Not all casino games are based purely on luck and speculation. There are mathematical formulas built into games like poker and baccarat. Online casino gamers should try and learn the mathematics behind the casino game and how to beat it for a potential win. This post reviews the mathematical casino games that are also featured in this Vietnamese article, and how to play them.
Know the Odds
The first rule before your wager is to know the odds. We are talking house edge, win probability, return to player percentage, and payout lines for your chosen casino game. As Michael Shackleford, a professor of casino math at Nevada, points out, calculating odds is the initial step to successful gambling.
The house has an edge, which is the competitive advantage lowering the odds. Games such as blackjack have the lowest house edge, which are the ones to wager on. Avoid Keno which has the highest house edge, unless you trust your luck.
Use Math and Strategy
Since casinos use math, you might as well use math to edge them out. Both land-based and online casinos require strategy. The good news is you do not have to develop your own strategy or even understand why it works.
The highest-earning gamblers have already developed strategies for almost any game of skill you can think of, from poker to craps. You can start reading about the Martingale strategy, which involves doubling down on your bet, or the Fibonacci strategy. As you continue on your gambling journey, you are bound to adopt newer strategies. Include all of the techniques in your gambling toolkit.
Understand Sample Spaces and Probabilities
A class in probability and statistics comes in handy during gambling. Consider a deck of cards with 54 cards in four suits to put this into perspective. A deck has four cards of each rank, one in each suit. You can use this information to your advantage. Say you draw an ace; you know that three out of 51 times, the next card will be an ace. The strategy is colloquially known as “card counting.” Card counting is illegal in land-based casinos but not in online casinos.
Understanding the sample spaces in a deck of cards helps you know when to deal and fold. Poker requires apt mastering of cards. Craps is another game that uses sample spaces and probability.
Craps uses dice math, which is simple to learn. Essentially you should know it is easier to roll higher numbers, six and 7s than to roll ones. The probability of rolling a 1 is one out of 36, while rolling a seven is six out of 36.
Get to Know the Expected Value
Skilled gamblers know that events with small probabilities have higher sample spaces. Gamblers use this knowledge to calculate the expected value (EV). EV is the amount you can win from an event. Knowing the EV guides your wager amount and gambling choices.
Consider a simple game of heads or tails. If the gambler wagers $1.50 and wins every time the coin lands heads, then after 100 plays, the gambler would walk away with $25. Compare those earnings to if the gambler had wagered $1.00; the earnings would be zero since the probability of landing a head or tail is equal.
Verdict
You do not have to be a wizard of odds to master the math behind casino gaming. Knowing how to calculate risk and understanding the odds, plus a little strategy, are enough to make you a decent gambler. Increasing your knowledge base increases your prowess at gambling by increasing skill and lowering luck, which is the cocktail for success at online and brick-and-mortar casinos.