Tabasco style blackjack
Dear Mark,
I recently came across a blackjack game called Spanish 21. I
didn't play but the rules looked very similar to regular 21. Any
differences before I give it a try? Seth G.
There are two notable exceptions when comparing Spanish 21
to a regular blackjack game. In Spanish 21, all the 10s (not the
Jacks, Queens, Kings) are removed from the deck. Also, the player
gets paid for a hand total of 21, or the standard three-to-two
payoff for a blackjack, even if the dealer's hand is a natural
blackjack. Additional player friendly rules are; doubling down
on two or more cards, pair splitting and double downs up to four
times after splits, bonus payoffs for different combination 21s,
and a super bonus that pays out $1,000 for a suited 7-7-7 when
the dealer's up card is a seven. (Side note: In my entire 18-year
gambling career I've never seen this occur, whether dealing or
observing countless hands of regular blackjack as a pitboss.)
So, Seth, even without the 10s in the deck, is Spanish 21 a good
play? Yes, if you utilize perfect basic strategy. By employing
Spanish 21 basic strategy-which obviously differs from normal
blackjack strategy-you reduce the house edge down to .8 percent.
Deviate and the house advantage can be up to three percent.
Dear Mark,
I am a keno writer who works in Las Vegas. One of our regular
customers asked if I knew how many different number combinations
are possible in keno. I told him "in the thousands"
but I wasn't sure. How many possibilities are there? Diane S.
You were off, Diane, a few quintillion. To be exact, there are
3, 535, 316, 142, 212, 174, 320 numerical combinations using 20
balls with 80 numbers to choose from.
Dear Mark,
In Las Vegas a few casinos now offer 100X odds on a crap game.
What is the house advantage on this bet? Tim T.
The house edge is 0.09%. As minuscule as this is, Tim,
you better be capitalized to the hilt before you embrace this
wager. Two or three seven-out, line away calls and you're in the
poorhouse.
Dear Mark,
If my playing style in blackjack does not give me a positive
result in computer simulations, will it still help me win in actual
casino gambling? Felix S.
The only playing method that will give you a positive expectation in blackjack is card counting. Period.
Dear Mark,
What I like best about craps, besides winning, is how much fun
it is. Why don't more players enjoy playing the game? Ernie M.
You are correct, Ernie, craps is fun, craps is social, craps
is exciting, but except for an odds wager, all craps bets come
at a cost. Craps is a negative expectation game, meaning that
no matter how you bet, the odds are against you.
I recommend all players treating craps like a bag of M&Ms.
Eat (bet) only the colors (pass line, place bets) you like (a
wager with a low house edge).
Dear Mark,
I heard it is a felony to cheat in a casino in Nevada, even at
a $5 blackjack game. True? Kenneth K.
Be it $5 or $5,000, cheating in a casino is a felony punishable
by up to 10 years in a rudimentary Nevada hostel-prison. Cheating
is one mistake that a misinformed player who romantically envisions
himself as a cagey cat should avoid. Most, if not all, casinos
will prosecute to the full extent of the law.