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Dear Mark,
While playing roulette, I hit the winning number (16), plus I also had a $50 winning bet on red. I did not immediately pick up my chips, and the following number was 22, which of course is black. I had no intention of playing red or 16 again as I do not play repeat numbers or colors. Why didn't the dealer just give me my total amount? Betty B.
My first inclination, Betty, is to chastise you for making $50 wagers on a game without knowing all the rules. But I'll be politically correct and grieve with you your loss. Nevertheless, a boo-boo on your part, Betty, not the dealer's, to have failed to pick up your winnings or your original wager, thereby telling the dealer that the bet rides.
In roulette, dealers in a casino always leave the winning bet on the layout. Your payoff on the inside wagers (numbers) is slid to you, but it is your responsibility to remove the winning bet if you do not want to play on the following spin. Outside wagers (red/black, odd/even, columns, etc.) will be left alongside your original winning wager.
Dear Mark,
Let's say I like a particular sport team that is the underdog. Is there a wager I can make without the points, but getting a higher return than betting the usual $11 to win $10? Barry K.
If, Barry, you are interested in assuming more risk, without points by betting the underdog, you would make a money line bet. A money line bet, or simply called "the line," is a wager on the straight-up total of an event where a favorite involves laying odds, or putting up more money than will be won, and a bet on the underdog involves taking odds.
Examine the sports board closely, and you will notice that there are two totals given for each team on a money line bet, a negative and a plus side.
For example, the board could read something like this: Los Angeles Lakers -190, Detroit Pistons +170. This means that for every $19 you bet on Los Angeles, you will win $10. For every $10 you bet on Detroit, the underdog, you win $17 if they win. Note how the casino penalizes you for betting on the Lakers, making you bet a lot to win a little. But in your question, you want to bet a dog, like Detroit. The potential profit of $17 for every $10 you wager might be worth the risk to you.
From the linemaker's perspective, the money line is an estimate of the probability of a particular team's winning, plus or minus a small portion taken by the house as vigorish, or commission for each online sportsbook bet wagered.
Dear Mark,
What exactly is a "blind" bet, and in which poker games are they used? Alfred S.
A blind bet is an alternative to an ante for getting the initial money in the pot. It is a required wager that must be posted before you get to see any of your cards. You will find blinds used more often in "flop games" like Omaha and Hold'em than in games like Draw and Stud.
Dear Mark,
In craps, is there a difference in "field" bets from casino to casino? Jeff G.
Those who play the field should find casinos that offer triple (rather than double) on the 12. This lowers the casino edge from 5.6% to 2.8% in craps.
Gambling thought of the week: "After five days in Vegas you feel like you've been here for five years." -Hunter S. Thompson For more gambling strategy tips by Mark, check out the Deal Me In index page
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Player or dealer mistake