Gambling FAQ:

Name of Game: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Platform: PS2/PC

By: dnextreme88

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Table of Contents:
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1. Introduction <Intro>
2. About <About>
3. Version History <Hist>
4. Contact Information <Contact>
5. Copyright Information <Copyright>
6. List of Games <List>
7. The Games <Games>
   7a. Blackjack <Jack>
   7b. Slots <Slots>
   7c. Roulette <Roll>
   7d. Wheel of Fortune <Wheel>
   7e. Video Poker <Poker>
   7f. Pool <Pool>
   7g. Horse Racing <Horse>
8. Gambling Skill <Gamble>
9. Sites Permitted <Permit>
10. Credits <Cred>
11. Closing <Close>

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1. Introduction <Intro>
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Welcome to my Gambling FAQ. In this FAQ, you will learn how to play the various
different games at the three enterable casinos in Las Venturas, as well as the
ITB machines in Los Santos and Blueberry. I will also show you how you can tip
the odds in your favour through other means.

By following this guide, and with a bit of luck, you should be on your way to
earning millions in no time. Well, that's the idea anyway...

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2. About <About>
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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is owned by Rockstar Games. All trademarks are
subjected to Rockstar Games.

Copyright � Rockstar Games.

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3. Version History <Hist>
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Version 1.0 - May 29 2005
= Submitted the FAQ.

Version 1.1 - June 5 2009
= Added more sections. Added "Sites Permitted", "Outro" and "Credits".

Version 1.2 - June 23 2009
= Added "About" section. Changed "Outro" to "Closing" section.

Version 1.3 - June 30 2009
= A better information about the game "Wheel of Fortune" was now added thanks
to a submitter named <T.Payne>. Thanks!

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4. Contact Information <Contact>
===============================================================================

If you have any questions, suggestions or some corrections, feel free to e-mail
me. My e-mail is [email protected]. Please put the subject as "GTA:
SA: Gambling FAQ" to remind me that you are not spam. If not, the subject
should be atleast close to the previous one and I will try to answer it.

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5. Copyright Information <Copyright>
===============================================================================

IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE READ

No part of this FAQ may be produced or published in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information
storage or retrieval system without the permission in writing from the
copyright owner.

Copyright � dnextreme88

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6. List of Games <List>
===============================================================================

There are many different gambling activities you can participate in throughout
the state of San Andreas. Here is a quick run down of them:

- Blackjack (casinos)
- Slots (casinos)
- Roulette (casinos)
- Wheel of Fortune (casinos)
- Video Poker (pubs and casinos)
- Pool (pubs and casino)
- Horse Racing (Los Santos & Blueberry)

When you start a new game, the only things you can do are pool and horse
betting. My suggestion is that if you have an ounce of pool skill inside you,
play a few games and get yourself a few grand to begin with.

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7. The Games <Games>
===============================================================================

Here, I will be explaining how the gambling works and how to play each of the
games.

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7a. Blackjack <Jack>
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Locations: Casinos

This is my favourite game, and if you know how to play it, you can make some
good money fast here.

Basically, the object is to try to get as close to 21 as you can, without going
over 21 (i.e. going "bust"). You begin by placing your bet, which can be
anything between $1 and $1,000,000 depending on your gambling skill and what
table you are on (more on that later). Then the dealer will deal you two cards,
both face up, and himself two cards, one face up, the other face down.

You then have two basic options, "hit" or "stick". If you think that your total
is high enough to beat the dealer, choose stick. However, if you think that you
can get away with another card, choose hit. Remember though that the more times
you hit, the higher the chance of going bust, which loses the hand 
automatically.

When you have stuck, the dealer will reveal his second card, and will then do
the same, hitting until he either beats you, or goes bust. Note that the dealer
will always stick when he reaches 17 or higher, and he will always hit on 16
or lower.

Depending on the cards you have been dealt, you may be given two other options.
One of them is known as "splitting the hand". This option is only available if
you have been given two cards of the same value (i.e. two 3's or two Kings,
picture cards must also be the same). If you choose this option, the two cards
will be "split", thus creating two hands. You will be dealt an extra card on
each hand, and you carry on playing as normal, taking each hand in turn.
Splitting the hand gives you the chance of doubling your winnings, but be
careful, because you also double your bet, so you stand to lose more if it
goes wrong.

Whether or not you should split depends on which cards you have been given,
here is a quick reference as to when you should and should not split:

If you have two...
Aces - split (note that you will only be given one extra card per hand)
Twos - split
Threes - split
Fours - don't split
Fives - don't split
Sixes - don't split
Sevens - split
Eights - split
Nines - split only if the dealer's card is nine or higher
Tens/pictures - don't split if the dealers card is not a ten/picture, if it is,
it's your choice

Another option you will always be given is called "doubling". This is when you
double your bet, but you will only be dealt one extra card. It is only
advisable to do this if your two original cards total 11, or if they total 9 or
10 and the dealer has a 5 or 6.

If you are dealt an ace and a ten or a picture card, then it is known as a 
"blackjack", and you instantly win double your bet, unless the dealer has also
been dealt a blackjack, in which case it is a "push" (a push is when you and
the dealer both reach the same total, in this case, you do not win or lose
anything). If the dealer gets a blackjack and you don't, you instantly lose.

Note that there are no 5 card tricks on this variation of blackjack. Instead,
you are only allowed a maximum of 5 cards in one go, although the number of 
times when you need a 6th card will not be many.

When deciding on whether or not you should hit/stick, it is important to
consider two things. Firstly, what cards you have compared to the dealer. For
example, if you have a total of 16 and the dealer has a 9, it is wise to hit
because the chances are he will get a ten or a picture (as there are many more
of them than there are ace-9's). However, if he has a 5 then you may want to
stick and hope he doesn't beat you. The second thing to consider is what cards
have been dealt recently. For example, if a lot of picture cards have shown
in the last few hands, then the chances are you will be given cards of a 
lower value, so you may want to hit on higher numbers such as 16 or 17 
(depending on what the dealer has of course).

Well, that's the basics of blackjack. A mixture of doing the above and a bit
of luck and you should be rolling in it in no time.

There are four different tables you can play at, differed only by the maximum
you can bet on that table ($100, $1,000, $100,000 or $1m)

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7b. Slots <Slots>
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Locations: Casinos

There isn't really a lot I can say about this. Simply walk up to a slot
machine, put in your coin and pull the handle. This is pure luck, so if you win
anything, congrats to you!

Typically, this game does not pay out well, so don't come here looking to raise
your bank balance.

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7c. Roulette <Roll>
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Locations: Casinos

One of the most popular forms of gambling, just pray that that little white
ball falls on the number you want.

When you reach the table, you have a number of different places you can place
your chips, they are summarised below:

Single number (including 0) - pays 36 times bet
Between two numbers - pays 18 times bet
A row of three - pays 12 times bet
Between four numbers (in a square, e.g. 1,2,4,5) - pays 9 times bet
Between two rows - pays 6 times bet
Below a column - pays 3 times bet
Low (1-12), Medium (13-24), or High (25-36) - pays 3 times bet
Red or Black - pays 2 times bet
Odd or Even - pays 2 times bet
Low (1-18) or High (19-36) - pays 2 times bet (note that these are separate
spaces to the low, med and high mentioned above)

Note that if the ball lands on the green 0, then all bets lose except those 
placed on 0.

Like Blackjack, there are four different tables to bet at, ranging from a $100
max bet to up to $1,000,000.

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7d. Wheel of Fortune <Wheel>
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Location: Casinos

I do not know a great deal about this game, and I haven't played it much
myself. My understanding is that you place your bet on which value comes up,
and if you guess correctly, you win your bet back plus that value as a multiple
of your original bet.

Thanks to <T.Payne> for providing me a better information about this game. Here
is his exact words in the e-mail I received from him:

"There are 6 numbers you can bet on, 1,2,5,10,20, and the * which equals 40.
However much you bet on a certain number you multiply that by the number you
bet on, for example you bet 100 dollars on 10 so 10x100=1000 , so 1000 is what
you earned. Also you are allowed to bet on more than one number (you can bet on
all of them if you wanted) but its a little more complicated to understand. For
example you bet 10 on every number and it lands on a star so normaly you would
get 400 but since you lost the other five bets (which were all ten dollars) you
lost 50 dollars so you would have earned 350. I hope you can understand what I
was trying to say.
 
- Also, if you bet 10 on all the numbers and it lands on a 5 you win no money.
 
- Another thing, the smaller the number the more common it is on the wheel. 1
is common, 2 is relatively common, 5 is still plentiful, and so on.

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7e. Video Poker <Poker>
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Locations: Casinos, and some bars

The object of this game is to try and get the best combination of card values
and/or suits. After you have placed your bet you are dealt five cards, you then
have the opportunity of "holding" as many cards as you like, and the cards you
do not hold are replaced by fresh cards. Your winnings (if any) are then
calculated from the five cards you have.

Above the five cards is a table showing you the different ways of winning.

Flush = all cards of the same suit
Straight = run of cards (e.g. 2,3,4,5,6)
Jacks or better = pair of picture cards or aces
Full House = 3 cards of the same value, 2 cards of another value (e.g. 
3,3,6,6,6)
Royal Flush = 10,J,Q,K,A of the same suit

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7f. Pool <Pool>
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Locations: Bars and The Casino Floor

This is the first game I played in SA, there is a bar called the Ten Green
Bottles that is only a couple of block away from CJ's house that you can play.
Just take the Greenwood parked outside the house and drive it down the road,
and it will be on the right hand side.

There are 15 balls in this variation of pool. 8 "solids", 8 "stripes" and the
black "8 ball". The first person to pot a ball will then have to try and pot
all the remaining similar balls (e.g. if you pot a ball first and it is a 
solid, you have to pot the other solids, and the other player has to pot
stripes). When you have done that you then need to pot the 8 ball to win.

You remain at the table until you either don't pot a ball or you foul, then it
is your opponent's turn. Ways of fouling include:

- Not hitting a ball
- Hitting the wrong type of ball first
- No balls hit a cushion
- Potting the wrong type of ball

If you foul then your opponent can place the white ball anywhere on the table
he/she likes, and carries on playing.

Note that if you pot the 8 ball when you are not supposed to, or if you pot the
white ball at the same time as the 8 ball when you are supposed to, you
automatically forefit the game.

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7g. Horse Racing <Horse>
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Locations: Under the Mulholland Intersection, Los Santos & in Blueberry

This is easy to learn, but relies mostly on luck to succeed, but not entirely.
You start off with two choices to make, how much money to bet and which horse
to bet on. The horses with shorter odds (lower numbers i.e. 2/1) have a better
chance of winning. If your horse comes in first, you win your bet back plus
whatever it's odds were as a multiple of your original bet. For example if you
bet $1000 on a 5/1 horse and it wins, you win your $1000 back plus an extra 
$5000, giving $6000 in total. Anything other than a victory results in you
losing your bet.

Note that it is possible to cheat using the ITB machines to gain lots of money
fast. All you need to do is go to a machine just after loading a game, bet the
max on the horse with the longest odds, and if you lose, just reload again and
you don't lose your money. This is not something I do, as I don't like cheating
but I know that some people out there want good money fast, and this is a good
way of earning it.

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8. Gambling Skill <Gamble>
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This is one of your stats recorded in your stats page. The higher it is, the
more you can bet at games such as Blackjack and Roulette. The only way of
increasing your gambling skill is to gamble. The more you gamble, and the
higher your bets, the more the skill will increase. Note that this is probably
the easiest skill to max out, a good solid 15-20 minutes of max betting should
see the skill go all the way to the top.

Not only does this skill determine how much you can bet, but it also tells you
how much you can "borrow" from the casinos. If you go below $0 then your money
indicator will turn red, and into a minus figure. The casino will then send
people to hunt you down and kill you whenever you are in Las Venturas, and 
until you go back into the green. The number of people that are after you is
determined by the amount you are in debt by, the maximum being 4 people if you
have debts of $1,000,000. Be on the look out for a black Vincent driving
erratically. Don't panic though, because if you have a half decent gun you
should be able to take them out no problem, and they leave a lot of money when
they die.

Related to this is your Luck stat. The higher this is, the more chance you have
of winning. To increase your luck value, you must collect the 50 horeshoes that
are scattered around Las Venturas.

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9. Sites Permitted <Permit>
===============================================================================

If you posted this on your website without my supervision, it is a violation of
the copyright. The following sites have MY PERMISSION to post this FAQ to their
site:

GameFAQs - www.gamefaqs.com
SuperCheats - www.supercheats.com

If your site isn't listed above, email me first. Never and never post this FAQ
on your site WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. It is something that you shouldn't do and
you really shouldn't do after all.

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10. Credits <Cred>
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I would like to thank the following:

To GameFAQs and Super Cheats for hosting the FAQ.

To Rockstar Games for making a #1 hit game and possibly the best game there is.
Thanks Rockstar!

To <T.Payne> for providing me a better information about the game "Wheel of
Fortunes".

To you as the reader.

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11. Closing <Close>
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Well, thanks for reading my Gambling FAQ. You should now have a good
understanding of how to play the various gambling games in San Andreas. Have
fun gambling, and I hope you win lots of money!

Thanks for reading this, feedback is always welcome.

You can contact me via e-mail ([email protected]).

You are free to use any part, or the entirety of this FAQ in other sites or on
other message boards, but you must credit it as being my work. You must not
copy this FAQ and post it as your own work on another FAQ site.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me. And remember,
put the subject as "GTA: SA: Gambling FAQ" or something very close to it. If it
isn't close, I will mark your e-mail as spam or I will just simply ignore it.