Smash Vegas

Some people just like gambling, they enjoy the thrill. I can appreciate that. Personally though, I want to be confident that the game I’m playing can be beaten long term. In other words I want a game that doesn’t have a house edge. You still get the excitement because the variance inherent in the game means you get short term swings up and down, and it’s even nicer because you know that as long as you have the nerve to keep playing correctly the game will keep paying you.

To put it another way - if you enjoy gambling why not at least play a game you can win?

I define a beatable game to be one which either has a player advantage with correct strategy, or which can be given a player edge with a little extra work (e.g. card counting). It won’t necessarily be easy to beat the game, but it will be possible for a skilled player.

Beatable games:

• Blackjack (if you’re card counting or playing optimally in a game with very liberal rules)
• Craps (if dice control really works - currently I’m skeptical but open minded about it)
• Poker
• Slots (if you’re playing optimally at certain machines, or if the machine is progressive)
• Sports betting
• Video poker (if you’re playing optimally at certain machines - e.g. full pay deuces wild)

Unbeatable games:

• Baccarat
• Caribbean stud poker
• Craps (if dice control doesn’t work)
• Faro
• Keno
• Pachinko
• Roulette (unless you find a biased wheel, or you have a computer to statistically predict where the ball will land)

In my opinion if you’re playing an unbeatable game, why not switch to a beatable one? Even if you’re not interested in making money, you can still make your money go a lot further.