Here are the correct answers to last week’s quiz, located on page 15 of the July 20-26 Gambler:
1. The correct response is 1. Both hands are a push. In casino blackjack, you are eligible for a 3-2 premium payoff for a blackjack only when the first two cards you are dealt add up to 21. When the first two cards you are dealt are aces, you split them, then draw a ten value card on each one, you have two hands that each add up to 21. You’re normally sitting pretty to beat the dealer and get paid even money on both hands, but when the dealer draws to 21, then both hands are a push.
2. The correct response is 2. When you’re playing roulette and win your “street” bet (a bet on three numbers) you are paid 11-1. “Straight up” (a bet on one number) pays 35-1. “Split” (a bet on two numbers) pays 17-1. “Corner” (a bet on four numbers) pays 8-1. “Side street” (a bet on six numbers) pays 5-1. The 2-1 betting propositions on a roulette layout are the “columns” and the “dozens”. The even money betting propositions are red/black, odd/even, and high/low.
3. The correct response is 1. “Red” or “Big Red” is craps players slang for a seven, the number nobody at a craps table wants to say by name. It’s a number that I personally never want to see, even though it’s a “natural” on the come out roll and pays even money for a pass line bet. That’s why most “red” bets are made on the come out roll, the only roll when a seven does minimal damage. A bet on any seven on the next roll pays 4-1 but isn’t recommended because of the high house edge.
4. The correct response is 3. Three-card poker features a wagering proposition called “Pairs Plus.” A wager on this bet means that you will be paid even money for any pair you are dealt in your three-card hand, regardless of how strong (or how weak) the dealer’s hand. Bonus payoffs on a Pairs Plus bet include 4-1 for a flush, 6-1 for a straight, 30-1 for three-of-a-kind, and 40-1 for a 3-card straight flush.
5. The correct response is 1. When you are dealt a pair of fives at the blackjack table, the best play is to take them as a 2-card total of 10 and double-down against anything the dealer shows for an up-card, except (usually) a 10-value card or an ace. The best play is to never split your fives, even against a dealer’s “stiff” (4, 5, or 6). When the dealer shows a 10-value card or an ace the best play is to hit the hand, but under no circumstances would you stand or split.
6. The correct response is 4. Allowing roulette players to bet on “0″ and “00″ by placing a chip on the line that separates the “second dozen box” from the “third dozen box” on the layout is strictly a convenience for players who are seated near the end of the table. The other spot to make this bet, of course, is to place the chip on the line that separates the green “0″ from the green “00″ near the top of the layout.
7. The correct response is 1. When you make a bet on the “field” at a craps table, you’re betting that any number except 5, 6, 7, or 8 will show on the next roll of the dice. A winner pays even money, except on “snake eyes” (2) or “box cars” (12), which has a bonus of 2-1 or sometimes 3-1. If the dice show “hard eight” (a pair of fours), you lose your field bet.
8. The correct response is 4. This question exemplifies the frustrations of playing Caribbean Stud Poker. Even though you have a strong hand, in this case three-of-a-kind in aces, you don’t get a bonus payoff unless the dealer “qualifies”, and in Caribbean Stud the dealer’s hand does not qualify unless he has Ace-King or higher. If the dealer’s hand qualified, you would have been paid 3-1 on your bet. Winning antes always pay even money. Since the dealer didn’t qualify, your ante paid even money and your bet was a push.
