6 Things You’ll Only Do At a Casino If You’re Clever
I knew you were going to read this article! It’s because you’re clever (I can tell by how pretty you are). You want to make sure you’re living up to expectations by checking out our list of things that only a clever person would do. When you visit a casino and do the following things, it means you’re one of the smart ones.
1: Clever people visit casinos for the experience, not the win
If you go to the casino to get rich, you either know a sure-fire cheat or you’re too confident in lady luck. Your number one priority when visiting a casino should be entertainment. There’s so much more to the experience than gambling. That might sound funny, but there are all sorts of things going on.
It’s a place to socialise, have a few drinks, eat some food, and play games. You should make an evening out of it in the same way you might make an evening of cinema and a meal, or pub then club.
A win is a bonus, that’s it.
2: Clever people play a range of games
I’ve seen plenty of people get in a rut with their casino games. They’ll stick to the same game all the time. Some of them like the slots because there’s not much strategy and it’s a good way to unwind. Other people like poker because it’s high strategy and there’s some kudos involved in winning.
But that’s not the best way to get the most out of a night at the casino. We’re humans; we thrive on variation. I think most people can relate to the need for variation – it’s 2020, many of us have been stuck in groundhog day doing the same things all the time. It’s boring.
We need variation and this is true in all walks of life. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
So when you visit a casino, plan your budget so you can get a little taste of everything that the casino has to offer.
3. Clever people play small
If you follow the principles outlined above, then, unless you’re super-rich, you’ll make relatively small bets. The smaller bets mean that you’ll get to play for longer. If you blow through your money quickly, you’ll be bored in an hour and your clever friends will still be playing.
Everyone has at least one blow-out session at a casino, but most of us learn our lessons after that. There’s nothing worse than feeling like a plum sitting at the bar nursing a coke (or worse, water) while the people you came with carry on having a good time.
4. Clever people play slow
Not because playing slow makes the money last longer, but because playing slowly helps you make better decisions. You need to give yourself time to think when gambling.
With slot machines, if you’re going too fast, it’s easy to miss opportunities. I’ve been guilty of this, spinning the wheel and then realising just as they get going again that there were a couple of holds I should have made. With games like poker, you need the extra time to plan out your next move and to second guess opponents.
If you go too fast, you can lose opportunities to win, but you can also make it more likely that you’ll lose. You’re also much more likely to play too fast when you’re on either a losing streak or a winning streak because they’re two sides of the same coin. With one, you tilt because you’re trying to chase losses, with the other you get carried away with excitement and tilt.
Tip: if you’re slowing down an already fast-paced table, it might be time to find a different table. It’s not good to annoy other customers because that can have a detrimental effect on the dealer’s tips – people who are in a bad mood are less likely to tip. If the dealer starts losing money because you’re affecting the atmosphere, they’ll make the play less enjoyable for you. Always keep your dealers happy.
5. Clever people accept that gambling will slowly take their money
Clever people set a budget before they visit the casino and stick to it once there. This is the amount of money they’re willing to spend on the entertainment factor. It’s a night out, so budget as if you’re having a night out. What would you expect to pay for cinema and a meal? £100? £50? It’s a similar ballpark.
You know that the casino will take your money eventually, so see your budget as the amount you’re willing to pay for a fun night out.
6. Clever people aren’t afraid to walk away from a game that’s not paying out
There’s a logical fallacy called “The Gambler’s Fallacy“. This is the idea that if a game hasn’t paid out for a while, it’s overdue a win. Unfortunately, statistics don’t work that way. The universe doesn’t load the dice (yeah, I know I sound like Einstein there but it’s not the same quote and I’m not sure I even understand his quote…maybe I’m not one of the clever people after all? Surely not!). When you roll a 6, the next roll doesn’t change your odds of rolling a 6 – you always have a 1 in 6 chance of rolling 6.
You could flip a coin landing 5 heads in a row, but the next flip isn’t more likely to be tails. This is what clever people know, and why they’ll walk away when they’re losing. Many people will stay and play thinking that the game must be about to payout, but it doesn’t work that way. You need to know when to walk away and when to stay: you walk away once you’ve spent (or before you’ve spent if you want to try a different game) your allocated budget.
