TRAVEL
Best (and Worst) Bets in the Casino
If you think the house always wins, you’re in for a big surprise. Here’s how you can boost your odds for walking out with a heavier wallet. ::
BY DAVID WRIGHT Y
ou’ve probably heard that when it comes to casinos, the odds always favor the house. Wanna bet? You can walk out of the casino a winner if you stick to a few simple bets, don’t be
embarrassed to come armed with a cheat sheet, and don’t let yourself be intimidated by a game that looks like it should have a sign warning, “millionaires only.” That’s the advice of professional gambler Greg Elder,
author of the new book Gamblers Fight Back, which provides an insider’s knowledge of casino gaming strategy. Who knew that the odds of winning are better if you
play baccarat instead of the slots? Or that there’s one video poker game that gives you the best shot at beating the house’s built-in advantage? “You don’t have to study for hours or be a genius to lower the casino’s edge,” Elder tells Newsmax. “If you understand some simple basics you have a much better chance to win.” We asked Elder, who quit a teaching job to become a successful pro gambler, to pinpoint the games that give the best and worst chances of making money.
BLACKJACK Blackjack can be the most lucrative game in the casino,
but only if you play it right, which is easy to do. “For every card you’re dealt in blackjack there’s a mathematically
correct decision you should make,” says Elder. “Too many times I see people making a move because they ‘have a feeling.’ That’s how you lose money.” Elder says there’s a better way: “A ‘Blackjack Basic
Strategy Card,’ available in most casino hotel gift shops or on the Internet, takes unreliable intuition out of the equation. You simply consult a chart on the card and it will tell you what to do. “The casino isn’t going to get mad or throw you out,
and you shouldn’t feel foolish. You won’t win every hand, but by using the card you can lower the casino’s advantage to as low as 0.5 percent.” Elder says that makes the odds much better: “That
means that over the long run, the casino only receives about half a cent for every dollar wagered, and you can’t ask for a much better chance than that to win.”
BLACKJACK
VIDEO POKER 78 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | MAY 2013
CRAPS
BACCARAT
GAMBLERS/FUSE/GETTY IMAGES / CARDS/SHUTTERSTOCK / VIDEO POKER/ JUPITERIMAGES/COMSTOCK IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES / DICE/SHUTTERSTOCK BACCARAT/DREAMSTIME
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