The right play, on one card

HHit SStand DDouble, else hit DsDouble, else stand PSplit

• Nevertake insurance. It costs about 7.4%.
• Surrenderwhere allowed: 16 against 9, 10 or ace; 15 against 10 or ace; 17 and 8s against an ace.

• WarOn every tie, go to war. It costs 2.33% of your bet; surrendering costs 3.70%.
• Skipthe Tie bet. It pays 10 to 1 when fair odds are about 12.5 to 1: an 18.65% house edge.
• BankrollKeep chips for a war: a tie asks for a second bet the size of the first.

The best bets, house edge per dollar bet

Odds behind a line bet	0%
Don't pass, don't come	1.36%
Pass line, come	1.41%
Place 6 or 8 (bet in $6s)	1.52%
Buy 4 or 10	1.67%

Skip these

Big 6 or 8	9.09%
Hard 4 or 10, any craps, C and E	11.11%
Horn	12.50%
Any 7	16.67%
Fire Bet	20.76%

• OddsOnce a point is set, take the full odds behind your pass line: 3x on 4 or 10, 4x on 5 or 9, 5x on 6 or 8.

• 3xA pair of aces or better. Always the full 3x.
• 1xAny other pair, or K-Q-8-4 or better.
• FoldK-Q-8-3 and below, and anything queen high or lower.

• 1Look at the dealer's low hand first. Two cards are easier to beat on purpose than five.
• 2Find a low hand that beats it, then check your other five still beat the dealer's high hand.
• 3If no set wins both, settle for a push: win one hand for sure.
• FoulYour high hand must beat your low hand.
• PushWhen the dealer has ace-high pai gow, every main bet pushes.

Before the flop: gold raises 3x, the rest check

• 2xOn the flop: two pair or better using your cards, any hidden pair (pocket 3s or higher, or your card pairs the board), or four to a flush with your own 10 or better.
• 1xOn the river: a hidden pair or better that plays, or fewer than 21 dealer outs.
• FoldOn the river with 21 or more dealer outs.

• 3xSix or seven cards of one suit.
• 2xFive cards of one suit.
• 1xFour cards of one suit.
• 1xA three-card flush, 10-9 or better: jack, queen, king or ace high, or 10-9-x.
• FoldA three-card flush 10-8 or lower, and any hand without three of one suit.

Bet 1: your three cards

• RideA pair of 10s or better, or three of a kind.
• RideThree to a royal flush (three suited cards 10 or higher).
• RideThree suited in a row, except 2-3-4 and A-2-3.
• RideThree to a straight flush: one gap with a 10 or better, or two gaps with two 10s or better.
• PullEverything else, including a pair of 9s or lower.

Bet 2: plus the first community card

• RideAny paying hand: 10s or better, two pair, trips.
• RideFour to a flush, or four to an open-ended straight (not A-K-Q-J or A-2-3-4).
• RideFour to an inside straight, all four cards 10 or better.
• PullEverything else, including a pair of 9s or lower.

3rd Street: your two cards

• 3xAny pair.
• 1x2 points or more, or 6-5 suited.
• FoldEverything else.

4th Street: plus the first community card

• 3xTrips, or a pair of 6s or better.
• 3xThree to a straight flush: 10 or higher, in a row from 5-6-7, one gap with a jack or better, or two gaps with two jacks or better.
• 1xA pair of 2s to 5s, any other three suited, 3 points or more, or three to a straight (in a row from 4-5-6 up, or one gap with 2 points).
• FoldEverything else.

5th Street: plus the second community card

• 3xTwo pair or better, a pair of 6s or better, four to a flush, or four in a row from 5-6-7-8 to 10-J-Q-K.
• 1xA pair of 2s to 5s, any other four to a straight, or 4 points or more.
• FoldEverything else. Never bet 2x.

House edge on every bet, by wheel

Single zero, la partage (even-money bets)	1.35%
Single zero	2.70%
Double zero	5.26%
Triple zero	7.69%

• Finda single-zero wheel. It halves the cost of every bet. Count the green pockets.
• Skipthe top line (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) on a double-zero wheel: 7.89%.
• Any betelse on the same wheel costs the same. More numbers pay less.

• PlayAny pair or better.
• PlayAny ace or king high.
• PlayQueen high with a 7 or better second card, or Q-6 with a 4 or better.
• FoldQ-6-3, Q-6-2, Q-5-x and below, and any jack high or lower.

Q-6-4 matches perfect play on all 22,100 starting hands.

Before the flop

• 4xAny pair except 2s. Any ace. Any suited king, or K5 and up offsuit.
• 4xQ6 and up suited, Q8 and up offsuit. J8 and up suited, J10 offsuit.
• CheckEverything else. Never bet 3x.

After the flop

• 2xTwo pair or better using your cards, a hidden pair (except pocket 2s), or four to a flush with your own 10 or better.
• CheckEverything else.

On the river

• 1xA hidden pair or better that plays, or fewer than 21 dealer outs.
• Fold21 or more dealer outs.