All casinos have table limits of some description. Such table limits can be for both minimum and maximum stakes. Some may question why this is given the casino house edge that is established for its casino games. However, the table limits are in fact very important to the business of casinos.
Yes, there is a house edge already in place for the various casino games that a casino may have. However, for some of these casino games the house edge is only a small one. Games such as Blackjack and European Roulette only have a house edge of 2-3% at most. Gamblers that have effective strategy can do well at Blackjack tables, and possibly even with Roulette tables in the short term. In addition to this, if such players have huge bankrolls then the casino has to be weary.
To begin with, any gambler with a very high bankroll can approach a casino game of chance such as Roulette and place a very large stake of $500,000 on one of outer table bets such as the number color, or odd or even numbers. With the Roulette house edge it is still almost a 50% chance and if the gambler wins then such a stake could potentially wipe out a small casino if they walked away from the casino soon after. A casino cannot afford to allow for such chances and so maximum betting limits reduces the risk to the casino in this respect.
Then however, there is the potential for progressive betting. Progressive betting can allow for the player to double their wagers after each loss. Roulette’s Martingale is a good example of such an approach whereby the stake is doubled after losses on the outer table. However, when a win is recorded then all the losses are returned plus a one unit profit. Without any table limits a player with a very high bankroll could potentially do well with the Martingale as it is very unlikely they will lose more than eight times running. As such, a maximum table limit also protects against progressions such as this.
It should also be noted that casinos have minimum table limits as well as a maximum. Minimum table limits require that a minimum wager be placed at the table. In much the same way as a maximum table limit can reduce a progression, so too can a minimum table limit which will prevent players starting progressions with pennies or cent.
In addition to this, casinos may place higher minimum limits on casino games with higher house edges. This will ensure that the player has to make larger minimum wager, and so potentially lose more at the table. The higher the minimum limits the more the table may recoup.
So, the tables limits are required by the casinos largely to reduce any potential losses. Even if they do have a house edge, very large stakes and long progressions are still something they need to take into account. In addition to this, placing larger minimum table limits on casino games with higher house edges can potentially enhance the casino’s takings.