The casino world can often feel exclusive and overbearing. Although some people enjoy throwing themselves in heard first, others like to take a more cautious, measured approach. For those looking for expert guidance, we have put together some advice and viewpoints from the most experienced players in the game. By using one of the top 10 casinos for UK players with advice provided, you can be sure to get more out of your casino experience than ever before.
Managing Your Bankroll
Dynamic Budget Allocation
Adjusting your bankroll is everything when it comes to casino games. As V.P. Pappy says, “Gambling is not about how well you play the games, it’s really about how well you handle your money.”
V.P. Pappy is an experienced poker player, and what he’s getting at is that discipline is more important that being good at the games in all other areas. To avoid chasing losses is huge, and something many of us struggle with. On the flip side, it implies that we must know when to walk away when winning, too. No matter how much you’re up, if you cannot handle your own money, you may throw it all away in the same night.
Gambling author John Patrick has something to say about this too in his book Money Management for Gamblers. He claims those who are considered chance-lovers need to set realistic expectations. This can break bad habits and can mean you walk away from the table sooner, because of being less of an optimist.
Using Betting Systems
Betting strategies are something that experts like to weigh in on, because they’re often associated with more advanced or experienced players. Martingale involves doubling your bet after each loss until you win again (in an attempt to perfectly recover losses plus a small profit), while the Fibonacci system uses a betting size sequence of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and so on (the two previous numbers add up to the next number).
The truth is, most experts warn against these two betting systems. John Grochowski claims that no betting system can ever overcome the inherent edge that the house has. In fact, he claims these systems are dangerous as they can lead to enormous losses in a hurry. In the long run, they don’t increase your chances of winning, but instead make you fairly aggressive in chasing losses. This is bad casino play.
Strategies for Different Casino Games
Optimizing Blackjack Strategy
Just because arbitrary betting systems don’t work well, it doesn’t mean that each game doesn’t have its own strategy. Optimal play can be made in Blackjack through using the charts to cut down the house edge. Most of the basics can be learned over a weekend.
However, to go a step further in altering the house edge, something that you rarely get to do, it may be possible through card counting. This works in real-life casinos unlike online ones, but it’s tricky and a grey area when it comes to breaking the rules.
Expert Michael Shackleford claims that it can be a long-term winning position, but is actually more volatile than flat betting. So, while the edge can be turned in your favor in the long run (only if you perfectly count them and the casino isn’t too advanced in its shuffling), many counters can still crash out early when the variance goes against them.
In this sense, it’s wise to away from tables that go cold. But this kind of overt activity can draw unwanted attention.
Advanced Poker Tactics
In poker, skills like bluffing and reading opponents are almost everything. However, more than ever before, players are playing mathematically. The Upswing Poker academy tries to teach its player to play in a tight range of strong/playable hands, and these need to be played aggressively. Playing all aggressively, which will include more speculative weaker hands, helps disguise your really good hands.
They also claim that while bluffing is an important skill, it should be done when the hand still has hope down the line (i.e. a possible run). This gives you two ways to win and is called a semi-bluff.
One of the most difficult skills is adjusting your betting size in multi-way pots. The experts claim that a common mistake made by players of all skills is c-betting too large on the flop against two or more players. Small c-bets can help force players out of the pot for a cheap price, meaning you can extract value from made hands that you otherwise wouldn’t feel comfortable betting with.
Final Word
All in all, it is worth listening to what the experienced players advise. While you may simply play for fun and entertainment, it’s still worth improving. However, it’s also worth remembering that some games involve more skill than others. And, for those that are mostly chance, it may be best to not think too much about them.
