For the average casino customer, getting lucky is the only way to win. But what role does skill have to play if you’re visiting a casino, and can you boost your chances of walking away with a jackpot?
These are questions that might seem like they have no solid answer, but in fact there are some concepts to consider and strategies to take onboard which will help everyday gamblers in this growing industry do better out of land-based casino visits and online play alike.
Game choice matters
A quick look at a list of the richest gamblers in the world will reveal one factor which ties together many of the most prominent names on the scene; playing poker.
While high rollers usually make their money in other areas and blow off steam through gambling, the only way to reliably make a career out of casino games is to brush up on your poker abilities.
This is because poker is one of the few forms of gambling in which skill actually has a part to play. While there is definitely a degree of luck required to triumph, professional players can make millions from their ability to read their rivals and use this information to shape the decisions they make.
Conversely there are other casino games that require virtually no skill whatsoever, and are thus entirely dependent on random chance. Slot machines are the best example of this; while you might have a minor amount of choice, such as which paylines to bet on, for the most part it’s a case of spinning the reels and hoping for the best.
Blackjack sits somewhere in between the two. It needs less skill than poker to master, but can favor those who nail their decision-making and learn the rules thoroughly.
Likewise card counting can be used to win more reliably, but this is both a complex skill to learn and also a practice that is frowned upon by most casinos, even if it is not actually illegal.
Odds are important
Another point to make is that while there are plenty of casino games which are only based on luck, you can still improve the likelihood of winning by thinking about the odds that apply to each.
In some instances, the odds vary across different wagers within a given game. Roulette is a good example of this, as you can choose to wager on whether the ball will fall on red or black, or an odd or even number, giving you an almost 50/50 shot at beating the house.
Meanwhile if you pick a specific number instead, or a range of numbers, then the odds are stacked against you, but the potential payout is much higher to compensate.
In other cases, the odds of winning are the same each time, but there may be specific criteria you need to meet in order to be eligible.
Slot machines fit this category, as game designers alter odds with the number of reels and symbols used. More of each means a lower chance of winning for the player, but as with roulette this usually means that the jackpots of high variance slots are significantly larger.
Moderation and restraint make a difference
Whether you are aiming to use your skills and knowledge to try and win at casinos, or you are just hoping to leave it up to luck, you need to set clear limits on your spending in order to enjoy gambling responsibly.
An old adage of experienced gamblers is to only bet what you can afford to lose. There’s no point trying to chase fallacies like lucky streaks, because these simply fly in the face of cold, hard mathematics.
Setting a budget and only spending this predetermined amount on gambling, whether you play online or at land-based casinos, is important regardless of your experience level. Even the world’s richest gamblers have limits, and anyone who exceeds theirs will end up in financial dire straits.
Sports betting is a different kettle of fish
It’s worth discussing sports betting separately, because while casino operators often provide bookmaking services to customers, they are unlike table games and slot machines in that they rely on the outcomes of external events to determine a win or a loss.
It can help to do research and learn as much as possible about a sport in order to get better at predicting the outcome of specific games. But again, if you want to bet on football, horse racing or anything else, don’t overstretch yourself and accept that you may lose.
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