The Wildcatter’s Battleground is our take on the classic Point/Counterpoint style of debate. It is a place for everyone to discuss light-hearted, yet oftentimes controversial, topics affecting today’s society. We hope to present this debate in a manner that is fun, respectful, and most of all, enlightening. More opinion-fueled than fact-based, these questions have no right or wrong answer and everyone is free to join the conversation…as long as they can defend their point. Welcome to the Battleground, where only the fittest survive!!
Against:
For those of us who enjoy casino gambling, it is a given that, over time, the casino will win. That fact is what makes the occasional victory so sweet. Everyone intuitively knows that there would be no casinos, and all of the fun that comes with casinos, if the house consistently lost. We all dutifully make the trek to our favorite gambling dens and do our collective parts to keep those beautiful neon lights shining bright.
Enter the new wave of so-called “advantage players”. Originally, the term “advantage player” was reserved for those players who had a substantial grasp of mathematical odds. Now, these scammers try every trick in the book to gain some type of advantage over the casino. These advantages range from working in teams, hole carding, edge sorting, and shuffle tracking. The specifics of the advantage may vary, however the end result is still the same: deceptively change the statistical advantage of the casino to a statistical advantage for the player.
Just to be clear, casinos do not trick gamblers. Casinos do not cheat gamblers. Casinos are fully transparent. The business plan of a casino is simple: “We will build a big building where guests can stay in a luxurious room, enjoy fine dining, spend the day at the spa, shop, golf, see a show, and, of course, gamble. To make our casino profitable, we will need a “house edge” that basically states that there will be winners and losers at the tables, however, over time, the casino will have a small statistical advantage over the players. IMPORTANT: ALL OF OUR GAMES ARE INTENDED TO BE GAMES OF CHANCE. IF YOU DON’T LIKE OUR “HOUSE EDGE”, THEN DON’T PLAY THE GAME!” It is really that simple!!
Anyone that cheats a big institution, casinos included, is actually cheating all of us. The remaining collective group will eventual foot the bill for your ill-gotten gains. Furthermore, you are now officially a CHEATER, and, as all Wildcatters know, there is no joy in victory if you must cheat to win!
For:
Advantage gambling refers to the practice of employing legal methods to increase a player’s odds of winning. Working in teams, hole carding, edge sorting, and shuffle tracking are not in any way illegal or against casino rules. The same argument against advantage gambling can be used to support it: the casinos laid out all the rules, fair and square, and advantage players are merely playing by those rules. There is no deception or trickery involved and the tactics are no secret to the pit bosses and casino managers. The only difference is that these players are simply putting in a little more effort into the game than the average gambler.
Why should the casino get a monopoly on competitive advantages? After all, if it truly is a game of winning and losing, then the casino must at times lose. If players can figure out how to give themselves a competitive advantage without expressly cheating, then it should put the burden on casinos to find out how to regain it.
The business of running hotels, spas, shows, and restaurants, when done correctly, is already extremely profitable in itself; however, casinos offer lower prices for these amenities because they know it’s more profitable to keep people there longer. The casino wants every player to believe that they have a chance of winning big so they keep coming back, but get stingy when they actually do?
One player’s attempt at advantage play has absolutely zero effect on any other player – the odds will remain the same for each individual player and game no matter what is happening elsewhere on the floor. It’s no different than hitting a random lucky pull on a slot machine and walking away with the jackpot; this does not affect the gambling habits or odds of anyone else around.
Advantage play tactics are not a foolproof method or guaranteed win by any means. It is still a risk taken by an individual….an individual who is more cautious about the way they spend their money. The argument here is simple: if you think advantage gambling is wrong, then don’t do it! Mind your own business and play your own game without worrying about what anyone else is doing – after all, you are playing against the house and not against any other gambler.