Casinos do a very clever job of relieving gamblers of their money. Every move a casino makes is precisely calculated to create illusions. Illusions that you have a chance of holding on to your precious money long enough for the ride home.
However, not all casino secrets have nefarious undertones. Some simply enhance the way casinos are able to cater to the overall experience for individuals.
These 7 Las Vegas casino secrets exposed will shed light on ways the casinos use psychology to keep you at the games more extended and provide insightful steps to avoid casino pitfalls.
They Enjoy Giving Away Comps
Many players merely skip signing up for the casino’s rewards program altogether. If you skip this step, you’re burning money. Sure, the allure of free drinks is plenty of reward for some gamblers. However, the casino is essentially begging you to take comps.
The player’s card at most casinos will allow gamblers to earn casino comps at a hair below 0.5% of all the money their gambling. It’s important to note that the only consideration is money gambled, not money won or lost. So, if you’re playing blackjack for $25 per hand and winning, you’ll earn as many freebies as the guy next to you losing.
Of course, the guy that just lost his shirt may be able to convince the pit boss to toss him a free buffet. Still, the price you pay to earn a free neck pillow or even a complimentary room stay will significantly surpass the value of any freebies the casino gifts you.
Note:
The casino loves giving away comps because they know the math behind the games. If you have earned a free stay in the casino hotel, there’s a significant chance that you’ve lost far more on the casino floor than the cost of a room.
Avoid falling into the trap of chasing rewards. You’re almost certainly better off paying out of pocket for whatever freebies you’re chasing. At the same time, never miss the opportunity to cash in on earning the comps from your everyday gaming habits.
Counting Cards Won’t Make You a Felon
Card counting in blackjack is one of the most commonly overlooked advantage gambling techniques by average casino gamblers. To put it bluntly, card counting is about the only legal way to get an edge over the casino.
That’s right, card counting is completely legal. Counting cards is seemingly shrouded in a negative stigma. Hollywood has done a sneaky job of portraying card counting as an activity reserved for mathematical wizards and criminal masterminds. Obviously, the casinos are a massive fan of this negative image.
The truth is that anyone can learn to count cards. The players who spend the time learning the skill are primed to gain an edge up to 2% over the casinos. That’s a solid way to ensure a long-term profit over the casino. Still, not every session will be a guaranteed win.
These anomalies are what sometimes send the average blackjack player home with wins. While the casinos can’t have you locked away in a damp prison cell for exploiting blackjack, they are well within their rights to ban you from the blackjack tables. You may be asked to find a new casino ultimately.
Important:
I encourage you to carefully weigh the benefits and potential hazards before embarking on your career as a card counting blackjack player. Still, there are few better ways to ensure an edge, like counting cards.
The Casino Brings the A-Team in at Night
The casino knows that the math is constantly working in their favor. Unfortunately, that means it’s always working against you. Even when you win, the math dictates that you’re almost certain to lose many more bets.
One fantastic way savvy gamblers extend their bankroll is by slowing the game down. It’s possible by taking your time, without bogging the game down completely, to vastly expand your gambling session.
Note:
However, the casinos know that time equals money. So, they bring in their most proficient dealers during peak times. Great dealers are able to swiftly move through games without ever drawing much attention to the fact that you’re burning through your bankroll.
The more hands played per hour, the more money pouring into the casino vault. Unfortunately, there aren’t many ways to slow down the action on some games like baccarat or roulette. Yet, on the slot machines, you can play at your own pace.
The Games Cleverly Disguise Sucker Bets as Player-Friendly
The casinos use the house edge to keep the lights on. The house edge is the mathematical advantage the house has on the casino games. The house edge is represented by a percentage of each dollar bet by a player that the casino expects to win.
For example, the house edge in a standard game of blackjack without incorporating basic strategy is around 2%. That number indicates that the casino expects to earn $2.00 for every $100 wagered. That’s not a wrong way to spend an evening at the tables without going broke.
However, the casino is full of seemingly player-friendly bets with a house edge designed to slide your chips away much faster. Take the insurance bet in blackjack as an example. Insurance is offered to the player when the dealer is showing an ace.
Your additional wager is matched by a second bet, and if the dealer has a 10 card in the hole, you win the insurance bet and push. Sounds great, right?
Tips:
Negative. You must account for the overwhelming percentage of hands where the dealer has something other than a 10. Not only will you lose your insurance bet, but there’s also a great likelihood that you could lose the initial wager on the hand.
Insurance is sold as an excellent way for players to hedge their bets. In reality, the gamble has a house edge of over 7%. Learn the best practices for the casino games you enjoy and practice discipline every time you sit to play.
The Blackjack Dealer Doesn’t Know the Deck Either
Contrary to popular belief, the blackjack dealer likely doesn’t have any better idea about the cards in the deck than you do as a player. Casino dealers have a thousand variables that they must constantly account for. Keeping a count on the deck is the least of their worries.
I used to become irritated when players would try to size up or read the dealer as if they were facing off with an opponent at the poker table. If you want to gain an edge playing blackjack, grab yourself a primary strategy card and use it on every hand you play.
The Casinos Love a Winner
You’re not going to believe this, but the casinos like it when you win. Why? Because winners don’t have any adverse effect on the casino’s bottom line. The mathematical edge promises the casino a healthy profit.
Las Vegas may have been built on losers’ gambling woes, but the winners keep the casino industry thriving. Winners gush to their friends, family, coworkers, and anyone that will listen about their casino gambling success. Winners are essentially free or incredibly inexpensive marketing for casinos.
Imagine a casino commercial showing beaten players banging their fists on their steering wheel or sitting alone poolside. At the same time, their friends gamble would make for poor advertisement. So, the casino uses a much happier image of winners for their marketing campaign. A smiling gambler holding a giant six-figure check is much more appealing than some poor schmo that lost their entire bankroll.
The Eye In the Sky is Always Watching
One casino mystery that appears to be more fact than fiction is that you’re constantly being watched. Well, at least in theory, the application of such stringent casino security seems extravagant. That doesn’t mean it isn’t plausible. One thing is for sure, nearly every square inch of the casino floor is constantly under surveillance of one form or another.
When you sit down to a casino game, there’s a reasonably good chance that you’ll at least get a glance from security personnel. However, once it becomes clear that everything is entirely above board, they’ll likely move on to more significant risks. The casinos will go to extraordinary lengths to protect their investment, and cheats will not be tolerated.
Note:
Many casino patrons fail to realize that there’s far more danger to the players than the casino. Cheats don’t make it far in the casino world. On the other hand, thieves could do quite well preying on unsuspecting tourists with pockets full of cash. The casino may not constantly be looking over your shoulder, but it’s always watching. Should a problem arise, security will quickly swoop in to deal with any perpetrators.
Conclusion
The Las Vegas casino industry has been cloaked in intrigue and mystery for years. The fact is that the casinos are operating as an entertainment and hospitality business and nothing more. They exchange hours of entertainment and excellent amenities for the gamblers’ cash. Still, these 7 Las Vegas casino secrets exposed will shed new light on the industry.
Paying close attention to how your gambling habits play into the casino’s design will impact how far your bankroll will take you.
