CASINO

What is a “Casino”?In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions. There is much debate over whether or not the social and economic consequences of casino gambling outweigh the initial revenue that may be generated. In the United States, many states are grappling with high unemployment and budget deficits and are now turning to legalizing casinos, often in places that are not tourist destinations. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment events, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sporting events. Use of the word in the past, and modern use in some countries, does not necessarily involve gambling.

Opening Discussion

• Do you like gambling?• Have you ever played any casino games?

When and where?• Have you ever won or lost a lot of money

through gambling?• Which part of our character makes so many of

us interested in gambling?

CrapsCraps is a dice game in which the players make wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other (street craps, also known as shooting dice or rolling dice) or a bank (casino craps, also known as table craps). Because it requires little equipment, street craps can be played in informal settings.

RouletteRoulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even.To determine the winning number and color, a croupier spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track running around the circumference of the wheel. The ball eventually loses momentum and falls on to the wheel and into one of 37 (in French/European roulette) or 38 (in American roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel.

BlackjackBlackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un (French: "twenty-one"), is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. Blackjack is a comparing card game between a player and dealer and played with one or more French decks of 52 cards.The player is dealt an initial two card hand with the option of drawing cards to bring the total value to 21 or less without exceeding it, so that the dealer will lose by having a lesser hand than the player or by exceeding 21. Many rule variations of blackjack exist. Since the 1960s, blackjack has been a high profile target of advantage players, particularly card counters, who track the profile of cards yet to be dealt, and adapt their wager and playing strategy accordingly.

BaccaratBaccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII (ruled 1483–98).

Baccarat is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score), "banker", and "tie".

In Baccarat, cards 2–9 are worth face value, 10s and J, Q K are worth zero, and Aces are worth 1 point. Hands are valued according to the rightmost digit of the sum of their constituent cards: for example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5, but a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3 (the rightmost digit of the total, 13). The highest possible hand value is 9.

What do you think?

• What forms of gambling are legal and illegal in your country?

• Do you prefer card games or other types of games?

• What kinds of games are played in casinos in Macau?

• What are some other casino games you have heard of?

The DealerA croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.

Training methods to become a casino croupier are different from country to country. In America, blackjack is almost always the game that dealers learn first, as it is simple and popular, and when the dealer makes errors, they tend not to cost the casino much money. Complex, busy games such as craps, with complicated payout systems, etc., are usually reserved for the most competent, and/or ambitious dealers.

Card CountingCard counting is a casino card game strategy used primarily in blackjack to determine whether the next hand is likely to be good for the player or not. Card counters attempt to decrease the inherent casino house edge by keeping track of all the high and low valued cards seen by the player. Card counting allows players to bet more with less risk when the count gives an advantage as well as minimize losses during an unfavorable count. Card counters are not welcome in many casinos, so they often keep this strategy a secret.

Betting SystemsA betting system is a way of gambling designed help the gambler win more money and lose less.

The simplest strategy is the Martingale system. This strategy has the gambler double his bet after every loss, so that the first win would recover all previous losses plus win a profit equal to the original stake. Since a gambler with infinite wealth will, almost surely, eventually flip heads, the Martingale betting strategy was seen as a sure thing by those who advocated it. Unfortunately, since most gamblers do no have an infinite amount of money, this strategy can lead to disaster.

What do you think?

• Do you think the life of a professional gambler is a glamorous one?

• Do you have a betting strategy?• Do you think it is wise to go into a casino

expecting to make money?• Do you think you would like to be a dealer in a

Las Vegas casino?