A global, daily guerilla war is being fought out in the casinos of the world. To be clear, I'm not referring to the publicized conflicts between regular clients and the establishment. I'm referring to the clandestine struggle between casinos and advantage players, who are gamblers who employ various strategies, including comps and legal play, to get an advantage over the house.
Of course, some of them finish losing as much as the rest of us do, but a select group of people often beat the odds and come out ahead. Although their methods are legal, they need to be stealthy when employing them, as casinos reserve the right to refuse service to anyone and may ask highly successful players to leave the premises (especially in the case of card counters).
It asks, "Why do casinos stay in business when they lose money to advantage gamblers?" if even a tiny percentage of these people are successful. As such, this paper will focus on that very topic.
Advantage Players' Favorite Casino Games
While it's true that the ultimate goal of every advantage player is to win more money over time, these players will often adopt vastly different approaches within the casino to accomplish their goals. Some of the most well-liked games among advantage gamblers are discussed here.
Video poker has been a fan-favorite for a long time because of the high potential payouts and low house edge. In contrast to the mindless randomness of slot machines, video poker requires the player to make strategic and rational decisions at every hand. As a result, the house edge is already relatively small and will go down even further if the player follows the basic strategy chart.
While using the basic technique won't ensure a royal flush every time, it will give you the highest probability of winning. Finding a high payout rate machine could provide the gambler with a long-term advantage over the casino. As a result, video poker is an unusual find in gambling establishments.
In the game of blackjack, card counting is the primary tool of advantage players. This strategy is used so the player knows when the odds are in their favor and can place riskier bets.
You give each card a numerical value in card counting, usually plus one, zero, or minus one. Counts are typically lowered by one when aces and 10s are used in hand. When playing low cards, the total is raised by one. The theory goes that if the count is high, the deck contains more valuable cards for the player, such as aces and tens.
A slight edge over the house can be achieved by a skilled card counter who employs fundamental strategy in addition to counting cards. Having the patience and mental agility to do quick math calculations in a noisy setting is essential. However, even if you do everything by the book, the casino might figure out your strategy and kick you out (unless you're in Atlantic City, where card counters are protected by law).
Craps! The first two items on this list have been staples for decades among advantage players, but this one is relatively new and has sparked considerable controversy. The term "dice control" refers to the strategies players use to gain an advantage over the house in games where the dice play a significant role in the outcome.
A player can affect the outcome of a dice roll by positioning the dice in their hand beforehand. To avoid the randomness resulting from a head-on collision, they toss the dice such that they barely brush up against the back wall of the playing field.
Roulette is a popular game, especially roulette Australia, but it's usually played less than the other games in casinos because some gamblers generally prefer easy and fun games. However, roulette is a challenging game since it requires skills.
The Benefits Justify the Possible Dangers
If you opened a casino tomorrow, a certain number of your customers would be professionals at finding methods to cheat the system. These methodical players like the challenge of taking on the casino and demonstrating their ability to overcome the house edge by using strategies like card counting and dice management.
But even if a few of them hit it big, your usual clientele will provide a cushion in case anything goes wrong. Let's have a look at some figures to help demonstrate my thesis.
Wynn Resorts and the Las Vegas Sands were recently profiled in an article by the Motley Fool detailing their quarterly earnings. This data suggests that each table game earns $8,130 daily at Wynn Las Vegas, and each slot machine makes $276. A day at the Wynn Macau would cost you $26,146 at the table games and $1,163 at the slots; those are just the low estimates.
The profits made each day are used to calculate these numbers. Therefore the gains made by advantage players are already included. Compared to the losses incurred by bored suburbanites and other casual consumers, the damage done by these smart gamblers is insignificant.
How Casinos Keep Their Edge Over Customers
You either win or lose; most players have little alternatives for generating a profit against the casino. However, the house has several techniques it may use to cheat you out of your money, which is a big reason why casinos and other gambling establishments can stay in the black. Some of the more widespread (and fruitful) methods include:
Free Beverages
Gamblers can enjoy complimentary drinks of alcoholic variety at most casinos. Why? Why? Because a drunk consumer is more likely to make mistakes, including everything from bad play to poor bankroll management.
Stuff Are Free
Players can often get free drinks and other freebies in casinos. "Comps" include things like complimentary hotel rooms and admission to shows. The purpose of comps is to make players feel special, but ultimately the casino wants them to stay so they can lose more money.
Notable Wins
The casino makes a great deal out of large winners among the patrons. Sounds and lights can be used, or it could even become a news item in the local paper or online. However, the negative performances of players are never discussed or documented. Older gamblers are often left out of TV and film depictions, making way for younger, more lively characters.
A Lack of Timepieces
It is customary practice for casinos to avoid displaying wall clocks. The goal is to make gamers forget the passage of time, increasing the likelihood of spending significantly more time here than they had planned. Even though this strategy isn't as effective as it once was due to the rise of cell phones, it's still more successful than most people realize.
Possibility of Bet Lots of Money
It's possible to gamble in just about any area of the hotel or casino. Slot machines are a typical example since they can be found just about anywhere there is high foot traffic potential, such as in restaurants, public restrooms, and other public spaces. Some players pause for a few seconds to bet a few pennies, while others stay for hours.
Chips instead of currency
When players spend their cash, they're keenly aware of any significant drops in their bankroll. Nonetheless, the fact that they are exchanging their money for casino chips helps maintain the pretense that the customer is not gambling with real money. This typically leads to clients playing until every chip is gone, and some with a handful of leftover tokens don't even bother cashing them in.