Russian poker

This game divided the entire era of the Moscow gambling business into before and after. Because the most popular game at all times among the numerous casino clients was considered to be poker. It was shown to us by foreigners and called "oasis". Strict rules, when you had to play with what came, or throw away cards and the ante bet, did not scare away visitors who came specifically to "pull" them and spend time doing this. Little by little, the rules were relaxed, and, having calculated and convinced themselves that exchanging one card for the cost of an ante is in no way capable of giving a mathematical advantage to the player, many casinos introduced this new option. Some offered to change as many as two cards at the same time or in turn, but the cost of the "deal" increased to two ante. And then - more: by analogy with blackjack, when in addition to the bets already made, the client can place additional bets during the game [61], which is always extremely profitable for the casino, the same options began to be introduced in poker. And in addition to the already traditional exchange of one or two cards, there was an opportunity to insure your big game against the dealer not having a game[62] or try to buy it by paying the cost of the initial bet - ante. Depending on the set of these preferences, they began to distinguish between types of poker. The main thing that everyone agreed on was the price of each option. For each additional desire, you need to pay the initial bet - ante. "If you want a player to lose, don't pay him ante." I heard this phrase from Arkady a million times. Therefore, during our joint trips to the casino, we played only those varieties of poker where this notorious ante is paid. And how else to calculate the reserve of money or the amount of winnings? You need to start from something. So both professional players and employees of gambling establishments kept score in ante bets. If you do not pay ante, then the entire counting system collapses and you need to find new links. While you are thinking about what to abstract from, the train may leave. Of course, I'm exaggerating. You can always create a new coordinate system for mathematical calculations. But the loss of the ante payment has a negative impact on the player's financial situation. Having created his brainchild called "Russian poker", Ivan E. introduced all the existing options and added new ones: the ability to change any number of cards from two to five and buy a sixth - this is instead of changing one card, introducing a single limitation on the number of initial ante bets at the table: no more than four are allowed. Another important innovation was the so-called payment for the "second combination", something that Russian poker players are forced to strive for. As you know, the minimum game is an ace with a king, and if there is a pair, the payout is doubled. For example, a guest received a flush[63] from the deal and he additionally bought a sixth card and got the same suit. This means that he has two flushes and the payout will already be 10:1 (5:1 and 5:1 for each flush, respectively). The player gets the impression that everything in the game depends on him. If you want, exchange any number of cards or buy a sixth one, if you want, insure your combination (you can do this for the entire expected payout!) against the dealer not having a game, if you want, if the dealer has not revealed a game to himself, buy him a game (the dealer exchanges his highest card for a new one). Example: you are dealt 7; 8; 9; 10; 10 of different suits. You buy yourself a sixth card, a jack comes. You have straight on six cards (five cards of different suits in ascending order) and the second combination is also straight, but with a different ten. With an initial bet of $ 25, the expected win will be: $ 50 = BET multiplied by 4 (the payout coefficient for the straight combination) + $ 200 - this is the additional payment for the second straight minus 25 for buying the sixth card. Total: $ 375. But only if the dealer reveals a weaker game to himself. If he has a combination higher than your straight, then you lose both the ante and the bet. Assuming that the third option is also possible, when the dealer simply does not have even the minimum in the form of an ace with a king, you decide to "protect yourself from no game" and insure yourself. Usually, half of the expected payment is insured, in our case - $ 200. After that, the dealer opens his cards, and you see: - he has a weak game. Then your insurance loses, but you are paid $ 400. The total win is $ 175 = 7 ante; - he has no game. Then your insurance wins (+ $ 200), and you can try to buy him a game. If you succeed, then you are paid the due $ 400. And your total win is $ 550 = 22 ante. Everything sounds and looks very tasty and tempting. However, as always, there is one but. If, for example, you were unable to buy a game for the dealer, then the total win would be only... $150: insurance of $200 is paid, and buying a game for the dealer brings an ante loss of $25 + buying a sixth card is another minus $25. And if you had not insured yourself, you would have been left in the minus of the cost of two ante. So even with a quad in your hand, you can lose the hand. And all because when a game hits a game, the initial ante bet is not paid. Having "spied" the game and assessed its potential, the owners of gambling establishments began to introduce it into their games as quickly as possible. But somewhat interpreting the rules, bringing in their "special vision". The stumbling block was the definition of the second combination. In the example above, with 7; 8; 9; 10; 10; B - according to the rules proposed by the game developer, it was considered that these are two straight combinations. Some "advanced" followers suggested considering that this layout indicates only one straight and a pair of tens. Thereby reducing the payout. Such an arbitrary interpretation of the rules (as they say now: a new reading) had a negative impact on the game. So manager Arutyun decided to pay for three pairs (when two pairs came to the player from the deal and he, hoping to catch a full house - a combination of 3 + 2), buys the sixth card, and he gets another pair (6 + 6; K + K; 2 + 2). And, using his power, he obliges to pay them as two pairs and a pair. Although it was initially said that at least one card that was involved in the first combination should not participate in the second combination. Having learned about this, Ivan E. fined Arutyun $ 200, with the wording: "For making a harmful decision that does not contribute to the promotion and popularization of the game." After all, according to the original rules, payment must be made based on the calculation: first combination - 2 pairs + second combination - two pairs. Another point in the pressure on the guest was the method of paying for the sixth card being bought. In the original, when a player expressed a desire to buy a card, the dealer took the ante bet from him, without asking for money and thus giving himself an additional "beacon" that at the end of the deal, 6 cards must be taken from this box. In many other places, the client paid the cost of the purchase by giving chips from the table, while the dealer did not take the ante. Identification of the box with six cards was indicated exclusively by a marker. The logic is simple: the more money is invested in the game, the better. In my unprofessional opinion, this requirement deprives a person of the opportunity to play for the rest (if money is tight - just enough to place a bet, call and make a purchase), forcing him to go to a cheaper table or change the game. And a new table or another game is a new sample, and everything can change dramatically. Despite its apparent ease, Russian poker is a very complex game. Its basic strategy consists of 46 points. But most players do not bother with it, but play according to their own ideas and intuition. Although now meticulous managers demand that analysts working in the former Soviet republics know it and even conduct special tests. Russian poker became a mandatory game in all Moscow casinos back in 2006. Those who failed to assess the potential of Ivan E.'s invention in time fell out of favor and lost most of their clients. And first of all, they turned out to be foreign teachers. Russian poker is an amazing game in which a player, with a certain amount of luck, can see both a straight flush and a royal flush on his hands at the same time. When such rare combinations come, there is a whole procedure according to which the winnings are paid out: - the pit boss makes two calls: one to CCTV, the other to the manager; — while the CCTV workers are watching the fateful deal, making sure it is fair, the cards are lying face up on the table and no payment is made without the CCTV signal; — the manager comes up to the table and congratulates the lucky guy on such an unprecedented success, treating him to expensive alcoholic drinks; — numerous guests gather around the table to see the combination of rare beauty; — meanwhile, the pit boss orders a fill[64] at the cash desk, since if “such a miracle” falls out, there will not be enough high-denomination chips in the fleet to pay; — after the call from CCTV and confirmation of the correctness and fairness, the dealer pays the bet. While the CCTV operators are watching, an anxious and exciting atmosphere hangs in the casino, so pleasantly exciting the mental state of the players: internal feelings create a cocktail of joy for the fact that the casino has lost big, and regret that you are participating in this only as a spectator.

None of the casinos where Arkady worked had an analytical department. Having learned from a friend working in the "Old World" that such a department had appeared, he was perplexed: how did he miss this new trend? And who are these people who received the proud title of "analysts", what kind of knowledge do they possess? Everything turned out to be very simple (basically, as always): ordinary video surveillance operators were assigned additional responsibilities. And now, in addition to monitoring the game, they were also required to analyze it - due to the ever-growing number of people wishing to apply their knowledge of mathematical card counting in practice. Playing ahead, another task of the analytical department was defined as "calculating" people who know the basics of the basic strategies of numerous varieties of poker. In addition to the above, pit bosses were freed from checking cards for specks, which is not always possible in the conditions of a casino hall. (Sometimes special equipment and ultraviolet radiation were required to detect fraud.) Having thus expanded the job responsibilities of operators, they were given the proud title of analysts. The decision to hire each operator-analyst is made directly by the video surveillance manager. But due to the "input data", Kostya was not particularly strong in the nuances of games and even more so did not have the gift of mathematical analysis. To help him, they recruited specialists who understood the work in accordance with the new set criteria. In this context, the figure of the video surveillance manager looks like just one link in the chain for transmitting information, but it must be present, because all responsibility for the operator's error is assumed by the person who hired him, that is, the video surveillance manager. But in the case of the "Old World", the team of operator-analysts was staffed with professionals, the senior over whom were all the same passengers of the "electric train" Kharkov-Moscow due to the fulfillment of friendly and family obligations, and after the fact they were introduced to their immediate superior, who only had to puff out his cheeks, give and control the execution of tasks. Working closely with pit bosses to collect statistical data on the results of new games, analysts often issued a verdict on the inexpediency of preserving a particular game. This happened with "1, 2, 5" poker, which had become popular with the advanced part of the players. Based on data for a year, the analytical department presented a report that mathematically confirmed the advantage of a player using the principles of the basic strategy on the second box (if the player made two ante bets) by 0.48 percent over the casino. This served as a weighty argument not for abandoning the game, but for rethinking its principles: after the possibility of exchanging 5 cards was abolished (poker "1, 2, 5" got its name due to the possibility of exchanging 1, 2 and 5 cards for one ante), everything returned to normal. Poker changed its number and became known as "12". It cannot be said that professional players successfully used the microscopic advantage, driving the game into the minus, but there was a threat that when playing with high stakes, the minimal advantage on the second box could at some point become critical for the gambling establishment.

Having benefited the visitors playing roulette and blackjack, Maxim took up poker with renewed vigor. For his casino, he chose only four games from a huge list of all possible games: the traditional “hard” oasis, Texas Hold’em, three-card and Russian. It was already impossible to improve anything in them: in the form in which they were presented in “Schilling”, they were no better than similar ones in other Moscow casinos. But how could it be that a casino under Maxim’s management did not outpace its competitors at the turn? Here is one example of a brilliant idea brought to life, the creation of a progressive jackpot in poker. This idea in itself is magnificent: when the largest poker combination royal flush falls out, instead of paying 100:1, as the payment was made in accordance with the existing rules, you were offered to receive the entire accumulated bank. At the same time, a “running line” notified about the collected amount. And people are greedy for freebies: each of us believes that he is the lucky one who will hit the jackpot. The thought of one's own genius and uniqueness overshadows everything, even the voice of reason, stubbornly repeating: royal flush - a combination that falls out of the deal once in 100 years. Arkady, for example, during his time as a dealer never paid anyone anything older than a quad. The only condition for the successful implementation of a jackpot with a cumulative bonus is a constant flow of guests playing poker in all its manifestations and betting on the bonus. There is even a cohort of players who play not poker, but the bonus: they come then to "catch" a large combination from the deal, which will be paid regardless of the dealer's game, thanks to an additional bet. Some bet on the bonus as much as in ante. It was these "madmen" who were called upon to create the very bank with their style of play, which will go to payout. Arkady remembers how exactly such a "bonus catcher" used to go to "Altair". When he bet 25 dollars in ante, he also bet the same amount on the bonus. Then, before the millennium, the holding's management conducted an experiment on the introduction of a "new option", and in order to calculate its payback and feasibility, it was obligatory to throw each lost bonus bet into the drop box, previously used for money exchanged at the table and standing idle and useless due to the fact that all monetary transactions began to be carried out exclusively through the cashier. Bonus payments were noted and controlled in order to reflect the final result of the game for the bonus as a result of the day. But let's return to Maxim in "Shilling". Having installed expensive equipment that notified about the funds collected for payment, he began to wait for people to run to him in crowds. But the ridiculous figures, not exceeding 10,000 dollars, did not cause a stir among the players. Maxim got into a vicious circle: the jackpot does not grow because there are no players, there are no players because the value of the cash prize does not increase. Even after discussing this problem with the Russian side and convincing its representatives of the need to independently raise the bar by additional cash infusion from their own pockets, he did not achieve the desired result. Although the amount to be paid increased to $67,000 thanks to a hypothetical infusion of hardware money, this circumstance did not contribute to an increase in the number of players. This is how the life of the brave "Schilling" ended sadly, not accepted by gaming Moscow due to its strict policy and outdated game rules. During its short life, this project once again convinced the operators of the casinos' uselessness as partners due to their too much preoccupation with everything and nothing, driving them in different directions once and for all.

Poker is the most dangerous casino game in terms of global security, because only in poker does the player take the cards in his hands. This is a lemma that the English taught us at the dawn of the gambling business. That is why the number of different types of cheating in poker exceeds all possible options in other games, added together and multiplied by two. This includes attempts to exchange cards, and increasing the initial bet, and much more.

But there is no end to the number of people who want to hit the jackpot in one go! Especially when the amount exceeds 2,000,000 US dollars! Oddly enough, most of the royal flushes dealt are on the first deal. Immediately after a new dealer comes to the table with his deck, he "stretches" it, demonstrating the rules of fair play. That day at the Pyramid Casino was no different from the previous ones: the game was going on as usual, the number of guests testified to the popularity of this place. And then a VIP player comes and asks to open a separate poker table for him in the hall for guests with gold visitor cards. The request does not cause any difficulties for the staff: the pit boss calls the dealer and the inspector, who are on vacation at that moment, on the phone. Arriving at the table, the dealer shows a new deck, “checks” it and does a shammy shuffle, shuffling it on the table (in the “Old World” this was done with the cards facing down, so that all the “faces” of the cards were visible, demonstrating that the casino has nothing to hide). Among players, this shuffle is called “stirring on the table”. Casinos require their employees to do it after every major game, starting from straight, which constantly causes ridicule from players: - Look, I just paid a ruble and now I’m shuffling into a pile! In order to avoid such comments and regulate the use of the shammy shuffle, which radically mixes the cards, many casinos have made it obligatory to do it after every deal. And so, during the shammy shuffle, the VIP guest throws a money “cutlet” on the table. The dealer, having finished working with the cards, puts them in a special “bumper” - a corner next to the inspector. While he was sorting out the money, the inspector also carried out visual control over the deck lying in the "corner". After counting the money in front of the pit boss and giving out the required amount "under the marker" (under the designation), he hands over the money and starts dealing the cards. After looking at the cards and "closing" the ante with a bet, the player simply starts demanding that the dealer open the game for himself. Hearing joyful cries, the manager approaches the table. He cannot imagine what a shock awaits him! The player's bet is "complete": it includes the ante and bet respectively, the bet on the bonus, insurance against "no game" (an absolutely unnecessary losing bet, used in this case as a mandatory decoration for the show). The dealer turns over his cards and brings the game forward. What happens on the other side of the table defies description: if the player has a "retinue", it starts squealing loudly and rejoicing wildly (most likely, this is what happened). The dealer turns over the player's cards and sees... a royal flush! The manager's complacent expression immediately becomes concerned: what a "gift"! However, there is a clearly written regulation of behavior in crisis situations, and even if the brain is clouded and refuses to obey because it is busy calculating the amount of loss, reflexes and instincts do not fail and force the body, both human and casino, to start working according to the programmed scenario: before making a payment - to make sure the deal is fair. The pit boss makes a call to CCTV asking to review the deal and give their verdict, while the manager with a pale face calls the waitress and orders: "Champagne in the studio!" The "running line" with the accumulated jackpot, which in addition to the casino halls was also installed on the facade of the building so that those driving along Leninsky Prospekt could see its amount and become interested, also freezes in anticipation: after all, if the correctness is confirmed, it will be reset to zero, and the entire accumulated million plus will go to the auditorium! And the excruciating moment begins, when the player is on the verge of huge money, and the casino management is in disarray: on the one hand, an honest big win is great advertising, but on the other - is its price in the region of two million dollars (payment for the bet itself + the accumulative jackpot) not too high? And who to blame if the minimum embedded probability of a big game occurred? On the clumsy dealer, who himself is not happy, realizing that with his wooden hands growing from a well-known place, he dealt a crushing blow to the well-being of his casino? But the ice-cold champagne calms the nervous guests and managers, the hot haze under the influence of alcohol goes away, and then the long-awaited call from the "all-seeing eye" rings: "Everything is correct, pay up!" Everyone breathes a sigh of relief: the lucky guy with his retinue, from the knowledge that Lady Luck has smiled upon him, the management, because the money to be paid is not their personal savings, but the money of the casino owners. And the celebration begins: the dealer, red as a lobster, receives generous tips that go into the common pot, and everyone present at the miracle rushes to notify other players, their relatives and friends about it. As a result, everyone is happy! And even the casino owners, although they do not know it yet, have already paid 2,000,000 dollars for the best advertising in the world! And now about how it all really happened. Corruption is a disease not only at the state level. In any sphere of human activity, there is someone who puts his personal interests and material interest above the common cause. Unfortunately, corruption processes have also affected the gambling business. Not everyone can abstract themselves from the huge cash flows passing through the casino. Among the staff, you can always find those who want to attach a tap to the money pipe and start draining its contents into their bucket. And if there are several such people and they work in different departments and structures, then with the coincidence of components, such as working in the same shift, a parade of planets can happen. It is difficult to imagine that such a scam can be carried out by two people: a player and a dealer. After all, only a miraculous coincidence of circumstances can bring one person to the table to another, given that there are about a hundred employees working in a shift. And even if this happens, a third character appears - an inspector, a competent employee who has confirmed his qualifications with impeccable work and knowledge of games. You can't fool him with chaff: having gone through the school of the 90s, he knows all the tricks and ruses that a dealer can use to let his player win. With the advent of video surveillance, methods of cheating in card games have generally disappeared, and changes in the rules of work at the table, such as the mandatory shammy shuffle before each deal, have put an end to any possibility of playing for the visitor's hand. And yet, we claim that, despite all the precautions taken, the English management could not protect the casino entrusted to them from fraudulent actions of the staff. To carry out this scam, a guest from among the regulars, who had proven himself as a high-stakes player, a dealer and inspector, a pit boss who identified this "ammunition" at the right time and in the right place, a video surveillance operator who turned the camera in the right direction were involved. Perhaps for greater security, they brought in a video surveillance supervisor — the senior shift supervisor of video operators who was working that day and who defined the area of responsibility for each of his workers, so that their own person would watch the right table. Thus, "Ocean's 6" were assembled. The player was required to do very little: come at the right time, change money and pretend to be happy when a large combination came up. To help him, he could take a "support group" that was clearly unaware of the supposed scam and whose natural reaction was supposed to once again prove the randomness of what was happening. The video surveillance supervisor, if one was involved, had to assign the "right" operator to watch the VIP room. The operator guaranteed the "correct" work with the camera: careful examination of what was happening at the table, so that the sequence of actions performed by the dealer did not arouse suspicion. But maximum zoom has its side effect: when the camera focuses on what is happening, "dead" zones appear that are not monitored by the "all-seeing eye". The videographer's job was to create the maximum number of such "blind" zones in the VIP room. He had to focus all available cameras exclusively on the tables, and direct the "general view" cameras to where there would be nothing "interesting or curious". The inspector's role was to control what was happening at the table: to monitor the accuracy of compliance with the regulations in work, to control the correctness of the payment of the sum of money. In other words, he did the most pleasant thing, monitoring the "shipment" of money. The dealer, who followed the prescribed instructions, was required to only become a scapegoat, guilty only of dealing a royal flash. The most difficult task fell to the pit boss. First, he had to combine the player, the dealer and the inspector in time, so that this holy trinity would be in the right place in full force. Secondly, he had to replace the deck with a loaded one. The performance looked like this. In preparation for the arrival of the "dear guest", the video surveillance operator installs cameras on the tables in advance, bringing them as close as possible to what will happen behind them. Overview cameras are also focused on the tables where the game is taking place. If the question arises about the expediency of such total control, then the answer is that there is no such thing as excessive control, that it is better to be able to see everyone present in the gaming room from different angles, than to scratch your ass with a broken bottle later, lamenting that you did not keep an eye on someone. In the meantime, the pit boss has a loaded deck ready. When a player arrives, their dealer and inspector are called from the rest room, they go to the table and honestly and thoroughly do everything that is required by job instructions. It is very important that the color of the cover of the deck of cards they take matches the color of the loaded one. (As a rule, casinos use cards with two color schemes on the cover: from the traditional blue and red to informal white, yellow, green and brown. The use of colors depends on the interior of the casino and the preferences of the management team. Although cards with a white/light surface of the cover are very non-functional: they are easily soiled and quickly become unusable.) When the shammy shuffle is performed and the dealer, having mixed the cards in accordance with the rules adopted in the casino, has prepared them for distribution, the player throws a wad of money on the table, forcing the dealer to put the deck in a special tray on the table - a corner - and start counting the banknotes. Seeing this, the operator zooms in as close as possible to the camera so that each banknote is visible, which minimizes the possibility of a mathematical error. But at the same time, the tray with the crazy and ready-to-be-dealt cards lying in it falls out of sight, which is required to perform the intended trick. The pit boss comes to the table for additional control of the correctness of the money issued "under the marker" in order to then take the cash to the cashier. Having taken the money, he leaves, taking with him the deck that the dealer prepared for distribution, replacing it with a loaded one. That's it! All that's left is to be surprised, happy and celebrate! Bingo!!!

Russian Poker One of the most unpleasant surprises for him was the complete absence of poker players - the most popular game among casino visitors on his first "arrival". Having held an emergency meeting with his managers, among whom were two Italians who were traveling in Russia for the first time, the irreplaceable Charlie and the only Russian - Slava, whom Frank remembered from the time of the "Hippodrome", he heard the phrase "Russian poker" - the name of the game that was exciting the minds of all of Moscow. Being clearly unaware of its rules, he invited the senior pit bosses to his office - the girl who prepared the dealer school, and the young man who had previously worked in the "Old World" and was present at the birth of this masterpiece. In a conversation with them, he got an idea of an unprecedented "beast" and considered that since it was so popular, it would be wrong to refuse to use it. But Frank wouldn't be Frank if he simply copied and transferred this miracle of human thought to his domain. Based on his experience, he "modernized" the rules for buying the dealer a game, requiring him to change... the lowest card. He ignored all the critical comments of his employees, and then look what happened! People came to "Mr. Chance" to play Russian poker as if they were getting a salary. The understanding that the casino was not interested in the game being "bought in" came later and cost "Daddy Dorset" more than a thousand dollars in lost money. But, not wanting to admit his mistake, Frank began to "nod" at the work of the croupiers, who, due to their minimal experience, did not shuffle the deck well enough. And he found a way to combat this: he ordered shuffle machines similar to those installed in the Monomakh's Cap, which only required the dealer to move the "spit out" cards to the player. But this did not help either. Russian poker was beyond understanding and continued to "fly" like plywood over Paris. Only ten days later did Frank suddenly see the light and understand that when a player buys a game from a dealer, it is not profitable for the casino for the purchase to be made. Having returned everything to normal, he further reduced the number of customers who were already happy with the fabulous "freebie".