If you want to win at casinos I’m sure you have experienced two things: losing all of your allotted casino money rather quickly and actually having a great time because your bankroll lasted for quite a while.
If you weren’t proactively doing anything, much of this grand difference between experiences was luck. But there were also other things happening, perhaps that you were doing unintentionally, that helped you win more and play longer.
So what are some of these things that will help you hold on to your money for longer amounts of time while having fun in the casino? How do you increase your chances of winning?
Avoid the Slots (or at least slow your roll)
If there is any game where the house has an extreme edge, it’s the slot machines. On top of the fact that the odds are nowhere even close to being in your favor, they are designed to move fast. You can easily spin the machine between three and five times per minute. This speed of play amounts to 300 plays per hour.
They do this on purpose to ensure that you are making as many decisions in the shortest amount of time as possible, with the odds stacked against you. So, if you want to make your bankroll last, slow down. Don’t let that machine auto-roll and just take your time. Online slots are geared against you, so you should probably just avoid them in general, but if you do enjoy them, just slow your roll. After all, it’s really all about just having a good time.
Bet the banker in Baccarat
There isn’t much you can do in baccarat to increase your probability to win at casinos… except betting the banker. When you bet the banker, the house only has a 1% edge over you, so it’s literally one of the lowest house edges in the casino. It’s so low in fact, that most casinos take a 5% rake on bet banker wins. So, ALWAYS bet the banker in baccarat.
‘Come-Out’ on the Odds in Craps
Craps can be a great way to win some money from the casino. First, for every sequence, you’ll throw a come-out roll. In most cases, the point is set on the first throw you can place an ‘odds’ bet. Most novice craps players are not aware of this strategy because there’s no visible spot on the table to place this bet. Why? Well, the casino doesn’t want you to place odds bets. What you do is move your chips on either side of the pass line and tell the dealer you want the odds. Now you are playing with odds ate ZERO and a house edge of ZERO. So, every chance you get to take the odds in craps, you should.
Implement Basic 21 Strategy
If you want to win at casinos, you could have a good night at the BlackJack tables. It all starts with executing basic strategy. 21 is one of those games where you can have hours of fun if you show some restraint and stick to the game-plan. I’m not going to run through all of the basic BlackJack strategies but you can find them easily online or hit the library and rent a book that outlines it all. If you execute solid 21 basics, you’ll improve your probability by an additional 3%!
So what are some questions to ask yourself when doing your BJ strategy research?
Here are a few:
- When should I hit and when should I stand?
- When should I surrender?
- When should I split?
- When should I double?
- What are soft totals?
- What are hard totals?
Play Fewer Hands
If you are getting into poker, especially hold ‘em, play fewer hands. Ok, so there is some luck involved with the card turns but more often than not, the best starting hands will end up winning. Here is something to remember. Losing players play too many hands, not too few.
Pretty much stick to pairs above 9 and then Ace/King, Ace/Queen, Ace/Jack, Ace/10 (doesn’t matter if suited) and suited king/Queen and King/Jack. You might be thinking, boring! I won’t be playing many hands … well, that is the point … because the point is winning. Once you can establish the discipline over multiple-hour poker sessions, you can start playing a few more hands.
There you have it, five proven strategies to help you win at casinos. If you don’t have a brick and mortar venue nearby, Bovada offers a casino games online where you can practice some games for free, and also play for cold, hard, cash.
