Casino Gambling 101

by Gayle Mitchell

Hey Binky--yeah, you in the corner, sitting and watching the action because you've lost your money in the first couple of hours of play. You need a fast-track casino education. Cheer up, tag along with me, and learn how to have more fun, make your gambling dollars last longer and walk away with money in your pocket.

In ten years of writing and teaching seminars about Intelligent Gambling, I routinely focus on two key areas of education that beginners should examine in preparation for any casino visit. They are the best games with specific strategies and wager management. Table games and slots with certain playing conditions and/or rules determine the casino advantage or cp (casino percentage). Therefore, you should target specific strategies for casino games that, when played correctly, will result in a cp of less than 3%. Games like Keno, Big Wheel and certain roulette bets are eliminated immediately as the cp is above 3%. I have listed some of the best games and strategies below.

Additionally, a wager management plan is essential before any casino visit. In this plan, you decide what you will spend, how big your bets will be and when you will quit playing. Start by deciding on the total bankroll for your trip and divide into 4-hour sessions. Following are five best casino bets and strategies: 1) Blackjack: With learned strategies, you can reduce the casino advantage to the much-desired even odds utilizing solid hit/stand strategies and card counting.

2) Video Poker is the best machine bet. The two techniques that are mandatory to becoming an educated and prepared video poker player are: 1) how to read a pay schedule with additional education to know the difference between short/partial pay and full-pay versions, plus 2) corresponding strategies for each of the VP games selected. Examples of the best ‘full-pay' schedules are: Jacks or Better, Deuces, Jokers Wild, Bonus and Double Bonus VP.

3) Baccarat and Mini-Baccarat is the recommended game for casino players who want to learn a card game with a low house advantage and an alternative to blackjack. Easy to learn and easy decision here: Bet Banker or Player.

4) Craps: there are very good and very bad bet decisions in this game, however the intelligent gambler knows and plays the difference to their advantage. Four of the good bets are Pass Line, Come plus both with Odds bets.

5) Certain Slot Machines: three versions are placed at most casinos"�basic slots with a single payline, progressives and bonus multi-line slots. Basic and some bonus slots offer the biggest hit for your gambling bucks.

When you are ready to expand your casino education, you should include the games of Live Poker, Pai-Gow Poker and Sportsbetting. Additionally, casino selections must be a consideration, as ‘locals' casino offerings and comps definitely favor the player.

Online players: take the time to search out the top picks.

With these best bets in the hands of educated gamblers, they are provided the envious advantage of diversification"�moving confidently from one game to another, with the knowledge and tools to profit from any casino experience.

Diversification is one of what I call the Four D's of Intelligent Gambling.
1) Development means education.
2) Dexterity is your playing skill. You get something for your money when you are a skilled player.
3) Discipline conjures up images of homework, final exams, exercise, eating right...oh my! We don't like to think about discipline. But, discipline can be a gambler's best friend. It's what separates the winners from the losers.
4) Diversification is my favorite 'D'. It means learning and practicing all of the best games in a casino. You will discover great satisfaction in knowing that if one of these games lets you down (and they all will at one time or another), you have other choices.

Normally, casinos "hold all the cards,"� so to speak, with high odds against gamblers winning. However, there are ways to restack those odds in your favor. With short-term play, for example, the law of averages does not have time to kick in and a knowledgeable player has a good chance of overcoming the casino's stranglehold.

Lastly, remember, "Not only do you have good luck with a gambling education, but you are making your luck"�

Gayle Mitchell's website is: www.GamblingTeachers.com