Table Games What Makes A Table Game The Right Game For You?

1. Are you solely in it for $ potential, so the HE is all that counts?
2. What makes a game fun/enjoyable for you?
3. Strategy - How much work will you do to learn it?
4. Cost of entry. How much money are you willing to put on the line to play each hand, roll, etc.?
5. Bankroll - Session or Trip. Do you need to allocate a modest or mountainous amount of money to play / survive through the ups and downs?
6. Do you need to touch the cards?
7. Do you like to play with others? Do you like a lively bunch or are you happy to play 1:1 against the dealer?
8. How well do you handle the up/downs - variance associated with the game?
9. Etc.

Anyway, just interested in what games folks like best and why they like them.

 

1. Primarily the $ but willing to tolerate breaking even and losing some if the table is having fun.
2. People cheering each other on, uniting against the House. Also scenery helps as well.
3. I do a fair amount of work to learn it.
4. $25 is typically my upper limit.
5. I set aside a budget for each day for entertainment.
6. No.
7. Yes I prefer to play with others. One x One versus the dealer makes the money go faster and is less fun.
8. You learn that is part of the experience. Those that don't learn that /aren't comfortable typically don't gamble.

 

1- I like a game that I can hit and run and potentially double or triple the buyin within a short period of time. Thats why I love playing straight up numbers on Euro roulette. Buy in for 200 play 20 on my 3 numbers and get the potential for cashing out 600 or more in a few spins.
2- see above. Also the dealers and other players can at times make or break a game. After all we're here to have fun. If I'm not having fun while gambling no matter the game, its not worth it.
3- I know the basics of most games, learned from reading and playing. My most recently learned game is craps and I love reading all I can on it and practicing the math etc.
4-Vegas my bets increase a bit compared to if I am just at my local. Blackjack 50-100 a hand, roulette 50-100 a spin, craps 25 on pass line plus odds and a few come and hardways bets. Local I barely play above 25 blackjack.
5- need to get better at bankroll management. But on a trip I have a stop loss bankroll point and stick to it(and that moves around as/if I am ahead)
6- No preference
7- yes but sometimes I will want to play a shoe superfast 2 hands at a time for BJ. It can be quite rewarding or quite devastating.
8- hit and run on roulette, blackjack...lose my buyin I am out, double or triple up I am out. Especially laying down 200 on roulette either way I am out of that table within 10 minutes (terrible for comps..lol)
Craps I will start slow and as the table and my chip set gets hot I will increase bets significantly

Love table games and always wanting to learn new ones as long as the edge isn't through the roof!!

 

1. Mainly, yes. I go with my roll and even though if I lose it all, and I have, it's looked at as an entertainment cost and I expect it to be gone the moment I withdraw it. However I'm competitive and I want to win. I don't take house edge into account. I play high HE bets at craps and have fun doing it. But even though I expect to lose the bankroll if I am getting slaughtered and not having any winning sessions then I'll shut it down. Last trip was like this. I couldn't win shit.

2. Dealer attitude, fun atmosphere at the table and being able to get some value for my dollars. Surly dealers? I can deal with them most of the time but I'll bounce quick if they're surly and I'm losing. And not just surly - but no talking robot dealers will push me off the table too.

3. Quite a bit. I will not put any serious money down on a game I don't know enough about. You won't see me playing something like UTH or Three Card because I don't know the first thing about it. Why lose at something I have no clue about?

4. Depends on how I'm feeling that day/moment. I always won't be betting $100+ per roll or hand but I don't find the $5 tables enjoyable any longer. So usually I'll buy in at a $50 or higher table for blackjack. For craps it's different and I'll still play a $5 table there.

5. I don't allocate funds per day - I go with a trip roll and also have some in reserve in my Vegas bank account. The amounts are relative but I'll play within my comfort zone and maybe a little outside of it if I am up.

6. Nope. I prefer to do so in baccarat but it's not necessary

7. Yes a lively table is much more fun especially at craps and baccarat . Sometimes I like going heads up against the dealer in blackjack and Spanish 21 but you can get hammered quick that way.

8. If I'm losing at a slow pace over the trip it's fine. Obviously I'd prefer to win but a slow bleed is understood bc of house edge. Now if like last trip I get smoked everytime I sit down regardless of the casino, game or time of day? It pisses me off and I'll shut it down and go sit in the sports book and get drunk and bet games.

Craps, blackjack, Spanish 21 and baccarat are my games. Each has a different starting buy in and I'll play quick hit sessions or sometimes ten hour marathons.

 

v Are you solely in it for $ potential, so the HE is all that counts?
Ø Not necessarily. I’m only playing <= $25 hands at blackjack, and trying to adhere to basic strategy, so the $ potential is limited.

v What makes a game fun/enjoyable for you?
Ø Fun and enjoyable attributes would be a relatively fast win/loss result. As an example, with each hand in BJ you have a pretty quick turnaround (regardless of number of players). Also, a pleasant table environment. What I hate is that guy who wants to either give free blackjack lessons (you should have…), or the guy who fails to grasp the concept that blackjack is not a team sport: “Hey, if you hadn’t doubled down on that eleven, the dealer would have busted and the table would have won”.

v Strategy - How much work will you do to learn it?
Ø Ah, strategy. How do we use that word. Well, I put in enough time to learn basic strategy for blackjack and Spanish-21: not overly difficult. Baccarat is pretty straight forward…not that far removed from betting on the flip of a coin. The last time I played poker would be over thirty-odd years past when I was in the Army. I don’t shoot craps and while I understand roulette, I just don’t play it. I will say this, however, the more complex the game, the less likely I am to develop an interest.

v Cost of entry. How much money are you willing to put on the line to play each hand, roll, etc.?
Ø The max buy-in would be <= $25.

v.Bankroll - Session or Trip. Do you need to allocate a modest or mountainous amount of money to play / survive through the ups and downs?
Ø The standard Vegas Bankroll is $1.6K/day (split between me and the mrs.), with probably +/- $500 budgeted per session. Here, at the Seminole Hard Rock, exceptionally rare that I budget more than $500~$600 for a day.

v Do you need to touch the cards?
Ø Nope. Not an issue. But I will say this, I do seem to like touching chips as opposed to virtual play. It may be the same game, but for some bizarre reason, I really like the chips and felt. I think that’s because I play so much on the laptop, I’m numb to virtual games.

v Do you like to play with others? Do you like a lively bunch or are you happy to play 1:1 against the dealer?
Ø Well, that depends on just how ‘lively’ that bunch is. I just can’t get the old noodle around celebrating each and every winning hand like you just nailed a twelve-figure lottery ticket. I guess if it involves relentless screaming, jumping up and down, dancing, probably not my demographic. One-on-one is not that much fun, and the losses can mount even faster, so no…no 1:1 for me.

v How well do you handle the up/downs - variance associated with the game?
Ø Pretty dang good. Now, part of that could be that my approach has always been that I assume that I’m going to lose more than I win, and if I win a pretty good stack, that I’m happy with that…it’s a bonus, not an expectation. Now, I will scoot if I hit a 'bad streak' for an extended period of time. And that brings up another point. I hate it when people get pissed off at the dealer and take out their losing frustrations on him/her. Look sport, if you can’t afford to lose that money – you honest-to-god don’t need to be at the table. I never walk into a casino and think “yep, I’m here to get paid”. Our Vegas rule: Any funds we allocate to gaming are under the heading of grown-up entertainment, and as such, if those funds are exhausted, it is merely a case of the cost of entertainment being what it was: No bitching, no moaning, no regrets. It’s alright to complain about a session, but I ain’t putting up with ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’ when we get back to the ranch.

 

To the OP - I play a lot of games. The core "Why" is I enjoy them.

What matters the most to me is the following:

- How is my bankroll. If I'm getting killed, I'm more likely to play Pai Gow than, say, craps. If the min on ult holdem is $15, I'll probably find another game. Etc.
- Who am I with? I go to LV with friends. Someone of them won't play dice at all. Some of them find Ultimate Hold Em boring. I'll adjust with them
- Game rules. I'm not going to sit at 6:5 blackjack

 

What are the "ingredients" that make certain games enjoyable? That's what I'm interested in.

For example, I like UTH. Why?

• I like to touch the cards.
• I like the multiple decision points.
• I like the leverage of the 4X bet.
• I like there being an additional side bet for my consideration.
• The HE is acceptable even with the amount of variance involved.

 

Are you solely in it for $ potential, so the HE is all that counts?
Not always what counts, but in general I stay with the the lowest HE games. BJ, Craps, UTH.

What makes a game fun/enjoyable for you?
A good chance for a win. Some sort of strategy helps keep it interesting as well. I like a good atmosphere, fun dealer, and nice people at the table. If a game doesn't have that I leave.

Strategy - How much work will you do to learn it?
I love strategy, it makes the games much more interesting to me so I generally put a good amount of time into learning them.

Cost of entry. How much money are you willing to put on the line to play each hand, roll, etc.?
With my bankroll I prefer to keep my bets to under a total of $50 per hand. This includes all the total of all bets I make at Craps and the full 4x bet at UTH. So that means I'm usually at $5 UTH or Craps tables, and $5-$25 BJ tables. Though occasionally I will go up to $100 total per hand, especially in Vegas where it is harder to find a $5 table.

Bankroll - Session or Trip. Do you need to allocate a modest or mountainous amount of money to play / survive through the ups and downs?
This is why I only play UTH sparingly, and in general stay away from side/prop bets. I don't have a huge bankroll so BJ and Craps have less swings, so I stick to those mostly.

Do you need to touch the cards?
I enjoy it, but don't need it to have fun.

Do you like to play with others? Do you like a lively bunch or are you happy to play 1:1 against the dealer?
Yes, as mentioned above, a good atmosphere is necessary. It's ok if people are more quiet, as long as they are enjoying themselves.

How well do you handle the up/downs - variance associated with the game?
Like I said, I don't like a ton of variance, so I try to keep it to a minimum for the most part. Occasionally it is fun to make a crazy bet and hope for a big score, but that is rare for me.

 

I like to play 3 card poker. Usually because it's a little social and really nothing to think about. I can win a hand or two and keep playing for awhile and the drink service usually seems better at the tables. And there's always a chance of hitting a progressive. It's kind of a slot mentality at the tables. I'm in it for the entertainment and if I make some money ,bonus.

 

1. No, the fun is what counts.
2. I enjoy gambling, and like chasing the "high"
3. I know all the games like the back of my hand, it is my job also.
4. Most I ever bet was $700 on one hand, most ever in action was $1,000 (500 bet and doubled).
5. Each day has its own bankroll, if I win one day I don't add to the other days bankroll, that money goes home. Saturday has the highest bankroll.
6. No, wastes time to touch the cards, i love baccarat and can play mini bac just the same as midi bac. I take a lot of free hands.
7. Craps I like to play with others. Blackjack I like to play alone I can't stand people with hunches on blackjack. Baccarat doesn't matter.
8. I handle the ups like a boss, the downs ehhhh not so much.

 

1. Are you solely in it for $ potential, so the HE is all that counts? No, so few are actual pros that this idea is kind of out there. That said, HE/VIG is very important to me and is why I mostly play craps/BJ at 0.5% vig or less. IMO, the only chance most have at any winning sessions is to play low vig strategy and use money management techniques. Most of the "sucker" games have a jackpot of some kind to play for but they eat you alive waiting for it...
2. What makes a game fun/enjoyable for you? Some chance of winning(reasonably low vig), some human interaction/comradery ( good/fun dealers or "fun players rooting for each other" ), fast play.
3. Strategy - How much work will you do to learn it? A LOT. Many talk about reading books etc. which is a help, but learning and getting basic strat down cold is essential to any gambling IMO.
4. Cost of entry. How much money are you willing to put on the line to play each hand, roll, etc.? As little as possible at -EXP and then as much as I can stand at even or better! Thus I love $3 craps with 10,20,100X odds. And liked $1 BJ when it was still available with low HE. I do not like $10 or higher mins as I want to play for hours and not lose big on a cold day at the tables.
5. Bankroll - Session or Trip. Do you need to allocate a modest or mountainous amount of money to play / survive through the ups and downs? I like to play many hours a day so I bankroll to allow for big swings. Not as much as many but more than most. Depends on the min and game as to how much a session is.
6. Do you need to touch the cards? I prefer to touch them as I think it mostly makes the game faster and it keeps less bad players from playing at those tables ( they are more intimidated by having to tuck their cards ). Thus 2deck BJ is my preference right now - since playable 1d games are rare. It is less about actually touching and more about the skill of the players who play hand-held BJ. I don't play much else so BJ is my only card reference.
7. Do you like to play with others? Do you like a lively bunch or are you happy to play 1:1 against the dealer? I mostly like 1:1 because I tend to do better. No bad players slowing the game down and interrupting the "flow". It is easier to hit streaks and I will press up on winning streaks so that is a big thing for my style of play. I have had crowds form thinking I am doing some exhibition or something because I can play super fast and when a dealer sees that I like that and they get toked more when I am on streaks they will sometimes deal rapid fire as well. OTOH, I also enjoy a fun bunch of tablemates all rooting for each other and with positive vibes and attitudes. IMO, most gambling should be viewed as entertainment and to watch all of these sour puss dullards play poorly and blame the dealer or others and grumble and complain the whole time - that makes zero sense to me. If you cannot enjoy anything but winning big then you shouldn't play at all, IMO! But fun BAD players have so little chance at surviving that I would prefer fun GOOD players as then we all have a chance at least. I admit that there have been instances where I've offered unsolicited advice just to try to help others have a better chance at winning. It mystifies me how many sit down with no clue whatsoever. I learned basic strat before I ever played live BJ in a casino. I got a bit hot last trip when a young Asian kid sat down who couldn't speak/understand English and had no clue how to play yet bet $60 a hand and $20 on the "suited" gimmick thing. He didn't know what it meant nor how to tuck his cards or ANYTHING. He had only a basic understanding of how to count to 21. Yet was willing to bet $80 a hand??? IMO, that is disgusting. Either he is too rich to care(which is a bit much for a kid of about 22), or just an idiot willing to kill hundreds. He was alone too, so no one to explain the game or interpret. Throwing away $ at that high a rate with no clue just really turns my stomach. People who need to take off their shoes to add up their hand also annoy me. But I am not willing to play big bucks to try to avoid all bad players - and the few times I have played at $50+ min tables I still ran across really bad players losing thousands instead of hundreds. I like to be the shooter in craps so playing it alone doesn't bother me though it can actually get tiring rolling every roll for more than an hour or two. I also prefer less players because it means more space to stretch out and not be squeezed by others.
8. How well do you handle the up/downs - variance associated with the game? Reasonably, but everyone gets tired of the long losing streaks that come with -EV games. Which is why I am not too keen on wrong bettors in craps as they don't WIN in the long run but their obvious hopes that the right bettors lose is annoying and rude and somewhat anti-social, IMO. I enjoy the comradery of gambling, which is a big reason why I don't play poker.

 

Good questions!

1. Are you solely in it for $ potential, so the HE is all that counts? No, within limits. I mean, if I were in it solely for $ potential, I'd count cards, and I don't. However, as a rule the maximum house edge I will put up with is about 0.6%; I almost always play with a $20 base bet so that is pretty limiting in terms of getting the best HE.
2. What makes a game fun/enjoyable for you? 1) long sessions where I don't lose, 2) fun and/or interesting people, both players and dealers.
3. Strategy - How much work will you do to learn it? In the months before my annual trip, I spend countless down-time hours with a blackjack app (BC Blackjack is terrific). Lately, I've been staying downtown and there are three games I play: ElCo's 1-deck game, the 2-deck game at GN and Plaza, and the 6-deck game with surrender you might find at GN. I try to get myself to the point where I have basic strategy down cold for these three games, and in fact, with three months to go before my next trip, I just made myself a cheat card that summarizes all three. It's kind of silly to obsess at this level but it's fun to me.
4. Cost of entry. How much money are you willing to put on the line to play each hand, roll, etc.? I only press when I'm up, but I will keep pressing until I lose a hand, and if I'm up by 50% of my original bank roll and lose a hand, I walk away. If I am on a roll and ready to walk away a winner, and basic strategy tells me to double down or split on a $100 bet, I do it; I'm guessing the most I've ever had on a hand is $250.
5. Bankroll - Session or Trip. Do you need to allocate a modest or mountainous amount of money to play / survive through the ups and downs? I definitely survive through the ups and downs. I almost always start a session with a $200 bankroll. I walk away when I have lost a hand and remain up $100 or more, or when I lose the whole $200. Tripwise, it varies, but I usually allow myself to lose up to $1500, which hasn't happened in years. If I arrive and lose the first few $200 sessions, I tend to find other things to do other than play blackjack.
6. Do you need to touch the cards? No. I have never understood this obsession, whether it's the house or the player.
7. Do you like to play with others? Do you like a lively bunch or are you happy to play 1:1 against the dealer? I insist on playing with others, and like as lively a bunch as possible. The people-watching aspect of blackjack is huge to me. Plus, a full table means I lose my money more slowly. If I am at a table and everyone walks away, I do not stay around long. Since I am usually playing at one of the lower limit tables with better odds, I am usually not alone for long. Bossy jerk dealers bother me. Whiny players do too, but that's part of the people-watching thing. I am happy to play with newbies who want to learn to play the game right.
8. How well do you handle the up/downs - variance associated with the game? Pretty well, I suppose. Isn't that what the game is all about? In a bad session, I try to be funny about it.

 

I like the carnival games like LIR and 3CP for the potential of a big winning hand. BJ can be hard work at times. Always worth a couple of hundred or so.

 

I'm in a table game to make money and have a good time. If I could find a lively and fun table and play for 4 hours, I'd rather break even than to find a table by myself, play for four hours and win $100. However, if I played by myself and won $500 or more over that time, I'll take that option. It's tricky.

 

I play craps almost exclusively for two reasons:
- Excitement of a hot table
- The house advantage on the line/come bets with odds are the best in the casino

 

1. I'm in it for the fun. BJ is fun for the prospect of beating the house; poker is a player-vs-player game where the fun is testing myself against others; craps is fun for the social aspect; slots is fun because I can sit down.

2. See #1. Also, losing and playing slowly is no fun; losing is only fun if the crowd is fun. Winning is almost always fun. Getting the best of the game (whether that's BJ, poker, or exploiting coupons or offers or comps) is fun, win or lose -- I know I'm playing the odds hence losing is just a part of the game.

3. I've spent hundreds of hours reading and studying the games I play.

4. The most I've had in play at once has been around $1500. Generally anything over $100 gets me woozy. I don't like to play $1 video poker, but I do; $5 (ie $25 per line) feels too rich for my blood, even though it's less than what I risk at tables.

5. I bring a trip bankroll, dividied into day bankrolls. Excess bankroll from each day gets spread out over the remaining days.

6. Cards? No. Tho I don't like virtual games.

7. Yes, please! I'd rather play at a full table than an empty one. I like a rowdy craps table, a friendly poker or blackjack table, and a quiet slot machine.

8. Used to be - a lot worse. Still, getting creamed on coinflips for 10-20 games sucks and will usually send me off to get trashy food or play penny slots (for 1-5c per spin) and drink for free.

 

1. Are you solely in it for $ potential, so the HE is all that counts? Both.
2. What makes a game fun/enjoyable for you? Hard to explain.
3. Strategy - How much work will you do to learn it? Craps, always learning. Other games learn on the fly.
4. Cost of entry. How much money are you willing to put on the line to play each hand, roll, etc.? It varies based on the flow of the game. With Craps $20-$100+
5. Bankroll - ? A set amount.
6. Do you need to touch the cards? Yes for both cards and dice.
7. Do you like to play with others? Do you like a lively bunch or are you happy to play 1:1 against the dealer? Solo or 2-3 others at the Craps table. Full table for cards.
8. How well do you handle the up/downs - variance associated with the game? Craps I am there to hit and leave.

 

• HE isn't all that counts, but it certainly determines the games I gravitate to. "Fun" is a very important aspect to me... so - "fun" blackjack, craps, UTH & 3-card tables if where you find me.
• Other than winning? The social interaction; the nature of the game itself; the personality of the dealer(s); the willingness of other players to have fun.
• If there's any strategy at all to a game, I will learn it...and learn it well enough to be very comfortable playing the game. I tend to dislike any game that has no strategy (such as slots, bacc or roulette).
• I look for minimum tables of the $5 & $10 variety. I then bankroll 20x that minimum for the session... bearing in mind (for example) that a $5-min UTH table is really a $20 average bet per hand... a $5 crap table is really about $25 per established point, so I typically only bankroll 10x for craps. ($5 line, $10 odds, $6 6/8, $5 5/9).
• Nope. I don't mind it though. As parlayboy points out for blackjack, the DD pitch games tend to draw better, more-knowledgeable players, and that's a good thing.
• I prefer 2 other players for blackjack. Math is easier that way. I like crowded crap games & about 3 or 4 other players for UTH or 3-card. I will play heads-up against the dealer on any card game, but I can tell you that it almost never stays that way for more than a hand or two. If I open an empty table, other players seem to magically appear out of the woodwork. I do like fun, sociable tables though... makes the game more fun.
• I handle variance just fine, as I am always prepared for it. See bullet-point #3.

 

This is so true. No one wants to be first, but are more than happy to sit down afterwards.

 

I am almost exclusively a craps player and I won't play an empty table because the fun is not there. For the last two years I have been teaching the game to my wife who doesn't want to shoot unless the table is empty. You put a lady shooter at an empty craps table at eleven am and wait ten minutes, four guys are buying in. Several casinos should owe us money for opening up their empty tables.