Game Vigorish

Man, oh man, how I hate this subject. How I hate to discuss something that is so completely misunderstood by people who gamble. The reason people are off the wall about game vigorish and blackjack gambling is that all of the math experts, genuinely talented in their ability to count to 99 by 3s, try to impose their math talents into a world where they are completely clueless.

They fill the heads of prospective gamblers with stories about blackjack gambling being a completely negative expectation game, and why people should not gamble and on and on to where they make complete fools of themselves with their erroneous babbling.

If you get an idea that I do not worry about game vigorish, you would get an A plus in comprehension. Vigorish don't matter in gambling, to the extent that these people talk about it as if you're gonna die in three days if you play a game with a high vig. And the pity of it all is that people listen to that garbage.

Having said that, I will soften my stance a bit and admit that some casino games are tilted so overwhelmingly in favor of the house that it is financial suicide to play them. But every single solitary game should not be approached with that negative thinking. Here are several gambling outlets I would not recommend as being a game that will give you a decent shot at gaining profits.

1.   Lottery: No way would I play those numbers, with the unbelievable amount of possible combinations that you need to buck, to get a return. This is especially true when it hits the megabucks stage where you gotta pick 5, 6, or more numbers. I don't know the vig but I'd rather get a stick in the eye than blow my money on that enterprise.

2.   Big Wheel: You'll find this carnival game in practically every casino and usually packed on weekend nights, when people with no clue as to what they are fighting line up to take their shot. This is a no no game.

3.    Caribbean Stud: I play poker three or four nights a week and have to buck tremendous odds to get a royal flush, even when I start with Ace, King, Queen of the same suit and have two extra cards to help me get it. Now you want me to play this game and have a bonus royal dealt in five successive cards?? And then have to worry about the dealer qualifying to see if I win that bonus? Are you kidding me? I'd rather swallow hot coals than blow my money on this game.

4.    Prop Bets in Craps: Playing the one roll of any 7, craps, 11, without a hedging reason, is a donation to the casinos that the IRS should give you a triple credit for.

5.    Horse Racing Pick 6: You gotta pick the winner in six consecutive races? Most people have a problem picking a horse to show in a five horse field. Best way to play this bet is buy a hat, write down the numbers of each of the required six races, and have a two year old monkey pick the numbers out of the hat. (I specify a two year old monkey because he probably doesn't know any better. An older monkey would laugh in your face for making this bet.)

Next