A simple question I realize, but, exactly what is the difference between a right and wrong bettor in craps? Gina M.
No question for this column is too doltish, Gina, especially when your hard-earned money is in play. The players who do not ask questions are the ones that bewilder me. You folks know who you are. You will anatomize Consumer’s Report looking for the best value in paint, but in gambling, Blithe Spirit takes over and leads you into bets that … Holy Cow! If you had doped out the true odds ahead of time, you would probably have booked a vacation to Disneyland instead.
Gamblers are of two breeds. They either a) know the game intimately, or b) they haven’t got a clue. Asking questions puts you on the A list. Anyhow, enough venting.
A right bettor is a player in craps who makes pass line and come bets. A wrong bettor is a player who bets against the shooter and with the seven. Her bets are on the don’t pass and donšt come wagers. By the way, Gina, right or wrong, both right and wrong bettors are making some of the best wagers in the casino.
Dear Mark,
My friend wants me to invest $1,000 in a blackjack system that he claims will absolutely show a profit every time you play. Is there any surefire way of showing a profit every time in blackjack? Dale G.
Hmmm, I think we all know your friend, the guy who was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple. Be wary of too-good-to-be-true systems. They ARE too good to be true. The only surefire way I know of for showing a profit in blackjack is getting your hind quarters off the stool as soon as you’re ahead and leaving the building.
Dear Mark,
If I were ever so lucky to hit the lottery, what would you recommend money up front, or payments? Stella D.
Most lotteries today offer the option of being paid either up front or over time with an annuity. So the million-dollar question is: Should a million dollar winner get $50,000 a year for 20 years or take the dough up front? Almost all the financial advisers that I have read recommend that you scarf it all at the outset, b-e-e-e-e-e-CAUSE smart investing will far outstrip any of the tax consequences, or the reduced Sbobet jackpot that you receive initially ($500,000 of the $1,000,000). They also all conclude by stating tomorrow’s dollar cannot be invested (blown) today.
Added celebrity advantage: Grabbing it all right off the bat and then blowing it in the first year would definitely get you on the Oprah show, giving you another 15 minutes of fame. (For the Guinness book, though, you’d have to lose it much faster.)
Dear Mark,
In baccarat, if the bank hand wins more often, how can the house edge be just 1.36% for the player hand? Don L.
Correct you are, Don, the bank hand does win more often (50.68% of all wagers), but that modest advantage is trumped by the casino’s charge of five percent commission on the bank hand.
Here’s the arithmetic. The player wins 49.32 percent of all bets and loses 50.68 percent. Therefore, for every $100 bet on the player hand, you will win $49.32 and lose $50.68. Thus, you have a net loss of $1.36. This translates into a 1.36 % edge for the casino.
Gambling thought of the week: “He once had a horse who finished ahead of the winner of the 1942 Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately, the horse started running in the 1941 Kentucky Derby.” – Groucho Marx
