Here's a nifty little trick I used to figure out the commission when I dealt the game. Divide the winning bet by two, and then scratch the zero.

For instance, you make a $60 bet on the banker hand and it wins, paying even money. Half of the $60 win is $30, drop the zero, and your commission is $3.

As for why a commission, it's because the player hand is always played out first, causing the banker hand to win 50.7 percent of the time, versus the player hand at 49.3 percent, ties excluded.

To roadblock the gung ho gambler from forever betting the banker hand and being in receipt of a 1.4 percent advantage, the casino taxes all winning banker wagers at a rate of five percent. It is due to this commission, charged on your winning wagers, that the casino holds a 1.17 percent edge over the banker hand, and a 1.36 percent advantage over all player bets, ties included.

Still, even if the casino levies a slight percentage from your winning loot, the banker and the noncommissioned player hand are two of the best bets on the casino floor. Both are fun and profitable, and isn't that what gambling should be all about?