Casino FAQ’sCaliente Casino FAQs

Abbreviations:

BSE = Basic Strategy Edge

H17 = Hit soft 17 (dealer must hit)

S17 = Stand on any 17 (dealer must stand)

DOA = Double On Any first two cards

D10 = Double on 10 or 11 only

DAS = Double After Splitting is allowed

RSA = Re-Splitting Aces is allowed

ESR = Early Surrender

LSR = Late Surrender

O/U = Over/Under 13 side bets are allowed

Blackjack Terminology:

basic strategy: a playing strategy that is designed to minimize the house edge as much as possible without using techniques such as card counting, shuffle tracking, or dealer tells. Basic strategy is used as a foundation for card counting, but is also used by many non-counters.

burn card(s): cards that are discarded without being dealt to the players. After the cards are shuffled by the dealer and cut by one of the players, one or more cards are “burned” before any cards are dealt to the players.

bust: after a “hit”, the player is said to “bust” if the new card causes the player’s total to exceed 21.

card counting: a system for improving the player’s edge by assigning “weights” to each card face and summing the card weights as each new card is turned face up. The “count” indicates when the game is favorable for the player, so that the player can place larger bets and/or make changes in playing strategy.

cut card: a (usually colored plastic) card that is used to cut the cards after they have been shuffled by the dealer.

double down: to double the initial bet and receive exactly one more card. The option to double is often allowed on the players first two cards only, although some casinos allow doubling after splitting a pair. Many Northern Nevada casinos allowing doubling only with a two-card total of 10 or 11. It is very rare to find games that allow doubling of hands that have more than two cards.

double for less: to double down with less than 2X the original bet. Generally, when doubling is allowed, the player does not have to actually double his bet, but may increase it by any amount up to (but not more than) the original bet.

early surrender: surrender which is allowed even when the dealer has a natural. Very valuable to the player, but rarely offered by the casinos.

even money: taking insurance when holding a blackjack results in a net gain of one bet. Some casinos will allow the player to be paid without actually placing the insurance bet. This is called “taking even money”. (See “insurance”)

first base: the first player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting at “first base”.

flat bet: to bet the same amount on each successive hand.

hard hand: any hand that is not a soft hand.

heads up: playing at a table that has no other players.

hit: drawing a new card to add to the player’s or dealer’s hand.

hole card: the dealer’s card that is placed face down.

insurance: a side bet, of up to 1/2 the original bet, that is offered when the dealer’s upcard is an ace. This bet pays 2:1 if the dealer has a natural 21. (Also see “even money”)

late surrender: surrender which is only allowed when the dealer does not have a natural. If the dealer has a natural 21 (blackjack), the player’s bet still loses in its entirety. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, the player loses half the bet and doesn’t play the rest of the hand.

natural: a hand that totals 21 on the first two cards.

over/under: a rare bet that the first two player’s cards will total over 13, or under 13, when aces are counted as one.

preferential shuffling: shuffling when the deck is favorable to the players, while avoiding a shuffle when the deck is unfavorable to the players.

push: a tie hand, the original bet is returned to the player.

shoe: a “box” for holding the undealt cards, usually used in multi-deck games.

soft hand: any hand that includes an ace that can be counted as 11 without having the value of the hand exceed 21. It is always possible to draw one card to a soft hand without busting.

split hand: hands that start with two cards of the same rank can be split to form two independent hands. This option is exercised by adding a new bet to the second hand, and these hands are played independently.

spread: to place more than one bet before the cards are dealt.

stand: to stop drawing cards.

stiff (hand): any hand that has a small chance of winning regardless of how the hand is played (usually 12 – 16).

surrender: the option to give back the player’s first two cards in exchange for a refund of 1/2 of the original bet (rarely allowed). Some hands, such as 16 vs. dealer’s 10, are so bad that surrender is less costly than playing the hand.

third base: the last player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting at “third base”.

upcard: the dealer’s first card, dealt face up. The correct playing decision often involves some consideration of the dealer’s upcard.

It depends. For basic strategy players, seat position has no significant effect on the player’s expected return. For card counters who use strategy variations, it is probably best to sit at third base in order to see as many cards as possible before playing the hand. When playing against a “front loading” dealer, the best seat is whichever seat gives you the best shot at getting a glimpse of the dealer’s hole card. When playing at the Rio, the best seat is the one that gives the best view of the cocktail waitresses.o.

Most variants of poker satisfy the following definition, but in a home game of course you are free to modify the rules as you see fit.

Poker is a card game in which players bet into a communal pot during the course of a hand, and in which the player holding the best hand at the end of the betting wins the pot. During a given betting round, each remaining player in turn may take one of four actions:

1. check, a bet of zero that does not forfeit interest in the pot
2. bet or raise, a nonzero bet greater than preceding bets that all successive players must match or exceed or else forfeit all interest in the pot
3. call, a nonzero bet equal to a preceding bet that maintains a player’s interest in the pot
4. fold, a surrender of interest in the pot in response to another player’s bet, accompanied by the loss of one’s cards and previous bets

Betting usually proceeds in a circle until each player has either called all bets or folded. Different poker games have various numbers of betting rounds interspersed with the receipt or replacement of cards.

Poker is usually played with a standard 4-suit 52-card deck, but a joker or other wild cards may be added. The ace normally plays high, but can sometimes play low, as explained below. At the showdown, those players still remaining compare their hands according to the following rankings:

1. Straight flush, five cards of the same suit in sequence, such as 76543 of hearts. Ranked by the top card, so that AKQJT is the best straight flush, also called a royal flush. The ace can play low to make 5432A, the lowest straight flush.
2. Four of a kind, four cards of the same rank accompanied by a “kicker”, like 44442. Ranked by the quads, so that 44442 beats 3333K, and then ranked by the side card, so that 4444A beats 4444K(*).
3. Full house, three cards of one rank accompanied by two of another, such as 777JJ. Ranked by the trips, so that 44422 beats 333AA, and then ranked by the pair, so that 444AA beats 444KK(*).
4. Flush, five cards of the same suit, such as AJ942 of hearts. Ranked by the top card, and then by the next card, and so on for all five cards, so that AJ942 beats AJ876. Suits are not used to break ties.
5. Straight, five cards in sequence, such as 76543. The ace plays either high or low, making AKQJT and 5432A. “Around the corner” straights like 32AKQ are usually not allowed.
6. Three of a kind, three cards of the same rank and two kickers of different ranks, such as KKK84. Ranked by the trips, so that KKK84 beats QQQAK, and then ranked by the two kickers, so that QQQAK beats QQQA7(*).
7. Two pair, two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank and a kicker of a third rank, such as KK449. Ranked by the top pair, then the bottom pair and finally the kicker, so that KK449 beats any of QQJJA, KK22Q, and KK445.
8. One pair, two cards of one rank accompanied by three kickers of different ranks, such as AAK53. Ranked by the pair, followed by each kicker in turn, so that AAK53 beats AAK52.
9. High card, any hand that does not qualify as one of the better hands above, such as KJ542 of mixed suits. Ranked by the top card, then the second card and so on for all five cards, as for flushes. Suits are not used to break ties.

Texas Hold’em is a “community card” game, meaning that some cards are dealt face-up in the middle of the table and shared by all the players. Each player has two down cards that are theirs alone, and combines them with the five community cards to make the best possible five-card hand.

Play begins by dealing two cards face down to each player; these are known as “hole cards” or “pocket cards”. This is followed by a round of betting. Most hold’em games get the betting started with one or two “blind bets” to the left of the dealer. These are forced bets which must be made before seeing one’s cards. Play proceeds clockwise from the blinds, with each player free to fold, call the blind bet, or raise. Usually the blinds are “live”, meaning that they may raise themselves when the action gets back around to them.

Now three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table; this is called the “flop”. A round of betting ensues, with action starting on the first blind, immediately to the dealers left. Another card is dealt face up (the “turn”), followed by another round of betting, again beginning to the dealer’s left. Then the final card (the “river”) is dealt followed by the final round of betting. In a structured-limit game, the bets on the turn and river are usually double the size of those before and on the flop.

The game is usually played for high only, and each player makes the best five-card combination to compete for the pot. Players usually use both their hole cards to make their best hand, but this is not required. A player may even choose to “play the board” and use no hole cards at all. Identical five-card hands split the pot; the sixth and seventh cards are not used to break ties.

any craps: a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12. This bet pays 7:1 and has a house edge of 11.1%.

3-way craps: a bet made in units of 3 with one unit on 2, one unit on 3, and one unit on 12. This is a horn bet without the bet on 11.

any seven: a bet that the next roll will be 7. This bet pays 4:1 and has a house edge of 16.7%.

big 6: a bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 6 pays 7:6 but is identical otherwise. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of 1.5%

big 8: a bet that an 8 will be rolled before a 7 comes up. This bet pays even money, and has a house edge of 9.1%. A place bet on 8 pays 7:6 but is identical otherwise. The place bet is preferred, having a house edge of 1.5%

buy bet: giving the house a 5% commission in order to be paid correct odds for a place bet. The buy bets on 4 and 10 allow the player to reduce the house edge from 6.67% to 4% on these bets. Some casinos collect the commission only on winning bets, while others collect it at the time the bet is made.

come bet: A “virtual pass line bet”; a bet made after the come out roll but in other respects exactly like a pass line bet. See question C5 for more details.

come out roll: the first roll of the dice in a betting round is called the “come out” roll. Pass bets win when the come out roll is 7 or 11, while pass bets lose when the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12. Don’t bets lose when the come out roll is 7 or 11, and don’t bets win when the come out roll is 2 or 3. Don’t bets tie when the come out roll is 12 (2 in some casinos; the “bar” roll on the layout indicates which roll is treated as a tie).

dice pass: The dice are said to “pass” when the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll. The dice “don’t pass” when the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 on the come-out. If the come-out roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, this roll sets the “point”, and the shooter continues to roll until the point is rolled again or a 7 is rolled (see “seven out”). If the shooter rolls the point before rolling a seven, the dice pass. If the shooter sevens out, the dice don’t pass and the shooter loses control of the dice. NOTE: in this context, “pass” does NOT mean that the dice to given to the next player. Control of the dice is transferred only when the shooter “sevens out” or when the shooter has completed a game and no longer wishes to roll the dice.

don’t come bet: A “virtual don’t pass bet”; a bet made after the come out roll but in other respects exactly like a don’t pass bet.

don’t pass bet: a bet that the dice will not pass. This bet can be placed only immediately before a “come out” roll. One result (either the 2 or the 12, depending on the casino) will result in a push. House edge on these bets is 1.40%. A don’t pass bet can be taken down, but not increased, after the come-out roll.

double odds: an odds bet that is about twice as large as the original pass/come bet. Some casinos offer higher odds, such as 5X or even 10X odds.

field bet: a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. This bet pays even money for 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11, and usually pays 2:1 for 2 or 12. Some casinos pay 3:1 for either the 2 or 12 (but not both), and some casinos may make the 5 instead of the 9 a field roll.

hard way: a bet on 4, 6, 8, or 10 that wins only if the dice show the same face; e.g., “hard 8” occurs when each die shows a four.

hop bet: a bet that the next roll will result in one particular combination of the dice, such as 2-2 (called a “hopping hardway”) or 3-5. 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5 are paid the same as a one-roll 2; other hop bets are paid the same as a one-roll 11.

horn bet: a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 11, or 12, made in multiples of 4, with one unit on each of the numbers.

horn high bet: a bet made in multiples of 5 with one unit on 3 of the horn numbers, and two units on the “high” number; e.g., “$5 horn high eleven”: $1 each on 2, 3, 12, and $2 on the 11.

lay bet: a bet that a particular number (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) will NOT be rolled before a 7 comes up. The casino takes 5% of the winnings on these bets. The 5% commission is usually taken up front, but some casinos take the commission after the bet wins.

lay odds: after a point has been established, the don’t pass bettor can place an additional odds bet that will win if the original don’t pass bet wins. The odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with no house edge. This also applies to a don’t come bet. Making this bets is referred to “laying the odds” for your don’t bet.

line bet: a bet on the “pass line” or the “don’t pass line” is called a “line” bet. These bets are placed at the beginning of the game, before the “come out” roll. The shooter is required to make a line bet in order to shoot the dice.

odds off: odds bets that are “not working”. Odds bets can be called “off” by the player at any time, but are left on the felt until the bet is resolved. Also, come odds bets are usually “off” during the come out roll, unless the bettor asks to have the odds bets “working”. Come odd bets that are “off” will be returned to the player if the line bet loses on the come out roll. Don’t come odds generally work on the come-out roll.

pass bet: a bet that the dice will pass, also known as a “pass line” bet. This bet is generally placed immediately before a “come out” roll, although you can make or increase this bet at any time. House edge on this bets is 1.41%.

place bet (to win): a bet that a particular number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) will be rolled before a 7 comes up. These bets are paid at slightly less than correct odds, giving the house an edge of 1.52% on 6/8, 4% on 5/9, and 6.67% on 4/10.

place bet (to lose): a bet that a 7 will be rolled before the number you are placing (4,5,6,8,9, or 10) comes up. The casino requires you to lay slightly more than the correct odds, giving the house an edge of 3.03% on 4/10, 2.5% on 5/9, and 1.82% on 6/8.

point: if a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 is rolled on the come out roll, then this number becomes the “point”. The shooter must roll the point again, before rolling a seven, in order for the dice to “pass”. A “come point” is just the number that is serving as a point for a come bet.

put bet: A bet made on the pass line after the come out roll. This is allowed in Las Vegas and at Turning Stone, but not in Atlantic City and not at Foxwoods. This is not recommended, as 45% of your pass line wins are made on the come-out roll. 2. A bet made directly onto a come point number. E.g., “Put $5 and $10 odds on the six.”

right bettor: a player who bets that the dice will pass.

seven out: when the shooter rolls seven after a point has been established. Control of the dice is transferred to the next shooter. Another term for this is “miss out.” You will sometimes hear players call this something else, but we can’t print those things here. This is often incorrectly called “crap out.”

shooter: the player who is rolling the dice. The shooter must place a “line” bet (“pass” or “don’t pass”) in order to be eligible to roll the dice. Of course, the shooter can place other bets in addition to the required “line” bet. Most shooters (and players) tend to play the “pass” line. Note that shooters who make “don’t pass” bets are not betting against themselves, they are simply betting that the dice will not “pass”.

single odds: an odds bet that is about as large as the original pass/come bet. Some casinos allow “double odds”, or even larger odds bets.

take odds: after a point has been established, the pass/come bettor can place an additional odds bet that will win if the original pass/come bet wins. The odds bet is paid at the correct odds for the point, and is a fair bet with no house edge.

two ways: a phrase appended to a hardway or proposition bet to indicate that the player is betting one chip for the dealers along with his own bet. A $2 bet two ways is $1 for the player and $1 for the dealers; a $6 bet two ways is $5 for the player and $1 for the dealers; a $10 bet two ways is $5 for the player and $5 for the dealers. E.g., “Hard 6, two ways” or “Two-way hard 6.”

working: bets that are “live” (i.e., can be resolved with the next roll) are said to be working. Generally, place bets, buy/lay bets, and come odds bets do not work on the come-out unless you tell the dealers to “make them work.” All other bets (e.g., hardways) work unless you call them “off” (i.e., tell the dealers you do not want them to “work”).

world bet: a bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12, made in multiples of 5, with one unit on each of the numbers.

wrong bettor: a player who bets that the dice will not pass.

Casino craps is played completely against the casino, on a big felt layout set inside a large table with high rails around the side so you can bounce the dice off ’em and still keep ’em on the table. Up to between 12 and 16 people can play at once, depending on the size of the table.

Each player bets a minimum amount determined by the table.

Each die has six sides, each side with a different number of spots from one to six.

Two such dice are rolled by one player called the “shooter”. The shooter must place a “pass” bet or a “don’t pass” bet in order to be eligible to roll the dice. Exception: the shooter can let his Hot Babe (TM) roll the dice for him if he has a pass or don’t pass bet down.

The total number of spots on the tops of the dice after the shooter has rolled is called the “roll”.

A game consists of a series of rolls.

A roll of 2, 3, or 12 is called “craps”.

The first roll by the shooter during a game is called the “come-out roll”.

If the come-out roll is 7 or 11, the game is over:

Bets on the “Pass line” win 1:1.

Bets on the “Don’t Pass line” lose.

If the come-out roll is craps, the game is over:

Bets on the “Pass line” lose.

Bets on the “Don’t Pass line” win unless:

The “Don’t Pass” line says “Bar ” and the roll is the indicated value, in which case the bet pushes.

Otherwise, the come-out roll becomes the “point”, and a large white marker is placed on the number representing the point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10).

For each roll in a game subsequent to the come-out roll:

If the roll is the point, the game is over:

Bets on the “Pass line” win 1:1.

Bets on the “Don’t Pass line” lose.

If the roll is 7, the game is over:

Bets on the “Pass line” and lose.

Bets on the “Don’t Pass line” win 1:1.

The turn of the “shooter” is over.

Otherwise, the game continues and the shooter rolls again.

During a game, bets on the Pass line cannot be removed; they can, however, be increased. Bets on the Don’t Pass line may be decreased or removed, but not increased.When a game is over:

If the game was over on the come-out roll, or because the point was rolled again, the shooter may continue to be the shooter for another game, or pass the dice on to the player just clockwise, who becomes the new shooter.

Otherwise, the shooter must pass the dice on to the player just clockwise, who becomes the new shooter.

Baccarat is a card game that is dealt from a shoe that holds 6 or 8 decks of cards. Two hands are dealt by the house dealer, the “banker” hand and the “player” hand. Before the hands are dealt, bets may be placed on the banker hand, on the player hand, or on a tie. Winning bets on banker or player are paid 1:1, but a commission of 5% is charged on bank bets making the net odds on such bets 0.95 to 1. Some casinos may charge a lower commission (e.g., at this writing, Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas charges 4%.). Some sources report that tie bets are paid 8:1, while others claim that tie bets are paid 9:1, so this may vary from casino to casino. If there is a tie, bets on the banker or player are returned. Once a bet has been placed, there are no opportunities for further decisions — both the banker hand and the player hand are dealt according to fixed rules, resulting in final hands of either two or three cards for each.

The value of a hand is determined by adding the values of its individual cards. Tens and face cards are counted as zero, while all other cards are counted by the number of “pips” on the card face. Only the last digit of the total is used, so all baccarat hands have values in the range 0 to 9 inclusive. The hand with the higher value wins; if the hands have the same value, the result is a tie.

A game is started by dealing two cards for the player hand and two cards for the bank hand. An initial hand with a value of 8 or 9 is called a “natural.” If either hand is a natural, its holder must expose it and the game ends. Otherwise play continues, first with the player hand and then with the banker hand, according to the following rules.

Rules for the player hand: If the player’s first two cards total 6 or more, then the player must stand without drawing a card. If the player’s first two cards total 5 or less, the player must draw one additional card.

Rules for the banker hand: If the banker’s first two cards total 7 or more, then the banker must stand without drawing a card. If the banker’s first two cards total 0, 1, or 2, then the banker must draw one card. If the banker’s first two cards total 3, 4, 5, or 6, then whether the banker draws is determined by the whether the player drew, and if so the value of the player’s draw card

Pai-gow poker is a banking poker game played in Las Vegas and some of the California card clubs. The object of pai-gow poker is to make two poker hands that beat the banker’s hands. The player is dealt 7 cards that he makes into a five card hand (high hand) and a two card hand (low hand). The hands are played and ranked as traditional poker hands (with one exception: A2345 is the second highest straight), and the 5 card hand must be higher than the 2 card hand. If both hands are better than the banker’s hand, you win, if both lose, you lose, otherwise it’s a push. The banker wins absolute ties (i.e. K Q vs K Q).

The game is played with a 52 cards plus one joker. The joker can be used as an Ace or to complete a flush or straight. The table layout has 7 spots one in front of the dealer and 6 for players.

Each player spot has spaces for a bet, low hand, high hand and sometimes the house commission. The dealer deals 7 7-card hands in front of the chip tray. The banker can be a player, but is usually the house. The banker designates which hands go to which player by shaking a dice cup with three dice; the banker’s position is either 1, 8 or 15 and the hands are passed out counterclockwise. So, if the dealer is the bank and the dice total to 6, player 5 gets the first hand, player 6 gets the second, the dealer gets the third and so on. The dice mumbo-jumbo appears to be ritual stuff — you don’t need to worry about anything until you get your hand.

The player puts the two card hand face down in the box closest to the dealer, and the five card hand face down in back. Once everybody has set their hand, the dealer turns over and sets the bank’s hand. The dealer goes counterclockwise around the table comparing the banks hand to the players, and taking, paying, or knocking. There is a 5% commission on winning bets that you can either put out next to your winning bet, or the dealer will subtract from your payoff. The lowest minimum bet is $5, seen at the Imperial Place and Four Queens.

In pai-gow poker, the only strategic decisions are how much to bet and how to set your hand. The simple basic strategy for setting your hand is to make the highest 2-card hand that is less than your five card hand. If you can’t figure out what to do, you can show your hand to the dealer and they will tell you how the house would set it. Since pairs generally win the 2-card hands, and two-pair wins the 5-card hands, the only difficult decisions are when to split two pairs. The house rules at the Four Queens were not to split low pairs (<= 6) and not to split pairs <= 10 if there was a Ace high two card hand.

Inside Bets

One number – Chip is placed on one specific number.
Two numbers – Chip is placed on a line between two numbers.
Three numbers – Chip is placed on the outside line of the row of three numbers.
Four numbers – Chip is placed on the corner connecting four numbers.
Five numbers – Chip is placed on the line connecting the 0, 00, 1, 2, 3. This is the only five-number bet on the roulette table.
Six numbers – Chip is placed on the outside line of two rows of three numbers

Outside Bets

Dozens – Chip is placed on the box marked 1st 12, 2nd 12 or 3rd 12. The winning number must hit within the dozen range of your bet. 0 and 00 would be losing numbers.
Columns – Chip is placed at the bottom of the long column of numbers. The winning number must hit within the column of your bet. 0 and 00 would be losing numbers.
Red or Black – Chip is placed on the box marked Red or Black, referring to the background of the winning number. 0 and 00 would be losing numbers.
Odd or Even – Chip is placed on the box marked Odd or Even, referring to the winning number. 0 and 00 would be losing numbers. 1-18 or 19-36 – Chip is placed on the box marked 1-18 or 19-36. The winning number must hit within the range of your bet. 0 and 00 would be losing numbers.

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