Gambling Quiz
1. When should you raise in Caribbean Stud Poker?
A
With 4-4 or higher
Nope, try again
B
When you have a 2-2 or higher
Close, but not correct.
C
With A-K, then depending on the other cards in your hand
That’s absolutely right!
D
Always
This is a bush league play, invoking a house edge of 16.607%
E
Whenever you feel the dealer isn’t going to qualify
Leave your hunches at home. Good gamblers minimize risk, not maximize it
2. How large are standard minimum bets for most games in Macau’s big casinos?
A
$100
Nope, I haven’t seen $100 tables at the Venetian or MGM etc for 8 years
B
$200
Maybe six years ago this answer was correct
C
$300
Spot on. That’s around $40 US, way too high in my mind
D
$500
It’s already there for Baccarat, with Blackjack not far behind. But in general, it’s not this bad yet.
E
$1000
No, and let's hope it never gets this high!
3. Which set of games contains the best bets, assuming optimal strategy is followed?
A
Roulette, Craps, Blackjack, Baccarat
Wrong. Roulette has a high house advantage of 2.7%
B
Slots, Fan Tan, Pai Gow, Money Wheel
Very wrong! Slots and Money Wheel are the two worst games in Macau
C
War, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, Banking Three Card Baccarat
Wrong! Newer games in general have house advantages between 3% and 5%
D
Blackjack, Craps, Fan Tan, Baccarat
Correct! If you follow proper strategy, the house edge on these games doesn’t exceed 1.25%
E
Pai Gow, Sic Bo, Three Card Baccarat, Blackjack
Wrong! Three Card Baccarat and Sic Bo have high house advantages of 2.41% and 2.78%
4. Where are you most likely to find English speaking dealers in Macau?
A
Wynn
No, I’ve never met one at the Wynn
B
MGM
Incorrect. Although they speak Chinese very well
C
Venetian
Nope, nothing doing at Macau’s most international casino
D
City of Dreams
The casino may be hip and happening but they don’t speak English there
E
Every casino is the same
Correct! As in they don’t really exist anywhere
5. If you want to improve your chances of winning money over the long run, which betting system should you choose?
A
The Martingale: After every loss, double the bet size of your next wager until you win
Incorrect. Even though disciples of this system will have frequent small wins, those wins will disappear the day they hit a bad run, and lose 8 or 9 hands in a row. Do you really want to bet $25000 to win $100? Didn’t think so
B
Reverse Martingale: After every win, double your bet, and keep doing it until you either lose or reach your win goal
Nope. Proponents of this system often lose everything before they ever hit that streak of a lifetime
C
D'Alembert: Bet more after a loss and less after a win
Negative, this betting system is bogus. Chasing losses is never good
D
Reverse Cancellation System: Your bet size increases when winning and decreases when losing
No sir. Unless proponents of this system hit a huge run, they lose money every time
E
None of the above. All betting systems are equally useless
Correct! There is no betting system in the world that can reduce the house edge.
6. When playing slot machines, what is the most important thing to consider?
A
The location of the machine
Nope, this is an urban myth
B
If it’s hot and spitting out money
Incorrect. A hot machine is no more likely to keep winning than a cold machine
C
If it hasn’t hit in a while and is due
No. A slot machine is never “due”
D
The age of the machine
While it’s possible that older machines in general have better returns, the difference is probably negligible
E
None of the above
The most important thing to consider for a slot machine is the return. Which unfortunately, is seldom known. As a rule of thumb, all slots are bad
7. Which strategy is the most effective to keep you from losing more money than you can accept?
A
Splitting your gambling into sessions
It’s a good idea to split your gambling into sessions, but it won’t stop you for losing more than you want.
B
Setting a win limit: quitting after you win $x
No. Win limits only help if you reach them. On bad days they don’t do a thing.
C
Setting a loss limit: quitting after you lose $x
Right! Set a number you’re comfortable with losing and then stick to it!
D
Setting a time limit: only playing for X hours
Time limits won’t help if you can’t control your betting behaviour
E
Chasing losses till you get them back
For the love of God man! Don’t do what I’ve done and hope to never do again!
8. When should you raise in 3 Card Poker?
A
With 3-3 or better
Nope, try again
B
With a Q-6-4 or better
Absolutely right. Always raise with Q-6-4 or better
C
With J-7-5 or better
The dealer needs a Q at least to qualify, so no
D
Always
No way! As in Caribbean Stud Poker, you never raise with a non-qualifying hand
E
Never
If this was your answer, then you shouldn’t be playing this game - ever
9. You’re playing Baccarat. The past 10 hands have been Player wins. What should you do next?
A
Bet the Player, because it’s the trend. And what the hell, every other Chinese player is buying the Player too
Well, I wouldn’t fault you if you did, because it’s hard to go against the momentum of the room, but objectively speaking, it’s not the best play. Besides that, what happened in the past (aka trends) doesn’t matter in gambling. Always stick to the mathematically correct play
B
Bet the Banker, because that bet has the lowest house edge
Correct! The smart player bets the Banker every time when playing Baccarat. In Commission Free Baccarat, however, the Player bet is in fact lower (1.24% vs 1.46%)
C
Bet the Tie, because you don’t want to make a decision
Wrong! If you don’t want to make a decision, then don’t play the hand. Besides, the tie bet carries a high house advantage of 14.36%
D
Bet the Banker or Player Pair, because you feel it’s coming
Wrong! Either bet results in a house advantage of 10.36%
10. Which Macau casino has the best entertainment?
A
Venetian
Incorrect. The only entertainment there is in the Cotai Arena
B
City of Dreams
Nope, the House of Dancing Water doesn’t count.
C
Galaxy
Galaxy’s performance stage is now closed, so no
D
Sands
Close, but no. Sands is second on this list, since they could be offering something
E
Grand Lisboa
Absolutely correct. The Crazy Paris Show has been a Lisboa staple for decades. Great dancing and other cabaret performances, all for free in the middle of the casino
11. Where can you find Macau’s best Blackjack game?
A
Landmark Casino
Unfortunately Landmark Casino’s 0% Blackjack game is a thing of the past
B
Grand Lisboa
Nope, Grand Lisboa plays by standard Macau rules, with a house edge of 0.16%
C
Wynn
Wynn (and MGM) casinos don’t allow you to split Aces up to 4 hands anymore, so no
D
Sands
No, the Sands casinos are all dodgy, with house edges of 0.24% or 0.27%
E
Million Dragon
Absolutely right! With Aces allowed to be split up to 4 hands, the house edge is only 0.09%.
12. You’re playing 3 card Poker and not betting the Pair Plus. The guy beside you is looking at you funny. He says betting the Pair Plus is the only way to make money playing that game. What do you do?
A
Start betting the Pair Plus
If it ain’t broke, don’t break it. You’ll get all kinds of bad advice in casinos. It’s your job not to follow it
B
Tell him rudely to mind his own business and play his own hand
Now, now, there’s no need for that. Gambling is a lot better when everyone is nice to each other
C
Tell him you’re ok with the way you’re playing
Correct! No need to educate the ignorant because they probably won’t believe you anyway. Just keep playing correctly. Don’t let others influence you at the table
13. Of the 5 worst games in Macau, which one has the highest house edge/element of risk?
A
Caribbean Stud Poker
Carrying an Element of Risk of 2.55%, CSP is actually the 2nd best game on this list
B
Sic Bo
Nope. If you just bet Big or Small, Even or Odd, the house edge is 2.78%
C
Pai Gow
Way off. With a house edge of 2.44%, Pai Gow is the best game here
D
Money Wheel
Correct! Money Wheel carries an ungodly house advantage of 7.69%
E
Roulette
Incorrect. Macau’s single 0 version has a house edge of 2.70%
14. You’re playing 3 card Baccarat. There are 3 side bets available. Which one should you bet?
A
Dealer Point Total
If you bet the Dealer 0 then I can almost see it. For a side bet, it’s not that bad, with a house edge of only 2.91%. But every other Dealer total has a house edge of 9% plus
B
Tie
The tie bet is atrocious, resulting in a house advantage of 20.8%
C
Three Faces
You can’t be serious! This is the worst bet in Macau bar none with a house edge of 83%. 83 f@%king percent!!! It should be freaking illegal!
D
None of them
Absolutely correct! Side bets are sucker bets, period
15. Who said, “No one can possibly win at roulette unless he steals money from the table while the croupier isn’t looking?”
A
Phil Ivey
Wrong! While Phil Ivey didn’t say it, he probably knows it. That’s why he plays a game he can win at
B
The Maven’s Father
My father plays slots at a casino because he’s afraid to sit down at a table. So rest assured, it wasn’t him
C
Donald Trump
Nope, but I wouldn’t put it past the Don to cheat to win
D
Albert Einstein
Correct! When he wasn’t applying himself to astrophysics and solving the mysteries of the universe, Albert was busy breaking down casino games
16. You’re about to start a gambling session with a loss limit of $6000. Assuming you flat bet throughout, what table minimum is best?
A
$100
Grow some boy! A 60X spread is for old women!
B
$300
Right! A 20X spread is a decent rule of thumb to follow.
C
$500
Good luck lasting long with a 12X spread. A bad twenty minutes and you’ll be finished.
D
$1000
A 6X spread is utter craziness.
17. You’re playing War. Both you and the dealer have 6. What should you do?
A
Go to War!
No doubt. Take that dealer down!
B
Surrender
Wrong! This is the only decision you have to make playing War, so get it right. Never surrender!
18. You’re playing Fan Tan. Should you keep track of the numbers and then bet the one that has come up least?
A
Absolutely, that makes a lot of sense! It’s due!
No, it’s a bunch of nonsense. The buttons don’t know which number is due
B
No, but I’ll record the numbers and bet the one that has come up most. Because it’s hot!
Wrong. What happened in the past is irrelevant
C
No. I’ll bet Nga Tan or Sheh Sam Hong every time and select numbers randomly
Absolutely right! Don’t worry about what numbers have come up. Just make the mathematically correct bet
19. You’re playing Pai Gow at the Lisboa and have the opportunity to bank. Should you?
A
Yes
Correct! At the very least, Banking in Pai Gow reduces the house edge to a minuscule 0.53%
B
No
Nope, you should always Bank when given the chance
C
It doesn’t matter
Incorrect, it does matter
20. None of these bets in Sic Bo are any good. However, one is better than all of the rest. Which one?
A
4,17
Not even close. The 4,17 numbers stink, with a house edge of 29.16%
B
5,16
5,16 is the worst bet, resulting in a house edge of 47.22%
C
6,15
Your second worst bet on the board, the house edge is a very unpalatable 30.55%
D
7,14
Right! The best bet on the list still carries a high house advantage of 9.72%
E
8,13
Not quite! But 8,13 is the second best bet on the board with a house edge of 12.5%
F
9,12
No way, the 9,12 bet carries a house advantage of 18.98%
G
10,11
Close but no cigar! The 10,11 bet has a house advantage of 12.5%, tied for second lowest on the list.
21. What’s the optimal way to play Craps?
A
Only make the Place or Buy bets
Although these bets aren’t bad, compared to others in a casino, there are better ones in Craps. For the record, the house edge on the Buy 6 or 8 is 0.46%, Buy 5 or 9 is 1.11% and Place 4,10 is 1.19%
B
Play the bets in the middle of the table (i.e. the prop bets, Any 7, Hard way, Any Craps etc
AKA the sucker bets. For the love of God man, never place a chip in the middle of a Craps table. You just don’t do it!
C
Just make the Pass line bet
Nope. Making the Pass line bet isn’t enough
D
Pass line bet plus Full Odds
Almost! But it’s only the second best Craps bet you can make, with a house edge of 0.326%, if you play at the City of Dreams or Studio City (5 times odds)
E
Don’t pass bet plus Full Odds
Absolutely correct! Playing the dark side results in a house edge of 0.227% if you play full 5 times odds at the City of Dreams or Studio City
22. You have a gambling problem if
A
You chase losses
You’re right, you do. But there’s a better answer
B
You borrow money to gamble
No doubt! But there’s a better answer
C
You can’t stop gambling
Correct! But there’s a better answer
D
You lie about how often you gamble
Right! But there’s a better answer
E
So far you’ve answered correctly less than 5 times
Absolutely! I don’t want to see anyone gambling in Macau until they go 22 for 22 on this quiz
F
All of the above
Indeed! These are all signs of a gambling problem. If you think you have one, seek help immediately
Post your scores here!
I’ll go first.
I got 4/22, and I made the GD quiz!
Cripes!!