Friday, January 12, 2007

Top 10 Worst Gambling Bets


In a previous post, I listed the top 10 best casino bets from Bill Burton'a About Casino Gambling Site. He has since contributed a list of worse bets, the knowledge of which may make the difference between a winning or losing trip to Vegas.

This is from the About Gambling site:


  1. Live Keno - Keno is a game similar to the lottery. The house edge can run 25 percent or higher. The odds for drawing any number of spots doesn’t change, the house edge comes from the payout for the winning numbers. This varies from casino to casino.
  2. Big Six Wheel - The Big Six or Wheel of Fortune is an old carnival game with equally bad odds. The house edge varies from 11 to 24 percent depending on the number the player bets.
  3. Caribbean Stud Side Bet - The side bet for the progressive jackpot in Caribbean Stud varies a little by the size of the jackpot but it rarely reaches the amount to make the bet worthwhile. The average house edge is about 26 percent.
  4. Baccarat Tie Bet - The Baccarat Banker and Player bets are two of the best bets you can make. However the tie bet in Baccarat is one of the worst. It has a high 14.36 percent edge. Stick to the banker or player bets.
  5. Blackjack Insurance Bet - The insurance bet in Blackjack is just another side bet that should be avoided. The house edge is around 8 percent. You are not really insuring anything.
  6. Blackjack Hunch Play - Deviating from Blackjack basic strategy can make Blackjack one of the worst games in the casino. A player can give up 20 percent or more playing hunches.
  7. Let It Ride Side Bet - The house edge for the side bet is based on the pay table which varies from casino to casino. Even the best pay table has a high double digit house edge that ranges from 13 to 36 percent.
  8. Craps Proposition Bets - The proposition bets on the craps table are the bets on the hard ways and the other one roll bets. These have a house edge that can reach as high as 16.7 percent.
  9. Roulette - The bets on the double zero American wheel has a house edge of 5.26 percent on all bets except the five number bet. The five number 0-00-1-2-3 bet is called the basket bet and has a house edge of 7.89 percent. The European wheel with a single zero has a lower house edge of 2.7 percent.
  10. Casino War Tie - Casino war is the same as the kid’s game where you each draw a card and the high card wins. There is a tie bet that can be made when playing Casino War. You are betting that your card will tie the dealers. If you tie the dealer’s card you get paid 10 to 1 for your tie bet. It carries a high house edge of 18.65 percent.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Great information on the worst games, there are a lot of Vegas Travelers that do not know what to play and just throw their money away.
Thanks,
-Nick
Vegas Hipster - vegashipster.com

Anonymous said...

I'm a gambler, but my gambling stops at nickel and quarter slots. Not much of a table player and after my husband lost $60 in five minutes at a blackjack table, he's not either.

My dad used to play Live Keno in the buffets. I don't remember him ever winning a single dime!

MercurialMike said...

Sorry, I can't help you. Sometimes my head feels like it is going to explode when I think of the pure science of gambling (probability) and my irrational belief in luck! It is hard to keep these two thought in my mind at the same time!

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