Tag Archives: edge
Free Roulette Game Types: Rules, Layouts and Two Zeroes
No matter how unsophisticated roulette may appear to you, you can rest assured that it has much more nuances than the shell game. To better understand those, most first-time or inexperienced players start with playing free roulette game. It turns out not all roulettes are quite the same and you should know what to look out for and what to take advantage of when playing each of them.
You have probably heard about how European and American Roulettes are different. There’s also a French roulette, a version which is most close to the original roulette game invented by Pascal. American roulette wheel has 2 pockets with zeros 0 and 00. If you think that it’s just another number to place your bet on and it might as well be a picture of an apple, you are very naïve. The house edge on a single number bet on the American wheel with 38 different numbers is 2/38 – or 5.26%. Compare this to the house edge on the European wheel with only a single zero: 1/37 – or 2.70%. As the house advantage is literally cut in half, the odds are more in your favor with the European Wheel. It turns out adding another pocket to the wheel makes huge difference.
You may also find it amusing to learn that the numbers on the European wheel are placed randomly, while on the American roulette wheel they are placed in pairs opposite each other. Not sure what it changes, but probably some strategy adherents rely on the sequence of numbers.
If you go online to play free roulette game and come across the French roulette, don’t be put off by the fact that this roulette seems to be less widespread. Everything is pretty much the same as in the European one. The main difference is the layout of the table. Normally, odd/even and red/black bets are placed close to each other. The French layout will appeal to those who favour symmetry these pairs are located on either sides of the field with numbers. You will also see the additional ring of numbers placed in the same sequence as numbers on the wheel. Here you can bet on the different combinations of numbers (so-called “Announce Bets”).
The French roulette has 2 nice rules called La Partage and En Prison. They lower the house edge to 1.35 per cent and allow punters to get half of their original stake and to place their bet again (accordingly) when zero is spun.
What is Card Counting? (Page 1 of 2)
Blackjack is based decks of 52 playing cards. If you have ever had a statistics and probability course in school, you’ve probably dealt with the probability of drawing one particular card from the deck. Using the same principles it’s possible to determine the odds of winning or losing any particular blackjack hand.
In any casino blackjack, the house has the edge. That means over time, the casino is going to win more hands than the player. Eventually the casino will win. The casino gets this edge primarily because the player goes first. The player has a chance to bust before the dealer.
Basic blackjack multi-deck strategy is designed to minimize the house edge. If you adhere to strict rules regarding what action to take based on the dealers up card and your hand total, you can reduce the house edge to it’s bare minimum. Basic strategy has already worked out which action will statistically be the best action for the player. Basic strategy does not guarantee you will win every hand. But over a long enough period of time you will perform better if you adhere to the basic strategy. Keep in mind that no matter how well you play the basic strategy, the house still has the statistical edge.
Card counting is the next step beyond basic strategy. The dealer must hit below 17. This means that having low value cards in the shoe is statistically beneficial to the dealer. The dealer has an advantage when it is likely that he will draw a low value card. Conversely, the dealer is at a disadvantage when there are more ten value cards in the shoe. The dealer is more likely to bust when hitting below 17. Statistically the player has an edge of the house when there are more 10 value cards in the shoe.
Card counting seeks to take advantage of knowing when there are more ten value cards in the shoe. Blackjack has a “history” in that as cards are played from the shoe they move to the discard pile. So, if you know that more low value cards have already been played, then you know that there must be equally many ten value cards remaining in the shoe. Therefore you know that you have an advantage over the casino. When you realize you have the statistical edge, you raise your bet accordingly. You wager more when the cards are in your favor.
All card counting systems rely on keeping a “running count”. The running count represents the history of the game. Basically, every time you see a low value card played, you add one or more points from the running count. Every time you see a ten value card (or an ace) you subtract a point. A positive running count is signals that more low value cards have been played, and that there are equally many ten value cards in the shoe. In the most basic systems, that’s all you need to do. You need to know when to add or subtract points, and you must keep an accurate running count in your head.
Please note that that “history” of the game is lost whenever the dealer shuffles. All cards are added back into the shoe, so the game starts over. At this point you must start your running count over at its initial value.