0014406*fullHouse$ + 0.00024010*quads$ +
     f(0.00000013852*straightFlush%*JP, straightFlushCap$) + 0.0000015391*JP

--where * denotes multiplication, JP is the size of the jackpot, and f(x,y) is
equal to the smaller of x and y if there is a cap on the straight flush payout
or equal to x if there is no cap.

My analysis of the basic game:

When the dealer doesn't qualify the player's bet wins the ante and the dealer's
payoff on the ante. In other words, if the dealer doesn't qualify the player is
paid even money on the bet. However, in the long run the dealer will qualify
56.3% of the time. A bluff is always an unfavorable bet. Even the best possible
bluff--where the player holds an Ace or King, another card which matches the
dealer's upcard, and a four-flush of the same suit as the dealer's upcard--is
unfavorable. This means that a player who always folds hands worse than
Ace-King will lose less in the long run than one who sometimes bluffs.

A pair or better should always be bet. A bet on even the worst possible
pair--deuces, with no Ace nor King, no card matching the dealer's upcard, and
no card of the same suit as the dealer's upcard--yields an expected profit.
This means that a player who always bets a pair of deuces or better will lose
less in the long run than one who sometimes folds such hands.

The dealer will fail to qualify 43.7% of the time, and will qualify with an
Ace-King (no pair) 6.4% of the time. The player who holds an Ace-King and bets
will win even money more than 43.7% of the time (because the player's holding
Ace-King reduces the chance of the dealer qualifying), and will be paid two to
one (1:1 bet payoff plus 0.5:1 ante plus 0.5:1 ante payoff) when the player's
Ace-King beats the dealer's. Therefore, there are some player Ace-King hands
which should be bet, depending on what other cards the player holds. For
example, if the player holds a card having the same value as the dealer's
upcard, the chance of the dealer having a pair is reduced.

The optimum strategy is to bet when the player holds:

    (1)   AKQJ or better (including any pair or better)
  or
    (2a)  AKQxx   with any card in player's hand matching dealer's upcard; or
    (2b)          with both x cards having higher value than dealer's
                  upcard; or
    (2c)          with a four flush of the same suit as dealer's upcard and:
                           at least one of the x cards being either:
                                  8 or better (i.e., 8, 9, or 10)
                          or
                                  of higher value than dealer's upcard.
  or
    (3)   AKJ with any card in player's hand matching dealer's upcard
  or
    (4)   AKxxx with any x card matching dealer's upcard

The results of this strategy and two simpler strategies are shown below, each
based on computer simulation of 200 million deals. "Expected loss per ante
amount per hand" is the average amount that the player will lose per hand in
the long run as a percentage of the ante amount. "Payback per $1 risked" is the
average long run total payback on each dollar wagered--on antes plus bets.

                                  Expected loss per
  Strategy        Bet frequency   ante amount per hand   Payback per $1 risked

  Optimum                 52.0%           5.23%              $0.9743
  Bet any pair or better  49.9%           5.48%              $0.9726
  Bet Ace-King or better  56.3%           5.75%              $0.9729

For the casual player, "Bet any pair or better" is the recommended strategy.
The expected difference in total loss versus the optimum strategy over a couple
of hundred hands is about half of one ante. "Bet Ace-King or better" provides
more betting action at the cost of another half an ante per couple of hundred
hands.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:M4 Can the lottery be beat when the jackpot gets high enough?
A:M4 (David Guercio)

If "beating" the lotto means having a payback/risk ratio of greater than 1, I
would say that state lottos are definitely beatable.

In Texas Pick-6 lotto, you pick 6 mutually exclusive numbers from 1 to 50. That
gives you approximately 1/16,000,000 chance of winning. Many people do not play
until the lotto jackpot goes over $16,000,000, as a result. It's a little more
complicated than that though, because the money is paid out over 20 years, and
you have to account for inflation. The actual value of the money you get paid
is (assuming constant %5 inflation) is the jackpot divided by 20 times the sum
from 0 to 19 of (.95)**N, where N is the summation index. The sum is 12.83, in
this example, so you really need to wait until the lotto is
(20/12.83)*16,000,000, or approximately $25 million. Texas Pick-6 frequently
exceeds this total, but resets to $3 million when somebody wins.

Of course, all this is predicated on being the sole winner of a $25 million
lotto, or at least, say, winning $75 million and splitting with at most two
other people. You can reduce the number of people that you split with by
picking the numbers that nobody else does. I use this formula in picking
numbers:

  1. People tend to play birthdays. Don't pick any number less than 32.

  2. People sometimes will play geometric sequences on the card, such as rows,
     and columns, and diagonals. Don't pick these either.

  3. Even educated people will refuse to play a numeric sequence, such as
     32-33-34-35-36-37, because they think that it isn't "random enough".
     Sequences are good to pick, as long as they do not occupy a single row or
     column.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:M5 How is Pai Gow Poker played?
A:M5 (John F. Reeves)

Pai-gow poker is a banking poker game played in Las Vegas and some of the
California card clubs. The object of pai-gow poker is to make two poker hands
that beat the banker's hands. The player is dealt 7 cards that he makes into a
five card hand (high hand) and a two card hand (low hand). The hands are played
and ranked as traditional poker hands (with one exception: A2345 is the second
highest straight), and the 5 card hand must be higher than the 2 card hand. If
both hands are better than the banker's hand, you win, if both lose, you lose,
otherwise it's a push. The banker wins absolute ties (i.e. K Q vs K Q).

The game is played with a 52 cards plus one joker. The joker can be used as an
Ace or to complete a flush or straight. The table layout has 7 spots one in
front of the dealer and 6 for players, like this:

             Dealer
               7
         1          6
           2      5
             3  4

Each player spot has spaces for a bet, low hand, high hand and sometimes the
house commission. The dealer deals 7 7-card hands in front of the chip tray.
The banker can be a player, but is usually the house. The banker designates
which hands go to which player by shaking a dice cup with three dice; the
banker's position is either 1, 8 or 15 and the hands are passed out
counterclockwise. So, if the dealer is the bank and the dice total to 6, player
5 gets the first hand, player 6 gets the second, the dealer gets the third and
so on. The dice mumbo-jumbo appears to be ritual stuff --- you don't need to
worry about anything until you get your hand.

The player puts the two card hand face down in the box closest to the dealer,
and the five card hand face down in back. Once everybody has set their hand,
the dealer turns over and sets the bank's hand. The dealer goes
counterclockwise around the table comparing the banks hand to the players, and
taking, paying, or knocking. There is a 5% commission on winning bets that you
can either put out next to your winning bet, or the dealer will subtract from
your payoff. The lowest minimum bet is $5, seen at the Imperial Place and Four
Queens.

In pai-gow poker, the only strategic decisions are how much to bet and how to
set your hand. The simple basic strategy for setting your hand is to make the
highest 2-card hand that is less than your five card hand. If you can't figure
out what to do, you can show your hand to the dealer and they will tell you how
the house would set it. Since pairs generally win the 2-card hands, and
two-pair wins the 5-card hands, the only difficult decisions are when to split
two pairs. The house rules at the Four Queens were not to split low pairs (<=
6) and not to split pairs <= 10 if there was a Ace high two card hand. So the
house would set

     A 10 10 6 6 5 3 =>  A 5 / 10 10 6 6 3
     K Q 10 10 6 6 3 =>  6 6 / 10 10 K Q 3

A ``Pai-gow'' is a hand with no pairs, such as Q J / K 7 8 6 2.

Things get a little weird if a player wants to be the bank. To quote from the
IP house rules: ``The House Dealer or the player may be the ``BANKER.'' The
Bank wagers against all players. The bank will alternate between the house and
the player (the House Dealer will at least take the bank every other hand). The
BANKER will be signified by a white plastic marker. A Bank Player must either
cover half or all wagers against him/her. The House will co-bank at 50/50 only
at the Bank Player's request. The hand will be set according to house way and
the table limit will apply if the House acts as a co-banker. In order to bank,
a player must have played the previous hand against the House. The House will
wager a sum equal to that player's wager against the house the previous hand.
The player may request that a smaller amount be wagered. A Banker must be bank
at the same spot of the hand he previously played against the house.'' Got
that??

In the CA card clubs, all wagering is between players, so the option to be the
bank rotates among the active players. The rule differences from the IP rules
are that the Joker is wild, and the house commission is a flat $1 per hand ($10
minimum bet).

Pai-gow poker is an easy game to play, and since each hand takes a while to
play (dealer has to shuffle for each game) and most hands push, you can play on
$20 at a $5 table for quite a while.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:M6 Is there a horse racing newsgroup?
A:M6 (Stephen McNatton)

Not another newsgroup, but there is a mailing list for discussion of horse
racing and handicapping. If you are interested in joining us, send a note to
[e-mail] and be sure to include an Internet email address
(i.e., a "@" address.).
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archive-name: gambling-faq/casinos
URL: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/casino.html

-----------------------
Frequently Asked Questions about (Casino) Locations

This is the (Casino) Location section of the rec.gambling Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) list.

Changes or additions to this section of the FAQ should be submitted to:
[e-mail].

Page last modified: 12-28-94
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table of Contents

Section L: Location of Casinos
L1 What are the phone numbers for hotels/casinos in Las Vegas?
L2 Where is my favorite Las Vegas casino? (MAP)
L3 What are some cheap places to stay in Vegas?
L4 What are some good places to play/stay in Reno?
L5 Where is Elko Nevada?
L6 Where is Foxwoods?
L7 Where is Turning Stone?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:L1 What are the phone numbers for hotels/casinos in Las Vegas?
A:L1 (Eric Vincent, Jim Piercy, Blair Houghton, John Schwab, Bryan Richhart)

Call the 800 Information service at 1-800-555-1212 and ask them for the number
for that hotel, giving the city (AC, Vegas, Reno, etc.) If the facility has no
WATS line, the answer is to dial long-distance information (which is _free_)
for Las Vegas at 1-702-555-1212 or AC at 1-609-555-1212 and ask them.

The following is a list of toll-free numbers for the hotels/casinos in Las
Vegas. The source is "Tourguide Magazine" of May 3, 1991. This is a weekly
tourist publication in LV. (Updated Sept. 20, 1993 to match "The Unofficial
Guide to Las Vegas")

  Aladdin             [phone]   The Nevada Palace       [phone]
  Alexis Park         [phone]   O'Sheas Casino          [phone]
  Arizona Charlie's   [phone]   Paddlewheel             [phone]
  Bally's Resort      [phone]   Palace Station          [phone]
  Barbary Coast       [phone]   Park Hotel                ( CLOSED )
  Binion's Horseshoe  [phone]   Quality Inn             [phone]
  Bourbon Street      [phone]   Ramada Las Vegas        [phone]
  Caesars Palace      [phone]   Ramada Suites-St. Trop. [phone]
  California Hotel    [phone]   Rio Suite Hotel/Casino  [phone]
  Circus Circus       [phone]   Riviera Hotel           [phone]
  Continental Hotel   [phone]   Royal Hotel & Casino    [phone]
  Desert Inn          [phone]   Sahara Hotel            [phone]
  Dunes Hotel           ( CLOSED )     Sam's Town              [phone]
  El Cortez           [phone]   Sands Hotel             [phone]
  El Rancho             ( CLOSED )     Santa Fe                [phone]
  Excalibur           [phone]   Showboat Hotel          [phone]
  Fitzgerald's        [phone]   Silver City             [phone]
  Flamingo Hilton     [phone]   Slots-A-Fun             [phone]
  Four Queens         [phone]   Stardust Hotel          [phone]
  Fremont Hotel       [phone]   Townhall/Vagabond       [phone]
  Frontier Hotel      [phone]   Tropicana               [phone]
  Gold Coast          [phone]   Vacation Village        [phone]
  Gold Spike          [phone]   Plaza                   [phone]
  Golden Gate         [phone]   Vegas World             [phone]
  Golden Nugget       [phone]   Western Hotel           [phone]
  Hacienda Hotel      [phone]   Westward Ho             [phone]
  Harrah's Casino     [phone]   Colorado Belle          [phone]
  Hotel Nevada        [phone]   Edgewater Hotel         (800) 67-RIVER
  Hotel San Remo      [phone]   Flamingo Hilton         (800) HILTONS
  Imperial Palace     [phone]   Golden Nugget           [phone]
  Lady Luck           [phone]   Harrah's                [phone]
  Las Vegas Club      [phone]   Pioneer                 [phone]
  Las Vegas Hilton    [phone]   Ramada Express          (800) 2-RAMADA
  Mardi Gras Inn      [phone]   Regency Casino          [phone]
  Maxim Hotel         [phone]   Riverside Resort        [phone]
  Mirage              [phone]   Sam's Town Gold River   [phone]
  Luxor               [phone]   MGM                     [phone]
  Treasure Island     [phone]

[ The following is a list of toll-free numbers for the hotels/casinos in
Atlantic City. -- John Schwab]

  Bally's Grand          [phone]    Sands             [phone]
  Bally's Park Place     [phone]    Showboat          [phone]
  Caesars Atlantic City  [phone]    Tropicana         [phone]
  Claridge               [phone]    Trump Castle      [phone]
  Harrah's Marina        [phone]    Trump Plaza       [phone]
  Resorts International  [phone]    Trump Taj Mahal   [phone]

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:L2 Where is my favorite Las Vegas casino? (MAP)
A:L2 (Yui-Bin Chen)

Maps

I. Las Vegas Map (Not to scale)

                                                //         /       //
                                              I-15        /     LV Blvd
                         |                    //         /       //
                         |                   //         /       //
       N       ====(95)=============================================(515)=====
                         |                 //         /   /   //
       |                 |                //         /---/---//-Steward-Ave
       |                 R               //         / See   //
     --+--               a              //         /Downtown/--Ogden-Ave
       |                 n             //         /   for //
       |                 c            //         /  Details
                         h           //         /---/---//----Fremont-St
              |          o          ||         /   /   //
              |          |          ||        /   /   //
              |          D          ||       /   /   //
              |          r          ||      M   /   //
Charleston-Blvd----------+----------||------a------//---------------
              |          |          ||      i     //
              |          |         //       n    //
              V          |        //        |   //
              a          |       //         S  //
              l          |      //          t //
              l          |     //           |//
              e          |    //          VW//
Sahara-Ave----y--------------//------------//-----------------------
              |       PS    //            //Sa|
              V            //            //   |-Karen-Ave
              i           //    Circus^2//Riv |LVH        VW  Vegas World
              e          //   SlotsAFun//     |           Sa  Sahara
              w        I-15           //SC    |           PS  Palace Station
              |        //            //       |           LVC Las Vegas Hilton
              B       //    Stardust//-C-Ctr--|Las Vegas  Riv Riviera
              l      //            //         |Convention SC  Silver City
              v     ||            //          |Center
              d     ||   Frontier//`----------+---------
              |     ||          //            |
              |     ||         //DesertInn    P
              |     ||        //              a
Spring-Mountain-Rd--||-- FSM ||               r          FSM Fashion Show Mall
              |     ||  \____||               a          BM  Boulevard Mall
              |     ||       ||\              d     BM
              |     ||       || `---Sands-Ave-i---------
              |     ||     TI||Sands          s
              |     ||       ||               e           TI Treasure Island
              |     || Mirage||               |           BC Barbary Coast
              |     ||       ||Harrah's       R           GC Gold Coast
              |     ||       ||Imperial       d
              |     ||Caesars||Flamingo       |
           GC |Rio  ||       ||BC      Maxim  |
Flamingo-Rd---------||-------||---------------+---------
                    ||       ||Bally's        |Continental
                    ||       ||               |
                    ||       ||               |
                    ||       ||Aladdin        |      UNLV
                    ||       ||----------Harmon-Ave-.
                   I-15      ||               |     |
                    ||       ||               |     `---
                    ||       ||               |
                    ||       ||               |
                    ||       ||MGMGrand       |
Tropicana-Ave-------||-------||---------------+---------
            Howard  ||    Exc||Tropicana      |
                    ||       ||               |
                    ||       ||                           Exc Excalibur
                    ||  Luxor||                           Ha  Hacienda
                    ||       ||
                    ||       ||
                    ||     Ha||
                    ||       ||
                    ||       ||
                    ||       ||
                    ||       ||        McCarran
                    ||     Strip    International
                    ||    (LV Bl)      Airport
                    ||       ||

                        Vacation
                        Village

II. Downtown Las Vegas map (not to scale)


                  I-15      Main St    Casino Ctr   4th St   LV Blvd
                   //         /           /           /     //
      N           //         /           /           /     //
                 //         /-----------/-----------/-----//-Steward-Ave
      |         //         /     /     /     /     /     //
      |        //         /     /     /     /     /     //
    --+--     //         /Cal  /     /     / Lady/  GS //
      |      //         /-----/-----/-----/-----/-----//-------Ogden-Ave
      |     //         /     /     /     /     /     //
           //         /     /     /     /     /     //
          //         /     /     /     /     /     //
         //         /     /     /     /     /     // ElCortez
        //         / LVC / HS  / Fre /     /     //
       //   Jackie/-----/-----/-----/-----/-----//------------Fremont-St
      //         /GG PC/  GN /  4Q / Fitz/     //
     ||         /     /     /     /     /     //
     ||        /HN   /     /     /     /     //
     ||       /-----/   RV/-----/-----/-----//
     ||      /     /     /     /     /     //
-----||------|----------------------------//-------------Charleston-Blvd
     ||      |  1st St      3rd St       //
     ||      |                          //
    I-15   Main St                   LV Blvd

     4Q     Four Queens
     Cal    California Hotel
     Fitz   Fitzgeralds
     Fre    Fremont
     GG     Golden Gate
     GN     Golden Nugget
     GS     Gold Spike
     HN     Hotel Nevada
     HS     Binion's Horseshoe
     Jackie Jackie Gaughan's Plaza
     Lady   Lady Luck
     LVC    Las Vegas Club
     PC     Pioneer Club
     RV     Rainbow Vegas

Directory

(see FAQ L1 for phone numbers of casinos)

LOCAL PHONE NUMBERS (*NOT* toll-free numbers):

  Boulevard Mall                1-702-735-8268
  Convention Center             1-702-733-2323
  Fashion Show Mall             1-702-369-8382
  Forum Shops at Caesars        1-702-893-4800
  McCarran Airport              1-702-261-5743
  Meadows Mall                  1-702-878-4849
  Mirage Golf Club              1-702-369-7111
  Pioneer Club                  1-702-386-5000
  Silver City                   1-702-732-4152
  Slots-A-Fun                   1-702-734-0410
  Thomas & Mack Center          1-702-739-3900
  Transportation Center         1-702-799-6025

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:L3 What are some cheap places to stay in Vegas?
A:L3 (Ron Birnbaum)

In response to those looking for nice but inexpensive accommodations in Vegas,
I can recommend two places:

Downtown:
The Ogden House - Fremont Street
     I don't have their number, but some friends stayed there in June for $18
     per night, and found it clean and comfortable. Their phone number is (702)
     385-5200.

Strip:
King Alburt Motel, 185 Albert Ave. (off Kovel, behind the Maxim)
     It's behind the Flamingo Hilton/Imperial Palace/Barbary Coast area. Every
     unit is furnished with a kitchen, tv, and private bath, with simple but
     clean furnishings. Their location is ideal, and they quoted me day rates
     of $25/wk $40/wkend per night for a single. And these prices were for
     March,('92) - usually a busy and high priced season. And you can do even
     better than these rates for a weekly rental. They are happy to negotiate!
     Their phone number is (800)-553-7753 or (702) 732- 1555

     Caveat Emptor: Another rec.gambler says to avoid this place, it is a dump.

Call the Las Vegas Tourism Bureau for details of other low-cost area lodging.
They have an toll-free number - 1-800-522-9555. Woops - I just called it and
they only handle casinos.

But these 800 numbers DO handle the smaller places as well. I called the LV
Chamber of Commerce for these numbers, and they had even more than these:

800 - 548-2008
800 - 345-7177

Through the 7177 number, I arranged a room in the beautiful new tower at the
Stardust for much lower than what the hotel quoted me directly, also at a lower
rate than the other 800 numbers could offer (32/wk 40/wkend). They are a room
'wholesaler' and seem to be the best place to make reservations through. The
new tower at the Stardust is supposed to be ****1/2, according to Julie - the
agent I spoke with. She also asked for a high floor which she said have
spectacular views of the entire strip.

They know all the deals in town! Good luck, hotel bargain hunters!!
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:L4 What are some good places to play/stay in Reno?
A:L4 (Mike Northam)

[Note: This kind of information tends to become outdated quickly, so "your
mileage may vary"]

Well, this is just IMHO, of course. For cheap rooms: Circus Circus,
Fitzgerald's downtown. If you're going to be gambling something more than
nickels ($5 bets), you might call a place like the Flamingo Hilton and get a
credit application. Then you'll qualify for the "gambler's rate", which will
usually be about half price. You've gotta gamble for at least four hours per
day to get this, in most casinos. The best rooms are at Harrah's, but they have
standard northern Nevada rules. (If you're a gambler, check with their VIP
services to see if they have any special deals going. They often have special
packages if you buy-in for $1200, or some such.)

Best gambling for BJ: Flamingo Hilton (mostly double deck), Clarion, CalNeva
(Top Deck only), Reno Hilton (mostly double deck) (roughly in that order).
Everyplace else runs northern Nevada rules, I think.

Craps: most every place has double odds. You can play for 25 cents at the
Palomino (?) in Sparks and at one of the dives in downtown (Nevada Club?--can't
remember).

[The Union Plaza and it's 25c, 10x-odds Craps tables are one of the best and
most consistent pure gambling deals in Vegas. -- Blair Houghton]

Shows: well, my favorite is the planetarium at the University of Nevada :-).
Reno is not a big show town, but Harrah's usually has some country western star
and sometimes a decent cabaret act. The Flamingo Hilton has a comedy club and
usually a pretty good lounge act (which you can watch while you play BJ, which
is fun). Reno Hilton has a big stage show. The big headliners usually are found
at Tahoe, not Reno.

Restaurants: I've always liked the Presidential Car (I think in Harold's--I
never can remember). A romantic (and expensive) meal can be had at sunset at
the Top of the Hilton. Several people have mentioned a good Italian restaurant
at the El Dorado, but I haven't tried it myself. Harrah's has a pretty good $5
or so buffet, but their other restaurants are only so-so. Reno Hilton has a
nice steak house. If you like screaming kids with your meals, check out Circus
Circus (though I haven't been there for years, so maybe things have changed?).

Since you've never been to Reno before, I should mention that you can easily
walk to all the downtown casinos. There's a shuttle bus from downtown to Reno
Hilton (the closest to the airport--we traditionally stop in there on our way
out of town for a few hours). There's also a group of casinos in Sparks
(centered around John Ascuaga's Nugget). If you have a car, the Peppermill
(popular with the yuppie crowd) and the Clarion (Reno's newest casino, and
quite nice) are out on south Virginia St.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:L5 Where is Elko Nevada?
A:L5 (Mike Northam, Steve Jacobs)

[NOTE: Elko is about 120 miles west of the Utah/Nevada border. --SRJ]

Casino Express [phone] or [phone] in Canada, owned by the people
who run the Elko Red Lion Inn, runs numerous junkets to Elko, NV. They own at
least one Boeing 737 aircraft, and charter several others on weekends. They fly
from several western cities (Seattle, Bellingham, Spokane, Portland, Eugene,
Salem, San Jose, Fresno, Modesto, Santa Maria, Ontario, Denver, Salt Lake City,
etc.) and have multiple-day junkets from Canadian and midwest cities
(Minneapolis, Mason City, etc.)

The casino has BJ, single and double deck, Northern Nevada rules (H17, DD 10/11
only). $5 minimum for single deck. Penetration varies with the dealer, so there
apparently isn't a house rule. There is no heat whatsoever, so 10:1 spreads are
no problem. During the 'gambling frenzy' of the last few moments before the
airport bus departs, *massive* spreads are possible--I've gone from $5 to $200
(40:1) no problem. All the tables are *always* full, so two rounds of seven is
all you'll see on the single deck. There's also craps, roulette, and a small
sports book. Keno for the truly adventuresome :-).

From Portland, the junket cost is $49 for a 12-hour turnaround flight [these
are $19 from Salt Lake, so you're price may vary], you have to show $300 in
cash to board the flight. Since it's a charter flight, there is a nice party
atmosphere on board the plane. Your play is rated, and presumably, if you don't
gamble enough, you might be barred from a future flight, though this hasn't
been a problem for any of my friends.

Elko also has a poker room, but it doesn't open until 5 pm. They play 7-stud
($1-$4) and Texas Hold'em ($4-$10). These can be great games if there are
several junket people (junkies?) at the table. You can also fleece the locals
if you catch them off guard, since they have great difficulty believing that
anyone who flies to Elko could know anything about poker.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:L6 Where is Foxwoods?
A:L6 (Dave Tahajian)

Foxwoods is located within an Indian reservation in Ledyard, Conn. It is
located approx. 15 miles SW of the Rhode Island/Conn border, 15 miles NW of
Mystic Conn, 40 miles South of Worcester Mass, and 40 miles NE of Hartford
Conn. Foxwoods is located directly on Rt. 2, almost in the middle of I395 and
I95 (which run in parallel). It's an 1.5 hour ride from Boston, 1+ hour ride
from Hartford or Providence, and 2.5 hour ride from NYC (all approximations).
[Foxwoods is at the intersection of Routes 2 and 214 -- Dave Everett]

Foxwoods is *not* your run of the mill Indian casino, in fact you would have a
hard time finding any Indians at all! It's huge, very clean and well run and
very professional. Many of the managers and floormen come from LV or AC. I
would compare it to any other nice casino in AC or LV. You may be apprehensive
as you drive though the miles of corn fields when getting there, but this soon
disappears as soon as you walk though the doors. They have on site ATM machines
(which gives out nice new $100 bills!), credit card cash advance machines, and
will even setup a credit line for you (call ahead for this).

There are two hotels on site. One called the "Two Trees Inn" is located across
the street from the casino and provides a free 24 hour shuttle. The main hotel
is built above the casino itself (name unknown). It features valet parking as
well as a self service parking garage, while the Two Trees has outside self
service parking only. The Two Trees has about 200 rooms and costs less than the
main hotel, which has about 500 rooms. As of 1/94, the Two Trees cost $49
weekday and $89 weekend, while the main casino cost $20 more per night (for a
standard room). Suites are extra.

Foxwoods uses a comp system where you are given a credit card (called a "Wampum
card") which you give to the floorperson when you begin a session. You gain
"Wampum points" based on your avg. bet, the game you are playing, and the
amount of time you play. These points can be used at any of the casino's
restaurants, shops, and the hotels, where 1 point = $1. So if you have 49
points, you can stay at the Two Trees one weekday for free! You can get your
"Wampum Card" for free at the promotions booth (must show picture ID).

Wampum points are given for any game, including poker. Examples are:

  1. You play BJ, your avg bet is $10 and you use basic strategy, you will earn
     10 points per hour play.

  2. In 1-5/6-12 7stud or 3-6/6-12 holdem or 5-10 omaha, you'll get 1/2 point
     per hour (pot rake but no time charge)

  3. In 10-20 7stud or holdem, you get 1 point per hour (no rake but $10/hour
     time charge).

Note that in poker, you must "sign out" when you leave the game, otherwise your
points will be forfeited.

There are really two casinos, the "original one" located at the main entrance
near the bingo hall, and the "new one" located below the main hotel. You can
tell the difference by the colors, the new one uses a purple color scheme, and
the original one uses aqua. The poker room is located downstairs near the main
entrance of the original casino, under the waterfall.

Foxwoods has many restaurants on site, including an all you can eat buffet, a
grill, Chinese, Italian, and steak rooms, plus a couple of self service
snack-bars for sandwiches and pizza slices. The poker room offers table service
for players, and you can get it comped too (via your Wampum card)!

Most people get to Foxwoods via car or charter buses. There is no major airport
in the immediate area, and no trains which go directly to Ledyard. The closest
train service goes to nearby Mystic, which is a 20 minute drive away (taxi cost
$20). Nearest major airport is in T.F Green in Warwick, RI which is 1 hour
drive away.

There are several other hotels in nearby Mystic which offer free shuttle
service to Foxwoods. There are two valet parking services, one at the main
casino entrance and one at the main hotel entrance. Also lots of free self
parking. If the lots are full, try parking at the Two Trees Inn or one of the
auxiliary lots located on Rt. 2 and take the free shuttle to the casino. My
favorite place to park is in the garage under the main hotel, just take the
elevator up to the casino!

Foxwoods offers almost all casino games, plus a 50+ table poker room. They also
have slots, a horse book, keno, and a massive bingo room which holds major
events approx every month.

BJ conditions are multi deck shoe (6 or 8), ~ 70% penetration, S17, DOA, DAS,
no resplit Aces, and some tables offer O/U and "super 7s" side bets. Also all
"back line" betting where up to 2 others can bet on one hand, and the person
sitting makes the decisions. The combined bet of all players cannot exceed the
maximum.

No heat has been reported of, and there are no special rules for late entry
into the shoe in progress. Minimums are $5 if not busy, $10-$15 otherwise.
There are always two $2 tables open, but these have a long wait. Rec.gambler
"Dave Cantor" deals BJ there... just show him your BARGE chip for instant
recognition, or say "presto" when dealt a BJ :-)

The poker room features 7stud, holdem and omaha. Limits are:

     7stud hi: 1-5, 3-6, 6-12, 10-20, 15-30, 20-40, 30-60, 50-100*
     7stud hi/lo 8 qualify: 15-30*, 20-40*
     holdem: 3-6, 6-12, 10-20, 15-30*, 20-40*, 30-60*
     omaha hi/lo 8 qualify: 5-10, 10-20*

     * these usually are run on busy weekends/holidays.

There is also a tournament every Wednesday night which switches between 7stud
and holdem on alternative weeks. Buy in is $25 plus $10 fee, no re-buys. Top 8
players get $$$.

I don't know much about the craps game, except the min is $10 if not busy,
$15-$25 otherwise. Same goes for Roulette.

For even more info, call them at 800-PLAYBIG.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:L7 Where is Turning Stone?
A:L7 (Dave "4" Everett)

The Turning Stone Casino is an enterprise of the Oneida Indian Nation of New
York, and is located just a fraction of a mile off I-90 in Verona, NY (exit 33
of the NY State Thruway).

There is six-deck blackjack, and single-deck blackjack. As of this writing
(9/94) the rules are:

     S17
     Double any 2 first cards except a point count of 21
     Split any pair
     Split aces get only one card each
     Other pairs may be resplit up to four hands
     Double after split (EXCEPT on single deck games, no double after split)

     Lowest table minimum was $5, even on single-deck BJ!

They also have craps (double odds), roulette, mini-baccarat, red dog,money
wheel, fruit wheel, keno, caribbean stud, and pai gow poker.

They have a coffee shop with very reasonable prices open 0000 to 1600, and in
the same room, a dinner buffet for $14 open 1600 to ????. They also have a
"cafe'" with counter service only, open most of the time (perhaps all).

Comps are reasonably easy. Four hours of $10 BJ got this writer brunch at the
coffee shop, and another four hours earned a dinner buffet. Your mileage may
vary.

Lodging is available nearby. If you want fancy lodging, stay in Syracuse or
Utica, depending upon whether you're traveling from the east or the west.

Turning Stone's telephone number is 315-361-7711.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archive-name: gambling-faq/blackjack
URL: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/bj.html

-----------------------
Frequently Asked Questions about Blackjack

This is the Blackjack section of the rec.gambling Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) list.

Changes or additions to this section of the FAQ should be submitted to:
[e-mail].

Page last modified: 12-16-94
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table of Contents

Section B: Blackjack Questions
B1 What do these funny acronyms mean ...
B2 What special terminology is used by blackjack players?
B3 What special terminology is used by card counters?
B4 Why is there so much talk about blackjack in rec.gambling?
B5 Is casino blackjack a "beatable" game.
B6 How much of an advantage can card counting give?
B7 Is card counting illegal?
B8 Can the casino ban card counters?
B9 What is the correct basic strategy for single deck Blackjack?
B10 What is the correct basic strategy for Atlantic City blackjack?
B11 What is the house edge when playing basic strategy?
B12 Why are single deck games better than multi-deck games?
B14 Do 'bad' players at third base have any effect on expected gain?
B15 Where is the best place to sit at a blackjack table.
B16 How is card counting done?
B17 What counting system is "best"?
B18 What counting system is easiest to use?
B19 What BJ counting system is most effective?
B20 Does penetration have any effect on basic strategy expectation?
B21 What is the correct strategy for late surrender?
B22 What is the correct strategy for "multi action" blackjack?
B23 What is "Over/Under" Blackjack?
B24 What is the counting strategy for Over/Under blackjack?
B25 What are some good/bad books on Blackjack?
B26 What are some other sources of blackjack/gambling information?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B1 What do these funny acronyms mean ...
A:B1 (Michael Hall)

The acronyms that are often used in blackjack articles in rec.gambling are
listed below.

Abbreviations:
     BSE = Basic Strategy Edge
     H17 = Hit soft 17 (dealer must hit)
     S17 = Stand on any 17 (dealer must stand)
     DOA = Double On Any first two cards
     D10 = Double on 10 or 11 only
     DAS = Double After Splitting is allowed
     RSA = Re-Splitting Aces is allowed
     ESR = Early Surrender
     LSR = Late Surrender
     O/U = Over/Under 13 side bets are allowed

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B2 What special terminology is used by blackjack players?
A:B2 (Steve Jacobs, Dave Everett)

Blackjack Terminology:

basic strategy
     a playing strategy that is designed to minimize the house edge as much as
     possible without using techniques such as card counting, shuffle tracking,
     or dealer tells. Basic strategy is used as a foundation for card counting,
     but is also used by many non-counters.

burn card(s)
     cards that are discarded without being dealt to the players. After the
     cards are shuffled by the dealer and cut by one of the players, one or
     more cards are "burned" before any cards are dealt to the players.

bust
     after a "hit", the player is said to "bust" if the new card causes the
     player's total to exceed 21.

card counting
     a system for improving the player's edge by assigning "weights" to each
     card face and summing the card weights as each new card is turned face up.
     The "count" indicates when the game is favorable for the player, so that
     the player can place larger bets and/or make changes in playing strategy.

cut card
     a (usually colored plastic) card that is used to cut the cards after they
     have been shuffled by the dealer.

double down
     to double the initial bet and receive exactly one more card. The option to
     double is often allowed on the players first two cards only, although some
     casinos allow doubling after splitting a pair. Many Northern Nevada
     casinos allowing doubling only with a two-card total of 10 or 11. It is
     very rare to find games that allow doubling of hands that have more than
     two cards.

double for less
     to double down with less than 2X the original bet. Generally, when
     doubling is allowed, the player does not have to actually double his bet,
     but may increase it by any amount up to (but not more than) the original
     bet.

early surrender
     surrender that occurs _before_ the dealer peeks at the hole card. Very
     valuable to the player, but rarely (if ever) offered by the casinos.

even money
     taking insurance when holding a blackjack results in a net gain of one
     bet. Some casinos will allow the player to be paid without actually
     placing the insurance bet. This is called "taking even money". (See
     "insurance")

first base
     the first player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting
     at "first base".

flat bet
     to bet the same amount on each successive hand.

hard hand
     any hand that is not a soft hand.

heads up
     playing at a table that has no other players.

hit
     drawing a new card to add to the player's or dealer's hand.

hole card
     the dealer's card that is placed face down.

insurance
     a side bet of 1/2 the original bet that is offered when the dealer's
     upcard is an ace. This bet pays 2:1 if the dealer has a natural 21. (Also
     see "even money")

late surrender
     surrender that occurs _after_ the dealer peeks at the hole card. If the
     dealer has a natural 21 (blackjack), the player's bet still loses in its
     entirety. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, the player loses half
     the bet and doesn't play the rest of the hand.

natural
     a hand that totals 21 on the first two cards.

over/under
     a rare bet that the first two player's cards will total over 13, or under
     13, when aces are counted as one.

preferential shuffling
     shuffling when the deck is favorable to the players, while avoiding a
     shuffle when the deck is unfavorable to the players.

push
     a tie hand, the original bet is returned to the player.

shoe
     a "box" for holding the undealt cards, usually used in multi-deck games.

soft hand
     any hand that includes an ace that can be counted as 11 without having the
     value of the hand exceed 21. It is always possible to draw one card to a
     soft hand without busting.

split hand
     hands that start with two cards of the same rank can be split to form two
     independent hands. This option is exercised by adding a new bet to the
     second hand, and these hands are played independently.

spread
     to place more than one bet before the cards are dealt.

stand
     to stop drawing cards.

stiff (hand)
     any hand that has a small change of winning regardless of how the hand is
     played (usually 12 - 16).

surrender
     the option to give back the player's first two cards in exchange for a
     refund of 1/2 of the original bet (rarely allowed). Some hands, such at 16
     vs. dealer's 10, are so bad that it is less costly to surrender rather
     than play the hand.

third base
     the last player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting at
     "third base".

upcard
     the dealer's first card, dealt face up. The correct playing decision often
     involves some consideration of the dealer's upcard.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B3 What special terminology is used by card counters?
A:B3 (Steve Jacobs)

Card Counting Terminology

betting correlation
     a measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the
     player's favorability when the cards are seen by the player and removed
     from the deck. This gives an estimate of the accuracy of the card counting
     system.

back counting
     counting cards and waiting for the count to become favorable before
     sitting down to play. Usually done standing in back of the players.

balanced count
     any counting system that has a count starting at zero when the cards are
     shuffled, and ending at zero when all cards in the deck(s) have been
     exposed. Most counting systems use a balanced count.

bet spread
     the ratio between maximum and minimum bet size. A player who uses $20
     maximum bets and $5 minimum bets is using a 4:1 bet spread.

card weight
     the "value" assigned to each card face. This weight is added to the
     "count" as each new card is exposed. Weights are usually small integer
     values like -1, +1, or +2.

count
     (noun) -- a number that represents the player's estimate of how favorable
     or unfavorable.

cover bet
     a bet (usually large) placed at the "wrong" time, in order to fool the pit
     critters into thinking that the player is not counting cards.

insurance correlation
     a measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the
     player's favorability for placing insurance bets. This gives an estimate
     of the accuracy of the card counting system for predicting when to take
     insurance.

penetration
     the number of cards that are dealt before the cards are shuffled.
     Penetration is usually expressed as a percentage of the cards, as in "75%
     penetration". Good penetration is extremely important to card counters.

playing efficiency
     effectiveness of strategy variations in tracking the optimal playing
     strategy as the deck composition changes. Efficiency is given by E = AG /
     PG, where AG is the actual gain from making the strategy changes, and PG
     is the possible gain that could be made by using a playing strategy that
     is "computer perfect".

running count
     the total of the weights of all cards that have been exposed since the
     cards were shuffled.

shuffle tracking
     a system to predict which sections of the deck/shoe will be favorable to
     the player, based on the locations of favorable sections of the previous
     deck/shoe, and on studying the method used to shuffle the cards.

side count
     a count in addition to the "main" count, usually involving a single card
     face, as in "ace side count".

strategy variations
     varying from basic strategy when the count indicates that it is profitable
     to do so.

ten poor
     a deck that has a lower than average density of tens and face cards.

ten rich
     a deck that has a higher than average density of tens and face cards.

true count
     a count that is adjusted according to the number of undealt cards, usually
     by dividing the running count by the number of undealt *decks* (or
     half-decks).

unbalanced count
     any counting system that has a count that starts or ends on a non-zero
     value (see "balanced count"). Red 7 is an example of an unbalanced count.

wonging
     improving the player's edge by placing bets only when the count is
     favorable for the player, and "sitting out" when the count is unfavorable.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B4 Why is there so much talk about blackjack in rec.gambling?
A:B4 (Steve Jacobs)

Blackjack is the most popular table game in American casinos, and the abundance
of blackjack articles in rec.gambling is a reflection of this popularity.
Unlike many other casino games, skillful play in blackjack allows the player to
gain a slight advantage over the casino. However, there is no single form of
the game that is found in all casinos, and it is often possible to find several
slightly different forms of blackjack within the same casino. When playing
blackjack, the "correct" strategy to use will depend on the number of card
decks used and on the particular "house rules" that are in effect during play.
All of these factors combine to make blackjack a very complicated topic.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B5 Is casino blackjack a "beatable" game.
A:B5 (Matt Wilding)

Background: Many books have been written that claim that BJ is beatable.

Answer: Simulations performed by rec.gamblers show different amounts of
potential player advantage in theory in BJ, depending on strategies, exact
rules, and playing conditions. These numbers typically approach 1% (an average
penny gain for every dollar bet) though in certain particular, ideal
circumstances this can get somewhat higher. There is disagreement on the net
about how much advantage this translates into in "real-world" casinos, but it's
generally believed that players can play with a small, long-run advantage in
BJ. The variance is very high in this game, however, which makes the slight
advantage in BJ far from a sure thing.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B6 How much of an advantage can card counting give?
A:B6 (Steve Jacobs)

A typical card counter will have an edge of 1.5% or less, depending on the
counting system used, the skill of the player, and the particular house rules
that the player is fighting against. It is quite unusual to find playing
conditions that allow the player to get more than a 2% edge against the house,
even against single deck games. The player's edge against multi-deck games is
generally less than 1%.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B7 Is card counting illegal?
A:B7 (Steve Jacobs)

No. The casinos would like you to believe that card counting is illegal,
immoral, and fattening, but the fact is that card counters are simply using a
greater level of skill than the typical blackjack player. The Nevada courts
have ruled that blackjack players are free to use any information that is made
available to them, provided that there is no collusion between a player and
casino personnel. For example, if a dealer accidentally handles the cards in
such a way that a player can see the dealer's hole card, the player can make
use of this information without breaking the law.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B8 Can the casino ban card counters?
A:B8 (Steve Jacobs)

This depends on where you play. In Atlantic City, where games of skill are not
permitted, the casinos are not allowed to ban skillful players. In Nevada,
casinos are allowed to refuse service to anyone at any time for any reason.
Players are routinely "barred", usually by being asked to leave or by being
told that they are welcome to play any game other than blackjack. If you are
barred but persist in trying to play, the casino can have you arrested for
trespassing.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B9 What is the correct basic strategy for single deck Blackjack?
A:B9 (Steve Jacobs)

The following basic strategy is for single deck games without DAS
(double-after-splits).

   +--  Player's hand
   |
   |     dealer         dealer
   |   |-might bust-||-might stand-|
   V   2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  X  A  <------- dealer's upcard
  ---+-------------------------------
  XX | S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S   never, ever, ever split
  99 | PS PS PS PS PS S  PS ps s  s   split if (d <= 9), except 7
  88 | Ps Ps Ps Ps Ps Ph ph ph ph ph  always split
  77 | ps ps Ps Ps Ps ph h  h  s  h   split if (d <= 7), stand against 10
  66 | ph ps ps Ps ps h  h  h  h  h   split if (d <= 6)
  55 | DH DH DH DH DH DH DH DH H  H   never split, treat like hard 10
  44 | h  H  H  DH DH H  h  h  h  h   never split, double against 5, 6
  33 | h  h  Ph PH PH ph h  h  h  h   split if (d >= 4) and (d <= 7)
  22 | h  ph Ph PH PH ph h  h  h  h   split if (d >= 3) and (d <= 7)
  AA | PH PH PH PD PD PH PH Ph Ph Ph  always split
  ---+-------------------------------
  A9 | S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S   always stand
  A8 | S  S  S  S *DS S  S  S  S  S   double against a 6
  A7 | S  DS DS DS DS S  S  h  h  h*  double 3-6, hit against 9, 10, A
  A6 | DH DH DH DH DH H  h  h  h  h   double low, hit high
  A5 | h  h  DH DH DH h  h  h  h  h   \
  A4 | h  H  DH DH DH H  h  h  h  h    \ double against 4,5,6
  A3 | H  H  DH DH DH H  H  h  h  h    /
  A2 | H  H  DH DH DH H  H  h  h  h   /
  ---+-------------------------------
  21 | S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S   always stand
  20 | S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S   always stand
  19 | S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S   always stand
  18 | S  S  S  S  S  S  S  s  s  s   always stand
  17 | s  s  s  s  s  s  s  s  s  s   always stand on HARD 17 or above

  16 | s  s  s  s  s  h  h  h  h  h   \
  15 | s  s  s  s  s  h  h  h  h  h    \
  14 | s  s  s  s  s  h  h  h  h  h     > hit if dealer might stand,
  13 | s  s  s  s  s  h  h  h  h  h    /    stand if dealer might bust
  12 | h  h  s  s  s  h  h  h  h  h   /   (special case against 2, 3)

  11 | D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D   always double
  10 | D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  H  H   double if (d < 10)
   9 | DH DH DH DH DH H  H  h  h  h   double if dealer might bust
   8 | h  H  H  DH DH H  h  h  h  h   double only against 5, 6
   7 | h  h  h  H  H  h  h  h  h  h
   6 | h  h  h  H  H  h  h  h  h  h   (4-2)
   5 | h  h  h  H  H  h  h  h  h  h   (3-2)
   4 | h  h  h  H  H  h  h  h  h  h   (2-2 pair if no more splitting allowed)
  ---+-------------------------------
  S=stand H=hit D=double P=pair(split)
  DH= double if allowed, otherwise hit
  DS= double if allowed, otherwise stand
  [uppercase] = "strong" hand, favorable to player
  [lowercase] = "weak" hand, favorable to house

  (*) notes:
     Playing A7 against dealer's ace:
        hitting gains 4.08% if dealer must hit on soft 17
        standing gains 0.74% if dealer must stand on soft 17

     Playing A8 against dealer's 6:
        doubling gains 1.96% if dealer must hit on soft 17
        doubling gains 0.03% if dealer must stand on soft 17
        (this rule may be ignored to simplify the strategy)

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B10 What is the correct basic strategy for Atlantic City blackjack?
A:B10 (Steve Jacobs)

The following basic strategy is for typical Atlantic City rules.

  HOUSE RULES:
     Cards are dealt from 6 decks.
     Dealer must stand on any 17.
       Double-down allowed on soft hands.
     Pairs may be split only once.
       Player may double-down after splitting pairs.
     Surrender is not allowed.


                   Strategy Table

       |---might bust---|  |---might stand---|  <---- dealer possibility
  ---+----------------------------------------
       2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   X   A    <---- dealer's up card
  ---+----------------------------------------  Pairs
  XX | S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S
  99 | PS  PS  PS  PS  PS  S   PS  ps  s   s
  88 | Ps  Ps  Ps  Ps  Ps  Ph  ph  ph  ph  ph
  77 | ps  ps  Ps  Ps  Ps  ph  h   h   h   h
  66 | ph  ph  ps  Ps  Ps  h   h   h   h   h
  55 | DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  H   H
  44 | h   H   H   PH  PH  H   h   h   h   h
  33 | ph  ph  Ph  Ph  Ph  ph  h   h   h   h
  22 | ph  ph  Ph  Ph  PH  ph  h   h   h   h
  AA | PH  PH  PH  PH  PDH PH  PH  Ph  Ph  Ph
  ---+----------------------------------------  Soft Hands
  AX | S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S
  A9 | S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S
  A8 | S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S
  A7 | S   DS  DS  DS  DS  S   S   h   h   h
  A6 | H   DH  DH  DH  DH  H   h   h   h   h
  A5 | h   H   DH  DH  DH  h   h   h   h   h
  A4 | h   H   DH  DH  DH  H   h   h   h   h
  A3 | H   H   H   DH  DH  H   H   h   h   h
  A2 | H   H   H   DH  DH  H   H   h   h   h
  AA | H   H   H   H   DH  H   H   h   h   h
  ---+----------------------------------------  Hard Hands
  21 | S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S
  20 | S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S
  19 | S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S   S
  18 | S   S   S   S   S   S   S   s   s   s
  17 | s   s   s   s   S   s   s   s   s   s

  16 | s   s   s   s   s   h   h   h   h   h
  15 | s   s   s   s   s   h   h   h   h   h
  14 | s   s   s   s   s   h   h   h   h   h
  13 | s   s   s   s   s   h   h   h   h   h
  12 | h   h   s   s   s   h   h   h   h   h

  11 | DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  H
  10 | DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  DH  H   H
   9 | H   DH  DH  DH  DH  H   H   h   h   h
   8 | h   H   H   H   H   H   h   h   h   h
   7 | h   h   h   H   H   h   h   h   h   h
   6 | h   h   h   h   h   h   h   h   h   h
   5 | h   h   h   h   H   h   h   h   h   h
   4 | h   h   h   h   H   h   h   h   h   h
  ---+----------------------------------------
  S=stand H=hit D=double P=split Q=surrender

  NOTES:
       1) If more than one option is listed,
          options to the left are preferred
          over options to the right.  Options
          less favorable than STAND or HIT are
          not shown.

       2) Use the "Hard Hands" table only
          when the other tables do not apply.

       3) If splitting Aces is not allowed,
          use the "Soft Hands" table.

       4) Uppercase options favor the player,
          lowercase options favor the house.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B11 What is the house edge when playing basic strategy?
A:B11 (Steve Jacobs)

The expected gain for basic strategy play depends on the house rules and the
number of decks. The following table summarizes the players expectation for a
variety of games. All numbers are in units of percent of initial bet.

                           <-- number of decks -->
                  |    1  |   2   |   4   |   6   |  20   |  100  |
  ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
  AC              | .1541  -.2228  -.3991  -.4569  -.5368  -.5638 |
  AC + LSR        | .1761  -.1717  -.3323  -.3843  -.4552  -.4790 |
  AC + ESR        | .7694   .3952   .2265   .1721   .0968   .0714 |
  ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
  strip           | .0409  -.3214  -.4889  -.5437  -.6245  -.6447 |
  strip + LSR     | .0707  -.2685  -.4239  -.4744  -.5429  -.5659 |
  strip + DAS     | .1809  -.1795  -.3472  -.4021  -.4779  -.5034 |
  strip + ESR     | .6511   .2927   .1320   .0801   .0084  -.0157 |
  ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
  vegas           |-.1527  -.5257  -.7015  -.7590  -.8445  -.8663 |
  vegas + LSR     |-.1095  -.4594  -.6221  -.6747  -.7469  -.7713 |
  vegas + DAS     |-.0103  -.3813  -.5570  -.6146  -.6951  -.7223 |
  vegas + ESR     | .5403   .1720   .0046  -.0493  -.1245  -.1500 |
  ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
  reno            |-.4291  -.7400  -.8906  -.9404 -1.0154 -1.0337 |
  reno + LSR      |-.3858  -.6737  -.8113  -.8560  -.9178  -.9387 |
  reno + DAS      |-.3121  -.6176  -.7658  -.8151  -.8840  -.9073 |
  reno + ESR      | .2639  -.0423  -.1846  -.2307  -.2307  -.3174 |
  ----------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

  "AC" rules: (typical of Atlantic City)
        dealer stands on soft 17
        double down on any two cards
        double after splits
        no resplitting

  "strip" rules: (typical of Vegas Strip)
        dealer stands on soft 17
        double down on any two cards (but not after splits)

  "vegas" rules: (typical of Vegas Downtown)
        dealer hits soft 17
        double down on any two cards (but not after splits)

  "reno" rules:  (typical of Reno, northern Nevada)
        dealer hits soft 17
        double down allowed on two card total of 10 or 11 only

  DAS = Double After Splitting
  LSR = Late Surrender
  ESR = Early Surrender (no longer available)

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B12 Why are single deck games better than multi-deck games?
A:B12 (Michael Hall)

There are some surface differences, such as single and double deck usually
being hand-held, while four or more decks are dealt from a shoe, but there are
fundamental mathematical differences too.

Single deck blackjack is usually better than multiple deck blackjack for card
counters, basic strategists, and the clueless. Additional decks make busts less
likely, since one can draw to hands like 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 (for 18) which are
improbable/impossible in single deck. Busting less often helps the dealer's
hand more than yours, since the dealer is forced by the rigid rules to hit more
often than you. Blackjacks are also less frequent, which is bad since you get
paid 3 to 2 for those. All in all, multiple decks will cost a basic strategist
nearly 0.5% in advantage, which is more than all but the very best package of
favorable extra rules will give you. This was an intuitive explanation; a
complete mathematically sound (albeit huge) proof can be generated by a
combinatorial analysis program.

Card counters face the additional problem that the count is less volatile with
multiple decks and hence offers less frequent opportunities for large favorable
bets. Consider the difference between an urn with 1 black and 1 white marble
versus an urn with 100 black and 100 white marbles. Draw half the marbles: what
is the probability that all the remaining marbles are white? In the 1 and 1
case, there is a 1 in 2 chance. In the 100 and 100 case, there is only a 1 in
100,891,344,545,564,193,334,812,497,256 chance!
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B14 Do 'bad' players at third base have any effect on expected gain?
A:B14 (Steve Jacobs)

No. It is a common misconception that incorrect plays by the player at third
base will "take the dealer's bust card" or "leave the dealer a good card". As
long as the shuffle is sufficient to randomize the cards, improper play of
other players will be just as likely to help as it is to hurt. However, bad
players can cause frustration and anxiety which may increase the likelihood of
making mistakes. It is best to avoid the temptation to strangle bad players.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B15 Where is the best place to sit at a blackjack table.
A:B15 (Steve Jacobs)

It depends. For basic strategy players, seat position has no significant effect
on the player's expected return. For card counters who use strategy variations,
it is probably best to sit at third base in order to see as many cards as
possible before playing the hand. When playing against a "front loading"
dealer, the best seat is whichever seat gives you the best shot at getting a
glimpse of the dealer's hole card. When playing at the Rio, the best seat is
the one that gives the best view of the cocktail waitresses.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B16 How is card counting done?
A:B16 (Steve Jacobs)

The card counting system described below is an unbalanced 10 count that is 100%
accurate for determining when to take insurance. As a general purpose card
counting system, it is relatively weak and not particularly recommended, but it
illustrates many of the principles behind card counting. This is intended only
to give a feel for how card counting is done, and is not recommended for actual
practice, although I've used it because of its simplicity. This counting
strategy is listed as "Unbalanced 10 Count" in other parts of the FAQ list.

For single deck games:
     1) Start the count at -4 when the deck is shuffled.
     2) Count -2 for 10, J, Q, K
     3) Count +1 for everything else (including aces)
     4) Bet low when the count is negative, high when the count is positive
     (actually, simulations show that you can bet high for a count of -2 or
     above).
     5) Take insurance when the count is positive.
     6) Play basic strategy at all times.

---------------------------------------------------------------

For N deck games:
     1) Start the count at (-4 * N).
     2) all other rules are the same.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

The unique feature of this counting method is that it is perfectly accurate for
dealing with insurance. When the count is positive, the player has the
advantage when taking the insurance bet. When the count is negative, the house
has the advantage, so insurance should not be taken.

Counting is best done by counting several cards at once. It is easy to practice
this counting method in the following way:

1)
     Count through a deck of cards, counting one card at a time. Start at -4,
     and count through the entire deck. After all of the cards have been seen,
     the count should be ZERO. If it is not zero, a mistake has been made
     somewhere. Repeat counting through the deck one card at a time, until you
     can do it quickly without making mistakes.

2)
     Count through the deck, counting two cards at a time. Look for the
     following patterns, adding the correct amount for each pattern
     (X = 10, N = non-ten)
          NN: +2
          XN: -1
          XX: -4
     Again, the count should be zero after all cards have been seen. Repeat
     until you can do it efficiently.

3)
     Count through the deck, counting three cards at a time. Look for the
     following patterns, adding the correct amount for each pattern.
     (X = 10, N = non-ten)
          NNN +3
          XNN 0 (this pattern is common)
          XXN -3

4)
     Practice against a computer blackjack game. When I play, I usually count
     the cards by counting an entire hand (player's or dealers) at once. If
     there are more than three cards in the hand, I mentally break it up into
     groups of 1, 2, or 3 cards (I usually look for "XNN" patterns and ignore
     those cards, since they add up to zero). I usually count the cards just
     before the dealer picks up the hand (exception: for insurance, you should
     count your cards and the dealer's up card immediately).

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B17 What counting system is "best"?
A:B17 (Matt Wilding)

This has been answered by rec.gamblers using different approaches.

The first approach is to evaluate different systems by simulation. This
approach obscures the particular advantages of each system, but it's easy to
see how a system will perform in one particular realistic casino playing
situation, and not hard to judge the tradeoff between performance and ease of
use (see Q/A B18 for more details).

The second approach estimates several performance parameters of each system
that collectively approximate the system's inherent potential. This allows the
strengths of different BJ systems to be studied in detail, which should allow
better, more precise comparison of different systems and aid efforts to improve
a particular system. This approach gives results which may be used to determine
which counting system is theoretically most profitable, but does not address
the issue of how easy it is to use the counting system under actual playing
conditions (see Q/A B19 for more details).

It's not yet clear how these two studies relate, and no rec.gambling consensus
has emerged as to how the more sophisticated performance parameters actually
translate to advantage at the tables as in the simulations.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B18 What counting system is easiest to use?
A:B18 (Matt Wilding)

Background: Lots of systems are available. There is an important tradeoff
between complexity and theoretical power, as more complex systems are harder to
use and more error-prone.

Answer: You pick'em. A rec.gambling study was accomplished that compared
different systems, and here a summary of what came out:

Complexity is a subjective measure with guidelines described in the results
paper. Power is the integer closest to p/0.05%, where p is the % advantage of
the strategy one-on-one in a single deck, dealer hits on soft 17, no DDAS,
resplitting-allowed game that's dealt down to 20 cards and using a 1-4 betting
spread. 15,000,000 hands guarantee correctness to within 1 point 99% of the
time.

   name             complex power      card weights             reference
                                A  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  X
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  BASIC               0     -5                                 Steve Jacobs
  UNBALANCED 10       2     13   1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 -2  Steve Jacobs
  SUPER-SIMPLE OPT-I 2.5    16         1  1  1  1          -1  WGBJB (1)
  REVERE PM          3.5    16  -1  1  1  1  1  1          -1  PBaaB
  RED SEVEN          3.5    19  -1  1  1  1  1  1 R:1      -1  BiB
  OPT1-6+6            5     18         1  1  1  1          -1  WGBJB
  WONG HIGH-LOW       5     19  -1  1  1  1  1  1          -1  PB
  ZEN                 5     19  -1  1  1  2  2  2  1       -2  BiB
  HORSESHOE           6     14      1  2  2  3  2  2  1 -1 -3  MDB (2)
  REVERE POINT COUNT  6     17  -2  1  2  2  2  2  1       -2  PBaaB
  OPT1-6+6 W/ ACE     7     23         1  1  1  1          -1  WGBJB
  ANDERSON           9.5    16  -2  1  1  1  2  1  1    -1 -1  TtToLV
  USTON APC          10     22      1  2  2  3  2  2  1 -1 -3  MDB

  WGBJB: "World's Greatest BlackJack Book" by Humble and Cooper
  PBaaB: "Playing Blackjack as a Business" by Lawrence Revere
  BiB: "Blackbelt in Blackjack" by Arnold Snyder
  PB: "Professional Blackjack" by Stanford Wong
  TtToLV: "Turning the Tables on Las Vegas" by Ian Andersen
  MDB: "Million Dollar Blackjack" by Ken Uston
  (1) with modifications by Matthew Wilding
  (2) with modifications by Paul C. Kim

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B19 What BJ counting system is most effective?
A:B19 (Michael Hall, Jeff Jennings)

The playing efficiency, betting correlation, and insurance correlation is
listed below for several counting systems. These numbers give an indication of
the effectiveness of the counting system. When two numbers are listed, the
second number results from adding an ace side count in addition to the "main"
count.

See answer B3 for definitions of "betting correlation", "playing efficiency",
and "insurance correlation".

                  EXPLANATION OF COUNTING SYSTEMS
  ===========================================================================
  COUNTING           COUNTING VALUES         "BEST" EFFICIENCY  CORRELATION
  SYSTEMS      2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  X  A  SOURCE  PLAY+ace  BET+ace INSURE
  --------     ----------------------------  ------  -------- -------- ------
  Griffin      0  0  1  1  1  1  0  0 -1  0  Griffin  64-64+  .85-.95  .85
  Hi-Opt I     0  1  1  1  1  0  0  0 -1  0  Humble   61-63   .88-.97  .85
  Hi-Opt II    1  1  2  2  1  1  0  0 -2  0  Humble   67-67+  .91-.99  .91
  High-Low     1  1  1  1  1  0  0  0 -1 -1  Wong     51-63   .97      .76-.85
  Ita          1  1  1  1  1  1  0 -1 -1 -1  Sys.Res. 53-63+  .96      .69-.76
  Red 7's      1  1  1  1  1 **  0  0 -1 -1  Snyder   54-64+  .98      .78-.87
  Unbal 10's   1  1  1  1  1  1  1  1 -2  1  Roberts  61-61+  .73-.94 1.00
  Uston +-     0  1  1  1  1  1  0  0 -1 -1  Uston    55-64+  .95      .76-.85
  Uston APC    1  2  2  3  2  2  1 -1 -3  0  Uston    69-69+  .91-.99  .90
  Wong Halves  1  2  2  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -2  Wong     57-67+  .99      .72-.85
  Zen          1  1  2  2  2  1  0  0 -2 -1  Snyder   63-67+  .97      .85-.91
                           ** red 7's +1, black 7's 0

  Note: Playing efficiencies have a practical maximum of about 0.7.
        "Unbal 10's" is short for "Unbalanced 10 Count"


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B20 Does penetration have any effect on basic strategy expectation?
A:B20 (Steve Jacobs)

Probably not. Unless the dealer is cheating, the cards will be in a random
order after the shuffle. If the player is not counting cards or using other
techniques to gain an advantage, it will not matter if there are several rounds
or only a single round between shuffles. But, if the dealer if using
preferential shuffling, this will hurt the basic strategy players as well as
the card counters.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B21 What is the correct strategy for late surrender?
A:B21 (Michael Hall)

Basic strategy for late surrender in AC multi-deck games is:

     Surrender hard 16 (but not 8-8) vs. 9, 10, ace
     Surrender hard 15 vs. 10

If you are the least bit risk-averse, you should also:

     Surrender hard 15 vs. ace

At some casinos you can surrender your first two cards. You lose half your bet
in return for not having to play through the hand. With early surrender, you
get back half your bet even if the dealer has blackjack, while with late
surrender you lose anyway when the dealer has blackjack.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B22 What is the correct strategy for "multi action" blackjack?
A:B22 (Steve Jacobs)

Multi Action blackjack allows the player to place up to three bets
simultaneously on the same blackjack hand. The player is dealt a single hand,
and the three bets are played out against the same dealer upcard, but with
different "drawn" cards for each bet. Many players feel nervous about hitting
stiff hands against a high dealer's upcard (7 or higher), since they will lose
all three bets if they bust. However, basic strategy is COMPLETELY UNCHANGED
for this game, and the correct strategy is no different than if the player had
only a single bet at risk.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B23 What is "Over/Under" Blackjack?
A:B23 (Steve Jacobs)

Caesar's Tahoe introduced the Over-13 and Under-13 side bets that are allowed
at some blackjack tables. These bets are based on the player's total for the
first two cards, when aces are counted as one. Over-13 bets win when the
player's cards total 14 or higher, while under-13 bets win when the player's
cards total 12 or under. Either bet will lose when the player's total is
exactly 13. These bets are placed at the same time as the blackjack bet, and
usually the side bet can be no larger than the bet on the blackjack hand.
Over/under games are usually dealt from a 6 or 8 deck shoe, and the player's
first two cards are always dealt face up. Although these are "sucker" bets for
basic strategy players, with a house edge of 6% to 10%, special card counting
strategies can be used to give the player a significant edge on these bets.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B24 What is the counting strategy for Over/Under blackjack?
A:B24 (Steve Jacobs)

The card weights used for the Over/Under count are as follows: count +1 for
Ace, 2, 3, and 4, and count -1 for tens and face cards. The deck becomes
favorable for counts of +2 and above, and for counts -4 and below. Over-13 bets
should be placed when the count is +3 and above. Under-13 bets should be placed
when the count is -4 and below.

When playing Over/Under blackjack with this counting scheme, virtually all of
the player's profit comes from the over-13 and under-13 side bets. This
counting scheme is very poor for playing the blackjack portion of the bet, and
will only allow the player to play about even with the house on the blackjack
bets. However, the over/under bets can be very profitable if the game has good
penetration. A 6-deck over/under game with good penetration can give the player
an advantage of 1.5% or more. Single deck over/under games with good
penetration (very rare) can give the player an edge of over 4% when using the
over/under count.

Snyder's "Over/Under Report" discusses the over/under game in detail, and is
available from RGE at an outrageous price.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B25 What are some good/bad books on Blackjack?
A:B25

The individual book reviews given below are grouped according to the person
doing the review. If you have an opposing view or wish to express another view
of any of these books, write your own review and send it to the maintainer of
the FAQ list, and it will be included. Reviews of books that are not mentioned
here are especially welcome.

There are undoubtedly many good books that are not listed here, as well as many
terrible books that are not listed here. These reviews are only the opinions of
the reviewers, and your mileage may vary.

Review by Michael Dalton (as reported by Michael Hall)

     Dalton, Michael. Blackjack: A Professional Reference. Spur of the
     Moment Publishing, PO BOX 541967, Merritt Island, FL; 1991. (1964
     pages)

     Written by a NASA computer systems engineer, this book is a
     comprehensive reference to the game of blackjack. Over 1000 entries
     listing books, magazines, publications, newsletters, articles,
     reports, videos, software and other products available for serious
     players of the game twenty-one. Also included is the most
     comprehensive blackjack dictionary ever compiled explaining blackjack
     terminology, system and strategy descriptions, rules, and
     miscellaneous blackjack trivia. Complete basic strategy charts that
     cover most blackjack games in the world are also presented. Fully
     cross-referenced with recommendations.

Reviews by Edmund Hack:

     Blackjack Video: Winning at Blackjack with Bobby Singer, JCI Video,
     1987, 103 minutes. This video is a tape of a sales pitch/introduction
     to card counting seminar hosted by Bobby Singer, billed as the
     "World's biggest winner at the game of Blackjack" on the back cover.
     The tape covers 5 areas: Basic Strategy, Card Counting, Money
     Management, Team Play and Casino Awareness. Unfortunately, the
     information is incomplete. For example, the basic strategy section
     only covers hard and soft hands and the card counting section only
     covers the card values for the Hi-Lo count, but no bet sizing or
     strategy adjustments. The rest of the information is available for
     $149.00. For this price, you get a set of notebooks with lessons and
     audio tapes covering the Hi-Lo count and an 800 number you can call
     to find out where the best games are in the city you plan to play. I
     rented the tape for $1.50 and maybe got my money's worth.

     One interesting point covered in moderate detail is team play. Singer
     advocates playing 4 deck or up shoes with the "Big Player" approach
     pioneered by Uston and others. He advised using a counter at one or
     more tables who flat bets and uses hand signals (i.e. scratching the
     head) to call in a big money player. The current count is signaled to
     the Big Player by the stacking of chips in front of the counter in a
     particular way. The Big Player can then play out the rest of the
     shoe, presumably free of heat. If the count goes bad, the big player
     leaves, proclaiming a trip to the restroom is needed. The home study
     course is said to have info on bet sizing related/risk of ruin for
     teams and individuals.

     The Winner's Guide to Casino Gambling, Edwin Silberstang, Plume, 1980
     and 1989. This is a general overview of casino gambling with chapters
     on casino operations, comps, junkets, credit and the games offered.
     Detailed sections on craps, baccarat, roulette, keno, slots, video
     poker (89 edition only) and blackjack give the staff, rules, and
     procedures of each game, the house advantage, a glossary, and the
     best plays for each. In addition, there are anecdotes about playing
     the games. As the author has separate books on poker and sports
     betting, there is little information on them here and Red Dog and Pai
     Gow poker are not covered. The blackjack section has correct basic
     strategy information for 1,2, and 4+ deck games with and without DAS,
     and a discussion of Strip, Reno and Downtown rules variations. He
     presents the Hi-Opt I count (not by that name) and how to use it for
     bet sizing and insurance bets, but no strategy adjustments. There is
     a section written by a professional blackjack player on how to hide
     the fact that you are counting and life as a pro. If you want a
     single book as an introduction to casino gambling, this is it. [Note:
     there are 2 versions of the book out - a small green paperback from
     1980 and a black trade paperback from 1989 that has been updated.]

Reviews by Michael Hall:

     Fundamentals of Blackjack by Chambliss and Rogenski - this book is
     pretty much a standard blackjack book, but it has exceptionally good
     tables of information. I advise buying this book as a supplement to
     whatever book you use for your counting system (probably either
     Professional Blackjack, The World's Greatest Blackjack Book,
     Blackbelt in Blackjack or Million Dollar Blackjack.) The counting
     system discussed in "Fundamentals..." is not one that you would
     actually want to use, but the tables don't assume this system is
     used. Unfortunately, many of the tables were generated using Snyder's
     Blackjack Formula, and so the accuracy is not as good as would be the
     case with computer simulations.

     Card Counting for the Casino Executive by Bill Zender - this book is
     written for casino executives, as you might suspect, which makes it
     insightful reading for card counters. The book goes into detail about
     how pit critters should go about identifying and discouraging card
     counters. It also lists all kinds of ways the players can win, both
     honestly and by cheating. The author is fairly counter-tolerant,
     which is refreshing. Alas, the book is spiral bound, only 138 pages
     long, and *full* of white space.

Reviews by Steve Jacobs:

     Million Dollar Blackjack by Ken Uston. This is a good all-around
     blackjack book, although the advanced counting scheme is much more
     difficult than most. Ken gives a balanced view of blackjack, without
     the exaggerated claims that many BJ authors are fond of.

     World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Humble & Cooper. This is a good
     book with a pretty reasonable counting scheme. The authors are _way_
     too paranoid about cheating, to the extent that they attribute
     virtually all of their losses to cheating. Otherwise, it is a good
     book. These guys have absolutely nothing nice to say about Lawrence
     Revere, so if you've read Playing Blackjack as a Business and would
     like to read an opposing viewpoint, this is the book for you.

     Blackbelt in Blackjack by Arnold Snyder. The Red Seven count in this
     book is simple, and quite effective against single deck games. The
     Zen count is more difficult, but more powerful. Snyder includes some
     interesting ideas that aren't found in other books, such as "depth
     charging". This book is probably not as good for beginners as are the
     previous two books, but is a good book for more advanced readers.

     Theory of Blackjack by Peter Griffin. This is one of the few good
     books that cover the mathematical considerations of the game. This
     book is either a complete must or a complete waste of time, depending
     on how you feel about mathematics.

     Beat the Dealer by Edward Thorp. This book is a classic, and is still
     worth reading. The card counting schemes are now somewhat dated, but
     it is still a good book for card counters.

     Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong. Some people really like this
     book, but I didn't find it all that exciting. It is considered a
     classic, and has a lot of good material.

     Playing Blackjack as a Business by Lawrence Revere. This is one of
     the most accurate books for basic strategy, and the color charts are
     very nice. The numbers in the tables were provided by Julian Braun,
     and are about as accurate as any available, but don't believe the
     numbers that Revere gives for player's expected gain. Revere's
     counting scheme isn't widely used today, and Revere's "I'm right and
     everyone else is a dope" attitude is very annoying, although
     partially justified if you account for the date of first publication
     and the scarcity of good books at that time. Revere also makes many
     inflated claims about player's expectation, which Humble & Cooper
     would attribute to character flaw.

     Scarne on Cards by John Scarne. This book is simply wrong when it
     comes to blackjack, and Scarne was too arrogant to even consider the
     possibility that he might have been wrong. He spends a lot of time
     trying to discredit Thorp. This book has _negative_ value for serious
     blackjack players, and should probably be avoided completely.

     Turning the Tables on Las Vegas by Ian Andersen. This is an
     entertaining book that describes techniques for disguising your play
     to avoid detection by pit critters.

     Casino Tournament Strategy by Stanford Wong. This book combines
     previous Tournament Blackjack and Tournament Craps book together at a
     reasonable price. Covers many of the unique situations that come up
     in tournament play. Worth reading if you plan to play in tournaments.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:B26 What are some other sources of blackjack/gambling information?
A:B26 (Jonathan Rosenberg, Michael Hall, Jack Mcgee)

RGE Publishing, 414 Santa Clara Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610, [phone]
Publishes Blackjack Forum, $30/year (4 issues). Call for their very interesting
catalog. Includes books, videos, PC based BJ practice programs, analyzers and
simulators, and back issues of Blackjack Forum.

Current Blackjack News, by Stanford Wong. $95/year (12 issues). Available
through RGE.

Blackjack Confidential Magazine, 513 Salsbury Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
$99/year (10 issues).

Win Magazine, 16760 Stagg St. #213, Van Nuys, CA 91406, [phone] Formerly
Gambling Times. $36/year (12 issues). Covers all gambling and gaming topics.
[Some reports of irregular publishing schedule]

The Experts Blackjack Newsletter, Gambling Times Incorporated, 16760 Stagg St.
#213, Van Nuys, CA 91406, [phone] New, advertised in WIN Magazine.
$30/year (6 issues)

The International Gamblers' Club Newsletter, P.O. Box 73, Thornhill, Ontario,
Canada L3T 3N1 $24/year (4 issues). Founded by Lance Humble. They'll send you a
free but dated sample if you write. Mainly BJ but contains some sports betting
information. (I wasn't impressed with my sample).

Gambler's Book Club, 630 South 11th Street, Box 4115, Las Vegas, NV 89127,
[phone]. Not a newsletter but call for their awesome, awesome, awesome
catalog containing not only just about every blackjack book ever written but
practically every book ever written on any gambling topic. They also operate a
book store at the above address in Las Vegas. [And they have gambling experts
(including card counters) working at the store most of the time, willing to
answer questions -- Michael Hall]

Las Vegas Advisor, Huntington Press, PO Box 28041, Las Vegas, Nevada 89126,
[phone]. $45/year (12 issues) (add $5 for first class delivery).
Produced by Anthony Curtis. Lots of information on deals and freebies available
in Las Vegas. Sometimes includes valuable coupons or arranges special deals for
subscribers. (I have personally more than recouped the cost in actual cash back
from coupons for about half year's worth of the subscription. -Hall)

Casino Player, 2424 Arctic Ave., Atlantic City, NJ 08401, 609-344-9000. $24/yr,
(12 issues). It covers most gambling jurisdictions, with particular attention
paid to AC and LV. Articles on all games, by Wong, Caro, Frome, Malmuth,
Snyder, and others. It's a full color, slick, well produced magazine, about 60
pages.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Archive-name: gambling-faq/poker
URL: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/poker.html

-----------------------
Frequently Asked Questions about Poker

This is the Poker section of the rec.gambling Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
list.

Changes or additions to this section of the FAQ should be submitted to:
[e-mail].

Page last modified: 01-20-95
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table of Contents

P1 How is Texas Hold'em played?
P2 How is Omaha Hold'em played?
P3 What should I expect the first time I play poker in a casino or card room?
What etiquette should I follow?
P4 What are some good books about poker?
P5 What computer poker programs are best for my PC or Mac?
P6 What is IRC poker and how can I play?
P7 What skills are important for Texas Hold'em?
P8 What is a good preflop strategy for Texas Hold'em?
P9 Why are poker hands ranked the way they are?
P10 Why are ace-hi flushes ranked highest, when it's much harder to get a
seven-hi flush? And similarly for two pairs?
P11 What is the correct ranking for 3-card poker hands?
P12 What is a poker tournament? How does one work? What is a chip race? What is
a satellite?
P13 How does tournament strategy differ from that of regular games?
P14 What the hell is Rumple Mintz?
P15 What is a burn card and why is it dealt?
P16 What happens if there aren't enough cards in the deck to deal the final
card in 7-card stud?
P17 What is the difference between a shill and a proposition player? What
skills are needed to be one?
P18 What are the Las Vegas poker room phone numbers?
P19 What do all these poker terms mean?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P1 How is Texas Hold'em played?
A:P1 [Michael Maurer]

Texas Hold'em is a "community card" game, meaning that some cards are dealt
face-up in the middle of the table and shared by all the players. Each player
has two down cards that are theirs alone, and combines them with the five
community cards to make the best possible five-card hand.

Play begins by dealing two cards face down to each player; these are known as
"hole cards" or "pocket cards". This is followed by a round of betting. Most
hold'em games get the betting started with one or two "blind bets" to the left
of the dealer. These are forced bets which must be made before seeing one's
cards. Play proceeds clockwise from the blinds, with each player free to fold,
call the blind bet, or raise. Usually the blinds are "live", meaning that they
may raise themselves when the action gets back around to them.

Now three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table; this is called
the "flop". A round of betting ensues, with action starting on the first blind,
immediately to the dealers left. Another card is dealt face up (the "turn"),
followed by another round of betting, again beginning to the dealer's left.
Then the final card (the "river") is dealt followed by the final round of
betting. In a structured-limit game, the bets on the turn and river are usually
double the size of those before and on the flop.

The game is usually played for high only, and each player makes the best
five-card combination to compete for the pot. Players usually use both their
hole cards to make their best hand, but this is not required. A player may even
choose to "play the board" and use no hole cards at all. Identical five-card
hands split the pot; the sixth and seventh cards are not used to break ties.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P2 How is Omaha Hold'em played?
A:P2 [Michael Maurer]

The rules of Omaha are very similar to those of Texas Hold'em. There are only
two differences:

     Each player receives four hole cards, instead of two.

     One must use *exactly* three community cards and two hole cards to make
     one's hand.

The second difference is confusing for most beginners. These examples show how
it works.

    Board        Hole Cards     Best High Hand
    =====        ==========     ==============
As Kc Qc 8d 2d   Ac 2c Jd Th    Jd Th makes ace-hi straight.

As Kc Qc Jh Td   Ac 2c Jd 8h    Ac Jd makes ace-hi straight.

As Kc Qc Jh Td   3c 2c Jd 8h    Jd 8h makes pair of jacks.  No straight
                                is possible using two hole cards.

As Ks 8h 9d 2s   Qs 4h 4d 4s    Qs 4s makes AKQ42 "nut" flush.

As Ks 8s 9s 2s   Qs 4h 4d Qd    Qs Qd makes pair of queens.  No flush is
                                possible using two hole cards.

As Ts 8s 8h 4d   Td Tc Ad 9c    Td Tc makes TTT88 full house.

As Ts 8s 8h 4d   Td 8c Ad 9c    Ad 8c makes 888AA full house.

As Ac 8s 8h 4d   Ah 2h 3h 5h    Ah 5h makes trip aces AAA85.  No full
                                house is possible using two hole cards.

As Ac 8s 8h 4d   Ah 2h 3h 4h    Ah 4h makes full house AAA44.

Omaha is often played high/low, meaning that the highest and lowest hands split
the pot. The low hand usually must "qualify" by being at least an 8-low (the
largest card must be 8 or lower). One can use a different two cards to compete
for the high and low portions of the pot, and the game is played "cards speak"
rather than "declare". Aces are either low or high, and straights and flushes
don't count for low. Since everybody must use two hole cards to make a hand,
the board must have three cards 8 or lower for a low to even be possible.
Players often tie for low, and the low half of the pot is divided equally among
them. Some more examples:

    Board        Hole Cards     Best Low Hand
    =====        ==========     =============
As Kc Qc 8d 2d   8c Jc Jd Th    Jd Th makes the low hand JT82A, which
                                does not qualify as 8-or-better.

3d 5h 8d Tc Ts   Ac 2c Jd Th    Ac 2c makes the "nut low" 8532A.

3d 5h 8d Tc Ts   Ac 3c 4d Th    Ac 4d makes 8543A.

3d 5h 8d Ad Ts   Ac 3c 5d 8h    Any two make T853A, not qualifying.

Ac 2c 3d 4h 5s   Ad 2d Th Td    Ad 2d makes "nut low" 5432A.

Ac 2c 3d 4h 5s   4d 5d Th Td    4d 5d makes "nut low" 5432A.

5h 7h 8d Ac 2c   Ad 2d Th Td    Ad 2d makes 8752A, but the nut low is
                                5432A with a 3 and 4.  On the flop we
                                had the best possible low, but the turn
                                and river "counterfeited" us.

As in all split-pot games, the real goal of playing any hand is to win both
halves of the pot, or "scoop". Thus, hands that have a chance to win both ways
are far superior to those that can only win one way.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P3 What should I expect the first time I play poker in a casino or card room?
What etiquette should I follow?
A:P3 [Michael Maurer]

Many people are intimidated on their first visit to a public cardroom. Knowing
what to expect and some simple rules of etiquette will help the first-time
visitor relax and have a good time.

Any cardroom with more than a few tables will have a sign-up desk or board for
the various games being played. Usually someone will be standing here to take
your name if a seat is not immediately available. This person can explain what
games are offered, the betting limits, special house rules and so on. This is
the moment of your first decision: which game and for what stakes?

Choosing a game is fairly easy; you already know which game is most familiar to
you. You may be surprised to find that your favorite home games are not spread
in public cardrooms. Most will offer one or more of Texas Hold'em, Seven-Card
Stud, and Omaha Hold'em (usually hi/lo split, 8-or-better for low). Sometimes
you will find California Lowball (5-card draw for low), Seven-Card Stud hi/lo,
or Hold'em variations like Pineapple. You will rarely find High Draw (5-card
draw for hi), and will never find home game pot-builders like Anaconda,
Follow-the-Queen, 7-27 or Guts. Except for the joker in draw poker, cardrooms
never use wild cards.

If they don't have a game you want, don't play.

Choosing a betting limit is a bit harder. It is best to start playing at a
limit so small that the money is not important to you. After all, with all the
excitement of your first time playing poker there is no need to be worried
about losing the nest egg to a table full of sharks. Betting limits are
typically expressed as $1-$5 or $3-$6, and may be "spread-limit" or
"structured-limit". A spread-limit means one can bet or raise any amount
between the two numbers (although a raise must be at least as much as a
previous bet or raise). For example, in $1-$5 spread-limit, if one person bets
$2 the next person is free to call the $2 or raise $2, $3, $4, or $5, but
cannot raise just $1. On the next round, everything is reset and the first
bettor may bet anything from $1 to $5. In structured-limit like $3-$6 (usually
recognizable by a factor of two between betting limits), all betting and
raising on early rounds is in units of $3, and on later rounds is in units of
$6. One only has a choice of *whether* to bet or raise; the amount is fixed by
the limit. One usually doesn't have a choice between spread and structured
betting at a given limit. Keep in mind that it is quite easy to win or lose 20
"big bets" (the large number in the limit) in an hour of play. Also, since your
mind will be occupied with the mechanics of the game while the regular players
consider strategy, you are more likely to lose than win. In other words: choose
a low limit.

If the game you want is full, your name will go on a list and the person
running the list will call you when a seat opens up. Depending on the cardroom,
you may have trouble hearing your name called and they may be quick to pass you
over, so be alert. Once a seat is available, the list person will vaguely
direct you toward it, or toward a floorman who will show you where to sit.

Now is the time for you to take out your money and for the other players to
look you over. A good choice for this "buy-in" is ten to twenty big bets, but
you must buy-in for at least the posted table minimum, usually about five big
bets. Most public poker games are played "table-stakes", which means that you
can't reach into your pocket for more money during the play of a hand. It also
means that you can't be forced out of a pot because of insufficient funds. If
you run out of money during a hand you are still in the pot (the dealer will
say you are "all-in"), but further betting is "on the side" for an additional
pot you cannot win. Between hands, you are free to buy as many chips as you
want, but are not allowed to take any chips off the table unless you are
leaving. This final rule gives opponents a chance to win back what they have
lost to you. If you are so unfortunate as to bust out, you may buy back in for
at least the table minimum or leave.

Once you have told the dealer how much money you are playing, the dealer may
sell you chips right away or call over a chip runner to do so. You may want to
tell the dealer that you are a first-time player. This is a signal to the
dealer to give a little explanation when it is your turn to act, and to the
other players to extend you a bit of courtesy when you slow down the game.
Everyone will figure it out in a few minutes anyway, so don't be bashful. You
may even ask to sit out a few hands just to see how it all works.

There are three ways that pots are seeded with money at the beginning of the
hand. The most familiar to the home player is the "ante", where each player
tosses a small amount into the pot for the right to be dealt a hand. The second
way, often used in conjunction with an ante, is the "forced bring-in". For
example, in seven-card stud, after everyone antes and is dealt the first three
cards, the player with the lowest upcard may be forced to bet to get things
started. The third way, often used in games without upcards like Hold'em or
Omaha, is a "forced blind bet". This is similar to the bring-in, but is always
made by the person immediately after the player with the "button". The "button"
is a plastic disk that moves around the table and indicates which player is
acting as dealer for the hand (of course, the house dealer does the actual
dealing of cards, but does not play). A second or even third blind may follow
the first, usually of increasing size. Whichever seed method is used, note that
this initial pot, small as it is, is the only reason to play at all.

If the game has blinds, the dealer may now ask you if you want to "post". This
means, "do you want to pay extra to see a hand now, in bad position, and then
pay the blinds, or are you willing to sit and watch for a few minutes?" Answer
"no, I'll wait" and watch the game until the dealer tells you it's time to
begin, usually after the blinds pass you.

Finally, it is your turn to get cards and play. Your first impression will
probably be how fast the game seems to move. If you are playing stud, several
upcards may be "mucked" (folded into the discards) before you even see them; if
you are playing hold'em, it may be your turn to act before you have looked at
your cards. After a few hands you should settle into the rhythm and be able to
keep up. If you ever get confused, just ask the dealer what is going on.

When playing, consider the following elements of poker etiquette:

Acting in Turn

Although you may see others fold or call out of turn, don't do it yourself. It
is considered rude because it gives an unfair advantage to the players before
you who have yet to act. This is especially important at the showdown when only
three players are left. If players after you are acting out of turn while you
decide what to do, say "Time!" to make it clear that you have not yet acted.

Handling Cards

You may find it awkward at first to peek at your own cards without exposing
them to others. Note that the other players have no formal obligation to alert
you to your clumsiness, although some will. Watch how the other players manage
it and emulate them. Leave your cards in sight at all times; holding them in
your lap or passing them to your kibitzing friend is grounds for killing your
hand. Finally, if you intentionally show your cards to another player during
the hand, both your hands may be declared dead. Your neighbor might want to see
*you* declared dead :) if this happens!

Protecting Cards

In a game with "pocket cards" like Hold'em or Omaha, it is your responsibility
to "protect your own cards". This confusing phrase really means "put a chip on
your cards". If your cards are just sitting out in the open, you are subject to
two possible disasters. First, the dealer may scoop them up in a blink because
to leave ones cards unprotected is a signal that you are folding. Second,
another player's cards may happen to touch yours as they fold, disqualifying
your hand and your interest in the pot. Along the same lines, when you turn
your cards face up at the showdown, be careful not to lose control of your
cards. If one of them falls off the table or lands face-down among the discards
your hand will be dead, even if that card is not used to make your hand.

Accidentally Checking

In some fast-paced games, a moment of inaction when it is your turn to act may
be interpreted as a check. Usually, a verbal declaration or rapping one's hand
on the table is required, but many players are impatient and will assume your
pause is a check. If you need more than a second to decide what to do, call
"Time!" to stop the action. While you decide, don't tap your fingers nervously;
that is a clear check signal and will be considered binding.

String Bets

A "string bet" is a bet that initially looks like a call, but then turns out to
be a raise. Once your hand has put some chips out, you may not go back to your
stack to get more chips and increase the size of your bet, unless you verbally
declared the size of your bet at the beginning. If you always declare "call" or
"raise" as you bet, you will be immune to this problem. Note that a verbal
declaration in turn is binding, so a verbal string bet is possible and also
prohibited. That means you cannot say "I call your $5, and raise you another
$5!" Once you have said you call, that's it. The rest of the sentence is
irrelevant. You can't raise.

Splashing the Pot

In some home games, it is customary to throw chips directly into the pot. In a
public cardroom, this is cause for dirty looks, a reprimand from the dealer,
and possibly stopping the game to count down the pot. When you bet, place your
chips directly in front of you. The dealer will make sure that you have the
right number and sweep them into the pot.

One Chip Rule

In some cardrooms, the chip denominations and game stakes are incommensurate.
For example, a $3-$6 game might use $1 and $5 chips, instead of the more
sensible $3 chip. The one-chip rule says that using large-denomination chip is
just a call, even though the chip may be big enough to cover a raise. If you
don't have exact change, it is best to verbally state your action when throwing
that large chip into the pot. For example, suppose you are playing in a $1-$5
spread-limit game, the bet is $2 to you, and you have only $5 chips. Silently
tossing a $5 chip out means you call the $2 bet. If you want to raise to $4 or
$5, you must say so *before* your chip hits the felt. Whatever your action, the
dealer will make any required change at the end of the betting round. Don't
make change for yourself out of the pot.

Raising Forever

In a game like Hold'em, it is possible to know that you hold "the nuts" and
cannot be beaten. If this happens when all the cards are out and you get in a
raising war with someone, don't stop! Raise until one of you runs out of chips.
If there is the possibility of a tie, the rest of the table may clamor for you
to call, since you "obviously" both have the same hand. Ignore the rabble.
You'll be surprised how many of your opponents turn out to be bona fide idiots.

The Showdown

Hands end in one of three ways: one person bets and everyone else folds, one
person bets on the final round and at least one person calls, or everybody
checks on the final round. If everybody folds to a bet, the bettor need not
show the winning cards and will usually toss them to the dealer face down. If
somebody calls on the end, the person who bet or raised most recently is
*supposed* to immediately show, or "open", their cards. They may delay doing so
in a rude attempt to induce another player to show their hand in impatience,
and then muck their own hand if it is not a winner. Don't do this yourself.
Show your hand immediately if you get called. If you have called a bet, wait
for the bettor to show, then show your own hand if it's better. If the final
round is checked down, in most cardrooms everyone is supposed to open their
hands immediately. Sometimes everyone will wait for someone else to show first,
resulting in a time-wasting deadlock. Break the chain and show your cards.

Most cardrooms give every player at the table the right to see all cards that
called to a showdown, even if they are mucked as losers. (This helps prevent
cheating by team-play.) If you are extremely curious about a certain hand, ask
the dealer to show it to you. It is considered impolite to constantly ask to
see losing cards. It is even more impolite if you hold the winning cards, and
in most cardrooms you will forfeit the pot if the "losing" cards turn out to be
better than yours.

As a beginner, you may want to show your hand all the time, since you may have
overlooked a winning hand. What you gain from one such pot will far outweigh
any loss due to revealing how you played a particular losing hand. "Cards
speak" at the showdown, meaning that you need not declare the value of your
hand. The dealer will look at your cards and decide if you have a winner.

As a final word of caution, it is best to hold on to your winning cards until
the dealer pushes you the pot. If the dealer takes your cards and incorrectly
"mucks" them, many cardrooms rule that you have no further right to the pot,
even if everyone saw your winning cards. A dishonest player might try to steal
the pot from you with a despicable trick. When you bet and all others fold, he
may conceal his hand in the hopes that you will toss your cards into the muck,
whereupon he will call and win the pot.

Raking in the Pot

As you win your first pot, the excitement within you will drive you beyond the
realm of rational behavior, and you will immediately lunge to scoop up the
precious chips with both arms. Despite the fact that no other player had done
this while you watched, despite the fact that you read here not to do it, you
WILL do it. Since every dealer has a witty admonition prepared for this moment,
maybe it's all for the best. But next time, let the dealer push it to you, ok?

Touching Cards or Chips

Don't. Only touch your own cards and chips. Other players' chips and cards,
discards, board cards, the pot and everything else are off-limits. Only the
dealer touches the cards and pot.

Tipping

Dealers make their living from tips. It is customary for the winner of each pot
to tip the dealer 50 cents to a dollar, depending on locale and the stakes.
Sometimes you will see players tip several dollars for a big pot or an
extremely unlikely suckout. Sometimes you will see players stiff the dealer if
the pot was tiny or split between two players. This is a personal issue, but
imitating the other players is a good start.

Correcting Mistakes

Occasionally the dealer or a player may make a mistake, such as miscalling the
winning hand at the showdown. If you are the victim of such a mistake, call it
out immediately and do not let the game proceed. If your opponent is the
victim, let your conscience be your guide; many see no ethical dilemma in
remaining silent. If you are not involved in the pot, you must judge the
texture of the game to determine whether to speak up. In general, the higher
the stakes, the more likely you should keep your mouth shut.

Taking a Break

You are free to get up to stretch your legs, visit the restroom and so on. Ask
the dealer how long you may be away from your seat; 20 or 30 minutes is
typical. It is customary to leave your chips sitting on the table; part of the
dealer's job is to keep them safe. If you miss your blind(s) while away, you
may have to make them up when you return, or you may be asked to sit out a few
more hands until they reach you again. If several players are gone from a
table, they may all be called back to keep the game going; those who don't
return in time forfeit their seats.

Color Change

If you are in the happy situation of having too many chips, you may request a
"color change" (except in Atlantic City). You can fill up a rack or two with
your excess chips and will receive a few large denomination chips in return.
These large chips are still in play, but at least you aren't inconvenienced by
a mountain of chips in front of you. Remember the one chip rule when betting
with them.

Leaving

Leave whenever you feel like it. You never have an obligation to stay at the
table, even if you've won a fortune. You should definitely leave if you are
tired, losing more than you expect, or have other reasons to believe you are
not playing your best game. Depending on the cardroom, you can redeem your
chips for cash with a chip-runner or floorman or at the cashier's cage.

Last but not least is the matter of the house take. Somebody has to maintain
the tastefully opulent furnishings and pay the electric bill. The house will
choose one of three ways to charge you to play. A simple "time charge" is
common in higher limit games and at some small games: seats are rented by the
half hour, at rates ranging from $4 to $10 or so, depending on the stakes. This
method charges all players equally. Other cardrooms will "rake" a percentage of
the final pot, up to some maximum, before awarding it to the winning player.
The usual rake is either 5% or 10%, capped at $3 or $4. If the pot is raked,
the dealer will remove chips from the pot as it grows, setting them aside until
the hand is over and they are dropped into a slot in the table. This method
favors the tight player who enters few pots but wins a large fraction of them.
A simpler method is to "drop" a fixed amount at the start of each hand; one
player, usually the one with the button, pays the entire amount of the drop.
Depending on house rules, this "button charge" of $2-$4 may or may not play as
a bet. If the chips do play as a bet, this method also favors the tighter
players, but not nearly as much as the rake does. Regardless of the mechanism,
a cardroom will try to drop about $80-$120 per hour at a $3-$6 table. The exact
amount is most dependent on the local cost of doing business: Nevada is low,
California and Atlantic City are high. Since there are 7-10 players at the
table, expect to pay somewhere from $7 to $14 per hour just to sit down. Add
$2-$4 per hour for dealer tips and you see why most low-limit players are
long-run losers.

More information on cardroom play and etiquette can be found in George Percy's
"Seven-Card Stud: The Waiting Game" and Lee Jones' "Winning Low-Limit Holdem".
Beginning players may also want to watch for special cardroom promotions to
draw new players; many offer free lessons followed by a very low-stakes game
with other novices. Since everyone is a beginner, much of the tension is
relieved.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P4 What are some good books about poker?
A:P4 [Michael Maurer, December 1994]

All poker players should have this book on their shelf:

     David Sklansky, "The Theory of Poker" (formerly titled "Winning
     Poker"), Two Plus Two Publishing, 1992, $29.95. ISBN 1-880685-00-0

Beginners will benefit from this pamphlet which concentrates on Texas Hold'em
and Seven Card Stud:

     Mason Malmuth and Lynne Loomis, "Fundamentals of Poker", Two Plus Two
     Publishing, 1992, $3.95. ISBN 1-880685-11-6.

This classic in the field is an advanced but slightly out-of-date work covering
a wide range of games, including an excellent section on no-limit Hold'em:

     Doyle Brunson et al., "Super/System: A Course in Poker Power", B & G
     Publishing, 1978/1989, $50. ISBN 0-931444-01-4.

The most recommended book for medium-limit Hold'em is

     David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth, "Hold'em Poker for Advanced
     Players", Two Plus Two Publishing, 1988/1993, $29.95. ISBN
     1-880685-01-9.

This recent work by a fellow rec.gambler has received several favorable reviews
from low-limit Hold-em players:

     Lee Jones, "Winning Low-Limit Holdem", ConJelCo, 1994, $19.95. ISBN
     1-886070-04-0.

The results of 900 million computer-simulated Hold'em hands are summarized in
this unique work. It is useful for evaluating starting hands in two situations:
when most players will play all the way to the river, or when one or more
players is all-in before the flop.

     Justin Case, "Percentage Hold'em: The Book of Numbers", Whitestone
     Books, 1993, $35.

Beginning Seven Card Stud players must read this small spiral-bound gem:

     George Percy, "7 Card Stud: The Waiting Game", GBC Press, 1979, $9.
     ISBN 0-89650-903-6.

More experienced stud players may benefit from

     David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth and Ray Zee, "Seven Card Stud for
     Advanced Players", Two Plus Two Publishing, 1992, $29.95. ISBN
     1-880685-02-7.

Finally, in a different vein is the following book about reading your opponents
and preventing them from reading you:

     Mike Caro, "The Body Language of Poker" (formerly titled "Mike Caro's
     Book of Tells"), Carol Publishing Group, 1984/1994, $18.95. ISBN
     0-89746-100-2.

Many of these books are available to rec.gamblers with an Internet discount
from ConJelCo.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P5 What computer poker programs are best for my PC or Mac?
A:P5 [Darse Billings]

Still waiting for Darse's comments............

If you want to write some of your own poker software, a fast poker hand
evaluator is available by FTP as poker.tar.gz from ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in
directory pub/rec.gambling/poker. It is in C but uses some Gnu C extensions.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P6 What is IRC poker and how can I play?
A:P6 [Michael Maurer, June 1994]

IRC poker is a real-time network poker game that allows people from around the
world to play poker with each other via the Internet. The stakes are
"etherbucks", which is to say imaginary. Each player's imaginary bankroll is
recorded from session to session, and rankings of both bankroll and earning
rate inspire competitiveness. An automatic program serves as the dealer and
controls the action. World Wide Web users can find out more about the dealer
program by looking at
http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/afs/cs/user/mummert/public/www/ircbot.html.

The game uses the Internet Relay Chat, or IRC, to arrange communications
amongst the players and with the dealer. IRC is normally a sort of global
cocktail party, with several thousand people from around the globe engaged in
small pockets of conversation on various "channels". Within each channel,
anything one person types appears on the screens of all the other people tuned
in to the channel (although one person can also "whisper" privately to
another). The poker channels are unusual in that an automaton is always present
to supervise a poker game. However, the chat aspect of the channel is
preserved, so that the poker games can become quite social.

In order to play IRC poker, you must have an IRC client and access to the
Internet. The client is a program running on your local machine that connects
you to the IRC network. If you are on a Unix machine, try typing 'irc' to see
if a client is already installed. If not, or if you are on a Macintosh, PC or
VMS system, you will have to obtain a client by FTP. One archive site for IRC
clients is cs.bu.edu (128.197.2.2) in the directory irc/clients. The Unix
client is named ircII. This archive also contains a primer on using IRC and
answers to some frequently asked questions.

Once you have a client up and running, you need to connect to the special,
isolated IRC poker server. In order to speed up the games, the poker server is
not a part of the standard IRC network. The different clients have various ways
to specify the IRC server you want to use; on Unix you can say

        irc nickname hephaestus.nectar.cs.cmu.edu
or      irc nickname 128.2.250.45

where 'nickname' is the name by which you will be known to other IRC users.
After a moment, this command should connect you to the IRC poker server and
print a welcome message. (From this point on the instructions are
Unix-specific, but many of the commands will work on the other clients as
well).

At this point you can find out what channels are open by typing

/list

which prints the topic of each channel, or you can see a more detailed view
with

/names

which lists all of the people on each channel. As of May 1994, typical channels
included #holdem, #omaha, and #nolimit. To join a particular channel (for
instance, #holdem), type

/join #holdem

The action of the poker game and the ongoing conversations should now appear on
your screen. The play of the game is governed by sending special messages to
the dealer automaton; for example, the message

p fold

indicates that you wish to fold. All poker commands are prefixed with the
letter 'p'. The command

p commands

gives a list of all possible commands. The most important are

p join password         % join the game (with your secret password)
p quit                  % quit the game
p fold                  % fold when the action gets to you
p check                 % check (do not bet or fold)
p call                  % call a bet
p raise                 % raise the bet

On the non-structured channels like #nolimit, some of these commands may take
an argument, such as

p raise 50

When you join the channel you will notice the conspicuous absence of these 'p'
commands despite the ongoing play. This is because most players send their
messages privately to the dealer only, using a command like

/msg hbot p raise

where 'hbot' is the nickname of the dealer. (This is especially useful to hide
your password when you join.) Because poker players are inherently lazy, most
use a special set of IRC macros that saves them the effort of typing all those
characters each time they have to act. These poker macros are available from
ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in the file /pub/rec.gambling/poker/ircrc.poker. The file
contains instructions for using it on a Unix machine.

In addition, a curses-based front end has been written for the Holdem games.
This uses simple terminal graphics to draw pictures of your cards and those of
the other players, helping you to visualize the action. When other players fold
their cards are mucked, and the board and pot are shown in the middle. This
front end can be used in conjunction with the IRC macros mentioned above. The
program is available in source code form for Unix machines from jcsw.com in the
directory pub/holdem.

Finally, some IRC poker statistics are available by looking at the URL
http://www-star.stanford.edu/~maurer/r.g.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P7 What skills are important for Texas Hold'em?
A:P7 [Michael Hall]

(Hold 'em) Poker Skills in Order of Importance

Disclaimer: I'm a poker novice, not an expert.

0. Table selection
1. Hand selection
2. Reading opponents' hands
3. Opponent assessment
4. Heads up play, bluffing, and semi-bluffing
5. Seat selection
6. Check-raising
7. Getting tells
8. Pot odds calculations

The exact order of importance of skills varies by game type. For example, you
cannot read your opponent when your opponent does not know what he has. The
list above is geared towards mid-level games where some sanity prevails but the
game is not at an expert level either.

0. Table Selection.

By far the most important skill is table selection, so it ranks better than #1,
it's #0. It doesn't matter how well you play if you are always picking the
games with no fish where even an expert can't beat the rake. Most of your
income will come from a few very bad players. If you play fairly well, you
won't lose much to the better players, nor win much from the slightly inferior
players; it's the fish that count.

1. Hand selection

Now that you've found your table with a live one or two, be patient. More than
just having the discipline to play good hands and the stomach for surviving the
variance, you should realize that most of our income in Hold 'em comes from AA
and KK, with notable mention to the other pocket pairs and AK. Your object is
to not lose too much while waiting for these premium hands, and particularly
not to lose too much to these hands when other players get them. At $10-$20 and
below, go ahead and make it 3 bets if you can before the flop with your AA or
KK; you'll be surprised at how little respect you get with people calling you
all the way to the river even though your betting is screaming "I HAVE POCKET
ACES!!!" And respect preflop raises done by other players, dumping a lot of
hands you would normally play such as AT and KJ or even AJ and KQ, as you don't
want to make top pair versus an overpair. On the flop, don't bet into someone
who has made it three bets unless you can beat the shit out of AA and KK and
*want* to be raised back and then just call and go for a check-raise on the
turn.

2. Reading opponents' hands

Now, think about the range of hands and their probabilities that your opponents
could have. Initially, when the players receive their first two cards, every
possible two card hand is equally probable (unless you start grouping them like
87 offsuit, pocket aces, etc., but you get the idea.) Every action a player
takes gives you information that you can use to adjust these probabilities.
It's a Bayesian inference problem. Unfortunately, actually applying Bayes' rule
exactly is beyond any puny human brain's capability. So, you make a major
approximation and essentially just keep around a set of possible hands, which
you then prune down as action take place.

Suppose a player just calls preflop in early position and the flop comes Q 7 2
offsuit and he suddenly goes berserk by reraising, you have to think about what
hands are likely. The hands that make sense to reraise like that are AQ, KQ,
Q7, 72, Q2, 77, and 22. QQ would probably be slow-played here instead. Now join
that set with the possible hands before the flop. We can just look at these
hands and see which are reasonable to just call preflop in early position. AQ
and KQ are often raised in early position, but at least sometimes they just
call, so they are still consistent. Q7, 72, and Q2 are not reasonable calls
from early position. 77 and 22 are reasonable calls, though tight players would
probably dump the 22. So that leaves AQ, KQ, 77, and 22 as his possible hands,
which has narrowed down the field quite a bit. Be aware also of how other
players may interpret your betting.

3. Opponent assessment

As play goes along, give yourself a running commentary of the events, "she
open-raises, he folds, he cold-calls...". You must make a lot of mental notes
based on this, and you must do this even when you're not in a hand, because in
addition to being useful during a hand, it's useful for later hands. You want
to see the frequency with which a player sees the flop, the frequency with
which a player defends his blinds from raises, and the hands a player
open-raises with, raises with, reraises with, cold-calls with, and just calls
with. This in conjunction with narrowing down the hands above will often give
you a good idea of what's going on even when there is no showdown. Your goal is
to stereotype each player, as well as to note particular idiosyncrasies of the
individuals for use not only now but in future sessions.

4. Heads up play, semi-bluffing, and bluffing

Especially when heads-up, you should be constantly applying pressure to the
other player to make him fold. You may reraise when you think you're either
beaten badly or your opponent is bluffing. It's a bit like chess or wargames,
with attacks, feints, counterattacks, and graceful retreats. This is part of
the "feel" of poker that's hard to put into words, but hopefully you get the
idea. Bluffing and semi-bluffing is important to keep yourself unpredictable,
and with since you're keeping track of the ranges of plausible hands, it's
quite likely you'll often know where your opponent stands. Cold bluffing is
usually restricted to the river, where you might bet into one or two opponents
(who might fold) if you have no chance of winning the pot if there is a
showdown. Semi-bluffing is betting with a hand that is not likely best but has
some big outs. Your opponent may fold immediately, and if not, you may hit your
out and your opponent may seriously misread you. There is an important balance
here; you must have sufficiently tight hand selection criteria such that when
you do bet your opponent is positively terrified that you may have a big hand
like an overpair. Semi-bluffing is very powerful, because you've been so
careful in choosing your starting hands that even if you aren't there yet you
are likely to get there.

5. Seat selection

Generally, you want the loose aggressive players to your right and the tight
passive players to your left. This is so that you can see a raise coming before
calling the first bet. However, if the game is tight enough that it is being
folded around to the blinds often, then you want some very tight passive
players in the two seats to your right, so that your blinds will not be stolen.
This is a very important skill, and just because you've found a good table,
doesn't mean that every seat at that table would be a winning seat on average
for you.

6. Check-raising

Because the nature of fixed limit Hold 'em makes calling one bet often correct
for very weak hands, it's difficult to protect your hand. A major weapon you
have to protect your hand is check-raising. However, you must be conscious of
where you think the bettor will be. Typically, if you had a made but vulnerable
hand you would check in early position if you thought there would be a bet in
late position; you then raise and the players in between face two bets plus a
risk of a reraise by the late position player, making it difficult for them to
call. If you have an invulnerable hand that you want to make everyone pay you
through the nose for, then you would check in early position if you thought
there would be an early position bet, and then you would raise after everyone
trailed in calling behind. The down side of check-raising is that you risk
giving a free card if no one bets.

7. Getting tells

Be aware of tells. If a player has his hands on his chips and is leaning
forward, all ready to raise if you bet, usually this is an act intended to get
you to just check, as the player in fact does not what to raise you or maybe
even call a bet. Two other incredibly valuable tells are the "what the heck, I
raise" tell (get *out*, he has a monster!) and the "let me check to see if I
have one of that suit with three on the board" tell (so you know he doesn't
have a flush already.) Remember that if they think they're being watched,
players typically act the opposite of what they have.

8. Pot odds calculations

Be aware of pot odds. You can count the number of "outs" you have to estimate
if calling is a positive expected value play. You may be surprised that I rank
this so low. Although it is a subjective opinion, particularly when heads up
it's much more important outplay your opponent rather than outdraw him. In
loose games, outdrawing becomes much more important, but then the pots are so
big that you usually have odds for any half way reasonable draw anyway.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P8 What is a good preflop strategy for Texas Hold'em?
A:P8 [Michael Hall]

SKLANSKY & MALMUTH HAND RANKINGS

         AKQJT98765432
         |||||||||||||
       A-1122355555555
       K-2126467777777
       Q-3413457      s
       J-45513468     u
       T-66652457     i
       9-888773458    t
       8-   8874568   e
       7-      85578  d
       6-       8657
       5-        8668
       4-         8778
       3-           78
       2-            7
           unsuited

e.g., KQ suited is group 2,
      KQ unsuited is group 4

SKLANSKY & MALMUTH PREFLOP ADVICE

The advice presented here for starting hands is a summary of part of Sklanksy
and Malmuth's book "Hold 'em for Advanced Players". I strongly advise you to
buy the book, as these notes are no substitute, and it is an excellent book.

Key:

 Numbers refer to the groups above.
 1..8 means groups 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and similarly for other ranges.
 + and - mean add or subtract that group for the listed circumstance.
 tight means the circumstance is it's a tight game.
 loose means the circumstance is it's a loose game.
 OPEN-RAISE means raise if no one else has yet called/raised the big blind.
 RAISE means raise a call or big blind.
 RERAISE means raise a raise.
 OPEN-CALL means be the first call after the big blind (one bet)
 CALL means call big blind (one bet.)
 CALL2 means call one raise (two bets.)
 CALL3 means call reraise cold (three bets.)
 2/3 and other fractions mean do the play that fraction of the time.
 AKs and other hands followed by "s" are suited.
 Ax and other hands followed by "x" means kicker "x" is small

EARLY POSITION (1st, 2nd, 3rd to left of big blind)


OPEN-RAISE AA,KK,QQ,AQ, 2/3 (1/1 vs weak) AKs,AQs,AJs,KQs
           1/3 hands like T9s,
           JJ in tight but call JJ in typical or loose
RAISE      AA,KK,QQ,AQ, 2/3 (1/1 vs weak) AKs,AQs,AJs,KQs
RERAISE    AKs and maybe AQs (if you called initially)
           and if a lot of players in then hands like JTs
OPEN-CALL  1..4 (loose +5, tight -4)
           beware hands like 87s,77 playable only vs
           loose&passive (many callers not much raising)
CALL       same as OPEN-CALL
CALL2      1..2 (loose +3 beware AQ, tight -2's AJs KQs)
CALL3      1? (loose +2?)
           not JJ (but CALL2 JJ if 2 raises after your
           call, be prepared to fold if fail to flop set)

MIDDLE POSITION (4th, 5th, and 6th to left of big blind)

OPEN-RAISE 1..3, 1..6 if >=25% chance of stealing blinds
RAISE      1..3 usually, but 3 depends # callers wanted
           and strength of opponents (raise if weaker)
RERAISE    AA,KK,QQ,AKs,AK, occasionally T9s,88,etc
OPEN-CALL  1..5 (+6 loose)
           don't just open-call with hands like AKs
CALL       1..5 (+6 loose), consider how weak callers are
CALL2      still need very good hand 1..2, maybe some 3's
CALL3      not JJ (but CALL2 JJ if 2 raises after your
           call, be prepared to fold if fail to flop set)

LATE POSITION (button, 1st sometimes 2nd right of button)

OPEN-RAISE any playable hand
           if on button 1..8 and also Ax & Kx vs very
           tight or weak opponents
           Ax & Kx if on button vs very tight or weak
RAISE      1..3, sometimes 4, if many callers don't raise
           with high unsuited but can with 1..5 suited
           connectors, can with any playable hand that
           wants few opponents with 1-2 nonearly callers
           e.g., A7s, KJ, QJ, and even as weak as QT,
           if on button sometimes can with small pair
           or small suited connectors
RERAISE    1, if raiser opened late position as weak as 4
           but limit to 1..3 unless AJ KQ or weak player
OPEN-CALL  usually open-raise or fold instead
CALL       1..6 usually, +7 if on button & some callers,
           +8 and e.g. Q5s if on button & many callers
CALL2      still need very good hand, maybe 1..3,
           but if many callers then T9s,88,...
CALL3      1? but not JJ (but CALL2 JJ if 2 raises after
           your call, be prepared to fold if fail to
           flop set)

SMALL BLIND

OPEN-RAISE because big blind has position, usually don't
           raise with most hands e.g. A6, unless big
           blind would fold >= 30% of the time
RAISE      same as big blind RAISE, but even tighter
RERAISE    AA, KK, not automatically AK or QQ,
           1..6 if played should reraise vs stealer but
           only when heads up
CALL(1/2)  still be fairly selective but somewhat loose,
           e.g., 85, any two suited, but not e.g. J2.
           if only 1/3 bet to call, play every hand,
           unless big blind player is frequent raiser.
CALL2(3/2) same as early or middle CALL2, unless heads up
           against stealer in which case see RERAISE,
           or many callers in which case you can perhaps
           play hands like 33 or 86s.
CALL3(5/2) 1? but not JJ

BIG BLIND

OPEN-RAISE N/A
RAISE      only extremely good hands
           AK with 1-2 late callers
           hands like JTs, T9s, 55 if many callers
RERAISE    AA, KK, not automatically AK or QQ,
           1..6 if played should reraise vs stealer
CALL(0)    check usually
CALL2(1)   essentially same as LATE CALL2 unless up
           against stealer, in which case 1..8 if weak
           but 1..6 if strong or caller in between.
           tighten if caller on left & raiser on right
           but can do flush & straight draws like A6s 87,
           loosen if raiser on left, can maybe play
           hands like 33 or 86s if many callers,
           beware KJ.
CALL3(2)   1? but not JJ

LATE POSITION BLIND (posted one to right of dealer)

OPEN-RAISE usually *any* hand, but not if opponents will
           almost always defend blinds with any hand
RAISE      if already many callers, rarely raise with
           a hand that you would not raise with if you
           did not post
OPEN-CALL  instead OPEN-RAISE
CALL(0)    may wish to check even good hand as deception
CALL2(1)   can call with slightly worse than in big
           blind, against stealer heads up ok to call
           with any ace and most kings
CALL3(2)   like normal late position CALL2 or CALL3?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P9 Why are poker hands ranked the way they are?
A:P9 [Michael Maurer, Darse Billings]

The standard poker hands are ranked based on the probability of their being
dealt pat in 5 cards from a full 52-card deck. The following table lists the
hands in order of increasing frequency, and shows how many ways each hand can
be dealt in 3, 5, and 7 cards.

Hand                  3 cards           5 cards           7 cards
====                  =======           =======           =======
Straight Flush             48                40            41,584
Four of a Kind              0               624           224,848
Full House                  0             3,744         3,473,184
Flush                   1,096             5,108         4,047,644
Straight                  720            10,200         6,180,020
Three of a Kind            52            54,912         6,461,620
Two Pair                    0           123,552        31,433,400
One Pair                3,744         1,098,240        58,627,800
High Card              16,440         1,302,540        23,294,460
=================================================================
TOTALS                 22,100         2,598,960       133,784,560

Notes:

1. The standard rankings are incorrect for 3-card hands, since it is easier to
get a flush than a straight, and easier to get a straight than three of a kind.
See question P11.

2. For 7-card hands, the numbers reflect the best possible 5-card hand out of
the 7 cards. For instance, a hand that contains both a straight and three of a
kind is counted as a straight.

3. For 7-card hands, only five cards need be in sequence to make a straight, or
of the same suit to make a flush. In a 3-card hand a sequence of three is
considered a straight, and three of the same suit a flush. These rules reflect
standard poker practice.

4. In a 7-card hand, it is easier for one's *best* 5 cards to have one or two
pair than no pair. (Good bar bet opportunity!) However, if we changed the
ranking to value no pairs above two pairs, all of the one pair hands and most
of the two pair hands would be able to qualify for "no pair" by choosing a
different set of five cards.

5. Within each type of hand (e.g., among all flushes) the hands are ranked
according to an arbitrary scheme, unrelated to probability. See question P10.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P10 Why are ace-hi flushes ranked highest, when it's much harder to get a
seven-hi flush? And similarly for two pairs?
A:P10 [Michael Maurer]

Only the classes themselves (flush, straight, etc) are ranked by the
probability of getting them in five cards. Within each class we use an
arbitrary system to rank hands of the same type. For example, our arbitrary
system ranks four aces higher than four deuces, even though the hands occur
with the same frequency. Similarly, flushes are ranked by the highest card,
with the next highest card breaking ties, and so on down to the fifth card.
This has the curious effect of creating many more ace-hi flushes than any other
kind, because any flush that contains an ace is "ace-hi", regardless of the
other cards. Thus, although 490 of the 1277 flushes in each suit contain a
seven, only four of them are seven-hi flushes: 76542, 76532, 76432, and 75432.
The median flush turns out to be KJT42.

A similar situation occurs for two pair hands. There are twelve times as many
ways to make two pair with aces being the high pair ("aces up") as there are to
do it with threes as the high pair ("threes up"). While the aces can go with
another other rank of pair, the threes must go with twos, or we would reverse
the order and call them, for instance, "eights up". Note that it is fruitless
to alter the relative rankings to try to account for this imbalance, since as
soon as we do the cards will be reinterpreted to make the best hand under the
new system. For example, if we decide to make "threes up" the best possible two
pair hand, now all the hands like "eights and threes" will be interpreted as
"threes and eights", and the population of "threes up" hands will soar
twelve-fold. The median two pair hand turns out to be a tie between JJ552 and
JJ44A.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P11 What is the correct ranking for 3-card poker hands?
A:P11 [Darse Billings, Michael Maurer]

The standard ranking of poker hands is based on their frequency of occurrence
in a 5-card hand. In 3-card hands the relative frequency of hands is different,
so different in fact that three of a kind beats a straight, and a straight
beats a flush.

This table shows the number of possible 3-card hands of each type, dealt from a
standard 52-card deck.

Hand type                      number  cumulative  frequency  cum freq

Straight Flush (AKQs - 32As)      48       48        0.0022     0.0022
Trips (AAA - 222)                 52      100        0.0024     0.0045
Straight (AKQ - 32A, no sf)      720      820        0.0326     0.0371
Flush (XYZs, no sf)             1096     1916        0.0496     0.0867
Pair (AAx - 22x) (288 each)     3744     5660        0.1694     0.2561
Ace high (AXY, no str or fl)    3840     9500        0.1738     0.4299
King high                       3240    12740        0.1466     0.5765
Queen high                      2640    15380        0.1195     0.6959
Jack high or lower              6720    22100        0.3041     1.0000

For example, a pair of aces loses to a random hand about 9% of the time. Guts
players may want to use this as a guideline for determining the relative
strength of their hand. With 6 opponents, that pair of aces wins about 0.91^6 =
57% of the time.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P12 What is a poker tournament? How does one work? What is a chip race? What
is a satellite?
A:P12 [Michael Maurer]

A poker tournament is an event in which poker players compete for all or part
of a prize pool. Each player pays an entry fee and initial buy-in for a set
number of tournament chips. The chips are non-negotiable, having no cash value
except at the end of the tournament. The contestants play until all but one or
a few are busted; the top finishers divide up the prize pool according to the
tournament rules. The game's stakes increase with time to hasten the
tournament's end.

Within this framework is considerable room for variation. Many tournaments
permit "rebuys", which allow a busted player to reenter the tournament by
posting additional money to the prize pool. The number of rebuys may be
unlimited, limited to one or a few, or limited to an initial period of the
tournament. Some tournaments allow an "add-on", which is a final rebuy at the
end of the rebuy period. The betting structure may be limit only, pot-limit,
no-limit, or a mixture, usually limit in the early rounds and no-limit later.
Whatever the betting structure, the blinds or betting limits increase
continually, perhaps doubling every twenty minutes in a small tournament, or
more slowly in a large one.

A confusing aspect of the increasing stakes is the way in which some
tournaments get rid of the small denomination chips. At some point in the
tournament, the dealer may "race off" all the red $5 chips. Each player puts
all their red chips in front of them, and the dealer converts them to as many
green $25 chips as possible. Whatever red chips remain are raced off: each
player receives one card for each chip, and the player receiving the highest
card (ace, king, etc) wins everybody's reds and converts them to greens. Bridge
suits break ties for the high card (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs).

The tournament may continue until only one player remains; this is called a
"freezeout". The winner may take all the money, or the top finishers may divide
it up according to a set schedule. In most tournaments, tables are consolidated
and seats redrawn when a certain number of players are eliminated, resulting in
a "final table" of contestants. Sometimes, each table plays until only one
player remains, and then combines the survivors at a final table; this is
called a "shootout". Since the betting stakes are often large at the final
table, luck plays a major role and many players prefer cutting a deal to
playing the tournament to its conclusion.

A "satellite" is a tournament in which the prize is an entry to another
tournament. Large tournaments like the $10,000 No-limit Hold'em event in the
World Series of Poker generate a lot of satellites. Typically, the satellite
buy-in is around 1/10 the tournament buy-in, so the top 10% of satellite
finishers win a tournament buy-in. Sometimes a satellite will even have
mini-satellites, in which the prize is an entry to the main satellite. A
mini-satellite for the $10,000 event might have a $100 buy-in and award a
$1,000 buyin to a satellite that is awarding a $10,000 buy-in to the main
event.

Many small (under $100 buy-in) daily or weekly tournaments are listed in the
back pages of Card Player magazine. Be sure to call the casino to see if they
are having the tournament that day, since the magazine is sometimes out of
date.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P13 How does tournament strategy differ from that of regular games?
A:P13

Several books have been written on this subject, but none has received wide
praise from rec.gamblers.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P14 What the hell is Rumple Mintz?
A:P14 [Michael Maurer]

Rumple Mintz is the official rec.gambling spelling of a brand of 100 proof
peppermint schnapps called Rumple Minze, imported from the Scharlachberg
Distillery in Germany. Best served shaken over ice for five seconds, then
strained into a short glass. It is the official drink of rec.gambler poker
players everywhere, and is known to increase poker skill dramatically. Legend
has it that one rec.gambler won $4000 in a 50-100 Hold'em game while under its
spell, lived to tell the tale in a trip report, and assured its eternal fame.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P15 What is a burn card and why is it dealt?
A:P15 [Michael Maurer]

A burn card is a card dealt face down at the beginning of a round, before any
other cards are dealt. This card is not used in the play of the hand. The main
reason for this custom is to guard against marked cards. If the cards are
marked, a player who can read the backs will know what the top card on the deck
is. In a flop-game like Hold'em or Omaha, knowledge of the next board card is
extremely profitable. Knowledge of which card it will *not* be is slightly
useful, but much less so.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P16 What happens if there aren't enough cards in the deck to deal the final
card in 7-card stud?
A:P16 [Michael Maurer]

The burn cards will be shuffled into the remaining deck. If there are still not
enough cards, a single community card will be dealt face-up and used by all the
players.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P17 What is the difference between a shill and a proposition player? What
skills are needed to be one?
A:P17 [John Murphy]

A shill is paid by the house at an hourly rate, and plays with house money. A
prop is paid by the house and plays with his own money. Many states require
cardrooms to identify house players if asked, but may not require them to do so
otherwise. Shills and props are directed to games by the house. This means that
they may be constantly shifted to tougher games, as non-house players boot them
out of seats in juicy games. The most important skill for a prop is to be able
to excel in all games, since they may be called to play any game that the house
offers, against players who specialize in that game. Also, be they must be
prepared to sit and wait if all games are full.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P18 What are the Las Vegas poker room phone numbers?
A:P18 [Dave Marshall, June 1994]

Here's a list of all the poker rooms in Las Vegas (Santa Fe, Boomtown, and
Henderson poker rooms not included) with addresses and the *direct* phone
number of the poker room. In one or two cases, the poker room doesn't have a
direct line, so the main casino line is used instead. See bottom for the two
800 numbers I know of.

Aladdin Hotel & Casino                      3667 S Las Vegas Blvd    736-0329
Binion's Horseshoe Hotel & Casino           128 Fremont Street       366-7397
Circus Circus Hotel-Casino                  2880 S Las Vegas Blvd    734-0410
Continental Hotel & Casino                  4100 Paradise Road       737-5555
El Cortez Hotel                             600 Fremont Street       385-5200
Excalibur Hotel-Casino                      3850 S Las Vegas Blvd    597-7625
Flamingo Hilton                             3555 S Las Vegas Blvd    733-3485
Fremont Hotel                               200 Fremont Street       385-3232
Gold Coast Hotel & Casino                   4000 W Flamingo Road     367-7111
Hacienda Hotel & Casino                     3950 S Las Vegas Blvd    739-8911
Harrah's Las Vegas                          3475 S Las Vegas Blvd    369-5234
Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino              3535 S Las Vegas Blvd    731-3311
Jackie Gaughan's Plaza Hotel & Casino       1 S Main Street          386-2249
Las Vegas Hilton                            3000 Paradise Road       732-5995
Luxor Hotel And Casino                      3900 S Las Vegas Blvd    262-4210
MGM Grand Hotel                             3799 S Las Vegas Blvd    891-7434
The Mirage Hotel And Casino                 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd    791-7290
Palace Station Hotel & Casino               2411 W Sahara Avenue     367-2453
Rio Suite Hotel & Casino                    3700 W Flamingo Road     252-7777
Riviera Hotel & Casino                      2901 S Las Vegas Blvd    794-9255
Sahara Hotel                                2535 S Las Vegas Blvd    737-2317
Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall            5111 Boulder Highway     454-8092
Sands Hotel & Casino                        3355 S Las Vegas Blvd    733-5000
Hotel San Remo                              115 East Tropicana       739-9000
Sheraton Desert Inn                         3145 S Las Vegas Blvd    733-4343
Showboat Hotel & Casino                     2800 Fremont Street      385-9151
Silver City Casino                          3001 S Las Vegas Blvd    732-4152
Stardust Hotel & Casino                     3000 S Las Vegas Blvd    732-6513
Treasure Island at The Mirage               3300 S Las Vegas Blvd    894-7291
Tropicana Resort And Casino                 3801 S Las Vegas Blvd    739-2312

800 Poker Room Numbers:
Binion's : 1-800-93-POKER
MGM Grand: 1-800-94-POKER

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:P19 What do all these poker terms mean?
A:P19 [John Hallyburton, Steve Jacobs, Darse Billings, Ken Kubey]

In addition to the following list of poker terms, Lee Jones' glossary from
"Winning Low-Limit Holdem" is online at
http://www.conjelco.com/pokglossary.html, and Dan Kimberg's glossary is online
at http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/usr/dk3a/www/pokerdict.html.

rec.gambling Glossary of Poker terms v1.0 20-Dec-1993 Copyright (C) 1993, John
C. Hallyburton, Jr. Copying for noncommercial use is permitted provided all
copies carry this copyright.

This glossary is supposed to be readable and sensible. If it is not or (worse
yet) contains an error, please send additions and corrections to John
Hallyburton, [e-mail], for future updating.

1-4-8, 2-4, 3-6, 6-12, 10-20, etc. adj. The betting structure for a game. See
FIXED LIMIT, SPREAD LIMIT.

ACCORDING TO HOYLE adv. By the rules of the game. See also: HOYLE.

ACTION n. Money that is being bet. "No action" means a hand or game has few
bettors and fewer raisers. "Gimme some action" is ostensibly a plea for calls
and raises.

ACTIVE PLAYER n. A player who is still in the pot.

ALL {BLUE,GREEN,PURPLE,etc.} n. Colorful terms to describe a flush.

ALL-IN adj. To have all of one's chips in the pot. A player who is all-in
cannot be forced out of the pot by more betting, but is only eligible to win
that portion of the pot he has contributed to. Generally, a SIDE POT is created
each time a player is all-in.

AMERICAN AIRLINES n. In Hold'em, a pair of Aces in the hole. Better known (at
least in rec.gambling) as POCKET ROCKETS.

ANTE n. A small bet all players are required to make before a hand is dealt.
Not all games have an ante. Related terms: BLIND, FORCED BET.

ASSAULT RIFLE n. In Omaha, hole cards that are A-K-4-7 of any suit(s).

BACK DOOR adj. Applies to a hand that was made in the last card or two,
specifically not a hand the player was originally planning on having. Most
often applied to straights and flushes.

BAD BEAT n. A very good hand, often a full house or higher, that is beat by an
even better hand. Some establishments offer a prize for a bad beat, though the
terms and conditions vary substantially.

BAD GAME n. Any game in which you figure to be the loser, because the other
players are better than you.

BANKROLL n. Current total gambling funds available. To be distinguished from
the current money you happen to have on the table. See also: STACK, STAKE.

BARN n. A FULL HOUSE, three of a kind and a pair.

BEE No. 92 (TM) n. Trade name for the "diamond back" cards frequently used in
casino games. Compare: RIDER BACK.

BET v.t. To put money into the pot, pursuant to the rules of the game, thus
maintaining a chance of winning the pot.

BET FOR VALUE v.t. Betting a hand that, in the long run, is expected to win
more than it loses. Antonym: BLUFF.

BICYCLE n. The best possible low hand: A-2-3-4-5. More common term: WHEEL.

BIG BLIND n. A blind bet, usually a raise of an earlier blind which would be
called the SMALL BLIND. In limit poker, the BIG BLIND is usually the size of
the minimum bet on the first round of betting.

BIG BOBTAIL n. An open-ended 4-card straight flush.

BIG SLICK. n. In Texas Hold'em, hole cards of A-K, suited or not.

BLACK n. When referring to chips, black usually stands for $100 casino chips.
"This guy sits down with a stack of blacks and raises the first bet." Not ALL
casinos use black for $100 but that is the common usage.

BLANK n. Used in describing stud and Hold'em games. Refers to a dealt card that
does not offer any value; stating the actual rank and suit would detract from a
description of the hand. "The last card was a blank."

BLIND n. A mandatory bet made by certain player(s) usually sitting left of the
BUTTON before each new hand is dealt. Used in place of antes or in conjunction
with antes. See also: ANTE, BIG BLIND, FORCED BET, LATE BLIND, LIVE BLIND,
SMALL BLIND, STRADDLE.

BLUFF n. To make a bet or raise with a poor hand, in hope that the remaining
active player(s) will fold.

BOARD n. The exposed cards in Hold'em and stud. Also BOARD CARDS.

BOAT n. A FULL HOUSE, three of a kind and a pair.

BOBTAIL STRAIGHT n. See OPEN-ENDED STRAIGHT.

BRODERICK CRAWFORD n. In Hold'em, hole cards of 10-4. From the 1950s TV series
"Highway Patrol", starring Broderick Crawford.

BUCK n. See BUTTON. (Unrelated to one Michael Buck, this is said to be the
origin of the term "buck" to represent one dollar).

BUG n. A limited wild card, represented by the Joker. May be used as an Ace, or
as any card to complete a straight or flush (or straight flush). See also: WILD
CARD. Only used at certain tables in certain card rooms, most frequently in
draw lowball.

BULLET[S] n. Ace[s].

BUMP v.t. Slang for RAISE.

BUNNY n. An eight. So named because one can easily draw "rabbit ears" above the
numeral 8, "paws" in the middle and "feet" at the bottom. (Do this only at
home, and not on cards that will be used for play.)

BURN v.t. To discard the top card of the deck prior to dealing, usually done
for every dealing round except the first. The theory being that if somehow the
cards are marked (illegally) no one will know what card will next be dealt,
only what card will be burned. This makes marked cards less of an advantage,
hence tends to reduce cheating.

BUTTON n. A distinctive token held by the player sitting in the theoretical
dealer's position, when a house dealer is used. The button rotates around the
table so that every player has an opportunity to be the last to act. Also, "THE
BUTTON" can refer to the player who currently has the button. ("I was the
button and called the blind".) Synonyms: BUCK, PUCK.

BUTTON CHARGE n. A periodic fee paid by whoever is the button, perhaps every 20
minutes or 30 minutes. Constitutes part or all of the HOUSE CUT.

BUY-IN n. The minimum amount of money necessary to join a game. Also, the
amount of money one actually used to join the game. See also: REBUY.

BUY IN v.i. To purchase chips at the start of a game. Thus in a game with a
$100 buy-in one might buy in for $147.

CALL v.t. To put in to the pot the minimum amount of money necessary to
continue playing. See also: SEE. (CALL is used mostly in the present tense with
the bet as the object, SEE with future tense and the original bettor as the
object).

CALL COLD v.t. See COLD CALL.

CALLER n. One who calls. Sometimes used collectively, as in "3 callers".

CAP v.t. To cap the betting is to make the last permitted raise in a round.

CARDS SPEAK n. winner(s) of the hand are determined by turning their cards face
up, the best hand(s) wins (no declaration).

CASE adj. Specifies a card that gives a player an unbeatable hand. Suppose you
start a Hold'em hand with a pair of 6s and flop a third 6 for a set. When a
fourth 6 later comes on the river it would be called the "case 6", assuming no
higher hand than your four 6s was possible.

CHASE v.t. To continue in a hand, often at poor odds, in the hopes of catching
a much better hand. "He called, chasing the flush."

CHECK n. A chip. Dealers and other casino employees often use the term "check"
where most nonprofessional gamers would say "chip". See CHIP.

CHECK v.i. To bet zero, when it is legal to do so. Frequently a sign of only a
fair hand, but may be a bluff.

CHECK RAISE v. To check initially, then raise a bet made later on in the same
betting round. Frequently a sign of strength, but may be a bluff.

CHIP n. A round gaming token used in place of cash for convenience in handling
and counting. The standard form of currency in most casinos. See also: CHECK n.

COME adj. A hand that is not yet made ("come hand") such as four cards to a
flush. See also ON THE COME.

COMMUNITY CARDS n. Cards that are available for every player to use in making a
hand. Usually dealt face up somewhere in the middle of the table.

COMPUTER HAND n. A hand considered to be fair by computer analysis, but which
is poor in practice. For example, Texas Hold'em hole cards that are a Queen and
a Seven of different suits.

COLD CALL n. Calling both a bet and raise at the same time, as opposed to
calling a bet then later calling a raise made after the call.

COURT CARD n. A jack, queen or king.

COWBOY n. A king.

CUT v. To break the deck into 2 stacks of at least 5 cards each. Usually
performed by the player to the dealer's right to insure that the the deck is
not stacked.

CRYING CALL n. A call made with little chance of ultimately winning, but
marginally better than an immediate fold.

DEAD DRAW n. See DRAWING DEAD.

DEAD MAN'S HAND n. Generically: two pair, aces and eights. Specifically: the
black aces, black eights and nine of diamonds. The hand Wild Bill Hickock was
holding when he was shot to death.

DEAD MONEY n. Money contributed to the pot by players who have folded.

DEALER'S CHOICE n. In home games, a rule that permits the dealer to name which
poker game to be played that hand. Often limited to selecting from a list
provided.

DECLARE v.t. In high/low games, declaring one's hand as high or low or both
ways (usually done with chips in hand). Usually played in home games; casinos
tend to play CARDS SPEAK.

DEUCE n. A two.

DOOR [CARD] n. A player's first upcard in stud games.

DOYLE BRUNSON n. In Hold'em, 10-2 in the hole. So named because Doyle Brunson
won two straight WSOPs (q.v.) in 1975 and 1976 with 10-2 on the last hand.
(Suited (spades) in 1975, unsuited in 1976).

DRAW n. [1] A class of poker games characterized by players being dealt 5 cards
face-down and later having the opportunity to replace some of the original 5.
"Draw poker" and "Five-card draw" are examples of usage.

DRAW n. [2] In stud and Hold'em games, the set of cards that will be dealt
later can be collectively called "the draw".

DRAW v.t. To discard some number of cards and have dealt an equal number of
replacements.

DRAWING DEAD v.i. A draw in which it is impossible to obtain a winning hand for
any of a variety of reasons: an opponent's hand is better than whatever you are
drawing to, the card(s) that make your hand are out of play, or (in Hold'em)
give an opponent a stronger hand even if it makes yours. Frequently used in the
past tense, since one rarely knows it at the time.

DRAW OUT v.i. To catch a card that improves your situation from a losing hand
to a winning hand, especially when you beat someone holding a hand that usually
figures to win.

EARLY POSITION n. Being one of the first players to act in a betting round. See
also: MIDDLE POSITION, LATE POSITION.

EDGE n. An advantage over an opponent, either specific or subjective.

EVEN-MONEY adj. A bet that pays off exactly the amount wagered. E.g., "Double
or nothing" is an even-money bet.

EXPECTATION n. The long-run [dis-]advantage of a given situation, specifically
without reference to any particular outcome. I.e., what you figure to win
[lose] on average after a large number of repetitions of the same situation.

FACE CARD n. A jack, queen or king (a card with a face on it, not joker).

FAVORITE n. Before all the cards are dealt, a hand that figures to be the
winner. Ant: UNDERDOG.

FIFTH STREET n. In stud poker, the fifth card to be dealt to each player.
Sometimes used to refer to the last card dealt in Hold'em, although the more
common term for this is RIVER (q.v.).

FILL v.t. To draw a card that makes a five-card hand (straight, flush, full
house, straight flush).

FILL UP v.t. To fill a full house.

FIRE v.i. To make the first bet in a betting round. Used to emphasize that the
player bet when a check was possible, showing strength.

FISH n. A player who loses money. An old saying is "If you can't spot the fish
at the table, *you* are the fish."

FIXED LIMIT adj. A betting structure where the amount of each bet is a specific
fixed quantity. Usually specified as A-B, where A is the amount to bet in the
first few betting rounds and B (larger than A) is the amount bet in the later
rounds. Related terms: FLAT LIMIT, NO LIMIT, POT LIMIT, SPREAD LIMIT.

FLAT CALL v.t. To call a bet. Emphasizes that the caller did not raise.

FLAT LIMIT adj. A variant of fixed limit where all bets are the same amount.

FLOORMAN n. The casino representative in charge of the card room or a section
of a card room. Arbitrates disputes when unusual events happen.

FLOP n. In Hold'em, the first three community cards, dealt simultaneously.

FLOP v.t. To deal a flop, or to make a hand on a flop. "I flopped trips".

FLUSH n. A poker hand consisting of five cards all one suit.

FOLD v.t. To decline to call a bet, thus dropping out of a hand.

FORCED BET n. In some stud games a player may be required to make a bet to
start the action on the first card. This is similar conceptually to blinds and
antes, but in this case is dependent on the cards shown rather than player
position. Usually the weakest hand is forced to bet.

FOSSIL n. (derogatory) An elderly poker player.

FOUR FLUSH n. Four cards to a flush.

FOUR OF A KIND n. A hand containing all four cards of the same rank.

FOURTH STREET n. In stud poker, the fourth card dealt to each player. Sometimes
used to refer to the fourth community card dealt in Hold'em, although the more
common term for this is TURN (q.v.).

FREE CARD n. A card dealt after all players checked in a betting round.

FREEROLL n. A poker tournament that does not charge a buy-in fee; players must
earn buy-in credits through previous play at the same establishment.

FREEROLL v.t. Having a lock on part of a pot (sure to win a greater fraction of
the pot than one is betting) and playing to win more or all of it.

FREEZE-OUT n. A table-stakes game that continues until a small number of
players (possibly only one) has all the money. The major event in The World
Series of Poker is a freeze-out game.

FULL BOAT n. See FULL HOUSE.

FULL HOUSE n. A hand consisting of 3-of-a-kind and a (different) pair.

FULL OF n. Describes a full house. "Fives full of queens" is 5-5-5-Q-Q.

GIVING AWAY v.t. Revealing one's hand by obvious play. See also TELL, READ.

GOOD GAME n. A game with players worse than you so that you can expect to win a
lot of money.

GUT-SHOT adj. A draw to an inside straight.

HEAD UP adj. Playing a single opponent.

HEADS UP adj. Playing a single opponent.

HIGH-LOW SPLIT adj. Forms of poker in which the pot is split between the best
hand and best lowball hand.

HIT n. To make a hand or catch a card or cards that improves one's hand. "I hit
a gut-shot draw on the river."

HOLD'EM n. [1] Generic name for a class of poker games where the players
receive a certain number (2 to 4) of hole cards and 5 community cards. Usually
there are betting rounds after dealing the hole cards, then after dealing 3
upcards (FLOP), after dealing a 4th upcard (TURN) and finally after dealing a
5th upcard (RIVER).

HOLD'EM n. [2] When used in the specific sense (e.g., "We're playing Hold'em")
the term usually refers to the game of Texas Hold'em (q.v.). See also OMAHA.

HOLE n. See HOLE CARDS.

HOLE CARDS n. In stud and Hold'em, the face-down cards dealt to each player.

HOOK n. A Jack. So named because the "J" resembles a hook.

HOT BABE (TM) n. An attractive, well-dressed female in or near a casino. The
term is a trademark of rec.gambling. An example of proper usage is: "I had just
raked in the pot when this Hot Babe (TM) comes up to the table and asks `Are
you Frank Irwin?'".

HOUSE CUT n. Generic term for how the house profits from hosting the game. See
BUTTON CHARGE, TABLE CHARGE and RAKE.

HOUSE RULE n. Rules and interpretations (e.g., use of wild cards, or rules on
having to show beaten hands) that are specific to an establishment or even
tables within the establishment.

HOYLE n. Edmund Hoyle (1769-?) was the authoritative source for rules of card
games. Hoyle is to card rules as Webster is to word definitions.

IMPLIED ODDS n. A refinement to POT ODDS which includes money not yet in the
pot. Considers the potential extra bets and winnings made when a player forms a
very good hand.

IN adj. Still eligible to win the pot. "I'm in" is often spoken as one adds
chips to the pot, calling.

INSIDE STRAIGHT n. Four cards to a straight, where only one rank will complete
the hand. E.g., 4-5-6-8 is an inside straight since only a 7 will fill (i.e.,
complete) the hand. Often called a GUT-SHOT. Compare: BOBTAIL STRAIGHT,
OPEN-ENDED STRAIGHT.

JACKS OR BETTER n. Draw poker in which a pair of jacks is the minimum hand
permitted to start the action. See OPENERS.

JOKER n. A 53rd card in the deck, distinct from the others, used as a wild card
or as a BUG.

KICKER n. In hands containing pairs and trips, the highest card not matched. In
draw games, sometimes a card kept for deception purposes.

KU KLUX KLAN n. 3 Kings.

LADY n. A Queen.

LATE BLIND n. In addition to "regular" blinds, some games allow a player
(particularly a new one) to post a blind bet in return for the right to enter
the game immediately and act last on the first betting round. The amount of the
blind is determined by house rules, usually somewhere between the last blind
and double the last blind. It is frequently a LIVE BLIND.

LATE POSITION n. For a particular betting round, a player who does not have to
act until most of the other players have acted.

LAY ODDS v.t. To give favorable odds to an opponent.

LEAD v. To bet first, even when one had the option to check. See also FIRE.

LEAK v. To show one's hole cards (often unknowingly).

LID n. The top card of the deck.

LIMIT POKER n. A poker game wherein the amount to be bet is fixed, or at most
variable within a prescribed minimum and maximum. Ant.: NO-LIMIT POKER.

LINER n. A face card. (Because you can see a line when the card is face down
and the lower right corner is lifted).

LIVE [CARD] n. In stud, a card probably not held by other players.

LIVE BLIND n. The last and largest blind bet may or may not be LIVE. If LIVE,
the blind bettor has the option of "raising" his own blind in the event the bet
is called around to him. This is normal, and is sometimes referred to as
"blinds are live".

LIVE ONE n. The best kind of opponent, a poor player with a lot of money to
lose and in a hurry to lose it.

LOCK n. A hand that cannot be beat under any circumstances. Also: NUTS.

LOOSE n. Playing more hands than the norm. Antonym: TIGHT.

LOWBALL n. Generic term for poker where the lowest hand wins.

MARKED CARDS n. Cards that have been (illegally) altered so that their value
can be read from the back.

MIDDLE POSITION n. Betting positions approximately halfway around the table
from the first player to act.

MILES OF BAD ROAD n. Three of a kind. Prefixed with a number, 3*, to indicate 3
s. Thus "24 miles of bad road" is 3 eights, etc. (This obviously doesn't work
for face cards.)

MISDEAL n. A hand dealt incorrectly that must be re-dealt.

MITES AND LICE n. A hand consisting of two pair, threes over twos.

MUCK n. A collection of face-down cards near the dealer composed of discards,
i.e., folded hands, burns and discards for drawing purposes.

MUCK v.t. To throw one's cards into the muck, thus folding.

NICKEL n. Five dollars, usually represented by a red casino check.

NO-LIMIT POKER n. A game where there is no maximum bet; a player can wager any
amount (perhaps above some minimum) up to whatever money is on the table in
front of him.

NO-PEEK[EE] n. A class of poker games where players do not get to see their
cards before betting. Rarely played in public games.

NUT adj. The best possible hand of a given class. The "nut flush" is the
highest possible flush, but might still lose to, e.g., a full house. Usually
used in Hold'em games.

NUTS n. The best possible hand at the time. Not a LOCK unless all cards have
been dealt. Usually used in Hold'em games.

OFFSUIT adj. Not of the same suit. "I held A-Q offsuit" or "The flop was 10-6-2
offsuit". When speaking of 5 or more cards, not \all/ of the same suit, i.e.,
no flush, as in "button had A-K-10-8-7 offsuit."

OMAHA n. A variant of Hold'em where each player receives 4 hole cards and must
use exactly two of them (together with 3 of 5 board cards) to make a hand.
Often played high-low split with an 8 qualifier for low.

ONE-EYED adj. The jack of hearts, jack of spades or king of diamonds. So named
because the characters are drawn in profile, thus showing only one eye.

ON THE COME adj. A situation where the player does not have a complete hand but
hopes to make one if the right cards come up.

OPEN v.t. Make the first bet in a hand, especially in draw poker.

OPEN-ENDED STRAIGHT n. Four cards to a straight which can be completed by
drawing a card at either end. E.g., 6-7-8-9 is an open-ended straight. Also:
BOBTAIL STRAIGHT. Compare: INSIDE STRAIGHT.

OPENER n. The player who opens the betting, especially in draw poker. A hand
may have no openers, in which case it is PASSED OUT, i.e., new hands are dealt.

OPENERS n. Cards in a hand that qualify a player to open the betting.

OPEN-HANDED n. A category of games characterized by a part of each player's
hand being exposed.

OPEN PAIR n. An exposed pair.

OUT n. A card that will improve your hand, often substantially. A hand with
many OUTS is preferable to a hand with only 1 or 2.

OUT adj. Folded, ineligible to bet or win this hand. "I'm out" is often a
synonym for "I fold".

OVER conj. A term used in describing two pair or a full house. "Kings over
tens" means two pair, kings and tens. "Jacks over", also "Jacks up" describes a
hand that is two pair: Jacks with an unspecified lower pair. Also used to
describe a full house, distinguishing the three of a kind from the pair. The
hand J-J-J-A-A could be described as "Full house, Jacks over Aces".

OVERCALL v.t. To call a bet after one or more players already called.

PAIR n. Two cards of the same rank.

PASS v.i. Opposite of bet. To check, if checked to. To fold, if bet to.

PASSED OUT. adj. A hand in which nobody opens. What happens next is a function
of the game being played.

PAT adj. Holding or being dealt a pat hand. "I'm pat" would mean "I don't want
to draw any cards.

PAT HAND n. In draw poker, a hand that does not need any more cards.
Specifically, a straight, flush, full house or straight flush. One might bluff
and represent a pat hand but actually hold something else.

PAY OFF v.t. Calling a bet with little expectation of winning, unless the
opponent is bluffing.

PAY STATION n. A player who rarely folds, thus who frequently calls better
hands and loses. Almost as much fun as a LIVE ONE (q.v.).

POCKET [CARDS] n. Hole cards in stud and Hold'em.

POCKET ROCKETS n. In Hold'em, a pair of aces for hole cards.

POCKET PAIR n. Generic Hold'em term for 2 hole cards of the same rank.

POSITION n. One's location in the betting sequence, relative to the players
still in the hand. First position is first to act.

POSSIBLE [STRAIGHT/FLUSH] adj. up cards that quite possibly could lead to a
straight and/or a flush.

POT n. The total amount of money bet so far in a hand.

POT LIMIT n. A game where the maximum bet is determined by the size of the pot
at the time. Note that a player wanting to raise first calls the bet, then
totals the pot to determine the maximum amount he can raise.

POT ODDS n. The amount of money in the pot divided by the amount of money you
must bet in order to call. Often used to determine if a pot offers enough
reward to play on the come.

PRESTO! e. In Hold'em, what one says when revealing pocket 5's. This term,
specific to rec.gambling, is still evolving and subject to redefinition. The
term comes from a more well-established background in Blackjack where one says
"Presto!" when turning over a blackjack.

PUCK n. A token denoting the dealer position. See BUTTON.

QUALIFIER n. A minimum standard that a hand must meet in order to win. Usually
applied to the lowball side of a high-low split pot.

QUARTER n. Twenty-five dollars, often symbolized by a green casino chip.

QUARTER v. To divide half a pot between two tying hands. In split pot games, a
player who "ties" another player for their half of the pot is said to be
"quartered". One might say "I didn't bet my A-2 because I figured I'd get
quartered".

RAGS n. Board cards that are small, not suited and not in sequence. When "rags
flop", it is unlikely that anyone has a good hand.

RAIL n. A barrier dividing the card playing area from a public area.

RAILBIRD n. A spectator behind the rail.

RAISE v.t. To wager more than the minimum required to call, forcing other
players to put in more money as well.

RAISER n. One who raises.

RAKE n. Money taken from each pot and given to the house in return for hosting
the game. Usually a percentage of the pot (5%-10%) up to some maximum amount.

READ v.t. To determine whether an opponent has a good, medium or bad hand by
observing his personal behavior. An inexact science.

REBUY v.i. To purchase additional chips after an initial buy-in, usually after
losing most or all of the previous buy-in.

REPRESENT v.t. Implying, by one's betting style, that one has a particular
hand.

RERAISE v.t. To raise after an opponent has raised.

RIDER BACK (TM) n. A brand of playing cards that feature a bicycle rider on the
back of the cards. Often used in home games. Compare: BEE No. 92.

RIVER n. The last card dealt in a hand of stud or Hold'em.

ROLLED UP adj. In seven-card stud, being dealt three of a kind in the first
three cards.

ROYAL FLUSH n. An ace-high straight flush, the best possible hand in regular
poker.

SANDBAG v.i. Playing a strong hand as if it were only a fair one. See also
SLOWPLAY.

SCOOP v.t. To take all of a pot that is normally split, either by winning both
halves outright or winning one half when no players qualify for the other half.

SEAT CHARGE n. A periodic fee for playing poker, paid by all players at a
table. Most often seen in California card rooms. Also TABLE CHARGE.

SEE v.t. To call, as in: "I'll see you" or "I'll see that bet".

SEMI-BLUFF n. To bluff with a come hand that figures to win if it hits.

SET n. In Hold'em, three of a kind where two of the cards are hole cards.

SEVENTH STREET n. The seventh card dealt in 7-card stud.

SHARK n. A good/crafty player often posing as a fish early in the game.

SHORT-STACKED adv. Playing with a only a small amount of money, thus limiting
one's risk and reward.

SHOWDOWN n. The point at the end of the hand where all active players reveal
their cards and the pot is awarded to the winner(s).

SIDE POT n. When an active player runs out of money during the course of a
hand, the remaining players participate in a second or SIDE POT for the rest of
the hand. Additional side pots are possible if several players run out of money
at different points in a hand.

SIXTH STREET n. The sixth card dealt in 7-card stud.

SLOWPLAY v.t. To play a strong hand weakly, by checking instead of betting or
by calling instead of raising. Usually done to win extra bets by keeping more
players around for future rounds of betting. See also SANDBAG.

SMALL BLIND n. In games with two blinds the first blind is the SMALL BLIND
because it is usually one-half (or less) the second or large blind.

SPLIT [OPENERS] v.t. In draw poker, to discard one or more openers, usually to
draw to a straight or flush. Normally requires the opener to declare the act
and retain the discards so that the act of opening can later be validated.

SPLIT [POT] n. A pot that is split between two or more hands.

SPLIT [THE POT] v. To split the pot between two or more players. Related term:
QUARTER.

SPREAD v.t. To offer a particular game, as in "Shorty's casino spreads razz on
weekends and holidays".

SPREAD LIMIT n. A variation on fixed limit wherein the minimum and maximum bets
are different. A 1-4-8 game allows bets from 1 to 4 in the early rounds and 1-8
in the last round. A 1-4-8-16 game allows bets from 1 to 4 in the early rounds,
1 to 8 in the next-to-last round, and 1 to 16 in the last round.

STACK n. The amount of money (the stack of chips) a player has on the table.
See also: STAKE.

STACKED [DECK] n. A deck that has been arranged to give one player a huge
advantage. Also: RIGGED.

STAKE n. The amount of a player's BUY-IN, or the amount of money they are
willing to play with in a given session. Compare: BANKROLL.

STAND OFF v.i. To call a raise. "Opener raises, I stand off".

STEAL v.t. To win the pot by bluffing.

STEAM v.i. Playing wildly, calling and raising a lot, because one is upset.

STRADDLE n. In some games with blinds the player left of the last blind may
make a "straddle" wager, essentially a raise of the blind, before any cards are
dealt. The player making the straddle then has the privilege of acting last on
the first betting round. Straddles, like blinds, are real bets that the rest of
the table will have to call or raise. See also: BLIND.

STRAIGHT n. A hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence but not in suit.

STRAIGHT FLUSH n. A hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence and the same suit.

STRING BET n. An unethical and often illegal means of raising whereby a player
puts a call-size stack of chips into the pot and, after observing the reactions
of the players, then goes back to his stack and puts out more, thus raising.

STUCK adj. Down a nontrivial amount of money, as in "he's stuck $800".

STUD n. Any of several poker games in which some of each players' cards are
exposed.

SUICIDE KING n. King of Hearts. So named because in the drawing the king
appears to be stabbing himself in the head.

SUITED n. Two or more cards all the same suit. Ant: OFF-SUIT.

TABLE CHARGE n. A fee paid for playing. See SEAT CHARGE.

TABLE STAKES n. A standard rule whereby during a hand players can only bet the
money they have on the table. If the bet to a player is more than the player's
stack, that player may call with all his chips and be eligible to win only that
portion of the pot he contributed to equally. A side pot is created, for which
only the remaining players may compete.

TAP v.i. In no-limit games, to wager all of one's money in one bet.

TAPPED [OUT] adj. Out of money. Can refer to a player running out of money in
the course of a hand, thus still active for the main pot; or can refer to a
player who has lost his bankroll and can no longer play.

TELL n. Any personal mannerisms that reveal the quality of one's hand. E.g.,
constantly looking at one's hole cards is often a tell of a poor hand. (Some
players, knowing this, will at times check their hole cards when they have a
great hand and don't need to look.)

TEXAS HOLD'EM n. A Hold'em game where players receive two hole cards and may
use zero or more of them, together with 5 board cards, to make their hands. See
HOLD'EM.

THREE OF A KIND. n. Three cards all the same rank.

THIRD STREET n. In stud, the third card dealt to each player.

THREE FLUSH n. Three cards of the same suit.

TIGHT adv. A style of play that entails playing fewer hands than average.
Antonym: LOOSE.

TIGHT n. A FULL HOUSE.

TO GO v.i. The current betting level, as in "$20 to go" meaning every player
must contribute $20 (total) or drop. A $10 raise would then make the pot "$30
to go".

TOKE v.t. Gambling term for "tip", as in "Toke the cocktail waitress".

TREY n. A three.

TRIP adj. Three of a specific kind, as in "Trip sixes".

TRIPS n. Three of a kind. In Hold'em the term SET is used when two of the three
cards are hole cards.

TURN n. The fourth community card in Hold'em.

TWO FLUSH n. Two suited cards.

UNDERDOG n. Before all the cards are dealt, a hand that does not figure to be
the winner. Ant: FAVORITE.

UNDER THE GUN n. The position that has to act first in a round of betting.

UP adj. Designates the higher card of a hand consisting of two pair. Thus,
"Queens up" refers to two pair, of which the higher pair is queens and the
lower pair is unspecified. See also OVER.

WALK n. A pot won by the last blind when no one opens.

WHEEL n. A-2-3-4-5. Usually discussed in the context of lowball where it is the
best possible hand. Can also refer to a 5-high straight in high games. Also:
BICYCLE.

WHITE BLACKBIRD n. A hand so astonishingly rare as to be unworthy of the
opponents' consideration, e.g., being dealt a pat royal flush in 5-card draw.

WILD CARD n. A joker or standard card that, by player agreement and/or dealer's
choice, can be used to represent any card desired. See also BUG.

WIRED [PAIR] n. A pair in the hole. In 5-card stud, a door card that pairs the
hole card.

WORLD SERIES OF POKER n. The top poker game in the world, sponsored by Binion's
Horseshoe Club in Las Vegas. A series of no-limit elimination hold'em matches
with buy-ins in the $10,000 range.

WORLD SERIES OF POKER n. A series of several different poker games with
relatively large buy-ins, culminating in a $10,000 buy-in no-limit Hold'em
tournament, the winner of which is crowned the World Poker Champion. Sponsored
by Binion's Horseshoe Club in Las Vegas.

WSOP n. Acronym for WORLD SERIES OF POKER.

Contributors:
     John Hallyburton
     Steve Jacobs
     Darse Billings
     Ken Kubey

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

ConJelCo Home Page

Archive-name: gambling-faq/craps
URL: http://www.conjelco.com/faq/craps.html

-----------------------

Frequently Asked Questions about Craps

This is the Craps section of the rec.gambling Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
list.

Changes or additions to this section of the FAQ should be submitted to:
[e-mail].

Page last modified: 12-20-94
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table of Contents

C1 What special terminology is used at the Craps table?
C2 How is Craps played?
C3 What are "Odds?"
C4 What is the house advantage on 10x odds?
C5 What are "Come" and "Don't Come" bets?
C6 What are all those other bets?
C7 What are the odds for all these bets?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:C1 What special terminology is used at the Craps table?
A:C1 (Steve Jacobs, Ken Elliott III, Dave Everett)

Craps Terminology:

any craps
     a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12. This bet pays 7:1 and has a
     house edge of 11.1%.

3-way craps
     a bet made in units of 3 with one unit on 2, one unit on 3, and one unit
     on 12. This is a horn bet without the bet on 11.

any seven
     a bet that the next roll will be 7. This bet pays 4:1 and has a house edge
     of 16.7%.

big 6
     a bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even
     money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 6 pays 7:6 but is
     identical otherwise. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of
     1.5%

big 8
     a bet that an 8 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even
     money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 8 pays 7:6 but is
     identical otherwise. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of
     1.5%

buy bet
     giving the house a 5% commission in order to be paid correct odds for a
     place bet. The buy bets on 4 and 10 allow the player to reduce the house
     edge from 6.67% to 4% on these bets. Some casinos collect the commission
     only on winning bets, while others collect it at the time the bet is made.

come bet
     A "virtual pass line bet"; a bet made after the come out roll but in other
     respects exactly like a pass line bet. See question C5 for more details.

come out roll
     the first roll of the dice in a betting round is called the "come out"
     roll. Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while pass bets
     lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don't bets lose when the come
     out roll is 7 or 11, and don't bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3.
     Don't bets tie when the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos; the "bar"
     roll on the layout indicates which roll is treated as a tie).

dice pass
     The dice are said to "pass" when the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the
     come-out roll. The dice "don't pass" when the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12
     on the come-out. If the come-out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, this roll
     sets the "point", and the shooter continues to roll until the point is
     rolled again or a 7 is rolled (see "seven out"). If the shooter rolls the
     point before rolling a seven, the dice pass. If the shooter sevens out,
     the dice don't pass and the shooter loses control of the dice. NOTE: in
     this context, "pass" does NOT mean that the dice to given to the next
     player. Control of the dice is transferred only when the shooter "sevens
     out" or when the shooter has completed a game and no longer wishes to roll
     the dice.

don't come bet
     A "virtual don't pass bet"; a bet made after the come out roll but in
     other respects exactly like a don't pass bet. See question C5 for more
     details.

don't pass bet
     a bet that the dice will not pass. This bet can be placed only immediately
     before a "come out" roll. One result (either the 2 or the 12, depending on
     the casino) will result in a push. House edge on these bets is 1.40%. A
     don't pass bet can be taken down, but not increased, after the come-out
     roll.

double odds
     an odds bet that is about twice as large as the original pass/come bet.
     Some casinos offer higher odds, such as 5X or even 10X odds.

field bet
     a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. This bet pays
     even money for 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11, and usually pays 2:1 for 2 or 12. Some
     casinos pay 3:1 for either the 2 or 12 (but not both), and some casinos
     may make the 5 instead of the 9 a field roll.

hard way
     a bet on 4, 6, 8, or 10 that wins only if the dice show the same face;
     e.g., "hard 8" occurs when each die shows a four.

hop bet
     a bet that the next roll will result in one particular combination of the
     dice, such as 2-2 (called a "hopping hardway") or 3-5. 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and
     5-5 are paid the same as a one-roll 2; other hop bets are paid the same as
     a one-roll 11.

horn bet
     a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 11, or 12, made in multiples of 4,
     with one unit on each of the numbers.

horn high bet
     a bet made in multiples of 5 with one unit on 3 of the horn numbers, and
     two units on the "high" number; e.g., "$5 horn high eleven": $1 each on 2,
     3, 12, and $2 on the 11.

lay bet
     a bet that a particular number (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) will NOT be rolled
     before a 7 comes up. The casino takes 5% of the winnings on these bets.
     The 5% commission is usually taken up front, but some casinos take the
     commission after the bet wins.

lay odds
     after a point has been established, the don't pass bettor can place an
     additional odds bet that will win if the original don't pass bet wins. The
     odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with
     no house edge. This also applies to a don't come bet. Making this bets is
     referred to "laying the odds" for your don't bet.

line bet
     a bet on the "pass line" or the "don't pass line" is called a "line" bet.
     These bets are placed at the beginning of the game, before the "come out"
     roll. The shooter is required to make a line bet in order to shoot the
     dice.

odds off
     odds bets that are "not working". Odds bets can be called "off" by the
     player at any time, but are left on the felt until the bet is resolved.
     Also, come odds bets are usually "off" during the come out roll, unless
     the bettor asks to have the odds bets "working". Come odd bets that are
     "off" will be returned to the player if the line bet loses on the come out
     roll. Don't come odds generally work on the come-out roll.

pass bet
     a bet that the dice will pass, also known as a "pass line" bet. This bet
     is generally placed immediately before a "come out" roll, although you can
     make or increase this bet at any time. House edge on this bets is 1.41%.

place bet (to win)
     a bet that a particular number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) will be rolled
     before a 7 comes up. These bets are paid at slightly less than correct
     odds, giving the house an edge of 1.52% on 6/8, 4% on 5/9, and 6.67% on
     4/10.

place bet (to lose)
     a bet that a 7 will be rolled before the number you are placing
     (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) comes up. The casino requires you to lay slightly more
     than the correct odds, giving the house an edge of 3.03% on 4/10, 2.5% on
     5/9, and 1.82% on 6/8.

point
     if a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled on the come out roll, then this number
     becomes the "point". The shooter must roll the point again, before rolling
     a seven, in order for the dice to "pass". A "come point" is just the
     number that is serving as a point for a come bet.

put bet
     1. A bet made on the pass line after the come out roll. This is allowed in
     Las Vegas and at Turning Stone, but not in Atlantic City and not at
     Foxwoods. This is not recommended, as 45% of your pass line wins are made
     on the come-out roll. 2. A bet made directly onto a come point number.
     E.g., "Put $5 and $10 odds on the six." Not recommended for the same
     reasons given in 1.

right bettor
     a player who bets that the dice will pass.

seven out
     when the shooter rolls seven after a point has been established. Control
     of the dice is transferred to the next shooter. Another term for this is
     "miss out." You will sometimes hear players call this something else, but
     we can't print those things here. This is often incorrectly called "crap
     out."

shooter
     the player who is rolling the dice. The shooter must place a "line" bet
     ("pass" or "don't pass") in order to be eligible to roll the dice. Of
     course, the shooter can place other bets in addition to the required
     "line" bet. Most shooters (and players) tend to play the "pass" line. Note
     that shooters who make "don't pass" bets are not betting against
     themselves, they are simply betting that the dice will not "pass".

single odds
     an odds bet that is about as large as the original pass/come bet. Some
     casinos allow "double odds", or even larger odds bets.

take odds
     after a point has been established, the pass/come bettor can place an
     additional odds bet that will win if the original pass/come bet wins. The
     odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with
     no house edge.

two ways
     a phrase appended to a hardway or proposition bet to indicate that the
     player is betting one chip for the dealers along with his own bet. A $2
     bet two ways is $1 for the player and $1 for the dealers; a $6 bet two
     ways is $5 for the player and $1 for the dealers; a $10 bet two ways is $5
     for the player and $5 for the dealers. E.g., "Hard 6, two ways" or
     "Two-way hard 6."

working
     bets that are "live" (i.e., can be resolved with the next roll) are said
     to be working. Generally, place bets, buy/lay bets, and come odds bets do
     not work on the come-out unless you tell the dealers to "make them work."
     All other bets (e.g., hardways) work unless you call them "off" (i.e.,
     tell the dealers you do not want them to "work").

world bet
     a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, made in multiples of
     5, with one unit on each of the numbers.

wrong bettor
     a player who bets that the dice will not pass.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:C2 How is Craps played?
A:C2 (Dave Decot, Frank Irwin, Alan Mintz, Ken Elliott III, Jeffrey Osier)

Casino craps is played completely against the casino, on a big felt layout set
inside a large table with high rails around the side so you can bounce the dice
off 'em and still keep 'em on the table. Up to between 12 and 16 people can
play at once, depending on the size of the table (obviously). The layout looks
something like:


           Dealer stands         Boxman sits          Dealer stands
               here                 here                  here
   #######################################################################
  # __  ____________________    $$$$$$$$$$$$$    ____________________  __ #
 # | d||DC| 4| 5| 6| 8| 9|10| +---------------+ | 4| 5| 6| 8| 9|10|DC||d | #
 # |Po||__|__|__|__|__|__|__| |any seven   4-1| |__|__|__|__|__|__|__||oP| #
 # |An| ____________________  +===============+  ____________________ |nA| #
 # |St||     C O M E        | |hard 4 | hard 6| |     C O M E        ||tS| #
 # |Sp||____________________| |-------+-------| |____________________||pS| #
 # |La| ____________________  |hard 10| hard 8|  ____________________ |aL| #
 # |Is||2  3 4  9  10 11  12| +===============+ |2  3 4  9  10 11  12||sI| #
 # |Ns||_______FIELD________| |two    |  three| |_______FIELD________||sN| #
 # |E |_____________________  |-----HORN------|  _____________________| E| #
 # |      don't pass bar 12 | |eleven | twelve| |    don't pass bar 12   | #
 #  \________PASS_LINE______| +===============+ |________PASS_LINE______/  #
 #                            |  any    craps |                            #
  #                           +---------------+                           #
   #                               /dice\                                #
    #####################################################################
                             Stickman stands
                                   here

Each player bets a minimum amount determined by the table.

Each die has six sides, each side with a different number of spots from one to
six.

Two such dice are rolled by one player called the "shooter". The shooter must
place a "pass" bet or a "don't pass" bet in order to be eligible to roll the
dice. Exception: the shooter can let his Hot Babe (TM) roll the dice for him if
he has a pass or don't pass bet down.

The total number of spots on the tops of the dice after the shooter has rolled
is called the "roll".

A game consists of a series of rolls.

A roll of 2, 3, or 12 is called "craps".

The first roll by the shooter during a game is called the "come-out roll".

If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the game is over:
     Bets on the "Pass line" win 1:1.
     Bets on the "Don't Pass line" lose.
If the come-out roll is craps, the game is over:
     Bets on the "Pass line" lose.
     Bets on the "Don't Pass line" win unless:
     The "Don't Pass" line says "Bar " and the roll is the indicated value, in
     which case the bet pushes.

Otherwise, the come-out roll becomes the "point", and a large white marker is
placed on the number representing the point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10).

For each roll in a game subsequent to the come-out roll:
     If the roll is the point, the game is over:
     Bets on the "Pass line" win 1:1.
     Bets on the "Don't Pass line" lose.
     If the roll is 7, the game is over:
     Bets on the "Pass line" and lose.
     Bets on the "Don't Pass line" win 1:1.
     The turn of the "shooter" is over.
     Otherwise, the game continues and the shooter rolls again.

During a game, bets on the Pass line cannot be removed; they can, however, be
increased. Bets on the Don't Pass line may be decreased or removed, but not
increased.

When a game is over:
     If the game was over on the come-out roll, or because the point was rolled
     again, the shooter may continue to be the shooter for another game, or
     pass the dice on to the player just clockwise, who becomes the new
     shooter.
     Otherwise, the shooter must pass the dice on to the player just clockwise,
     who becomes the new shooter.

Note: The other bets that can be made and resolved are not detailed above for
purposes of saving space. A description of when these bets win or lose is given
in question C1.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:C3 What are "Odds"?
A:C3 (Matt Wilding, Ken Elliott III)

Casinos allow a player to place "odds" on pass, don't pass, come, and don't
come bets after a "point" has been established. If the bet on which odds are
placed wins, the odds bet is paid fairly. This means the odds on pass and come
bets are paid 2-1 for the 4 and 10, 3-2 for the 5 and 9, and 6-5 for the 6 and
8. The odds for don't pass and don't come bets are paid 1-2 for the 4 and 10,
2-3 for the 5 and 9, and 5-6 for the 6 and 8 (this is called "laying" odds).

The player should make odds bets that can be paid exactly, or the dealer will
pay off by rounding down. Odds on the pass line and come bets should be a
multiple 5 if the point is 6 or 8 and a multiple of 2 if it's a 5 or 9. (Don't
betters can figure this out themselves.)

Casinos advertise the maximum odds bets they allow as the maximum amount
"times" the original bet the odds bet may be (for don't pass and don't come
bets, it's the maximum amount "times" the expected win). You can increase your
odds bet over this advertised maximum only enough to allow you to make an odds
bet that can be paid exactly.

A player can modify his odds bets at any time.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:C4 What is the house advantage on 10x odds?
A:C4 (Ken Elliott III, David Escoffery)

The following table lists the house advantage for a pass bet and don't pass bet
with the indicated odds. Remember, the house advantage indicates
(mathematically) the percentage of your bet handle that the casino will win in
the long run. Be aware, too, that higher odds often means a higher bet handle,
which in turn leads to higher "variance;" that is, your bankroll may exhibit
greater swings if you're used to betting $15 a hand ($5 pass bet at double
odds) and suddenly start betting $55 a hand ($5 pass bet at 10x odds).

                          HOUSE ADVANTAGE
       odds          pass bet      don't pass bet

        0x           1.4141%           1.4026%
        1x           0.8485%           0.8320%
        2x           0.6061%           0.5915%
        3x           0.4714%           0.4588%
        4x           0.3857%           0.3747%
        5x           0.3263%           0.3167%
        6x           0.2828%           0.2743%
        7x           0.2496%           0.2418%
        8x           0.2233%           0.2163%
        9x           0.2020%           0.1956%
       10x           0.1845%           0.1785%

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:C5 What are "Come" and "Don't Come" bets?
A:C5 (Dave Decot, Frank Irwin, Alan Mintz, Ken Elliott III)

Other bets can be made during the game after the come-out roll by anyone,
called "Come" and "Don't Come" bets. These are made by placing the bet on the
"Come" box or the "Don't Come" box; these bets are regarded as Pass (Don't
Pass) bets, but as if the very next roll of the dice were the "come-out" roll
of a new game. For example, if a come bet is made and if the next roll is 7 or
11, the Come bet wins immediately; if the next roll is 2, 3, or 12, the Come
bet loses immediately; otherwise, the number rolled is the point for that Come
bet (called a come point). Such a Come bet is moved onto the area of the table
where its point appears, awaiting a roll of either its point or seven. The game
for a Come bet always continues until this happens, even though the shooter
rolls the point for the Pass line, even though the shooter begins a new game
for the Pass line, even though another shooter begins rolling, as long as the
termination conditions for that Come bet have not yet occurred.

Note that rolling a seven always terminates all Pass, Come, Don't Pass, and
Don't Come games on the table; since it results in immediate win or loss.

The payoffs for Come and Don't Come bets are the same as for Pass and Don't
pass bets.

It is possible to place odds bets on the points of your own Come and Don't Come
bets by handing the bet to a dealer and stating that you want "odds on my ".
Unless you specify otherwise, odds bets on Come are declared "not working" on a
come out roll after a point is made. However, odds on Don't Come bets are
usually working by default.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------


Q:C6 What are all those other bets?
A:C6 (Dave Decot, Frank Irwin, Ken Elliott III)

Other bets are possible:

Place bets (to win):
     Bets that an indicated number will be rolled before 7 is rolled (come-out
     rolls are ignored for the purpose of determining this, unless otherwise
     specified by the player making the bet).

Place bets (to lose):
     Bets that a 7 will be rolled before the indicated number is rolled
     (come-out rolls are ignored for the purpose of determining this, unless
     otherwise specified by the player making the bet).

One roll bets:
     Bets that a certain roll, or a certain pair of dice faces, or one of
     several rolls, will appear on the next roll of the dice. Such bets may be
     made before any roll. These all pay higher than 1:1, This includes "Any
     craps", "eleven", "seven", "Horn", and "field" bets.

Field:
     A special case of one-roll bet. This pays 1-1 whenever 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11
     is rolled, and possibly higher amounts when 2 or 12 is rolled.

Hardways:
     Bets that a certain pair of dice faces will appear before 7 is rolled, and
     before any other pair of dice faces with the same total value are rolled.
     For example, a bet on "hard 4 (2 and 2)" loses when (1 and 3) is rolled,
     because this is an "easy way" to roll 4. A bet on "hard anything" loses
     when 7 is rolled.

Hopping hardways:
     Bets that a certain pair of identical dice faces will appear on the next
     roll. These all pay 30:1 (or sometimes higher or lower).

Horn bets:
     Basically, just betting on the 2,3,11, and 12 at once. This requires 4
     units, since you are really making 4 bets.

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Q:C7 What are the odds for all these bets?
A:C7 (["Winning Casino Craps" by Edwin Silberstang], Ken Elliott III)

Note that some casinos offer different payouts for prop bets, lower
(promotional) commission on buy/lay bets, and collection of buy/lay bet
vigorish only on winning bets, all of which change the "Casino Advantage"
listed below. The numbers below represent those most commonly seen in Las
Vegas.

  Bet                         Casino Payoff                  Casino Advantage

  Pass-Line                        1:1                             1.41%
     With Single Odds              1:1 + odds                      0.8
     With Double Odds              1:1 + odds                      0.6

  Come                             1:1                             1.41%
     With Single Odds              1:1 + odds                      0.8
     With Double Odds              1:1 + odds                      0.6

  Don't Pass                       1:1                             1.40%
     With Single Odds              1:1 + odds                      0.8
     With Double Odds              1:1 + odds                      0.6

  Don't Come                       1:1                             1.40%
     With Single Odds              1:1 + odds                      0.8
     With Double Odds              1:1 + odds                      0.6

  Place Numbers (to win)
     4 or 10                       9:5                             6.67%
     4 or 10 (bought)              2:1 (-5% commission)            4.76
     5 or 9                        7:5                             4.0
     6 or 8                        7:6                             1.52

  Place Numbers (to lose)
     4 or 10                       5:11                            3.03%
     4 or 10 (laid)                1:2 (-5% commission)            2.44
     5 or 9                        5:8                             2.5
     6 or 8                        4:5                             1.82

  Big 6 and Big 8                  1:1                             9.09%

  Field
     With 2 and 12 paying 2:1      1:1 except 2 & 12               5.55%
     With 2 pay 3:1, 12 pay 2:1    1:1 except 2 & 12               2.77%
     With 2 pay 2:1, 12 pay 3:1    1:1 except 2 & 12               2.77%

In practically all casinos, odds on proposition bets are quoted as "x for y",
which means that the casino takes your winning "x" bet and pays you "y", in
contrast to what is done for other winning bets (e.g., if the "Any 7" bet is "5
for 1", when making a $1 bet and winning the casino will take your $1 and give
you $5, for a "real" payoff of "4 *to* 1"). The numbers below are quoted as
"x:y", not "x for y".

                              Proposition Bets
  Bet             True Odds            Casino Payoff         Casino Advantage

  Any 7              5:1                   4:1                      16.67%
  Any Craps          8:1                   7:1                      11.1
  2 or 12           35:1                  30:1                      13.89
                                          29:1                      16.67
  3 or 11           17:1                  15:1                      11.1
                                          14:1                      16.67

  Hardways
     4 or 10         8:1                   7:1                      11.1%
     6 or 8         10:1                   9:1                       9.09

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