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Quality Table Point:
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Top Recommend |
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Progressive Blackjack: Mikohn Gaming, which distributes Caribbean Stud, Caribbean Draw and other table games with progressive jackpots, developed this side bet that pays off according to the number of Aces in the player's hand. It involves a
£1 bet in addition to a regular blackjack wager. The player is paid
£3 if the hand
includes one Ace, £15 for two Aces of different suits, £50 for two suited Aces,
£200 for three unsuited Aces, £1,000 for three suited Aces, £2,000 for four unsuited Aces and the progressive jackpot, which starts at
£25,000 for four red or four black Aces. At the beginning jackpot of
£25,000, the house edge is a lofty 53 percent. Ouch.
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Royal Match: Here's one that has come and gone in the Chicago market. It still shows up in other jurisdictions. The side bet pays off if the player's first two cards are of the same suit, with a larger payoff for
King-Queen of the same suit--a "Royal Match." The most common version pays 2.5-1 on most matches, and 25-1 on a royal match. Suited hands are more common with more decks in play, so the house edge at Royal
Match actually decreases as the number of decks increase. The house edge in this version, when it was played with six Online Casinos decks at Harrah's Joliet, was 6.7 percent. In a single-deck game, the house edge would have been 10.9 percent.
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There's a higher-paying version of Royal Match, which cuts the return on suited King-Queen to 10-1, but raises other matches to 3-1. On that one, the house edge is 3.8 percent on a single-deck game,but the player
actually gets a 1.1 percent edge on a six-deck game. That doesn't accomplish the casino goal of padding the house edge, so that's one side bet you'll probably never see.
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DOUBLE EXPOSURE:
What could be better than having all dealer cards dealt face up? In Double Exposure, you know the dealer's total at all times. If you have 17 and the dealer has two 10s for 20, you know you wouldn't have to hit. On the same hand in regular blackjack, you'd know only that the dealer had a 10 up, and you'd stand on 17. Table conditions. It's one of the most popular topics when precision shooters get together and talk craps. To be successful, the precision shooter has to know whathe is up against,and one of the biggest variables is the table itself. What goes into the construction of a craps table and why? There are as
many answers as there are casinos. Let's look at a few.
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First of all let's talk about what the table is--a piece of furniture. Why did you choose the sofa you have in your living room? Perhaps you liked the style or color. Maybe you wanted a sofa that converted to a sleeper.
Or a full-sized sofa may have been too large for your living space, so you opted for a love seat instead.
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Just as your wants and needs affect the selection of furniture for your home, casinos have different wants and needs when it comes to choosing a craps table. And since most craps tables are built to order, the casino managers get pretty much what they want.
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As more and more casino floor space is given over to slot machines, the casino manager may opt for several smaller tables--or one or two very large ones. Likewise, as employee costs skyrocket,
hit counter for a
website labor-intensive games like craps suffer. The casino may trade its fourteen-foot table,which requires a four-man crew for an eight-foot tub table that can be staffed by one or two. Most of the tables you will encounter in the
casinos will be twelve or fourteen feet in length. Many casinos have a mixture of the two. Occasionally you will see a ten-foot table. Likewise, there are a few sixteen footers--commonly referred to as aircraft carriers--out there. Though some longer tables are said to exist, it is rare to encounter one longer than sixteen feet. The economics of building such a table when the standard length for most lumber is eight feet
simply makes it cost prohibitive.
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Table length and staffing aren't the only variables precision shooters have to deal with. Just as in ordering new furniture for your home, there is a long list of choices available to the casino manager when it comes to ordering a new craps table. How high should the deck be from the floor? What material should the deck be constructed of
adult? Do you want speed bumps installed on the deck? Do you want a foam underlay?
If yes, how thick? Which layout do you prefer? Will that be blue, purple or the traditional green? What material
do you want it made from? Do you want the traditional wool felt, the less expensive polyester wool blend, or
the more expensive Monte Carlo blend? What rail to deck height do you prefer? How many dividers do you want in the chip racks? What material would you like on the top rail pad?Do you want the nine-inch or the eleven-inch pyramid rubber? The options go on and on.
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Then there is the issue of the table's shape. The standard table has a curve at the corners based on a twelve-inch axis. Yet there are all manner of
custom-built tables that differ from this norm. There are semi-circular sit-down tables that are operated by a single dealer. These tables are
slightly larger than a blackjack table--and essentially the same shape. The entire player-side wall is curved, while the dealer's side is straight. This
results in a very sharp corner on each side of the dealer. Likewise, the larger two-man tub tables have a smaller axis in the curves, around eight
inches. Can these effect the shooter's toss? Absolutely. Sharper curves and tighter corners result in the tops of the rubber pyramids being
compressed into a tighter space, reducing their randomizing effect on the dice. That's why you see some precision shooters tossing into the
corners. In addition to the tub and straight tables, there are
online
gambling guides shaped tables that are wide at each end, while the center of the table where
the stick man and box man work is indented by eight to twelve inches. Due to more severe space restrictions, the table on your favorite cruise
ship is likely to be longer and narrower than those you'll encounter in a land-based casino. And often, when the seas are high, the precision
shooter is tossing at a moving target. One of the more common mistakes made when deciding which casino to play in is failing to know which
casino suits your personal needs. For example, if you ask a knowledgeable Las Vegas local where he plays, the answer might well be the Fiesta
or Orleans. And excellent choices they are for him. But if you're from out of town, you will find these two casinos to be among the most difficult for
room comps or room offers. That's why, when rating casinos, I tend to give them different ratings for different types of players. Here's how I define
the
different types of players:
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Low-rolling visitor
Plays nickels, and maybe a little quarters, resulting in less than
£3,000 play/day. Includes beginners, players with minimal bankrolls, players whoare more inclined to play "just for fun" and players who are at least as interested in seeing all the sights as they are in gambling.Goals: easy free or discounted room offers, a free buffet or two, comped or discounted rooms .Ideal plays: Nevada Landing/Gold Strike, Fitzgerald's, Westward Ho. When hitting a royal, says: "What's that noise?"
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Mid-rolling visitor
Plays quarters, multi-plays, and occasionally dollars. £3,000-£15,000 play/day. Largest group, by far. Typically, husband and wife teams playing
quarters four to eight hours per day.
Goals: free room offers at quality hotels and all meals (typically buffets and coffee shops) comped. Basically, a free vacation. Carries strategy
cards and generally sticks to full-pay video poker.
Ideal plays: Sam's Town, Main Street Station, NYNY.
When hitting a royal, says: "WOOHOO! Do we get a t-shirt, too?"
High-rolling visitor
(Note: Nobody ever admits to being a high roller. £25 machine players say: "Oh, not ME. Now those
£100 machine players..." But, I have to draw
the line somewhere!) Dollar players who play at least 6 hours a day, plus all
£5+ players. £15,000 play/day+. Comes in two distinct seafood
flavors, whales and sharks. |
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