HOUSE EDGE AND BETTING STRATEGIES
In this series of articles, called “Livin’ On the Edge”, we will turn every stone in order to find the Reversed House Edge in five of the most popular online casino games: Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, Caribbean Stud and Casino Hold’em. Key aspects include finding casino bonuses, locating the tables with the right odds and applying the game strategies that actually work!
Online Gambling: Livin’ On The Edge
I don’t know what kind of twisted edge Aerosmith sings about living on in their hit song from 1993. It’s something about God, Chicken Little and again and again and again. But I know what kind of edge I’m living on, or living off you could say. I call it the “Reversed House Edge” as in finding the edge that will allow me to win against the house also known as the casino.
Living on the edge is also about answering “Yes!” whenever the question says “Should I stay or should I go?” Like any gambling man, I like to think that I do exactly that. And when living on the edge, it’s important to find the right balance. If you lose your balance, you end up face down at the bottom of the canyon. That’s why responsible gambling and table game strategy are so important.
But despite our philosophy of always saying “Yes!” you should say “No” and look for the exit if Jiggaboo Jones asks you to play a game of dice with him. You should also go diving in your vocabulary looking for “No” when the Blackjack dealer asks if you want to buy insurance. And make no mistake; you cannot afford many blunders before the odds are against you in games like Roulette, Caribbean Stud and Casino Hold’em either.
The odds are against me? In the casino I thought they already were, you may say. And you are right. But the house edge for these casino games is very slim if you play optimal strategy. Add generous online casino bonuses to the equation and you might very well find odds that are more than playable. This is what I call the Reversed House Edge.
In “Livin’ On the Edge”, which is the name of this series of articles, we will turn every stone in order to find the Reversed House Edge in five of the most popular online casino games: Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, Caribbean Stud and Casino Hold’em. Key aspects include finding online casino bonuses, locating the tables with the right odds and applying those game strategies that actually work instead of the ones that are bullshit.
Do not underestimate the predictability of stupidity
Last weekend my friend locked my cat into the fridge for a (short) while. Don’t ask me why. But do you know what the cat said when I finally opened the door to the fridge?
… no? really?
Cats do not speak. It meowed.
Try telling someone that they need to answer some questions quickly. Then point quickly to five clearly white objects, or at the same white object five times, each time asking “What color is this?” Then, after your chosen somebody has answered “White” five times, quickly ask: “What does the cow drink?” 9 out of 10 times the answer will be “Milk”.
The purpose of these tactless anecdotes is to show you should not underestimate the predictability of stupidity. I’m not saying 9 out of 10 people believe that cows drink milk (they drink water). My point is that people often act and/or speak before they think. This is a dangerous combination, especially when there is gambling involved.
A more relevant example:
You find a Blackjack table and start wagering your $100, $20 at a time. You win the two first times, giving you a total bankroll of $160 and decide to double the stakes. Then you lose $40, three times, leaving you with $40. You decide to let it all ride and the dealer gives you a five and six (11 total) and a six for herself. Your 11 against the dealer’s six is the best possible Blackjack scenario in which to double the stakes with, but you didn’t leave enough chips so you take another card without doubling, a six, giving you 17 whereas you stay. The dealer then reveals an ace to herself, giving her 17 also. She takes your money and starts dealing a new round.
WTF? You ask.
“Dealer wins if same hand as player” she says, handing you a leaflet that explains the house rules.
Conclusion: Read the rules first!
The proposed scenario describes only one of the seven deadly sins of Blackjack. You can read the rest of them here.
