Slots Strategy

Slots are the most popular game at any casino, whether we’re talking about an online casino or one on the Vegas strip. They are also probably the most misunderstood game. The problem stems from the fact that so many people try to beat the slots. They try to come up with a strategy that will guarantee success or at the very least reduce the amount of money they lose.

The truth is that there really is no slots strategy that works. There are tons of books written on the subject and an equal amount of websites, but none can deliver. The reason you can’t beat slots is the same reason they are so appealing: Slots are a game of chance.

The good news is that every time you spin a slot, you have an equal chance of winning. The bad news is that every time you spin a slot, you have an equal chance of winning. Get it? Your odds don’t change if you incorporate a betting strategy, if you time out your spins, if you keep track of its payouts or anything like that.

The biggest myth about slots regards hot slots and cold slots. The thinking is this: A slot that is paying out a lot at the moment will continue doing so because it is hot. Therefore, it’s a good slot to play. Conversely, a slot that hasn’t paid out in a while is cold and is therefore “due.” For that reason, it is a good slot to play.

The fact that a hot and cold slot are both said to be the slot to play should tell you something about the accuracy of that strategy. It doesn’t work. Slots are all controlled by a random number generator. That program generates a series of numbers hundreds of times every second and every number coincides with a certain outcome. That assures that each spin is independent of the next. If a slot has paid out 30 times in a row, it has exactly the same odds as if that same slot hadn’t paid out at all in the last 30 spins.

There is one thing you can do to increase your chances, though. Although your odds won’t ever change on the same machine, different slots have different odds. Some slots (called loose slots) pay out more often than others while others (called tight slots) pay out less often. Needless to say, you would rather play a loose slot.

Land-based casinos will often have a combination of loose slots, tight slots, and slots that are somewhere in between. The common theory is that casinos put loose slots on the aisles so people can see them pay out a lot. There is truth to this, but not all slots on the aisles are loose. They also put some tight slots there. That’s because the casinos know about that theory and they know people will play the slots on the aisle assuming they are all loose. To find a loose slot, you should observe their behavior, ask locals and other regulars, and do some other research. For online casinos, you can often find payout percentages online. You can sometimes find them for land-based casinos as well.

Do you need Blackjack Strategy?

Do you need to use blackjack basic strategy to win money? The short answer: Yes. The long answer…well, keep reading.

First of all, I should tell you what blackjack basic strategy is. A long time ago, a bunch of mathematicians who are a lot smarter than me decided to calculate the odds for every decision you have to make in blackjack. These decisions include when to hit, when to stand, when to double down, when to split a pair, when to surrender and more. The basic strategy takes into account the number of cards in a deck, your likelihood of drawing a certain card, your chances of busting, the dealer’s chances of busting, your odds of outdrawing the dealer and more.

Basically, blackjack basic strategy is really complicated, but the good news is that it’s easy to learn. If you Google “blackjack basic strategy chart” you will find the industry-accepted strategy. Study the chart, learn it and follow it and you’re good.

If you use perfect basic strategy and stick to it, in the long run you will reduce the house edge to only 0.5%. That means that means that the casino will take 1 cent of your money for every $2 you wager, and you will get to keep the rest. You will not often find better odds than that at a casino. Most of the money that casinos make off of blackjack are from people who don’t use basic strategy, which is why you should use it.

Once you learn basic strategy, you need to have the discipline to stick to it. You will sometimes get into losing streaks and it can be easy to say “this isn’t working; I’m going to try something new.” That is a bad idea and will lead to you losing more money in the long run.

Also, sometimes what seems like common sense actually goes against basic strategy. For instance, sometimes players will look at their hand, think it’s too low and decide to take a hit. The mistake they made is not noticing the good odds of the dealer busting. Other times the opposite will happen, where they will decide to stand, afraid of busting, even though the dealer likely already has their hand beat.

So do you need to use blackjack basic strategy? If you want to keep as much of your money as possible, the answer is yes. If you feel like being charitable and giving the money away, feel free to contact me instead of giving it to a casino. :)

Skill vs. Chance

If you are going to win at casino games, you need a strategy. Also important to know is which casino games can use strategy to influence your odds of winning and which casino games cannot really use strategy.

This difference boils down to Games of Skill and Games of Chance.

A Game of Skill is one in which the player uses a playing strategy to have an impact on the odds. These games are usually the ones in which you have a choice in how to play, such as poker and blackjack. In these two games, the player decides what to do with the cards he is dealt. He has a choice in what happens to his hand. The cards he is dealt at the beginning of a round and cards that are received throughout a round will be random, but what you do with those cards is up to you.

On the other hand a Game of Chance is one in which the player does not have a say in the outcome, such as slots, keno and roulette. In those games the player places their wager and hopes for the best, for the reels to land a winning combination; for their numbers to be picked; or for the ball to land on your number. But hoping is all you can do. You cannot choose how the reels will land; or influence what numbers are drawn; or where the ball stops.

Your first step in casino strategy is to recognize which are Games of Skill and which are Games of Chance. Once you have chosen a Game of Skill you can move on to building your playing strategy for that game.

A playing strategy serves as a guide in how to play that game so that you can increase advantageous moments in the game. But strategy is also important for minimalizing moments when you know your odds of winning are not all that great.

Your best bet at winning at a casino game is to pick one Game of Skill and learn a strategy for it, and then practice that strategy so that you can increase its effectiveness. Then you take that strategy and work it on your chosen Game of Skill.