Oct 12
Paper was invented in China and it is likely that playing cards also originate from that ancient empire. Domino cards, which are the earliest recorded type of playing cards, represented the scores thrown by a pair of dice, much like today’s domino tiles.
Modern playing cards have evolved from ancient Chinese money cards, which comprised four suits (coins, strings of coins, myriads of strings, and tens of myriads of strings), each of which depicted various quantities of money. Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 01
Odds Paid
Payouts are calculated according to the value of the player’s hand when compared with the dealer’s hand. If a player has blackjack and beats the dealer, the odds paid are 3 to 2. A win pays even money. A stand off results in the original stake being returned.
If a player has taken insurance (see next) against the dealer making blackjack, the insurance bet will be paid out at 2 to 1 if this occurs. Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 01
Begging the Game
After making their initial bets by placing chips in the boxes marked on the table, the players are dealt two cards face up. The dealer also receives two cards, only one of which is revealed (the up card). The dealer’s other card (the hole card) remains face down.
After assessing the value of their hand, players can choose from several options — depending on the value of their own hand and the dealer’s up card — to enable them to beat the dealer without going over 21.
Options for play: Some of the actions a player can take are shown in the illustration above. Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 01
Where it pays to count your cards
Blackjack, which is based on the card game 21 or pontoon, is one of the most popular table games due to the fact that players do not have to rely on luck alone. Instead, it is the way they play that determines whether they win or lose. Computer simulations that have calculated the best strategies for winning demonstrate that it is possible to overcome the casino’s advantage. To achieve this means memorizing the best action to take, depending on the cards that are dealt, but players who master the skill have a realistic chance of winning. Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 01
Another technique for reducing the house advantage is card counting, which gives players a chance of beating the casino. The house advantage on blackjack is given as an average (normally 5.6 per cent) because frequent random card shuffling means that the house advantage constantly changes throughout a game.
There are times in a game when the player has an advantage. This arises if more high cards (those with a face value of ten) remain in the shoe than low value cards. When this occurs the dealer is at a disadvantage, due to the rules that determine when he or she must take further cards. Players can stand on any score but the dealer must hit (take another card) on 16 or lower. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug 09
Hollywood movie stars Cary Grant and Raquel Welch performed the opening ceremony when Ballys was built in 1973, at a cost of $100 million.
In 1981 a second tower was added and the hotel was expanded to over 2800 rooms. Now owned and operated by Park Place Entertainment, the Art Deco interior recently had a $72 million restoration. The complex includes restaurants and a shopping arcade. Read the rest of this entry »
Jul 24
Casinos offer a choice between games of skill, where the player can affect the outcome; and chance, where players have no input and rely on luck.
Games of chance include roulette, slots and punto banco. Once players have decided what numbers to play there is no further action to take.
Poker and blackjack are games of skill. As players make all the decisions about taking cards, they are able to use their intelligence to win. With games of skill, a combination of knowledge and experience can make the difference between winning and losing. Read the rest of this entry »
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