Empire Elements

I didn’t say anything but realised he wasn’t normal

We used to have a pet dog, a lovely border collie called Blue He went for his daily walk over the local playing field, literally 50 metres from our door The postman took his dog over there I used to keep out of the way as I wasn’t interested in chatting with an idiot but pitied his dog as it couldn’t be a place you would want to live

For all I knew it lived a life of milk and honey

However, one day the dog was off its lead and ran over to Blue I noticed the dog had one eye I thought it was kind of strange but considered it must have had an accident or something Who knows I wasn’t going to ask It was sewed up and must have gone to the vets

What are the odds of that? Not millions to one but probably hundreds

I wouldn’t want to bet on your pet dog having one eye or pre empt a gamble that your pet would lose one of its mince pies

But you get the idea

About a week later, I walked into town and had to pass the crazy postman’s house I didn’t think too much about it As I passed, I saw he had a cat sitting in the garden I can’t remember what it looked like It might have been a lucky black cat To my surprise it looked round as I passed and it had one eye! It’s a coincidence, I guess

The odds of a person having a cat and dog with one eye must be a rare sight It must be millions to one I couldn’t help wonder what was the story about the one eyed cat and dog because there most certainly must have been a story to be told

Did they lose an eye at the hands of a punchy postman? I shouldn’t imagine as it doesn’t go to a pretty place

The next time you go to the casino and bet on a single number on the roulette with odds of 35/1 please take a moment to consider how your odds compare to other bets or aspects of life

When someone says: ‘That’s a one in a million happening!’ Just say have you ever met a bloke with a one-eyed cat and dog? Photo: Pixabay (free) & Canva (free)

When To Bet Fixed Odds

So, what are we talking about? It’s the different side of the coin to skill bets which are not surprisingly based on skill

An example of fixed odds, betting a single number on roulette which is 37/1 but after the house takes its cut you receive 35/1 Each number of the roulette wheel takes 2 7% of the cash on the table So that’s £27 in every thousand It doesn’t sound a great deal of money but it all adds up when you have perhaps two or three tables, betting terminals, and a variety of other games such as blackjack, three-card poker, poker and the ever-taking slots, which are said to make up 70% of casino revenue

Realistically, there is never a good time to play fixed odds

Because from the outset you are, statistically, destined to lose Not the best starting point for any gamble The house edge takes its cut of each and every game because it’s there to make money at the expense of you and your hopes of winning As far as the odds go, they are odds on to be winning by the end of the night Even if the odd occasion that wasn’t true (because someone got lucky and they won big money) they would be confident they would be in profit by the end of the week

That doesn’t mean that punters don’t win or can’t get lucky

They do have their days Sometimes its a win that changes their life Some of those progressive slot machines have been known to pay out millions

Out of fixed odds betting and skill based I would rather bet on the latter Although that doesn’t mean you will get an easy ride because to win you will need to know a lot more (or at least a little more) than your opponent It may be a bookmaker laying odds on a horse race, a poker player bluffing their way to a big pot or even a chess player making out they just got lucky but a hustler who knew the score when they bet levels you devils (1/1) and they were basically a certainty Unless being out hustled by a hustler

You don’t acquire a skill worth having by osmosis You will take years of dedication and passion to build a knowledge, understanding and skill to appreciate you are better than most

Nothing is easy We live in a competitive world Even if you cannot see that before your eyes, it is there If someone says: ‘let’s have a bet!’ You’d be wise to appreciate they fancy you are the loser waiting to happen Unless, you know more

So why play fixed odds? It’s a question you need to ask yourself You at least need to appreciate that going to the casino from a statistical and financial point of view isn’t, logically, a good idea