Top 7 Gambling Techniques to Win Real Money
The gamblers who win at online casino constantly do two things extremely well:
- stick with the games with the best odds.
- focus 100% on using the appropriate strategies.
We recommend that you follow the rules below and your bankroll will increase.
1. House Edge
The house edge is a major factor in determining how much money you lose in the long run. It’s the percentage of each bet that the casino expects you to lose in the long run (mathematically). In a game with a 1% house edge, the casino expects to win $1 for every $100 bet from you.
2. Expected Hourly Loss
Expected hourly loss is how much money you can expect (mathematically) to lose every hour you play. It’s calculated using the following factors:
- The house edge
- How much you bet
- How many times you bet per hour
Your expected loss per hour = (The House Edge) X (Your Average Bet Size) X (Bets per Hour). Increase any of those, and the amount of money you expect to lose increases. Decrease any of those, and the amount of money you expect to lose DECREASES.
An example:
The video slot machines in the Las Vegas airport have a house edge of around 15%. A dollar per spin is a customary betting amount. It’s common to make 600 bets per hour, and most people probably don’t play for more than an hour at the airport.
So your expected loss in that scenario is 15% X $1 X 600 X 1, or $90.
Let’s compare that with another example:
The 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker games at New York New York on the Las Vegas Strip have a house edge of 0.46% when played with perfect strategy. $1.25 per hand is typical, and most people play video poker at about the same speed as slots.
Your expected loss in this scenario is 0.46% X $1.25 X 600 = $3.45.
Would you rather face a mathematical expectation of losing an average of $3.45 per hour, or $90 per hour? And who do you think has the better odds of walking away a winner?
3. Know Which Casino Games Have the Lowest House Edge
Here’s a list of the casino games with the lowest house edge:
- Blackjack – 0.28%
- Video Poker – 0.46%
- Craps – 1.36%
With blackjack, I’ve assumed very generous rules. But even in casinos with less generous rules, the house edge is between 0.5% and 1%. With video poker, I’ve assumed full pay Jacks or Better.
Other games have a higher house edge. With craps, when you factor in the odds bet, the house edge overall decreases depending on how big a bet you can place on that option. If you assume double odds, the house edge for craps drops to 0.46%. Also, with craps, the house edge I listed is for the best bet on the table. Other bets have a higher house edge.
4. Know Which Casino Games Have the Lowest Hourly Expected Loss
Here’s a list of the average number of bets per hour for each of those games:
- Blackjack – 50 to 200
- Video Poker – 600
- Craps – 100 to 250
The more people at the craps table or the blackjack table, the fewer bets per hour you’ll be making.
So what does your hourly expected loss look like at each of these games?
It’s rare to find blackjack for less than $5 per hand, and most people don’t play well enough to get down to that 0.28%. So let’s assume you’re dealing with a house edge of 0.75%. 0.75% of $5 is 3.75 cents. That’s how much you expect to lose per hand. Your expected hourly loss, then, ranges from $1.88 to $7.50.
We already calculated that you’re expecting to lose $3.45 per hour playing Jacks or Better video poker.
Craps is another game where you’re looking at wagering at least $5 per bet. Your expected loss per bet there is just 2.3 cents, so you’re looking at losing between $2.30 and $5.75 per hour.
Which one should you play then?
The best hourly expected loss you can hope for is $1.88 per hour playing blackjack at a full table for $5 per hand. Why does that give you the best chance of winning? It’s because your odds of losing are the lowest there.
5. Learn the Appropriate Strategy for Each Game
The easiest strategy to learn is for craps. You don’t make any decisions in craps except which bet to place. The don’t pass bet, taking maximum odds when you can, has the lowest house edge. Place that bet over and over, and you’ve mastered craps strategy.
Blackjack and Jacks or Better are roughly the same in terms of learning the appropriate strategy. The easiest way is to just buy one of the cards with the appropriate strategy in the gift shop at the real casino. They always have strategy cards for blackjack there.
For video poker, your best bet is to buy one of Bob Dancer’s or Jean Scott’s products that teach the correct strategies for the various video poker games.
6. Spend Less Time Playing
This is the hard part. You can’t walk away a winner if you don’t walk away when you’re ahead. Set a win goal for each session and for each trip. Once you’ve won, walk away.
It’s simple. Whoever has the advantage benefits from the one who spends the most time playing.
7. Play games where you have the edge
You have to limit yourself to games where you have the edge instead of the real money casino.
This means learning how to count cards in blackjack or combining expert video poker play with coupons, casino deposit bonus, and slot club rebates or it means becoming an expert poker player or an expert sports handicapper.