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Reason #3 why the Wizard likes Bovada:
Excellent Odds
In my opinion many online casinos are too stingy when setting the odds on their games. They think they will make more money that way but I believe they are misguided, because when players lose too quickly it’s not fun, and those players might not come back.
Bovada is one of the few casinos that understands this. They offer generous odds to let you play longer and get you a better chance of winning. Among their generous offerings are Full-Pay Jacks or Better returning 99.54%, six other video poker games paying over 99%, single-zero roulette, and my favorite, Pick ’em Poker, returning 99.95%!
Kudos to Bovada for not being afraid to give their players a good gamble.
Bet the Deck -- Version 2
Last Update: Jan. 1, 2012
Introduction
Bet the Deck is a table game I noticed at the Flamingo on December 31, 2011. I saw a simplified version nine years before at the Golden Nugget. To avoid confusion, I will call the Golden Nugget version version 1 and the Flamingo version version 2. This page shall address version 2 only.
Rules
The game is played with a single 52-card deck. Each player will get one card of his own and three community cards. There are three types of bets available. Separate betting areas are indicated on the table and the player may bet on any combination of these bets as he wishes. Details of the bets are as follows.
Bet the Deck
This bet is based on the poker value of the player's card, the three community card, and an implied joker.
| Bet the Deck | |
|---|---|
| Event | Pays |
| Five of a kind | 60 |
| Straight flush | 30 |
| Four of a kind | 7 |
| Full house | 5 |
| Flush | 4 |
| Straight | 3 |
| Three of a kind | 1 |
Lo Ball
The three community cards and the player's card must all be eight or less. Aces count as low. Wins pay 6 to 1.
All Red/All Black
This is a pair of bets that the player's card and three community card will all be red or all be black. Wins pay 16 to 1.
Analysis
Bet the Deck
The following table shows the probability and return from each possible outcome of the Bet the Deck bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.14%.
| Bet the Deck | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Five of a kind | 60 | 13 | 0.000048 | 0.002881 |
| Straight flush | 30 | 164 | 0.000606 | 0.018173 |
| Four of a kind | 7 | 2496 | 0.009220 | 0.064538 |
| Full house | 5 | 2808 | 0.010372 | 0.051861 |
| Flush | 4 | 2696 | 0.009958 | 0.039834 |
| Straight | 3 | 10332 | 0.038164 | 0.114493 |
| Three of a kind | 1 | 82368 | 0.304250 | 0.304250 |
| Pair | -1 | 169848 | 0.627382 | -0.627382 |
| Total | 270725 | 1.000000 | -0.031353 | |
Lo Ball
The following table shows the probability and return from each possible outcome of the Lo Ball bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.02%.
| Lo Ball | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Win | 6 | 35960 | 0.132829 | 0.796971 |
| Lose | -1 | 234765 | 0.867171 | -0.867171 |
| Total | 270725 | 1.000000 | -0.070200 | |
All Red, All Black
The following table shows the probability and return from each possible outcome of the All Red and All Black bets. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 6.12%.
| All Red, All Black | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Win | 16 | 14950 | 0.055222 | 0.883553 |
| Lose | -1 | 255775 | 0.944778 | -0.944778 |
| Total | 270725 | 1.000000 | -0.061224 | |
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