As a game that allows players to exercise their skill along with having a strong element of chance, blackjack has more subtleties than most casino games. It also leaves plenty of room for question and comment. Let’s try to answer a few questions and relay a few comments submitted by readers.
Q. In casino statistics online from various gambling states, I see casino hold percentages and win percentages in blackjack listed at 16, 17 and 18 percent. How can that be? I know there are some bad players, but no one should be giving the house 16 percent.
A. Those hold percentages are not the same thing as the house edge. When gaming board statistics list a hold percentage of 16 percent, it doesn’t mean blackjack players have lost 16 percent of wagers. It means they’ve lost 16 percent of buy-ins.
When it comes to gamblers, you will notice a lot of different eclectic personalities and behaviors. You will see everything from superstitious rituals to over zealous excitement with visions of guaranteed jackpots. Whatever category you find yourself in, or your favorite gambling buddies, we feel that most fall in to one of three categories. Check them out and see which you align with the most.
Known to many as either; bac-ca-rat or bah-ca-rah, the pronunciation has little effect on mastering this card game. Developed by French aristocrats in the 1500s, mastering baccarat is no easy feat. This no-strategy, luck-only game is most commonly housed in casino’s “high-limit” areas, due to its minimum betting of usually $20 a hand. To entice more modest wagering clientele, casinos down scaled the baccarat game and created the mini-baccarat. This altered game has a cheaper minimum betting ($5 per hand) and maintains the same game that everyone loves; only cheaper.
Casino games are full of judgment calls with what plays you should make sometimes.
Should a blackjack player hit hard 16? Yes, if the dealer’s face up card is 7 or higher, but not if it’s 6 or lower.
Should a Three Card Poker player match the ante with a play bet? Yes, if the hand is Queen-6-4 or better, but not with lesser cards.
But there are absolutes, too. And many of those absolutes are absolutely not’s.
Here are a few things you should NEVER do in a casino.
Interests of casinos and players donâ??t always precisely align when it comes to comps. Naturally enough, as players weâ??ll take whatever we can get. Cash back, free play, room and meal comps, shows, golf â?? bring it on!
Casinos want to make sure their money is being spent productively. The purpose of comps is to reinforce player loyalty and provide an incentive for players to return. Ideally, from a casino standpoint, the biggest comps will go to the players who add the most to the casinoâ??s bottom line. Determining who those players are has become more scientific over the years.
