Gambling Myths 101
By Mansi gupta, Sat Dec 10th
Myths and rumors come with every gambling game. Howeverundesirable, they can be a good source of recreation. The majorcause of these beliefs and tales is the uncertainty related withgambling.
Slot machines were first played in the late nineteenth century.Since then the machines have changed with more reels andincreased number columns and slots, however, the basic conceptof operating them remains the same. Players seem to devisevarious strategies to be a winner. The most common strategyadvocated is to play safe with one's money. Play the machinetill a pre-decided sum of money and if the trend of loosing doesnot change save the rest of the money. Another advice given bythe experts is to prefer casino cards to casino meters. Otherself proclaimed 'experts' boast to beat slot odds. This canhardly be true as the slot results are generated randomlythrough electronic number generators.
Blackjack is a pro-player game. The techniques and strategiessuggested by some cannot be claimed to be foolproof. Playingwith a single deck is believed to be easiest. With the increasein the number of cards the house advantage also increases andthe out come of the game becomes highly unpredictable. Cardcounting requires skill and one needs to be a master ofblackjack to carry out this technique. Though it involves simplemathematics, it can take hours to judge other player's hands toplay a safe bet. Another technique is shuffle tracking. It isbelieved that mostly shuffles do not lead to random arrangementof cards and there is probability that certain sequences gounshuffled. This technique can be quite unreliable. Anotherargument is that the seating arrangement can affect the outcomeof the game. This appears to be a myth and is discarded by moststrategists.
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Lotteries have the worst odd than any other gambling game. Themost common myth suffered by the player is that "I can Win".This myth forces millions to participate and can also lead tohaheavy losses for a few. Another myth is playing one's luckynumbers. This number can be the birth date, wedding date, or anyother anniversary. Some people may also refer to numerologists.
Horse racing is one of the most popular and expensive forms ofbetting. The technique most people employ while betting on ahorse is 'Handicapping'. This involves studying the horse'shistory - its performance, pedigree, medical history etc beforebetting on it. A rather fashionable practice to bring good luckis to wear fancy hats. The ladies wear colorful hats at theKentucky Derby traditionally as a good omen.
While myths can be quite harmless and funny at times, a moreunethical technique desperate players employ is cheating. Thevarious methods used include the us of a tampered dice, commonlycalled a 'loaded dice', marking the cards with juice or specialink, or resorting to tricky shuffles. Cheating is essentiallyantisocial and should eb curbed.
Myths and folklores related to the games are good as long asthey are healthy. However, if the player looses his rationalitycompletely, they can be dangerous as well, leading to heavyfinancial losses. Myths are a mixture of hidden facts and lotsof speculation and one should treat them as a part of the game.
About the author:Mansi gupta writes about. gambling myths. Learn more athttp://www.learngamblingmyths.com .
