Beating the Casinos Without Cheating

Everyone has some crazy method to beat the casinos. The truth is that every house-banked game has a house edge, so you can’t win by just playing a game well. It is, however, important to know how to identify a game with a good house edge versus a game with a bad house edge. For example, keno has the worst house edge in the casino. The best bet in keno is the prop bet that no row will have five or more hits, and even for that bet, there is a house edge of almost 7%. If you’re just picking random numbers, the lowest house edge is when you choose three spots, and even then, the house edge is around 38%. On video keno machines, the odds are a little better, but still not as good as regular slot machines. Another game to avoid is American roulette. European roulette has a house edge of 2.7% while its American neighbor has almost double that with 5.26%. That means you’ll lose twice as often!

If you’re going to play blackjack, be sure to learn the strategy carefully before you play, and never take insurance. That’s a sucker’s bet. Likewise, if you’re playing video poker, it’s important to learn the correct strategy. With a good strategy, if you’re playing a full-pay video poker machine, you can beat the house edge, so video poker is a good game to play.

There are a few ways to walk out with more than you came in with. One is to use free chips. If you’re in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, you can go casino to casino trolling for free chips. Play through the free chips once, and walk out with your winnings if there are any. Resist the urge to play through more than once. Remember that the money you made is totally free. Another way to win is to use comps. If you like to play through a lot of cash, especially on slots or video poker, stick to one casino, get their club card, and earn some good comps. Getting a free show, meal, or night at the hotel is a way of beating the casinos too.

The third way to win requires a lot of discipline, and relies on the variance of random play. Set a very low win limit. For example, if you walk into the casino with $50 and you play slots or video poker, there will probably be a point when you reach $75. If you choose to leave the machine at that point, then you’ll have earned $25 clear. If you keep going for the big win, you’ll likely lose it all. The most important way to get the most out of your casino experience, though, is to have fun! If you had fun, then you’ve already beaten the casino.