Blackjack and Card Counting: A Summary of the Game and Its Strategies

Casinos are great places of entertainment. They have many sights and sounds everywhere. It’s almost a bit overwhelming to walk into your first casino ever. You have a room full of slots, an area for table games, restaurants, bars, decor, and much much more. It’s an awe in itself. An architectural wonder!

Now I won’t get side tracked by the casino ambiance. I am here to focus on one of the most popular table games in the casino: Blackjack. Also know by the name “21 ” or “Twenty-One”, blackjack is popular because of its simple premise in comparison to other table games that use cards. Before I delve into the world of card counting, you have to know how to play first.

 

Section I: How Blackjack is Played

**If you know how to play Blackjack and are familiar with the table, the game, and the process, skip this section and go to the next one**

In Blackjack you have players and a dealer. All of the players are against the dealer and no player is against each other. The goal is to obtain a total as close to 21 or to have exactly 21 while also beating the dealer’s total. A tie, where you and the dealer have the same score, results in a “push” meaning no one wins. If one of you goes over 21, it is called a bust. If you’re the player and you bust, you are out of the hand and lose all of your money for that round. If the dealer busts, everyone who is still in the game wins automatically. Really easy concept. Here are the card values:

• Numbered cards (2 through 10) are worth their respective value.
• Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are worth 10
• Aces are worth either 1 or 11. If say you have an ace, a 9, and a 2, instead of your total being 22 (that would bust you), you count it as a 1 instead. You count aces as 11 when your total is under 21 while counting it as 11. If your total exceeds 21 with the 11, the ace is counted as a 1 instead. So if you have an ace and a 7, this would be 18 which would be called a SOFT 18 because the ace is being used as an 11. If you have an ace, 7, and 6, you now exceed 21 and the ace is treated as a 1 so you now have a total of a HARD 14 because the ace is now used as a 1 instead of an 11.

Every game begins with the players and the dealer being dealt 2 cards. Player cards are dealt facing either up or down depending on how many deck of cards are being used in the game. The dealer will always have one card down (called the hole card) and one card face up.

Now in order to obtain a “Blackjack”, or also known as a “natural”, the player’s first two cards that are dealt must add up to 21. The only way to do this is to have any face card and an ace dealt out. Naturals/Blackjacks result in an automatic win if the dealer does not have a blackjack too (that would be a push) and you are paid out immediately.

Before going into more rules, you will need to know the layout of the table as illustrated below:

Basic Blackjack Table Layout (Blackwood)

Before I go into detail on the terminology above, let’s know how the cards are dealt out. At the beginning of a game, the dealer will dispose a card (or “burn” a card in Blackjack lingo) and begin dealing out the first card starting from First Base to Third Base and then dealing one to himself. The second card is then dealt out beginning with First Base all the way to Third Base where then the dealer deals out his/her last card face up.

Now let’s summarize what you see:

• First Base: Where the dealer deals first. First base makes decisions first before any other player.
• Third Base: The last player to act.
• Min/Max Bet sign: The table will always mark the minimum bet required for each round along with the max you can bet in a round.
• Shoe: Where the decks of cards are held. A shoe will be used for 4, 6, and 8 deck games. For 1 or 2 deck games the dealer will deal straight from his/her hand.
• Chip Tray: Where the dealer keeps all of the casino chips.
• Currency Slot: When you buy into a game (give the dealer actual cash in exchange for chips worth the same amount), he/she will put your money into this slot.
• Discard Tray: Where all discarded cards go.
• Blackjack pays 3 to 2: When you obtain a blackjack, this table will payout a 3 to 2 ratio for your win. So if you bet $10 initially and receive a blackjack, instead of winning even money (like a normal win) which would be $10, you win $15 which is a 3 to 2 ratio. Be wary as not all casinos pay 3 to 2 for a Blackjack. Some pay 6 to 5. STAY AWAY FROM THESE TABLES.
• Dealer must draw 16 and stand on all 17’s: If the dealer has a total of 16, he must draw until he has 17 or above. Not all tables have draw on ANY 17. Most will say “Dealer must hit soft 17” (implying he stands on hard 17).
• Insurance pays 2 to 1: Don’t worry about insurance. Even card counters never use it but only in dire situations. I will explain this later.

After being dealt two cards for everyone, you examine your cards and see if you want to HIT (ask the dealer for another card) or STAND (stating you don’t want any cards). The dealer starts this process with whoever is closest to First Base. This process is done once per round.

So if I have a 6 and a 3, my total is 9. I want to HIT for another card. I receive another 3. Now I have a total of 12. I probably want to HIT again. I receive a 6. I now have a total of 18. I could gamble and go for the the 21, but I know that’s not the right choice. I choose to STAND. The dealer then goes to the next player to the dealer’s right side (the player’s left) and goes through the whole process again.

After all players have completed their decisions, the dealer then flips over the hole card (remember the one facing down) and takes that total. If the total is under a HARD 17, the dealer keeps drawing until he has either ABOVE a SOFT 17, equal to a HARD 17, or above a HARD 17. If the dealer busts, everyone who hasn’t busted wins automatically. If the dealer does not bust and meets one of the above requirements, the totals are then compared. Anyone the dealer beats loses their money. Anyone the dealer ties, a push happens. Anyone who beats the dealer, the dealer pays out even money. So if I bet $5 and I win, the dealer gives me $5 and I keep my original $5 so I profit $5.

Now Blackjack isn’t only about hitting and standing. The players have some other options that work in their favor:

• Double Down: The player has the option to double down on his/her first two cards. So if I am dealt a 5 and a 6, I want to double down. Doubling down allows me to place an extra bet equal to my original bet while receiving only 1 card for my turn from the dealer. So if I bet $5 and I got lucky and received a total of 11, I want to double down and press my luck. So I push out another $5 to signal to the dealer I want to double down. He/she then proceeds to give me only one card and places it face down to be revealed at the end of the round. Some casinos may only allow you to double down on a total of 9, 10, or 11 while others let you double down on whatever you want.
• Split: If my first two cards are the same card (two 2’s, two 10’s, two queens, etc.), I am allowed to split them and treat them as two separate hands as long as I bet an equal amount to my initial bet. A total of 16 is a terrible total known as a “stiff” and it’s hit or miss when deciding if you want to HIT or STAND. So if I have two 8’s, this is my way out of having a total of 16. If I bet $5 initially, I signal to the dealer that I want to split by introducing another $5 on the table to split the cards. Now I have two separate hands treated independently of one another. The dealer will immediately deal one extra card to each 8. So if on my first 8 I receive a 9, my total is 17. I choose to STAND. If on my next 8 I receive a 3, I have a total of 11. I can then choose to HIT or even take the Double Down option as mentioned above. It’s up to the player. Now there are two distinct scenarios that may come up.
  • If you are dealt two aces, you can choose to split them (you should), but when the dealer gives one card per ace, you normally aren’t allowed to hit on top of that card. This is really dependent on the casino’s rule for that Blackjack table as not allowing the player to hit on top of this ace favors the casino’s odds. If you had the option to hit, this favors the player’s odds.
  • Say I am dealt the two 8’s again and on one of those 8’s I am dealt ANOTHER 8. Most casinos will allow you to re-split those 8’s resulting in now 3 hands at play. Depending on the casino’s rules, you could re-split your numbers continuously if you’re up to it. [I had this happen to me once. I had two splits which resulted in 3 hands on the table for me. One of them I double downed on. At a $5 table I had a total of $70 on the table for that one round. I lost it all even when following card counting strategies. Bummer…]
• Surrender: Not many casinos offer this option but there are some out there. Say your hand isn’t looking too good and the dealer has a strong card facing up (I will discuss that later). If the casino has the surrender option, I can choose to surrender which results in the dealer keeping half of my original bet and I get to keep the other half. It’s the perfect example of cutting your losses.
• Insurance: If the dealer’s up card is an ace, the dealer will tell all of the players “Insurance is open.” An ace as the dealer’s up card is bad for the players because the dealer could have a possible blackjack by having any card with a value of 10 as his/her hole card. If the dealer has a blackjack, all players who have under 21 as their total automatically lose. If you tie (meaning you have a blackjack too), this results in a push. The insurance option is a side bet meaning you would make an extra bet to bet that the dealer has a blackjack. You would do this because you may lose all of your original bet if the dealer beats you so this side bet may make up for your loss. The players then decide if they wish to execute the insurance option. The dealer will then say “insurance is closed” and will reveal the hole card. If it is a card with a value of 10, every player sighs and loses their money or pushes. If the dealer does not have a 10, then normal play goes about. If you took the insurance option, you are paid 2 to 1 on that side bet if the dealer did have a blackjack but you still lose your original bet. If the dealer did not have a blackjack and you made the insurance bet, you lose the insurance bet but keep your main bet. That’s it for insurance but the most important thing you need to know is that generally insurance is a SUCKER bet. Just don’t ever take it.

Lastly, most (if not all) Blackjack tables will have something called a “side bet” on the table for the player to bet on. There are a ton of side bets out there. Click here to check out a list from Wizardofodds.com (a great site to check out odds/probabilities of most casino games).

A side bet is made before the cards are dealt. One popular side bet is the “Lucky Ladies” side bet. Here is an example of one of the Lucky Ladies variant.

If a new round of Blackjack is about to start, I can put say $1 in the side bet circle. For this side bet, if my first two cards result in one of the above examples, I win that much on my original bet. So if I bet $1, I could win either $4, $9, $19, $125, or $1000. If I bet $5 on it, I could win $20, $45, $95, $625, or $5,000. If I don’t win, my bet is taken immediately and I lose it. The probability on winning a side bet is low and most people consider them sucker bets.

I normally won’t play side bets. The odds are generally terrible. There is one side bet that I found at the Tropicana in Las Vegas that bets if the dealer will bust. If you are card counting and the count is low (described later), there is a better chance of the dealer (and me), busting. So if the count was low I would put $5 in hopes the dealer would bust. If I won, the bet paid 2 to 1 so I would win $10 and keep my original $5. If the dealer did not bust, I lost my $5. I am not certain on the odds/probability of winning/losing on this side bet with card counting involved. I even e-mailed an author, Kevin Blackwood, who wrote the book Play Blackjack Like the Pros. He said he wasn’t familiar with the bet and couldn’t offer any insight on it. Regardless, if you’re a normal player, don’t take the side bets.

Now that you know the rules and how to play Blackjack, let’s go into why Blackjack is different from the rest of the games in the casino.

 

Section II: How Blackjack is Unique

Before we look into strategy, we need to compare Blackjack to other casino games. All casino games have probabilities and odds. Craps, Roulette, Blackjack, etc. all have different odds. Craps and Roulette are examples of where the events that happen in the game are independent of the past.

For example, in roulette you choose a number or set of numbers that the ball will land on. You either win or you lose. Then you repeat the process. What makes this an INDEPENDENT game is that the past DOES NOT affect the future. So if the ball lands on the number 6, the game starts again and it could land on the 6 again or something else. The last round does not affect the current round in any way, shape, or form. The chances of an individual number are 1 in 35 or 1/35. That’s a 2.86% chance of a particular number. So there is a 2.86% chance that the ball will land on the 6 in the past round. In the next round, it is STILL a 2.86% chance of it landing on the 6 again. The past does not affect the future. It could, in fact, land on the 6 ten times in a row and it would still be a 2.86% chance. So the game really is a stroke of luck.

Casinos will often put a big screen next to a roulette wheel to show what numbers have already landed to trick players into betting on other numbers. Really this trickery doesn’t help the player nor the casino. It’s there for superstition. If people see that the number 6 has already landed two times, some will think “wow it’s already hit 6 twice, I’m not betting on 6.” This is false thinking because the 6 is still likely to land again.

Now Blackjack is different. Once a particular card is dealt out of the game, it affects what’s left in the game. In Blackjack, high cards (10’s and face cards) FAVOR the player and low cards (2 through 6) HURT the player. So if the deck has a lot of high cards remaining, your chances of winning increase. If the deck has a lot of low cards remaining, your chances of winning decrease. Dr. Edward Thorp is thought to be the “father” of card counting as he noticed this trend and ran many extensive programs analyzing the statistics on it. Without digging into the math, he found his hypothesis to be true.

Since what’s remaining in the deck either favors or hurts the player, we can see that the past DOES affect the future. This is called a DEPENDENT game as the future does depend on the past. The past does affect the future and that is why Blackjack is unique.

Next I will introduce Basic Strategy which every card counter has to learn to a T before actually counting cards.

 

Section III: Basic Strategy

This is the first stepping stone into card counting. Even if you are not interested in card counting, this strategy will help curve the odds a bit more in your favor although the casino will still have them in their favor.

Basic strategy is dependent on the player’s total and the dealer’s up card. Certain decisions are made based off of the combination of these two things. Below is an example of a basic strategy chart pulled from The Wizard of Odds.

This chart is an example for a Blackjack game that has 4-8 decks and the dealer hits on a soft 17 (most common casino rule). The chart is fairly easy to read as we are taking your total and comparing it to the dealer’s up card to see what you should do.

Let’s look at some examples:

• Say I have a hard total (no aces or the ace is counted as 1) of 16. The dealer’s up card is an 8. Looking at the chart it says I should hit. So I do so. Let’s say I received a 2. Now I have 18. We refer to the chart again. My 18 to the dealer’s up card of 8 says to stand. So I choose to stand. Each move I make results in a new strategy that has to be taken.
• Let’s say I have two 8’s like I mentioned earlier. This is a total of 16 but it’s a pair of 8’s so I look at the bottom of the chart. The dealer’s card is an 8 as well. According to the chart it says I need to split the 8’s. Once your 8’s are split into two separate hands, you use each separate hand as a separate case and compare it to the basic strategy chart. So if one hand I have an 8 and a 9, that’s 17 and the chart says to stand. If the other 8 I receive a 2, that’s a total of 10. The chart tells me I should double down on that hand.
• Let’s say my total is now 15 and the dealer has a 10. The chart says to surrender, but the casino doesn’t allow surrender. So it says “surrender if allowed, otherwise hit” so you decide to hit and receive a 2. You now have 17. The chart says to stand.
• This hand I have an ace and a 6 which results in a SOFT 17 and the dealer has a 6. The chart says to “double down if allowed, otherwise hit.” If you double down your turn is done. If they do not allow doubling down on an ace, then you hit and receive a 6. Now you have a HARD 13 because with the ace as 11 it would go over 21. The chart says to stand if you have a HARD 13 against a 6.

There are so many situations that one can run into which is why memorizing the chart can be difficult. Lucky for you, most casino shops sell a basic strategy card like this at the casino shop. What’s even better is that some tables even allow you to bring this card with you to the table! Dealers may also give you advice on what to do with a certain hand according to basic strategy. The dealers don’t make any more or less money if you win or lose. They would rather you win so that you may tip them with some of your winnings. They may try to help out if they are a seasoned dealer who knows what he/she is doing.

That’s the basis of basic strategy. Following these guidelines can help your money last longer. Now let’s journey through the main event: card counting.

 

Section IV: A Summary of Card Counting

Remember how I mentioned earlier that if a deck has high cards leftover this favors the player and if there are low cards remaining this hurts the player? Well, card counting keeps track of this in an easier manner. Rather than memorizing all of the cards that have been discarded and the ones that are left in the deck, they use a different method.

Card counters will use different counting methods with some having a better edge than others. The most common counting system is the Hi-Lo count. To use the Hi-Lo count, each card has an assigned value to it when it is revealed on the table. Here are the numbers:

• 2-6: +1
• 7-9: 0
• 10 (includes face cards), ace: -1

Whenever a card is revealed on the table, the count is established. Let’s say we have three players and the dealer playing and the following hands are dealt:

• Player 1: jack / 6
• Player 2: 8 / 2
• Player 3: ace / queen
• Dealer up card: 8

We can see player 3 has a blackjack and is paid out immediately and then the game continues starting with player 1. The minute a card counter sees these cards, he/she establishes the values. Looking at all 7 cards, the jack/queen/ace count as -1, the two 8’s as 0, and the 2/6 as +1. We add all of these values up: (-1) + (-1) + (-1) + (0) + (0) + (+1) + (+1) = -1.

This count is called The Running Count. The -1 tells me that the deck is now more rich in lower cards than higher cards because I have seen more higher cards be discarded. This isn’t a bad count for the player but it isn’t in his/her favor.

Now let’s look at some running count totals and interpret them a bit:

• Running count = +5. This is considered high for the card counter. The deck is rich in high cards which could equate to potential blackjacks for the player (given aces are still in the deck) or simply a strong high number.
• Running count = 0. Neutral stance.
• Running count = -10. This is awful.

We now know the counts tell us if the deck favors the player or not, but how do I use this knowledge to help me out? Depending on the count, I change my betting patterns. So in high counts, since my chances of winning are higher, I want to bet more. If my chances of winning are low, I bet less. THAT is the concept of card counting. You adjust your bets according to the deck.

Card counters still follow Basic Strategy as mentioned above, but they make adjustments to basic strategy according to the count. Referring back to basic strategy chart, if I have a total of 16 and the dealer’s up card is a 7, it tells me I should HIT. However, if I’m counting and I know the deck is filled with high cards currently, I don’t want to hit and risk busting so instead I choose to STAND. There are multiple situations in which you would want to adjust your basic strategy according to the count, but I won’t go into detail on that.

In summary, card counting is used to adjust your bets and to adjust your Basic Strategy decisions. That’s it. There’s also something called the True Count in which the Running Count is adjusted according to the remaining decks in the game that have not been played. This complicates things even further. The math itself is not difficult. It’s all basic arithmetic. What makes card counting difficult is to perform basic strategy, simple calculations, betting, and communicating to the dealer without much hesitation. It’s the multi-tasking aspect of it that makes it difficult and doing all of the math in your head. THAT is the difficult part.

Card counters aren’t made overnight. Much practice is needed in order to have the charts memorized. One exercise to get the hang of card counting is to count down a deck of cards. If using the Hi-Lo system, a deck of cards will add up to 0. In order to practice, you take out one card from the deck and don’t look at it. You then count down the other 51 cards until you get a number. You then predict what the other card is based off of the number you counted to.

So say I take out a card and I count the deck down. I end up with +1. This means the card I pulled out has to be a -1 value which means it’s either a 10, a face card, or an ace. That’s how it’s done. But what’s the hard part? To get the hang of the “language” of card counting, you want to be able to do this quickly. If you can count down an entire deck in about 25 seconds consistently, you’re good to go. That’s essentially 2 cards per second. It’s harder than it sounds. It took me awhile to get there but eventually I did.

Along with counting drills like this, you want to run Blackjack drills by playing some games out and practicing with friends and/or yourself. Practice makes perfect!

 

Section V: A Personal Card Counting Story

I remember my first gambling trip. I had never gone gambling to any casino anywhere. My mom, brother, and I had planned to go to Las Vegas with my grandma, my aunt, and some of their friends. Once I knew we were going to sin city, I wanted to look up gambling strategies. I had always heard of Blackjack and card counting so I decided to dive into it all.

What I learned quickly is that card counting is NOT how you see it in the movies like 21. It’s not as glamorous and it’s not that lucrative when it comes to making money. Regardless, I pushed through. I read a book or two on it, tried memorizing charts, and performed drills.

The Tropicana in Las Vegas

We stayed at the Tropicana where I had my first experience with any casino and card counting in general. I practiced with the basic strategy chart and the Hi-Lo method. I was very nervous. I had no gambling experience whatsoever. What would the dealer say? Would they pressure me to play? Would the players I play with get annoyed? Would I make a wrong gesture? Casinos are ran with vigilance so this made me nervous.

After practicing over and over again, I took to the tables. It was a 6 or 8 deck $5 minimum table. I knew what to do, but I wasn’t too familiar with the table etiquette of not touching my cards, how bets are placed, etc. I learned all of that as the plays progressed. In the first round of the 6/8 deck, I just focused on Basic Strategy and the table etiquette. The players and the dealer were friendly and helped me out as it calmed me down. I chose not to drink when the cocktail waitress came by as I needed to focus.

After the shuffle I decided to try out my counting. It was easier than I thought. Keeping track of the count was really easy. The hardest part was what I did with the count along with conversing with the dealer and other players. I went through about 2 or 3 more shoes. I started out with $50 and ended up with about $60 or so ($10 profit). It seemed that card counting was working. I was ecstatic!

I informed my mom and my brother that it seems to work. So me and my brother played downstairs in the Tropicana casino. I was winning, and made a profit of $40 or something around that. My brother, not so much. He knew nothing about Basic Strategy and card counting. He was just making guesses. He lost all of his money which I believe was $40-$50. He became very frustrated.

We adjourned to our room. I assured him that if he learned this system he could make better decisions and maybe make some money. He was stubborn at first but I convinced him to give it a try. I showed him my book on card counting that showed the charts and the drills. We practiced through them and did some mock games. I think we kept track of bets on a piece of paper. We had planned to go to downtown Vegas later that day, so we took what he learned and applied it there.

Fremont Street

I cannot recall where we went exactly, but it was either Binions or Fremont casino that we went into. We found a $5 table with a new dealer. The casino and the table were packed and with me and my brother the table was full. We start out with $50 each and begin to play. I was distracted. My counts were off and I was making amateur mistakes. I was losing money but it was my own fault. My brother on the other hand was doing well! He had a big ol’ grin on his face and the patrons sitting with us could see it too. The whole table was pretty jolly. I believe someone hit one of the Lucky Ladies side bet too.

Eventually we had to get off the table and keep roaming around downtown. I lost my $50 but my brother I believe doubled his money or more! He was living proof that smarter choices can be made at the tables and that going off the seat of your pants was not the way to go. That night made up for the money he had initially lost at the Tropicana.

Rio Las Vegas

On our second trip to Vegas with the family we stayed in the Rio but this time I was even more prepared. I had an 8 deck shuffler machine, a shoe to place the decks in, about 12 or more decks of cards that me and my brother planned to do something with as a drill mentioned in one of the books, and we also had a laptop computer. We marked 8 decks of cards from 1 through 416 to help us read how many decks were left in the shoe to calculate the true count.We shuffled cards in the giant shuffler. We used his laptop to keep track of our bets on an excel spreadsheet to see if we made money after 100 plays or so. This was the way we practiced and then we would go apply the concepts at the tables. I found out the Gold Coast had a great double deck game to practice on too. I was on that table for hours and walked off with a black chip which is $100. This was done while tipping the dealer and the cocktail waitress. It was fun. I profited $50 but gained a lot of experience and some casino comps.

I’ve gone to Vegas 5 times so far, and I will be going again. The thrill at the tables is fun and exciting and I can’t see myself becoming sick of it.

 

Conclusion and Recommended Readings

Card counting is interesting, but it does take a lot of work to master. I still consider myself a novice. Hopefully this entry helped you understand a bit more on card counting. Below is some of the literature I have read regarding counting.

Play Blackjack Like the Pros by Kevin Blackwood: This was the first Blackjack book I ever read. Kevin is really straight forward with a lot of his insight. He doesn’t give too much detail on certain aspects, but I appreciate some of his word play in the book. It’s a very straightforward and to the point book

Blackjack: Play like the Pros by John Bukofsky: I bought this to further expand my knowledge on the subject. John goes into much more detail than what I was used to from Kevin’s book. It was a nice supplement to what I already knew.

Blackjack Blueprint by Rick Blaine: This book is categorized by different colors such as the Red Zone, Black Zone, and so on. Rick divides each chapter into different difficulties. Again, this book filled in some gaps that the other two books were missing and it was still a good read!

Overall, you will get something different from any Blackjack book you read. Much of them will say more of the same, but you learn more from different authors. There are more books out there on the topic too. I plan to read those as well.

That wraps it up. If you have any questions, post them in the comments! You will receive an answer.

Now to the tables you go!

 

---

Sources

Basic Strategy Chart. Digital image. Wizard of Odds. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/strategy/4-decks/&gt;.

Blackjack-01. Digital image. Globe Views. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://globe-views.com/dreams/blackjack.html&gt;.

Blackwood, Kevin. “Chapter 7: The Easiest Game to Beat: Blackjack / Setting the Scene.” Casino Gambling for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub., 2006. N. pag. Print.

Cards. Digital image. Mike Aponte. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://mikeaponte.com/card_counting_101/&gt;.

Fremont Street. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://mapio.net/s/4835138/&gt;.

Lucky Ladies. Digital image. Prairie Wind Casino & Hotel. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://prairiewindcasino.com/promotions/lucky-ladies-side-bets&gt;.

Rio. Digital image. Destination 360. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/nevada/las-vegas/rio&gt;.

Tropicana. Digital image. Destination 360. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/nevada/las-vegas/tropicana-las-vegas&gt;.

How to Choose the Best Texas Lottery Scratch Offs: The Good, Better, and Best Ways

 

Lottery Photo.

I enjoy gambling. It’s fun and you get the rush of taking a chance on something and hoping it pays off. As a college graduate with a B.S. in Mathematics, I understand the odds and chances for the majority of casino games. I’ve read a lot of literature on gambling as it fascinates me and taking the chances at the tables gives you a thrill. Those chances are normally not in your favor sadly, but there are ways to sway the odds more so in your favor, even if they’re not completely on your side.

With scratch offs, specifically Texas Lottery for this entry, you can calculate many things. With those calculations you can make a better choice in what ticket you should buy. I am here to share that information with you! So if you win anything because you followed some of the advice here, feel free to drop some of your winnings in a donation for this site…or just because you want to of course.

Let’s get this started on how to spot the good scratch off games!

 

Section I: The good/easy way.

Every gambling game has something called odds, meaning the chance you have at winning something. Say your odds on a particular lottery scratch off are 1 in 4 (including break-even prizes). You can interpret this by taking the first number and dividing it by the second number. So if I do 1 divided by 4 I get .25. To convert that to a percentage you then multiply that number by 100% and you get 25%. In shorthand: (1/4) x 100% = 25%. This tells me I have a 25% chance of winning on the scratch off. So if I bought a $5 scratch off with these odds, I have a 25% chance of winning $5 (break-even) or more. Those odds aren’t too bad.

So the odds tell us that out of four $5 scratch offs you buy, you should win on one of them. In theory and mathematically speaking this is how it will work, but in the real world that does not always happen.

But what does this information tell you? ALL Texas Lottery Scratch Offs have these odds listed for you on the back of every scratch off AND they’re available online for you to see. So when you go to buy a lottery ticket, the simplest way to increase your odds is to pick out the scratch off with the best odds. Of course this isn’t guaranteed it will work as theory and real-world experiences may (and will) differ, but mathematically speaking choosing the best odds will get you more bang for your buck. It’s the same concept that card counters for Blackjack go by. They use the odds in their favor and rely on them, but that doesn’t always mean they win because of them (I will have another entry about card counting).

So let’s try this out. As of this day (9/21/2016), I have chosen three $5 Texas Lottery Scratch Offs from the Texas Lottery site (http://www.txlottery.org or more specifically this link). Below is the name of the scratch off and its respective odds:

• $27 Million Payout (Game No. 1758) – Overall Odds: 1 in 4.02
• Cowboys (Game No. 1776) – Overall Odds: 1 in 3.99
• $100,000 CASH (Game No. 1811) – Overall Odds: 1 in 4.11

Now let’s analyze the three and do the math (rounding numbers to the nearest tenth):

• $27 Million Payout: (1/4.02) x 100% = 24.9%
• Cowboys: (1/3.99) x 100% = 25.1%
• $100,000 CASH: (1/4.11) x 100% = 24.3%

Remember these percentages represent the probability of WINNING. Ironically (given their actual football history), the Cowboys game would be the smartest one to pick out of the 3 as it has the higher probability of winning.

Now doing the math isn’t necessary but I thought I would show you it anyway to help you better understand what odds are. The easiest way to spot the best ticket is to just look at the second number on the odds and look for the LOWEST number. So out of the three, 3.99 is lower than both 4.02 and 4.11. Thus the Cowboys game is the best one to buy.

Again, this is the simplest and easiest way to find the best odds for a scratch off, but it isn’t necessarily the best way which happens to involve a lot more math. Next up is an even better way to find the best game (but still not THE best).

 

Section II: The better and slightly more involved way.

This method does not take THAT much work really in comparison to the best way. I’m going to use the Cowboys game out of the three I picked since it has the best overall odds out of the three.

If you visit the Texas Lottery scratch off portion of the website, you can look at the ticket information. As of 9/21/2016 that link is here: Game No. 1776 – Cowboys

Below are the current images of this scratch off and its prize chart (again as of 9/21/2016).

Front Side

Back Side

Prize Chart as of 9/21/2016

These images were pulled directly from the Texas Lottery website. I have put the front and the back of the ticket up. If you look at the very top of the back of the ticket, it displays the 1 in 3.99 odds that I discussed earlier. The overall odds will always be at the top of the ticket like this.

Now notice I also posted the prize chart. The prize chart lists how many of each prize amount are in the game ALONG WITH how many prizes have been claimed. Examining the chart, we can see that most of the top prizes are still there. The whole point of buying a scratch off is to have at least some chance at winning the top prize or one of the top prizes. Notice it says there are ten $100,000 prizes in the game and only one has been claimed. So you still have 9 more tickets out there that have $100,000 prizes. Mind you the odds of obtaining this prize are very minimal, but they’re still there. There is a “Game Tables” PDF at the bottom of the site for this scratch off that gives you the actual odds for the top prize individually if you’re curious to see it (I’ll get into that in the next part of the post).

Now why do I bring up the prize table? The prize table is updated almost daily by the Texas Lottery and this is useful information. Just by looking at it you can see how many prizes are left in the entire game. This information helps because why would I want to buy a ticket where all of the top prizes are gone? What if MANY of the prizes themselves are gone and there are just loser tickets leftover? You won’t know this information at the gas station when you purchase your tickets, but you can do some research online before buying a ticket so you make a wiser decision. Again, the odds are very minimal in winning a top prize, but hey, it’s better to have some minimal extra odds in your favor than against you if all of the top prizes were taken.

So examining every prize chart every day to see which one is the best one to buy can be exhausting, but that’s what you can do to increase your chances. This is without doing any math and really you’re doing a lot of guess work, but it still helps.

This brings me into the last and best method which involves a heavy amount of math, but it is very useful information to know in order to pick THE best tickets available.

 

Section III: The Best but More Math-Involved Method

Now that we know about odds and the prize chart, let’s go a bit more into them.

The information I went over in the first section was about the overall odds. This represents the odds of winning on the ticket. You also have odds for winning a particular prize amount for the scratch off. On the Texas Lottery website, you can look at these odds. Simply navigate your way to the game on their site and look for a “Game Tables” PDF under the game’s description.

To retain continuity, I am going to use the Cowboys game to describe everything in this section. Again, here is the link for the game to keep track of everything I am going to explain: Game No. 1776 – Cowboys

First let’s look at the “Game Tables” PDF available on the site. We are only interested in the page that lists the odds for the entire game and each prize individually. For this game it is page 3 of the PDF (see image below).

Page 3 of the “Game Tables” PDF

Notice it gives the odds for EVERY prize available in the game and you can see how minute the odds are for the top prizes. So your percentage chance for winning the $100,000 BY ITSELF is about .0001029%. As you can see the chances are slim, but remember this is just for that one prize and not all of the prizes. Your chances of winning anything increase with more prizes in play and not just that one by itself.

With math and statistics, we can calculate probabilities, odds, and expected values for a particular lottery ticket. Out of the three, I use expected value. In simplest terms, expected value is the value I expect to receive back for a particular thing/item I buy or purchase. So let’s say I buy a loaf of bread from HEB for $1. I spent $1 for that loaf of bread. My expected value in numbers is now -$1 (negative $1) meaning I don’t get any kind of expected monetary return on my investment. Actuaries, insurance companies, and even casinos can use expected value and its respective probabilities to calculate the worth of something.

Since we’re talking about gambling and scratch offs, let’s use that as the example. Say I spend $5 on a scratch off. Its expected value (or return after spending $5) can range anywhere from -$5 (read as negative five dollars) to any positive amount up to the highest winning amount. For this Cowboys game it would be -$5 to $100,000 theoretically. So I can either not expect anything in return at all because every single one of the winning scratch offs are taken, so there wouldn’t be any way for me to make any money in the game which would result in my expected value being -$5. I spend $5 and expect literally nothing in return because all of the prizes are gone. Hypothetically, if there were only $100,000 prizes remaining in the pool with no loser tickets at all, my expected value would be $100,000 because that’s the only thing available so I expect to win that.  Now these extreme scenarios never happen in scratch off games as there are always SOME prizes left in the pool. Realistically, my expected value for a $5 scratch off may range from
-$4.50 to -$2. So when I spend that $5, I am expected to lose anywhere from $4.50 to $2.

What does this tell us? Since there are always some prizes left in a game, my expected value will fluctuate depending on how many prizes are actually left. Say people have bought more loser tickets than winner tickets. Then my expected value would be a higher (more positive) number because I have more chances of winning in the pool of tickets than there were before because people have already bought more loser tickets and pulled them out. Thus your chances are higher and so is your expected value. The reverse could be true. If people have bought more winner tickets than loser tickets, now the pool is even more saturated with loser tickets so why would I want to buy into that scratch off?

So we can see expected value will change depending on how many prizes are left. Using a combination of the information from the “Game Tables” PDF AND the prizes claimed table, we can make a rough calculation on the expected value for each lottery ticket! With some fancy math that I’ve fiddled around with, we can obtain that rough calculation and use it across the board. I say rough often to emphasize that the calculations are  not completely perfect and accurate for the following reasons:

• The Texas Lottery does not release how many loser tickets there are. They list only winners. Theoretically, I could take the total amount of tickets in the pool and subtract out the winners which would result in loser tickets being leftover. So: TOTAL – WINNERS = LOSERS. Simple right? Not quite, which is the next problem.
• The Texas Lottery will have promotions to void tickets out. Then you may have some print errors on certain tickets that then become voided as well. All of these tickets that are voided out are normally loser tickets or low ball winners, but this affects our total amount of tickets which then affects the math.
• There are some instances in which winners will not claim their winnings because they may have thought the ticket was a loser, they may have forgot to turn it in, or maybe they lost it. Regardless, any lost ticket will also affect the math.
• Since the totals may be skewed, you may notice that the total tickets in the pool differ on the Texas Lottery site. If you visit the Cowboys game here, we can examine the totals. The site says (as of 9/23/2016) “There are approximately 9,894,750* tickets in Cowboys.” This number will differ according to the “Game Tables” PDF. With some fancy rough math the total would be 12,146,463.39. You can see how drastically different this number is from the listed one on the website. Again, this is why the calculations will be off.

Luckily, since the pool of tickets is so large, the calculations would not be TOO off but they will be to some degree.

Now the math isn’t too complex for someone who has taken a couple of statistics courses, but for the average person it may a bit daunting. I won’t show you the exact math (as I still need to check it and make sure it’s 100% correct), but I will show you the results of my calculations. Below is a chart of my calculations as of 9/23/2016:

Expected Value Calculations at start of the game.

Expected Value Calculations currently.

The first image represents the game’s data according to the “Game Tables” PDF and the overall expected value (in blue) at the start of the game with no tickets sold. The second image represents the game data after tickets have been sold with numbers used from both the “Game Tables” PDF and the prizes claimed chart.

Numbers in parentheses represent negative values, so we can see at the start of the game the expected value was higher than it currently is. But remember, I have to estimate the amount of loser tickets still in the pool for my current calculations. I take a VERY conservative number according to the data by assuming there are more loser tickets in the pool than there actually are which would reflect a lower expected value than the start because my  loser ticket pool is much larger in my calculations.

You can also see a percentage. The percentage represents a percentage of your monetary investment you are expected to lose. This is just another way to look at the number in parentheses.

So what’s the big deal? Why is THIS way better than the less convoluted way in Section II? In Section II, we are making a rough guess with our heads on what would be the best ticket to choose, but it isn’t really that accurate. Think about  making a simple dog house. I could go to the hardware store and guess the size of wood I need to buy and just go around building it OR I could measure things and make it even better. Or how about a more extreme example. When insurance companies give you a quote, they don’t go “Hey this Brandon guy seems like a nice (and awesome) person and has only 1 reported wreck that wasn’t his fault, so let’s give him a low rate!” Rather than this way, they ask you a series of questions which calculate your “risk factor” with complicated algorithms and equations so they can give you a more accurate and safer quote to cover their own butts. These scratch off calculations are sort of the same way and CAN be automated. More accurate and more dependable. That’s what math is for!

So finally, let’s look at one last example and compare two scratch offs I’ve looked at below:

Cowboys Current Expected Value

Funky 5’s Current Expected Value

The above are two separate scratch offs. Examining the expected value on both scratch offs, we can see that the expected value for the Funky 5’s game is considerably higher than that of the Cowboys game. Since this is the case, the Funky 5’s game would be the smarter scratch off to invest your five bucks into as you have a better chance of getting more return for your investment.

The Funky 5’s game is a special exception to the other games though. This game is listed as “Closing Soon.” When a game is closing soon, the Texas Lottery posts an even more in depth “Game Closing Analysis” PDF on the site. This PDF shows us even more numbers regarding the game and can allow me to calculate better and more accurate values. So when calculating these games, I will normally only calculate “Closing Soon” games to get the most accurate numbers I can.

Now remember, this doesn’t mean you won’t win as much on the Cowboys game. This just means you have a BETTER chance of winning on the Funky 5’s game but you can win just as much on either game.

**Please remember these calculations are not entirely accurate. I am still working out the math to obtain more accurate and correct numbers with my spreadsheets.

If time allows and if the site sees enough traffic and money flow, I may offer these calculations for the scratch off tickets for free as a separate tab on the blog. The calculations are not too difficult, but they take time to make and to keep updated.

Now I have one last section for you all to consider when making your scratch off decision.

 

Bonus Section: Second Chance Scratch Offs

In case you don’t win at all, the Texas Lottery offers second chance scratch off tickets known as Luck Zone tickets. Clicking the link will show you all of the scratch offs that the lottery offers that have a second chance drawing associated with them. You can enter into the sweepstakes if your ticket is a “non-winning” ticket (nice way of saying loser ticket but it’s the technical jargon they use…it makes one feel better about himself).

50x Fast Cash

So stoked about my “non-winning” ticket.

These second chance drawings are normally for apparel or special event prizes. So if you can find a lottery ticket with good odds AND a second chance drawing, you might as well go for that one to increase your odds! The more you have in your favor the better your chances at winning will be.

 

Conclusion

Through this long journey I hope you learned a little more on how to make a wiser gambling decision in an attempt to make your dollars go further. Many gambling games have a strategy and I will cover more games in later posts. If you all have any questions regarding scratch offs, post them in the comments and I will give you an answer!

May lady luck be on your side!

---

Sources:

Lottery Photo. Digital image. University of Houston, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. <http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2014/January/1%208%20HCPP%20Lottery%20Study.php&gt;.

 

The Sins of Gym Etiquette

Most of us have visited a gym here and there. We notice the different people, the different workouts, the different machines, the different everything. We also notice the different types of people breaking some of the gym code. Here I have a list of the different things people do in the gym. The behaviors are broken into one of these three categories:

1. Aberrant Behavior: Acts and things that do not offend. These are things that people generally don’t pay any mind to, but may result in some patrons looking at you funny. This is the type of action that is generally forgotten but should be mentioned anyway. Commit these at your own risk.
2. Venial Sin: Minor acts of offense and probably the general public to a small degree. These are things that are annoying, but don’t cause too much discourse. They can easily be forgiven but corrected behavior is favored.
3. Mortal Sin: Major acts that offend most, if not all, the people. Anything that kills the gains and steals the time of the patron is a mortal sin and corrected behavior is mandatory. Seriously, don’t break these laws or else you will be truly despised and damned by the gym gods.

Now that you know the types of categories (I have a Catholic theme here), let’s get started. Each bullet in its respective category is listed randomly. The order of which they appear doesn’t matter. The category is all that matters. Clicking each act will expand into a description and a rant if you’d like to read it. If you cannot see the click-to-expand feature, the details will simply be listed right below each one. This is because your browser either needs to be updated or you need to open it up in another browser. Either way, the details are there:

Aberrant Behavior

Selfies

We get it. You like taking pictures of yourself. No one else really cares either, but it does tell me you’re a bit of a narcissist. You try to be subtle too, but you really aren’t. Yes you look good and all, but can’t you take a slice of humble pie and enjoy it? There’s normally a time and place for selfies. The gym shouldn’t really be one during your workout. Post workout makes more sense.

Loud Grunting

You’re loud. Personally I don’t mind grunting and screaming. It distracts me a bit but not too much. It can help you lift more much like cussing helps relieve more stress than not cussing, but do you really have to be THAT loud? Yes, your vocal cords are strong too.

Slamming down weights after a set

This is another distraction. I get throwing your dumbbells down from a modest height, but from a very high height with that 9.8 m/sec squared acceleration to the rubber gym floor finishing off with a loud resounding echo? Last time I checked I thought working out required proper form and weight control. If you are maxing out, I can understand the weights hitting a bit harder than that of a normal set, but perhaps a little control on the way down would help you out. An exception to slamming down weights is the deadlift area, but those weights are made of different material and they are meant to be dropped.

Big guys who think they’re hot shit who really don’t do much

This is the bro who walks around acting like the bad ass but he’s really walking around on his phone the whole time probably holding some kind of workout equipment that you may actually need.

Gallon of water guy (unless it’s a special mix)

Everyone knows this person. Carrying around that damn plastic gallon of water. Seriously, do you really need THAT much water? Are you that lazy and don’t want to go to the water fountain to refill a standard-sized bottle? I know why you carry that around…it makes you look big and hardcore because gallons of water are hardcore and they show off your biceps when you curl them up to drink out of them. Drinking out of them isn’t even convenient. Hell I have to make sure I pour my milk carefully out of a full gallon so that it doesn’t get everywhere on the counter bouncing off of my frosted flakes. Drinking out of it directly involves hovering my mouth over the center of the spout and preparing for the rush of liquid to my face. Now there is an exception to this rule. If you have a special workout mix in the gallon of water…okay. Even then it’s a little excessive but you know do whatever you want. Just don’t have it in the way along with your giant gym bag you lug around.

Loud people (talking and conversing)

Go talk at a coffee house or some other place. I do my best to not talk at a gym as it slows down my heart rate and distracts me. When people congregate and talk, it’s usually around gym equipment or a workout area. It’s just annoying but I can live with it…unless you’re taking up equipment I need.

Taking pictures in the locker room.

This goes with the selfies thing, but in the locker room. It doesn’t inherently bother me but it could bother other patrons. Respect their privacy and take your pictures somewhere else.

Walking around and not really doing anything

Go to a park and do that.

Long workouts

I personally don’t like to be at the gym longer than 1.5 hours. I try to haul through it by keeping focused. If you’re there longer than your workout needs, you’re being distracted by something.

Staring and checking yourself out in the mirror

You know, those people who go up to the mirror and look at themselves trying to subtly flex their muscles. Can that be done post workout not in my mirror space that I may need to watch my form? Humility is awesome too.

Proper workout form.

I do my best to keep proper form. I’m not perfect, but I know my form helps with my gains and keeps me from injuring myself or cheating my muscles from even more gains. I’m talking about the people who do curls, lateral raises, etc. that use their body’s momentum or other muscles to help them lift the weight. Curls that use shoulder shrugs to help curl it is an example. You’re cheating your biceps by doing this. Swinging your body to lift any weight results in you cheating your entire body from every workout. Focus and flex the muscle that you’re training and you will see better results…unless you’re doing crossfit then don’t focus. Do whatever workouts you do with that…I don’t even know what workouts those are…

Showing off with obscure workouts

You have those people doing these fancy swings with their body on bars, making up a workout on a machine other than its intended purpose, and other weird workouts.

Using the smith machine with a spotter (and if you’re doing leg presses there…)

…I mean, you can use a spotter there…but the smith machine is to help you workout without a spotter by rotating the bar to lock it in if you’re in trouble. Then you have others doing vertical leg presses with the bar on the smith machine. I’ve seen trainers help people do this too, but why? You can’t lock the bar with your feet pushing vertically and your foot could easily slip. Just go on the leg press machine. It’s almost the same thing with lower risks.

The Venial Sins

Don’t pick up gym equipment

Wow. You obviously weren’t taught as a kid to pick up your toys after you’re done with them huh? See, when you don’t put your equipment back (bars, weights, ropes, etc.), I have to go and find them and that wastes my time. Pick up your crap.

Don’t wipe down gym equipment

Before you use any gym equipment, I’m going to leave my sweat on it so you have to clean up my nasty saltiness. Save us all the trouble of your disgusting sweat and wipe it down or have a workout towel to soak it up.

Working in on the machine I’m on

I have people asking if they can work-in on my machine, meaning using the same equipment that I’m using at the moment so we both “fulfill” our workout needs. Yet the majority of the time the weights need to be rearranged and time is wasted doing this. Just go workout on another machine and come back when I’m done using it like everyone else does in the gym.

Walking away and leaving the seat open and then you coming back and say I took your seat

I’ve had this happen only on a couple of occasions. The guy leaves the seat I want and doesn’t mark it with anything like a towel, water bottle, keys, or whatever. I waited a good 2-5 minutes to see if anyone was using it and decided to sit down. Then some other gym air head tells me I took the guy’s seat in which I informed the slow fellow that the seat was not marked and had not been used for some time. If you’re going to vacate your equipment, either mark it somehow or return promptly.

Filling up water bottles on the top water fountain

This is a minor nuisance. It usually involves the person using the top water fountain which is easier to access for people like me who don’t bring a water bottle. Then as a bonus their body takes up the space of both water fountains somehow. It’s the equivalent of riding in two lanes on the road, taking up two seats on an airplane, and man-spreading on any kind of public bench. Pick a fountain (preferably the bottom one) and please move out of the way.

Standing in my mirror space

I’ll be doing my lifts and someone casually moves in front of my mirror space. Now I can’t properly see my form and I will be looking at you funny when doing my workout. Either find a more proper space to workout or simply wait.

Guys hitting on girls in the gym

This shouldn’t have to be mentioned. If you go to the gym to hit on women or give them workout advice (which is probably bad advice if you’re already hitting on them), you’re there for the wrong reasons. Everybody likes a friendly person, but generally speaking people don’t wish to be bothered while working out let alone to be hit on.

Providing Workout advice

I had a guy come up and tell me I could get buff and big just by doing deadlifts, squats, and bench press. Yes these are major workouts that workout most of your muscles in your body, but it’s not all you need to do. I’m also very sure the person giving the advice is never a professional trainer because generally professionals will not give advice off hand unless it’s utterly wrong and could result in injury. Mind your own business and do your own workout. We can see in a couple of months whose workout regime is better big guy.

People telling me their diet is healthier than mine

Food snobs. Food snobs everywhere. “I don’t eat McDonald’s. It’s bad for you like any fast food.” “I’m vegan and it’s so much better.” “With gluten free I feel so much better. You should try it!” Most of these people know very little about nutrition. In reality, we eat whatever the hell we want whether it’s good or bad for us. I don’t care about your diet. I like fast food. It generally has good calories/dollar value (which is what I want). I don’t judge you for what you eat, so why should you bother me about it and/or throw it in my face?

Leaving your sweaty towels everywhere

This is annoying because sometimes the nasty towel is near workout equipment which then makes me think the equipment is in use, but in reality you forgot your dumb towel. Plus it’s just gross. It has all of your sweat, skin flakes, and whatever other DNA you expel onto it. Put it up. You probably have dirty clothes everywhere in your house too huh?

Having your keys, phone, etc. in the way on the floor

Get a locker or put them somewhere else. I won’t make you hold me responsible for stepping on your stuff because it’s on the floor. You have so many other options. You can put them in the locker, in your car, in your pocket, in a secure locker, or just not bring them. Someone could accidentally drop a weight on your electronics or even steal your goods if you leave them lying around.

People who linger around waiting for me to finish with the equipment I’m using

These people that hover over you and your equipment. They attempt to pressure you into finishing your set more quickly. It’s like a dog sitting at your table to see if you’ll throw any food its way. I say no to the dog and I say no to you. Go away and find another piece of equipment. I’ll be done with it soon.

Person who works out too close to you

I don’t care about people being in my personal space, but I do care about people being in my way for my form and weight movement. I don’t want to clank dumbbells with you or risk a weight toppling onto you because you were too close.

The Mortal Sins

Taking too long on a machine or seat

You’ve been busy with the equipment I need for the past 10-30 minutes. I will go and do 5 other workouts and still see the equipment I need taken by the same guy. Do you even lift? I’m not asking in the satirical sense of the phrase, but in the sense of “Have you even been working out the whole time?” This guy is normally on his phone taking the equipment and most often there is only one or two of that particular equipment that I need.

Don’t re-rack weights

This results in two problems. One problem is that I have to rearrange and re-rack the weights you left to put my weights on. I inherently don’t mind this too much but the second problem is what bothers me. If you leave the weights on there, how do I know you’re done with it or not? If a bench or bar has no weights on it, that generally means it’s open for use by anyone. If it has weights on it, I can only tell if it is taken if I look back at it constantly and that wastes my time.

Working with dumbbells straight from the rack

Wooooooooow. You’re not only in the way of other patrons getting dumbbells off the rack, but you’re also taking up mirror space too. There’s already enough dumbbells on the rack and they don’t need you there as well. The only exception to this is if you’re weight is REALLY heavy and you are going to do something like a standing dumbbell row for your trapezius muscles. Otherwise, move out of the way.

Groups congregating around the squat rack and keeping it forever

I don’t use the squat rack too much personally, but whenever I do it’s normally taken by a squad of squat squawkers (my made-up term for people congregating around the squat rack). If you see more than one person on a squat rack, you know they will be there forever and that means one less squat rack while you’re there. I’ve never understood working out together on the same machines. It slows the entire process down and the rest time is too long for my taste. Try doing your own workouts. Only be there if your gym partner needs a spot.

Using the squat rack for anything other than squatting

These are the people who do ANYTHING other than squats in the squat rack. Any other workout can be done somewhere else in the gym. People seriously do curls in the squat rack. You can pick up a bar or some dumbbells and do curls practically anywhere in the gym. Please do only squats there and move along.

Occupying multiple machines/weights for your one workout set

This is the person who uses multiple machines in a row for their super sets and they normally keep them forever. If you absolutely HAVE to use multiple equipment, do so quickly and stop hoarding it all to yourself. You’re killing my time AND my workout gains.

People making fun of other people at the gym (and possibly recording them)

I haven’t witnessed this personally, but I’ve seen those videos on Facebook of people recording others doing obscene workouts. Just let them do it. If their workout looks unsafe however (depending on how unsafe), either let them learn their lesson or step in and let them know it’s dangerous to do that or have a gym employee take care of it. Then you have people who are even lower than that. The people who make fun of other patrons that are out of shape. No one is perfect and at one point in time you probably didn’t look your best before working out either. If you make fun of people by recording them, looking at them funny, laughing at them, or making them uncomfortable by being at the gym, you’re part of the stereotype of why people don’t want to go to the gym because of people like you. Instead of being negative, go up to them and tell them “Great hustle!” or “You’re doing great!” or smile. They might appreciate the positive attitude you’re giving. You can also just mind your own business to keep a neutral stance.

Using the bench press for anything other than benching

I’ve seen people do leg ups on the damn bench press while holding onto the bar. I’m not sure what they’re trying to accomplish because holding onto a steady heavy bar makes you more dependent on the bar and not your abs that you are attempting to workout. You can grab one of the rubber workout bars and go to the ab area and do the same thing which actually works out your abs even more so. Who knew that the bench press is for benching?! By golly! If you are doing anything other than benching at the bench press, you’re just as bad as the people who use the squat rack for exercises other than squatting.

Using the deadlift area for anything else but deadlifting and other related workouts

Do we see a trend here? Using certain areas and equipment for anything other than its intended purpose? I’ve seen people doing sit ups, yoga, curls, and other excises that aren’t involving deadlift and related exercises in the deadlift area. So to be clear, use the area/equipment for its intended purpose.

Putting weights back in the wrong spot

This is the person who puts different weights on one bar when re-racking. That one bar will usually consist of a 25lb, 5lb, 45lb, and a 10lb weight ALL on one bar rack. The person who does this obviously has issues with spatial reasoning and numbers. Most bar racks have a number on the bar telling you what weight goes on there. It’s already organized for you! You just have to match the correct numbers. When they’re not re-racked right, I have to hunt for the weights I want which wastes my time. It’s not even difficult to re-rack them. If you can’t re-rack them correctly, seriously just don’t bother re-racking them at all. I’d rather do it myself so I can get the weights I want much quicker.

Tricep dips on two benches

I used to be an offender of this until I heard that it’s a bad thing and I understood why so I don’t do this anymore. I go to the ab area and do it instead. There’s normally plenty of benches in the gym, but taking up more than one is stealing another bench just for your arms or feet. Try finding another place to do it or just use one bench.

People who steal my equipment when I’m not done with it.

These people frustrate me. I clearly leave a towel on the equipment or if it’s a bar or some dumbbells I leave it on the floor for no more than 30 secs unattended. Equipment with a towel or some other object marking it as your own means it is taken. If it’s a curling bar or some dumbbells, normally if they are left on the floor near whatever you were working out on means they are taken. Stealing my equipment from me tells me you didn’t bother looking to see if it was being used which means you’re probably selfish. If I leave it unattended for 2 minutes or more, go ahead and take it. That’s my fault. If I’m gone for only 30 seconds to a minute and you take it, you’re being inconsiderate. By stealing my equipment you’re stealing my gains too.

And that ladies and gentlemen are the sins of the gym. This list is up for debate to add or delete anything with a proper argument. Debate and rebuttal in the comments below and this post may then be adjusted given that logical reasoning is present.

Remember, all of these transgressions can be forgiven. You just have to accept that you may be doing one of these things and can then ask forgiveness from the gym gods by correcting your behavior.Give the gains back to the patrons and they will appreciate it.

In the name of Dom Mazzetti and the rest of the gym gods we pray.

Amen.

Drinks You Should be Buying at the Bar

Bars are fun places. We go to them to chill, to unwind, to have fun, hangout with friends, and to meet new people. They’re obviously great for experiencing the same or different types of drinks. Now my title may seem a little misleading. I am not going to give you a Buzzfeed list of the name of a shot, mixed drink, etc. that you should be drinking but rather the types of drinks you should be ordering.

I know I know. “Who’s this guy telling me what I SHOULD be drinking at the bar?! I can have whatever the hell I want!” You’re correct. Drink whatever your heart desires, but I’m here to help you experience the best types of all the different selection of drinks a bar has to offer. Let’s go ahead and start this off!

Bottled/Canned Beer VS. Draft Beer

A bar’s main fallback drink is the American classic: beer. You’ve got IPA’s, Saisons, Pilsners, Stouts, Porters, Ales, and the list goes on. There’s an extravagant amount of beer out there! Breweries competing with each other for the best type of beer. Most (if not all) bars offer bottled/canned beer and most of them (definitely not all) offer draft beer. What’s the difference?

I know this is a rough comparison but let’s think about food. Raw/fresh food is generally healthier and more full of flavor than frozen foods that have preservatives to extend shelf life (this isn’t a talk about GMOs and all that jazz…I have a rant for that later). Draft beer is the “fresh” beer whose shelf life isn’t as long as a canned or bottled beer. Generally speaking, draft beer should be the tastier and fresher choice. It also contains a good amount of carbon dioxide to make it comforting to drink just like a soda! Now what should you be drinking then?

The answer is: draft beer.

Draft beer generally has more flavor and richness to it than it’s canned/bottled counterparts. It’s where all of the flavors come alive. You can taste the hops of an IPA better, the deepness of a stout, and the refreshing taste of a light ale. It just tastes better! So why drink it at a bar? I always tell people “Why order bottled beer at a bar? You can buy that at the store and bring it home! Draft beer you can’t.” Some bars even let you sample the drafts to see which one you would like. You can’t really sample a bottle. Once you buy it, it’s all yours.

Of course you can have draft beer at your own abode, but not all of us have a draft system and go through a whole keg that quickly. At the bar, you have the convenience of getting a nicer brew over draft as they have the system for it. Bottled/canned beer everyone can get. Not everyone can have a draft beer, but lucky for you most bars have it for you. Also look out for nitro taps. They tend to offer an even fresher taste than the CO2 draft.

Now there are exceptions to this rule:

• If you happen to be sensitive to CO2 and it upsets your stomach, stick to the can or bottle as it has less of it.
• Some bars don’t clean their taps as much as they should which will result in a nasty tasting drink. Some will also have old kegs that they’re still using. If you happen to stumble upon a bar with poor quality drafts, stick to bottled beer or hit the hard stuff.

So the next time you’re at a bar, try out the draft and taste the different ones they have. The bartenders should hold some wisdom on their selection so they can help you choose the one you like!

Bar Signature Drinks

When we go to the bar and we don’t know what we want liquor-wise, we normally stick with the safe drinks (whiskey and coke, gin and tonic, beer…). Bars will establish part of their identity with a drink they’re known for. If they’re known for a special drink or a set of drinks, there’s a good chance that they’re good. Go ahead and give them a try! You can get that rum and coke at any bar and even your own house. Specialty drinks normally require time to make, experience in making them, and all of the correct ingredients. The mixologist/bartender should know what they’re doing.  Most of us wee folk don’t have the time to just make one elaborate drink (I’m looking at you Tipsy Bartender), the experience in making them (precise measurements, mixing order, and all that other jazz),  or the correct exotic/crazy ingredients (mint leaves, bitters, fruits, gummy worms and other crazy stuff *cough* Tipsy Bartender).

Side note: Now I don’t hate Tipsy Bartender. He’s a funny and entertaining guy with guests that are easy on the eyes. I’ve tried making some of the drinks on that show but they seriously take too much time, too many unique ingredients (and I have a decent bar at home), and I get the mixes wrong. Heck the mixes may be right but it just tastes awful. You can see it on some of the expressions the people on the show make.

Case and point, if a bar has a signature drink, go for it and try it out. It’s all about the experience and hopefully the flavor too!

 

Specialty Drinks

What I mean by a specialty drink is one that is common among most bars but often difficult to make. It is also made differently at different bars. I’m talking about your sangrias, margaritas, micheladas, hurricanes, long island teas, etc. Some bars have margarita machines. Some have frozen Jack and Coke machines. Micheladas are made differently at different bars. Long island teas taste different too. How do I know? I’ve experienced it. Each bar makes it different, even by the slightest amount.

But why partake in these drinks at a bar? Let’s face it. Making these drinks at home without much experience is terrible. Of course practice makes perfect, but I like enjoying someone else’s creation. It’s much like enjoying someone else’s home cooked meal over your own. The same goes for these specialty drinks.

If it’s a margarita, try going for the frozen one if they have it (I will have a rant on why you should drink frozen margaritas over normal ones). Micheladas have different mixes depending on where you get it. Long island teas will sometimes use tequila and sometimes not. This is all dependent on the bar. Give these specialty drinks a try. Sometimes the bars will have specials on their specialty drinks during happy hour or as their daily specials. Take advantage of this to sample it all. This would go for bar signature drinks as well.

 

Glass of Wine

I personally don’t know much about wine and the different types, but what I do know is that the price for a bottle of wine has a wide range with some being cheaper than $10 and others over $100. Since a bottle of wine is a big investment in a wine that you may or may not like if you haven’t tried it, try tackling a glass of a different wine at a bar. If you are really into wine, trying different wineries and their different types of wine can tell you a lot about the winery. You can then compare those types from one winery to the next winery. Compare one cabernet sauvignon from one winery to another and do the same for the other types of wine that you may like. This is very basic tasting routine as I know wine tasting can be very complex…but really that can be with any libation or food.

So when you go to the bar, winery, or vineyard, consider sampling some wines if they sample them out. If not, go for the glass and see if you like it. This is the same rule you would follow with beer in the first place. Wine is no different when it comes to basic sampling.

 

Conclusion

Again, drink whatever the hell you want at the bar. It’s your life and your money. This is advice to help maximize your different experiences at different bars. Drinks aren’t everything of course. You have the bar ambiance, the staff, the music, dancing, or whatever else may be at the bar of your choice. Just don’t forget to try out as much unique experiences that bar has over their competition. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Cheers!

Rants and Raves – Zipper Merging

Everyone hates traffic whether it be from construction or plain ol’ rush hour traffic. You spend a longer time in the car, road rage develops, you’re wasting gas and precious time, and it sucks. I will have another blog entry up on road rage and another on rush hour (lots of driving topics), but for now, there is a wonderful tool called the zipper merge that many motorists don’t know about and using it correctly can help reduce that sense of road rage and make for a much smoother traffic flow.

Easy enough, right?

What is the zipper merge? Well, the answer is in the name itself. A zipper zips up when two hooks alternate and lock in with one another (VERY rough explanation). A simple explanation of the zipper merge is just like that, having vehicles merge together from two lanes into one lane by alternating between cars from about 50 meters before the lanes become one. Why is this more effective for traffic? Take a look:

• The two lanes involved in the zipper merge are at roughly the same speeds. So in the instance one needs to migrate from one lane to the other, changing between them is easier. In this case, it’s both lanes into one.
• It “reduces the overall length of backup [traffic] by up to 50% (40% is common).” Think about it, wouldn’t you rather go through say .5 miles worth of traffic instead of 1 mile worth of traffic because 2 lanes (or more!) aren’t being used? This is especially important within the city as the backup on one high traffic interchange can help another less traffic interchange from clogging up as well due to the stretch of traffic from the former interchange.
• Since “both lanes are moving slowly, then everyone is ‘equally’ disadvantaged by the backup.” Even if one lane is completely backed up and the other one is relatively more open compared to the other, let those who are already in the “clearer” lane pass the whole line. They may look like a jerk for doing so, but it creates a better traffic flow. Just let the person merge in front of you and create the zipper effect.

It is a common misconception that one single file line of cars will move much smoother than two lanes of cars. Let’s put this in perspective to say a major interchange here in San Antonio, TX.  A major interchange that is commonly crowded is the 281/410 section, specifically 410 heading west coming from 281 North and 281 South. For those unfamiliar with this interchange, the two lanes from 281 North and South merge into one lane heading to 410 West. During rush hour, that interchange is a nightmare (well…anywhere is too I guess). In the process of taking 281 North and South into one lane going to 410 West, sometimes one lane is more congested than the other or both lanes are equally as crowded. In either situation, having everyone merge at the end where the lanes become one is the best course of action.

What causes problems with people not following a zipper merge pattern is that the sign at that merge says “Lane Ends MERGE LEFT.” This makes it sound like the left lane is the right place to be. Then people in the left lane don’t let people from the right lane come in late and at the very end. These people act like they just cut in line for a roller coaster which IS an atrocious action and should be punished…but this is a HIGHWAY! You may be delayed

You think it’s an asshole thing to do…but in traffic it’s the right thing to do.

by 1 minute more or less if that. By being that asshole who doesn’t let people merge in a smoother fashion, you and your self-righteous attitude are creating even more traffic. Grow the hell up. It also doesn’t help the way the sign is worded. During normal traffic conditions the wording makes sense because everyone should merge into one lane to keep the traffic flowing smoothly (early merge), but in high traffic conditions the zipper merge is the optimal choice.

 

Oh wait…look at all of the zipper merge signs!

Pretty self-explanatory.

Can’t miss this one.

Zipper Merge in Warsaw

 

As mentioned, the early merge is the next type of merge. People in this scenario and same intersection will try to merge early to not seem rude to the drivers in the left lane by merging early. This actually causes more harm to traffic. You are now causing 281 North to 410 W traffic to backup even further because that lane is becoming more congested than the other. You may even be causing traffic behind you as you come to a slower speed and possibly a halt as you try to merge in the left lane. Again, early merging is great for normal highway speeds and is what you should do in that type of situation, but in congested traffic the zipper merge is what you want.

Check out the following video to see the different types of merges.

 

Also here’s a real life example of the zipper merge with some cheesy music in the background.

 

“Unfortunately, the motorist’s travel time through a work zone appears to remain approximately the same regardless of whether the zipper was used or not.” This is a bit of a downer…”However, the zipper system produces a much safer merge situation and the length of the queue is much less.” There we go! I like to hear that at least. I like to believe it also creates less driving anxiety and less road rage.

Hopefully you can now use this idea the next time you’re driving in some heavy insane traffic that involves merging. Remember, let that guy in the one clear lane go all the way to the end of the congested lane you are in. It will make life easier and bit more tolerable. Of course keep traffic flowing by letting one car through or MAYBE two cars, but no more than that. Also give the school buses, the 18-wheelers, and all the larger vehicles a break and let them in the merge. It’s already hard enough to drive these big vehicles. They’ll appreciate your patience with them.

References:

Groth, Sue. “What Is Zipper Merge?” Zipper Merge. Minnesota Department of Transportation, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

Grycuk, Adrian. Jazda Na Suwak Ulica Starzyńskiego Wjazd Na Most Gdański W Warszawie. Digital image. Commons.wikimedia.org. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jazda_na_suwak_ulica_Starzy%C5%84skiego_wjazd_na_Most_Gda%C5%84ski_w_Warszawie.JPG#/media/File:Jazda_na_suwak_ulica_Starzy%C5%84skiego_wjazd_na_Most_Gda%C5%84ski_w_Warszawie.JPG&gt;.

Johnson, Ken. “Late Merge … The Zipper System.” (2008): 1-2. Oct. 2008. Web. <http://www.dot.state.mn.us/trafficeng/workzone/doc/When-latemerge-zipper.pdf&gt;.

Koenb. Ritsen2. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ritsen2.png#/media/File:Ritsen2.png&gt;.

Line Jumpers image. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://7770647a14b0867efc75-b939f832d8cd9c860ce8909163419528.r92.cf2.rackcdn.com/91152.jpg&gt;.

Machkovech, Sam. “The Beauty of Zipper Merging, or Why You Should Drive Ruder.” Arstechnica. Arstechnica, 24 July 2014. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/07/the-beauty-of-zipper-merging-or-why-you-should-drive-ruder/&gt;.

Merge Like a Zip. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <https://redbirdsuite.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/merge-like-a-zip-chch-style_1226307320.jpg&gt;.

Schmitz, Matt. “The Zipper Merge: Convincing Motorists Isn’t a Snap.” Cars.com. Cars.com, 19 May 2014. Web. 22 May 2015.

Use Both Lanes to Merge Point. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://media.oregonlive.com/commuting/photo/coloh4jpg-a9454079f8a5e2eb.jpg&gt;.

Zipper Merge Ahead. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015. <http://ckom.com/sites/default/files/news-image/traffic-%20cmc-%20zipper%20merge%20circle%20and%20millar%20construction-%20may%209,%202013.JPG&gt;.

Burger Boy Review

Burger Boy Logo

When I was a Freshman in college, I remember my dad taking me to this burger place off of St. Mary’s and Josephine in San Antonio…a magical place called Burger Boy. Ever since that day I have returned to the same place for a good Ol’ Fashioned Burger whenever I had the chance. Want to know why? Then read on!

Burger Boy Sign

What sets Burger Boy apart from many other burger places is the service they offer and the classic way they serve their burger. Burger Boy is a small burger joint near the corner of the interesection with its own drive-thru and rotary sign featuring a chef (Burger Boy) walking in one direction…presumably to go cook some burgers!

Inside Dining AreaOutside Dining Area

Upon entering the building you will notice that the design is very simple. About a total of 10 seats on the inside leaving not much room for the line. This is sometimes a problem because often around busy lunch time hours, it is really busy and sometimes hard to find a seat…but this is also a good thing! They are busy for a reason which must mean that they are good! Even if there is no seating available in the inside dining area, you can always choose to dine outside on the benches when the weather permits. Around the October-April time period, eating outside is usually really comfortable and relaxing. Nonetheless, the experience is really all about the food anyway!

If you want the overall Burger Boy experience, you have to get one of the specials. Burger Boy offers value meals much like any other place. It was sad as I accidentally insulted this burger place by beginning my sentence with “I will have the number…” and then I caught myself, realizing that Burger Boy does not have meals made by numbers, but rather meals with names (and pride)! You will see on the menu that plenty of options are offered including hot dogs, corn dogs, chicken sandwiches, and fish sandwiches. The Burger Boy is a single quarter pound patty burger where as the Double Boy is two quarter pound patties. What they do not have listed on there is something called “The Superman” which is 3 quarter pound patties. This can also be purchased as a meal much like the Working Man and Bates Specials.

Before we get down to the “meat” of things (you will see puns galore f.y.i. Just a fair warning), let’s mention the shakes and drinks. The Orange Freeze is their take on an orange flavored slushie much like you would find at a gas station but with an orange taste. I had it and it was interesting and tasty. It would be something I would order on occassion. When it comes to the milkshakes, you cannot go wrong. Served in one standard size, the milkshakes are all great! The only one I have yet to try is the Orange Shake that is listed on the menu…I wonder how that one really is….hmmmm. Yet, the strawberry and chocolate shakes are great! They make a nice dessert if you aren’t already full from the burger!

Now let’s “grind” down to what everyone wants to know. The burgers! First off, your meal is always served in a Burger Boy bag. It is custom at Burger Boy to tear open the bag and use it as your eating tray when dining in. This allows one to put ketchup all over the bag for dipping the delicious crispy fries. Classic krinkle fries are served and everytime I have been there they always come out VERY hot and FRESH! I have been countless times and the fries have yet to disappoint! Yet, they are the thing I save for last. My main quest involves the burger itself!

Served on a grilled bun, the burger is great to look at as you can see the grease from the patty dripping from the wrapping. Mine are always made with lettuce, pickles, bacon, and American cheese. All burger patties are cooked in one fashion as well, being that they are patty burgers and not thick cut burgers like you would find at some other places. The American cheese melts perfectly into the burger and the bacon is always cooked right and never under cooked. Lifting up the burger, there is that one moment where your taste buds wonder, “Gosh, I wonder what this is going to taste like…I hope it just doesn’t look good but taste good too…” Well, as a matter of fact, when you take that first bite, you wonder, “Oh wow…what did I just bite into?…is it possible that I have found one of the best burgers that the city has to offer?” The answer to that questions would be a solid…yes! Every flavor is mixed in the mouth perfectly while the cheese and bacon simply enrich the flavor of the meat inside. The bun-to-meat ratio is also around the perfect number! Not too much bun, not too much meat. It’s just right. What is also noted is how the meat just melts in your mouth. You’re not busy chewing constantly due to under cooked meat or bacon like some other places. Everything goes down smoothly and deliciously. It is quite an awe inspiring experience. I usually like to enjoy the entire burger without conversing simply because it feels like I am in a state of euphoria when eating it. It is indeed the best patty burger San Antonio has to offer. This earns Burger Boy the rating of 5 stars!

Burger Boy is a great place to try out when on your lunch break or near that area. Just remember your first experience with the burger and let us know here on the blog what you thought of the place! Just a fair warning though…when you go to Burger Boy, you will end up smelling like the place due to its small size. That’s okay though, because you will know that you will smell delicious! Burger Boy’s Facebook page is one click away. Just go to www.facebook.com/BurgerBoySA and go “Like” them once you’ve tried the burger!

Have suggestions for places to try? Go ahead and shoot us an e-mail at perfectpanel@gmail.com and we will definitely give the place a shot! Leave us comments on this blog post and tell us what you think!