Category: English

Blackjack, the most popular casino game, offers the best chance at winning. Players with varying levels of expertise in card counting can gain an edge over the house, and even casual players can play close to even.

There was a time when craps was the most popular casino game in America. Two world wars and “police action” developed craps players who crowded the tables of Reno and Las Vegas, as well as the many illegal casinos across the country in the middle of the 20th century.

In the mid-Fifties, a group of mathematicians discovered that a basic strategy could be employed to reduce the house advantage at blackjack, or “21”, to virtually nothing. Casinos suddenly realized that the game could be beaten, and have predictably taken various precautions to protect it ever slllce.

The American publication of Beat the Dealer by Ed Thorp, in 1962, began a rush to discover systems and methods that would indeed beat the dealer. Card counting, the method first described by Thorp, has been refined over the years, and today casinos employ various methods from shuffling after every hand to actually barring players accused of card counting from playing in casinos.

The casinos like to call blackjack a game of chance, but it is as much a game of skill as anything. But you won’t hear the casinos denying very strongly that blackjack can be beaten. After all, casinos make most of the money they take at the table games via blackjack. It’s great advertising when someone reports a big win at the blackjack tables. Players have been encouraged for many years to believe that blackjack can be beaten, and the casinos don’t want to do anything to disrupt that message.

But becoming an effective card counter is difficult and time consuming. And unless you’re planning to make blackjack your occupation, it’s unnecessary.

Blackjack can be played successfully by using variations on the basic strategy developed by that group of mathematicians in the Fifties.

Most people carry cash to the casino. Since cash is the fuel of the gambling business, it is the essential tool of the games. But carrying cash can be dangerous, particularly when you’re on holiday.

There are other options to bringing a pocketful of cash with vou to the casino.

Travellers cheques are a good choice. As they are with any other business, travellers cheques are as good as cash in the casino. They offer security and peace of mind to the player, but sometimes are difficult to handle. Exchanging travellers cheques is easy enough. Simply take them to the casino cage and you will receive cash. Losing travellers cheques means you must track down a representative of the company that issued them, but that is generally not very hard in a casino where most companies maintain offices.
 
Another option is to bring your credit or debit card to the casino. You’ll usually be able to find a machine but, eventually, you will still have to walk around with cash, albeit not as much as you would normally bring at one time.

Cash advances from your credit card are very convenient, but not recommended. Most casinos have cash machines on their casino floor. These are very profitable for their owners as well as for the casinos where they are located.
Most serious gamblers and frequent casino guests have established credit with the casino. Casino credit enables them to travel with the minimum amount of cash, and to deal with a casino on the same level as a bank. You make withdrawals and deposits.

Yes, casino credit can be dangerous. Like everything involved with gambling, casino credit requires discipline. But if you plan to frequent a particular casino on a regular basis and want to travel without the fear of losing your cash, it makes the most sense of any of the “cashless” options. Think about it.

Establishing credit is easy. Simply head to the casino cashier and explain that you would like to get credit. They will send you to the appropriate person. You will be asked to complete a form very similar to one you’d use to apply for a credit card. You’ll be asked for bank account numbers, the status of your home ownership, and several credit references – credit cards and so on.

Most casinos use credit agencies. They will examine your finances and then recommend whether to accept or reject your application. If you’re accepted, you will be given a credit limit, similar to the limit issued for a traditional credit card. This is called your “line”.

Once you’re approved, you can draw on that line at any gambling table or slot machine. When you approach a gambling table you tell the dealer you’d like a “marker”. A marker is simply a cheque like you’d find in a bank. You then give the supervisor your name and the amount you’d like to withdraw. He will put it in the system, and within five minutes, the marker will be ready. You sign it, and the dealer counts out chips in the amount of your marker.
Besides not having to carry a large amount of cash, the advantage of using casino credit is that you have a clear record of your gambling funds. That doesn’t help much if you lose it all, but if you employ money management techniques, casino credit can be a valuable tool. You are also automatically rated when you take a marker, so you never have to Worry if a supervisor is watching your action.

The casino wants to encourage you to use casino credit so, in most cases, they don’t charge interest on the money they loan you for at least 30 days. If you are disciplined with the use of casino credit and you payoff the balance quickly upon returning home, casino credit can be a bonus for the knowledgeable player.

But remember, it pays to be sensible. Don’t panic and run up huge debts, always hoping you’ll get that lucky win which will suddenly alleviate all your problems. If you haven’t had any major wins before, why should one happen right now? Life isn’t like that.

And if you do run up massive debts, you’ll be a two-way loser. Not only will you be blackballed by the casino but also, eventually, you will be taken to court.

Gambling is exciting, but don’t let it go to your head.

In the past, casinos rated only those customers who played table games. The customers’ play was observed by casino floor supervisors who calculated the average amount the customer played per hour. Players who exclusively frequented slot machines could rarely attain the high player category and receive the same complimentaries and extra services given to those rated as high-action players.

In recent years, however, the rating of slot machine players has become common throughout the casino industry. This change was made necessary by the increase in the casinos’ machine revenues and made possible by modern technology.
With machine revenue accounting for the large majority of gross gaming revenues, it became important to find
a way to track these players in order to encourage them to return to play again and again.

The casinos’ ability to track the activity of slot-machine players was provided by electronic systems developed
by most of the major manufacturers. Under these systems, players who apply are issued cards similar to credit cards to be inserted into specially designed slot machines. Each slot machine and video poker machine is connected to a central computer which contains information on customers’ playing histories. When the system has identified the player by his card, it flashes him a greeting on an electronic display ("Hi Bob") and tells him how many bonus points he has accumulated so far and how many coins he must play to get another point. As he drops in coins, the display counts down the number of coins remaining to be played until he gets to his next point. At one Las Yegas casino, for example, a player must drop 20 $1 coins, 40 half-dollars or 80 quarters to earn a bonus point.

Slot-machine clubs serve a dual purpose for the casinos. They are designed to attract players by offering a bonus. Players can earn points toward comps, special merchandise or even "cashback", which is essentially a cash award for patronising a particular casino. But the systems function primarily as player-tracking devices. The data fed into the central computer from each card allows the casino to determine who the high roller players are, the amount and frequency of play, which machines are most popular, how often and for what reason machines malfunction, total revenue per machine, frequency of jackpots, percentage of profits for the casino, and other accounting data that is valuable to casinos.

It simply makes sense to sign up for the slot club in any casino where you might play the machines. While you may not play to the level that would qualify you for comps or cashback, you may be included in a valuable promotional campaign. Casinos are always looking to reward loyal customers, and often go through their databases by offering free tokens, meals, entertainment or hotel rooms. You want your name on the list when these goodies are passed out. Don’t be shy.

Casinos spend millions in promoting their games. Everyone knows about how casinos bring in high players, and treat them to a room, food, drinks and entertainment in exchange for a chance to take their money.

The casinos are betting that the money they advance to host the high roller player is an investment that will be returned when the player hits the tables, or today, even the slot machines. To qualify for such a "complimentary" (or comp), a player has to demonstrate that he is indeed a high roller by giving casino executives the action they expect.

The level of betting to qualify as a high roller player varies from casino to casino. At a small casino in the provinces, a high roller gambler might be someone who bets £15 a hand at blackjack. At one of the glamorous Las Vegas Strip casino resorts, it might take a £300 a hand average bet to even attract attention.

The point is that a casino is willing to return a certain percentage of your action in complimentaries, whether you are playing slots or table games. You don’t have to be a high roller player; you don’t even have to be a regular customer. Most important, you don’t even have to lose; all you have to do is satisfy their qualifications for time played and average bet.

Table Talk
The key to being recognized as a regular player, and to therefore receive the benefits that are distributed to regular players, is to get rated.

Getting rated is simple. In most casinos, you can use the same card issued by the slot machine clubs to be rated at either the machines or the table games. So before you begin to play, stop by the promotions booth and sign up. They will ask your name, address, telephone number, and most likely specialized information, such as your game preferences, birthday, anniversary and other information that will enable them to tailor special promotions to specific audiences.

To be rated at the tables means that the supervisors track your betting style, from the amount of money you use, and the time you spend playing, to your average bet. They even note how well you play the game, because that will be evaluated, as well, when they determine the comps for which you are eligible.

Getting rated at the tables also gives you the opportunity to speak with the casino personnel, from the dealers and the supervisors to the pit manager – who oversees the action in his "pit", or collection of tables. They will be most helpful in clearing up any questions about how to play the game, the pay-outs and the procedures for obtaining comps. If you aren’t satisfied with the answers or the attitudes of the personnel assigned to that table, move on. There will be plenty of options for you, particularly if you are playing in a big city.

Just like real life, money management has more to do with how you budget your money, rather than simply the size of your bets. Most gambling experts suggest that you determine how long you plan to play in the casino, and set win goals and loss limits. Write them down and keep to them. You should therefore divide your funds into separate sessions accordingly.

For instance, if you’re travelling to a casino destination for a two-day stay with £1,000 in funds, divide that stash into two £500 sessions. Then take each £500, and slice each into four £125 sessions that will be designated for two-hour periods. Find that lucky slot machine or table, and get yourself started.

Play with discipline and knowledge, and if you win 50 per cent of your session, about £60 in this case, quit playing. Never stop in the middle of a streak, but as soon as it’s obviously over, step away. Take that £185 and put it away. Some players actually bring envelopes with them. When they reach their win goal, they slide the cash in the envelope and mail it home.

If you can’t afford £1,000 in funds, use a similar formula for the money you can afford.

Remember, when you win, you are not playing with the "casino’s money". The only money the casino has is sitting in the dealer’s chip rack. When it arrives on your side of the table it’s your money, not the casino’s.lf you refer to it as the casino’s money, there’s a good chance it will be in a very Short time.

If you lose the £125, take a walk. There’s no point in setting loss limits unless you’re the discipline to stick to them. Sit in the lounge. Do a crossword. Or even go to your room and read a book. Whatever you do, it’s got to be better than losing. Resist the desire to grab the next session’s funds. You can wait for luck to find you. She’s never where you look, especially after she’s been so elusive.

Time is your enemy. Remember, the longer you gamble, the more exposure you give to the casino’s inescapable mathematical advantage.