It’s happened so many times. I sit down at a machine or a table. The cards start coming by, the wheels are spinning, the action is on, but something’s off – I keep digging into my pocket. And then it hits me – WTF type of shitty odds does this game have?!?
It never ceases to amaze me. It’s another one of those intentionally or unintentionally misleading tricks the casinos play. Yes, this blackjack table has 8 decks but also we’re paying 6 to 5 on black jack. Oops, this double double bonus poker machine pays 35 to 5 on full house. I’m sorry, this slot machine only pays on 25 lines at these denominations.
It’s the casino’s prerogative to change these payouts and wagering rules but it’s also your obligation to seek out the best chance for return on your money, right? And in some cases, these rules work in your favor, like 100X Craps betting (god I love it) and $1 minimums on certain house games played at tables.
There will be times when you don’t have a choice – it’s not uncommon for me to play 6:5 BJ because I don’t want to play $25 minimums. Many times, I am forced to take a hit on video poker payouts because the casino tries to pay 239 credits on their four of a kinds (this is done so any hits playing $25 a hand doesn’t require a W2. Convenient but also you are surrendering $55 for that).
So be smart. When you see a game you like, or a table that looks hot, take a quick look at the signs on the felt first, open up the help section in the monitor to see pays and make sure that bonus feature you like is available here. And for the love of God, check the max bet credits, so you don’t accidentally bet $100 dollars and have a heart attack when you lose all of your money in three drunken spins. It’s too painful :/ @fourAceMaster
