Gaming insights Gaming

Shark or fish? The answers revealed …

Written by Pai Yao

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2014 issue of World Gaming magazine.

No doubt you have spent the past month or two wondering if you are a gaming shark or a fish? Well, the wait is over! In WGM’s Mar/Apr 2014 issue, we ran our very first gaming quiz featuring 100 questions to test the depths of your knowledge. Some of the questions were easy, some a little tricky and some extremely difficult with one point, two points or three points offered for each question depending on the level of difficulty. Now we’re pleased to bring you all of the answers so you can find out if you’re a shark, a fish or maybe something in between.

BACCARAT

Question 1 (one point)

Who gets to squeeze the cards in a game of baccarat?Answer: B) The person with the largest bet on banker squeezes banker cards and the person with the largest bet on player squeezes player cards.

Question 2 (one point)

What are the odds paid in Macau for a “tie” bet in baccarat?Answer: B) 8/1 which is standard odds around the world.

Question 3 (one point)

What are the odds paid in Macau for a “pair” bet on the banker or player in baccarat?Answer: D) 11/1

Question 4 (two points)

What percentage of Macau’s official gaming turnover is baccarat responsible for?Answer: C) According to official DICJ figures, baccarat accounted for 91.5% of all gaming revenue in 2013.

Question 5 (two points)

Who receives the first card in a round of baccarat?Answer: B) The player gets the first card.

Question 6 (two points)

The form of baccarat in which the player only gets paid 1/2 on winning banker bets on a banker score of 6 is known as what?Answer: C) No Commission Baccarat. For more information on No Commission Baccarat, see our story in WGM’s Jan/Feb 2013 issue by visiting www.wgm8.com.

Question 7 (three points)

In a standard commission game of baccarat what is the exact house percentage on a bet on the banker?Answer: B) 1.06 percent which makes it one of the lowest house edge games in the casino.

Question 8 (three points)

The game of baccarat was invented in which country?Answer: D) Historians are not quite sure but their best guess is Italy.

Question 9 (three points)

The baccarat trend “big eye boy” is so named because:Answer: B) It was invented by a dealer with big eyes. It is believed the “small road” was invented by Mr Chan Kuen in the early 1970s, then in the mid-1970s Lisboa dealer Chao Hon Mun, who had big eyes, adapted it to make a new road which became known as “big eye boy”.

 

FANTAN

Question 10 (one point)

Fantan is an ancient Chinese table game where beads are separated into piles. How many beads are there in each pile?Answer: A) 4

Question 11 (two points)

Which Macau casino last year expanded their Fantan tables to four in a push to raise the profile of the game in Macau? What are the odds paid in Macau for a “tie” bet in baccarat?Answer: B) Sands Macao

Question 12 (three points)

In what decade was Fantan legalized by the Portuguese Governor of Macau?Answer: A) 1840s. Portuguese Governor João Maria Ferreira do Amaral legalized the game in 1849.

 

PAI GOW

Question 13 (one point)

How many tiles are there in a Pai Gow set?Answer: D) 32. You can read more about Pai Gow in our three-part series on this fascinating table game which first appeared in WGM’s Jul/Aug 2012 issue. Visit www.wgm8.com to read more.

Question 14 (two points)

Wongs, Gongs and High 9s must contain:Answer: C) A teen tile or a day tile

Question 15 (three points)

The third highest hand in Pai Gow is a pair of day tiles. What is the total amount of pips on the tiles (combined) and what are their colors?Answer: B) 4 red. Each day tile has 2 red pips on it.

 

PAI GOW POKER

Question 16 (one point)

The joker in Pai Gow Poker can be used in which way?Answer: B) It is wild when used in straights and flushes otherwise it is an Ace. Check out our article on “the forgotten game” in our Jul/Aug 2013 issue of WGM, which can be found on our website at www. wgm8.com.

Question 17 (two points)

Which Macau casino recently introduced Pai Gow poker to its tables?Answer: D) No casino offers the game in Macau

Question 18 (three points)

When using the “house way” strategy, what percentage of hands in Pai Gow Poker are pushes?Answer: D) Around 40 percent. Because of the huge number of pushes in Pai Gow Poker, it is a great game for maximizing comps or for those who want to spend some time at the tables without burning through a lot of money quickly.Gow Poker

 

SIC BO

Question 19 (one point)

In Macau, what odds are paid on any three of a kind in Sic Bo?Answer: B) 24/1

Question 20 (one point)

How many dice are used in a sic bo game?Answer: A) 3

Question 21 (two points)

There are many variations of Sic Bo around the world. Which of the following pieces of equipment is used in a Sic Bo-like game?Answer: A) The birdcage. This is a cage which contains the three dice and in which the dice are rolled.

Question 22 (two points)

How many dealers pay out the players on a full large-sized Sic Bo table?Answer: B) 2. Sometimes there will be just one but there are always two when the game is very busy.

Question 23 (three points)

At Sands Macao, how many different betting options are there on their most detailed Sic Bo layout?Answer: D) 106

Question 24 (three points)

Which of the following is an alternative name for Sic Bo?Answer: D) High low. The game is often referred to as this in the Philippines.

 

ROULETTE

Question 25 (one point)

In terms of mathematical house advantage, which is the best bet on a roulette table in Macau?Answer: A) It doesn’t matter, they all have the same house advantage. This edge is 2.7% or 1/37 on all single zero roulette tables around the world (apart from one obscure exception which is referred to in question 30).

Question 26 (one point)

In Macau, what does a straight up winner pay?Answer: B) 35/1

Question 27 (two points)

The name roulette means “little wheel” in which language?Answer: D) French. It is believed roulette was invented by accident by French mathematician Blaise Pascal in 1655. For more information on the history and evolution of this popular game, see our article entitled “Spin City” , which appeared in the Jul/Aug 2013 issue of WGM, by visiting www.wgm8.com.

Question 28 (two points)

If a roulette table does not have 37 numbers on it, how many will it have?Answer: C) 38. Single zero roulette tables have numbers 1 through 36 plus “0” but double zero roulette tables have an extra number, “00”, which almost doubles the house edge. If you have the option of playing either, always choose the single zero version.

Question 29 (three points)

What was the name of the man who “broke the bank” in Monte Carlo playing roulette in the mid 1870s?Answer: A) Joseph Jagger. “Breaking the bank” didn’t mean sending the casino broke, it just meant cleaning the table out of all its chips.

Question 30 (three points)

In some casinos operating a standard 37 number wheel, especially in the United Kingdom, some bets do not have the usual house edge. What is the house edge on these bets?Answer: A) Around half the usual house edge. This is referred to as “En Prison” and means that all even money bets, such as betting on red or black, will be held over to the next spin of the wheel if the ball lands on “0”. You don’t lose your bet but can’t remove it either. It is in prison. If you then win on the next spin, you receive only your original bet back.

 

SPORTS BETTING

Question 31 (one point)

If you want to back a team to win a competition before the competition starts it is commonly known as what?Answer: B) Future betting.

Question 32 (one point)

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Spain beat Holland to be crowned World Cup Champions. Which country started the tournament as favorites?Answer: A) Spain. And they just happened to be WGM’s expert tip before the tournament began!

Question 33 (two points)

If you bet on a sporting event and you want to take a bet that is not a win, handicap or total bet, it is referred to as what?Answer: A) An exotic bet

Question 34 (two points)

If you have $100 on a sporting team to win at the US odds of +130, how much do you win (not including the return) on your bet?Answer: B) $130. For a detailed explanation of the American, European and English betting systems, read our story entitled “Sports betting US style” in the Jul/Aug 2013 issue of WGM. You guessed it, just visit www.wgm8.com!

Question 35 (three points)

In the 2014 Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos. In spread, handicap or line betting, the Seahawks started the game as what?Answer: B) 2.5 point underdogs

Question 36 (three points)

In what year and on what stock exchange was the betting exchange Betfair first floated?Answer: C) London Stock Exchange in 2010. The date was 22 October and the share price was £13 which put the market value of the company at £1.4 billion.

 

HORSE RACING

Question 37 (one point)

A “weight for age” horse race means what?Answer: D) Horses are weighted by their sex and age

Question 38 (one point)

If a horse is paying $2.50 to win in decimals, what are its odds?Answer: C) 6/4. The figure on the left represents how much you stand to win if you were to wager the figure on the right. In this case you would win $6 as well as receiving your original $4 wager back, so your return would be $10. This equates to $10 returned (including the original stake) for every $4 bet – or 10/4 which is $2.50 in decimal odds.

Question 39 (two points)

A farrier does what?Answer: A) Changes horse shoes

Question 40 (two points)

Which of the following horses have completed their career undefeated?Answer: D) All of the above. For an interesting comparison of two of the world’s greatest ever racehorses, see our recent story entitled “Frankel v Black Caviar” in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of WGM, by visiting www.wgm8.com.

Question 41 (three points)

In 2009 Mon Mone became the longest-priced winner of the Grand National Steeplechase for 42 years when he won by 12 lengths. What price was Mon Mone?Answer: B) 100/1. He was just the fifth horse in the race’s 175 year history to win at such long odds.

Question 42 (three points)

What is the largest prize ever paid for winning a single horse race?Answer: D) US$6 million. Since 2010 the annual Dubai World Cup has offered a US$10 million purse with US$6 million going to the winner.

 

INDUSTRY

Question 43 (one point)

How many cards are there in a standard deck of playing cards (not including jokers)?Answer: B) 52 – and if you don’t know this you shouldn’t be doing our quiz!

Question 44 (one point)

City of Dreams is co-owned by two companies, “Melco” and “Crown”. In which country does Crown have their flagship casino, which is simply known as “Crown”.Answer: A) Australia. Located in Melbourne, it is the only casino in Australia which can realistically claim to be world renowned.

Question 45 (one point)

The Genting gaming group operates which chain of casinos?Answer: D) Resort World casinos. These include Resorts World Genting in Malaysia, Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore and Resorts World Manila.

Question 46 (one point)

Which of the following companies manufacture playing cards?Answer: A) Angel. This Japanese company was established in 1956 and supplies cards to casinos across the Asia-Pacific region.

Question 47 (two points)

When did the Sands Macao open?Answer: B) 2004. It was the first casino to open in Macau after the liberalization of the industry after more than 40 years of the Stanley Ho monopoly.

Question 48 (two points)

What is the name of the gaming regulator in the Philippines?Answer: A) PAGCOR – a contraction of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

Question 49 (two points)

The current licenses of the six Macau concessionaires end in what years?Answer: C) Some in 2020 and some in 2022. SJM and MGM expire in 2020 while Wynn, Melco Crown, Galaxy and Sands China expire in 2022.

Question 50 (two points)

What was the first casino to open after Sands Macao?Answer: A) Waldo. It opened in July 2004.

Question 51 (three points)

Which was the first property to open on the Las Vegas Strip?Answer: C) New Frontier. Hands up if you thought the first property to open on our list of possible answers was the Flamingo? In fact, the very first property to open on The Strip was El Rancho, but we didn’t offer that as a possible answer. The second property to open was the The Frontier (which was soon renamed The New Frontier), and the Flamingo opened more than four years later on 30 October 1942.

Question 52 (three points)

The word “croupier” comes from an old French word “croup” which meant the rear side of a horse. In modern day casino parlance it is another word for a dealer. Originally, a croupier was what?Answer: A) A person who stood behind a gambler with extra reserves of money.

Question 53 (three points)

What was the name of the world’s first casino?Answer: A) Ridotto (Italian for “Private Room”). Long before the existence of casinos as we know them today, the Ridotto in Venice, Italy, was a state-owned gambling house located in a wing of the San Moisè Palace. Opened in 1638 to combat the rise in illegal gambling houses, it eventually closed in 1774.

Question 54 (three points)

In what year did Australia’s first legal casino open?Answer: C) 1973. The Wrest Point Hotel Casino opened in Hobart on 10 February 1973, after the people of Tasmania approved the casino at a 1969 referendum in which the “yes” vote won by just 1 percent.

 

POKER

Question 55 (one point)

The worst starting hand in ring-game Texas Hold’em poker is what?Answer: D) A two and a seven offsuit. Although the two lowest ranked non-paired cards you can be dealt is a two and a three, 7-2 offsuit is considered the worst because they are the two lowest cards that can’t combine to make a straight or a flush.

Question 56 (one point)

In poker language, being in the cutoff means you are what?Answer: D) Seated to the immediate right of the button. The button is renowned as being a very advantageous position to be seated because that player is last to act and therefore has more information to base their decisions on. For that reason it is also a great position from which to “steal”, either by raising when first to act or re-raising an earlier raise to apply pressure while in position. The cutoff has the next best position at the table for these kinds of moves and is so named because they can “cut off” the button’s ability to steal by beating them to it.

Question 57 (one point)

The Binion’s Horseshoe Casino was sold in 2004. The sale also included the World Series of Poker brand. Which casino group made the purchase?Answer: A) Harrah’s

Question 58 (two points)

Which of the following poker champions has won the most World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets?Answer: B) Phil Hellmuth. With 13 bracelets, he sits three clear of Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson with 10 each.

Question 59 (two points)

Who won the first ever WSOP Main Event?Answer: B) Johnny Moss. In 1970, Benny Binion invited seven of the world’s best players to compete in a series of cash games at his Binion’s Horseshoe Casino. Moss was voted the winner by his peers, then returned the following year to win it again when the WSOP changed to a freezeout tournament for the first time.

Question 60 (two points)

A straight running 10 through Ace in poker is commonly referred to as what?Answer: B) Broadway

Question 61 (three points)

How many times has the PokerStars poker room in Macau moved to a new location?Answer: B) 3. Originally opening at Grand Waldo in late 2007, the room moved to Grand Lisboa in 2009, back to Grand Waldo in 2012 and then to its current home at City of Dreams in 2013.

Question 62 (three points)

In 2012, Konstantin Puchkov broke the record for most WSOP cashes in a single year. How many separate events did Puchkov cash in?Answer: C) 11. His highest finish was sixth in the US$2,500 Eight Game Mix for US$41,844 with his total prize money over those 11 cashes coming to US$173,382.

Question 63 (three points)

Since cash game poker was introduced to Macau in 2007, how many casinos in Macau have dealt cash game poker?Answer: D) 7. They are Grand Waldo, Grand Lisboa, Wynn, StarWorld, the Venetian Macao, City of Dreams and Lan Kwai Fong which briefly ran cash games in the early days of cash game poker in Macau.

 

SLOTS

Question 64 (one point)

In the early days of slot machines, what number was used as a standard lucky number?Answer: B) 7

Question 65 (one point)

The famous Aristocrat game “Golden Pyramids” became a pioneer of the free game feature. How many free games did you get if you spun up three pyramids?Answer: C) 15

Question 66 (two points)

SHFL entertainment’s ground breaking new slot game Duo Fu Duo Caihas what symbols as its main theme?Answer: D) Babies

Question 67 (two points)

Arguably the most popular slot machine in the world is Aristocrat’s “Five Dragons”. Players choose one of five colored dragons during the feature – which dragon gives the least amount of games but the biggest dividends?Answer: B) The yellow dragon

Question 68 (three points)

In what year was the first ever slot machine invented?Answer: C) 1895. The “Liberty Bell” was invented in San Francisco by Charles Fey. The machine sat on a bench or counter top and had three reels each with 10 stops and a different symbol on each. Players would feed in coins and pull a handle to spin the wheels. If all three reels lined up with the same symbol, the player would win a prize with the highest being 10 nickels if you were lucky enough to line up three Liberty Bells.

Question 69 (three points)

In the days of coin-operated slot machines one method of cheating was to insert coin-shaped metal objects into slot machines instead of coins. What were these objects known as?Answer: A) Slugs.

 

HYBRIDS

 

Question 70 (one point)

Which of the following games is not featured in new hybrid live dealer stadium style gaming in Macau?Answer: B) Blackjack. Unlike Sic Bo, roulette and baccarat, it is difficult to incorporate blackjack into large multi-player stadiums because it requires each player to make decisions during the course of each hand.

Question 71 (one point)

Which game is most offered in hybrid games in Macau?Answer: D) Baccarat

Question 72 (two points)

Which company is the manufacturer of all hybrid gaming machines in Macau?Answer: B) LT Game

Question 73 (two points)

Which casino in Macau offers the most number of hybrid gaming betting terminals?Answer: D) Kampek Casino. Almost all of Kampek is dedicated to this style of gaming with 685 terminals available. By comparison, City of Dreams ranks second with just 227 terminals!

Question 74 (three points)

Which casino offered the first ever hybrid gaming machine in Macau?Answer: B) Greek Mythology (which was recently renamed “Imperial Palace”). Hybrid machines were first installed at Greek Mythology in 2006 – more than a year before Kampek casino. They were removed in 2009, then some new machines were installed in 2011 although there are currently no hybrids at Imperial Palace.

Question 75 (three points)

What is the smallest bet offered on a hybrid gaming machine in Macau?Answer: B) HK$20

 

CRAPS

Question 76 (one point)

What is the most likely number to roll on any particular roll of craps?Answer: B) 7 – which has six combinations out of a possible 36, compared with five or fewer for all other numbers.

Question 77 (one point)

What numbers are collectively called “craps”?Answer: C) 2, 3 and 12.

Question 78 (two points)

What is the casino staff member who passes the dice to the shooter known as?Answer: B) The stickman

Question 79 (two points)

When a new shooter is offered dice to shoot with, how many is he usually offered to choose from?Answer: C) 5. This is the standard number of dice in a “stick” of dice. A stick of dice is 5 dice in a row wrapped in packaging, which is how casino dice are delivered to casinos by dice manufacturers.

Question 80 (three points)

Which of the following is not the name of a bet that can be made on at least some craps tables around the world?Answer: D) A field crap

Question 81 (three points)

What is the house edge on the “don’t pass” line?Answer: B) 1.36 percent, marginally better than the 1.41 percent house edge on the “pass” line.

 

BLACKJACK

Question 82 (one point)

In Macau, what should you do if you are dealt 14 against a dealer upcard of 5?Answer: B) Stand. You should stand all stiff hands (hard 12 to 16) against all weak dealer upcards (2 to 6) except 12 against 2 or 3 which you should hit.

Question 83 (one point)

In Macau, when the dealer’s upcard is an ace, you have the option of taking insurance. When should you take insurance?Answer: A) Never. The dealer will make blackjack only four out of 13 times and won’t make blackjack nine out of 13 times. Since you get paid 2 to 1 on the four winners, and lose your bet on the nine losers, in the long run you’ll lose 1 unit in every 13 bet on insurance. This equates to a house edge of a monstrous 7.7 percent.

Question 84 (two points)

In Macau, what should you do when you are dealt two 8s, for a total of 16, against a dealer 9 upcard?Answer: C) Split.

Question 85 (two points)

How many decks of cards do the majority of Macau casinos use in their Blackjack shuffling machines?Answer: C) 6

Question 86 (three points)

What is your EV (expected value) when standing on 18 against a dealer’s 2?Answer: B) +12 percent

Question 87 (three points)

What would your combined EV be if the 18 in the example above was comprised of two 9s and you decided to split the 9s?Answer: D) +20 percent. Each 9 has an EV of around +10 percent and since there are two of them the combined EV is +20 percent.

 

MAHJONG

Question 88 (one point)

Which hand is worth the most in most types of Mahjong?Answer: C) Big Winds

Question 89 (one point)

What is the most common number of tiles in a standard Mahjong hand?Answer: B) 13

Question 90 (two points)

How many tiles are used in normal Hong Kong and Japanese-style Mahjong Decks?Answer: A) 136. Hong Kong and Japanese Mahjong do not use any flower or joker tiles, leaving only the 36 tiles of each suit and the 28 honor tiles.

Question 91 (two points)

Which rules will be used at the World Riichi Mahjong Championship in Paris in July 2014?Answer: C) Japanese rules

Question 92 (three points)

What do the numbered suits in Mahjong likely represent?Answer: B) Currency denominations. The dots are thought to represent single coins, the bams may be strings of coins and the craks represent denominations of 10,000 denoted in Chinese characters.

Question 93 (three points)

Who was the first American to become a professional mahjong player in the Japan Professional Mahjong League?Answer: C) Jenn Barr. You might know Jenn as one of WGM’s regular contributors, writing our Mahjong articles each issue.

 

GENERAL

Question 94 (one point)

What is the name of the casino game in which both the player and the dealer usually just get one card?Answer: D) Casino war. The premise of this game is simple – highest card wins!

Question 95 (one point)

Which of the following places is part of the name of a casino table game?Answer: B) Caribbean. Who hasn’t tried their luck at Caribbean Stud at least once in their lives? The game is renowned for its progressive jackpot which is won when a player makes a Royal Flush – provided they have wagered an ante bet on top of their standard bet. Most casinos will also pay 10 percent of the jackpot for a Straight Flush.

Question 96 (two points)

A Chinese version of the Australian game “two up” was played in the Venetian Macao in 2011. What was the name of the game?Answer: C) Dragon Phoenix.

Question 97 (two points)

If a game of poker is a “stud” variation, what does this mean?Answer: C) Some cards are dealt face up.

Question 98 (two points)

What was the second state of the United States to legalize casino gaming?Answer: C) New Jersey. The state’s citizens voted to legalize casino gaming in 1976 as a unique tool for urban redevelopment in Atlantic City.

Question 99 (three points)

Macau’s Lisboa casino opened its gaming operations in which year?Answer: B) 1970

Question 100 (three points)

What is the name of the now-closed Macau floating casino that formerly operated close to the Hong Kong-Macau ferry terminal?Answer: C) Macau Palace. The casino closed in 2007 and was towed to its current location at the Fai Chi Kei district where it remains anchored. Despite occasional calls to reopen Macau Palace as a tourist attraction, it remains unused.