What HE level just makes you flatly refuse to bet?

I think I can say no one here has said they will play Keno. But I can see I am a little more picky than some and in fact am now vowing not to bet on the "yo" in craps even though it is convenient for the two-way gesture bet. That has an 11% or so HE, so that seems to be my new forbidden zone; 7-9%, such as the Hard Way 6/8 in Craps, might see me make a fun bet or a two-way gesture bet with a dollar or two once in a while. I really stay away from the rest, and for 99% of my betting will want it to be less than 3% HE. Happiest indeed with less than 1%.

So I thought a poll might be in order.

You might want to take a look at a previous forum topic about the proper HA. On this question though, I can't give you a specific number. Sports bets have a HA of 10-20% but they last a few hours and you can fool yourself into thinking that you have an advantage (in some cases you do). I'm willing to accept a 10-15% HA for a 35-1 payout or even a 95% for a 5 million to 1 payout (lotto). For a bet that I make regularly, I won't go over 2-3% so I stay to placing the 6/8 and pass/come + odds and play BJ. I'll make a random box cars bet or a hard way for a buck and I'll occasionally play roulette.

Quote: ahiromu

You might want to take a look at a previous forum topic about the proper HA.

I may have missed that, if someone can find it.

Quote: odiousgambit

So I thought a poll might be in order.

You may want to rethink the poll choices. For example, 2% or more means an interval between 2% and infinity. Maybe you should offer choices like:

2% or less.
Between 2% and 5%
Up to 5%

That said, in VP I look for the best paytable and as high a return as I can get, ideally full pay deuces wild. But I also play three card poker and Pai Gow Poker because I like to (I avoid the bonus bets). I also play craps when I have the bankroll for it.

Quote: Nareed

2% or more means an interval between 2% and infinity

well, I think that works, actually, although Ahiromu's point that "it depends" on more than HE might find some agreement out there. I am a certain different type of gambler, so I hope the poll isnt a bust.

i think ive wagered a total of $10 on keno in my life. it was always at dinner while waiting for food to arrive.

Such a situation would hardly be reflective of your real values. Its similar to my playing a slot machine with an acquaintance to whom that is what gambling means. We sit and talk and we each play our machines. Its a social obligation for me, its not a gambling decision. We all bet some amount of money from time to time on things with an astronomically high edge such as charity raffles or the like. We all like to keep busy while awaiting the arrival of our meal. For significant amounts of money and significant periods of time, I would never play charity Bingo, but I do it briefly from time to time as part of a social situation with someone who enjoys Bingo.

I play roulette which means 5.26 percent. Thats about it. I don't go higher than that on any sort of sustained basis or with a substantial bankroll. At craps, I avoid center bets and try to stick to Line bets, odds and place bets on the six and eight. So I guess my actual limit is 5.26 percent except for socially mediated situations involving friends and acquaintances wherein there is an unavoidable higher house edge.

Quote: odiousgambit

I think I can say no one here has said they will play Keno.

A standup comedian once called Keno "gambling for people who have lost the will to live". "You give your money to someone who later comes back and tells you you didn't win."

Quote: odiousgambit

But I can see I am a little more picky than some and in fact am now vowing not to bet on the "yo" in craps even though it is convenient for the two-way gesture bet. That has an 11% or so HE, so that seems to be my new forbidden zone; 7-9%, such as the Hard Way 6/8 in Craps, might see me make a fun bet or a two-way gesture bet with a dollar or two once in a while. I really stay away from the rest, and for 99% of my betting will want it to be less than 3% HE. Happiest indeed with less than 1%.

So I thought a poll might be in order.

The HA (HE, whatever) is not the only consideration, in my view. Also important are the amount risked, the payoff and the variance. I will occasionally make a $1 bet on the 12, because I might win $30. The variance is high, the risk low. The reason the proposition bets have high house advantages is that most of them have high variance. You pay for variance. A big exception to that is the Any Seven, which pays only 4:1 and has a 16.67% HA.

For a relatively large payoff, single numbers on roulette pay 35:1 for only a 5.26% HA with double zero.
Cheers,
Alan Shank

I will not wager a cent on a negative value bet. (Unless of course that bet is for the purposes of generating positive value..). For example. I played a dollar through a slot machine in hopes that it'd trigger some kind of bonus slot dollar offer in the future (my friends get these sometimes). The machines don't accept singles though.. so I had to put in a 5 at the minimum. That trick might work with most suckers but once I took my 4 spins at a quarter each I cashed it out, walked to the cashout machine, and got my other $4 back. There's no part of me that enjoys gambling on negative value wagers. I don't bet on crappy side bets even for a dollar for "fun".

You'd have to hold a gun to my head to get me to put $1 on something in roulette.

I'm currently advantage playing for a living. If I was a compulsive gambler this would be a serious problem!

Hell, my requirement just for playing for other purposes (ratings, ratholing checks to generate paper losses) is at minimum a .5% edge my way. I need at least 1% if I'm doing my regular advantage playing, otherwise I will most likely leave the game.