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Thread: I may have found the casino with the lowest house edge in the world

  1. #1


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    I may have found the casino with the lowest house edge in the world

    So I was recently at a small casino in Cartagena, Colombia and I'm just wondering if anyone can calculate what the house edge might be since Wizard of Odds doesn't have some of the options I need. It was a manual shoe 6 deck game with almost all the common player edges (3:2 BJ, double on splits, stay on soft 17 etc) and it included early surrender including on an ace. But here's the really weird one, although I couldn't resplit aces I was allowed to double each of them which has to be a nice little edge for the players. The house edge had to be tiny and considering I was drinking free beer, advantage: me.

    Also on a side note, I've seen a couple of casinos in Colombia which have 2 jokers in each shoe and if you get one of these jokers you automatically win the hand, has anyone seen this before?

  2. #2


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    Sounds like a fantastic game. If the cut is good, even better. Regardless, I don't plan on heading to cartel country to play. That being said, there's also joints in North Vegas I would avoid for the same reason.

    Maybe I'm just stuck up.

    Looks like about .2 house edge. Fast Calc.
    Last edited by Freightman; 04-28-2017 at 12:51 PM.

  3. #3


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    Quote Originally Posted by pet_dander View Post
    But here's the really weird one, although I couldn't resplit aces I was allowed to double each of them which has to be a nice little edge for the players
    Here is the basic strategy for this play: https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/20/

  4. #4


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    "Looks like about .2 house edge. Fast Calc."

    Not sure why you'd say that. Way off. 6 decks, S17 = -0.546. DAS = +0.142. Full ES = +0.629. Double on split aces, as per Wong's BS, p. 111, = +0.1. Total BS edge FOR the player: 0.325.

    Don

  5. #5


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    Risking your life for $200 max bets with great rules? ok, it is $300 max bet. LOL.

  6. #6


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    You can also split aces for double in Barranquilla. How many casinos with shoe games did u see in Cartagena?

    Colombian games are enhc.

    Colombia is not very dangerous. The people are very friendly there.

    Note it is not double on split aces. It is splitting for double. So u bet 5 and put up 15 more to split for double with 10 on each ace. 1 Card only.

    The game is positive off the top before the split aces rule.
    Last edited by Meistro123; 04-28-2017 at 01:39 PM.

  7. #7


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    Quote Originally Posted by pet_dander View Post
    So I was recently at a small casino in Cartagena, Colombia and I'm just wondering if anyone can calculate what the house edge might be since Wizard of Odds doesn't have some of the options I need. It was a manual shoe 6 deck game with almost all the common player edges (3:2 BJ, double on splits, stay on soft 17 etc) and it included early surrender including on an ace. But here's the really weird one, although I couldn't resplit aces I was allowed to double each of them which has to be a nice little edge for the players. The house edge had to be tiny and considering I was drinking free beer, advantage: me.


    Also on a side note, I've seen a couple of casinos in Colombia which have 2 jokers in each shoe and if you get one of these jokers you automatically win the hand, has anyone seen this before?
    For the two weeks after PA casinos opened the table game, Wheeling Island in West Virginia has the house edge nobody in the world can beat and it will never be beat.

    Double deck, Early Surrender, S17, DOA, DAS. Penetration is 80% to 100%. When I said 100%, it means they dealt to the last card of two decks and then shuffled again if running out of the cards.

    It is Early Surrender because nobody in the casino knows anything about surrender, just know PA casinos let the players surrender the bet and have half the bet back. The casino personnel don't know when upcard is an ace, it makes big difference.

  8. #8


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    Quote Originally Posted by DSchles View Post
    "Looks like about .2 house edge. Fast Calc."

    Not sure why you'd say that. Way off. 6 decks, S17 = -0.546. DAS = +0.142. Full ES = +0.629. Double on split aces, as per Wong's BS, p. 111, = +0.1. Total BS edge FOR the player: 0.325.

    Don
    So much for fast Calc

  9. #9


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    "The casino personnel don't know when upcard is an ace, it makes big difference."

    It makes a big difference when it's a ten, also.

    Don

  10. #10


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    Quote Originally Posted by DSchles View Post
    "The casino personnel don't know when upcard is an ace, it makes big difference."

    It makes a big difference when it's a ten, also.

    Don
    Yeap. The point is that casino don't check if dealer has BJ and let the players surrender beforehand. People in West Virginia live up to their reputation.

  11. #11


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    Baranquilla is right beside Cartagena. They also offer insurance on the ten, with a 10:1 payout. Given that the true odds are 12:1 this seems like a fairly exploitable side bet, side counting aces. I guess you would need one extra ace per deck remaining for this bet to the +EV. I believe you can take the bet for almost any amount.

    so let's check it out.

    52 cards dealt, no aces gone.

    260 cards left

    24 are aces

    ratio of aces to non aces :

    236 : 24

    so the bet (insurance with ten up) should be slightly +EV at this point since you are 9.83:1 against hitting blackjack.

    but how much should you bet?

    Probability of winning = 9.23%

    so bet $10 and you have an edge of only 15 cents or 1.5%.

    ($110 * 9.23%) = 10.15

    So you can't really bet much given the longshot nature of the wager. But your edge should be much greater at higher ace densities.
    Last edited by Meistro123; 04-28-2017 at 04:28 PM.

  12. #12


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    Quote Originally Posted by Freightman View Post
    Sounds like a fantastic game. If the cut is good, even better. Regardless, I don't plan on heading to cartel country to play. That being said, there's also joints in North Vegas I would avoid for the same reason.

    Maybe I'm just stuck up.

    Looks like about .2 house edge. Fast Calc.
    Haha Colombia is a lot safer than people think, a really nice country with really nice people.. And the women are insanely hot especially if you like big bootys

  13. #13


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    Wait are you suggesting the odds are worse for the player because you can double on your aces?

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