Lost A Lot Of Money At Casino
- The player slowly lost all his gains and an additional $2.2 million to the casino. He hanged himself in the suite that night. Word had it that he was on the verge of bankruptcy and this was his final resort.” (The dealer quit after this incident.) #6 – $20,000 profit turns into a $5,000 loss.
- The key statistic to determine how much you are likely to lose is called the payback percentage. Blackjack has a payback percentage of 98.5% whenyou play with the basic strategy, which means if you bet $100 over many hands you are likely to win $98.50 back and only lose about $1.50. That’s not horribly expensive entertainment, is it?
How to gamble at a casino without losing a lot of money
I love to gamble. It might seem strange for a guy that writes two articles a week about how frugal I am to visit a casino, because it really isn’t a very wise investment, but it isn’t as strange as it seems. Most gambling games are nothing but math and statistics, so I am attracted to it. Even if you aren’t as into stats as I am, the occasional win is very exciting, and it is fun to fantasize about what you would do if you won big.
Now we all know that you are probably going to lose, but if you play smart you should be able to spend less money gambling than you would on a show, and have more fun for that money. Here’s how:
Make your first deposit I Lost A Lot Of Money In Casino to have your money matched 100% up to £100 and 300 spins on Starburst awarded! Bonus works Gamble Responsibly BeGambleAware.org. 18+, T&C Apply, New Customers Only. $250 January 7, 2018. 5 Easy Card Games to Learn and Play Online.
Pick the right game
The key statistic to determine how much you are likely to lose is called the payback percentage. Blackjack has a payback percentage of 98.5% whenyou play with the basic strategy, which means if you bet $100 over many hands you are likely to win $98.50 back and only lose about $1.50. That’s not horribly expensive entertainment, is it? Here are some other good choices:
| Game | Payback percentage |
|---|---|
| Blackjack | 99.25% |
| Craps (basic bet) | 98.6% |
| Pai Gow Poker | 97.5% |
| Roulette (red or black) | 94.7% |
| Video poker | varies machine to machine |
All of these games have payback percentages much higher than slot machines which are as low as 80%. The worst gamble you can make by the way is the lottery which is usually less than 50%. That is why it is illegal for anybody except the government to run a lottery.
Play low limits
Since you know you are probably going to lose more than you win, it’s a good idea to gamble as little as possible to reduce the size of those losses. To do that look for table games that have the lowest minimum bet, and make sure you don’t bet more than that minimum.
On many table games you will have an option to bet on some kind of bonus that pays extra if certain conditions are met. Never play these bonuses, they are for suckers and have lousy payback percentages. You will probably find that sooner or later you hit whatever combination it takes to get paid the bonus. When this happens people sitting at the table who are bad at math will point out that you made a mistake by not playing the bonus because you could have won a lot of money. Ignore these people and remind yourself that you would lose a lot more than you would win in the long run.
So where do you find the lowest table minimums? The short answer is Downtown. The long answer is that they vary from casino to casino. You can search on cheapovegas.com to find the lowest minimums.
So what do you do if you don’t know how to play table games but want to gamble? You play really low limit slot machines. If you are playing for a nickel per pull you will know you are likely to lose a good percentage of the nickels you put into a machine, but it takes a lot of nickels for it to add up enough to matter.
Know the game
For heavens sake, don’t bet real money on a game that you don’t know how to play. The last time I played black jack I found myself sitting next to a very nice couple who were making very bad decisions that lead to them losing many hands they should have been winning. I don’t normally like to bother people, but I was horrified that these nice people were losing money they shouldn’t have been, so I finally asked if they wanted some advice. They welcomed my advice, so I spent a few minutes teaching them basic strategy, and before long they were winning almost as much as they were losing.
So before you play a game for money, at least know how to play it. All you have to do is a google search along the lines of ” How do I play __________”
So how much does gambling cost?
If you follow these 3 basic rules: Pick games with low house advantages, bet small amounts of money, and know how to play the games you can limit your losses. So how much does it really cost to gamble on average? Less than you might think. The table below shows how many wagers per hour you might expect to play, how much you would expect to wager in an hour if you are betting $5 per hand, and how much you would expect to lose in an hour. Keep in mind this is only an average and can vary wildly. In actual practice there are times when you will win quite a bit in an hour, and times when you will lose quite a bit.
| Blackjack | Craps | Pai Gow Poker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg loss per hand | 70 | 48 | 34 |
| $ wagered per hour at $5/ hand | $350 | $240 | $170 |
| $ won back per hour | $347.38 | $237.64 | $165.75 |
| $ lost per hour | $2.63 | $3.36 | $4.25 |
Is that less than you thought? Yeah, it’s really pretty cheap entertainment on average. It’s pretty obvious that those huge Las Vegas Casinos weren’t payed for by people paying $2.63/ hour to gamble. They were paid for by people dumb enough to think they could win, people who didn’t know what they were doing, or people that didn’t care how much they lost. If you play smart, you can get your money’s worth.
Disclaimer:All the numbers that appear in this article are averages. At times they will be much, much worse. Gambling is not a wise financial decision and you should never gamble more than you can afford to lose. You gamble at your own risk and artofbeingcheap.com assumes no responsiblity for the advice given in this or any other article.Photo by Gchampeau
Casinos can be a great pastime. They have something for everyone. If the thrill of spinning slots isn’t your thing, maybe you’d prefer doubling down at the blackjack table. When you win, it feels awesome; that’s the appeal that brings people to the casinos in the first place.
While it’s fun to win, we all have our losing streaks. Sometimes we lose a lot. I once lost $100 in 10 minutes at a video poker machine. We’ve all heard of the house edge, but is it possible to increase your own edge?
We’re about to shed some light on the situation. With a little luck, you’ll be able to turn your fortune around. Here’s why you lose money at the casino.
Managing your bankroll is the most important thing you can do at the casino. We all want to bet big on the games. After all, the bigger the bet, the bigger the win.
The problem is you can’t guarantee a win every time. You can’t even guarantee a win every dozen games. If you have a bankroll of $60 and lose three $20 bets, you just blew through your whole budget in two minutes.
Take into consideration how long you want to play. If you’ve got a bankroll of $60, why not split it into smaller bets of $1 per hand? At least this way, you’ll get to play 60 rounds and stand a stronger chance of winning. The rewards may be smaller, but you’ll get a lot more entertainment playing two hours than two minutes.
This may seem like a silly thing to say, but you might be playing the wrong games. If you’re losing every time, you might want to try something new.
When you’re selecting a casino game, it’s important to consider the house edge. In general, finding a game with a lower house edge gives you better chance of winning. If you’re used to luck-based games like slots or roulette, you might want to try skill-based games like blackjack or video poker.
In fact, video poker is a really good choice for machine players. Slot machines can vary in regard to house edge, ranging between a low of 5% and a high of 30%. With Jacks or Better video poker, you will recover 99.54% of your money throughout your lifetime. Add in a lifetime of comped drinks, and you’ve made out like a bandit.
Many people search for casino game strategies. You’ve probably done it yourself at one time or another. The problem with a lot of strategies is that you either have to be an expert player with a spreadsheet of numbers in your head, or you need a massive bankroll.
Don’t fall into the mindset of thinking, “Well, if I use this system, it’s bound to work in the end.” We do not recommend counting cards or increasing your bet after every loss. Unless you’re a billionaire with a near-unlimited bankroll, those are losing strategies. Unless you have unlimited money, you cannot beat the house, period.
Casinos know these strategies don’t work. You can almost see the curt smile on the dealer’s face as you double your bet again and again. Instead of using a strategy like this, manage your bankroll in the ways noted earlier. Be smart about it.
While there are some skill-based games, casinos are all about luck. You’re going to suffer losses along the way. Even professional gamblers cannot guarantee they’ll always win, because gambling relies on a certain amount of luck.
Don’t let a loss or a losing streak get to you.
It’s common for players to suffer a loss and then start throwing out higher bets without thinking. You need to remain logical and, again, manage your bankroll effectively.
Casino gaming should be fun. If you get angry or stressed, it’s time to stop. Don’t throw away everything you have left in an attempt to get even. It’s not going to work. Never has, never will.