Baccarat can be played online or in a live casino. In a live casino the player can play out in the casino at a table or in the baccarat room. In any of these situations it is legal for the player to keep a running track of the last hand and whether it was a bank, player or tie hand.
On a Baccarat Card this is easy to do as the player just marks the squares in a column for the player or the bank win or draws a line through both which signifies a tie hand. When several hands have been played and from then on it is easier to see if there is a trend or a pattern developing. For this reason many baccarat players use the Baccarat Score Card to look for trends and patterns. After each deal, the player marks the card an looks for obvious trends or patterns. A trend is a number of hands on the same side of the shoe, like four banks in a row or five players in a row. A pattern is the hands repeat a sequence again and again. When this happens in a shoe, the chances to make money are improved dramatically. When to play for a trend and when to buck a trend is why they call it gambling. The best philosophy is not to buck a trend, play for a continuation, but if uncomfortable lower the bet to the minimum.
Bucking the trend is the easiest way to turn a loss into a big loss.

If a pattern is present, play it for a few bets to see if it continues. If the pattern stays whole, then the money will flow in, like an explorer following a map gets to the promised land. I have seen a pattern last the whole column on a Baccarat Score Card. That is a huge number of winning hands. Playing baccarat is about planning ahead and then following the plan. Once a player deviates from their plan, they are gambling, which means they are guessing and depending on luck. The reason to play baccarat is it can be beat by playing with a plan that takes advantage of trends and no trends like a shoe that flip flops back and forth between bank and player. By the way this is the hardest pattern that a player can follow. All of these ideas work when playing baccarat. High rollers like this game for one basic reason, the trends and patterns and the fact that the house cannot change a shoe after it has been shuffled, put in the shoe and put in play. Also the limits on the game are usually the highest in the casino per bet.

Gambling attracts all types of personalities. Some have a great deal of class and some have no idea what class is all about. This happening was the perfect end to a gambler with no class.

Casino sports books are filled with an interesting melting pot of people. In this particular sports book there was a fellow that only played chalk horses. When they won about a third of the time, he would yell at the top of his lungs, “Who didn’t know that” Every horse player knows that playing favorites all of the time is a sure way to lose money. His constant yelling about some 6 to 5 win was getting on all the other horse players nerves and when he was asked to cool it he just refused to do it and yelled even louder on the next even money favorite that won for him. His yell, was always the same, “Who didn’t know that”

One very bright horse handicapper put the hammer to him one day when a situation that he had been waiting for came about. Mr. Obnoxious was yelling before the race about a horse that he stated had no chance of losing. It could not lose. The race unfolded just as he thought it would with his chalk horse in front coming into the stretch. Then a horse that the superior handicapper liked made his move, at the 16th pole the two horses were running neck and neck. As they got closer to the finish line the favorite got short legged and the 12 to one shot moved out in front to stay. The race ended with Mr. Obnoxious bemoaning the fact that his sure thing lost due to the jockey and that the other horse must have been doped up. Then at the top of his lungs the horse player that had wagered on the 12 to one shot, yelled as loud as he could, “Who didn’t know that” The punters seated in the little area that the horse players used for handicapping, began to laugh out loud until the whole room filled with laughter. “Who didn’t know that” they began to chant. Mr. Obnoxious left and never returned to the room where he got verbally spanked. If someone wanted to get a laugh after that, all they had to do was yell “Who didn’t know that’, as the race ended.

Baccarat is a game of streaks and players that take advantage of this facet of the game can make a great deal of money. Baccarat is dealt from a shoe with six to eight decks making up the cards in the shoe. Once the shoe is shuffled and set for play, there is no way the house can change the run of the cards. For this reason it is not unusual to see runs of winning hands on the bank side of the game or the players side of the game. Players that follow the last winning hand do this in hopes of the streak lasting for a few hands. It is not at all unusual for a winning side to have three or four winning hands in a row. If the streak last longer than that maybe it will approach ten or 15 winning hands in a row on one side of the shoe. One rule that should be etched in stone is never try to figure out when a streak will end and play against the trend. This is a great way to lose more than an ego play is worth.

Playing against a streak is not wise and if the streak has gone past the player’s comfort level the play is to stay with the streak, but cut the wager to the minimum. When players are having a winning time, the best wager is the double of the bet for a couple of hands and then revert back to the initial level of wager. This will accumulate money during the streak and prevent giving it all back when the streak ends. Follow the shoe is the favorite play of most baccarat players. Any other method is guessing most times. The one exception is the player that keeps track of hands on a card and watches for patterns. These do happen in baccarat and these patterns are sometimes worth playing. Patterns do repeat and players are wise to look for them Not all winning plays can be planned and luck does enter into it. But planing does let a player take advantage of the luck that is falling their way. Luck should be taken advantage of or there is no reason to gamble. Baccarat is one of the games that high rollers like to play due to its streakiness. They understand that the game is one that can be played for a run on one side or the other.

This rush is a little harder to note. It is seen when sectors of the wheel begin to come up more often or some numbers on the table repeat. This takes patience by the player and being on the lookout for these sequences during many spins. This type of gambling takes close observation of the table and what is going on. If the player is not willing to spend this kind of energy on the game, then the next best step is just depend on blind luck. Do not be afraid to play a sector over and over or a column as these groups of numbers can come in clumps that repeat.

The secret is watching for repeating numbers, sectors or columns. These small rushes will normally not last a long time like a hot dice table, but they do give the player a chance to catch a few doubled bets. Betting on repeating colors or odd or even is the hard way to beat roulette as the odds on these bets are only even money. The repeats that make sense to play are the ones that pay better odds. The game is all about catching odds plays with doubled bets. This is the way to cover the obligatory losers. Another thing to do in roulette is set a loss limit and a session time limit. When either is hit, it is time to quit. This will help to control losses and prevent playing sessions from getting out of hand.
When a rush is in play, do not go overboard and bet too much of the accumulated winnings on one play. This play can offset to many winning plays all at once. Never give back all that has been won on one play. This is a stupid play even if it wins. Plays like this play into the casino’s game and against the players best interest. Smart plays are thinking plays such as seeing a pattern that repeats over and over. If the player is not observant, the bet will be missed and the opportunity to make money. This idea or philosophy of play make sense over an extended period of time. Doing a plan that has merit is not silly or a waste of time. Doing any activity without a plan leads to mistakes and trouble. Planning ahead of time makes gambling easier as the player knows what they should do in any live situation. Watchful players are winning players in the long run.

In a live casino a rush at a dice table is one of the most exciting gaming experiences that a gambler can have. How to take advantage of such a rush is what this article is all about. The definition of a dice table rush is a series of passes that are absent the dreaded seven except on the come out roll. When each shooter is throwing nothing but numbers for many rolls this is a a dice table rush. The start of such a rush is slow and building like a train pulling out of the station. At first the shooters are holding the dice for two or three passes, then the pass number begins to climb and one shooter suddenly holds the dice for ten or twelve passes. After this the number of passes increases with just about any shooter.

The way to take advantage of this situation is to make ever increasing size bets on the come line and take the odds behind the number. The hardways and eleven twelve are good bets on the come out roll. When a hardway rolls double the bet as it can roll again. I have seen a hardway repeat five times before it came up soft. The bets on the pass line should be maximized as quickly as possible and the maximum bet taken behind the line. This can go on for a period of time depending on how hot the rush is. Another bet that can be taken during this number rush is place bets and buying the four and the ten. Stay away from field bets or big six or big eight bets. These are lousy bets on a dice table as they do not pay the correct odds. Push prop bets like eleven and twelve as these number are known to repeat two or more times. Double up on any winning bet as the payoff is 15 to one on the eleven and 30 to one on the twelve.

I have personally bet this bet starting with $25 on each number and had either number repeat four times. With each win the wager was doubled. Do not try to figure out when the rush will end. The dice will tell when the rush is over and the numbers will stop repeating or a seven will show early in a number of come out rolls after the point is made. When this becomes apparent, it is time to walk away from the dice table.

Respect at the poker table is like money in the bank. Players that have the respect of only playing well and tight most of the time are given credit for a good hand when they raise any pot. Other players are not willing to make marginal plays against this type of player. If they reraise, the odds are that the raiser may have the solid player beat, however a marginal gambling raise is ill advised against this type of player as they are likely to come back over the top if they think they have the winning hand. Consistent good players are difficult to beat in a poker game as they rarely make a serious mistake about a hand. When they call or raise, another player may not call on a marginal hand. Players like this make other players change their game as the gambling player would rather take their chances against another gambling player. The odds are far better for them in that situation than against a tight player.

Respect also lets the tight player pull off bluffs with greater ease than other players. Their reputation precedes them and helps them gain an edge when pulling off a bluff. A solid player only need bet the hand like it is the holy grail and the other players will fold unless they have been dealt a monster. Since most pots are won in Holdem by a big pair, two pair or trips, the bluffer has an advantage when setting up the bluff. If the other players are only holding a pair it is difficult to call a sizable wager on such a hand. Reputation is like an extra card in the hands of very good players that also are willing to bluff from time to time.

This type of player has an edge in tournaments as other players are not willing to risk their tournament chances on an over aggressive call. This is a huge advantage to this type of player and those with this known reputation will use it to their playing advantage. Dan Harrington is such a tournament player and he gets a great deal or respect when in a pot.
The only way to get this respect is to play well over and extended period of time and rarely if ever move away from this type of play. A tight player will rarely go on tilt and start playing wildly or throwing their chips around. It is against their nature to play this way and this would be out of character for them. Become one of these player types and it is far easier to book winning sessions. A consistent poker winner is a goal that can be obtained, but it takes discipline, skill and hand experience to achieve the goal. Sticking with a style of play when it is not working is very hard to do for most players. This is where the discipline comes into play and the player that sticks with a winning plan will prevail in the long run. Enjoy the game but do not play like a crazy person when the luck is not on your side.

This once popular game used to be played in every card room in California until Holdem took over. The game was just the opposite of draw poker where the high hand wins. The best Low Ball hand was Ace through Five suited or unsuited. There was the added touch of a Joker that could be used for any missing card. The game was simple to play like draw poker. Each player was dealt five cards face down and a round of betting was completed. When completed the dealer asked each player how many cards they wished to draw too. Most players would limit their draw to one or two cards. The usual good hand was a seven high with no pairs. Any hand that had a lower high card was considered to be a winning hand until it was proven differently. When a player ended up with a wheel, Ace through five, they could only be tied and never could lose with this hand. This game was extremely popular for many years in back room card rooms and even in some live casinos in Reno and Vegas.

There were problems with the game as players usually took turn dealing the cards. Some players were better at dealing than they should have been and there was an undercurrent of possible cheating going on. For this reason, many card rooms started using house dealers to take away any perception of fake dealing. For many years this game made good players a great deal of money and poor players would remain the drained pigeons. The game become an after thought with the growth of Holdem and when California allowed it to be dealt legally that ended the reign of Low Ball. Also the casinos were more interested in dealing stud or Holdem than Low Ball. There are sites online that still spread this game and there are players that still are willing to play, but the game has long since lost its audience. It was fun while it lasted and players were willing to gamble on low hands. The Holdem craze changed a great deal of games in the poker world. Ring games and tournaments have become the way to go for most sites that offer poker.

Keno

Keno is offered at online casinos and at live casinos. The game is an adaption of a game that has been played in Ching for centuries. The casinos are happy to offer the game as players seem to like it and the odds are heavily in favor of the house. This makes this game a great money maker for the casino.

The game is played with 80 numbered balls which are put in a machine that floats them in an air column and then the machine selects one ball at a time until 20 balls have been picked. Before the game started the player marked a ticket with their number picks. They could have played a single number pick, a four spot, the four corners and an eight spot. All of these games could have been played on one ticket. This is a common ticket with players that have favorite numbers or combinations.

At a live casino a player could play the game via a keno runner and play slots, poker or other table games at the same time. At lunch or dinner time a player can continue playing during their meal. The casinos will go to extreme lengths to keep the keno player playing the game. Online the keno ticket is just marked and played like any other game in the online casino. The reason to play this game is all about having a hunch.

There is no skill or strategy that will help a player in this game. This game is all about pure luck. Most players will pick their numbers and continue to play them while they are online or in the live casino. The idea is not to miss a game.

The game is not very exciting unless you get a three or four numbers early in the game and then the breath comes in short gasps as each succeeding number is called or put on the game board. When a player gets five numbers on an eight spot they are in the cats bird seat. Any number after that will mean a nice payoff. All three would be a significant amount of money.

When players are choosing where to sit in a live Blackjack game, many players take the last seat at the table before the dealer in getting the dealt cards. This should be one of the seats taken even if the player is playing more than one hand This last seat at the table is known as “third base” among veteran Blackjack players. The reasons for taking this position in preference to others at the table is simple. This position can take a card or decline it depending on what the dealer is showing in an up card. When the dealer is showing a break card, the player with a bad drawing hand can elect to let the dealer take a potential break card and not take a card that may break their hand. Many players will leave a table that has a player playing the “third base” position like an idiot. Others will not play at a table if they can not have the last position.

Another advantage of this position is the player gets to see the dealt cards that other players take when hitting their hands. If the payer is counting cards, this is a preferred seat as the count could change from favorable or to unfavorable before it is the third baseman’s turn to take a hit. To keep it simple, this seat has more going for it than any other seat at the table.

A bad third base play can ruin the chances of winning for the entire table and a solid player in this position can make the table a winner by not hitting a hand when the dealer is showing a break card. One of the winning theories in Blackjack is let the dealer break when possible. This is known as playing for the dealer to break. A run of small cards just before it is the third base player’s turn to take a hit will help this player decide what to do when the dealer is showing a break card. When the last player sees the odds of a large card coming next, it makes sense to let the dealer have the card when the dealer is drawing to a potentially bad hand. Play from the third base seat, you will like it better than others at the table.

When live casinos were owned by individuals, and not big corporations, a player could get a comp without a great deal of trouble. The comp could range from breakfast or lunch to a dinner show and a free room. The pit boss made the decision based on the player’s action and if they were a consistent player at a certain level of wagers.

Online casinos rarely have a comp program like live casinos. The best they can come up with is matching bonuses on deposits and loyalty points based on the players activity.

Now days the comps are controlled by computers and playing cards that tally the players total play. Slot players have a card that they insert in the machine that keeps an accurate record of their wagers. Table game players need to get the attention of the pit boss and make him aware of their level of play. Buy in at the dice table with $500 or a $1000 dollars. Then bet as you want either high stakes or low wagers. The pit boss knows that you have the ability to roll for higher amounts if you want to so they are more interested in the buy in than the specific first wagers. This idea still works at some of the bigger casinos that are not completely new school.

Another way to bring the house into play is make a deposit with the cashier and then play off the computer card they give you that shows you have money on deposit with the house. This works well and the record of your play stays in the computer even if you do not go back for a while. I have used this to get comped in both Vegas and Reno.

One thing about live casinos that does not happen online is the level of excitement that flavors the ambiance of the casino. A hot dice table in a casino is like a huge magnet and people will flock to the table to watch and try to get up to the table so they can play. If the online casinos ever can bring that excitement to their games, the online industry will grow by another dimension. The play in a live casino is all about noise, bells and people yelling and groaning with the play of the dice, the spin of the wheel and the turn of a card. This is not captured online yet, but in a virtual casino it may be possible to do so someday.