Table and Casino Games
Table and casino games are highly popular, especially card games. Unlike other games of chance, they may involve some skill: we can learn aspects of the game that can help us make decisions as we play. For instance, we can choose how much to wager or whether we draw an extra card, develop strategies and even learn to bluff. But chance often ends up thwarting our plans.
The risks
Thinking we can win because of our skill
These games are different from other games of chance. Since they combine knowledge, chance and skill, we may get the impression that we can control part of the game and because of this, we may think that the odds of losing are lower. Poker is one of the rare games of chance in which players consider themselves professionals! This could more easily lead us to believe that the role of chance is less significant than skills when playing poker. Players may be wrongly tempted to blame a poor decision or lousy strategy when they lose.
Useful tips
Playing according to your budget
Setting a time limit
These games are very attractive.
It’s fun to play cards, dice or roulette. And playing when we have the possibility of winning because we think we know the game is rewarding. It’s even more so if we win. So, it’s easy to forget the role of chance in table and casino games in these situations. Even when we know nothing about these games, their energy and the excitement around them make us want to try our hand at them, too. We just have to remember that we’re playing for fun and not to win.
Useful tips
Playing with friends for fun
How chance thwarts our plans
Chance before skill
Chance is always a factor in table games. Even if we bluff, as in poker, we still can’t control which card will be dealt, our opponents’ hands or their bluffing skills. We can certainly hope to win—but we should expect to lose. Chance, along with odds and unpredictable results, usually favours the house.
The house edge
The dealer plays according to the house's rules, giving them a mathematical advantage over players. This is what we call the house edge or house advantage. Players can win in the short term but will usually lose more money than they’ll win in the long run.
We always take a risk when we play—the risk of losing. But we need to remember that while the house also takes a risk, it’s a calculated one that works in its favour.
The same happens with casino games such as Sic Bo and craps
The odds of getting one face of each die or another are always 1 to 6 every time we throw the die and regardless of previous outcomes. There’s no way to guess what the upcoming results will be. Even if it’s rare, we could get the same series of numbers several times in a row.
Beliefs
See what’s true or false
Our game knowledge can help us play more skillfully and improve our odds.
True!
And yet, despite our strategies, poker faces, or knowledge of a particular game, we can’t overcome chance—it prevails in every game.
A number that hasn’t been drawn or a card that hasn’t been dealt in a while is more likely to be drawn or dealt soon.
False.
That’s the hot or cold number belief, which means assessing our odds by thinking that some numbers are more likely (hot) or less likely (cold) to be drawn based on recent results. Roulette is entirely random. There are no hot or cold numbers. If 14 red defied the odds and appeared 5 times over the last 10 rounds, it can just as likely appear in the next round again. And since cards are randomly shuffled, predicting which cards will be dealt to which player is impossible.
The card dealing order is “sacred.”
False.
Some players believe that the card dealing order should not be altered. According to them, a player joining or leaving the table before all cards have been dealt destroys their chances of winning. But in reality, changing the dealing order has no impact. Card shuffling is random! It’s impossible to predict which cards will be dealt to which player. Anything can still happen!
After a series of consecutive losses, a player is “due” for a win.
False.
In both blackjack and roulette, previous results have no influence whatsoever on upcoming games. The cards and the ball have no memory. Perseverance doesn’t pay off when it comes to games of chance. Playing to “recoup” our losses is a risky bet since it leads to more losses than wins.
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