Casino Gambling For Dummies

Kevin Blackwood, Swain Scheps

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781119873129
• eBook ISBN: 9781119873143
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Maximize your odds on the casino floor

Casinos are designed for distraction, so it helps to know a bit about when the odds are in your favor and when they're not before you push a stack of chips onto a table. Professional blackjack player Kevin Blackwood and lifelong sports bettor Swain Scheps know a thing or two about casino gambling. In Casino Gambling For Dummies, these seasoned gaming veterans guide you through the essential strategies for walking out of the casino ahead of the game. They also show you the most common mistakes made by players, helping you avoid gambling risks while you enjoy what the gaming industry has to offer.

Learn to see past the flashing lights, decide how much you're willing to wager, and find out how to enjoy yourself. In this book, you'll also discover:

• Step-by-step walkthroughs of casino etiquette and the rules of common casino games, including poker and blackjack
• Explanations of video poker and slots and ways to avoid losing more than you're comfortable with
• Explorations of online gambling, so you can enjoy the fun of a casino from the comfort of your home

The perfect guide for anyone looking for an easy introduction to the world of casino gaming, Casino Gambling For Dummies is also an essential resource for those seeking to improve their odds at blackjack, craps, video poker, slots, and other games.

Part 1

Casino Gambling Basics: Everything You Need to Know to Start

IN THIS PART …

Learn how casinos work and how you can work the casinos.

Prepare yourself for what to expect when you visit a casino.

Get the skinny on your chances of success and which games offer the best odds.

Learn how to manage — and stretch — your gambling bankroll.

Chapter 1

Casino Gambling 101: The Inside Scoop

IN THIS CHAPTER

Entering the world of casino gambling

Tallying up the casino’s many offerings

Pinpointing casinos on the gambling map

Testing your gambling aptitude

In spite of the popularity of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer during golf’s first golden era, Gary Player was always a fan favorite. The South African’s diminutive size made for a less-than-intimidating physical presence in the tee box. But Player’s welterweight appearance belied a heavyweight swing.

Believe it or not, casino gambling is a lot like golf. And, no, not because both games are about going for the green. Golf is all about technique, skill, and knowledge. And masters of the game are inspiring to watch. With swings as graceful and elegant as a ballet dancer’s leap, they make each challenging stroke look effortless. The pros seem to play as smoothly as those on the PGA tour. But, as in golf, the successful player has gathered important knowledge and studied effective strategies to finesse the outcome in their favor.

In other words, casino pros aren’t winners just because they’re lucky, any more than Jordan Spieth is a golf god because the angels of the green have smiled upon him. The greats of the poker tournament circuit may look like they could take the table in their sleep — but they’re skilled, savvy, and have studied the game diligently.

It’s okay if you’re not planning to become the Jordan Spieth of blackjack … or the Brooks Koepka of Keno … or the Xander Schauffele of slots (say that ten times fast). Your gambling aspirations should look like your golf ambitions: Play a little better, win more often, and enjoy the experience as much as possible. And you have every reason to believe that you can attain your goal. But success requires knowledge, strategy, and some skill. You’ve come to the right place. This chapter (and book) can provide the preparation you need to help you find your swing in the casino.

Entering the Casino: What You’re Up Against

The first secret to gambling success is to understand the inner workings of the casino world before you’re seduced by the flash and dazzle. Casinos are sophisticated and highly successful enterprises — and they don’t get that way by giving away money. Your best bet, then, is to be aware of basic casino operations so you can manipulate the experience to your advantage.

Marketing their way to your wallet

They see you coming from miles away. They know exactly who you are, how much money you make, what you like and dislike, and whether you’re married, single, or divorced. Who are these omniscient watchers who track your secrets? The IRS? CIA? Al-Qaeda?

None of the above. I’m talking about the marketing gurus at modern casinos. They’re constantly studying reams of data on millions of gamblers to develop profiles of guests who most willingly spend their discretionary income on a couple of hours of distraction.

Nothing is left to chance in a modern casino. Every possible element, from the design of the wallpaper to the thickness of the carpet, is there to draw you in and keep you gambling as long as possible. All the colors, sights, sounds, and sensations serve one purpose: to make you happy — even when you lose.

Accepting the odds: The house rules

The casino’s first commandment is “The house shall always win.” A couple of games permit sharp players to break even or eke out a small edge occasionally. But casinos are in business to make money, so winning is a losing proposition for most players.

Why? Three good reasons:

• In many games, the casino doesn’t pay out true odds.
  In roulette, for example, the odds of betting on the right number are 37 to 1. That means you can expect to guess right once for every 37 spins of the wheel. But if you win, the payout is only 35 to 1 — or $35 profit for every $1 you bet. The difference between 37 and 35 seems small, but that discrepancy actually gives the house one of its biggest edges. (Refer to Chapter 3 for an explanation of true odds and Chapter 9 for more info on roulette.)
• The casino has a house edge — a mathematical advantage over the player in any game. Throughout the casino, players must overcome odds that aren’t favorable to winning. (Read more about the edge in Chapter 3.)
  Your goal is to find games where the casino has the lowest edge. Craps is a great example. This fun, exciting game offers great odds — if you stay away from the bad bets. We explore craps in Chapter 8.
  To get the lowdown on house edge in other games, check out the individual chapters in Parts II and III.
• The house charges a vigorish (commission) in some games, such as sports betting. (Check out Chapter 15.)

Protecting your money with a plan

For most people, developing a strategy for doling out their gambling bankroll can keep them out of serious trouble. Set a budget and stick to it. Consider contingencies (such as losing your bankroll in the first few minutes of your visit) and know how to respond when your wallet gets whacked.

Your strategy, however, is only as good as your willpower. Nothing jacks up casino profits faster than undisciplined gamblers. If you’re an impulsive type, then gambling may leave your bank account looking like it just went 15 rounds with a heavyweight boxing champion. (Refer to Chapter 4, where we discuss important money-management issues.)

Now, it’s certainly true that most people can save their money by avoiding casinos altogether. So, for folks who don’t want to lose money: Don’t gamble! But the conservative and prudent path in life isn’t the only choice. (And that would make for a very short book.) Gambling can be a great way to spice up a vacation and break out of a boring routine. Gambling is all about taking a risk — exposing yourself to a chance of loss.

Don’t overdo it. Government studies show that as many as 1 in every 25 adults has a problem with compulsive gambling. Think about that the next time you sit down at a blackjack table. Several people in the pit probably shouldn’t be there. Could you be one of them? Gambling addiction is a serious matter. (Refer to Appendix B for some helpful info.)

Identifying the colors of the rainbow

Knowledge is power and is your only ally against the formidable forces that threaten to separate you from your hard-earned cash. One piece of knowledge you definitely need, particularly if you’re going to wade into the shark-infested waters of table games, is the varying colors and matching denominations of standard casino chips, the little round tokens you use when you bet.

The casinos make this bit easy for you because the chips also have a denomination printed on them so that you know the red chip, for instance, is worth $5 and the green chip is worth $25. The following is a standard list of casino-chip colors, as well as their corresponding values:

• White: $1
• Red: $5
• Green: $25
• Black: $100
• Purple: $500
• Burgundy or Yellow: $1,000
• Brown: $5,000

Playing the Games: What’s Your Poison?

Casino games are as diverse as the people who play them — and that’s part of the fun. You may think of craps as a rough-and-tumble game, played by hustlers and wiseguys, but step into a casino, and you’re just as likely to spot an angelic-looking nurse rolling dice next to a cursing cowboy from Texas. And because no game has a precise player profile, don’t restrict yourself to the few games you think suit you. Give each one a try and see where it takes you.

Although the majority of casino visitors prefer slot machines, chances are, if you’re reading this book, you’re willing to try new ways to gamble. After you read this book and know which games have the best odds, take a quick walk around the casino floor to see where you want to start and give several of them a try.

Touring the table games

In a casino, the tables come in all shapes and sizes, from the stadium shape of poker tables, to the half-round crescent of blackjack, and to the long rectangular craps tables. And the table is just about all they have in common.

Unspoken rules seem to govern the table games. Most casino guests have discovered from experience to avoid the taboos: holding your cards with two hands, touching chips in the betting circle after the cards are dealt, and throwing the dice so wildly that they fly over the rail and end up in somebody’s drink. You can discover general casino etiquette in Chap...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1: Casino Gambling Basics: Everything You Need to Know to Start
• Part 2: Conquering the Table Games
• Part 3: Beyond the Tables: Slots, Video Poker, Sports Betting, and More
• Part 4: Taking Casino Gambling to a Different Level
• Part 5: The Part of Tens
• Appendix A: Important Resources
• Index
• About the Authors
• Connect with Dummies
• End User License Agreement