These games are designed carefully to ensure the casino will make a profit in the long run.
There are lots of different minutia in the games through which casinos can get the upper hand on gamers.
They don’t need to rig their games or make any dirty tactics to gain the upper hand.
It is all down to the small nuances in the game rules, and the related payout structures.
Thehouse edgeis in the game rules.
You draw 2 cards and must make a decision, whereas the house only has 1 card face up.
InFrench or European Roulette, the house has an edge because of the 0 segment.
This extra pocket is not factored into any of the high/low, red/black, etc.
Plus,the oddsare given as if there was no extra segment.
A straight bet pays 36x, but in reality, there are 37 segments.
In American Roulette, the house edge is higher because there are 0 and 00 segments.
To give Banker bets a house edge, casinos add commission onto any Banker bets.
Ties are rare, and the odds do not match the likelihood of them happening.
But payouts still do not match thetrue odds of each bet winning.
In peer to peer poker, the casino does not participate in the games.
Instead, it charges a rake on each pot, which is around 5%.
Paytable Structure and Variance
Another thing to consider is thepayout structure.
it’s crucial that you win 1 from every 9 rounds to break even.
So you must count in sequences of 9 rounds when making your bankroll and tracking your progress.
Another key aspect to consider here isthe frequency of wins and variance.
Variance is the amount at which the results deviate from the true odds.
Winning only 1 from 5 hands of blackjack, and variance favors the house.
If you win exactly 2 from 4 hands of Banker bets in baccarat, the variance is practically 0.
Variance makes it trickier to keep track and attempt to beat the house.
Are Betting Strategies Allowed?
We mentioned progressivebetting strategiesbefore.
You may recognize a few such as the Martingale system,Fibonacci, Paroli, D’Alembert, orReverse Martingale.
Casinos are very familiar with these progressive betting tactics.
Instead of making them illegal, the house encourages players to use them but only up to a point.
For instance, they can outdo Martingale bettors by setting betting limits.
Or, thedealercan reshuffle the deck to reset the shoe and render the card counting useless.
Other tactics have also been used by players, but for the most part, they are not legal.
Using advanced computer algorithms or software todetermine the spin on a roulette wheelis illegal.
Anyone who tampers with dice, cards, or other gaming equipment, will be ejected from the casino.
Even more so if that patron has thousands of dollars, and wins hundreds of thousands.
The most important thing to remember is that only you are in charge of your finances.
It really doesn’t matter which game you play or which bet you pick.
Plan ahead, make bankrolls and play cautiously.
Daniel has been writing about casinos and sports betting since 2021.