Instead of playing with money, gamblers use coloured plastic or metal discs, called chips. This enables the games to run quickly and smoothly, as the chips can be piled up into stacks and easily counted. Players can purchase chips at the cash point (in any currency), or on the gaming tables (in the local currency). Read the rest of this entry »
All casino personnel wear uniforms, to easily identify their position. These are often a variation on evening wear, with the men wearing bow ties and waistcoats, and the women in long dresses. Inspectors, pit bosses and managers are traditionally dressed in formal suits or tuxedos. General managers usually wear business (dress) suits. In resort casinos, which often have a strong décor theme, uniforms tend to be less formal and frequently reflect the overall design concept. Read the rest of this entry »
Players are expected to abide by a number of conventions in order to facilitate the smooth running of the games. These can be summed up as follows:
Although all dealers are trained to be friendly and welcoming, they must also pay attention to the game and be alert for cheats. If you try to engage a dealer in casual conversation he or she may ignore you, as distracting dealers is a trick frequently used by cheats. If you need assistance, the best person to approach is one of the floor managers, as their duties include socializing with players. If you have a query about a game, ask the dealer to call an inspector. Read the rest of this entry »
American roulette, which is played with two zeros, is derived from the original French version, played with only one zero. Casinos particularly like the American version because it is cheaper to run than French roulette and only needs one dealer to operate the game. American roulette is also more profitable as the bets come flooding in at a faster rate. Read the rest of this entry »
Before starting to play roulette, players first need to buy table chips. These can be purchased with money, cash chips or, in some casinos, with a personal cheque (check). Although bets may be placed using cash chips or money, it is advisable to always take a colour so that your bets are not confused with another player’s bets.
The value of the colour chips will be marked on the table. The chips are stacked in piles of 20. Each set of colour comprises 200 chips. To prove that there are 20 chips in each stack, the dealer will cut the chips down into four piles of five chips and spread out one of the piles. The dealer will push the chips across the table and leave them in front of you. Read the rest of this entry »
French roulette, the predecessor of the American version, is mostly played in European casinos and is dealt in French. Although the equipment and language used differs, it is in principle the same game as American roulette, although it is played more slowly.
French roulette is played on a table roughly twice the size of that used for American roulette. The betting layout differs, the numbers are arranged in a random order and there is only one zero. Each table has two dealers and a chef de table (inspector) who are seated around the wheel. The dealers move the chips around using a long stick, called a rake. Players bet by throwing their chips to roughly the correct place and the dealers then line them up using the rake. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
The object of baccara is to use a minimum of two and a maximum of three cards to try to make a score as close as possible to nine. The highest score is nine and the lowest is zero. Players aim to win the money in the bank by beating the banker’s hand.
After the dealer has shuffled the cards, a player is invited to cut them by placing a blank card into the pack. A second blank card is inserted about 15 cards from the end before the cards are placed in the shoe (sabot) and passed to the player acting as the banker, who deals. When the blank card is reached the shoe is returned to the dealer for the cards to be reshuffled. Read the rest of this entry »
These are played on smaller tables and are dealt at a faster speed than baccara. Minimum stakes are around US$5, which is considerably less than the high stakes normally played for at traditional baccara tables.
Baccarat and punto banco differ from baccara in that the casino acts as the banker, paying out winnings and collecting losing bets. In American casinos, baccarat players take turns to act as the dealer, but in punto banco that role is fulfilled by the casino. Read the rest of this entry »
Baccara, the forerunner of baccarat and punto banco, is played mostly in European casinos. It is particularly popular in both France and Germany. High minimum stakes are the norm in baccara and it is not unusual to find games with a minimum stake of US$100. Some games even start as high as US$1000 minimum. Read the rest of this entry »
Poker conjures up images of saloons in the old West where hustlers and gun fighters did battle. It seems that no Hollywood Western is complete without a gunfight over a poker game, but this way of life was often the reality for professional gamblers in the Wild West. In 1876 one of the west’s most famous lawmen, James Butler ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok, lost his life in a poker game in Deadwood, South Dakota. To this day his last hand — a pair of aces over eights — is known as the ‘dead man’s hand‘. Read the rest of this entry »
Each player receives two cards face down. Five cards are placed face up in the centre of the table. These cards are called community cards and are used by all the players. Each player uses a combination of the two cards in his or her hand and the five community cards to make the best possible five-card hand. Read the rest of this entry »
These are played on smaller tables and are dealt at a faster speed than baccara. Minimum stakes are around US$5, which is considerably less than the high stakes normally played for at traditional baccara tables.
Baccarat and punto banco differ from baccara in that the casino acts as the banker, paying out winnings and collecting losing bets. In American casinos, baccarat players take turns to act as the dealer, but in punto banco that role is fulfilled by the casino. Read the rest of this entry »
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