New Project Ideas

Quote: konceptum

I really wish I had any knowledge whatsoever of how to be a webmaster.

Thanks anyway for offering to help. The "Ask the Wizard" column is not going anywhere, don't worry. The content will stay the basically the same. I'm just thinking about changing the appearance, organization, and behind the scenes coding, to try to have the site look more professional, and less campy and low-budget. JB, by the way, is the new webmaster of WoO, but has been busy on the forum redesign here. Once the dust settles on that I plan to have him turn his attention to the WoO.

I actually like the other site better. I think the WoO front page is much nicer than the six-box WoV opener. Incidently, "distinctive and charming" sounds better than "campy and low-budget."

I would grant you two points though. The top menus on WoO are a little cumbersome. Not bad, but they always make me think there must be a better solution. I don't like the free games either. Or more precisely, I don't like the fixed-with column on both sides of the page. I find that distracting, like reading through a window.

If JB is willing to take any suggestions, not that he really needs any because I do think he does a fabulous job, the only thing I would wish for is a mobile site. I find myself turning on my android-based phone and pulling up the WoO site in order to check games or other math while I'm at a casino. Anyway, just an idea. Oops, what I mean is that the WoO site's menu system on the front page is a little bit harsh on mobile phones. Once you get maneuvered through it, the web pages themselves display fine.

Quote: Wizard

I think 30 rolls an hour is normal for casino conditions, and that is all rolls, not just come out rolls. If this were done as an exhibition, skeptics could claim that removing normal casino annoyances, and the pressure of playing for money, would ruin the experiment. The Wong/Little Joe experiment was strictly done under normal casino conditions. Also, there would be no incentive for any believers to participate who are not selling books or lessons on dice throwing. Why draw attention to yourself and motivate competitors? Still, I don't rule out the idea. If a good opportunity to do this presents itself, I would be happy to be the judge, or help in any capacity.

I think you are low here. When I was in craps dealer class I asked this exact question and was told they "would like" 80 or so rolls per hour. 2 minutes per roll would be an eternity.

Quote: Wizard

Sports betting: I think I've provided some good stuff on sports, especially football. However, that topic gets as deep as the ocean, and I could still go down much deeper. A problem is that I have trouble getting data on what I want to analyze. For example, I've wanted to analyze 5-inning lines in baseball for years, but I can't find inning by inning box score data in a database form.



So, with that, I throw it open to the audience. Any suggestions?

Sorry I came late to this one, but an idea or two on sports:

On football, maybe analyze what are the most predictive factors. Last year I made NFL picks on my then-personal blog (with plans to do so here this year.) I found lesser stats like "yards per attempt" were pretty good. Now, I know one season and not even every game is not projectable, but if you can get your hands on the data for a large enough sample size.........

But football is done to death and anyone who knows betting sports knows you can't make regular money betting only the NFL since there are too few games. Baseball has ten times as many games and action available all but two days for half the year. Baseball is also known as a stat-junkies heaven. If you could pick a stat at a time and show what matters and what does not, what moneyline gives value on an underdog and when is the moneyline so far out there is no chance (+250?) I know some of this is available at WoO but keep it going.

Same with NBA and NHL. And I'd like to see some betting stategies for "grinders" who want to bet maybe 1% of a bankroll at a time but are looking to do good over a whole season vs one or two "jackpots."

Quote: konceptum

If JB is willing to take any suggestions, not that he really needs any because I do think he does a fabulous job, the only thing I would wish for is a mobile site.

I second this. If I'm in a casino and see a new game that I sort of remember being analyzed on WoO, but can't recall the strategy, a mobile site (or app) would hit the spot.

Quote: AZDuffman

I think you are low here. When I was in craps dealer class I asked this exact question and was told they "would like" 80 or so rolls per hour. 2 minutes per roll would be an eternity.

I asked this very question of a floor supervisor at Chinook Winds this weekend. She said they average 45s/roll (or 80 rolls/hour), and she considered her dealers "break-in". She did allow that in a more experienced pit, 120 rolls/hour or 30s/roll might be closer to the norm.

Assigning comps to craps players must be a bitch.

You have some bets - such as the field - that are decided on every roll.

Then, you have other bets, such as the line bets, that are only decided when a specific number comes up, or a seven comes up. And, in addition can be placed or taken down at any time. Even if they are taken down, they can still appear on the layout and be mistakenly interpreted as action in play.

Finally, you have the Pass/Don't pass bets which must remain in play (well, I guess technically you can be an idiot and take down your Don't Pass bet) until a final decision on the roll is determined.

The total action - from a comps standpoint - must be based upon the average bet times the number of decisions per hour, not the number of rolls per hour.

How the hell do they keep it all straight?

Quote: Wizard

I'm kicking around various ideas in my head for WoO, but nothing in the works. One idea I'm considering is doing instructional videos on YouTube. I prefer to stick to analyzing games, but as I've lamented, I am running dry on games to analyze.

It's going to get harder to obtain patents on new games after some recent court rulings and USPTO changes, so the volume may decrease further. Plus, the rules have recently changed in NV to let the NGCB charge new-game fees and require trials for side bets. I don't know whether the NGCB has actually changed their process (I just asked, stay tuned) but if they have there will be a dramatic drop in the number of new side bets coming down the pipe.

That said, what's your criteria for deciding when to analyze a new game? Are you looking for live casino placements, and if so, how many (and where)?

I enjoy the various reviews and articles on the site. So I think it would
be fun to read what the Wiz's take is on other gambling areas, like the mid-west.

It would kind of be a Wizard Roadshow feature.

For example, I've heard that French Lick Casino in Indiana is very, very
nice. And I can vouch for that for Belterra, which is also in Indiana.

Maybe this wouldn't be of interest to everyone. But I do see a lot of
non-Vegas comments in the forums.

How often do you have the opportunity / interest to see or stay at
Casinos outside of Nevada ?

This isn't a new career or anything, just a side project.