A common misconception of dice control is the notion that you can determine on what numbers the dice will land. By applying this technique or that spin, many feel this can be accomplished. But it can’t, not consistently. I read a great analogy online about how controlling dice is more of a game of duck, duck, goose. I can’t take credit for that, I read it on a forum, but it’s a brilliantly clear way to express how dice control really works.

What you’re doing here is setting the dice first, then gripping the dice and wafting them toward the end of the table. You apply a light backspin, just enough kick to get to the wall at the end. If the spin remains tight and even, and the dice stay together, the outcome will more often than not be something other than a seven. So basically, it’s about avoiding. It’s about not being the goose in the game. At some point, you will throw a seven, or get tapped as the goose, but the longer you can avoid it, the better chance you have at winning the game.

All these techniques take incredible patience and practice, mind you. And I certainly don’t have enough time for either. I love playing craps, but trying to manipulate the outcome and gaining an edge is something I never got into the way I did counting cards in blackjack.

The casinos can’t really do anything about this, either. I suppose if you’re openly re-arranging the dice and tossing in the same motion over and over again, and maximizing the bets when it’s your throw only, that will arouse suspicion – which is really all they need to kick you out. But they’re looking more for chip thieves then they are dice mechanics, trust me.

Roulette faithful will try anything. I’m not mocking, I’m just telling the truth. I’ve seen more variations of basic roulette strategy it’s enough to make my head spin (ehem). Here’s one I picked up recently that I’ll spotlight because of it’s simplicity.

People try different combinations to maximize their odds. Makes sense. Within the boundaries of a single spin, I can see the benefit of working out a strategy that maximizes your chances of return vs. the risk you put up. In this particular betting strategy, the player bets a single until on red, a single until on odd, a single unit on 1-12 and a single unit on 19-24. How much you have in your bankroll and when you decide to walk away is up to you, but they said start with 20 units and walk away when you’re up 10. A unit, of course, could be anything form $1 to $1,000 or more. Again, up to you.

The person who mentioned this system said it’s yet to fail him. Another person who tried it said the results weren’t pretty. You probably know my feeling on roulette systems, however simplistic. Sometimes they’ll work for some people, and other times, they won’t work for anybody. If any one system really worked, everyone would be rich by now and/or the casino would’ve changed the game.

So don’t be naive, but if you enjoy playing and working the odds, don’t stray away from these, because they might offer you a comfortable starting point from which to build your own gambling techniques and strategies if nothing else.

The quick 411 is that Nevada’s 260 (!) major casinos lost about $7 billion. The article blames your usual suspects – Wynn, Mirage…who took the brunt of the blow, so to speak.

Immediately, gamblers worldwide are wondering what this means. Ultimately, nobody outside of the casino industry really cares whether the casinos are making money, except when the answer affects their gambling experience. And I’d expect just that as we move through 2010.

What can we expect? Contrary to what you might think, casinos such as The Bellagio are more willing to go overboard to please the gamblers. A happy gambler is a steady flow of money – you can bet that’s what they’re thinking. So that means better and more frequent comps, right? Possibly, sure. Seems like a logical place to start. Once word spreads, not only will they retain the people who stuck around, but they’ll hopefully attract new wallets through the door. After all, who can resist a free buffet after losing $300 in 20 minutes, right?

Now, there are regulars to the scene who will jump at the chance to say this has less to do with the economy and more to do with the oversaturation of the casino market. Anytime you run too wild with a good thing (think basketball cards), value drops and people tend to lose interest and get confused in the endless choices they’re bombarded with. Sometimes keeping it simple and, yes, profitable, is the way to go.

Is there any validity to that claim? Tough to say, but it would be an eye-opening coincidence that it’s just starting to catch up to the industry now, for only the second time in history, which also happens to be the worst year of the recent recession. So you can draw your own conclusions. As for me, I’ll take my free vodkas and keep plugging away.

Strategy in slots is like a parking break in Iowa – there’s just no use for it. You can’t plan, so you can’t prepare. But, what you do have control over is how and how much you wager. There-in lies the tiniest scraps of strategy and study. Not much, but for a major enthusiast of the game, you try telling them there’s no strategy.

So what’s some good “strategic” advice to betting on slots? First, I’d have to say go in resolving yourself to the fact that you’re not going to win a progressive jackpot. If you know anything about maximizing your odds, you know you have a better chance of sleeping with the cocktail waitress than hitting a PJ. Now, you’re free to reduce the number of units placed per spin. (Believe me, on the off chance that you do hit the big one, the payoff for a $1 bet is still nothing to turn your nose up to, even compared to the jackpot payoff on a $3 bet).

Right there, you’re slowing down the pace of your bleeding, giving yourself more opportunities to win. If you’ve been in a casino lately, you know what I mean when I say you’re playing mostly to get to the “game.” We all know slots has its gimmicks. Wheel of Fortune, Space Invaders, who the hell knows, a bunch of mini-games where you’re real opportunity to win money lies. You can easily dump $20 of quarters into the machine and not have an opportunity to play the mini-games once. So reducing the amount you bet extends your opportunity in one sitting to get to the mini-game.

There, there’s your strategy.

If you’re not familiar with the term RNG, let me catch you up to speed (although if you’ve played roulette online and don’t know what this is, you should rethink your gambling habits.) RNG stands for Random Number Generator. You’re talking about software written for the purpose of randomly generating numbers on a roulette wheel, specifically written for that purpose.

I’ve known or talked to a handful of people, smart folks, who have lost a ridiculous amount of money playing roulette – online. And most of their claims – although born from defeat – revolve around the notion that these programs are written for the casinos specifically for the purpose of making the player lose in the long run.

It’s not about luck, physics, any of that “random” stuff. It doesn’t take into account laws of probability or averages, either. Strong statements, but nonetheless ones worth looking into, especially when they’re paired with emotional pleas to try our own experiments and see if something’s fishy.

I don’t play roulette online, just in casinos, but I put up a minimal amount of money to test the theory. Not enough to really mean anything, but just to get an idea. The idea was to bet all numbers but one for a series of 10 spins, then rotate that every 10 spins and see how many times that one number you didn’t bet actually came up, and in what probability. It only happened once or twice for me, but those who’ve lost a ton – and have played through thousands of rolls – swear they see the losing outcome show up in much greater frequency than would be reasonably accepted as “random” in real life.

No doubt you’ve been around tables that get completely crazy. It’s enough when you’ve been playing for years to get on your nerves and rattle you around a little, I can only imagine now what it’s like for someone new to the game. But I can guess – intimidating. Some people don’t care about having the buzz around them. They want a more relaxing atmosphere.

If you’re a beginner, it almost makes sense to avoid the crowded tables. You want a chance to get to know the game at a slower pace. You want to throw questions at the dealer without worrying about people looking at their watches (or worse, answering for you and then sighing as if you should know the answer already).

One of my pet peeves, and this is just me, is when the other players start talking strategy with me. I’m not a beginner, I don’t want your advice and I don’t want to hear your plan. Just keep it to yourself. You’re probably drunk, anyway. That said, I can handle a full table as long as it doesn’t turn into a mosh pit. Keep it civilized, folks, and I’ll be one of the guys.

And if I am invested in a table that continues to attract more people, it better be strong on the action. If I have to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a dozen other people who aren’t moving much, I’m heading right for the hotel room shower afterward.

The only real benefit (and it’s rare these days), is if you’re making a bunch of people money on big rolls, they might toss some tips your way. Of course, more happy people means more tips. But I can do with a sweaty “fiver” finding its way over to me if it means I don’t have to hear the life story of its former owner.

The basic premise of the article says that while betting on big sporting events or even doing minimal bets online with poker, blackjack, etc…, is easy and thrilling, these actions can actually have unexpected effects on your brain, and that it’s these effects that draw people back for more – win or lose.

Once you sift through the barrage of statistics (65 percent of Americans gamble, legalized gambling is a $100B industry, etc…), it begins to dive deeper into the question of why we don’t walk away. And the explanation is simply that winning offers positive reinforcement to your actions, while losing serves as a window to vulnerability. After one such loss, especially a loss that gets you “close” to a win (think two out of three cherries in a slot machine), you’re going to be more willing to keep betting because your brain is telling you that you’re “getting somewhere.” Part of your brain after a loss ignites and floods your head with the notion that you’re learning a skill, that you’re getting closer to the victory.

Of course, in a game of chance, there is no learning. The only learning to be done is through trial and error on when to walk away from the game. We all know the house has the edge, it has to. So even the professionals are going to lose sometimes. The difference between them and your run-of-the-mill players out there for fun or to “make a few bucks” is that the amateurs don’t know how to fight that part of their brain, or they haven’t prepared themselves with enough study of probabilities to make an informed decision on when to walk away.

Like I said, it was a very interesting article that opens your eyes a little bit to what it really means to have a gambling addiction, or just be in a position of practicing self-control after a nasty loss.

Juice is one of the most unpopular terms in any casino, and it refers to the house edge, or the amount of commission taken by the casino. It’s lesser-known reference is when Grandma tells Mike McDermott the juice is still running in Rounders. “Grandma, I need your charity like I need a—” Moving on…

Lay Bet: This is a wager that the next time the dice comes out it will hit a point number, and that point number will not be rolled against before a 7 is thrown. I personally like this bet given the odds and return.

Little Joe: Just another way of saying a hard 4, which we all remember as a four obtained by rolling two 2’s.

More shorts: If you bet on midnight, you’re wagering the next roll will be a 12. Not a preferable bet, I can’t see why anyone would take a 12:1 shot when there are so many better options available at the table. OK, outside numbers refers to four numbers – 4, 5, 9 and 10. Place numbers, however, are listed under the Place name on the board, and consist of the outside numbers plus 6 and 8. The point, one of the terms you’ll undoubtedly hear the most at the table, refers to the number thrown after a bet on the come or pass line. And if you press a bet, that means you’re doubling the wager amount currently on the table. You can also take bets like midnight and roll them all into one, which is a proposition bet. This includes all one-roll bets, in addition to the Hardway bet on any number.

If you ever hear anyone telling you mind your area of the rail, or watch the rail, they’re referring to the outer, top area of the table where you and all the other players keep their chips.

In the realm of right and wrong, there’s a bettor for both. The right refers to a player who gambles that the shooter will make the point. Wrong, as you may have guessed, means you’re betting that the dice won’t pass, and the roller will hit a seven first.

Finally, if you toke the dealer, you’re tipping him (not sure why they couldn’t just say tip, but whatever), and the stickman is the guy who annoying screams out YOOOOOOOOOO-Leven, and all the other calls. He also handles the transfer of the dice and some bet placement.

Well that’s about it. Everyone should be up to speed on all the craps lingo. Now go out there and….uh….do something. Can’t quite think of the phrasing right now.

Many players’ craps strategy is actually the same, and it revolves around betting on the pass and taking full odds when the point is established. However, this tends to limit your options. Another strategy is to have patience and wait for the first point to be established before making any bets. Many regulars scoff at the so-called benefits sold with the pass line bet, and feel that by waiting through that come out roll, the benefit and freedom of selecting whatever number you want is worth the wait. You’re also not forced into an even money wager. Having control over how your bets are being used, also, appeals greatly to many regular and advanced players (as opposed to having your bets pretty much working for the point).

Others take this strategy even deeper, only betting on certain established points. This can be a little dicey (pardon the pun), especially if you reduce your allowable points to two or three. Look at it this way. If you bet X units on point 1 and X units on point 2, you’re basically risking 2X units to win just over 1 unit (If $12 is the unit, you’d win $14). In order to make this work for you, a progressive betting strategy needs to be in place and adhered to with self-control.

When you start comparing the max odds of certain amount of bets on a pass line wager, and realize the restrictions (bets can’t be removed or reduced) vs. the max payoff of betting four or five numbers after the point is established, you’ll rethink the pass line strategy. The 2 to 1 advantage on the come out roll might look safe and sexy to beginners, but what it demands of you isn’t worth the risk, even with high odds tables.

Here’s how it works. No matter how many “players” are at the table, there are only two hands dealt. One to the “banker” and one to the “player.” In regular Baccarat, the “deal” rotates around to whomever is designated the banker, but a real dealer still does all the turning. It’s all for show, and a bit ridiculous. Luckily for all the impatient addicts out there, mini-baccarat cuts out the show and lets the real casino dealers handle all the heavy lifting.

So if you don’t have a hand, how do you play? Well, what you’re going to do is either bet on the banker hand or the player hand to win. If you bet on the player hand, the house edge is 1.24%. If you bet on the banker (comes with a 5% commission if you win at most casinos), the house edge is 1.06%. You can also bet on a tie, but that’s a sucker’s bet with a house edge of 14%. Never bet it.

And if that’s how you bet, how do you win? Here’s the objective. The winning hand will draw a two- or three-card hand of which the value is closest to 9. Values of cards, also, are not what you might think at first glance. 10 and face cards are worth 0. Aces are always worth 1. 2-9 are worth face value. You’ll add up the value of the two cards dealt, and see how close it is to 9. If it rolls over, the 10 amount is dropped and you’re left with the remainder. A hand of 6 and 8 (14) is actually worth 4. It’s not blackjack, you can’t bust.

The banker and player are each given two cards to start off the hand. If either one’s hand totals 8 or 9, the hand is finished. If the player’s hand is worth 6 or 7, the player must stand, no exceptions. And if that’s the case, the banker will takea hit on a hand of 5 of under. Now, if the player’s hand is worth 5 or under, the player must automatically hit. There are a whole host of scenarios to decide whether the banker receives a third card to match the player’s – based on the value of the banker’s current hand. A few are as follows. If the banker’s hand is worth 0-2, banker always hits. If the banker has a 7, he always stands. Other combinations are based off the banker’s value and the player’s third card value, and can be found elsewhere online.

If I do play mini-baccarat, it’s rare, and it’s with a $25 minimum. Really, in a game where the odds (when in favor of the player) are so close, it’s tomato tomoto as to who you bet. Many players make their decision based on what restrictions on each player they feel put them at the greatest advantage (or disadvantage). My advice, though, is to find some free games online and give it a try. If you get the hang of it and think there’s money to be won, find that low minimum – and don’t dress in jeans.