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It has happened to all of us.  One look at the Craps tub, the players standing around it and all those rules around a seven ….and we look around desperately for a chair to sit down ! Except that one normally stands to play Craps and you do not get even that by nature of consolation!

You could crawl under the tub, but that will not really flatter the gambling instinct in you, right?  Here is an alternative. Table Craps or Play Craps, a new game played with cards. It is essentially the same as Craps, except that you don’t have to roll the dice and watch it throw up your fate as your legs turn to jelly.

Michael Christian and Jack Chappel have done to Craps  the same thing that was done to Pai Gow Poker when casinos introduced it as a table game…. The dice have been replaced with cards. These “die cards,” are the same size as standard playing cards but feature enlarged depictions of the faces on a die cube instead of the numbers.

The new table is no tub. It has been designed by a Las Vegas casino equipment designer. A little bigger than a blackjack table, it has nine seats, chip trays and drink holders. The field markings on the table are however the same as in a regular craps table. Two dealers are used in this game –one of them deals out two die-faced cards from the 324 cards placed in a continuous shuffle machine.

The number of cards and the use of the shuffle machine ensures that the odds are within .004 of a percent of conventional craps. The statistics have been established by the Gaming Laboratories International and the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which has approved the new table game.

The new game is quite a hit with land based and online casino –the table takes up less space, the number of dealers required is less and there are no hassles of checking the dice or picking it off the floor. This also means the game is faster and hence, the number of plays per hour is more, notching up the revenues for the House.

Of course, the traditional craps players will still prefer the tub and the dice, but there are many players who feel put-off by the confusing array of betting options and the dice roll. They want to be spared the ordeal of being criticized for unfavorable throws by other players. It is for them that this sit-down version of Play Craps with cards has been designed.

The good news is online casinos will continue to offer the dice-based game as a specialty game, even if the new game is introduced as part of their table games. So if you are one of those sticklers who want only the original, you will find it at Cool Cat Casino.

I always followed the “more is better” philosophy until recently when I won a couple of dozen hands of Baccarat. It left me with a pretty decent amount of money.

Baccarat is a popular and well respected casino game the world over. Usually, casinos allot a special room for Baccarat tables because the game involves high stakes. Players play against one another, assuming the responsibility of the dealer from time to time. The game lasts for a long time usually but “quicker” variations of Baccarat are also available where you play against the dealer and not against other players.

In my first encounter with Baccarat, I played against the dealer. I placed my bet on the banker hand, which I had no clue about, and was dealt two Kings. A hand total of 20 was before me. I am a seasoned Blackjack player and 20 almost got me on my feet. The dealer who was playing on the player hand received 15. I was about to explode with happiness because I had placed a $500 bet and got a 20. But much to my surprise, I lost. I must say I screamed with consternation. I could not believe it. The number 20 beats 15, any mathematician would tell you that, I argued with the dealer.

The dealer calmly replied to my question and said, Baccarat is played under rules that differ from Blackjack. If you get a hand total that exceeds 9 points, the tens position is dropped. Therefore, a hand total of 20 becomes 0 and a hand total of 15 becomes 5. Outrageous, I said out loud.  Loud enough to be heard by the casino management. They asked me to maintain the decorum of the casino or leave. That wasn’t a very happy ending. A loss of $500 added to the frustration.  Well, I thought to myself, I’m going to stay and play a couple more Baccarat hands without caring about winning or losing.

Today I am a regular Baccarat player. I still play Blackjack and other casino games, but I must say I have developed a good taste for Baccarat, and I am much more comfortable with the “less is better” philosophy.

This quiz is designed for Blackjack newbies who are struggling to learn to play Blackjack. But seasoned
players will also find it very refreshing for their skills. Here goes:

Welcome to this short Blackjack quiz everybody. This quiz is not intended to rate you on your knowledge of
Blackjack. Rather, it is designed to help you learn to play Blackjack effectively. This quiz is based on the Blackjack basic strategy, but is different from other quizzes because it not only tells you “what to do” but also tells you “why to do so.”

Q1: What would you do if you are dealt a pair of 9s, and the dealer’s up card is a 9?

(a) Stand  (b) Hit  (c) Double  (d) Split

Ans: The correct answer is (d) Split.
Though 18 is pretty close to 21, your chances of winning are 41% and the chances of losing are 59%. Furthermore, when you split, you have two hands with 9 as the first card. Your chances of winning increase
to 47% and the chances of losing  decreases to 53%. So, it’s preferred that you split your pair.

Q2: Your hand total is 15 and the dealer is showing a 7, 8, or 9, what should you do?

(a) Stand  (b) Hit  (c) Double  (d)Split

Ans: The correct answer is (b) Hit.
According to basic Blackjack strategy, you should hit if the dealer shows a 7, 8, or 9. But if the dealer shows a 10 value card, you should go for a split, if allowed, otherwise hit.

Q3: The dealer is showing a 7 and your hand contains a 10 and a 6. What would you better do?

(a) Stand  (b) Hit  (c) Double  (d) Split

Ans: The correct answer is (b) Hit. Blackjack players usually follow this unwritten rule: hit if your
hand total is 16 or less,  otherwise stand.

Q4: Your hand contains a 10 and 2 and dealer shows a 2. What do you think is the correct action to follow?

(a) Stand  (b) Hit  (c) Double  (d) Split

Ans: The option (b) Hit is the right choice. Your chances of getting busted are quite less. Only a 10
value card will lead to a bust.  Any other card of lower value is favorable. You can get 21 or a hand closest to 21. So you should draw or Hit another card. Remember, if the dealer’s card is higher than 3,
you should stand and not hit with a hand total of 12.

Q5: You hold two Kings, or any two 10 value cards. The dealer has an Ace and asks you for an insurance. Would you go for it?

(a) Yes (b) No

Ans: The correct answer is (b) No. Insurance does seem like a good choice but it is not. Even if your
cards are different, you should not go for insurance. Insurance pays 2 to 1 on your insurance bet  if the dealer indeed comes up with a Blackjack. But if the dealer fails to come up with a Blackjack, you lose your insurance bet. If you look at it from another angle, you see that if you win the insurance bet, you are bound to lose you other bet because the dealer’s Blackjack will eventually beat your hand. So you only break even.  Also, just because the dealer’s up card is an Ace does not mean the dealer will come up with a
Blackjack.

Q6: Imagine that you are holding a pair of 10s. The dealer’s visible card is also a 10. What action should you take?

(a) Stand  (b) Hit  (c) Double  (d)Split

Ans: The correct answer is (a) Stand. Regardless of the dealer’s up card, always stand. To cut a long joke short, a man at a Blackjack table asked a woman standing next to him, “What is the perfect time to split 10s?” The woman replied,  “When you want to vacate your seat.”  Jokes apart, 20 is a pretty good hand. The only hand that can beat a 20 is 21 or a Blackjack. So, you had better stand and hope for a win.

Q7: You are dealt a pair of 5s and the dealer is showing a 6. What is a good action to follow?

(a) Stand  (b) Hit  (c) Double  (d) Split

Ans: Option (c) Double is the right answer. Just pretend that you are dealt a 10. The highest card that
you can get is 10 or an Ace. In both these cases, your hand will total 20 or 21. Your chances of getting “too many” is next to impossible. So, you should double down and take a chance to win a relatively bigger amount.

Q8: You are dealt a hand that contains an Ace and 7, the dealer is showing a 5. What should you go for?

(a) Stand  (b) Hit  (c) Double  (d)Split

Ans: You get full marks if you say (c) Double. The figure 18 is quite close to 21 but the statistics say
that you can make 10% more money in the long run by doubling down each time on a set of Ace and 7, if you consider it a soft hand (where Ace is equal to 11). Besides, the dealer has more chances of getting “too many” with a 5, as he cannot opt to stand, until he hits 17 as per rule s in most casinos.

Well that’s the end of the quiz. You are not going to get any grades for your performance though. The
purpose of the quiz is to make you aware of the possible actions that you can take in different situations. Now you can go ahead and apply your knowledge learned through this quiz on a fresh game of Blackjack. Play Blackjack online for some time and see for yourself how helpful the quiz really is.