# Most gamblers are so dumb. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 8, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766 "2004-12-08T16:48:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/41 "2004-12-08T21:15:22Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I don’t think that there is any game in a casino with a true “50/50” bet anyway. Roulette has Green/0 and possibly Green/00 to keep the odds from reaching 50/50. Casinos are run by crafty people. Generally _much_ smarter than gamblers. The best way to win in gambling is to be the house. True. As i recall, at the time I was sure there had to be something wrong with my scheme (by virtue of me not being The World’s Smartest Human, and by virtue of casinos still being open), but I was unable to track down the exact problem, for quite awhile. I knew that games weren’t exactly 50/50, but it seemed to me like it’d work even for games that were close. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/42 "2004-12-08T21:30:56Z")
I would bet $1 black, $1 top third, and $1 green/first column if I were playing roulette. ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/43 "2004-12-08T21:33:26Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > “We were doing really well at that blackjack table, everyone was kicking ass. So the house brought in one of their really good blackjack dealers and he/she just totally kicked out ass. They got us good.” As seen in [Suicide Kings](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120241/). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/44 "2004-12-08T21:43:16Z")
> [@capacitor](#): > > I would bet $1 black, $1 top third, and $1 green/first column if I were playing roulette. Why? Is this losing scheme better than normal? Haj ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/45 "2004-12-08T21:49:29Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I don’t think that there is any game in a casino with a true “50/50” bet anyway. Yes and no. In craps, Odds bets are true odds, meaning the expected value of the bet is 0. This is probably the only bet in any casino that is true odds. But you can’t just walk up to a Craps table and make an odds bet, you have to first bet Pass/Don’t Pass (or Come/Don’t Come), which are not true odds bets (although they aren’t bad odds either). Then, after the come out roll, assuming the point has been established, you can make the Odds bet. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/46 "2004-12-08T21:57:11Z")
> [@GaWd](#): > > Y’know what’s funny? This sounds eerily similar to guys who think strippers really “like” them. But she was so friendly! I think this thread is coming down a little hard on the gamblers. Who knows how many are like this, but when I gamble I think it’s part of the fun to play along with the superstitions and hunting for the numbres that are “due.” Otherwise why not just sit at home in front of a computer with a craps program? –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/47 "2004-12-08T22:01:14Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > I think this thread is coming down a little hard on the gamblers. Who knows how many are like this, but when I gamble I think it’s part of the fun to play along with the superstitions and hunting for the numbres that are “due.” I was kinda thinking that myself. Gambling sounds to me like marginally less fun than setting dollar bills on fire (at least fire is pretty). The only way I could see it being fun is to be trying to work magic at the gambling table, and while I was there to suspend my skepticism long enough to get all Harry Potter on the dice. Going somewhere to coldly, rationally lose money just isn’t my cuppa. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/48 "2004-12-08T23:05:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by capacitor > I would bet $1 black, $1 top third, and $1 green/first column if I were playing roulette. > > > [@hajario](#): > > > > Why? Is this losing scheme better than normal? > > > > Haj Well now you’re just being a jerk. Just like any game, certain strategies work better than others. This is a particularly good strategy to cover a large chunk of the table with a small bet. That’s why it’s outlawed at many casinos. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/49 "2004-12-08T23:10:31Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Well now you’re just being a jerk. > > Just like any game, certain strategies work better than others. This is a particularly good strategy to cover a large chunk of the table with a small bet. > > That’s why it’s outlawed at many casinos. There is no way that this is outlawed at any casino. You are full of crap. This is a bad strategy because it is a loser in the long run. Guaranteed. Your expectation is negative. Haj ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/50 "2004-12-08T23:12:16Z")
Put another way, three losing bets all added together do not make a winning combination. It’s like trying to add three negative numbers and end up with a positive number. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/51 "2004-12-08T23:21:16Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Put another way, three losing bets all added together do not make a winning combination. It’s like trying to add three negative numbers and end up with a positive number. Yeah, but what if you _multiply_ three negative numbers together?? What then, smart guy? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/52 "2004-12-08T23:21:55Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > There is no way that this is outlawed at any casino. You are full of crap. No need for namecalling but at both the Seneca Niagara and Casino Niagara this is outlawed. If you are betting black, and the minimum is let’s say $5, then you can’t split your bet between the numbers on the inside and the colors/evens/odds/etc on the outside. It has to be 5 on any outside square and 5 on the inside numbers which can be split. > [@](#): > > This is a bad strategy because it is a loser in the long run. Guaranteed. Your expectation is negative. And of course it’s a loser in the long run, everything is when the odds are stacked against you. But in the short run, it’s not bad. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/53 "2004-12-08T23:53:34Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Also, he’s not **SenorBeef**. No kidding? Begging y’all’s pardon for dorking up the names. The sentiment remains the same. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/54 "2004-12-08T23:57:02Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Yeah, but what if you _multiply_ three negative numbers together?? What then, smart guy? (-1 \* -1) \* -1 = -1. Well there goes my system. ---
**Author:** ![Leonard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@Leonard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonard)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/55 "2004-12-08T23:58:04Z")
I never understood how anyone could walk into a _multi-million dollar building_ and expect anything other than losing their money. How do you think they paid for such a nice place? Now a casino run in a rotting down trailer house…I might have to look into that a little closer. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/56 "2004-12-09T00:01:16Z")
> [@Leonard](#): > > I never understood how anyone could walk into a _multi-million dollar building_ and expect anything other than losing their money. How do you think they paid for such a nice place? > > Now a casino run in a rotting down trailer house…I might have to look into that a little closer. This is brilliant. 🙂 Maybe you should be trawling the homeless shelters to see if Toothless Joe and Whiskey Pete are running any Craps games tonight… ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/57 "2004-12-09T00:03:07Z")
I had a blast playing 2/4 hold’em at Mandalay Bay on my birthday…I think the odds against college age kids learning the game are the best odds in the whole casino…at least the extra $800 I came home with thinks so. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/58 "2004-12-09T00:10:39Z")
> [@Leonard](#): > > I never understood how anyone could walk into a _multi-million dollar building_ and expect anything other than losing their money. How do you think they paid for such a nice place? > > Now a casino run in a rotting down trailer house…I might have to look into that a little closer. I hear the best place to play the slots is in an airport. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/59 "2004-12-09T00:38:38Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > And of course it’s a loser in the long run, everything is when the odds are stacked against you. But in the short run, it’s not bad. In the short run, it has exactly the same expected value as any other roulette bet. Like **haj** said, this “strategy” is no different than randomly throwing chips at the table and seeing where they fall. It sounds like the casinos you mention don’t prevent you from spreading your money on these several bets; what they do is prevent you from _splitting_ the minimum bet in this way. The end result: morons who think that this “system” is a strategy will spend more money per round to play it. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766/60 "2004-12-09T00:47:02Z")
Hey **walrus** , are you a poker player? Do you know of a good home game locally? Haj [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-gamblers-are-so-dumb/278766.md?page=4)