Media quote in the Las Vegas Sun

Liz Bentson quoted me in her article on Baccarat in the Las Vegas Sun . I am hoping some of you might add an intelligent comment to the Sun website.

Quote: Liz Bentson

In search of patterns they think will predict the future, gamblers use different symbols to record winning positions, one after the other, on pieces of paper or score cards provided by the casino and which deliver about the same results as reading tea leaves.Streaks in the game add to the drama. Gamblers tend to believe that streaks — when numbers are randomly drawn again and again — are rare although they occur with some frequency, said Frank Martin, a mathematician and gambling analyst. A streak of eight in a row should happen 50 percent of the time after about 400 flips of a coin, which would be roughly equivalent to a session of baccarat, Martin said. Players don’t concern themselves with the mathematics, however, and simply consider themselves lucky.

Unfortunately she cut the article back from the original version which she sent to me. I was hoping to see my name in print under our hero's name. She told me that her editors frequently cut out or cut back a lot of the mathematics from her articles.

Quote: Liz Bentson (unpublished draft version)

Many baccarat players ³will never believe² the game is random no matter how many times they are told, said Michael Shackleford , a Las Vegas casino consultant and mathematician who devises math formulas underlying slot machines and table games, including variations of traditional baccarat. Unlike blackjack, where players can change their odds by tracking the value of the cards or playing them differently, baccarat outcomes are predetermined, with automatic decisions based on the value of the cards, Shackleford said.

Still, many players keep meticulous records of whether a hand was won by either the ³player² or ³banker² - one of two positions that can be played by either the gambler or the dealer. Gamblers use different symbols to record a win or loss on pieces of paper or scorecards provided by the casino. The results, though random, are much like tea leaves that appear to reveal recognizable shapes in the bottom of a cup. Gamblers will often continue a ³banker² bet if that position has won several times in a row, for example. A gambler may be more willing to try a ³player² bet if the ³banker² bet only wins once before a loss on the next bet, however.

Slightly different rules apply to each position though the same ultimate goal applies: A two- or three-card hand closest to the value of 9 wins. ³Baccarat has no jackpots so it¹s all about the streak,² said Frank Martin , a mathematician and gaming analyst. ³It seems fundamental to human behavior that people think streaks are much more rare than can be proven mathematically.

Quote: pacomartin

....which deliver about the same results as reading tea leaves.

I LOVE that line! Of course, since Baccarat attracts a lot of Asians, and usually only Asians use the scorecards, and tea leaf reading is an Asian art, maybe you're onto something!

Quote: pacomartin/Wiz

...the game is random...
...baccarat outcomes are predetermined...

While I understand what the Wiz is saying, someone who does not know Baccarat could think those statements are contradictory.

Quote: pacomartin

Baccarat has no jackpots so it's all about the streak.

Hmmm.... I think I hear my name being called...

But seriously, unless I'm mistaken, there ARE side bets available, just very unpopular, and therefore, hardly any tables have them. Am I correct?