It turns out that gambling IS fun, but only with optimal play and selective choices.
Introduction
In most casinos, you are expected to lose money with each hand or game you play. Our casino has slots and blackjack, which we will avoid.
We will instead play Ride the Bus exclusively and go for that x20 multiplier. It turns out that your odds of winning the x20 in any given try are >= 5.6%. This is favorable.
Is this faster than making and selling drugs? No. Is it just as fun? Yes.
Our Rules
Any time you win the x20, adjust your new bet to 1% of your updated money pool.
Optimal Play
Note: Ace counts as a high card in this game.
Choose either. Doesn’t matter. I always pick red
If you get an 8 or lower, hit higher. Otherwise, hit lower.
If the difference between the cards is 5 or less, hit outside.
For example, cards 2 and 7 would be a difference of 5. So would 8 and King, or 9 and Ace.
Jack, Queen, King, and Ace represent 11, 12, 13, and 14 respectively.
If the difference between the cards is 6 or greater, hit inside.
You will get to this stage quite often, and there’s about a 1/4 chance we get the x20 at this point. We can still optimize our choice, though. I have done countless rounds of this game and have never seen a card repeat, so I believe it makes sense to “count” the cards.
For example, if your three cards are of hearts, diamonds, and spade, then guess clubs. Reasoning being the deck will have one more of clubs compared to the other suits.
Conclusion and Notes
You will have some maddening loss streaks on simply guessing the color. I myself once hit red 12 times in a row, and lost each one. That’s 1 in 10000 odds.
If you stick with it though, and play optimally, your money will go up over time. Feel free to bet less than 1% of your total money to play safer, or you can bet more if you’re feeling “lucky”. 2% of your money is still a pretty safe bet, but beware the loss streaks. At 2% of your money pool, there’s a 5% chance you will lose all your money without hitting the x20.