Have you ever wondered whether you can ever really win at gambling? Do you think there are some tips and tricks to help you win?
Well, the good news is that the rest of this article will be dedicated to trying to answer this age-old question as best we can. Let’s dig into the detail, starting with whether or not you can really win at gambling.
The answer, in the long run, is of course, no. This is because, the instant you step foot in a casino and exchange cash for chips you have in effect sold your own advantage. From that moment onwards the odds in every game you play are stacked in favour of the house.
Most games are based on pure maths and maths never lies. In every game you play, the statistical probability is that you will lose. The house advantage is there to make sure that, over time, the casino will not lose money to gamblers. The house advantage varies from game to game, with some slots having some of the worst odds, with the casino having as much as a 35% advantage over players. While the house advantage doesn’t mean that you can’t win, it means that the probability of you winning decreases the more you play. In other words, you are bound to lose in the long run.
It’s best to quit while your ahead to avoid becoming addicted or developing a gambling problem. Fortunately, only about 5% of players reach that point, but their losses are estimated to make up the lion’s share of a casino’s profits. So if you do find yourself on a winning streak, it’s bound to come to an end sooner or later if you follow the immutable laws of probability. It really is wiser, therefore, to quit while you’re ahead.
While the odds may not be in your favour, there are some ways you can improve your win rate in certain games using specific strategies. We will discuss a few of them now.
Here we will detail a few ways you can increase your win rate.
• Play games with large bet ratios - Poker has a pretty good bet ratio, which increases with the number of players, while blackjack has an awful one.
• Try to play against a less experienced dealer - You can try to do this by watching the table games for a while to gauge how often plays seem to be winning and losing. You may spot a dealer making more mistakes, which will take the edge off their game.
• Play alone at a table wherever possible - This is because a casino’s best advantage comes from players changing up the probability amongst each other. You’re more likely to win when it’s just you against the dealer.
• Play random progressive jackpot games - This really means don’t bet extra money to make yourself eligible for a progressive jackpot. The bet to win ratio decreases as you increase your bet. Random progressive games award jackpots regardless of the bet size.
• Never try the ‘Gamble’ feature in a slot game - These features are a sure way to get sucked into greed and if you are trying to claw back lost money they usually end up making you lose even more.
• Be on the lookout for low variance games - Be aware of the theoretical return to players when you play a slot game. The smaller the best prize you can win is, the greater the number of ways you possible ways to win that prize. Thus, the variance can be said to be low.
• Play the smallest bets for the largest wins - Find games with high RTP (return to player) values so you can get the most play time and best chances for your money.
• Don’t be superstitious or fall for magical thinking - Magical thinking is when you believe that certain unrelated actions you take can influence the outcome of a game. For instance, wearing your lucky hat.
We have discovered, then, that gamblers are destined to lose in the long run, be it online or in a real, physical casino and that you can never really win at gambling. However, if you follow some of the tips given in this article, you might just find that you have improved your chances of leaving the casino with money in your pocket.
