E-36: How to Play Three Card Poker

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This game only takes a few minutes to learn and is a fun introduction to table games. There is little strategy involved so it is a good way to get use to the table environment.

1. There are 2 types of bets you can make. The Ante and Pair Plus. You can bet one or both. The Ante bet is a wager you make against the dealer and thee Pair Plus has nothing to do with the dealer and is simply betting whether your hand will have a pair or higher.
2. You then receive three cards. If you made the Ante bet, you must decide now whether you will bet again that your hand is better than the dealer, or fold. If you fold, you lose your Ante bet. If you decide to play, you must place a bet equal to your Ante in the Play spot on the table.
3. After all bets are placed, the dealer turns up his cards. The dealer must have at least a queen high to qualify. If not, the dealer simply pays you your Ante bet at 1:1 and you take back your play bet.
4. If the dealer does qualify, he will compare his hand against each player to determine the winner.

The hand rankings are different from that of standard poker as the odds of hitting a hand are quiet different.

Hand Rankings                                    Hand Payouts
Straight Flush                                        Straight Flush 40:1
Three of a Kind                                     Three of a Kind 30:1
Straight                                                  Straight 6:1
Flush                                                      Flush 4:1
Pair                                                        Pair 1:1
High Card                                              High Card 1:1

The basic strategy is very simple. Always play any hand with Queen high or better and

fold the rest.



E-35: Setting Your Limits

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In the stock market, investors regularly issue stop loss orders. These are standing orders to sell stock when the price dips below a predetermined limit. If they were to buy stoock at $100, they may issue a stop loss order for when the stock drops below $50. This doesn't protect all of their investment but it means they are not completely at risk either. This is somethinng that you should do when gambling.



Most players walk into a casino thinking "Ive got $500 to blow" And they often don't leave until every dollar is gone. A smart gambler thinks "I've got $500 in my bankroll for the weekend and I want at least $250 for tomorrow"

The smart gambler has set a stop loss limt for that day and will leave the gaming floor as soon as they reach that level.

There are several ways to set stop loss limits;

• Time loss limits: Where you stop playing after a predetermined amount of time
• Winning limits: Set a reasonable profit goal. 50% of your initail buy in is sound
• Winning loss limits: Set a limit of how much of your winnings you are willing to lose back, again 50% is safe.
• Breaks: Stopping for meals is a safe way to protect your bankroll

E-34: Video Reels vs Mechanical

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In order to gain the most play from your bankroll it is important to know the differences between video and mechanical reels.

Manufacturers have added many more paylines and the number of coins you can bet per line to video reels. The reason for this simple, time. Video slots take a little longer between spins, due to bonus rounds.By adding more paylines and increasing the max bet, the casino is able to recoup some of the expected hourly loss.





Most new video slots have a minimum of nine lines and you can often play from 1 to 10 coins per line. The standard however is 5 coins per line, so on a nine line machine the max bet would be 45 coins. That translates to $2.25 per spin for a nickel and $11.25 for a quarter machine.

Another major thing to consider is the return on a single winning spin. On a mechanical reel you, when you do have a hit you get at least your money back.
This is often not the case with video reels. You might have one line that is a winner and pays three coins, but lose on the other eight lines. It cost you nine coins for the spin and you only won three, so you are still down six coins.

The last thing to consider is the jackpots. You are only ever applicable for the jackpot if you are playing max bet. On a reel machine, that may only cost you 3 or 4 coins, but on a video slot its more likely to cost 45 coins.

E-33: How To Read a Slot Machine

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Not all slot machines are the same. You should learn to read the information given to you before you sit down and play.

The first thing that you should check is the denomination of the machine. Don't just sit down and start playing and then realise you are playing too high for your bankroll. If you do find yourself in this situation, then you should move to another machine. Don't be embarrassed.

There are several machines to choose from:
Multiplier
Bonus Multiplier
Multiple Payline
Buy a Pay
Progressive Slots



Multipliers: This machine has a payout for a certain symbol and the number of coins played multiplies it.
Eg; if the machine pays out 5 coins for 3 lemons when you play one coin, it would pay 10 for the second coin and 15 for 3 coins.
This machine does not penalize you for not playing max coin. If you plan to play one coin at a time, then this is the machine for you.

Bonus Multiplier: This machine works on the same principle as the multiplier but offers a bonus when you play max coins and hit the jackpot.
Eg; three lemons would pay 1000 for one coin, 2000 for two coins, but 10,000 for max coin.
Its up to you to decide if you want to risk more of your bankroll to win the bonus payout.

Multiple Payline: These machines have more than one line of play. Each coin activates a particular line. If you hit a winner on a line that is not activated, you will receive nothing. Older machines use to have just three lines, but the new machines have many more.

Buy a Pays: Each coin activates a different symbol and payout. You need to bet the max coins to receive the largest jackpot.
Eg; the popular Sizzling 7's machine pays on cherries, bars and 7's. If you play one coin, you can collect only on the cherries. If you play two coins you can collect on cherries and bars. But you must play three coins to collect on the 7's.
If you hit the jackpot while playing one coin you will win absolutely nothing.

Progressive Slots: These take a small percentage of every coin played and add it to the pool for the jackpot. You should only ever play these if you are willing to play max bet.

All of this information can be found on thee machine, either on a sticker, or displayed on the menu. Take your time to read it carefully. 



E-32: Gambling Superstitions

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Gamblers are probably the most superstitious people in the world and will do anything to improve their chance of winning.

If a player has won, he looks at what transpired during the winning session. This is where a player may decide that something was responsible for their good fortune. Likewise if a player loses, he will look to see what may have caused it.

Many gamblers form what is referred to as "Selective Gambling Amnesia." We only remember those events that correspond to our own personal beliefs. This is a very common form of delusion, where people only remember what reinforces what they wish to be true.



Common gambling superstitions:

1. Many gamblers feel that is unlucky to enter a casino through the main entrance.
2. Many gamblers believe that $50 bills are unlucky and they will not accept being paid with them. The origin of this is debated, but one reason is that people could confuse a $5 bill for a $50.
3. Counting your money while playing is said to tempt fate and you should always wait till you have finished.
4. Never whistle while gambling. This comes from the fact that whistling in a graveyard is considered poor taste and has carried over to gambling. In a sense you are trying to remain cheerful in a difficult situation.
5. Never wear red while gambling is a common Asian superstition.

Superstitions are generally harmless and are developed by the average player to enhance the experience, but if you do hold these to be the reason for your gambling luck, then you should seek help.

E-31: Gambling Addiction

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The following 20 questions are from Gamblers Anonymous. Answer them honestly to establish if you need to seek help.

1. Did you ever lose time from work due to gambling?
2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
3. Did gambling ever affect your reputation?
4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
5. Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
8. After a win, did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
9. Do you often gamble until your last dollar is gone?
10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
12. Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
13. Does gambling make you careless of the welfare or yourself or family?
14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing and illegal act to finance gambling?
17. Did gambling cause you difficulty in sleeping?
18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
20. Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

If you answered yes to 7 or more of those questions you are considered a gambling addict by Gamblers Anonymous and should seek help.

E-30: Pathological Gambling

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Understanding your own mind and what drives you to gamble will help protect you from yourself.

Pathological Gambling is characterised by the following 5 factors:

1. Preoccupation with gambling
2. Difficulty controlling gambling and unsuccessful attempts to stop
3. Negative consequences in life, such as family, job disruption and lying about the extent of your gambling
4. Financial problems due to gambling
5. Chasing your losses





Pathological gamblers often distort the truth in their own minds to further support their problem. Gambling addicts can suffer from some, if not all of the following:

• Attribution- believing your winnings occur as a result of your efforts and not randomly
• Magical Thinking- believing that thinking or hoping in a certain way will bring about a win or that random outcomes can be predicted. Also believing that because of previous results you are due a win from the gambling gods.
• Superstitions- lucky charms, articles of clothing, ways of throwing the dice or cutting the cards may cause a win.

• Systems- believing that you have worked out a betting system that will overcome the house edge.
• Selective Memory- remembering your wins, but failing to remember your losses or altering the truth of the result.
• Personification of gambling- attaching human characteristics to a machine or deck of cards etc. Thinking that the deck is punishing or rewarding you.
• Near miss beliefs- reducing the number of losing experiences in your mind by thinking you almost won.
• Chasing losses- believing the money isn't lost, it can be won back by gambling further to win it back.

Always keep your gambling controlled and keep a sound mathematical mind. Always use logic and keep emotions at the door when you enter the casino. Don't be a robot, but stay in control.