How to Win in a Casino

Making a Game Plan

Practice different games before heading to the casinos. There are a lot of online programs that allow you to “gamble” without actually spending any money. Spend some time practicing the different games you’d like to play when you get to the casino. Common casino games are: Poker Blackjack Slots Baccarat Roulette Craps

Set a budget for yourself before you head to the casino. Decide beforehand how much money you’re willing to spend, and assume that you aren’t going to win anything. If you can, bring a set amount of cash with you with the intention that once it’s gone for the day, you’ll leave the casino. This helps you to win by reducing your chances of losing more and more money. Also, if you know you have a limited amount of funds, you’ll be more choosy when deciding which games to play. If you’re going gambling for several days in a row, try putting your allotted gambling money into a separate envelope for each day—that way you won’t accidentally start using money that’s meant for the end of the week on a Monday! If you're interested in gambling from the comfort of your home, there are also many online casinos.

Learn the layout of a casino by visiting during the day. Casinos are designed to be disorienting—there are no clocks, no windows, and the games are set into various labyrinth patterns so it’s easy to lose track of the time! Take a trip to the casino during the daytime and take a look around when you won’t be distracted by the hustle and bustle of nighttime gambling. An added bonus of visiting when it’s less busy—you may be able to play a game while a dealer gives you a breakdown of the technical aspects.

Stay hydrated and don't consume too much alcohol. You’re likely to spend more money and pay less attention to the games when you're drinking alcohol, which is easy to do if the casino you’re at offers free drinks. If you’re going to imbibe, try to pace yourself by having a glass of water between each alcoholic drink. It can be tempting to drink a lot of free complementary beverages—but remember, casinos are able to offer so much free alcohol because they’re calculating how much money they’re winning every day from people losing their games.

Keep track of the time by wearing a watch or setting a phone timer. The longer you stay at a casino, the higher the chances are that you’ll lose money—the odds are always in the house’s favor! So set a time limit for several hours, and after that time, call it quits. If you’ve won money, that’s great! If not, take a break and come back refreshed the next day. It’s so easy to lose track of time in a casino—and the longer you spend there, the more money you will be spending. If you have a budget and still have money left when your timer goes off, transfer that money over to the next day’s budget.

Leave while you’re ahead so you don’t risk losing your winnings. If you win big, cash out and leave the casino. The chances of you hitting a big winning streak, tempting though that is, are very, very low. Casinos will want to keep you in there after you win so that they have a chance to win their money back. Experts suggest cashing out and walking away after you’ve won. Some casinos will even start offering you free things: a room for the night, meals, and gifts, in an effort to get you to stay and play. It’s okay to accept the gifts (because who doesn’t want a complimentary room for the night?)—just remember to leave the gambling area!

Choosing and Playing Games

Avoid the bright, flashy games—they have the worst odds. The games that have the brightest lights with lots of sounds and colors are meant to be the ones that catch your eye and draw you in—they’re the ones you’re the least likely to win. Instead, focus your attention on the dimmer, calmer games. For example, the wheel of fortune game and the slots are all very flashy because they have the worst odds.

Choose table games over the slots for better odds at winning. Slots can be fun, but they statistically have much lower odds than any of the table games. Head to the blackjack, baccarat, or craps tables for better chances at winning some money. If you love playing slots, set aside a smaller, specific amount of money that is just for them. That way, you can use the rest of your money on the table games while still getting to enjoy everything you like.

Place bigger bets for a higher payout. Because the casino odds work in the house’s favor, the more times you place a bet, the higher the chances are that you’ll lose because you’ll be giving the house more opportunities for the odds to work in their favor. Placing several bigger bets decreases the house’s odds simply because you aren’t allowing them multiple opportunities to win your money. The house edge on blackjack is low, meaning you have the highest odds of winning, whereas its edge on games like the wheel of fortune or the slots is very high, about 2% for blackjack versus about 11% for the wheel of fortune.

Play poker at casinos that cater to tourists to win big. If you’re hoping to win at poker, avoid playing at local casinos, as the players there will be regulars and probably have a lot of experience. Instead, focus on casinos where there are a lot of tourists (and hopefully slightly drunk tourists, too!). If you sit down at a table and the dealer is able to greet everyone by name, you should probably get up and switch to another game—unless you are a professional poker player!

Choose calmer craps tables to make smarter bets. Craps tables get loud—people watch the games, they get excited, and things get crowded. Try to keep your wits about you and stick with either the “pass line” or the “come” bet. Not familiar with craps? Look up some online tutorials and virtual games to get some experience before stepping into the fast-paced atmosphere of the craps table at a casino.

Look for a sloppy dealer in blackjack for a chance to get ahead. Try to spot a dealer who looks less experienced and who maybe handles the cards with a little less expertise than the seasoned dealer. The chances of them accidentally flashing a card as they deal is much higher, which gives you a huge edge. Happening to see a card dealt by a clumsy dealer is different from counting cards, which is frowned upon.

Bet with the banker if you’re playing baccarat. There are 2 sides to a game of baccarat: the banker’s side and the player’s side. The banker has the highest odds of winning—it does so a little over 50% of the time. If you bet the banker and it wins, continue betting the banker until it doesn’t anymore. Baccarat is a really fast-paced game! Sometimes the dealers will get anywhere from 150-200 decisions per game, so practice playing ahead of time!

Look for “surrender” or “en prison” games when playing roulette. “Surrender” and “en prison” both mean that if you place an even-money bet and the ball lands on “0,” your bet moves on to the next spin rather than being lost. These options cut the house’s odds in half, so you have a greater chance at winning some money. Some roulette tables won’t offer these options, so check around for the ones that do before you start playing. Another good tip is to choose a table with only a single-zero slot rather than both single- and double-zero slots—again, this lowers the house’s odds by about half because the percentage of the house’s edge goes from about 5.25% to 2.7%.

Place the highest bet if you’re going to play the slot machines. You’ll go from about an 86% return to a 98% return when you place the highest bet possible. So rather than playing the penny slots, choose a machine where you can bet $5, $10, or even $20. Slots are really all about chance. Everything is random by design, and just because a machine hasn’t paid out in a while doesn’t mean that it’s “due” for a big win. They’re fun to play, but nothing is guaranteed!