Gambling.Now!

Ever wonder the REAL rules of poker and what hands trump the other hands? Complete listing winning hands.

Five of a Kind

A Five of a Kind is the highest possible poker hand. This hand consists of five cards of the same rank regardless of suit. If more than one player a has Five of a Kind, the higher card value wins, five Aces beats five Kings, which beat Five queens, and so on. A Five of a Kind is only possible when wilds cards are being used.

Royal Flush

A Royal Flush is an Ace high Straight Flush, A-K-Q-J-10. It gets it’s own special name because the Royal Flush is the best natural poker hand. Natural just means the hand is possible without any wild card. See below for the definition of a Straight Flush.

Straight Flush
The Straight Flush is a combination between a Straight and a Flush; clever name isn’t it. A Straight is five cards in sequential order, such as 4-5-6-7-8. In most poker variations an Ace can be either high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-1). A Straight may not wraparound, such as Q-K-A-2-3. This hand would not be a Straight. A Flush is five cards of the same suit. Therefore, a Straight Flush is 5 cards in sequential order that are all the same suit. If you hand had a 6 of clubs, 7 of clubs, 8 of clubs, 9 of clubs and 10 of clubs you would have a Straight Flush, and probably be pretty happy.

Four of a Kind
Four of a Kind is simply four cards of the same rank regardless of suit. If there are two or more hands that qualify, the hand with the higher rank Four of a Kind wins. If you find yourself in a situation where two players have a Four of a Kind with the same rank, then the hand with the highest card outside the Four of the Kind wins. So 4-4-4-4-A would beat 4-4-4-4-9.

Full House
A Full House is a Three of a Kind and a Pair, such as Q-Q-Q-3-3. Ties are broken first by the Three of a Kind, then by the Pair. So Q-Q-Q-3-3 beats 9-9-9-A-A and 9-9-9-A-A beats 9-9-9-Q-Q.

Flush
A Flush is a hand where all of the cards are the same suit. When two or more players have a Flush, follow the rules below for High Card.

Straight
A Straight consists of five cards of any suit in sequential order, such as 5-6-7-8-9. As mentioned in the Straight Flush, an Ace can be either high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-1) but cannot wraparound (Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight). When two players have Straight the hand with the higher rank high card wins. So 6-7-8-9-10 beats 3-4-5-6-7. If two Straights have the same high card value they split the pot.

Three of a Kind
A Three of a Kind is three cards that have the same rank. If your other two cards are a Pair then you’ve got a Full House not a Three of a Kind (and you should bet more!) If two or more players have a Three of a Kind then the highest rank cards win. If both are the same rank, follow the rules below for High Card.

Two Pair
The Two Pair hand is two distinct Pairs of cards that have the same rank and a 5th card of a different rank. K-K-Q-Q-5 would be a Two Pair. The highest Pair wins ties. If both hands have the same high Pair, the second Pair wins. If both hands have the same set of Pairs, follow the rules below for High Card.

Pair
A Pair is two cards of the same rank with three other distinct cards. Use the High Card rules for tiebreakers.

High Card
High Card is any combination that does not qualify as one of the poker hands above. If no one has a pair or better, then the highest card wins. If multiple people tie for the highest card, then look at the second highest, then the third highest etc. High Card is also used to break ties when other top poker hands have the same rank.

In gambling, the [tag]odds[/tag] on display do not represent the true chances that the event will occur, but are the amounts that the bookmaker will pay out on winning bets. In formulating his odds to display the bookmaker will have included a profit margin which effectively means that the payout to a successful punter is less than that represented by the true chance of the event occurring. This profit is known as the ‘[tag]over-round[/tag]‘ on the ‘[tag]book[/tag]‘ (the ‘book’ relates to the old-fashioned ledger that wagers were recorded in and thus gives us the term ‘bookmaker’) and relates to the sum of the ‘odds’ in the following way:

In a 3-horse race, for example, the true chances of each of the horses winning based on their relative abilities may be 50%, 40% and 10%. These are the relative probabilities of the horses winning and are simply the bookmaker’s ‘odds’ multiplied by 100 for convenience. The total of these three percentages is 100, thus representing a fair ‘book’. The true odds of winning for each of the three horses is Evens, 6-4 and 9-1 respectively. In order to generate a profit on the wagers accepted by the bookmaker he may decide to increase the values to 60%, 50% and 20% for the three horses, representing odds of 4-6, Evens and 4-1. These values now total 130, meaning that the book has an overround of 30 (130 – 100). This value of 30 represents the amount of profit for the bookmaker if he accepts bets in the correct proportions on each of the horses: he will take in, for example, £130 in wagers and only pay £100 back (including stakes) no matter which horse wins. Thus is the art of [tag]bookmaking[/tag]!

[tag]Profit[/tag]ing in gambling involves predicting the relationship of the true probabilities to the payout odds. If you can consistently make bets where the odds of paying out are better (pay out more) than the true odds of the event, then over time (in theory) you will come out ahead.

The odds or amounts the bookmaker will pay are determined by the amounts bet on each of the respective possible events. They reflect the balance of wagers on either side of the event, and include the deduction of a bookmaker’s brokerage fee (“vig” or vigorish).

[tag]Canasta[/tag] is a matching card game in which the object is to create melds of [tag]cards[/tag] of the same rank and then go out by playing or discarding all the cards in your hand.

The distinctive feature of Canasta, as opposed to other Rummy [tag]games[/tag], is that making a seven-card [tag]meld[/tag], called a canasta, gives the player a huge bonus, and the number of canastas made usually decides the game. Another distinctive feature is that in Canasta, when a player picks up cards from the discard pile, the player picks up the entire pile, as opposed to only the top card in most other Rummy games (but see also 500 Rum).

These differences in rules produce differences in play. Whereas in ordinary [tag]Rummy[/tag], the goal is to go out fast, and having cards in your hand is generally bad, the goal in Canasta is to build canastas, which requires many cards, and thus picking up the pile is usually advantageous to the player.

There are variations of the game for two to six players, but the original version is played by four. The games for four and six players are team games, and if some other number of players participates, each player plays individually. The most popular versions are the games for two and four players.

The game is named after the Spanish word for “basket.”

At least the games with regulated international professional competition have been referred to as “sports” or “sporting” events, not simply “games”, since 1893 at the latest.^[3] Quite a variety of particular games (i.e. sets of rules and equipment) are the subject of present-day competition, including many of those already mentioned, with competition being especially broad in nine-ball, snooker, three-cushion and eight-ball…

Snooker, though technically a pocket billiards variant and closely related in its equipment and origin to the game of English billiards, is a professional sport organized at the international level, and its rules bear little resemblance to those of pool games.

A “Billiards” category encompassing pool, snooker and carom was featured in the 2005 World Games, held in Duisburg, Germany, and the 2006 Asian Games also saw the introduction of a “Cue sports” category. Efforts have also been underway for many years to have cue sports become Olympic competitions.^{[citation needed]}

Equipment

Billiard balls

Main article: Billiard balls

 

Pool balls

Billiard balls vary from game to game, in size, design and number. Carom billiards balls are larger than pool balls, and come as a set of two [tag]cue balls[/tag] (one colored or marked) and an object ball (or two object balls in the case of the game four-ball also known as [tag]yotsudama[/tag]). American-style pool balls, used in any pool game and found throughout the world, come in sets of two suits of object balls, seven solids and seven stripes, an 8 ball and a cue ball; the balls are racked differently for different games (some of which do not use the entire ball set). Blackball (English-style eight-ball) sets are similar, but have unmarked groups of red (or blue) and yellow balls instead of solids and stripes, and are smaller than the American-style; they are used principally in Britain, Ireland, and some Commonwealth countries, though not exclusively, since they are unsuited for playing nine-ball. [tag]Snooker[/tag] balls are also smaller than American-style pool balls, and come in sets of 22 (fifteen reds, 6 “colours”, and a cue ball). Other games also have custom ball sets, such as Russian pyramid and [tag]bumper pool[/tag].

Billiard balls have been made from many different materials since the start of the game, including clay, bakelite, celluloid, crystalite, ivory, plastic, steel and wood. The dominant material from 1627 until the early to mid 1900s was ivory. The search for a substitute for ivory use was not for environmental concerns but based on economic motivation and fear of danger for elephant hunters. It was in part spurred on by a New York billiard table manufacturer who announced a prize of $10,000 for a substitute material. The first viable substitute was celluloid, invented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1868, but the material was volatile, sometimes exploding during manufacture and was highly flammable.^[4][5] Today, billiard balls are often made with the thermoset resin Bakelite.

 

Tables

There are many sizes and styles of pool and billiard tables. Generally, tables are rectangles twice as long as they are wide. Most pool tables are known as 7-, 8-, or 9-footers, referring to the length of the table’s long side. Full-size snooker and English billiard tables are 12 feet (3.7 m) long on the longest side. Pool halls tend to have 9 foot (2.7 m) tables and cater to the serious pool player. Pubs will typically use 7 foot (2.1 m) tables which are often coin-operated. Formerly, 10 foot (3 m) tables were common, but such tables are now considered antique collectors items; a few, usually from the late 1800s, can be found in pool halls from time to time. Ten-foot tables remain the standard size for carom billiard games. The slates on modern carom tables are usually heated to stave off moisture and provide a consistent playing surface.

The length of the pool table will typically be a function of space, with many homeowners purchasing an 8 foot (2.4 m) table as a compromise. High quality tables are mostly 4.5 by 9 ft (2.7 m). (interior dimensions), with a bed made of three pieces of thick slate to prevent warping and changes due to humidity. Smaller bar tables are most commonly made with a single piece of slate. Pocket billiards tables normally have six pockets, three on each side (four corner pockets, and two side pockets).

Cloth

All types of tables are covered with billiard cloth (often called “felt”, but actually a woven wool or wool/nylon blend called baize). Cloth has been used to cover billiards tables since the 15th century. In fact, the predecessor company of the most famous maker of billiard cloth, Iwan Simonis, was formed in 1453.

Bar or tavern tables, which get a lot of play, use “slower”, more durable cloth. The cloth used in upscale billiard parlours and home billiard rooms is “faster” (i.e. provides less friction, allowing the balls to roll farther across the table bed), and competition-quality pool cloth is made from 100% worsted wool. Snooker cloth traditionally has a nap (consistent fiber directionality) and balls behave differently when rolling against versus along with the nap.

The cloth of the billiard table has traditionally been green, reflecting its origin (originally the grass of ancestral lawn games), and has been so colored since the 16th century.^[6] However, the color also serves a useful function, as non-color-blind human eyes have a higher sensitivity to green than to any other color.^[7]

Rack

Main article: Rack (billiards)

A [tag]rack[/tag] is the name given to a frame (usually wood or plastic) used to organize billiard balls at the beginning of a game. This is traditionally triangular in shape, but varies with the type of billiards played. There are two main types of racks; the more common triangular shape which is used for eight-ball and straight pool and the diamond shaped rack used for [tag]nine-ball[/tag].

Cues

Billiards games are mostly played with a stick known as a cue. A cue is usually either a one piece tapered stick or a two piece stick divided in the middle by a joint of metal or phenolic resin. High quality cues are generally two pieces and are made of a hardwood, generally maple for billiards and ash for snooker.

The “butt” end of the cue is of larger circumference and is intended to be gripped by a player’s hand. The “shaft” of the cue is of smaller circumference, usually tapering to an 0.4 to 0.55 inch (11-14 mm) terminus called a ferrule, where a leather tip is affixed to make final contact with balls. The leather tip, in conjunction with chalk, can be used to impart spin to the cue ball when not being hit in its center.

Cheap cues are generally one piece cues made of ramin or other low quality wood with inferior tips of various materials (usually plastic). A quality cue can be expensive and may be made of exotic woods and other expensive materials which are artfully inlaid in decorative patterns. Skilled players may use more than one cue during a game, including a separate cue for the opening break shot and another, shorter cue with a special tip for jump shots.

The mechanical bridge

The mechanical bridge, sometimes called “the ladies aid”, “rake”, “bridge stick” or simply “bridge”, and known as a “rest” in the UK, is used to extend a player’s reach on a shot where the cue ball is too far away for normal hand bridging. It consists of a stick with a grooved metal or plastic head which the cue slides on. Many amateurs refuse to use the mechanical bridge based on the perception that to do so is unmanly. However, many aficionados and most professionals employ the bridge whenever the intended shot so requires. Some players, especially current or former snooker players, use a screw-on cue butt extension instead of or in addition to the mechanical bridge. Bridge head design is varied, and not all designs (especially those with cue shaft-enclosing rings, or wheels on the bottom of the head), are broadly tournament-approved. In Italy a longer, thicker cue is available for this kind of tricky shots.

Chalk

Chalk is applied to the tip of the cue stick, ideally before every shot, to increase the tip’s friction coefficient so that when it impacts the cue ball on a non-center hit, no miscue (unintentional slippage between the cue tip and the struck ball) occurs. Cue tip chalk is not actually the substance typically referred to as “chalk” (generally calcium carbonate, also known as calcite or carbonate of lime), but any of several proprietary compounds, with a silicate base. “Chalk” may also refer to a cone of fine, white hand chalk; like talc (talcum powder) it can be used to reduce friction between the cue and bridge hand during shooting, for a smoother stroke. Some brands of hand chalk actually are made of compressed talc. (Tip chalk is not used for this purpose because it is abrasive, hand-staining and difficult to apply.) Many players prefer a slick pool glove over hand chalk or talc because of the messiness of these powders; buildup of particles on the cloth will affect ball behavior and necessitate more-frequent cloth cleaning.Cue tip chalk (invented in its modern form by straight rail billiard pro William A. Spinks and chemist William Hoskins in 1897)^[8][9] is made by crushing silica and the abrasive substance corundum or aloxite^[9] (aluminum oxide),^[10][11] into a powder^[9] and using forced air to achieve the desired consistency. It is combined with dye (originally and most commonly green or blue-green, like traditional billiard cloth, but available today, like the cloth, in many colors) and a binder (glue).Finally, a 15 ton-per-square-inch hydraulic press^{[citation needed]} is used to compress the “chalk” into large cakes which are dried on a rack, and then cut into small cubes, dimpled on the top to receive the cue tip, and wrapped in paper sleeves. Each manufacturer’s brand has different qualities, which can significantly affect play. High humidity can also impair the effectiveness of chalk. Harder, drier compounds are generally considered superior by most players.

All [tag]cue sports[/tag] are generally regarded to have evolved into indoor games from outdoor stick-and-ball lawn games, and as such to be related to croquet and golf, and more distantly to the stickless bocce and bowling. The word “billiard” may have evolved from the French word [tag]billart[/tag], meaning “mace”, an implement similar to a golf club, which was the forerunner to the modern cue. The term “cue sports” can be used to encompass the ancestral mace games, and even the modern cueless variants, such as finger pool, for historical reasons….Accordingly, in addition to the three general subdivisions listed earlier, a now rare obstacle category was prevalent in early times. The obstacle games (see illustration to the right, featuring a croquet-like variant), appear to have been the earliest,^{[citation needed]} and include the obsolete bagatelle and pin pool among many other variations, some with elaborate structures (likely inspirational of miniature golf), and yet others on a sloped table (the ancestors of pinball), up to the relatively recent bumper pool (popular in the 1970s in home game rooms).

The object of obstacle games varies from avoiding obstructions and traps, to hitting or passing through or into them on purpose to score, to using them strategically to score in some other way, such as by rebounding off them to reach a hole in the table or trapping opponents’ balls.^{[citation needed]}

The early croquet-like games eventually led to the development of the carom or carambole billiards category — what most non-US and non-UK speakers mean by the word “billiards”. These games, which once completely dominated the cue sports world but have declined markedly in most areas over the last few generations, are games played with three or sometimes four balls, on a table without holes (or obstructions in most cases, five-pins being an exception), in which the goal is generally to strike one object (target) ball with a cue ball, then have the cue ball rebound off of one or more of the cushions and strike a second ball. Variations include three-cushion, straight rail, balkline variants, cushion caroms, Italian five-pins, and four-ball, among others.

Over time, a type of obstacle returned, originally as a hazard and later as a target, in the form of pockets, or holes partly cut into the table bed and partly into the cushions, leading to the rise of pocket billiards, especially “pool” games, popular around the world in forms such as [tag]eight-ball[/tag], [tag]nine-ball[/tag], [tag]straight pool[/tag] and one-pocket amongst numerous others. The terms “pool” and “pocket billiards” are now virtually interchangeable, especially in the [tag]US. English billiards[/tag] (what UK speakers almost invariably mean by the word “billiards”) is a hybrid carom/pocket game, and as such is likely fairly close to the ancestral original pocket billiards [tag]history[/tag] outgrowth from eighteenth- to early nineteenth-century carom games.

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[tag]Omakase[/tag] [tag]Links[/tag] from [tag]Amazon[/tag] [tag]Associates[/tag] for [tag]gambling[/tag] content

Parimutuel betting (from the French language: pari mutuel, mutual betting) is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and a house take are removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all placed bets.

The parimutuel system is used in gambling on horse racing, greyhound racing, jai alai, and all sporting events of relatively short duration in which participants finish in a ranked order. A modified parimutuel system is also used in some lottery games.

Parimutuel gambling is frequently state-regulated, and offered in many places where gambling is otherwise illegal. Parimutuel gambling is often also offered at “off track” facilities, where players may bet on the events without actually being present to observe them in person.

Parimutuel betting differs from fixed odds betting in that the final payout is not determined until the pool is closed – in fixed odds betting, the payout is agreed at the time the bet is sold.

Example of parimutuel betting

Consider a hypothetical event which has 8 possible outcomes, in a country using a decimal currency such as dollars . Each outcome has a certain amount of money wagered:

Outcome 1 – $30.00
Outcome 2 – $70.00
Outcome 3 – $12.00
Outcome 4 – $55.00
Outcome 5 – $110.00
Outcome 6 – $47.00
Outcome 7 – $150.00
Outcome 8 – $40.00

Thus the total pool of money on the event is $514.00. Following the start of the event, no more wagers are accepted. The event is decided and the winning outcome is determined to be Outcome 4 with $55.00 wagered. The payout is now calculated. First the commission or take for the wagering company is deducted from the pool, for example with a commission rate of 14.25% the calculation is: $514 – 0.1425 * $514 = $440.76. The remaining amount in the pool is now distributed to those who wagered on Outcome 4: $440.76 / $55 = $8.00 per $1.00 wagered. Thus, in decimal odds, outcome 4 is said to pay out $8.00.

Often at certain times prior to the event, betting agencies will provide approximates for what should be paid out for a given outcome should no more bets be accepted at the current time. Using the example above, an approximates table using the same commission rate in decimal odds would be:

Outcome 1 – $14.69
Outcome 2 – $6.30
Outcome 3 – $36.73
Outcome 4 – $8.00
Outcome 5 – $4.00
Outcome 6 – $9.38
Outcome 7 – $2.94
Outcome 8 – $11.02

In real-life examples such as horse racing, the pool size often extends into millions of dollars with many different types of outcomes (winning horses) and complex commission calculations.

Sometimes the amounts paid out are rounded down to a denomination interval – in the United States and Australia, 10 cent intervals are used. The rounding loss is sometimes known as breakage and is retained by the betting agency as part of the commission.

[edit] History of parimutuel betting

The parimutuel system was invented by Parisian perfume maker Joseph Oller in 1865 when asked by a bookmaker friend to devise a fair system for bettors which guarantees a fixed profit for the bookmaker.

The large amount of calculation involved in this system led to the invention of a specialized mechanical calculating machine known as a totalisator, “automatic totalisator” or “tote board”. The first was installed at Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, New Zealand in 1913, and they came into widespread use at race courses throughout the world (the U.S. introduction was in 1933 at Arlington Park, near Chicago, Illinois).

[edit] Parimutuel bet types

There may be several different types of bets, in which case each type of bet has its own pool. The basic bets involve predicting the order of finish for a single participant, as follows:

[edit] North America

In Canada and the United States, the most common types of bet on horse races include:

• win – to succeed the bettor must pick the horse which wins the race.
• place – the bettor must pick a horse which finishes either first, second or sometimes third (depending if there is a third dividend).
• show – the bettor must pick a horse which finishes first, second, or third.
• exacta, perfecta, or exactor –the bettor must pick the two horses which finish first and second, in the right order.
• quinella or quiniela – the bettor must pick the two horses which finish first and second, but need not specify which will finish first.
• trifecta or triactor – the bettor must pick the three horses which finish first, second, and third, in the right order.
• superfecta – the bettor must pick the four horses which finish first, second, third and fourth, in the right order.
• box – a box can be placed around exotic betting types such as exacta, trifecta or superfecta bets. This places a bet for all combinations of the numbers in the box. A trifecta box with 3 numbers has 6 possible combinations and costs 6 times the betting base amount. A trifecta box with 5 numbers has 120 possible combinations and costs 120 times the betting base amount. In France, a box gives only the ordered permutations going along an ordered list of numbers such that a trifecta box with 6 numbers would cost 20 times the base amount.
• double – the bettor must pick the winners of two successive races; most race tracks in Canada and the United States take double wagers on the first two races on the program (the daily double) and on the last two (the late double).
• triple – the bettor must pick the winners of three successive races; many tracks offer rolling triples, or triples on any three successive races on the program. Also called pick three or more commonly, a treble
• sweep – the bettor must pick the winners of four or more successive races. In the US, this is usually called pick four and pick six, with the latter paying out a consolation return to bettors correctly selecting five winners out of six races, and with “rollover” jackpots accumulating each day until one or more bettors correctly picks all six winners.

Win, place and show wagers class as straight bets, and the remaining wagers as exotic bets. Bettors usually make multiple wagers on exotic bets. A box consists of a multiple wager in which punters bet all possible combinations of a group of horses in the same race. A key involves making a multiple wager with a single horse in one race bet in one position with all possible combinations of other selected horses in a single race. A wheel consists of betting all horses in one race of a bet involving two or more races. For example a 1-all daily double wheel bets the 1-horse in the first race with every horse in the second.

People making straight bets commonly employ the strategy of an ‘each way’ bet. Here the bettor picks a horse and bets it will win, and makes an additional bet that it will show, so that theoretically if the horse runs third it will at least pay back the two bets. The Canadian and American equivalent is the bet across (short for across the board): the bettor bets equal sums on the horse to win, place, and show.

In Canada and the United States punters make exotic wagers on horses running at the same track on the same program. In the United Kingdom bookmakers offer exotic wagers on horses at different tracks. Probably the Yankee occurs most commonly: in this the bettor tries to pick the winner of four races. This bet also includes subsidiary wagers on smaller combinations of the chosen horses; for example, if only two of the four horses win, the bettor still collects for their double. A Trixie requires trying to pick three winners, and a Canadian or Super Yankee trying to pick five; these also include subsidiary bets. The term nap identifies the best bet of the day.

A parlay or accumulator consists of a series of bets in which bettors stake the winnings from one race on the next in order until either the bettor loses or the series completes successfully.

[edit] Australia

• Win – Runner must finish first.
• Place – Runner must finish first, second or third place. (In events with five to seven runners, no dividends are payable on third place (“NTD” or No Third Dividend) and in events with 4 or fewer runners, only Win betting is allowed).
• Each-way – A combination of Win and Place. A $5 bet Each-way is a $5.00 bet to Win and a $5.00 bet to Place, for a total bet cost of $10.
• Exacta – the bettor must pick the two horses which finish first and second and specify which will finish first
• Quinella – the bettor must pick the two horses which finish first and second, but need not specify which will finish first.
• Trifecta the bettor must pick the three horses which finish first, second, and third and specify which will finish first, second and third.
• First4 – the bettor must pick the four horses which finish first, second, third and fourth, and specify which will finish first, second, third and fourth.
• Running Double – the bettor must pick the winners of two consecutive races at same track
• Daily Double – the bettor must pick the winners of two nominated races at the same track
• Treble – the bettor must pick the winners of three nominated races at the same track. This bet type is only available in the states of Queensland and South Australia
• Quadrella or Quaddie – the bettor must pick the winners of four nominated races at the same track.

[edit] Ireland and the United Kingdom

• Win – Runner must finish first.
• Place – Runner must finish within the first two places (in a 5-7 runner race), three places (8-15 runners) or four places (16+ runners).
• Each-way – Charged and settled as one bet to win and another bet to place (if asking for a bet of “five pounds each way” you will be expected to pay ten pounds).

Depending on the facility rules, which might vary from event to event, other bets may also be offered which allow the user to pick the finish of more than one participant, or more than one event. These are called exotics, and generally pay higher dividends. However, the facility’s take is usually higher for these bets as well. The major exotics (in North America and Australia) are:

• Exacta (exactor, perfecta) – Picks the first and second place finishers, in order.
• Quinella – Picks the first and second place finishers, in either order.
• Trifecta (triactor) – Picks the first, second, and third place finishers, in order.
• Superfecta (First Four in Australia) – Picks the first four finishers in order.
• Daily/Extra/Rolling Double – Picks the first place finishers in two different events.
• Quadrella – Picks the first in four consecutive races.
• Pick 3 and pick 4 – Picks the first in three or four consecutive races, not necessarily the first three or four races of the day. Some tracks offer a “rolling pick 3,” on the first three races, the second through fourth, third through fifth, and so on.
• Pick 6 (jackpot) – Picks the winners in six consecutive events.

Sports betting is the general activity of predicting sports results by making a wager on the outcome of a sporting event. Perhaps more so than other forms of gambling, the legality and general acceptance of sports betting varies from nation to nation. In the United States, for example, sports gambling is only legal in Nevada casinos, while in many European nations bookmaking (the profession of accepting sports wagers) is highly regulated but not criminalized. Proponents of legalized sports betting generally regard it as a hobby for sports fans that increases their interest in particular sporting events, thus benefiting the leagues, teams and players they bet on through higher attendances and television audiences. Opponents fear that, over and above the general ramifications of gambling, it threatens the integrity of amateur and professional sport, the history of which includes numerous attempts by sports gamblers to fix matches, although proponents counter that legitimate bookmakers will invariably fight corruption just as fiercely as governing bodies and law enforcement do. Most sports bettors are overall losers as the bookmakers odds are fairly efficient. However, there are professional sports bettors that make a good income betting sports.

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games in the world. Much of blackjack’s popularity is due to the mix of chance with elements of skill, and the publicity that surrounds card counting (keeping track of which cards have been played since the last shuffle). Blackjack’s precursor was vingt-et-un (“twenty-one”), which originated in French casinos around 1700, and did not offer the 3:2 bonus for a two-card 21.

When blackjack was first introduced in the United States it was not very popular, so gambling houses tried offering various bonus payouts to get the players to the tables. One such bonus was a 10-to-1 payout if the player’s hand consisted of the ace of spades and a black Jack (either the Jack of clubs or the Jack of spades). This hand was called a “blackjack” and the name stuck to the game even though the bonus payout was soon abolished. As the game is currently played, a “blackjack” may not necessarily contain a jack or any black cards at all.

Rules

Each player is dealt two cards and is then offered the opportunity to take more. The hand with the highest total wins as long as it doesn’t exceed 21; a hand with a higher total than 21 is said to bust or have too many. Cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value, and face cards (jack, queen, king) are also worth 10. An ace’s value is 11 unless this would cause the player to bust, in which case it is worth 1. A hand in which an ace’s value is counted as 11 is called a soft hand, because it cannot be busted if the player draws another card.

The goal of each player is to beat the dealer by having the higher, unbusted hand. Note that if the player busts he loses, even if the dealer also busts (therefore [tag]Blackjack[/tag] favors the dealer). If both the player and the dealer have the same point value, it is called a “push”, and neither player nor dealer wins the hand. Each player has an independent game with the dealer, so it is possible for the dealer to lose to one player, but still beat the other players in the same round.

 

 

Example of a Blackjack game. The top half of the picture shows the beginning of the round, with bets placed and an initial two cards for each player. The bottom half shows the end of the round, with the associated losses or payoffs.

The minimum bet is printed on a sign on the table and varies from casino to casino and table to table. After initial bets are placed, the dealer deals the cards, either from one or two hand-held decks of cards, known as a “pitch” game, or more commonly from a shoe containing four or more decks. The dealer gives two cards to each player, including himself. One of the dealer’s two cards is face-up so all the players can see it, and the other is face down. (The face-down card is known as the “hole card”. In European blackjack, the hole card is not actually dealt until the players all play their hands.) The cards are dealt face up from a shoe, or face down if it is a pitch game.

In American blackjack, if the dealer’s face-up card is an ace or a ten-value, the dealer checks his hole card to see if he has blackjack. This check occurs before any of the players play, but after they have been offered [tag]insurance[/tag] (if the face-up card is an ace). If the dealer has blackjack, all players lose their initial bets, except players who also have blackjack, who push. (In some American casinos, [tag]the dealer[/tag] does not actually check the hole card until after the players have all played. At that time, if the dealer turns out to have blackjack, all players who did not have blackjack lose their bets, and players who increased their bets by doubling or splitting lose only the original bet, and have the additional bets returned to them; thus, the end result is precisely as if the dealer had checked the hole card before playing.)

A two-card hand of 21 (an ace plus a ten-value card) is called a “blackjack” or a “natural”, and is an automatic winner (unless the dealer has blackjack as well, in which case the hand is a push). A player with a natural is usually paid 3:2 on his bet. Some casinos pay only 6:5 on blackjacks; although this reduced payout has generally been restricted to single-deck games where card counting would otherwise be a viable strategy. The move was decried by longtime blackjack players^[1].

The player’s options for playing his or her hand are:

• Hit: Take another card.
• Stand: Take no more cards.
• Double down: Double the wager, take exactly one more card, and then stand.
• Split: Double the wager and have each card be the first card in a new hand. This option is available only when both cards have the same value.
• Surrender: Forfeit half the bet and give up the hand. Surrender was common during the early- and mid-20th century, but is no longer offered at most casinos.

The player’s turn is over after deciding to stand, doubling down to take a single card, or busting. If the player busts, he or she loses the bet even if the dealer goes on to bust.

After all the players have finished making their decisions, the dealer then reveals his or her hidden hole card and plays the hand. House rules say that the dealer must hit until he or she has at least 17, regardless of what the players have. In some casinos a dealer must also hit a soft 17 (a combination of cards adding up to either 7 or 17, such as an ace and a 6).

If the dealer busts then all remaining players win. Bets are normally paid out at the odds of 1:1. Players who push (tie) with the dealer receive their original bet back.

Some common rules variations include:

• Only one card for split Aces: a single new card is added to each Ace and the turn ends. They are thus regarded as 11-point cards. No other denomination is subject to this process.
• Multiple splits: If a player splits 2 cards and receives a third card of identical value, the hand can be split again, resulting in 3 hands. However, some casinos only allow a single split of the first 2 cards.
• Early surrender: Player has the option to surrender before dealer checks for Blackjack.
• Late surrender: Player has the option to surrender after dealer checks for Blackjack.
• Double-down restrictions: Double-down may only be allowed on certain combinations of cards (usually totaling 9, 10 or 11).
• Double-down after split: Double-down may not be allowed after splitting cards. The split hands are played normally otherwise.
• Split any tens: Players may split any 2 cards which are both worth 10 points, such as a Jack and Queen. This rule is rarely used, since 20 is a very strong hand which is unlikely to be split.
• European No-Hole-Card Rule: the dealer receives only one card, dealt face-up, and does not receive a second card (and thus does not check for blackjack) until players have acted. This means players lose not only their original bet, but also any additional money invested from splitting and doubling down. A game that has no-hole-card doesn’t necessarily mean you will lose additional bets as well as original bets. In Australia for example, a player beaten by a dealer blackjack may keep all split and double bets and lose only the original bet, thus the game plays the same as it would if there were a hole card.

Each blackjack variation has its own set of rules, strategies and odds. It is advised to take a look at the rules of the specific variation before playing. Many countries have legal acts and laws, which determine how a casino game of Blackjack must be played.

Insurance

If the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, the player is offered the option of taking Insurance before the dealer checks his ‘hole card’.

The player who wishes to take Insurance can bet an amount up to half his original bet. The Insurance bet is placed separately on a special portion of the table, which usually carries the words “Insurance Pays 2:1″. The player who is taking Insurance is betting that the dealer was dealt a natural, i.e. a two-card 21 (a blackjack), and this bet by the player pays off 2:1 if it wins. It is called insurance since if the dealer has a blackjack, the bet wins the same amount of the player’s Blackjack wager, such that if insurance is taken and the player doesn’t have blackjack but dealer does, no money is lost. Of course the dealer can end up not having blackjack and the player can still win or lose the blackjack bet.

Insurance is a bad bet for the non-counting player who has no knowledge of the hole card because it has a house edge of 2 to 15%, depending on number of decks used and visible 10-cards ^[2]. Essentially, taking insurance amounts to betting that the dealer’s hole card is a ten or face card. Since in an infinite deck, 4/13 of the cards are tens or face cards, an unbiased insurance wager would actually pay 9:4, or 2.25:1; since the bet only pays 2:1, the house has a strong advantage. However, if the player has been counting cards, he may know that more than a third of the deck is ten-value cards, in which case insurance becomes a good bet.

If a player has a natural (an ace and a ten or face-card), the dealer usually asks the player “Even money?” This means that instead of winning 3:2 for the natural (which he would only receive if the dealer does not have blackjack), the player with the natural accepts to be paid off at 1:1 regardless of whether the dealer has blackjack. Thus it is exactly the same thing as buying Insurance: If the dealer does not have blackjack, taking “even money” is equivalent to losing the Insurance bet and getting paid 3:2 on the natural; if the dealer does have blackjack, taking “even money” is equivalent to pushing on the original bet and winning 2:1 on the insurance bet.

In casinos where a hole card is dealt, a dealer who is showing a card with a value of Ace or 10 may slide the corner of his or her facedown card over a small mirror or electronic sensor on the tabletop in order to check whether he has a natural. This practice minimizes the risk of inadvertently revealing the hole card, which would give the sharp-eyed player a considerable advantage.

Basic strategy

Because blackjack has an element of player choice, players can reduce casino advantage to a small percentage by playing basic strategy. This determines when to hit or to stand, and also determines when to double down or split. Basic strategy is based on the player’s point total and the dealer’s visible card. There are slight variations depending on the house rules and number of decks.

Your hand	Dealer’s face-up card
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Hard totals
17-20	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	SU	SU	SU
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	SU	H
13-14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
11	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H
10	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H
9	H	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H	H	H	H
5-8	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
Soft totals
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,8 A,9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,7	S	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	S	S	H	H	H
A,6	H	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H	H	H	H
A,4 A,5	H	H	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H	H	H	H
A,2 A,3	H	H	H	Dh	Dh	H	H	H	H	H
Pairs
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,A	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
9,9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	SP	SP	S	S
8,8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
7,7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
6,6	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
2,2 3,3	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H

The above is a basic strategy table for 3 or more decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double on any 2 cards, double after split allowed, dealer peeks for blackjack, and blackjack pays 3:2. Key:

S = Stand

H = Hit

Dh = Double (if not allowed then hit)

Ds = Double (if not allowed then stand)

SP = Split

SU = Surrender (if not allowed, then hit)

Most Las Vegas strip casinos hit on soft 17. This rule change requires a slightly modified basic strategy table — double on 11 vs A, double on A/7 vs 2, and double on A/8 vs 6. Most casinos outside of Vegas still stand on soft 17.