Blackjack Most people assume that playing Blackjack is all about scoring 21. This is not the case when playing in a casino. Your only objective is to beat the dealer, it doesn't matter whether you hand is worth 21 or 12, as long as you win. All wins pay evens except Blackjack, which pays 3/2 (1.5:1) Your main weapon is the fact that, in most casino rules, the dealer must hit on 16 or below and the dealer must stand on 17 or above. Armed with this knowledge it is possible to formulate a strategy based the value of the dealer's open card. Let's use an example: You have been dealt an 8 and a 5. The dealer's open card is a 5. You may think that a hand of 13 is no good to you but you'd be wrong! Don't forget that the dealer must hit on all scores of 16 or less and 16 is now the maximum score the dealer can have. You stand, the dealer turns over his card to reveal a 10. He has a hand worth 15, normally enough to beat you but because of the casino rules, he has to hit. He hits and draws a 10, he busts and you win with a hand worth 13. Played properly, Blackjack can realise very high percentage returns.

A variety of approaches are used to tackle roulette. Strategies range from the obscure, to the deranged, and cover everything in between. The smartest roulette strategies however, don't seem to ever be published, and especially not on the world wide web. Books publishers selling roulette strategies would feel guilty if they only gave you the simple truth. Instead they spin elaborate strategies based on whatever variable they happen to pull out of the hat that afternoon. Far too often the same people then slap a label of 'roulette system' on their advice, and sell it for much more than they could get for a book. Don't fall for anyone selling a system. If there were a systematic way to beat roulette (by the numbers, not by identifying a dealer's signature) many math professors would drive nicer cars. Instead try to develop your own strategies for roulette. The best way to start is to test out any hunches you have had while playing. The only good way to do this is with the help of some free roulette software. The software also has to let you carry your bankroll from session to session in order for you to properly keep track of your wins and losses. The effectiveness of your strategy can only truly be measured by variable relating to your bankroll. Of particular interest of course, is weather or not you come out ahead in the long run; but almost as important is the degree of fluctuation your bankroll undergoes. When choosing between roulette strategies to try out, look for one that has you pay a lot of attention to your bankroll. Any system designed to distract you from your pocketbook is bad news.