Some players enter the casino and head straight to their favorite slot machine, video poker games or other preferred gambling pastimes. Others like to surf around and try different games. If you’re wandering around the casino site, maximize your casino visit by checking out the right tips for each individual game.
Video Poker
Too often, poker aficionados make the mistake of assuming that, having learned the basic strategy for one poker variation, they know the correct basic strategies for all different poker machines. That misconception can be costly. Each type of poker has its own strategies by which the player can maximize his/her hand.
For instance, in Texas Hold ‘Em, you want to play tight from early positions and loosen up gradually as you move to the dealer button. Your aim should be to create a strong hand through starting high pairs and high cards.
In Omaha poker, you want to focus on hands with connected and suited cards because those are the hands that can lead to strong draws. Mixtures of high and low cards are advantageous in Omaha poker.
If you play 7 Card Stud, the most important strategy involves paying attention to exposed cards including high pairs.
Draw poker variations are most winnable when you focus on choosing the right cards to discard based on the strength of your hand. The key to success in Draw poker involves discarding strategically.
Remember, basic strategy does not give you an advantage over the house but it does ensure you are playing as close to the house edge as possible.
In addition, when choosing the poker game that best suits you, you want to look for machines that offer the best pay tables. You’ll find the pay tables displayed on the machine, above where the cards are dealt. For instance, if you’re playing Jacks or Better, make sure that the pay table comes as close to 9/6 as possible. 9/5 and 8/5 are also good pay table rates.
Blackjack
Regardless of the blackjack variation that you are playing, there are some things that you can do (or should avoid) that will give you a better chance of getting as close to 21 as possible without going over that number.
For instance, under no circumstances, in any blackjack variation, should you take side bets or insurance. Side bets are the house’s advantage and things just go down from there if you take insurance.
If your blackjack variation offers the option to surrender, don’t be afraid to do so. Surrendering doesn’t mean that you aren’t a competent player. It just means that you’ve made a strategic assessment of your hand and decided that you’ll lose more if you stay in the hand.
Many of the elements of blackjack are random so you don’t have any control over them. If your hand seems unwinnable, exert control by surrendering before you add more money to an untenable situation.
Take advantage of the different opportunities offered by the different blackjack variations. In all blackjack variations, if the dealer has a weak upcard, double down on a hand.
Some specific strategies involve using extra caution in European blackjack since the dealer doesn’t receive a second hand until you’ve played your own hand whereas in Double Exposure Blackjack you can play a looser game because, thanks to the dealer’s cards being exposed, you have more information.
If you tend to think quickly on your feet you might want to try Blackjack Switch where you play two hands simultaneously, with the option to switch cards between hands to improve your overall position.
Finally, Pontoon Blackjack players don’t always know about the “five-card trick” but if you are acquainted with it, it can boost your results. Simply put, there’s a second-highest hand in Pontoon, a five-card hand that totals 21 or less. If you see that you won’t achieve the highest hand, aim for this second-highest hand.
Baccarat
It’s true that baccarat results are based entirely on luck and there’s no strategy involved.
However, the strategy for baccarat isn’t in the gameplay but in the betting. There are 3 types of bets in baccarat, Banker bets, Player bets and Tie bets. The Banker bet has the lowest house edge (1.06%). The Player bet has a house edge of 1.24%. The Tie bet has a house edge of between 10% and 14.36%. So, it’s a no-brainer. Don’t place a Tie bet. Ever.
Craps
Craps results are similar to baccarat results. There’s no strategy to the gameplay but the betting table involves a lot of strategy.
The best craps betting strategy involves the advice to bet on the Pass Line or the Don’t Pass Bet. House edge for Pass line is 1.41% while the house edge for Don’t Pass is 1.36%. Compare those odds to the Any Craps bet house edge of 11.11% which is the same house edge as that for a hard 4 bet.
A hard 6 or 8 bet has a house edge of 9.09%. When you get to the hard 2 bet the hard 12 bet and the hard hops bet you will be contending with a 13.89% house edge. And the worst craps bet is the Any Seven bet with a house edge of 16.67%.
Playing at the casino isn’t always a shot in the dark. If you stick to some basic common sense you CAN beat the odds!
