Side bets may not be so -EV for us?

[pheasant tail (no 18)]

Everyone seems that the sidebets will break the player pool to some extent. While I agree that bad gamblers will always loose in the long run, I am not so sure that these bets will hurt the games. In fact, from my B&M experience, it seems that they can help.

I agree that to a winning player making these bets is dumb. To leave a game where you have an overlay to play a game that is -EV is not smart. But for many players, these games (and I don't know what the house take in all of them are) will likely not be as -EV as sitting at the poker tables.

It always cracks me up when I hear an "enlightened" yet terrible poker player that is 60% sure to go home a significant loser on any given night lecture about how house edge cannot be overcome in BJ. They do not realize that they are giving up way more edge at poker.

I have in B&M play seen many players who were almost busted out of a game take a walk in the pit and come back w/ a few blacks and bought a few more stacks. By taking maybe the last $50 that they had budgeted for their daily a$$whipping and putting it on black a few times, they have a much better chance of putting an extra $3-$4oo in the poker game than they do to work their way back to even.

Think of all the losing 2/4 players who will make a big score and drop it on the 30/60 tables because they want to know what it is like to sit w/ the big boys.

To be sure, it adds some temptation and a few good players who are compulsive will get busted but most uncontrolled degenerates will lose (have lost) it all anyway.

I just don't think it is so bad. Discuss.

PT

[IggyWH]

Your point does make sense, but we're not looking to help the fish out here. We're looking to take the fishes money. I could care less if he's a bigger dog on the poker tables than he is doing sidebets, I want his money on the table. Anything that takes his money off the table is a bad thing for not just me, but the whole poker community.

[XChamp]

The table gets a shot at his $50 100% of the time if he doesn't leave. If he gets up and gambles on roulette he'll come back with $400 or more less than 1/8th of the time and that assumes he always comes back and doesn't leave or gamble it all away. This is simple math. $400 * <1/8th < $50.

You don't want him to leave unless you think the gambling on the side might tilt him and cause him to sit down with more money and/or play worse.