Number Card

Number Card

Requesting a card or a hit on 17 or above will do two things: it will mark you as a rank amateur and will make other players abandon your table. There are only four cards to improve your hand with a 17, three with an 18, 2 with a 19 and one with a 20. The odds are stacked against you in every case. With 17 as the player's key point, 6 is the corresponding cutoff card for thedealer's exposed card in determining how you play it, with the deuce or 2 beingthe exception to the rule (refer to "The Terror of the Twos") It is importantto remember: everything is relative to the one card the dealer is showing. Ifthe dealer's exposed card is 3-6, the player has a better chance of winning thanif the dealer is showing a 2, 9, 10 (or face card) or ace. Seven and eight fallin the middle.Generally accepted blackjack theory notes that 18.3 represents the calculatedaverage hand needed to win. In other words, a hand with less than a 19 total(you can't get fractions in blackjack), is potentially a losing hand. If thedealer is showing a 7, 8, 9, or 10-value card, you will need to hit if you haveless than a 17.With a total of 17, you are stuck-you can't take a hit, but your chances aren'tgood. The math of the game says you can't take a card to improve your hand, butthe best you can do is hope the dealer has a 5-10 if he/she is showing a seven.With a 10, you tie, or "push." You don't win, but you don't lose. 5-9 makes thedealer hit once more. If the dealer has an 8, 9, or 10-value card exposed, youhave to hope that there is a 4, 5,6, or 7 in the hole. That will make the dealerneed to take a third card as well and this might put his/her hand over the totalof 21, with a busted hand. As there are more 10-value cards than any other, thechances here are not as bad.When you receive a hard 17, 18, 19, or 20, there is nothing to do except sitback and hope that the dealer's hand isn't as good as yours. You merely indicateto the dealer that you don't want a card and want to stand. Obviously, with a21 or blackjack, there's no need to try to improve your position.

If one color has been coming up a lot, are my odds better by betting with it or against it on the next round? Your odds do not change regardless of whether you choose to bet with the color or against it. Roulette is a game of independent events, where one spin has no effect on the outcome of any other spin. What appear to be patterns actually have no affect on the probabilities associated with the available bets. The chance of hitting red or black on any given spin is always a consistent number. This is sometimes difficult to believe, because we have likely all experienced runs of red or black numbers on the roulette wheel. Statistically though, it is not unlikely for such a run to occur; in fact there is an expectancy to it. Runs of red or black numbers are just as likely as runs with alternating colors. Is there a difference between betting on a combination of numbers and betting on the same numbers individually? If you bet $4 on a split bet that covers four numbers, your expected outcome is equivalent to betting $1 each on the four numbers you're covering. Splitting your bet over the numbers is only beneficial because it is convenient, and it allows you to place multiple small bets if you wish to. Can you beat the house by starting with a table minimum bet on an even-money spot, then doubling-up after every loss and returning to the lowest level when you win? This is commonly referred to as the 'Martingale' betting system, and has been discussed at length in many forums of gambling discussion. The Martingale system does offer a high likelihood of netting a small profit, but pits that likelihood against a low chance that you could lose a major amount. The flaw in the system revolves around upper table limits. If you happen to start into a losing pattern where you are doubling your bet each time, the amount you are betting after a few short losses in a row grows rapidly. Eventually you reach the upper table limit and can no longer recover all of your losses with a win on the next spin. If a player is unlucky enough to lose a number of times in a row, the potential losses are usually seen to greatly outweigh the potential wins.

1 - Red Or Black This bet is very simple, you predict if the number the ball lands on is going to be red or black. Odds are 1:1.
2 - 1-18 Or 19-24 Predict if the number the balls lands on will be in the lower half (numbers 1 to 18) or the upper half (19 to 30) If 0 or 00 shows up then you lose no matter what half you have picked. The odds are 1:1.
3 - Odd Or Even Choose whether you think the number will be odd or even. 00 and 0 do not count. The odds are 1:1.
4 - 1st 12, 2nd 12 or 3rd 12 The numbers are split into 3 sets of 12 and you choose which section the number will be in. 0 and 00 are not included in the bet. Odds are 2:1.
5 - Column 12's The same as the above but the 12 are going downwards so they are not in order. Also pays 2:1.
6 - Number Bet A chip is placed on one number so the only chance of winning is if that number comes out. Odds are 35:1, the highest paying bet.
7 - Corner Bet Chips placed where the corners of 4 numbers meet so if one of the 4 numbers surrounding your chip shows up, you win. Odds are 8:1.
8 - Between Two Numbers The chip is placed on the center of the line in between two numbers. If one of the numbers show up you win. Odds are 17:1.
9 - Two Row Bet Placing the chip here covers two rows of numbers. For example, a chip placed where number 9 is would cover numbers 22 through to 27. Has to be placed on the right hand side on the line between the two rows you would like. Odds are 5:1.
10 - One Row Bet This bet covers three numbers, for instance if you placed a chip where number 10 is on the diagram you would be betting on numbers 19, 20 and 21. Odds are 11:1.
11 - 5 Number Bet The only place to make a 5 number bet on the board. This bet covers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. The odds are 6:1.

Outside Bets

The outside bets on a roulette board are simply the bets that reside 'outside' of the main playing area of 38 (yes, sometimes 37) numbers. There are no winning outside bets for 0 or 00 results. This is what gives the casino the majority of its house edge; people love to play the outside bets because they often seem like a 50/50 chance, when in fact they are slightly less than a 50/50 chance.

Red or Black - You can choose to bet on the outcome either being a red number, or a black number. Place this bet right in the area with the words 'red' or 'black' in them, which should be easy to reach from beside the table. Don't fall into the classic mind trick of assuming that if 5 blacks were spun, there is a better than 50% chance the sixth spin will be red. This is not logical and the reason why is described in more detail on the roulette system page. The Red/Black bet is paid even money, meaning if you bet $5, you win $5.

Odd or Even- Similar to the Red/Black bet, this even money bet is based on whether the number will be odd or even. Since 0 does not count as either, there are 36 numbers, an even count between odd and even. Place this bet by putting your chips in the middle of the square marked 'even' or the square marked 'odd', which will usually reside on either side of the black / red betting area.

Low or high - This bet lets you predict whether you think the next number to come up will be part of the range from 1 to 18, or part of the range from 19 to 36. This is an even money bet. To place this bet put your chips in the boxes with the associated number range printed in them.

Columns - At one end of the set of 38 numbers are boxes with the words '2 to 1' written in them. Each box is part of a column of numbers (if you extend a line up the body of the inside of the betting area) If a number from within the column you are betting on comes up you win, and you're paid 2 to 1.

Dozens - a bet very similar to the columns bet, dozens lets you place a bet on either the first dozen numbers (1-12), the second dozen (13-24), or the third dozen (25-36) To place this bet find the rectangular areas located in between the first outside bets (red/black, odd/even, etc) and the inside board spread. These will usually be labeled with the words 1st 12, 2nd 12, and 3rd 12. The bet pays 2 to 1.

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