A little more regarding the table games in California and the lawsuit over it.

The California Department of Justice is advancing regulations that would prohibit card rooms from offering modified versions of blackjack and other banked card games, aiming to close a long-debated loophole that allows "player-dealers" systems.
The proposed rules could end decades of friction between tribal casinos and card rooms over how state gaming laws are interpreted and enforced.

Under current practice, card rooms in California are barred from offering games in which players compete directly against the house. However, a system using "player-dealers" provided by Third-Party Providers of Proposition Player Services (TPPPPS) has allowed establishments to host modified versions of blackjack and baccarat.

The DOJ has stated that these modified versions differ from traditional house-banked games only in name, suggesting that the structure still functions as a direct competition between player and dealer.

An economic analysis commissioned by the state projects significant financial consequences if the regulations are enacted. The Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment (SRIA) prepared by Berkeley Economic Advising and Research estimated potential losses of $464 million for card rooms statewide, while tribal casinos could see revenue gains of $232 million.

The SRIA also forecasted that card rooms would lose 364 full-time jobs annually over the next 10 years. These figures have raised concerns among local business leaders and municipal governments that depend on gaming-related tax revenue.

Club One Casino, which relocated to Granite Park in 2021 following the pandemic shutdown, employs 250 workers and contributes roughly $1 million annually to Fresno's general fund. The casino offers poker and modified blackjack games such as Spanish 21.5 and Pure 21.5. A similar gaming setup operates at The 500 Club Casino, situated on the Clovis-Fresno border.

"It's a competitive overreach by the tribal owners," said Kyle Kirkland, president of the California Gaming Association and owner of Club One Casino in Fresno, in a Fresno Bee report. "They don't like the fact that card rooms are competing with them. So they're pressuring the attorney general."

Kirkland said table games represent roughly 50% of Club One's revenue. "If we can't offer the table games, that's 50% of our revenue. If you take 50% out of your home budget, you're going to feel it and probably have to move," he said. "So this proposal, it would be fatal for card rooms. That's not good for our employees or people."

Critics have also warned that the proposed rules would "significantly cripple municipalities that heavily rely on the tax revenue for community programs such as public safety projects and senior programs," according to Casino Beats.

Card room employees and supporters held a protest outside Attorney General Rob Bonta's Fresno office on Thursday, saying the regulations could result in hundreds of job losses.

Kirkland noted that card rooms contribute to city funds and support nonprofit organizations. "Eliminating these card games from card rooms would have a big impact on the people of Fresno and Clovis, and especially other communities that are highly dependent on card rooms," he said. "There seems to be a concerted effort to eliminate tax-paying card rooms when most people might not realize how much we contribute to the community."

The proposal follows a Sacramento Superior Court ruling that dismissed a lawsuit brought by several tribal casinos against card rooms. The tribes argued that the card rooms' modified blackjack and baccarat games violated state gaming law.

The suit was filed under Senate Bill 549, a 2024 measure that authorized tribes to pursue legal action against card rooms over alleged violations. Tribal operators are expected to appeal the decision.

With the lawsuit dismissed, the DOJ now faces pressure to act through regulation. A state-commissioned impact report estimates that restricting card room operations could reduce patronage by about 50% and cause additional losses in municipal tax revenue.
"Right now we have a fair balance," said Capitol Casino worker Chris Linger. "Tribal casinos have slot machines and full-scale gaming, while card rooms offer table games that help sustain local economies."

(I have received inquiries reference the California (non-Indian Tribe casinos) gaming rules, where the gamblers themselves are the 'player-dealers' and if no one desires to act as a 'player-dealer' than there are corporation bankers at each table.  That is why in all the new YouTube videos popping up, you will see the casino dealer collecting or paying the wins out of stacks of Chips either always on first base or last base.  Those are where the corporation bankers sit.  All the casino does is collect a collection fee from each hand.  And unless it has been changed since I last been out there a few years ago, each wager pays a $1.00 per hundred ($100.00) wager to the house, the casino.  That is no matter the out come, win or lose.)

Rules & How to Play
Type of Game

The game of EZ Baccarat Panda 8 utilizes a player-dealer position and is a California game. The position shall be offered systematically and continuously in a clockwise manner around the table after every two hands. The player-dealer shall collect all losing wagers, pay all winning wagers, and may not win or lose more than the original amount wagered. Once the player-dealer's wager has been exhausted, the wagers not covered by the player-dealer shall be returned to the respective players. The gambling enterprise does not participate in the actual play of the game and has no interest in the outcome of the play.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to assemble two hands of two or three cards with an accumulated point value as close to nine as possible.

Description of Deck & Number of Decks Used

The game is played using a standard 52-card deck and no jokers. Cards will be dealt using a multiple deck shoe. A minimum of three decks and a maximum of eight decks shall be used during the play of the game.

Card Values & Hand Rankings

The value of each card used in EZ Baccarat Panda 8, shall be as follows: picture cards (king, queen, jack) and 10's have a value of zero, an ace has a value of one, and all other cards have their face value. When the total numerical value of the cards equals ten or more, only the right-hand digit (numeric count) is considered. The ranking of hands for EZ Baccarat Panda 8, in order from highest to lowest rank, shall be:

HAND DEALT    HAND REQUIREMENTS
Natural 9    A two card hand that has a value of nine. A Natural 9 shall only be achieved when the first two cards dealt to a hand is valued at nine, according to the rules above.
Natural 8    A two card hand that has a value of eight. A Natural 8 shall only be achieved when the first two cards dealt to a hand is valued at eight.
Nine or Eight    A three card hand that has a value of nine or eight.
Seven through Zero    A two or three card hand that has a value of seven, six, five, four, three, two, one or zero.
Description of Table Used & Total Number of Seated Positions

The game shall be played on either a standard blackjack table that accommodates up to seven players and a player-dealer position for a total of eight seated positions or a standard baccarat table that accommodates up to thirteen players and a player-dealer position for a total of fourteen seated positions. Within each betting area for each seated player, there shall be five separate betting spaces specifically designated for five separate wagers; the player line, the banker line, the Tie Bet, the Panda 8 wager, and the Dragon 7 Bonus Bet. Each betting space at the table has a fixed amount for wagering limits defining the minimum and maximum amounts that may be wagered. Players must bet at least the table minimum. Back-line betting is permitted.

Method Used to Determine Action & Distribution of Cards

The game utilizes an action button to determine which player receives first action on their wager. The second card dealt to the banker line determines the position of the action button. The player-dealer position is not counted when determining where the action button shall be placed. The other seats, in clockwise rotation, starting with the player to the left of the house dealer and continuing left to right, respectively represent the other number. When determining where the action button will be placed, cards will hold the following values: Ace is one, 2 through 9 have their face value, jack is eleven, queen is twelve, and king is thirteen.

Dealing Procedures & Round of Play

At the start of a game a player is offered the player-dealer position. Once accomplished, the house dealer shall wait for each player to make their wager in accordance with the table limits.

Each player has the following options when placing their wager(s):
The player line which pays 1 to 1;
The banker line which pays 1 to 1;
The Tie Bet, which pays 8 to 1;

If a player placed a wager on either the player line or the banker line, that player may place a wager on the Dragon 7 Bonus Bet, which pays 40 to 1.

If a player placed a wager on either the player line or the banker line, that player may place a wager on the Panda 8, which pays 25 to 1.

Once all wagers are placed, the house dealer deals one card to the right and one card to the left, one by one in rotation, until each hand has a total of two cards each. All cards are dealt face-up. The hand to the left of the house dealer is a community hand that belongs to those that placed a bet on the banker line. The hand to the right of the house dealer is a community hand that belongs to those that placed a bet on the player line. The player's hand is resolved first and then the banker's hand is resolved. The hand that is closest to nine wins. After the house dealer delivers the first two cards to both the Player line and Banker line, the following Baccarat rules are followed.

The player's hand must stand when the hand is valued at 6 through 9, and must hit when the hand is valued at 5 or less.
If the player's hand stands, then the dealer hand hits on a total of 5 or less.

If the player's hand hits for a complete hand then the banker's hand hits using the following rules:
If the banker's hand total is 3, then the banker's hand is dealt a third card unless the third card dealt to the player's hand was an 8.

If the banker's hand total is 4, then the banker's hand is dealt a third card unless the third card dealt to the player's hand was a 0, 1, 8, or 9.

If the banker's hand total is 5, then the banker's hand is dealt a third card if the third card dealt to the player's hand was 4, 5, 6, or 7.

If the banker's hand total is 6, then the banker's hand is dealt a third card if the third card dealt to the player's hand was a 6 or 7.

The following chart shows when the banker hits (H) or stands (S) according to the rules above:

Player's Third Card
0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9
7    S    S    S    S    S    S    S    S    S    S
6    S    S    S    S    S    S    H    H    S    S
5    S    S    S    S    H    H    H    H    S    S
4    S    S    H    H    H    H    H    H    S    S
3    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    S    H
2    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
1    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
0    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H


The house dealer must use the "house way" when a player requests the house dealer to play an additional wager. House way hands shall be set as follows: player hand hits on five or below and stands on six or more.

How Each Wager Wins, Loses or Pushes

Once both hands have been completed, according to the guidelines above, the player's wagers are settled. The following shall apply for each possible outcome when determining the winner. The player- dealer shall pay and collect all wagers accordingly:
The player-dealer shall pay all winning player line wagers made by players when the player hand is closer to nine than the banker hand.

The player-dealer shall pay all winning banker line wagers made by players when the banker hand is closer to nine than the player hand.

The player-dealer shall collect all losing player line wagers made by players when the banker hand is closer to nine than the player hand.

The player player-dealer shall collect all losing banker line wagers made by players when the player hand is closer to nine than the banker hand.

Tie Bet

For each seated position, there shall be one separate and specifically designated area for the placement of a Tie Bet wager. A player may place a Tie Bet wager even if he/she has not also placed either a Player line wager or a Banker line wager prior to the initial deal.

The player-dealer shall pay all winning Tie Bet wagers when the total of the player's hand and the total of the banker's hand are equal.

The player-dealer shall collect all losing Tie Bet wagers when the total of the player's hand and the total of the banker's hand are not equal.

Backline betting is not permitted on the Tie Bet wager.
See the collection rate schedule for restrictions on the amount that may be wagered on the Tie Bet and any collection fees that may be taken.

The Tie Bet takes into account the total value of the player's hand and the total value of the banker's hand, regardless of the number of cards each hand has, at the completion of the round. Each hand must be played according to the guidelines above. In the event that the player's hand and the banker's hand are of the same value (tie), the tie bet wager shall win. In the event that the player's hand and the banker's hand are not of the same value, the player-dealer shall win the tie bet wager.

All winning Tie Bet wagers shall be paid 8 to 1.

Wagers are collected or paid, to the extent that the player-dealer's wager covers. Once the player- dealer's wager has been exhausted, the wagers not covered by the player-dealer shall be returned to the players.

Dragon 7 Bonus Bet

For each seated position, there shall be one separate and specifically designated area for the placement of a Dragon 7 Bonus Bet wager. A player may only place a Dragon 7 Bonus Bet wager if they have also placed a wager on either the player line or on the banker line prior to the initial deal.

Back-line betting is permitted on the Dragon 7 Bonus Bet.

See the collection rate schedule for restrictions on the amount that may be wagered on the Dragon 7 Bonus Bet and any collection fees that may be taken.

If the banker hand has a point value of seven using three cards and the player's hand has a value of six or less, regardless of the number of cards, the Dragon 7 Bonus Bet wins. The Dragon 7 Bonus Bet shall lose on all other outcomes.

All winning Dragon 7 Bonus Bet wagers shall be paid 40 to 1.
The player-dealer shall pay all winning Dragon 7 Bonus Bet wagers and shall collect all losing Dragon 7 Bonus Bet wagers. Once the player-dealer's wager has been exhausted, the wagers not covered by the player-dealer shall be returned to the players.

Panda 8 Bet

For each seated position, there shall be one separate and specifically designated area for the placement of a Panda 8 Bet wager. A player may only place a Panda 8 Bet wager if they have also placed a wager on either the player line or on the banker line prior to the initial deal.

Back-line betting is permitted on the Panda 8 Bet.

See the collection rate schedule for restrictions on the amount that may be wagered on the Panda 8 Bet and any collection fees that may be taken.

If the player hand has a point value of eight using three cards and the banker's hand has a value of seven or less, regardless of the number of cards, the Panda 8 Bet wins. The Panda 8 Bet shall lose on all other outcomes.

All winning Panda 8 Bet wagers shall be paid 25 to 1.

The player-dealer shall pay all winning Panda 8 Bet wagers and shall collect all losing Panda 8 Bet wagers. Once the player-dealer's wager has been exhausted, the wagers not covered by the player- dealer shall be returned to the players.

Equipment Used

Rules & How to Play EZ Baccarat Panda 8

EQUIPMENT USED

EZTRAK™: Baccarat Edition is an LCD-based hand tracking system that provides players with valuable statistical data, enabling them to calculate trends and percentages for any type of Baccarat table games including the very popular EZ Baccarat™.

Key Features

Table game min and max amounts

Numbers and percentages for Player, Banker, Tie Bets, Dragon 7 and Panda 8 bets
The occurrence of Naturals
The number of hands per shoe
Previous shoe statistics
A timer (optional) that automatically closes all bets for the hand, speeding up hands per hour.
Collection Rates

For table limits and collection rate schedules for the game of EZ Baccarat Panda 8 please refer to the approval of all California Games Collection rates (BGC ID: GEGR-001174).

Table Layout

(Pic of standard EZ Bac table felt)

Without a doubt, BAC is the greatest casino game that cannot be touched by all the others. The game is elite and easily transcends countless times throughout each shoe into superstations, individual beliefs and unmatched gambling depths  few can even grasp unless they are experienced Bac Players.

The game is interpreted widely different but most all players, admittedly or not. The situational aspect of playing BAC puts the highest majority of wagering decisions on a specific set of circumstances rather than being universal, such as in blackjack and a lot of other table games.

BAC players are most of the times joyfully brought together by winning hands and as well, brought down together by losing hands. Hands that were wagered on by both bankers and players bets, are visually divided with joy and sadness when the winning side is revealed.  Simultaneously, both visually and even physically. 

There are numerous types of BAC players, those that are outgoing as well as totally submissive. Those that are loud as well as perfectly quiet. Those that play long hours as well as those that play a fast hit and run style. Those that believe in flat betting and as well, those that parlay without a second thought. There are those that relentlessly continue session after session attempting previous loss recouping without really ever winning as well as, those that use a small portion of their bank rolls with a strong parlay schedule experiencing a much higher cash out profitability rate overall. There are those that play with complete frustration and emotional distraction as well as, those that play with pure passion and clear frame-of-mind.

BAC is a game of wonder in so many ways. I guarantee you that. Many claim it is pure luck and yet many claim it's strictly skill. Many claim it is random while others claim it is not random. BAC is a game of extreme beliefs without any doubt whatsoever. BAC has quick wins for many and quick losses for others.  And those that do not win or lose quickly, have a habit of getting grinded down more often than not.  And, so many continuously wonder why they cannot repeat their wins they have experienced previously in their upcoming wagering attempts just completed. As well, so many also wonder why they lost after they did not (wagering opposite) wager the way they played during their previous losing sessions. Like I said, a game of wondering in the ultimate definition of the word lived out so many times throughout each shoe played.

One can win with the highest point value hand in BAC as well as a zero point value hand.  One can win when all others lose the hand and as well, one can win the hand while losing a certain portion of it, because of the various side wagers available at most tables.

The highest majority of players these days have no idea about the history of BAC prior to the EZ BAC and mini BAC tables from 2000 and up. What I am referring to was the big tables where there were three dealers, two were sitting acting as the table's Bankers with separate chip racks each, side-by-side, each one for their seven seats of players on each end of the table. One dealer known as a Coupier, standing whom the cards were passed to after pulled from the shoe, exposed or unexposed by each gambler themselves. The shoe traveled from player to player and remained with each player as long as a winning bankers hand was made, no matter which side they were wagering on. The big table also had one floor person on each end of the table as well. It was a totally different game, different attitudes, different personalities, different set of patience, a much different level of play and much stronger sense of camaraderie amongst the players overall.  Shoes normally were in the 3 hour range to complete and a shuffle was easily 20 minutes. 

Talking about camaraderie, there was normally unwritten camaraderie amongst players on each side of the table to wager the same side. Unlike today's atmosphere so commonly brought forth, how others can influence losing hands.  Back at the big tables that wasn't a general thought at all. The thought as to a gambler themselves causing a hand to be lost was kinda far fetched if I recall.  It was blamed on the shoe not producing what we thought, or we were just out of sync, or we just simply chose the wrong side. 

BAC even more so than other table games host a wide variety of its players. From restaurant and nail shop workers to the owners themselves. From competing casino Bac Dealers and Floor Personnel or an occasional host from other properties. To a high school dropout working at a McDonald's who out-plays an accomplished college graduate structural engineer most every time. Young and elderly, white, Asian, Latino and black all can be found at the BAC tables, anytime anywhere.

BAC the game were bystanders are in amazement when a two card 18 beats two face cards on the opposite side.  And those same bystanders comment on how the heck a blackjack loses to two cards on the opposite side comprised of just a seven and a two.
Additionally the same bystanders witness a 10 and a five on the players side and a 10 and a six on the bankers side. They see a six drawn for the players side and then a six drawn for the bankers side. Right about that time they shrug their shoulders and walk away.

Priceless, IMO.

The game of BAC.

I'm extremely sorry to interject here, but I have to.  If Asym wants this post deleted, delete it it's okay. 

Reference last few posts on both sides.  I have found in over 40 years of actual brick and mortar bac play, that anything and everything has an equal chance to occur.

Test and stat all one enjoys and until you are confident with numbers, triggers, patterns over the long run.

However, and a huge giant HOWEVER; those triggers that occurred and came about in all one's tests, cannot be transposed into a live bac game of a few shoes and may never come about in that session made up of 1-2-3-4 shoes. 

But, maybe I am off course?

Yes, I knew it was coming in this one!  And you know if a waffle house is closed, it is bad!

IT'S not often a 24/7 diner chain goes dark, but that's exactly what happened as a major winter system triggered a rare "Code Red" situation across parts of the South.

https://www.the-sun.com/money/15837424/waffle-house-shuts-down-weather-storm-fern-code-red/

And when I wrote, "The long-run strategy is mathematically doomed, while the short-run strategy at least gives you a fighting chance."  I tried to express my love and success with a hard pos-progression hit and run, short session positive experience.  Rather than playing a grinding shoe after shoe and attempting to feed into what the casino desires bac players to do.

If I understand what you are asking, that is, how to make and hold profit with a progression that is winning?

I would apply the 1/3rd, 1/3rd, 1/3rd I have written about and explained in detail many times.  I would also use a 2 step full parlay progression max and then just pull down the winnings and eventually apply that 1/3rd to. 

Now the indictments come.

From the comments section, to the point, factual and never ending:  "If money is involved people will always figure out a way to cheat."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v__1GlOXsNs

Taking a break the other night and talking with a few BAC friends at the casino, we wound up discussing new dealers placed on the BAC tables. And we simply do not prefer them in most any way over the regular dealers that we have built a rapport with.

There are just simply no connections, or understanding(s) and certainly no harmony between dealer/player with the new dealers. Most all regular dealers we know, there is a special kind of dealer/player camaraderie. I don't know about you guys but after years of playing BAC, that camaraderie has grown into a bond with players like myself and many others I know personally. In fact, it has helped us countless times with either leaving the table or continuing to great wins.

New dealers do not know what I prefer in chip denominations when I buy-in.  I have to explain it and at times I get a bit of resistance until the floor person is called over.  The regular dealers know and automatically cut it out.

When it's slow or one on one the small talk starts. The regular Dealers, pick up the conversations where they generally last left off and are heads and tails over the new dealers in every way. 

A lot of the new dealers have that fast losing chip sweep that absolutely sucks and so many people detest. Yes the money is going to go away, however that fast sweep is absolutely insulting and ultra negative in my opinion.

Regular dealers have that gentle losing hand chip sweep. Not much more to say about it, but they know how to handle losing hands a lot better than the new dealers do.

Tips.  At least myself, I have a certain strange rapport with all my regular dealers, whereupon my tips are paid and rather than the dealer quickly snatching them up, I stack them and slide them up to the dealer, kinda skirting then across the table somewhat.  The new dealers will quickly pay them and snatch them up without any class whatsoever, IMO.

When I buy-in the new dealers will repetitively ask for my players card when every regular dealer already knows the routine and will just say it is Glen's and point to me and nothing else is said. I have to explain to the new dealer I don't have a card in my pocket and the floor person already knows who I am and sometimes that new dealer even rolls their eyes. Again another uncomfortable feeling.

The ending, so important when a player loses. The new dealer will have that standardized, "thanks for playing, better luck next time". Yeah the regular dealers just don't say anything, they are quiet, give me a quick nod of their head, which means will see you next time and you'll get everything back, type of secret code talk, LOL. But personally I detest and so does everyone else that standardized, "thanks for playing and better luck next time" pure made up trash!

And one final one is a few of my hand gestures that I use throughout the game.  Either for a very brief waiting period before dealing the hand, or I'm not gonna play this hand, or I'm gonna get up and go use my phone and many other ones. The new dealers have no clue and I'm not gonna explain it to them, when the regular dealers make it so comfortable.

Absolutely correct in many many aspects.  Most will never understand the simplicity of it.

Gambling Science: Why the house will always win in the long run

Undoubtedly you have heard the phrase "the house always wins" when it comes to casino gambling. But what does that actually mean?  And why is that said?

After all, people do hit jackpots, people have great runs at table games, people win repeatedly in the sport books, people win at the other games.  And casino games are supposed to be fair – so what guarantees the casino still comes out ahead?

The answer lies in a simple but powerful mathematical idea called "the house edge": a small, systematic statistical advantage built into every single casino game. It's the invisible force that ensures the numbers will always tilt toward the house in the long run.

So, let's unpack and quickly take apart the science behind that edge: how it's constructed, and how it plays out over repeated bets.

Roulette: the clearest place to see the house edge at work

Roulette looks like one of the fairest games in the casino. A spinning wheel with numbered pockets, half colored red and half colored black, and a single ball sent spinning around the outside to eventually land in one pocket at random. If you bet the ball will land in a red pocket (or a black one), it feels like a 50–50 gamble.

But the real odds are a little bit different. In most Australian casinos you'll find 38 pockets on the roulette wheel: 18 red, 18 black, and two "zero" pockets marked 0 and 00. (In Europe roulette wheels have 37 pockets, with only a single 0.)

The zero pockets are what creates the house edge. The casino pays out as if the odds were 50–50, however if you get the color right, you get back the same amount you bet. Which most believe that is a 50-50 chance, but in reality, on a wheel with two zero pockets your chance of winning is 47.37%.

When you bet on a color, the house has a 5.26% edge – meaning gamblers lose about five cents per dollar on average. A single-zero wheel is slightly kinder to the gambler at 2.7%.

You don't see the house edge in the course of a few spins, one-two or three shoes of cards, a few hours at a slot machine, etc. But casinos don't rely on a few spins, a few shoes or a few hours at a machine. Over thousands of bets, the law of large numbers takes over. This is a fundamental idea in probability that implies the more times you repeat a game with fixed odds, the closer your results get to the true mathematical average. The short-term ups and downs flatten out, and the house edge asserts itself with near certainty.

The law of large numbers is why casinos aren't bothered by who wins this spin or that shoe of cards, or even tonight, or win for several nights or even more. They care about what happens over the next million bets. They don't care about the winners (unless they are obviously cheating), they only care that there are enough losers.  Please read the Wiki for a great detailed run down of 'the law of large numbers', that will help you understand this super important info as to what I just mentioned. 

CLICK ON THE WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_large_numbers

Simply a great detailed explanation.  OPENING:  "In probability theory, the law of large numbers is a mathematical law that states that the average of the results obtained from a large number of independent random samples converges to the true value, if it exists. More formally, the law of large numbers states that given a sample of independent and identically distributed values, the sample mean converges to the true mean."

And once you understand that, you will be able to adjust your play, gain advantages and use a Money Management Method that benefits you whether you are winning or losing. 

The Gamblers' Ruin problem

Another way to see why the house always wins is through the so-called Gambler's Ruin problem.

The problem asks what happens if a player with a limited bankroll keeps betting against an opponent with effectively unlimited money (even in a fair game).  Say baccarat with 50-50 banker-player wagering with no commission or side bets. 

The mathematical answer is blunt: the gambler will eventually go broke if he continually wagers every hand or a large number of hands per shoe, plays everyday or nearly everyday.  Period, with absolute certainty. 

In other words, even if the odds are perfectly even, the side with finite resources loses in the long run simply because random fluctuations will push them to zero at some point. Once you hit zero, the game stops, while the house is still standing.

You have to fully understand the following without any doubts, "In statistics, gambler's ruin is the fact that a gambler playing a game with non-positive expected value will eventually go bankrupt, regardless of their betting system.  The concept was initially stated: A persistent gambler who raises his bet to a fixed fraction of the gambler's bankroll after a win, but does not reduce it after a loss, will eventually and inevitably go broke, even if each bet has a positive expected value."

Casinos, of course, stack the odds even further by giving themselves a small edge on every bet. That tiny disadvantage, combined with the fact the house never runs out of money, makes ruin mathematically inevitable.

The more bets you make, the worse your chances

Say you walk into a casino with a simple goal. You want to win $100, and you plan to quit as soon as you hit that target.

Your approach is to play roulette, betting $1 at a time on either red or black.

How much money do you need to bring to have a decent chance of reaching your $100 goal? A thousand dollars? A million? A billion?

Here's the surprising truth: no amount of money is enough.

If you keep making $1 bets in a game with a house edge, you are practically certain to go broke before getting $100 ahead of where you started, even if you arrive with a fortune.

In fact, the probability of gaining $100 before losing $100 million with this strategy is less than 1 in 37,000.

You could walk in with life-changing wealth and still almost certainly never hit your modest $100 goal. (The full mathematical explanation is spelled out in, 'the law of large numbers', I referred to above.

Betting bigger may give you a fighting chance

So how do you create a real chance of success? You must either lower your target or change your strategy entirely.

If your target were only $10, you'd suddenly have over a 50% chance of going home happy, even if you started with just $25. A smaller goal means fewer bets, which means less opportunity for the house edge to grind you down.

Or you can flip the logic of Gambler's Ruin: instead of making hundreds of small, disadvantageous bets, you can make one big bet.  Or several depending on your knowledge and bankroll in regards to what you are attempting. 

If you put $100 on red all at once, your chance of success jumps to roughly 47%. This is far higher than the near-zero chance of trying to grind your way up with $1 bets.

The long-run strategy is mathematically doomed, while the short-run strategy at least gives you a fighting chance.

A small house edge adds up

Roulette is the clearest place to see the house edge, but the same structure runs through every casino game. Each one builds in a varying degree of statistical tilt or bias.

Some games, like roulette, have fixed, rule-based house edges that don't change from one player to the next. But others, like blackjack, have a variable house edge that depends on how the game is played. But no game is exempt from the underlying structure.

Small edges don't stay small when you expose yourself to hundreds or thousands of bets. In the long run, the variance fades, and the outcome converges to the house's advantage with almost certainty.  Again, maybe not in a session or two or three or even five.  But the house's advantage will always outweigh yours, always.

That's why the house always wins. Because mathematics never takes a night off.  Never ever.

When you win, there is no charge to color up and leave.  By the way, you can opt-out anytime and remain a winner.

A few details about what was written and pending, it's not over yet:

A new tax law goes into effect on Thursday that is likely to have massive ramifications for gamblers.

Starting on Jan. 1, 2026, only 90% of gambling losses will be able to be deducted on taxes at the end of each year.

Meanwhile, 100% of winnings will still be taxed as income, meaning that even if you break even while gambling, you could still be on the hook for a significant tax bill.

For example, if you record $100,000 in gambling losses throughout 2026, but also record $100,000 in gambling winnings, you would still owe $10,000 in taxable income, despite earning no net income.

Those with modest annual net income gains could also see their gambling winnings completely erased in taxes if a significant amount of offsetting losing wagers are placed throughout the year.

The change comes as part of the Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law in July. All 50 states will be affected, and the changes will apply to all sports bets and casino games that are played, both online and in person.

However, the change will not affect previous wagers placed throughout 2025, with old tax rules still applicable for the last time this spring as tax season gets underway.

Only federal taxes to the IRS will be impacted. State tax rules on gambling winnings and losses will not be affected.

Already, the new tax rule is generating significant backlash among the gambling community, with some warning that wagers placed on sports bets and in casinos are likely to decrease as a result of the change.

A push is underway to repeal the provision of the bill, led by Las Vegas-area Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada. However, the bill, titled the Fair Bet Act, was introduced in July, and has not progressed in the House since.

Dedicated to ADulay

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8zgD7UovI6U&list=RDk2fN36wq-zc&index=13&pp=8AUB

Ref the below video in the comments:  "I was a waitress at Waffle House while going to college.  This is the best thing I have ever seen.  It's pretty accurate for a Friday night."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KYNFqmu2toI&pp=ygUQd2FmZmxlIGhvdXNlIHNubA%3D%3D

THE BEST RIGHT HERE!  OMG!  I clicked on this one and just took a sip of coffee when Steve Harvey started about the waitresses screaming when going inside.  Coffee came out my nose and mouth, seriously.  Went to Ameristar casino year in Kansas City and left about 3:30 am, we got to the Waffle House down the road next the interstate and got a table.  The part about the menus in the table were spot on!!! Waffle House loud, waitresses screaming the orders, "sliced, diced and double covered", etc., etc.  A complete zoo inside, everyone screaming and yelling to be heard.  But what great food!  Winning cash at the casino, then the Waffle House afterwards. 

"Waffle House is one of the best places to eat, but eating it at Midnight to before 5am hits absolutely different."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GQtr35B8M4k&pp=ygUMV2FmZmxlIGhveXNl

And on the serious side of things, for those who have no idea what a Waffle House is all about:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tl2hnyXIdlc&pp=ygUMV2FmZmxlIGhveXNl

One last one.  From the comments:  "as a former WaHo overnight server, yes. this is true except the actual dojo and training it implies. i have seen people shot in the parking lot, coworkers OD and get revived, coworkers throw hands then keep on working, drug dealers keep the peace, dealers make change for us, idiots try throwing things, customers arrested, fist fought a lunatic trying to threaten us, crack head call the cops on his self, prostitutes try turning tricks in the bathroom, and much more. i only did it for about 2 years."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nVrFzg4xWps&pp=ygUMV2FmZmxlIGhvdXNl

And one very last one.  GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA BEACH BOY KIDDIE.  ROMAL LAUGHING!

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/XJ3SGI5p4iY

Chime in here if it's okay please.

Asym wrote, "After all most players follow the shoe and all of them are long term losers and trying to exploit the "following the shoe" approach mixed with the expectation guidelines needs a lot of experience and study that surely KFB and Alrelax got in their arsenal."

Finding and defining advantages from fallacy to tangible;

Applying a rock solid Money Management Method that works and you religiously abide by regardless of loss or win;

The ability to take uncertainty out of the picture.  Not easy but you have to. Taking uncertainty out of your conscious will allow a crucial skill for minimizing emotional chaos and allowing you an advantage to distinguish more between what is actually happening and presentments that have a much greater negativity of advantaged play.

The above 3 have proven themselves as great advantages IMO, in my actual brick & mortar play experience and allowing myself the ability to win far greater than what I lose. 

The 2 states I am between the majority of the times, there are no Waffle Houses.

Although when I am in or around Kansas City for work or casino, there are!  And in fact I/We will even break from a casino to go one nearby to eat! 

Love them, always did and always will!