How to play Blackjack How to play Roulette

Objective The Basics To beat the dealer by having a higher card total without going over 21 Roulette has offered glamour, mystery, and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. The game is Card Values popular in casinos worldwide in part because its rules 2 to 10 = Face Value are relatively simple and easy-to-understand. However, J, Q, K = 10 roulette offers a surprising level of depth for serious Ace = 1 or 11 betters. Before putting it all on black, learn the basics of **Note: The card suits are irrelevant in Blackjack.** this thrilling game by reading the detailed instructions in this article below the jump. Definitions Blackjack = an Ace and a card worth 10 points (21 total) 1. Know the equipment. Hole = the dealer’s card that is face down Roulette is French for “little wheel.” On this wheel are Hit = draw another card 36 numbers and a 0; on some American tables, there is Stand = take no more cards a “00.” A croupier sends a small white ball spinning that Bust = going over 21 will eventually land on one of the numbers. Bets are placed on the table, correlating with the slots the ball can possibly land in. How to Play - Players place bets by putting the desired number of chips in the circle in front of their seat. On the table are the numbers and a few other options: - The dealer deals two cards face up to each player. The dealer receives one card face up and one face down. 1st 12 2nd 12 3rd 12 - The dealer asks each player, in turn, whether they want to hit or stand. 3 x columns of 12 numbers - Base your decision on the assumption that the dealer has a card worth 10 points in the hole. 1-18 19-36 - Indicate that you want a hit by tapping the table or making a motion to beckon another card Even Odd Black Red (as if motioning someone to “come on back”). Continue until you desire no more cards. **Note: Most casinos do not allow you to touch the cards.** - If you don’t want a hit (or are finished hitting), indicate so by waving your hand back and forth face down 2. Know the different “inside” bets. over your cards. In roulette, you have to anticipate the number or type - Once all players have made their decisions, the dealer reveals his hole card and hits or stands as appropriate. of pocket on which the ivory ball is going to land. To do - Payouts are issued based on the outcome. this, there are a range of bets you can make. “Inside” bets, or bets placed on specific numbers, generally have higher paying odds. You can bet: Winning “Straight up” betting on one number pays 35 to 1 If your total is higher than the dealer’s (or if the dealer busts), you win. Split betting on two numbers pays 17 to 1 “Street” betting on three numbers pays 11 to 1, three Payouts numbers can be bet with just one chip. It can be placed - If you get Blackjack, the dealer pays you 3 to 2. on the end of any “street” (the row of 3 numbers) on the table map. - If you and the dealer both get Blackjack, it is a push and no chips are given or taken away. Corner betting on four numbers pays 8 to 1, The chip lies on the intersection of the four numbers. - If you have a higher total than the dealer (or the dealer busts), the dealer matches the amount of your chips. Six line betting on 6 numbers pays 5 to 1, the chip lies on the edge of two adjoining streets. - If you have a lower total than the dealer (or you bust), the dealer takes your chips. Additionally, for American roulette, there is the Five-number bet which covers “0,00,1,2,3” and pays 6 to 1, and the Row 00 bet which covers 0 and 00 and pays 17 to 1. Doubling Down You are allowed to double your bet after receiving your first two cards. You do this by placing the additional chips 3. “outside” bets. next to your original bet. If you decide to do this, you receive only one additional card. These bets do not involve specific numbers and are made on the outside of the number map, hence the name. Color betting (red or black) pays 1 to 1. Even or odd betting pays 1 to 1. Splitting Column or betting on 12 numbers pays 2 to 1 Dozen betting (1st 12, etc.) pays 2 to 1 If you receive two cards of the same number, you can split them into two separate hands. Do this by placing High or low bets pay 1 to 1. another equal bet alongside your first bet. The dealer will separate your cards and give you an additional card to make each one a complete hand by itself. You will then play each hand separately as you normally would. 4. Realize your odds. At every roulette table (and at every game in the casino itself), the house always has an edge. All bets at both Insurance wheels (French or American) are paid at odds that would be true if only the 36 numbers were on the wheel. Their If the dealer’s face up card is an ace, he will offer players the option of buying insurance. If you choose to do so advantage comes from to 0 -- and the 00 in America.[3]There are theories as to how you can improve your odds, you can then wager half your original bet (in addition to it) that the dealer does have Blackjack. If he does, your but they don’t work. However, there are some variants that change how the favor lies: insurance is paid 2 to 1 but your original bet is lost (meaning you break even for the hand). If he does not have At American tables, the “00” slot increases the casino’s advantage even more. On a roulette table with a single Blackjack, you lose your insurance. zero, the casino has an advantage of 2.7%. On a roulette table with a double zero, the casino has an advantage of 5.26%.[4] Even Money Some French tables will employ rules that generally help out the players. The “La Partage” and “En Prison” rules If you have Blackjack and the dealer has an ace showing, the dealer will offer you even money for your Blackjack apply to outside even money bets like odds or even, black or red and low or high; they also apply when the ball (instead of 3 to 2). If you do not take it and the dealer also has Blackjack, you will have a push just like normal. lands in the zero slot. They are similar in the sense that players only lose half of their bet, but players cannot leave their bet on the table for another spin with the La Partage rule. If a player loses, they can collect half their bet in the En Prison rule, or leave half their bet on the table for the next spin with the La Partage rule. Playing the Game How to Play Craps 1. Watch what’s happening. For all intents and purposes, there can be no strategy to roulette. It’s pure and simple luck. Each number has the Craps is easily the most intimidating game in the casino. The layout looks like some kind of crazy puzzle and there exact same shot of popping up every time...usually. are seemingly dozens of different bets, governed by complicated rules. So we’ll do our best in this lesson to make Sometimes, dealers have habits. They might release the ball at exactly the same angle and velocity nearly every this crash course as painless as possible. time during a specific session. As the dealer releases the ball, the same numbers pass every time, increasing the chances that the ball ends up resting on the same portion of the wheel repeatedly. The trick to making it easy A wheel can go off-kilter. However, casinos are pretty good at spotting this. There’s really no way to tell if a wheel is The trick to making craps easy is simple: Learn only what you need to know,and ignore everything else. You can off balance unless you monitor thousands and thousands of spins. play craps by knowing just one bet, the Pass Line bet, so that’s what we’ll teach you here. You can certainly learn all the other bets if you want (see our list of bets article), but for now the Pass Line is all you need to know. 2. Hand your chips to the dealer. In Europe or France, this person may be called a “croupier.” In roulette, you do not play with normal casino chips. If Buying Chips you did, how would you know whose was whose after all the bets are placed? Each person gets a specific color to The first thing you’ll need is chips. Just put your cash down on the table and the dealer will give you chips for it. be able to differentiate between bettors. Even husbands and wives are recommended to separate. They don’t make change, so any money you put down will be turned into chips. But you don’t have to bet all of it. When you’re done playing just take any chips you have left to the cashier booth to turn them back into cash. The 3. Know the procedure of a round. minimum bet for the table will be listed on a sign at the table,usually $5 or less. After the dealer clears the table and has paid the winners, play begins for the next round. He’ll pause for a bit, giving everyone time to decide on their bets. Then, he’ll throw the ball onto the wheel and spin it. The dealer will Shooting the Dice announce, “No more bets!” when the ball drops from the track onto the wheel. The players all take turns rolling the dice although everyone’s betting on the same roll. You’ll win or lose your bets Once the ball settles, the dealer placers a marker on the winning number (or winning chips, that is). Losing bets get whether you’re the one rolling or not. And you don’t have to roll the dice if you’d rather not; when it’s your turn you cleared off first and then winners get paid. The process then repeats.[2]. can just pass to someone else. Whoever’s rolling, they keep rolling until they roll a losing 7, known as “sevening- out”. We’ll go over that later. 4. Place your bets. The first six bets are placed on the pockets numbered 0 to 36 on the game table. If you want to bet on column, Only the Totals matter place your bets on the empty pocket under the three columns. For the dozen, choose the pocket P12 for the first 12 All numbers below refer to the total of both dice. When we talk about rolling a 3, we’re never talking about getting numbers, M 12 for the 12 middle numbers and D 12 for the last 12 numbers. Finally, when you want to bet on the a 3 on one of the dice, we’re always stalking about getting a total of three on both dice. Make sure you’re clear on outside bets, use the red, black, even, odd, high or low pockets. that or it will get confusing.... Some players like to watch the other players, either hoping the others know something they don’t or doing the opposite of their opponents’ actions. You can try this, but it won’t improve your odds more than coincidentally. The main bet: The Pass Line This is the main bet in craps, and most players make it. (They also make a lot of bad bets in addition to this one, but there’s no rule that says you have to bet on anything else.) The Pass Line bet has a house edge (casino profit) of only 1.41%, making it one of the better bets in the casino.

To make the Pass Line bet, first wait until the dealer turns the big hockey puck to “OFF”, which means that a new round is about to start. Once the puck goes to OFF, put your chip(s) on the area marked Pass Line. (See the “A” on the picture the next page)

The shooter then picks up the dice to roll them. The first roll of a round is called the Come Out roll, and here’s what happens depending on what (s)he rolls: 7 or 11 You win. The shooter then rolls another Come Out roll. 2, 3, or 12 You lose. The shooter then rolls another Come Out roll. 4,5,6,8,9,10 Enter the Point round. (more on this below) So you’re either going to win,lose, or go to the Point round. If you win the dealer will pay you the amount of your bet. (If you’d bet a $5 chip, they’ll give you another $5 chip.) If you lose then they’ll take your chip away.

If you didn’t win or lose right away then you go to the Point round, and the dealer turns the hockey puck to ON and places it on the number that was rolled (4,5,6,8,9,or 10). That number is called the Point. Now you’ll win if the shooter rolls the Point again, and you’ll lose if (s)he rolls a 7 first. Rolling a 7 before rolling the point again is called sevening out.

So to summarize: Win by rolling a 7 or 11 on the Come Out roll, or rolling the point twice. Lose by rolling a 2, 3, or 12 on the Come Out roll, or rolling a 7 before rolling the point twice. The Pass Line bet is the only bet you have to know for craps. You could go play craps now with what you’ve already learned. And in fact, by just making the Pass Line bet you’ll have a better chance of winning than most craps players, since most players make sucker bets which are just throwing money away. List of Craps Bets (E) Proposition Bets: These bets can be made on any roll of the dice. Any Craps - 2, 3, or 12 - Pays 8 to 1 D C Any Seven - Pays 5 to 1 Eleven - Pays 16 to 1 Ace-Deuce - Pays 16 to 1 I Aces - Pays 31 to 1 Twelve - Pays 31 to 1

(F) Free Odds on the Pass Line: C After a point has been established, the player can increase a pass line bet by “taking odds”. Free Odds bets are paid according to the TRUE ODDS of the dice, meaning that these bets carry NO HOUSE EDGE, which is why they’re called”Free” Odds. This is the only bet in the casino where the odds aren’t against you. For any given amount of money that you intend to bet on Craps, you want the highest percentage possible on the Free Odds. Herein lies the reason why you should shop for a casino that offers 5X, 10X, 20X or 100X table odds! G The Free Odds bet is placed behind the pass line or original “Flat” bet. Each point number pays different odds. The Point Payout Example 4 and 10 2 to 1 a $5 wager is paid $10 5 and 9 3 to 2 a $5 wager is paid $7 B 6 and 8 6 to 5 a $5 wager is paid $6 H (G) Free Odds on Come Bets: Odds on come bets can be made exactly the same way as odds on pass line bets, except that the player hands the Odds bet to the dealer who will place it on the number rolled and on TOP of the original Flat bet. Just like the A F E regular Odds bet, the Odds on the Come Bet also carries no house edge. (H) Don’t Pass Line: Here’s a rundown of all the various bets in craps... This bet is the same as a pass line bet only in reverse. If the first roll is 7 or 11, the player loses, 2 or 3 wins and 12 is a push or what is called a “Bar”(neither wins or loses). Most people bet the Pass instead of the Don’t Pass, so if (A) Pass Line you bet the Don’t you may be viewed as an enemy by the other players. The house edge is 1.36%. This is the basic bet that most players make, and it’s actually one of the best bets on the layout, with a house edge Don’t Come Bet: of only 1.41%. If you want an easy game then you can simply stick to this bet and ignore all the other bets. (Though to get the best chances of winning, you should really learn the Free Odds bet too.) Same as a Come bet only in reverse. Just as with the Don’t Pass Line, dealer will place bet behind the Don’t Come number as it is rolled. If a 7 is rolled before the number the player wins. This player is betting with that a point number will NOT roll before a 7 does. (B) Field Bet This wager good for ANY single roll of the dice at ANY time. The player wins even money if a 3, 4, 9, 10, or 11 is rolled. On most tables a 2 pays double and 12 pays triple. The player loses if a 5, 6, 7, or 8 is thrown. The house Hardways edge is a modest 2.77% -- there are better and worse bets. These bets win if 4, 6, 8, or 10 are thrown in pairs as pictured on the table layout. They lose when the number rolls “Easy” (not in pairs or as pictured on the table layout) OR if a 7 rolls first.

(C) Come Bet Number bet on Pays Example House Edge A “virtual” Pass Line bet. It’s just like the Pass Line but can be made at any time,almost ALWAYS in the middle of a 4 or 10 8 for 1 a $5 bet wins $40, and you don’t get your original bet back 11.1% round when a point has already been established. 6 or 8 10 for 1 a $5 bet pays $50, and you don’t get your original bet back 9.09%

(D) Place Bets: The Place Bet is basically an “on-demand Point”. The player is betting that the Placed number will roll before a 7 rolls. This bet can be made at any time, but is usually made after a point number is already established. It’s paid as follows:

Number bet on Pays Example House Edge 4 or 10 9 to 5 a $5 bet is paid $9 6.7% 5 or 9 7 to 5 a $5 bet is paid $7 4% 6 or 8 7 to 6 a $6 bet is paid $7 1.5%

A “Buy” bet is the same as the place bet, only with a different payoff. When you Buy a point you pay a 5% commission and are paid true odds if the bet wins (2:1 on the 4 and 10, 3:2 on the 5 and 9, and 6:5 on the 6 and 8). The house edge on Buy bets is 4.76%, making the Buy a better deal than the Place bet on the 4 or 10, and a worse deal on any other numbers. Some casinos take the 5% commission only on a win In such cases the house edge for Buying the 4 or 10 is only 1.67%. Imported by Oliphant Limited. London N1 7GU