Winning at the Casino: How To Better Understand It

Written By Janice Doughtrey

Gambling can be a fun pastime for most adults. When a man hears that beautiful sound of hitting a large payout on a slot machine, or when he gets dealt a royal flush at the poker table, he is riding a massive high, a tidal wave of joy and invincibility. But, everyone knows that the house has the advantage over most games, and they always win in the end. So, how does he continue to win, continue to ride that wave? First, it depends on the type of game he chooses to play.

There are two types of games in the casino industry: games of skill and games of luck. Games of luck include the slot machines, lotto, scratch cards and bingo. Games of luck tend to command the casino market, yet these are the games that the house has more control over, thus the chances of winning are lower. Games of skill, which include poker, roulette, blackjack, craps and baccarat, are the games people should be playing if they want better odds at winning. The house still has an upper hand in skill games, just not as much.

Online gambling is a whole different story. Studies show that online gambling, especially online slots, are a fast growing market and may soon out-do the traditional way of gambling: in a casino. So, say we have a woman that doesn’t enjoy skill games, but loves the games of luck, and decides to try her hand online. Her chances of winning go up, but the payout is lower. That’s the catch 22 with online slots: higher frequency of winning, lower pay out. The thought of winning more often is a huge draw for a lot of people, and more and more people are willing to have lower payouts if it means winning more regularly.

Online games of luck and skill aren’t for everyone, though. Some people still love to feel the rigidity of the cards in their hand, the rush of getting dealt a winning flush, or knowing they’re going to hit that perfect combination on their favorite slot machine. Many poker players prefer to play in person, because it allows them to read their opponents, how to know when someone is bluffing or about to win the whole game. This is absolutely okay too. There are people that do both, gamble online and in the casino. It’s all about preference, but it is smart to remember where their odds are the best: and that’s either in games of skill or at an online slot. Because if they’re going to play, why not raise their chances and make it worth their while?