JUMPING FROM SLOTS TO TABLES

By Henry Tamburin

Remember when you were a little kid standing on the edge of a pool or lake ready to make your first jump into the water? You were anxious but eventually you jumped in. Do you remember how good it felt? Yeah, it was so good that you jumped in that water over and over.

So it is with taking that first plunge from slots to table games. It looks scary, but once you do it …just like that first jump into the water … you’ll never look back.

“The greatest obstacle gamblers face when making the jump from slots to table games,” according to advantage gambling software developer Dan Pronovost, “is building confidence and the comfort to play with other players and the dealer in a live game.”

So how do you build confidence? One way according to Bill Burton, author of “1000 Best Casino Secrets” is to take the free lessons offered by casinos.

“Many casinos offer free table lessons that explain the basics of how to play different table games. They are usually held on weekdays during the morning hours when the casino is not very busy. Taking a free table game lesson is a good way to learn the mechanics of the game and get a feel for how the game is played.”

Many casinos offer free lessons. You should find out when they are offered before you head out to your favorite casino (just call the casino manager’s office and ask) and then make the time to attend them. Most casinos offer lessons in blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, and some times other table games (Caribbean Stud, Let it Ride, baccarat, etc). If they don’t offer a class for a game that you want to learn, let the floor supervisor know and if the casino isn’t busy he’ll usually set you up with a dealer who can go over the rules with you.

Here’s another tip from Burton to consider in the event a casino doesn’t offer free lessons. “You might want to convince a friend or two to join you in learning a new game. This can take away some of the fear of sitting down and playing by yourself. If you have a group of friends who are interested in learning a new game, try to find an empty table and then tell the dealer you are new to the game. The dealer will gladly help you.”

Another confidence builder is to convince a friend that is a seasoned table player to help you along the first time you sit down and play. I’ve gone with my spouse and also with friends to help them get acclimated to new table games. It was a big confidence booster for them.

According to Jean Scott, author of Frugal Gambling and More Frugal Gambling, another way to build up your confidence is to “study the game first because playing table games requires more thought than playing the slots.”

A good, general book that covers the basics of all table games and is fun to read is Frank Scoblete’s Casino Gambling-Play Like a Pro in 10 Minutes or Less. Scoblete concisely summarizes the basic rules for different table games along with an easy playing strategy that you can learn in, well, ten minutes or less.

Another good source of information on the basics of table games is Michael Shackleford’s site www.wizardofoodds.com. Here you’ll find the rules for different games and the best playing strategies based on Shackledford’s mathematical analysis of each game. Shackleford’s book, Gambling 102, is also another good source of information on rules and best strategies for different games.

If reading books or going on the Internet isn’t your cup of tea, watching a video that demonstrates how to play a specific table game might suit you. I’ll shamelessly recommend three best selling training videos that feature me going over the basics of blackjack, craps and roulette. The tapes were filmed in a casino using professional dealers so it’s as realistic as you are going to get. There are also videos that you can purchase that cover other table games including poker. Your best bet is to check out the videos listed in the gambling catalogs at Gambler’s Book Shop (www.gamblersbook.com) and Gambler’s General Store (www.gamblersgeneralstore.com).

If you have access to a computer, here is another option to build up some confidence before you play in a live game. According to Pronovost, “You can practice at home with some good training software programs.” Dan should know because he owns a business that develops training programs for blackjack, craps, and Texas Hold’em poker which you can download and try for free (www.handheldblackjack.com). I use Dan’s software in the blackjack Speed Count classes that I teach and my students enjoy doing the computer exercises because they are fun and educational.

When it comes to deciding which table game to play, it depends on what interests you. If you know something about poker, then the table games based on poker might be just your cup of tea. They include Three Poker Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Let it Ride, and Pai Gow Poker (there are others but these are the most popular). If you like a lot of action, you might try craps and for card players, blackjack or baccarat might interest you. One thing is clear according to casino gambling author and writer John Grochowski, “Slot players must have a change of mind-set from focusing on the big payoffs in slots to more frequent small wins on the tables.”

Here’s a ranking of the complexity of the more popular table games that you can use as a guide.

Easy

Mini Baccarat and Baccarat

Roulette

Three Card Poker

Moderate

Let it Ride

Pai Gow Poker

Caribbean Stud

More Complex

Blackjack

Craps

As a general rule, the more complex the game, the better the odds for a player assuming he knows the correct playing strategy. But don’t let complexity scare you because I’ll give you some tips in a moment on how to play like a pro without having to study and memorize strategy charts.

According to Grochowski, “The easiest game to play is the no-strategy game baccarat or mini-baccarat.” Mini-baccarat is best for low stakes players. The only decision that you have to make is whether to bet on the Bank Hand or Player Hand. The dealer does the rest so it’s a very easy game to play (if you don’t believe me, stand behind a live game and watch). The other nice thing about this game is low house edge, about one and a quarter percent, which is a whole lot better than the 5-10% edge slot players face.

Roulette is also a no-strategy game and easy to play. “The poker based table games,” according to Grochowski, “are also easy to pick up because they are based on familiarity with poker hands.” Scoblete’s and Shackleford’s books cover the rules and best playing strategy for these games, which are fairly easy to learn.

Blackjack and craps are the best table games if you know the right way to play. With blackjack, you can take along a basic strategy card that you can use when you play so you don’t have to spend hours memorizing strategy tables (yes, they are casino legal). With craps, stick to making the simple place bets on 6 and 8 and you’ll be making one of the simplest and best bets on the layout and for that matter in the casino.

One of the advantages of table games over slots is that the house edge is lower for most bets on table games and you can slow down your play much more to reduce the exposure of your bankroll to the house edge. Some table games are faster than others and Jean Scott has a table in her book, More Frugal Gambling (page 33), that summarizes what it will cost you per hour to play different table games based on the game’s speed and house edge. As expected, blackjack with basic playing strategy and the place bet on 6 and 8 in craps are on the top of the list of least costly casino bets.

When it comes to when to play, Burton offers this advice. “You don’t want to sit down at a crowded table during peak times to play your first table game. As a newbie you might need a little more time and sometimes this might upset more seasoned players.”

Burton brings up a good point about grumpy players who sometimes criticize the play of others. This doesn’t happen often on table games, but if it does, it’s best just to ignore the grouch. You are there to have a good time and you have the right to play your hand and bet your money the way you want to.

Finally, keep in mind that all the table game players that you see in a casino were, at one time, beginners just like you. So don’t be afraid, take the plunge ‘cause the water is just fine.