There is a way to compute the Skalansky Malmuth table for those people who have trouble memorizing. The results are almost identical to those generated using the Chen Point Count.[1] To compute the point count the following formula should apply:
Take the high card and score it. A=10,K=8,Q=7,J=6,T-2 = 1/2 value shown.
If the 2nd card pairs the first the value is either twice the high card point or 5 which ever is greater.
If they are not paired then calculate the gap for the lower card and subtract off a gap penalty:.
For a 0 gapper subtract 0,
For a 1 gapper subtract 1
For a 2 gapper subtract 2
For a 3 gapper subtract 4
For a 4 gapper or more subtract 5 (includes A2,A3,A4).
If the cards are of the same suit apply a flush bonus of +2 pts.
If the cards are a 0 or 1 gap and the top card is a J or lower apply a +1 straight bonus
Round 1/2 point up
Then 12 – Chen Point Count in general is the SM hand grouping. Examples:
8♣ 8♠: 4 pts for the first 8, double for the pair is 8 Chen points. This puts it in S&M group 4.
9♣ 7♣: 4.5 points for the 9, -1 for the 1 gapper, +2 for the same suit and +1 for the straight bonus. Round up to 7 Chen points which is in S&M group 5.
The following hands are the exceptions (off by 1): 55, AQs, A9, AX, 96s, 32s, 98, 97, 76.
Notes
^ Lou Krieger, Hold’em Excellence, ch Power Rating ISBN 1886070148
Caribbean stud poker is a casino table game with rules similar to five card stud poker. However, unlike standard poker games, Caribbean stud is played against the house rather than against other players (and, like most such games, it cannot be beaten in the long run). There is no bluffing or other deception. For these reasons, most poker players do not consider it to be a form of poker. (They do not necessarily feel that it should not be called poker, but means merely that they will not refer to it as simply “poker”. For instance, a gambler might say “I played poker” if he played seven card stud, but probably would not if he played Caribbean stud.)
The following rules are typical of U.S. casinos, but some of the details (the payouts and limits) vary from casino to casino.
To play, every player places his ante on the layout where indicated; all ante wagers must be placed prior to the dealer announcing “No more bets“. Each player and the dealer will then receive 5 cards, face down. The dealer will turn over one of his cards, then push the cards toward the players, after which the players may look at their cards. They may only look at their own cards, and may not discuss what they have with any other player at the table.
Players have the option to play or fold; if they choose to play, they place their bets (twice the amount of their respective ante) in the bet box. If they choose to fold, they forfeit their ante. After all the players have made their decisions, the dealer reveals his hole cards. The dealer only plays with an ace/king or higher; he then compares his cards to the players’ cards (individually, right to left), and the best poker hand wins.
There are some major rules in Caribbean Stud Poker that must be observed at all times while playing:
Only one hand per player. Players cannot hold or wager on multiple hands at the table.
Players choosing to play the Progressive Payout feature are responsible for ensuring their $1 wager has been inserted into slot and the “Indicator Light” is ON.
Players may not exchange or communicate information regarding their hands to other players or the dealer. Player violation will result in a dead hand and forfeiture of all wagers.
Incorrect amount of cards to the player constitutes a dead hand (or push) for that player only.
The decision of the table/casino supervisor is final.
If the dealer is dealt four cards of the five-card hand, the dealer shall deal an additional card to complete the hand. Any other misdeal to the dealer shall result in all hands being void and the cards shall be reshuffled.
Each player shall be required to keep the five cards in full view of the dealer at all times. Once each player has examined his or her cards and placed them face down on the layout, they may not touch the cards again.
If a hole card is exposed prior to the dealer announcing No More Bets, all hands shall be void.
If a player’s cards beat the dealer’s cards, the player will receive even money (1-1) on the ante, and the following on his bet (with a maximum payout of $5,000 U.S. Dollars per hand on each bet wager):
Royal flush
100 to 1
Straight flush
50 to 1
Four of a kind
20 to 1
Full house
7 to 1
Flush
5 to 1
Straight
4 to 1
Three of a kind
3 to 1
Two pair
2 to 1
One pair or less
1 to 1
If the dealer does not have at least ace/king, all bet wagers will be void, and players will receive even money on their ante bet only. If the dealer’s cards beat a player’s cards, the dealer collects both the ante and bet.
In addition, in Caribbean stud poker, players can also bet on their poker hands and win the “progressive feature”; this is done by dropping a 1.00 dollar gaming chip into the chip acceptor on the table after placing the ante. Players with a flush or higher win, regardless of the outcome of their table bets:
Royal Flush
100% of Progressive Meter
Straight Flush
10% of Progressive Meter
Four-of-a-Kind
$500
Full House
$100
Flush
$50
Winning progressive payout hands are paid in accordance with the amount on the meter when it is the player’s turn to be paid. However, if more than one player at a table has a royal flush progressive payout hand, each player shares equally in the amount on the meter when the first player with a royal flush is to be paid.
Player Strategy
Using optimal strategy the house edge is 5.224% of the player’s ante bet. This strategy can be complicated and does not lend itself to practical use in a casino. Using a strategy of raising with Ace/King/Jack/8/3 or better the house edge is 5.316%, very close to the optimal strategy house edge.
Knowledge of what other players hold can decrease the house edge. It has been estimated with the knowledge of 6 other player’s hands (30 cards) and associated optimal strategy the player can gain an edge of 2.3%. Given that sharing information is against the rules and that a computer would be needed to calculate the appropriate strategy it is unlikely this could ever be achieved in a real life casino.
Not all Button Men are evenly matched against one another. Though designers attempt to balance a Button Man’s strengths and weaknesses, necessarily it happens that some arrangements of die sizes and skills are more likely to win games than others. Buttons that are exceptionally powerful (or that have problematic special abilities) may be declared not to be “tournament legal” by Cheapass Games, meaning that tournament organizers should consider disallowing those buttons. Most illegal buttons are rare or promotional ones with unusual die skills or special rules. All buttons that have not been licensed from Cheapass (including all of those that exist only on the Button Men Online web site) are illegal by default.
Button Men Online maintains statistics on the hundreds of thousands of games that have been played on the site. Among tournament legal Button Men, win percentages range from the mid-teens to the high sixties.
Therefore, part of the strategy of the game is to begin by selecting a relatively powerful button. However, buttons may be stronger or weaker when playing against other buttons with certain characteristics. For example, a button with small Poison dice might be powerful in general because it has fewer dice worth positive points for its opponent to capture. However, a button with large Shadow dice might be powerful against that button specifically because it can allow the round to end with the Poison and Shadow dice unable to capture each other, and therefore still counted towards their owners’ scores.
Swing and Option dice help to offset buttons’ natural strengths and weaknesses by ensuring that a button’s number of sides need not be exactly the same from one round to the next. Tournament organizers may also choose to minimize the importance of the “meta-game” of button selection (usually with the idea of shifting importance to the players’ skill) by somehow penalizing stronger buttons, or by enforcing random button selection.
However, chance plays a large role in Button Men; it is always possible for a 20-sided die to roll a 1 at an inopportune time. Among tournament legal buttons, at least, no match-up is impossible for either side to win. Inevitably it happens that a weaker Button Man or a less skilled player will claim some improbable victories due to lucky die rolls. This effect is offset somewhat, however, by the rule that a player must win three rounds to win a game.
Articles on Cheapass’ “official fan site” discuss questions of strategy such as choosing the optimal size for Swing or Option dice (including a mathematical formula for how many sides the “larger” Button Man must keep in order to win), and determining which capture to make to have the best chance of protecting one’s remaining dice.
Much complexity in bridge arises from the difficulty of successfully arriving at a good final contract in the auction. This is a fundamentally difficult problem: the two players in a partnership must try to communicate enough information about their hands to ultimately arrive at a makeable contract, but the information they can exchange is restricted in two ways:
Information may only be passed by the calls made and later by the cards played, and not by any other means.
The agreed-upon meaning of all information passed must be available to the opponents.
A bidding system is the typical solution to this problem: each player evaluates his or her own hand and makes bids to give or request information from their partner, with the goal of eventually arriving at an ideal contract. Bids, doubles, redoubles, and even passes can be either natural or conventional. A natural bid is a proposal to reach a contract in the named suit. A conventional bid is an attempt to communicate, offering and/or asking for information about the partnerships’ hands, that is not intended to be a proposal for the final contract. A wide variety of bidding systems have been developed over the course of the 20th century. However, most modern systems have well-established common ground.
First of all, a fairly universal system of high card points is used to give a basic evaluation of the strength of a hand. Aces are counted as 4 points, kings as 3, queens as 2, and jacks as 1 point; therefore, the deck contains 40 points. 26 points shared between partners is considered sufficient for a partnership to bid, and make, game in a major or in no trump. In addition, the distribution of the cards in a hand into suits may also contribute to the strength of a hand and be counted as distribution points. Because 26 points is usually considered sufficient to make game, 13 points in one hand is considered sufficient to open the bidding (that is, make the first bid in the auction), by bidding 1 of a suit.
A one no trump opening bid usually reflects a hand that has relatively balanced suits and high cards, and usually refers to a hand with 15-17 high card points. In some systems the number of points expected from a 1NT opening bid changes, but it almost always refers to a relatively narrow range of points.
Opening bids of 2 or higher are reserved for two types of bids: unusually strong bids and preemptive bids. Unusually strong bids communicate an especially high number of points; the availability of unusually strong bids allows a player with a weak hand to safely pass when their partner opens the bidding at one of a suit. Preemptive bids are often made with weak hands that especially favor a particular suit. For instance, with a hand of ♠ AK98742 ♥ 73 ♦ 42 ♣ 76, an opening bid of 3♠ is a very reasonable sacrificial bid, designed to make it difficult for the opposing team to determine a contract for themselves (which is good here, since they are likely to have the bulk of the points).
Most systems include the weak two bid convention, in which opening bids of 2♥, 2♦, or 2♠ are reserved for preemptive bids, while 2♣ is used for very strong hands. This is a first example of a conventional bid: an opening bid of 2♣ in no way suggests 2♣ as a final contract: indeed, in these systems 2♣ may be bid without any clubs.
Another common convention is the 5-card major convention, in which an opening bid of 1♥ or 1♠ promises at least 5 cards in that suit. This leads to some awkward bids, for instance, when a player has four cards in each major, and is forced to open the bidding with 1 of a 3-card minor suit.
Doubles are sometimes used in bidding conventions. A natural, or penalty double, is one used to try to gain extra points when the defenders are confident of setting (defeating) the contract. The most common example of a conventional double is the takeout double of a low-level bid, implying support for the unbid suits and asking partner to choose one of them.
There are many other conventions. Some of the most famous are Stayman, Jacoby transfers and Blackwood.
Bidding systems depart from these basic ideas in varying degrees. Standard American, for instance, is a collection of conventions designed to bolster the accuracy and power of these basic ideas, while Precision Club is a highly conventional system that uses the 1♣ opening bid for strong hands (but sets the threshold rather lower than most other systems) and requires many other changes in order to handle other situations. Many experts today use a system called 2/1 game forcing. In the UK, Acol is the standard system. There are even a variety of techniques used for hand evaluation. The most basic is the Milton Work point count, but this is sometimes augmented by other guidelines such as losing trick count, law of total tricks or Zar Points.
Players: 4
Age range: recommended for 12 and up
Setup time < 2 minutes
Playing time: WBF tournament games = 7.5 minutes per deal
Rules complexity; Medium
Strategy depth: High
Random chance: Low – high depending on variant played
Skills required: Memory, Tactics
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game of skill, and partly of chance, for four players, who form two partnerships (sides). The partners sit opposite each other. The game consists of two main parts – bidding (or auction) and play, after which the hand is scored.
The bidding ends with a contract, which is a declaration by one partnership that their side shall take a stated quantity (or more) of tricks, with specified suit as trump or without trumps. The rules of play are rather simple and similar to other trick-taking games.
Casino war is a casino card game based on the children’s game of War. The game is arguably one of the most easily understood casino card games, but it also has a relatively large house edge compared to other games.The game is normally played with six standard 52 card decks. The cards are ranked in the same way that cards in poker games are ranked, except that aces are always high.
The deal
After the player has placed a bet, the dealer and the player are each dealt one card.
If the player’s card is ranked higher than the dealer’s, the player wins even money.
If the dealer’s card is ranked higher than the player’s, the player loses the bet to the house.
Ties
A tie occurs when the dealer and the player each have cards of the same rank. In a tie situation, the player has two options:
The player can surrender, in which case the player loses half the bet.
The player can go to war, in which case the player must place an additional wager the same size as the first wager.
Going to war
If the player goes to war, the dealer burns three cards before dealing each of them an additional card. If the player’s card is ranked higher than or the same as the dealer’s, then the player wins an amount equal to the size of the original bet only. If the dealer’s card is ranked higher than the player’s, the player loses both the original bet and the “going to war” bet.
House advantage
The dealer and the player each have a 50% chance of winning, so this seems like an even money game. The house advantage, however, comes from what happens in the case of a tie.
Some casinos offer a bonus payout in the event of a tie after going to war.
The house advantage increases with the number of decks in play and decreases in casinos who offer a bonus payout. The house advantage for this game is over 2%.
Strategy
Surrendering has a slightly higher advantage for the house, so a player should never surrender.
References
Brisman, Andrew. American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling: Winning Ways (Stirling, 1999) ISBN 080694837X
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The game of poker (or at least most of the variants) is considered to be computationally intractable. However, methods are being developed to at least approximate perfect strategy from the combinatorial game theory perspective in the heads-up (two player) game, and increasingly good systems are being created for the multi-player or ring game. Perfect strategy has multiple meanings in this context. From a game-theoretic optimal point of view, a perfect strategy is a minimax one that cannot expect to lose to any other player’s strategy; however, optimal strategy can vary in the presence of sub-optimal players who have weaknesses that can be exploited. In this case, a perfect strategy would be one that correctly or closely models those weaknesses and takes advantage of them to make a profit. Some of these systems are based on Bayes theorem, Nash equilibrium, Monte Carlo simulation and Neural networks. A large amount of the research is being done at the University of Alberta by the GAMES group led by Jonathan Schaeffer who developed Poki and PsOpt. The Poki engine has been licensed for the entertainment game STACKED featuring Canadian poker player Daniel Negreanu.One major aspect of poker is being a game of imperfect information. Some cards in play are concealed, so the players cannot deduce the exact state the game is in. This fundamentally differs from games like chess where all information about the game’s current state is public. A major part of the skill of live poker games, however, is guessing at the strength of a player’s hand by identifying tells made by other players, while concealing one’s own. As a computer would not make any physical tells, playing against a computer would necessitate reading tells only from the bets placed. Once the ‘mind’ of the computer is known it can exploited.
Although you cannot read a computer opponent, playing against computer opponents can still help you sharpen your skills by learning how to count outs and play the percentages. With the advancing technology of artificial intelligence, computer players can be created to incorporate bluffs and other human-like decisions.
Pokerbots are bots or computer programs that play online poker disguised as a human opponent. Online poker rooms prohibit the use of bots like WinHoldEm.
The MIT Blackjack Team, as the name suggests, was a group of students and ex-students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who attempted to beat casinos at blackjack worldwide. The team and its successors operated from 1979 through the beginning of the 21st century.
The plan and operation
Blackjack gives the house a low statistical advantage compared to other casino games. Beyond the basic strategy of when to hit and when to stand, individual players can use a combination of betting strategy, card tracking, and card counting to improve their odds. Accurate card counting is a fairly difficult skill, but since the early 1960s a large number of schemes have been published — and casinos have adjusted the rules of play to counter the most popular methods.
The chance to make large amounts of money card counting appealed to some mathematically minded students at MIT. The university had card playing clubs, but some students decided to develop their hobby. The group combined the individual player advantages with a team approach of counters and players to maximise any opportunities and disguise the betting patterns card counting produces. In a 2002 interview in Blackjack Forum magazine, MIT team manager Johnny Chang reported that, in addition to classic card counting and blackjack team techniques, the group at various times made use of advanced shuffle tracking and ace tracking techniques. While the card counting techniques used by the MIT team can give players an overall edge of up to about 2%, some of the MIT team’s methods have been established as gaining players an overall edge of up to about 4%. However, in his interview Chang reported that the MIT team had difficulty attaining such edges in actual play, and their overall results had been best with straight card counting.
The original team recruited students through flyers posted around campus. The team tested interested students to find out if they were suitable candidates, and if they were, the team thoroughly trained the new members. A corporate called Strategic Investments bankrolled the team. With the backing of the corporation, they were able to play with a bankroll of hundreds of thousands of dollars, far larger than would normally be available to college students. Eventually, with team morale suffering after a series of large losses, the corporation closed shop, and the original team disbanded, to be replaced by several new teams founded by alumni of the first group.
The team approach used by the MIT groups was originally developed by Al Francesco, elected by professional gamblers as one of the original 7 inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame. Blackjack team play was first written about by Ken Uston, an early member of Al Francesco’s teams. Uston’s book on blackjack team play, Million Dollar Blackjack, was published shortly before the founding of the first MIT team. The team methods devised by Al Francesco, and later used by the MIT team, at first made it more difficult for casinos to detect card counting at their tables. Unfortunately, Uston’s books alerted casinos to the methods of blackjack team play, and several MIT team members were identified and barred. These members were replaced by fresh MIT students, and play continued. Investigators hired by casinos eventually realized that many of those they had banned had addresses in or near Boston, and the connection with MIT became clear. The detectives obtained copies of recent MIT yearbooks and added photographs from it to their image database.
With most of the original team barred, most members retired, having made an amount variously reported as $1 million to $10 million. Some members have used reports of their successes to start public-speaking careers or businesses selling blackjack card counting systems or running blackjack seminars.
In the media
The story of the MIT Blackjack Team was told in the documentary Breaking Vegas, in the book Bringing Down the House, and on an episode of the Game Show Network documentary series, Anything to Win. The private investigation firm referred to as Plymouth in Bringing Down the House was Griffin Investigations.
Card counting is a card game strategy used to determine when a player has a probability advantage. The term is used almost exclusively to refer to the tracking of the ratio of high cards to low cards in blackjack, although theoretically card counting can be used in some other card games.
How card counting works in blackjack
Card counting is based on the fact that high cards, and especially aces, are good for the player while low cards are good for the dealer. High cards are good for the player because they increase the chance of a player getting a “blackjack”, which usually pays 3 to 2. High cards also increase the player’s chance of success on his pair splits and double downs. Low cards are good for the dealer because they decrease the chance that the dealer will bust.
Card counters raise their bets when the ratio of high cards to low cards in the deck is skewed in their favor. They also make strategy adjustments based on the ratio of high cards to low cards. These two adjustments to their betting and playing strategy can give players a small mathematical advantage over the house.
Contrary to the popular myth, card counters do not need savant qualities in order to count cards, because they are not tracking and memorizing specific cards. Instead, card counters assign a heuristic point score to each card they see and then track only the total score. (This score is called the “count”.)
Different card counting systems assign different point values to various cards, but one of the most common systems, the Hi-Lo Count, is illustrative. In this system, the cards numbered 2 through 6 are counted as +1 and all tens (which include 10s, jacks, queens and kings) and aces are counted as -1. The cards 7, 8, and 9 are given a count of 0. The Hi-Lo system exemplifies a “level one” counting system; other counting systems also assign +2 and -2 counts to certain cards and are called “level two” systems. Many card counting experts agree that the additional accuracy derived from a “level two” system is offset by the increased difficulty of keeping count and the greater likelihood of making a mistake.
Another commonly used card counting system is the “K-O”, an unbalanced card counting system derived from Arnold Snyder’s unbalanced Red 7 count, published in 1981. The first blackjack researcher to publish an unbalanced card counting system was Jacques Noir, in his 1968 book Casino Holiday. Unbalanced card counting systems eliminate the need to estimate remaining decks to be dealt, a common source of player error in card counting.
As in all casino games, the house has a statistical advantage over the players that will play itself out in the long run. But because blackjack, unlike other games, has an element of player choice, players can actually reduce the casino advantage to a small percentage by playing what is known as basic strategy. This strategy determines when to hit and when to stand, and also determines when doubling down or splitting is the correct action. Basic strategy is based on the player’s point total and the dealer’s visible card. There are slight variations in basic strategy depending on the exact house rules and the number of decks used. Under the most favorable conditions (single deck, downtown Las Vegas rules), the house advantage over a basic strategy player can be as low as 0.16%. Indeed, casinos offering special rules like surrender and double-after-split may actually be offering a positive expectation to basic strategy players; they are counting on players making mistakes to make money.
The following rules are beneficial to the player:
Doubles are permitted on any two-card hand except a blackjack.
Doubles are permitted after splitting.
Early surrender; the ability to forfeit half your wager against a face or ace before the dealer checks for blackjack.
Normal (aka “late”) surrender.
Resplitting Aces.
Drawing more than one card against a split Ace.
Five or more cards with the total still no more than 21 as an automatic win (a “Charlie”)
The following rules are detrimental to the player:
Less than 3:2 payout on blackjacks (6:5 and even 1:1 payouts have become common, especially in single-deck games, in Las Vegas since about 2003)
Dealer hits on soft seventeen (ace, six)
Splitting a maximum of once (to two hands)
Double down restricted to certain totals, such as 9-11 or 10,11
Aces may not be resplit
No-Peek (European) blackjack—player loses splits and doubles to a dealer blackjack
Player losing ties
Basic strategy tables
Your hand
Dealer’s face-up card
0
A
Hard totals
18-21
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
17
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
Rs
16
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
Rh
Rh
Rh
15
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
Rh
Rh
13-14
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
12
H
H
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
11
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
10
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
H
9
H
D
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
5-8
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
Soft totals
A,9
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
A,8
S
S
S
S
D
S
S
S
S
S
A,7
D
D
D
D
D
S
S
H
H
H
A,6
H
D
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
A,4-5
H
H
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
A,2-3
H
H
H
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
Pairs
A,A
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
10,10
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
9,9
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
S
SP
SP
S
S
8,8
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
Rsp
7,7
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
H
H
H
H
6,6
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
H
H
H
H
H
5,5
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
H
4,4
H
H
H
SP
SP
H
H
H
H
H
2,2 3,3
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
H
H
H
H
The above is a basic strategy table for the most common 6- to 8-deck, Las Vegas Strip rules. Specifically: dealer hits on soft 17, double after split allowed, multiple split aces, one card to split aces, blackjack pays 3:2, and (optionally) late surrender. Key:
S = Stand
H = Hit
D = Double
SP = SPlit
Rh = suRrender if allowed, otherwise Hit
Rs = suRrender if allowed, otherwise Stand
Rsp = suRrender if allowed, otherwise SPlit
In some LV Strip casinos you may still be able to find the older version of the multi-deck shoe game, where dealer stands on soft 17; those are usually high minimum ($50 or more) tables. This version is much more advantageous to the player, but requires a slightly modified basic strategy table. Basic strategy for other decks. Interactive strategy tables for each possible card-distribution in the shoe can be generated using a JavaScript based blackjack calculator.
Shuffle tracking
There are well-established techniques other than card counting that can swing the advantage of casino 21 towards the player. All such techniques are based on the value of the cards to the player and the casino, as originally conceived by Edward O. Thorp. One such technique, mainly applicable in multi-deck games (aka shoes), involves tracking groups of cards (aka slugs, clumps, packs) during the play of the shoe, following them through the shuffle and then playing and betting accordingly when those cards come into play from the new shoe. This technique, which is admittedly much more difficult than straight card counting and requires excellent eyesight and powers of visual estimation, has the additional benefit of fooling the casino people who are monitoring the player’s actions and the count, since the shuffle tracker could be, at times, betting and/or playing opposite to how a straightforward card counter would.
Arnold Snyder’s articles in Blackjack Forum magazine were the first to bring shuffle tracking to the general public. His book, The Shuffle Tracker’s Cookbook, was the first to mathematically analyze the player edge available from shuffle tracking based on the actual size of the tracked slug.
Other legal methods of gaining a player advantage at blackjack include a wide variety of techniques for gaining information about the dealer hole-card or the next card to be dealt.
There are (52 × 51)/2 = 1,326 distinct possible combinations of two hole cards from a standard 52-card deck. However, since suits are only relevant for flushes, many of these hands are indistinguishable from the point of view of pre-flop strategy. In fact, considering suits to be equivalent unless both cards are the same suit, there are precisely 169 distinct possible starting hands in hold ‘em.
As an example, although J♥ J♣ and J♦ J♠ are distinct combinations of hole cards, they are indistinguishable as starting hands. Any starting hand comprising two Jacks is called pocket jacks and is denoted JJ. Similarly, any starting hand comprised of two Aces is called pocket Aces and is denoted AA, and any starting hand comprised of two 7′s is called pocket sevens and is denoted 77. Each of these starting hands is called a pocket pair or a wired pair.
The starting hands which are not pocket pairs fall into two classes – the suited hands and the unsuited hands. An example of a suited hand is 8♠ 7♠. Any starting hand comprised of an 8 and a 7 of the same suit is called 8-7 suited and is denoted 87s, where “s” is an abbreviation for “suited”. An example of an unsuited hands is Q♣ 9♦. Any starting hand comprised of a Queen and a 9 of different suits is called queen-nine offsuit and is denoted Q9 (or sometimes Q9o, where “o” is an abbreviation for “offsuit”). Remember, an “s” always denotes a suited starting hand, while the absence of an “s” always denotes an offsuit starting hand.
In almost all poker writing, the rank of 10 is abbreviated with the letter “T”, so that all the ranks can be written with a single character, unless cards are featured pictorially when “10″ is often used.
Consecutive cards of the same suit are called suited connectors. Many starting hands have colloquial names.
Strategy
Most poker authors recommend a tight-aggressive approach to playing Texas hold ‘em. This strategy involves playing relatively few hands (tight), but betting and raising often with those that one does play (aggressive). Although this strategy is often recommended, some professional players successfully employ other strategies as well. While most poker authors focus on playing primarily premium starting hands, some authors claim that the importance of starting hands is overstated.
Almost all authors agree that position is an important element of Texas hold ‘em strategy. Players who act later have more information than players who act earlier. As a result, players typically play fewer hands from early positions than later positions.
The no-limit and fixed limit versions of hold ‘em are strategically very different. Doyle Brunson states, “In fact, the games are so different that there are not many players who rank with the best in both types of hold ‘em. Many no-limit players have difficulty gearing down for limit, while limit players often lack the courage and ‘feel’ necessary to excel at no-limit.” Because the size of bets are restricted in limit games, the ability to bluff is somewhat curtailed. Since one is not (usually) risking all of one’s chips in limit poker, players are sometimes advised to take more chances.
Lower stakes limit games also exhibit different properties than higher stakes games. Small stakes games often involve more players in each hand and can vary from extremely passive (little raising and betting) to extremely aggressive (many raises). The difference of small stakes games have resulted in several books dedicated to only those games.
Sheepshead is a card game related to the Skat family of games, originating in Central Europe in the late 1700′s under the German name Schafkopf. Although Schafkopf literally means “sheepshead”, the term is actually derived from Middle High German and referred to playing cards on an overturned barrel (from kopfen, meaning playing cards, and Schaffen, meaning a barrel).
Sheepshead is played by two to five players, where the variant with five players is the most common, by far. The German cards, which are generally used for playing in southern Germany, are listed below in the order of value for the trumps. Poker or French cards (Clubs, Spades, etc.) have direct equivalents with German cards.
How to play
Preparation
Remove the jokers and all sixes, fives, fours, threes, and twos from the pack. Sheepshead is played with all the cards 7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A, i.e. a total of 32 cards.
Play Variations
There are a number of different play variations for Sheepshead. These include the number of players (from two to five), differences in scoring, differences when no partners are named (leasters/doublers), and differences in the way partners are chosen (Pick Partner/Jack of Diamonds partner).
The article will describe how to play “Five Handed, Leasters, Pick Partner”, but will try to touch on the other variations.
Card Order
Card order in Sheepshead is unique and one of the most difficult things for some beginners to grasp.
There are 14 trump cards, including all the Queens, Jacks, and Diamonds, listed here in order of strength to take tricks:
Q♣ – Q♠ – Q♥ – Q♦
J♣ – J♠ – J♥- J♦
A♦ – 10♦ – K♦ – 9♦, 8♦, 7♦
Also, there are 6 of each “fail” suit. (18 total)
A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7 of ♣ (clubs)
A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7 of ♠ (spades)
A, 10, K, 9, 8, 7 of ♥ (hearts)
Clubs, Spades, and Hearts take no precedence over other fail suits. Trump always take fail. The lead suit must be followed if possible.
Card Point Values
Point scoring will also take some getting used to. You should make a chart for yourself the first time you play.
Queens – 3 points
Jacks – 2 points
Aces – 11 points
Tens – 10 points
Kings – 4 points
9,8,7 – 0 points
Note that the strongest cards (Queens and Jacks) are not worth the most points. This gives Sheepshead some of its unique character.
There is a total of 120 points in the deck.
Keeping Score
Be careful not to confuse the points that the cards are worth, and the total point score. Points are given/taken on a zero-sum basis. If you are the picker, your goal is to take 61 points. If picker gets 60, that’s a tie and picker loses.
Here is a chart to make it easier. Look up the picker’s point total in the chart below.
Point Total
Picker
(Alone)
Picker
(w/ Partner)
Partner
Opponents
All Tricks
+12
+6
+3
-3
to 120
+8
+4
+2
-2
to 90
+4
+2
+1
-1
to 60
-4
-2
-1
+1
to 30
-8
-4
-2
+2
No Tricks
-12
-6
-3
+3
Once you reach 31 points, that means you have schneider.
There are 120 points in the deck. It’s possible to take a trick that is worth zero points, which why the distinction of “All Tricks” and “No Tricks” is necessary.
Every opponent gains or loses the amount listed.
The Deal
Cut the deck. The dealer deals 3 cards at a time to each person, starting with the player to dealer’s left. After dealing everyone 3 cards, 2 cards are put face down in a separate pile (the “blind”). Then deal the rest of the cards, 3 at a time around the table again.
When done, each person should have 6 cards with 2 cards in the blind.
The Blind
The player to the left of the dealer gets first choice to take the blind. If he passes, the option is given to the next player (in clockwise order).
If the blind goes all the way around to the dealer, and the dealer declines to play, a leaster is played. (If you are playing doublers instead of leasters, the points are doubled, the deal moves one to the left, and a new hand is dealt.)
Whoever decides to take the blind is called the “picker”. The picker adds the 2 cards to his hand, then must choose two cards to lay down, or “bury”. The buried cards are automatically added to the picker’s score.
Now, the picker must choose: He can either play alone (picker against 4 opponents) or can choose a partner (picker/partner against 3 opponents).
Variation of play: One variation of play at this point is that, when a player picks up the blind, any player (who is not the pickers partner) who was not given the opportunity to pick up the blind may ‘knock’ or ‘crack’ by knocking the table with their fist. This automatically doubles the point values in the table above for determining the score when the game ends. In addition, you may also allow that, after a player cracks, the picker has the option to ‘recrack’, which redoubles it again, or to 4 times the values at the end of the game.
In another variation, after a crack the partner may ‘crack-around-the-corner’ and double the game, but revealing his or her relation to the picker if the game is being played with the jack of diamonds as partner.
Another variation allows players to double further by ‘blitzing’ as well as cracking. A player may blitz by revealing either the two black queens, the two red queens, or the two black jacks from his or her hand. A blitz can only be initiated after a crack has occurred. A combination of these variations follows.
Example:
Player 1: Passes
Player 2: Picks
Player 3: has two black jacks
Player 4: is partner, has two red queens
Player 5: has nothing significant to illustration
In this scenario Player 3 blitz’s by showing his jacks. Player 4 responds with a blitz-crack-around-the-corner by revealing her queens and jack of diamonds. Player 1 also decides to ‘recrack’. The score is doubled four times as a result of the four maneuvers. This game will be worth 16 times the original amount. Blitzing can lead to large point escalation and, thus, is not used often.
Getting a Partner
One of the more intriguing aspects of Sheepshead is that you have different teams with each hand. Generally you will not know who your partner is until specific cards are played.
Called ace
If you pick the blind and decide that your hand isn’t good enough to “go it alone”, you must select a called ace suit. Some notes about choosing the called suit:
Basically, when the picker calls a suit, whoever has the Ace of that suit is the partner.
Called suit must be a fail suit (clubs, spades or hearts).
Picker must have at least one of the fail suit in his/her hand. (Special case: an unknown can be played if a player has no fail suits–i.e. all trump–see below)
Picker cannot call a suit for which he has the Ace.
If the picker has all 3 fail Aces (it happens occasionally), he can “call a 10″ instead of the Ace. The picker is obligated to hold the Ace of that suit in their hand. When the called suit is led, the picker must play the Ace. In addition, the person with the 10 takes the trick if it is not trumped.
Unknown. If the picker has no fail suit to use for the called suit, he can pick a card to “act as the called suit”. Example: picker has all trump or the Ace in all their fail suits. Picker can take a low diamond (9♦ lets say) and lay it face down on the table, and call (for example) Spades. That 9♦ stays face down until Spades is lead (or until nothing else can be laid down). That particular 9♦, since it was designated an “unknown”, has no power to take tricks but the points associated with that card still count at the end of the game. No one besides the player who took the ace trick is allowed to look at the unknown card.
Examples of picker hands
{Taking the blind, burying, and selecting partner…)
Hand 1: Q♥, A♦, A♣, 10♣, 7♣, 7♥
You probably shouldn’t take the blind. With only 2 trump it’s not really worth it.
Hand 2: J♣, J♦, A♦, 8♦, A♠, A♥
Don’t take the blind. You have 4 trump, but they are mostly little. If you have a chronic picking problem you may pick on this.
If you pass on the blind, you have a very good chance of ending up partner, since you have 2 of the 3 fail aces.
This is a decent partner hand, with the trump and lots of point to “schmear” to your partner.
Hand 3: Q♠, Q♥, J♦, K♦, 10♥, 10♣
With 20 points to bury, this wouldn’t be a bad hand to pick on.
A rule of thumb: If you can forsee schneider, pick.
– In Blind: 8♦, 7♣
The blind wasn’t that good, so you definitely want to pick a partner.
You could bury both 10s for the sure points, and then you would have to call clubs. The problem with this is that the called Ace has little chance of walking. There would be only 3 more clubs out there
It is recommended to bury both 7♣ and 10♣ and calling hearts. This is a tough case, and if you aren’t feeling that lucky maybe burying both 10s (and therefore guaranteeing yourself 20 points) would be the best idea.
Hand 4: Q♣, Q♦, A♦, 10♦, A♥, K♥
This is a very good hand to pick on.
There are 15 points to bury (A♥ and K♥) and that’s basically half way to schneider (31 points)
– In Blind: J♣, 9♦
(Special note: If this player had gotten another Queen in the blind, (s)he could surely go alone)
Player should keep the two additional trump, then bury the A♥ and K♥
Hand is now: Q♣, Q♥, J♣, A♦, 10♦, 9♦ (all trump)
Picker now has the option of getting a partner (or not). This is a very good hand and might be a winner if attempted “alone”
If the picker wants a partner, he has to call an “unknown” since he has nothing but trump. He can take his 9♦, place it face down on the table, then call it any suit he wants (besides Hearts, since he just buried the Ace of Hearts). Let’s just say “clubs”. Now, that an unknown was called, that 9♦ cannot be used on any trick except the called suit. (Or on the last trick if the called suit was never lead during the game)
This hand is good enough that he might get a “Thanks for the ride” from his partner. This usually means that you could have gone it alone.
Hand 5: Q♠, Q♥, J♦, 10♦, 7♦, K♥
Five trump, with 2 Queens and 1 Jack. This is definitely a picking hand.
– In Blind: Q♣, J♠
The big queen and a good Jack — a near perfect hand.
Hand is now: Q♣, Q♠, Q♥, J♠, J♦, 10♦
With the 3 big queens, buried trump and other very good cards, this hand is a good choice to go alone on.
You will get at least 3 tricks, and have a very good chance of taking them all.
Jack of Diamonds
Instead of choosing a partner, some play that the Jack of Diamonds is automatically partner.
In general you can pick on weaker hands when playing J♦ partner because you are always guaranteed that your partner will have at least one trump (the J♦ – there is no such guarantee playing Called Ace). Some suggestions:
Bare aces are nearly as good as trump. Unless your hand is really bad and you want to guarantee points, keep bare aces.
If you can bury 20 points, you only need one more good trick to make Schneider, the minimum you want. It is a judgement call you have to make, deciding between getting the points (burying them) or keeping the cards to use in play.
You can always go it alone, but don’t do it unless you have a really good hand. If you got all 4 queens, of course then you could go alone.
If the picker has the J♦ in his hand, there are two possible rules:
Picker plays alone (possibly with a poor hand)
Picker can select J♥ partner instead
Playing the Cards
Always remember the goal of Sheepshead is to get as many points as possible. You can take 4 out of 6 tricks and still lose point-wise. Always aim first for schneider (31 pts for picker, 30 otherwise).
At this point, there are basically 3 possibilities of play.
Leasters
Playing Alone
With Partner
Leasters
In leasters, you must take at least one trick to win. Each person plays for him/herself. At the end of the hand the person with the lowest score (and at least one trick) wins 1 point from each of the other players (4 total).
What do you do with the blind? Generally the blind is included with the very last trick played. Alternatively, the dealer (before play begins) calls out the number of the trick that will include the blind.
With Partner: Playing the first card
The player to the left of the dealer leads first. Here are some guidelines, but no rule is 100% accurate all the time. Use your judgment. This is the most common hand (picker+partner vs. 3 opponents) that you will play.
If you are the first one to play and are …
on the opposing team with the called Ace suit – lead the called ace suit. (i.e. if called suit is spades, lead a spade if you can)
on the opposing team without called Ace suit – don’t lead trump. You are in a good position to trump the called suit if one of your partners can lead that suit. Lead some other (non-trump) suit if you can.
the partner – lead trump if at all possible. You want to try to bleed trump out of the opposing team’s hands so that the called Ace trick is more likely to walk. At this point, leading trump will demonstrate to people that you are probably the partner.
the partner – with no trump. Don’t lead the called suit. Hold that until later in the game. Lead some other suit, preferable a suit that has not been led before and you are not long on (your short suit). You want to give the picker the best chance taking the trick and that will happen if all your opponents have this fail suit and the picker can trump it.
the picker – usually lead with trump. The goal is to get everyone to play out their trump so the called suit doesn’t get taken.
Following Suit
Players must follow suit if possible. Note that Queens and Jacks are considered trump, and are not a “suit” as such. Example, 7♥ is lead. You have a Q♥ and a 10♥. Since the Queen is not technically a heart (it’s trump) you must play the Ten.
A player who cannot follow suit may play any card he wants. (A picker or partner cannot play the called ace or his last card of the called suit (unless it is the last trick)).
If you do not lead, and are an opponent with the called suit and the big queen, lay the big queen and take the trick. Then lead the called suit and hopefully the your team can trump it.
Continuing the hand
Whoever takes a trick gets to lead the next one. Play continues in this manner until the last trick is played.
Play is over. Count the cards.
When all tricks have been played, the picker can count his cards and then either receives points or gives up points. See above under “Keeping Score” for a chart.
If the picker went alone and took all the tricks, he/she gets 3 points from all 4 opponents.
If the picker chose a partner and took all the tricks, pickers gets 3 points from 2 opponents, partner gets 3 points from 1 opponent.
If the opponents took at least a trick, but didn’t make schneider, the payout is 2 points.
If the opponents made schneider, but didn’t win, the payout is 1 point.
If the opponents win and the picker made schneider, each opponent gets 1 point
If the opponents win and the picker didn’t make schneider, each opponent gets 2 points
If the opponents take all the tricks, each opponent gets 3 points.
Some Sheepshead players have a rule that if the picker doesn’t win, he (and partner) must pay double. (Known as “double on the bump”)
Note that all scoring has a zero sum total. This means that at any point you can add all 5 player scores together and the total should be zero.
Strategy
Picker and partner should try to bleed the opponents of their trump before leading out the called Ace suit. This gives the called Ace a much better chance of walking.
In a Called-Ace variant, the opponent should lead out the called suit if possible. It is a rare circumstance where the picker/partner should lead out the called suit.
Card counting is a very valuable skill to have when playing Sheepshead. Many good sheepshead players can tell you how many points you have without even having to count! If you don’t have a photographic memory, you can start off by keeping track of which Queens and Jacks were played. Just doing that much is better than not counting cards at all. This is a learned skill, so keep practicing. If you are the picker, you should at the very least keep count of the 14 trump cards so you know when your opponents are out of trump.
The order of play is a very important consideration. There is a distinct benefit to “being on the end”, and if you are partner with the picker on the end, that should affect the card you play.
Scenario: First player is one of the opponents and lead with an 8♣. You are partner and have a 10♣ and K♣. Since you are long (more than one) in clubs, you would expect someone to trump this trick. You are next, with 2 oppenents after you and the picker is on the end. Since the picker is on the end, you generally would throw the 10♣ (10 points) rather than the K♣ (4 points). Assume the picker will be able to trump the trick. In other words, when in doubt, schmear.
Leaster strategy: Keep in mind a player has to win at least one trick to qualify for the win. Oftentimes, a player will be so worried about accumulating points that he/she will fail to pick up a single trick.
Mahjong (Traditional Chinese: 麻將; Simplified Chinese: 麻将; pinyin: Májiàng; Cantonese: Màhjeung; or Chinese: 麻雀; pinyin: Máquè; Cantonese: Màhjeuk; other common English spellings include mahjongg, majiang, and hyphenated forms such as mah-jong or mah-jongg) is a game for four players that originated in China. It is a game of skill, strategy, intelligence, calculation and luck. Depending on the variation which is played, the amount of luck may vary from 20 to 80 percent. In China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and other countries mahjong is often used for gambling. The Chinese character 麻将 literally means “hemp general”. In Cantonese an alternate writing, 麻雀, is more common (the same kanji are used in Japanese). In Cantonese this literally means “sparrow”, while in Japanese it means “hemp sparrow”, and is pronounced mā-jan.
In English, in addition to Mahjong, the name of the game is variously written as Mah Jong, Mahjongg, Majong or simply “M-J”; there are other, less common variations as well. The spelling “Mah-Jongg” was trademarked by Joseph Park Babcock in 1920.
The closest Western analogue is probably the card game gin rummy. Both games involve selecting or discarding units (tiles in one case, cards in the other) to score points by forming groups or runs of similar units.
The game pieces (tiles) and scoring rules used in the game are slightly different depending on regional variations. The game play in general is very similar in all versions, as players compete to build sets including the highest point value.
The object of the game is to build complete suits (usually of threes) from either 13 or 16 tiles. The first person to achieve this goal is said to have won the game. The winning tile completes the set of either 14 or 17 tiles.
Trivia
Little known to most players, the suits of the tiles are money-based. In ancient China, the copper coins had a square hole in the center. People passed a rope through the holes to tie coins into strings. These strings are usually in groups of 100 coins called diao (弔 or variant 吊) or 1000 coins called guan (貫). Mahjong’s connection to the ancient Chinese currency system is consistent with its alleged derivation from the game named ma diao (馬吊).
In the mahjong suits, the coppers represent the coins; the ropes are actually strings of 100 coins; and the character myriad represents 10,000 coins or 100 strings. When a hand received the maximium allowed winning of a round, it is called man guan (滿貫, lit. full string of coin.)
A Mahjong game is described in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie, ending with the very unusual event of a player getting a complete winning hand on the initial draw. This success makes the character unduly talkative, which leads to significant plot developments.
British superspy James Bond plays a dangerous game of mahjong in Zero Minus Ten, a suspense novel by Raymond Benson.
In the 1940 film Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise, the title character remarks, In China, mahjong very simple; in America very complex – like modern life.
The character that translates to “centre” is found on the super-hero suit worn by The Greatest American Hero. Since the character is typically painted red, the tile is commonly called “red centre.” For this reason the HongKong TV station TVB named the Chinese-dubbed The Greatest American Hero “the Flying Red Centre Hero” [飛天紅中俠]. (ABC, 1981-83).
Mahjong is featured in Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club, and its 1993 film adaptation.
Mahjong has always appeared in one way or another in Hong Kong made movies or TV drama, since it is considered as a “daily life” of a Chinese lifestyle. Two recent Cantonese movies, Fat Choi Spirit and Kung Fu Mahjong, parody the game’s subculture.
The tile that translates to “Red Dragon” is used as a major plot point in the same titled Thomas Harris novel, as well as its two film adaptations, Manhunter and Red Dragon.
Graham Edwards’ Stone trilogy features mahjong prominently. Much of the books’ imagery focuses around the mahjong symbols, and one character owns a set of mahjong tiles, on which she paints throughout the trilogy.
References
Print matter
Lo, Amy. The Book of Mah jong: An Illustrated Guide. Tuttle Publishing. 2001. ISBN 0804833028
Oxfeld, Ellen. Blood, Sweat, and Mahjong: Family and Enterprise in an Overseas Chinese Community (Anthropology of Contemporary Issues). Cornell University Press. 1993. ISBN 0801499089.
Pritchard, David.Teach Yourself Mahjong. McGraw-Hill/Contemporary. 2001. ISBN 0658021478.
The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the game likely descended from the French poque, which descended from the German pochen (‘to knock’), but it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the Persian game of as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time). It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.
English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player’s hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green’s book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread up the Mississippi and West during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier, pioneering ethos.
Harry Truman’s poker chips
Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many additions were made, including draw poker, stud poker (the five-card variant), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925). Spread of the game to other countries, particularly in Asia, is often attributed to the U.S. military.
The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases as ace in the hole,ace up one’s sleeve,beats me,blue chip,call one’s bluff,cash in,high roller, pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips are down, wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation, even by those unaware of their origins at the poker table.
Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970. Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, and Doyle Brunson. It was also during that decade that the first serious strategy books appeared, notably Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1580420818) and The Book of Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0897461002), followed later by The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1880685000).
Poker’s popularity experienced an unprecedented spike in the first years of the twenty-first century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Viewers could now follow the action and drama of the game, and broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors. Because of the increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros are becoming more and more like celebrities, with poker fans all over the world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to play with them. This increased camera exposure also brings about a new dimension to the poker pro’s game—the realization that their actions may be aired later on TV.
Major poker tournament fields have grown dramatically because of the growing popularity of online satellite-qualifier tournaments where the prize is an entry into a major tournament. The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event by winning online satellites.
(from the French language: pari mutuel, mutual betting) is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and a house take are removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all placed bets.
The parimutuel system is used in gambling on horse racing, greyhound racing, jai alai, and all sporting events of relatively short duration in which participants finish in a ranked order. A modified parimutuel system is also used in some lottery games such as Lotto South.
Parimutuel gambling is frequently state-regulated, and offered in many places where gambling is otherwise illegal. Parimutuel gambling is often also offered at “off track” facilities, where players may bet on the events without actually being present to observe them in person.
Parimutuel betting differs from fixed odds betting in that the final payout is not determined until the pool is closed – in fixed odds betting, the payout is agreed at the time the bet is sold.
Example of parimutuel betting
Consider a hypothetical event in a country using a decimal currency such as dollars which has 8 possible outcomes. Each outcome has a certain amount of money wagered:
Thus the total pool of money on the event is $514.00. Following the start of the event, no more investments are accepted. The event is decided and the winning outcome is determined to be Outcome 4 with $55.00 invested. The payout is now calculated. First the commission or take for the wagering company is deducted from the pool, for example with a commission rate of 14.25% the calculation is: $514 – 0.1425 * $514 = $440.76. The remaining amount in the pool is now distributed to those who invested in Outcome 4: $440.76 / $55 = $8.00 per $1.00 invested. Thus, in decimal odds, outcome 4 is said to pay out $8.00.
Often at certain times prior to the event, betting agencies will provide approximates for what should be paid out for a given outcome should no more bets be accepted at the current time. Using the example above, an approximates table using the same commission rate in decimal odds would be:
In real-life examples such as horse racing, the pool size often extends into millions of dollars with many different types of outcomes (winning horses) and complex commission calculations.
Sometimes the amounts paid out are rounded down to a denomination interval – in the United States and Australia, 10 cent intervals are used. The rounding loss is sometimes known as breakage and is retained by the betting agency as part of the commission.
History of parimutuel betting
The parimutuel system was invented by Parisian perfume maker Pierre Oller in 1865 when asked by a bookmaker friend to devise a fair system for bettors which guarantees a fixed profit for the bookmaker.
The large amount of calculation involved in this system led to the invention of a specialized mechanical calculating machine known as a totalisator, “automatic totalisator” or “tote board”. The first was installed at Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, New Zealand in 1913, and they came into widespread use at race courses throughout the world (the U.S. introduction was 1933 at Arlington Park, near Chicago,IL USA).
Parimutuel bet types
There may be several different types of bets, in which case each type of bet has its own pool. The basic bets involve predicting the order of finish for a single participant, as follows:
In North America
Win – A first place finisher wins the bet.
Place – Either a first or a second place finisher wins the bet (at most tracks the race must have at least four runners in it for place betting to be conducted).
Show – First, second, or third place finisher wins the bet (at most tracks the race must have at least five runners in it for show betting to be conducted).
Across the Board: A combination triple-bet of Win, Place, and Show
In Australia
Win – Runner must finish first.
Place – Runner must finish first, second or third place. (In events with five to seven runners, no dividends are payable on third place (“NTD” or No Third Dividend) and in events with 4 or less runners, only Win betting is allowed).
Each-way – A combination of Win and Place. A $5 bet Each-way is a $5.00 bet to Win and a $5.00 bet to Place, for a total bet cost of $10.
In Ireland and the United Kingdom
Win – Runner must finish first.
Place – Runner must finish within the first two places (in a 5-7 runner race), three places (8-15 runners) or four places (16+ runners).
Each-way – Charged and settled as one bet to win and another bet to place (if asking for a bet of “five pounds each way” you will be expected to pay ten pounds).
Depending on the facility rules, which might vary from event to event, other bets may also be offered which allow the user to pick the finish of more than one participant, or more than one event. These are called exotics, and generally pay higher dividends. However, the facility’s take is usually higher for these bets as well. The major exotics (in North America and Australia) are:
Exacta (exactor, perfecta) – Picks the first and second place finishers, in order.
Quinella – Picks the first and second place finishers, in either order.
Trifecta (triactor) – Picks the first, second, and third place finishers, in order.
Superfecta – First four finishers in order.
Daily/Extra Double – Picks the first place finishers in two different events.
Quadrella – First in four consecutive races.
Pick 3 and pick 4 – first in three or four consecutive races, not necessarily the first three or four races of the day. Some tracks offer a “rolling pick 3,” on the first three races, the second through fourth, third through fifth, and so on.
Pick 6 (jackpot) – Picks the winners in six consecutive events.
Strategy and comparison with independent bookmakers
Unlike many forms of casino gambling, in parimutuel betting the gambler bets against other gamblers, not the house. The science of determining the outcome of a race is called handicapping.
It is possible for a skilled player to win money in the long run at this type of gambling, but overcoming the deficit produced by taxes, the facility’s take, and the breakage is difficult to accomplish and few people are successful at it.
Independent off-track bookmakers have a smaller take and thus offer better payoffs, but they are illegal in some countries. However, with the introduction of Internet gambling has come “rebate shops”. These off-shore betting shops in fact return some percentage of every bet made to the bettor. They are in effect reducing their take from 15-18% to as little as 1 or 2%, still ensuring a profit as they operate with minimal overhead. Rebate shops allow skilled horseplayers to make a steady income.
Queenco Leisure International (QLI) has finalised the terms of an agreement with Constanta Municipality, Romania, granting the QLI concession rights over a historic building in the city, which the company intends to renovate and operate, Casino Constanta.
The agreement is for an initial period of 49 years, but grants QLI the option to extend the terms for a further 24 years, subject to the consent of both the company and Constanta Municipality. Under the terms of the agreement, QLI will invest an approximate total of €10.0 million and pay gross annual royalties of €140,000 to Constanta Municipality.
The building covers an area of 801m² and is located on Constanta’s beachfront. It was built in 1909, and declared a national architectural treasure in 1956. Completed between the two World Wars in art nouveau style according to the plans of the architects, Daniel Renard and Petre Antonescu, the Casino features sumptuous architecture and a wonderful view of the sea. The pedestrian area around the Casino is a sought-after destination for couples and families, especially at sunset.
QLI plans to open Casino Constanta in the second half of 2009, which will operate approximately 24 gaming tables and 250 slot machines. The company also intends to develop the casino as a comprehensive leisure venue with restaurants and other entertainment facilities. In addition to local visitors, QLI believes it will benefit from the high volume of tourists visiting the destination each year, and will also focus on developing a VIP customer base as part of its high roller strategy.
‘I am delighted we have finalised the terms of the Concession Agreement in Constanta, and look forward to working closely with the Municipality over the coming years. We believe that the Constanta concession, upon completion, will generate excellent returns for our shareholders and will be another key step in Queenco’s strategy of expanding our casino portfolio in emerging markets to capitalise on their superior growth.’, said Dror Mizeretz, CEO of QLI.
Queenco Leisure International Ltd. operates and manages two of Greece‘s nine licensed casinos under exclusive gaming licences and the Casino Palace in Romania.
As at 18 June 2007, the Group operated approximately 1,400 slot machines and 130 gaming tables, and employed 2,487 people in 4 countries.
Constanţa (historical names: Tomis, Greek: Κωνστάντια or Constantia, Turkish: Köstence, Bulgarian: Кюстенджа) is the oldest living city in Romania. Constanţa has the biggest harbour on the Black Sea, Port of Constanţa, the fourth largest in Europe, having the potential in the next few years to become the second largest in Europe after Rotterdam. Constanta is also the most popular destination for summer holidays in Romania for both the national and the international market because of its beachfront and cultural attractions.
The new borders of the Internet started with the online gambling. Internet meant, at its beginning, freedom of information, products and services. Now, it keeps from less to less this initial meaning.
I am a fun of the online gambling, especially online poker, but now I see it like an animal in a forest hunted from all the sides by the hunters/authorities, and having from less to less place to move. Unfortunately the real reason is not the same with the official one. If they care about children, pathological gamblers or unfair online casinos, there are possible laws that can be implemented. And there will be no more pornography, violence in movies, alcohol, a.s.o. The real reason is that the money have to be kept in the respective countries. Why to let a foreign company to collect the money from the citizens of a country, when the government of that country can collect the money by taxes from the local casinos, or even exercise a monopoly on the gambling games and collect directly the money.
Finland confirms my prediction for online gambling for this year but, after the previous experience with Germany, they adopt a different and more subtle strategy, especially for online poker. In accordance with a Finnish draft law from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and commissioned from the University of Joensuu, the losses claimed by Finnish online gamblers would be taken back from the online poker rooms, or from the payment processing companies. This way the online gambling operators will be forced to block the Finnish players
Finland is the 4th country in the world with about €150 million in gambling expenditures annually.
If I am right and the main reason for the ban of the online gambling is the will of the states to keep the money within the respective countries, I think the e-commerce itself is in great danger, especially from the countries that have a negative balance for e-commerce.
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Finland confirms my 
