Science
No strategy or level of skill can guarantee wins in casino games.
Understanding this is crucial to enjoying your gaming, as you are under no illusions of guaranteed returns.
It is a completely natural part of gambling, but you cannot get ahead of yourself.
Here, we will dive into the psychological phenomena that distort our understanding of how odds work.
The Role of Randomness vs Real-Life Probability
The concept of randomness is quite difficult to grasp.
Before going into skill-based games, let’s just compare roulette and slots.
This is made even more confusing with slots, that usepowerful algorithms to generate random outcomes.
The casinos read the statistics from these simulations and use them to gauge the odds on each payline.
You aren’t just staking your money and pressing play.
You have a value of 11 in blackjack alwaysdouble down, without hesitation.
In video poker you have drawn 3 cards to a royal flush and a pair?
hold the 3 cards to the royal flush without hesitation.
You won’t always win with these strategies.
Just take the example of having two 10s in Blackjack.
Let’s say you double down on the 11 and the dealer draws a 2.
However, with casino games, we have to accept that the games are governed by luck and chance.
But casino games can play tricks on our minds.
When we come into a winning or losing streak, this suddenly presents us with a strange anomaly.
Suddenly, the rounds don’t have a normal win:loss frequency or ratio.
You lose 5 straight rounds of video poker, surely a win must come to keep the balance.
After all, you are playing at alicensed casinoand these games are not rigged.
But this is one of the most damaging gambler’s fallacies.
Fallacies of Control by Game
The skill based strategy in video poker is very simple.
You prioritisewinning poker handsbased on how well they pay out according to thepaytable.
Yet it can feel counterintuitive at times.
For example, you are told tostand on 17, which is absolutely logical.
But say an inexperienced player decided to hit and drew a 3.
They have got a blackjack, in spite of the tremendous odds of going bust.
You may have 4 to anopen ended straight, and get your straight on the Flop.
You are in pole position to win, and your opponent only has two pair in the hole.
But the Turn and River bring the opponent Three of a Kind, spoiling your straight.
Unless, that is, you canbluff your opponentout of the win.
To be successful, you gotta know when to quit.
If you are losing, then decide on a point at which you will stop before going bust.
You shouldn’t chase your losses, or just play until you completely deplete your funds.
Some players find skill based games a lot more fun than games that have no decision making turns.
Play responsibly, and be patient.
Wins will come your way, and your job is to figure out when to cash out your chips.
Daniel has been writing about casinos and sports betting since 2021.
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