Players trying to beat casinos’ house edge is a tale as old as time—or, at least, as long as gambling.
In the past, methods such as rigging the roulette wheel, bribing the dealers, or manipulating the blackjack cards were widely deployed. Of course, if discovered, you could get your legs broken, or worse.
Today, the penalties aren’t so severe. In a worst-case scenario you’ll end up with a fine or a light prison sentence, but typically you’ll simply be banned from the casino.
While card counting and edge-sorting represent the cutting edge techniques in the arsenal of modern brick and mortar casino cheats, a relatively short history of UK online casino cheats also exists that uses ingenious methods to wrestle back the house edge from casinos.
Want to learn how to beat the casino without taking any unnecessary risks? Read on for our top tips on how to beat the casino in 2022!
What Is House Edge in Casinos?
Have you ever heard of the phrase “the house always wins”?
If you have, you probably already know that casinos have an advantage against anyone who makes a bet. As such, “house edge” is a term that describes how much a player is going to lose to the house (the casino or the gambling institution).
3 Other Similar Factors to the House Edge
The house edge is not the only factor you should consider while calculating how much you can end up losing to a casino.
Here are 3 other important variables to keep in mind:
- Stake size – The amount of money you bet each time will eventually become a multiplier for all of your wins and losses. So, the more you bet the more you are bound to lose.
- Plays per hour – With every additional game you play per hour, you get closer to the house edge loss expectancy. That’s why it’s a good idea to calculate your plays per hour. You can do so by multiplying three variables: your intended stake, the number of intended plays per hour, and house edge/100.
- Time spent playing – If you play for a long amount of time, you are highly likely to lose a lot more money than if you play for a shorter period. This is particularly true for games such as baccarat, which do not require rigorous strategy.
6 Top Ways to Beat the Casino
Now that you’re in the loop about the different variables benefitting the casino, here are the 6 top ways to tackle them and get the upper hand:
#1. Use Promotions Intelligently
If a casino is giving away £25,000 during the month in bonuses or promotions, you can be sure that they’ve calculated that they will make more than that from players who will participate in the promotion.
An individual player may be lucky or unlucky but, even by only playing promotions, the bottom line is calculated in such a way that no one player can overcome the house edge in the long term.
However, consider the following: you can find ten casinos giving away £25,000 or the equivalent in prizes. Now, if you spread your play across these new casinos you will not be playing merely for £25,000, but for £250,000.
No one casino could afford to run a permanent £250k promotion as it would negate the house edge—and that’s exactly what a smart player can take advantage of. Basically, by spreading their play across ten casinos, the player is effectively playing a constant £250k promotion.
#2. Choose Games with a Low House Edge
It’s generally a good idea to stick to games with a low house edge. Those games can include roulette (2.5% house edge), baccarat (1.5% house edge), poker, and blackjack, where the house edge can become as little as 0.5%.
Casino slots are also a great option. Most of the online casino slots have a Return To Player (RTP) of 96%, which means that for every $100 that you play with, you will get $96 back.
#3. Strategize
When it comes to beating the house edge, it’s important to strategize. Every game requires you to use different tactics, so it’s a good idea to start with free casino games or games where you can make small bets.
If you are not the kind of person who can or wishes to create a personalized strategy, then you can always search online for ready-made strategies that you can adopt or modify to your liking.
#4. Take Breaks and Know When to Quit
If you decide to play in one session, the longer you stay there the more likely you are to lose money. That’s why you should take a break from playing every now and again.
This way you can take a moment to think about your game and strategy and how to improve them to secure a win. Knowing when to quit a game is just as important. If you don’t, you can easily end up in a lose-lose situation, because with every additional game you play, you’ll be getting closer to the house edge loss expectancy.
#5. Never Chase Your Losses
It is understandable why you may be drawn to increase your stake to break even if you are continuously facing small losses, but that’s the wrong playing strategy.
However, you should remember that you can easily end up in a bad financial situation if you decide to increase the stake and make a streak out of it.
#6. Only Play With What You Can Afford to Lose
You can bet and lose just as easily as you can bet and win. That’s why you should make sure to only play with leftover cash or the amount of money that you can actually afford to lose so that you don’t end up in a grave financial situation.
House Edge by Game
As we already mentioned, some games have a higher house edge than others.
If you want to keep that into account when you choose what to play, here are the most popular games divided by house edge:
#1. Slots House Edge
Slot games are where casinos make the most profit. Slots generally offer small RTPs, which means that the return percentage for the player is minimized and the house edge for the casino is maximized.
However, if you love playing slot games it’s a great idea to look for high payout slot games, such as the ones that are around 99% and over.
In this case, the house edge becomes as small as 1% or even 0.5% for some slots.
#2. Blackjack House Edge
In addition to the player’s luck, skills and knowledge play a big role when it comes to blackjack. If you play with standard rules and basic strategy, then the house edge is typically 0.5%. But if you are an inexperienced player, the house edge can increase as you are more likely to make some mistakes while playing.
If you would like to maximize your profit and bring down the house edge to as little as 0.18%, then you should use blackjack charts and composition strategies. While charts show different outcome options, strategies help you determine what cards are left to be drawn from the deck.
#3. Roulette House Edge
When it comes to roulette, the house edge varies depending on the style of the game you are playing. If we compare American and European roulette, we will see that in American roulette with every dollar you spend you lose 0.0526 cents, while with European roulette you lose 0.027 cents.
However, when it comes to long-term return, the house edge in American roulette is 5.26% while in the European one it is as little as 2.7%. This means that European roulette offers a smaller house edge and higher chances of maximizing your profit.
FAQ on Beating the Casino’s House Edge
Do you still have some questions regarding beating the casino? Check out our answers to the most frequently asked questions by other players:
#1. Can You Beat the House Edge?
While completely beating the house edge isn’t a realistic outcome, there are practical ways to minimize your losses and make the most out of your gaming experience.
To do so you should take a look at the 6 top ways we have provided in this article. If you start using these tips for your upcoming games, you will have a higher chance of beating the house than you would without this knowledge.
#2. How Do You Reduce House Edge in Blackjack?
One of the ways to reduce the house edge in blackjack is to double down on more than two cards. Nowadays, casinos allow you to double down on three or more cards. You should take advantage of this feature if you would like to decrease the house edge by 0.2%.
#3. What Is the Average House Edge?
The average house edge varies depending on the type of casino game. For instance, casino slots’ house edge is in between 5% and 10% on average. For blackjack, it’s 0.5% if you play with standard rules and basic strategy. For roulette, it can be either 2.7% (European style) or 5.26% (American style), and so on.