Poo-Bach's hot-hand strategy

There seems to be almost as many gambling systems as gamblers. There are advantage-play methods at blackjack, craps, video poker, casino poker, pai gow poker and, yes, even slots. These can actually work to get the players a relatively small edge. Few players, extremely few, learn advantage-play methods, preferring instead to adopt various betting schemes that don’t work to get the player an edge over the house.

Thus, on the losing end of the spectrum (where just about every player plants himself) you have money management systems, trend betting systems in all their almost infinite variety, (flawed) mathematical systems such as the Martingale, various cancellation systems and on it goes.

Still I have to admit there is a system I do like, not because it can give the player an edge (it can’t), but because it opens up the whole table-game casino universe. This system is called “Poo-Bach’s hot-hand” strategy. It is a pure system that requires the utmost in discipline and in acute observation of other players at any table game in the casino.

The Poo-Bach strategy calls for you to latch onto a hot player, one who is having a good streak, run or session and bet with that person. In this way you stand a better chance of catching lightning in a bottle and riding someone else’s good luck to the winners’ circle. You may be an unlucky person but you are not relying on your own luck; no, you are relying on someone else’s luck.

What makes Poo-Bach such an enticing strategy is the fact that every table in the casino is open for your scrutiny. Think of it. You will get to see so many games and so many players playing those games that this – in and of itself – is a profound lesson in casino gambling. Also, it takes time to ascertain who is or isn’t defeating the house and in that time the Poo-Bacher is not at risk. Indeed, the Poo-Bacher experiences the high of anticipation for an often prolonged period of time without any harm being done to his bankroll.

Okay, the Poo-Bacher ascertains that Harry the bloated one playing over there is creaming the house in craps. The Poo-Bacher just steps up to the table and makes every bet that Harry makes. If Harry wins; the Poo-Bacher wins too. If Harry loses, the Poo-Bacher leaves the table and searches for another “hot-hander.”

It can’t get simpler than that.

Now, I have to warn you: There are some grumpy, nasty players who employ the Poo-Poo-Bach strategy, which says hook onto the hot player and bet against him. So if you are at a mini-baccarat table and you see one lady raking it in; sit down and bet the opposite wagers. She must fail sooner or later, mustn’t she?

The problem here is that if Ms. Hot Hand keeps winning and the Poo-Poo-Bacher keeps betting against her, he is apt to lose his shirt.

So do not be perverse; play the Poo-Bach strategy the way the gods intended it when they invented it.

Frank Scoblete’s new book is “I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps!”

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.