At which casino games do you think it's possible to have a profit?
Over the past couple of years there has been a lot of discussion about "advantage play" at casino games. And by using "advantage play" techniques some believe that they can beat the casino and come out ahead even when the game has a house edge or the casino has a mathematical advantage on the bets.
What are some of the techniques of advantage play? Well, they include proper strategy as well as inside information or special plays that the general public isn't aware of. This inside information can include "the count" of the cards still available to be dealt in blackjack, or that a roulette wheel has a bias towards certain numbers, or that a dealer is unknowingly flashing certain cards before they are dealt.
Some "advantage players" claim they can have an edge over casinos because they have special information about how the games are run. Perhaps they can can sense how a dealer spins the big wheel or the roulette wheel and from that can predict and place a bet before the dealer stops the betting. Some advantage players believe they know where the best paying slot machines are located on a bank of machines.
Cheating is also a form of advantage play but we won't discuss that -- and instead just want to concentrate on legal play. Card counting at blackjack is legal even if the casinos will not let a card counter play. Dice setting and dice control are legal even if a casino does not allow a player to set the dice or use a controlled throw at craps.
The other element of advantage play is knowing how to get the most out of the system including how to maximize the offers you get from a casino for show tickets, sporting event tickets, free restaurant meals, free hotel stays, free play money, even rebates on losses. I was told the other day that Harrah's Rincon Casino in San Diego has a program where it will give a rebate to table game players who lose $25,000 or more in a given month -- and that could be viewed to help a player. Some players even figure that the soap and tissue boxes that take home from a hotel stay has some value and is part of an "advantage play." Others put a higher value on casino gifts and department store cards which are given out for certain promotions and will play during those "promotional days."
And some players will play during certain days because "play" can be figured into entries for contests. Here in Southern California Morongo and Pala -- two casinos -- are giving away cars every week to players and the more play the better your chances of being drawn as the winner.
In live poker, an "advantage play" might be playing where there are drawings, and cash back rebates, as well as big "bad beat jackpots" available.
So, at which casino games do you think it is possible to have a profit and how important is advantage play in making that profit?
