Games are indeed thrilling and enjoyable to play, but what could be more exciting than gaining a winning streak in a row? Well, it is undeniably argued that live games of chance such as dice, poker, roulette, etc. are dependent mostly on luck, though experts argue on proficiency and skill. Experience does teach players to crack a few secret codes which act as game changers. This indicates that there’s always a smarter player out there making use of mathematical probability to predict the winning chances of the game. It was the extreme interest in mathematics that drove Bill Benter to become the most successful gambler of his era to win the highest bookies, in fact, a wholesome $600,000 in the first season of 1988.
Worry not, these are not high-level mathematics, just a few basic school-level concepts of probability that will simply help the player in their favourite card games. Moreover, online casinos have an advantage over land-based casinos. And perhaps the use of mathematical probability to mitigate results or outcomes in a less tense environment is one of them.
How Can Math Be Used in Casino Games?
The use of mathematics to predict gambling outcomes is not a new topic to ponder about. Long back in the 16th century, Gerolamo Cardano, the Italian polymath devised the earliest recorded manual or guide to gambling. He recorded the set of events within the ‘sample space or the probability of outcomes of all the players. An example would perhaps guide players better. Any two dice consist of 36 different combinations, where the probability of occurrence of two sixes is only two times (2/36). In a card game such as poker, regardless of whether you choose a poker site to play or prefer live action, the probability of the occurrence of only kings is four times (4/54). This indicates the theory of strategic gambling. Players are required to calculate the volatility index that would give them an approximate detail of whether they would be gaining greater. This enables them to know their ‘quantifying luck’ by setting probable results of luck.
The Bill Benter model is a great help to the players in calculating outcomes. In his initial days, Benter chose Ruth Bolton’s academic paper, “Searching for Positive Results at the Track ” to set up guidelines on how a racing horse’s performance is estimated. He examined various variables in the involvement of the game like speed, size, straight-line speed, and jockey skill. This yields results on accuracy and chances of the horse winning.
What Games Can Be Calculated?
Most of the games that involve mathematical probability are card games, dice games, horse racing, etc. Here’s a guide to card games.
Poker
Just like a French Deck, poker games consist of a deck of 52 cards. The deck is divided into two suits – red and black. Heart and Diamonds form the red suit, and clubs and spades form the black suit. Each colour of the card is 26, or in short, every category of the card is divided into 13 (1 Ace + 9 Numbered cards between 2-10 + 1 Jack + 1 King +1 Queen). As noted in the article on poker, the easiest way to win a poker game is first to identify the necessary cards to win the game. The probability of the winning card might help you to generate the winning chances. In case players are dealing with a Poker hand, then the idea of permutations and combinations is applied just like the French Blackjack.
Baccarat
There are a few basic math facts to guide players through the game. Some of these include:
- Tie-Wager math. This compares the wagering opportunities to the two percent of the ‘house edge’ and the ‘return to the player’. In case a player finds out one of them, the other can be calculated by subtracting from 100%.
- Baccarat Player wager math. For this category, players need to deal with the player bets and the banker bets.
- Baccarat Banker Wager Math. The banker’s hand usually holds a greater chance than the player’s hand. It is easy to calculate winning variables once the house edge and return us known.
- Baccarat Math for Bet Sizing. This helps to generate the losing streaks. In short, players can calculate the risk they can avail when they know the table minimum.
- Baccarat Size Bet Math. There is an interesting fact in the baccarat side wager, which indicates it is designed to have a ‘higher house edge and lower return percentage than the banker wager.’ The outcomes reveal the available options that are inherently worse than the banker wager.
- Baccarat Bonus Math. When players are well aware of the house edge for each baccarat bet, this can help to determine the loss. This is useful info for bonus wins.
Blackjack
The math behind blackjack is a bit tricky. A French Deck of Blackjack consists of 52 cards (4 Aces, 16 Face Cards, and 32 cards between 2-9). The chances of getting Blackjack are the different combinations to achieve 21 with 2 cards from every combination. Thereby, to secure a 21 deck, players need a combination of an Ace and 10 from the deck of 4 Aces and 16 Face Cards (including 10 value cards). The final probability lies somewhat equivalent to 4×16/C52,2=64/1326 or a 4. In short, players get an 8% chance of winning. Similarly, players can generate winning chances with several decks using this strategy.
Conclusion
Gambling is an extremely popular form of entertainment – to the extent that even celebrities gamble. The first and foremost idea needs to be kept in mind if the skill is helpful to the player. This is so because anomaly or disruption can easily change the occurrence of the game. So, with great aspirations comes great hard work and persistence. Skill development is an absolute must to use the mathematical strategy to an advantage when players are aiming for the single highest win.