Taking a day or weekend trip to the casino is fun whether you’re with your buddies, your wife, or even just yourself. How many activities can you say that about?
With that being said, simply going to the casino doesn’t necessarily guarantee a good time. Anytime money is involved, and potentially alcohol for that matter, there is a potential for things to go, well, south.
As long as you avoid costly mistakes, you should be able to come out the other side with a smile. In this article, I’ll lay out the top 5 mistakes you should try hard to avoid during your next casino trip.
1 – Not Planning Out Which Games You’ll Play
You never know what’s going to catch your eye when you step out on the casino floor! Unfortunately, the things that will grab your attention are likely to be the games with the worst odds in the whole place.
Machines like the dreaded Big Six (seriously, don’t play this) and loud, obnoxious slot machines are going to be calling out for you to play them. If you don’t already have a plan in place, you could become a victim of these games with a high house edge.
The best way to avoid this is to create a strategy that involves determining which games you’re going to play throughout the course of your day. Obviously there is some room for trying your hand at some games you didn’t include on the list, but not having a guide to work off of is risky.
If you’re having trouble deciding which games should go on your list, look no further than some of the casino classics. For starters, blackjack does give players a tremendous opportunity to make some money, but be sure you’re familiar with all of the correct strategies or you won’t enjoy the low house edge.
Additionally, favorites like roulette or craps also provide an easy gameplay experience with a high upside if you know what you’re doing…and get a little bit lucky along the way. Be wary of putting too much of your money into something like poker, unless you’re an experienced player who won’t get taken advantage of by others.
A little luck goes a long way in the casino, but having a plan goes even further. Go in with a strategy and you won’t be wandering around throwing your money at every game with bright lights and loud noises.
2 – Not Taking Breaks
In the heat of the moment, walking away from the table is probably the last thing you want to do. With that being said, taking a few breaks throughout the course of your day is essential.
One of the psychological tactics that the casino does actually use (because there are plenty of myths out there surrounding the topic), is that they want to eliminate all concept of time.
For Example:
Think of the lack of clocks you’ll find on the floor. Second, consider the complete lack of windows that tell you time is actually carrying on outside the casino walls.
The reason casinos do this is because they know that without time to act as a guide, you can go down a gambling rabbit hole to a point where it’s hard to take a step back. One way to make sure this doesn’t happen is by taking breaks on a regular basis.
Nobody wants to walk away during a hot streak. Oddly enough, nobody wants step away when they’re losing money either. However, if you aren’t giving yourself some time to recalibrate, you run the risk of making bad decisions that could ruin the whole day.
The lack of clocks can make it difficult to remember to take breaks at predetermined intervals, so use your phone or your watch. Set an alarm to vibrate every half hour, and let this act as a reminder to always give yourself a few minutes to decompress.
3 – Not Observing Casino Etiquette
The casino is its own little subculture in which certain unwritten (and sometimes written) rules must be followed. If you haven’t spent a ton of time in casinos in the past, it can be easy to gloss over a few of these rules and forget they even exist.
Below is a list of behaviors that are highly frowned upon when you’re anywhere in the building:
- Using your phone to take pictures, especially with the flash on.
- Not tipping the dealer – this one is a big no-no.
- Sitting at a table that you aren’t planning on betting at, but simply just watching friends.
- Taking way too long to place a bet when it’s your turn.
- Touching your chips once they’re already on the table.
- Generally being loud or disruptive and becoming an annoyance to other players in the casino.
Now, most adults would agree that many of these are common sense. With that being said, things like touching your chips or sitting at a table when you aren’t playing could be a little more foreign to inexperienced players.
If you’re the type of person that might get anxious in a situation where you don’t know if you’re behaving correctly, simply do a little research prior to your visit. Even just 10 minutes reading up on what’s acceptable and what isn’t could give you peace of mind during your trip.
4 – Not Creating a Bankroll
This one just might be the biggest mistake you could make out of them all. Not creating a bankroll before your casino trip can put you in serious financial jeopardy before you even play the first hand.
If you aren’t familiar with the term, bankroll is the pool of money you’ve set aside for the sole purpose of gambling. It can be any amount of money that you choose, but it must fit one single criteria: it should be an amount of money that you’re completely comfortable losing.
Obviously, nobody wants to think about losing their entire bankroll, but it’s a necessary assumption if you don’t want to wind up in a tough financial situation. Think of it as a “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” type of concept.
Setting Gambling Limits
In addition to simply setting aside a certain amount of money to use for betting, you should also determine a percentage range of the overall bankroll that you’ll bet on any one play. For example, if you have $1,000 to work with, you might say you’ll only bet between 2% and 5% of your overall bankroll on one play.
In the example above, this would mean that on any single roulette spin or blackjack hand, you wouldn’t bet less than $20 or more than $50. The reason for these percentages is to keep you from making a costly mistake that forces you to end your day early.
No matter what type of gambling you’re doing, creating a bankroll should always be your first step. Have your number and percentage range planned out before entering the casino.
5 – Getting Greedy And/Or Desperate
Emotions are great when it comes to family, friends, and rooting for your favorite sports team. They are not great when it comes to winning money at the casino.
Whether you’re enjoying a winning trip, or trying to keep your head above water on a losing trip, it’s crucial to stay level-headed and make the best of the situation. For example, if you’re up $300 and your group is getting ready to leave in an hour, perhaps it’s best to grab a drink and accept your winnings.
On the flip side, if you’re doing $300, it might just not be your day. Don’t make it worse by throwing down $300 on black and hoping to get back to even in one spin – the risk just simply isn’t worth it.
Chances are you aren’t going to be making enough money to buy a new mansion during your trip to the casino, no matter how well you do. Don’t risk jeopardizing your ability to pay your current rent or mortgage by getting greedy when you’re winning, or getting desperate when you’re losing.
Conclusion
As long as your keep this list in mind, the odds are good (pun intended) that you’ll have a fun time during your trip to the casino.
As a general rule, don’t drink too much, stay level-headed, and take breaks on a regular basis. You would be surprised at how often luck favors the logical and rational gamblers.
Michael Stevens
Michael Stevens has been researching and writing topics involving the gambling industry for well over a decade now and is considered an expert on all things casino and sports betting. Michael has been writing for GamblingSites.org since early 2016. …
