O T H E R G A M E S BACCARAT Baccarat is played with usually eight decks of cards dealt from a dealing "shoe." The dealer deals an initial two cards for the player and banker hands. The Baccarat gambler may bet on the "Player" or the "Banker" to win. The hand totaling nine or closest to nine wins in Baccarat. Face cards and 10s count as zero, Aces count as one. A Jack-Five card combination counts as 5. An Ace-Five combination counts as 6. If the cards total value is more than 10, the tens digit gets ignored. A Six-Five counts as 1. A third card may be drawn depending on the initial two cards. Rigid rules control the drawing of third cards. Players also may bet that the two hands will end in equal totals or be a tie. There are two distinctly different casino Baccarat tables and environments. One uses a large table and usually has formally attired dealers. It may be located in a separate area of the casino with betting minimums that usually will be relatively high compared to other games. The players participate on this table environment by taking turns at dealing cards from the shoe. They don't though have any decision over the drawing of a third card. The dealers will instruct the player when to draw if required. Mini-Baccarat is the other type of Baccarat table. It uses a table similar to a blackjack table and may be located among them. In Mini-Baccarat the dealer handles all cards. Bet minimums will likely be similar to blackjack minimums. +---------------------------+ | B | A | N | K | E | R | S | |---------------------------| | P | L | A | Y | E | R | S | |--- --- --- --- --- --- ---| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | +---------------------------+ In either variation the game, four cards are dealt alternately from the shoe. If the point count of either hand is 8 or 9, it called a "natural" and there is no drawing of additional cards. Rigid rules dictate the drawing of a third card if required, as shown in the table below. If the Banker does not have a natural, the Player's hand draws the third card first. The Banker's hand is regulated by the third card drawn by the player according to the table. If both hands end up with equal totals, it is a tie and neither hand wins or loses. Player Baccarat Rules: First two cards total Action ----------- ------ 0-1-2-3-4-5 Draws a card 6-7 Stands 8-9 Natural Stands (Banker doesn't draw) Banker Baccarat Rules: First two Draws when Does not draw when cards total player takes card player takes card ----------- ----------------- ------------------ 0-1-2 Draws unless player 8-9 3 0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 8 4 2-3-4-5-6-7 0-1-8-9 5 4-5-6-7 0-1-2-3-8-9 6 6-7 0-1-2-3-4-5-8-9 7 Stands 8-9 Banker natural If Player doesn't draw a third card, Banker draws on 0-1-2-3-4-5 and stands on 6-7-8-9. Winning bets on the Banker or Player pay 1 to 1 or even money. The Tie bet pays 8 to 1. In the long run, the rigid rules results in the Banker winning 50.68% of the time and the Player 49.32% of the time. The casino's percent advantage or "PC" on the Banker bet is -1.06% and -1.23% on the Player bet. The casino collects a 5.0 percent commission or "vigorish" on all winning Banker hands. $mart Gambler Strategy: Baccarat is an easy game to play and doesn't require the effort to learn the correct decision making in blackjack. If the $mart Gambler wants that level of evolvement for their gambling entertainment, Baccarat is a good choice because of its low casino percent advantage. When they play Baccarat, the $mart Gambler places bets on the Banker hand because of its slight but significant advantage in the long run. If the player bets relatively larger amounts and likes gambling in an elegant environment, they may prefer the more formal version of Baccarat. The casino personnel will cater to them and they will not be giving up a sizeable percentage for their entertainment. Part of the PC can be recovered through casino complimentary benefits or "comps." If the player bets lesser amounts, the Mini-Baccarat version may interest them. The important thing to remember when playing Mini-Baccarat and betting on the Banker, is to bet a minimum of $5.00. This is because the casino will usually charge a minimum $0.25 commission. If the table minimum is less than $5.00 and the player bets $3.00, the commission will still be $0.25, which will be larger than 5.0%. PAI GOW POKER Pai Gow Poker is a combination of the ancient Chinese game Pai Gow played with dominos and American Poker played with cards. It uses a deck of 52 cards plus one joker. The joker may be used as an ace or to complete a straight, flush or straight flush. The dealer deals each player seven cards face down. The player then makes up a two-card low hand and a five-card high hand, placing them face down in the applicable spots. The five-card hand must be ranked higher than the two-card hand. If for example, the two-card low hand is a pair of sixes, the five-card high hand must contain at least a pair of sevens or better. Players with incorrectly set hands lose. +---------------------------+ | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |---------------------------| | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | |--- --- --- --- --- --- ---| | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | +---------------------------+ Rankings are based on standard poker rankings. The $mart Gambler tutorial on Video Poker lists them. The highest two-card hand would be two aces and the highest five-card hand a royal flush. All player hands compete against the Banker's hand. The possible outcomes and results are: Players winning both low and high hands win. Players winning either low or high hands push. Players losing both low and high hands lose. If one hand ranks exactly the same as the Banker's hand, it will be a tie with the Banker winning. The house dealer or any player may be the Banker. The dealer will offer the Bank hand to players and they may accept or pass. Most players pass. The Banker will be identified and three dice will be shaken by the Banker to decide who receives the first hand of cards. Players set their hands first and then the banker sets their hand after all player hands are face down. The players are not allowed to touch their cards after the Banker shows their hands. Players are responsible for arranging their own hands. Until the exposing of all cards, players are not to show their hands or talk to other players about their hands. In actual practice, this appears to be widely disregarded in most casinos. Winning hands get paid 1 to 1 or even money minus a commission of 5.0%. $mart Gambler Strategy: Pai Gow Poker is a relatively slow casino game. Most average 15 to 25 hands per hour. Additionally there are usually many tie hands or pushes, between 35 and 50 percent. The $mart Gambler who plays Pai Gow Poker usually likes it because they can stay in action and enjoy casino gambling for a long period on a limited bankroll. One important item to remember when playing Pai Gow Poker is the same as in Mini-Baccarat. That is always bet a minimum of $5.00. This is because the casino will usually charge a minimum $0.25 commission. If the table minimum is less than $5.00 and the player bets $3.00, the commission will still be $0.25, which will be larger than 5.0%. RED DOG Red Dog is a game that is showing up in limited quantity at some casinos. It is also known as Acey-Deucey. After players place their bets, the dealer deals two cards face up in the outermost two spaces out of three on the table. DEALER +---+ +---+ +---+ |A | |? | |2 | | A| | ?| | 2| +---+ +---+ +---+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ | BET | | BET | | BET | | BET | | BET | |-----| |-----| |-----| |-----| |-----| |RAISE| |RAISE| |RAISE| |RAISE| |RAISE| +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ The dealer will then indicate the spread or the number of card values between the two cards. An Ace is valued as eleven and is the highest card value. The best hand is an Ace and Deuce or two because all the other cards fall between them. The player may at this point elect to raise their bet up to the amount equal of your original bet. The dealer then draws a third card placing it in the middle space. The player wins if the value of the third card is between the values of the first two cards. The player loses if it is not between the values of the first two cards. If it is the same as one of the two cards, the player loses as it is not between the values. The amount of spread between the first two cards establishes the winning payoff. Usually the payoff ranges from 1 to 1 upwards to 5 to 1. The lower the spread, the higher the payoff. The table layout should show the payoff schedule. If there is no spread between the first two cards, it is a tie and the dealer doesn't draw a third card. If the dealer draws a pair, the player may not raise their bet. If the third card drawn makes it a three-of-a-kind, the player typically wins 11 times their original bet. If the third card does not make a three-of-a-kind, the hand is a tie. $mart Gambler Strategy: The casino percent advantage on Red Dog varies with the payoff schedule and other factors such as the number of decks used. The minimum is a substantial -6.00%. Casino managers often place Red Dog games at the fringe of the casino floor space with low minimums to entice players into the main casino area. The $mart Gambler avoids playing Red Dog as there are more lucrative casino gambling opportunities. KENO Keno is a fairly simple game of number guessing, conducted at a leisurely pace. Twenty ping-pong sized balls representing different numbers get randomly selected from a total of eighty at the Keno counter. In front of the Keno counter there will usually be seating for players. The 20 selected numbers are displayed on Keno boards through out the casino facility. There is typically 5 to 8 minutes between games to allow for betting. To play the game, simply mark the spots or numbers wanted to play with a "X." Then record the bet amount on the top right corner of the ticket. Below the bet amount, write the number of spots that have been selected. Review the Keno payoff pamphlet for allowable bet amounts and number of spots. +-----------------------------+ Price | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9|10| Per Game |--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--| +------+ |11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18|19|20| | | |--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--| +------+ |21|22|23|24|25|26|27|28|29|30| |--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--| |31|32|33|34|35|36|37|38|39|40| Playing |-----------------------------| +------+ |41|42|43|44|45|46|47|48|49|50| | | |--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--| +------+ |51|52|53|54|55|56|57|58|59|60| |--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--| |61|62|63|64|65|66|67|68|69|70| |--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--| |71|72|73|74|75|76|77|78|79|80| +-----------------------------+ Next present the ticket and bet to the Writer at the Keno counter. They will register the ticket and return an authorized game ticket. The authorized game ticket will have the number of the game playing at the top right hand corner and is good for that game only. After the twenty balls for this game have been selected and displayed, the player must review whether they "hit" a sufficient number of spots to qualify for a payoff. If they did, they must return to the Keno counter for their winnings. The amount won is dependent on the size of the bet, the number of spots picked and the number of spots selected. $mart Gambler Strategy: Keno offers the lure of very high payoffs however the odds of winning one and the cost of playing are extreme. The casino percent advantage or "PC" in Keno is calculated from the odds of hitting the spot or spots selected versus the payoffs. For example if a player bets $1 selecting 1 spot, the odds of winning are 20 out of 80 or 1:4. The true or fair payoff should then be 4 for 1 or $4. Casinos show Keno payoffs as "for" versus "to" as in other games. A payoff of 4 for 1 is the same as 3 to 1. A quick look at a casino's Keno payoff schedule will show the payoff for hitting "one number bet/one number hit" is typically 3 for 1. That is a -1/4 or -25.0% casino PC. A few Keno bets may pay slightly better but most all have a -18.0 to -25.0% PC. Keno is not for $mart Gamblers. Most all other casino gambling opportunities have a lower cost of entertainment and a greater chance of winning in the long run. Throughout the casino and particularly in restaurants, Keno Runners are available to take bets and tickets. $mart Gamblers resist the temptation to pass the time away playing Keno in these situations. Use the time to learn other games and the money to bankroll play in them. WHEEL OF FORTUNE The Wheel of Fortune or "Big Six" is reminiscent of a carnival game. It uses a large upright wheel with a small table in front of it. The game involves betting on one or more numbers or symbols with casino chips or cash. The Dealer spins the wheel and after it stops, pays those players who bet on the winning number or symbol. 1 2 1 5 2 1 10 1 5 1 2 1 20 1 +----------+ 40 2 |JOKER 40:1| 1 1 +----------+ 2 5 | 40:1 | 1 2 +----------+ 5 1 | 20:1 | 2 W H E E L 10 +----------+ 1 1 | 10:1 | 10 2 +----------+ 1 5 | 5:1 | 2 1 +----------+ 5 2 | 2:1 | 1 1 +----------+ 2 1 20 1 2 1 5 1 10 1 2 5 2 JK | 1:1 | +----------+ Typical payoffs are 1:1, 2:1, 5:1, 10:1, 20:1 and 40:1. Casino managers often place Wheel of Fortune games at the fringe of the casino floor space. They do this, along with setting a low minimum bet level on the game, to entice players into the main casino area. $mart Gambler Strategy: The casino percent advantage or "PC" is easy to calculate on the Wheel of Fortune. A typical wheel may have 54 stopping places. A specific 40:1 bet symbol will only be on one of them. Therefore the player has 1 chance in 54 of winning a bet that only pays 40 to 1. For ever $54 bet, they will only average $41 returned and the casino will keep $13. The casino advantage is -13/54ths or -24.1%. Bets on the other numbers may not be quite as bad but the casino PC typically runs between -15.0 to -25.0%. The Wheel of Fortune is not for $mart Gamblers. Most all other casino gambling opportunities have a lower cost of entertainment and a greater chance of winning. Copyright 1992 PC Information Systems All Rights Reserved