zoombie
zoombie
  • Threads: 1
  • Posts: 1
Joined: Feb 14, 2014
February 14th, 2014 at 7:01:20 PM permalink
Is there any games/system that would produce no profit or smallest loss that involves two players or more? The reason why I'm asking is because i'm not after the wins but rather than rewards the casino offered for gambling there.
sodawater
sodawater
  • Threads: 64
  • Posts: 3321
Joined: May 14, 2012
February 14th, 2014 at 7:14:02 PM permalink
If you're thinking of using a second player to opposite bet on you on tables, like baccarat, craps, roulette, that won't work. You will lose twice as much in the long run than if you just bet one side with one player.

If you master card counting and basic strategy in a good BJ game, you can definitely get a break even game and play for comps. But it takes a little effort.

Also, there are some video poker machines with good paytables that are close to break-even, and some are even player advantage.
AxiomOfChoice
AxiomOfChoice
  • Threads: 32
  • Posts: 5761
Joined: Sep 12, 2012
February 14th, 2014 at 7:14:11 PM permalink
Nope. Making multiple bets doesn't alter the house edge. If one bet has an expected loss of $1, then 2 bets (even if they oppose each other) have an expected loss of $2.

You can control variance in this way, but not change the edge. The edge is the edge is the edge, and it is a percent of the total amount bet. If you believe this now you will save yourself a lot of time and pain.

If you want to scam comps, what you really want to do (IMO) is find a game that is over-comped. By which, I mean, the value of the comps that the casino gives you exceeds your expected loss. The problem with this is that you still need a bankroll (you will have fluctuations!).

This can be hard to do, but, basically, you want a game that has a very low house edge when played properly, but that most players don't play properly (and so they lost much more on average). Here are a few suggestions; there may be other opportunities.

1. Video poker. With good paytables, it's possible to find games with will under half a percent edge, if you play perfectly. Of course, playing perfectly is the hard part. It's not uncommon for freeplay + comps + mailers to have a higher value than your expected loss for a game with a good paytable.

2. Blackjack. A good game has a tiny house edge, and counting just enough to break even will probably not attract any attention (ie, it's not going to get you kicked out) and it's not that hard to do. But, again, you need to learn to play properly, and learn to count, and not make it obvious that you're counting.

3. Carnie games with low house edges, where people have the opportunity to play terribly. Ultimate Texas Hold'em comes to mind. Most people probably give up 5x or more edge than they should by playing too passively. You have to find a place that comps it well, and learn to play perfectly (or close to perfectly). Looking for slow games (ie, full tables) is to your advantage too, since you are losing money on every hand (on average). You are being comped per hour of play, so the fewer hands you play per hour, the better.

Again, there may be more. You are unlikely to find something that requires absolutely no skill. At the very least you are going to need to learn a strategy that most people don't know.

Doing something like betting red and black at the same time on roulette, or pass and don't pass at the same time at craps DOES NOT WORK. Your expected loss is the same. There is NO DIFFERENCE in expectation between betting $100 on red vs betting $50 on black and $50 on red. The variance is just lower (ie, the swings are smaller) but at the end of the year you will have lost the same amount of money.
beachbumbabs
beachbumbabs
  • Threads: 100
  • Posts: 14260
Joined: May 21, 2013
February 14th, 2014 at 7:14:46 PM permalink
Quote: zoombie

Is there any games/system that would produce no profit or smallest loss that involves two players or more? The reason why I'm asking is because i'm not after the wins but rather than rewards the casino offered for gambling there.



The casinos are a little ahead of you, there. The most even-money games for the player have the worst comps. The formulas for rating are mostly proprietary, but you will get your worst comps on Baccarat and PaiGowPoker, pretty lousy ones on Blackjack and Craps and Video Poker, ok but not great comps on most carnival games and roulette, and your best comps on slots and keno.

A while back when I was playing a lot, I had played 8 hours straight on PaiGowPoker, not missing a hand, with an average bet around $68/hand (split between 2, but rated for the entire amount). I asked my friendly pit supe what that had gotten me at 6am, when the comps rolled over to a new day. The answer: $6. Had I spent that kind of money on slots (given that the HE is much higher) it would have been worth about $300 in comps. And the comps have only tightened up since then.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
endermike
endermike
  • Threads: 7
  • Posts: 584
Joined: Dec 10, 2013
February 14th, 2014 at 7:14:49 PM permalink
Deleted due to much better posts ninjaing me
AxiomOfChoice
AxiomOfChoice
  • Threads: 32
  • Posts: 5761
Joined: Sep 12, 2012
February 14th, 2014 at 7:25:45 PM permalink
Quote: beachbumbabs

The casinos are a little ahead of you, there. The most even-money games for the player have the worst comps. The formulas for rating are mostly proprietary, but you will get your worst comps on Baccarat and PaiGowPoker, pretty lousy ones on Blackjack and Craps and Video Poker, ok but not great comps on most carnival games and roulette, and your best comps on slots and keno.

A while back when I was playing a lot, I had played 8 hours straight on PaiGowPoker, not missing a hand, with an average bet around $68/hand (split between 2, but rated for the entire amount). I asked my friendly pit supe what that had gotten me at 6am, when the comps rolled over to a new day. The answer: $6. Had I spent that kind of money on slots (given that the HE is much higher) it would have been worth about $300 in comps. And the comps have only tightened up since then.



Wow, that sucks. A lot of place comp a lot better than that.

Note that if you're not banking, the house edge on PGP is not that low. It's around the same as the carnie games. In fairness, it is a slow game, but no slower than most of the poker-based carnie games.
Mission146
Mission146
  • Threads: 142
  • Posts: 16832
Joined: May 15, 2012
February 14th, 2014 at 7:49:03 PM permalink
Define, "Smallest loss," otherwise the answer is no.

Even then, you would still have to risk a reasonable sum (read: reasonable loss) in order for the casino to give you anything.

Your main options here are a Player/Banker split at Baccarat, but keep in mind that you eat 5% of every Banker win. You could go with the Doey-Don't at Craps either with or without a Midnight hedge, and you could go Red/Black at Roulette with or without a 0/00 hedge.

The Midnight bet on Craps has a higher House Edge than the main bets, but in terms of the House Edge percentage of your overall action, you're probably going to be better off with that than Roulette assuming you want to get credited for the same bet amounts.

Baccarat will clearly have the lowest House Edge of them all, but will have higher minimum bets. Baccarat is also going to play faster than Craps, and a major consideration when it comes to discretionary comps based on Tables games action is time played along with average bet. If you are betting $100 on each side, and decide you want to lose no more than $100, overall, that's twenty Banker wins which means based on Wizard's 72 hands per hour:

https://wizardofodds.com/gambling/house-edge/

72 * 0.458597 = 33.018984

That means, out of 72 hands, you expect 33 of them to go Banker. Your overall loss limit is $100, so 20/33.018984 = 0.60571215637

Which means you'll be at the table for about 36 minutes.

You might fare better on Craps if you are willing to accept the possibility of going down $100 in one roll. $100 Doey-Don't, if the Come Out roll is Midnight (12) you lose your $100. You could have the Pass Line player hedge with a $4 bet on 12 (12 actually causes a $20 profit, in that event) for the Come Out roll, but then you'll lose $4 on 35/36 decisions.

That, and what you are doing will be painfully obvious to most people, so don't expect the comps (in value) to exceed the amount of losses that you'll be expected to take.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
bw
bw
  • Threads: 7
  • Posts: 305
Joined: Aug 9, 2012
February 14th, 2014 at 7:53:40 PM permalink
Quote: beachbumbabs

The casinos are a little ahead of you, there. The most even-money games for the player have the worst comps. The formulas for rating are mostly proprietary, but you will get your worst comps on Baccarat and PaiGowPoker, pretty lousy ones on Blackjack and Craps and Video Poker, ok but not great comps on most carnival games and roulette, and your best comps on slots and keno.

A while back when I was playing a lot, I had played 8 hours straight on PaiGowPoker, not missing a hand, with an average bet around $68/hand (split between 2, but rated for the entire amount). I asked my friendly pit supe what that had gotten me at 6am, when the comps rolled over to a new day. The answer: $6. Had I spent that kind of money on slots (given that the HE is much higher) it would have been worth about $300 in comps. And the comps have only tightened up since then.



Borgata will give you about $50-$60 comps for that much play.
EvenBob
EvenBob
  • Threads: 441
  • Posts: 28574
Joined: Jul 18, 2010
February 14th, 2014 at 9:04:28 PM permalink
Quote: beachbumbabs

I asked my friendly pit supe what that had gotten me at 6am, when the comps rolled over to a new day. The answer: $6.



Even worse at roulette, it would have been zero.
That's the excuse I give for not using a card,
I just say roulette pays nothing in comps and
they never argue with me.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
  • Jump to: