A 5-Minute Guide to Smart Gambling

Learn the Rules

First and foremost, you instantly become a smarter gambler by choosing the game you play with care. Do not sit at a table if you are not aware of the rules, payouts, features, and so on. This rule of thumb applies to both land-based casino and at online gambling sites.

Whenever a player joins a table, they will be under the command of the dealer. The dealer is responsible for serving cards, making calls and closing all bets – depending on which game you play. However, a lot of the time, you may not actually be aware of minor details within a game. Let’s look at an example:

At a roulette table, the croupier is responsible for finalizing all the bets on the table, getting the wheel spinning and paying out the winnings. All losses will go to the dealer. At a roulette table, you will be able to find a variety of “even money” bets. Essentially, these are bets such as black or red, odd or even, and 1-18 or 19-36. However, whilst these bets pay out even money of 1:1, they are not actually even in terms of advantage. At European and French Roulette tables, you will find a neutral green 0. At American Roulette tables, there is a neutral green 0 and a 00. This wipes out the meaning of even-money as the odds of winning are not 50/50 anymore. The house advantage for European and French Roulette tables is 2.7%, whilst American Roulette tables has a house advantage of 5.26%.

Which Table to Choose?

One way of playing smarter is by knowing which table to join. Whether you play in a land-based casino or at an online gambling site, it is advisable to join a table with more players. Most newcomers prefer to sit at empty tables as they can play heads-up against the dealer. However, in doing so, you are giving yourself a harder task of winning as you will constantly be making decisions. On top of that, you will bet faster, and this will lead to the house advantage eating away your bankroll.

By sitting at a table with more players, you will enjoy your gaming session more. This means that you will not need to take as many decisions as at an empty table. In addition, you have more time between each bet and will also be able to handle your bankroll better. If you play constantly, there is a chance that your bankroll will wear out a lot faster.

Use a Suitable Betting System or Strategy

Another sure-fire way to improve your all-round gambling experience is to consider betting systems and strategies. These can be used to increase your chances of winning based. Depending on the game, they will give you an insight into when to bet, how much to bet, and even what decisions to take in some games – like Blackjack.

It is important to know which betting system or strategy to use as well. Not all of them will be as promising as they appear at first. First of all, no system can guarantee a win, so discard any that claim that they do. Secondly, understand the difference between a betting system and a strategy.

Blackjack is one of the few games where strategy can be used to reduce the house edge and improve your chances of winning. Each version of Blackjack has its own strategy, and they are easy to find online.

A betting system is used to help you better control your bankroll. Ultimately, the rule of thumb is to find a betting system that will ensure that you lose less money over an extended period of time, rather than one which will see you lose more money over time.

The way to spot the difference is to look at what actions you should take after winning and losing. A betting system that will not benefit you over a longer period is usually characterized by your bet increasing after each loss (which is known as a negative progression system). In doing so, you are just increasing the amount of money which a casino can take from you after every loss. A good betting system, on the other hand, will see you place more sensible wagers so that you do not risk the chance of losing a big stake after each loss.

Managing a Bankroll

To enjoy an afternoon or evening of gambling, you should take the time to focus on your bankroll. More importantly, set aside an amount of cash you are happy to lose. Managing your bankroll is key to ensuring that you know how much to play with and that you do not end up chasing losses.

The idea in this is to ensure that you play with a big enough stake to keep you excited but not so big that you lose all money in just a few minutes. If you play with bets that are too small, winning will not feel as satisfactory. Likewise, playing with stakes that are too big risks you going bust early on.

If you enjoy playing for an extended period of time, make sure you carefully consider how much you should bet per round. If you hit a winning streak then you may be able to increase the size of bet, but most often, you will be betting a fixed amount on every hand/round/spin. This is what is known as a flat betting system and while it may sound a little dull, it will ensure that you do not run out of funds too quickly.

Tips on Bankroll Management

To ensure that you can manage your bankroll correctly, we have put together a list of a few tips to help you. In addition to placing smaller bets, we also advise you to try and slow down the pace of your game. By playing too fast, your bankroll is likely to disappear fast as well. Here are a few more tips to help you out:

• When you start chasing losses, it is time to quit and play another day.
• If you have won a satisfactory profit, take your winnings and enjoy them elsewhere.
• Set an amount that you would be happy to win before you start and focus on achieving that.
• Feel free to take a break from whatever game you are playing.
• Do not play if you are emotionally unstable or tired.
• Do not go into your savings but simply stick to the budget you set before you started playing.
• Use a betting strategy to help manage your stakes better.
• Do not play against your bankroll.
• Do not allow yourself to lose more than one-third of your total bankroll in a gaming session.
• Never lend anyone any money to gamble with.

Do Not Give into Temptation

Last but not least, one of the smarter things to do in a land-based casino is to avoid giving into any freebies offered by casinos. If the casino serves free food, by all means, feel free to eat a reasonable amount. But not too much, as you do not want to feel tired at the games.

The main thing is to stay away from alcohol. Many casinos will offer free alcoholic drinks when you sit at a table game. In doing so, the casinos knows that this may loosen the player’s mind set and strictness in regards to their bankroll. It is a small price to pay for the potential reward of winning a player’s entire bankroll.

If you give into the temptation of drinking alcohol, you may want to play more and forget about previously set limits. In addition, alcoholic beverages may lead to more bold bets that could end up being damaging to your bankroll. You are in a casino to play games and potentially make a profit, not for the free drinks.