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Respond to the question: Casino games and zero sum games?

11/30/2004 07:49 PM by Alan; Casino games and zero sum games
I have been involved in a sometimes heated discussion about casino games such as craps and blackjack and video poker and whether or not they are zero sum games.

My belief is that they are NOT because the casino is the bank and players can all win or all lose, and these games are not zero sum because the house has an edge or advantage on all payoffs which eliminates the standard of a fixed pool of winnable goods.

For example in craps: a player bets $5 on the 4, betting that each time a 4 is rolled before a 7 he will be paid $9 by the house. If the 7 is rolled before a 4 the player loses his $5 bet.

Can anyone help? I have not found any distinct information about casino games adn the rules of zero sum games. Many thanks. An email response is appreciated. [Manage messages]