Best Time to Leave the Casino

14 July 2024

By Jerry Stickman

From Joe C.

Hi Jerry,

I just finished reading your article in Casino City Times called Time to Leave the Casino. My answer is, "The correct time to leave is when you are winning." The rationale is that if you don't leave when you are winning, you are guaranteed to leave when you are losing.

Regards,
Joe C.

Hi, Joe.

Of course you are correct.

It would be wonderful to be able to do that every trip to the casino. Unfortunately, there are many facts of casino life that complicate successfully leaving when you are winning.

Since virtually every game in the casino is tilted toward the house, there are many times when a player starts by losing right from the get-go. Most of the time, these players never recover from the opening losses. In other words, the player is NEVER winning. There will never be an opportunity to leave while winning.

Along the same lines of thought, players may win a few hands and then go on a longer losing streak. Once again, short of leaving after a very few hands, these players never have the opportunity to leave while winning.

Most casino goers want to spend time playing. That is why they make the trip to the casino. In my experience, they come with a bankroll large enough to satisfy their desired length of play on most visits. They may have unwritten rules that they cash out and leave after winning a certain amount – a big win of some sort, perhaps.

Or they may get frustrated at their loss rate and leave after losing the latest buy-in – for example, a $20 bill fed into a video poker game or $100 buy-in for blackjack or craps.

The smart players have a certain amount they are willing to lose. They (and here is the hard part for some players) leave after losing their predetermined loss limit. They will never dip into other funds. Some will stop after a big win - but most tend to play for a certain amount of time unless they lose too much.

The very savvy players consistently look for reasons to leave the casino. It can be after hitting a big win. It could be after winning a certain amount such as two times their buy-in. It could be after losing a fixed amount. It may be a combination. The player decides to quit after reaching a certain positive or negative threshold.

This usually happens after playing for a while. The decision is made to quit after reaching the next even hundred-dollar threshold – either above or below the current amount. For example, the player has played for an hour and is up $235. The decision is made to quit upon reaching either $300 or $200 in winnings.

This logic can work for losing episodes. The player is down $75 and decides to quit when either down $100 or breaking even. Any limits can be set – both upper and lower. It is a good way to keep track of the bankroll.

The main issue is to maintain control over the gambling – to know where you stand relative to when to entered the casino and to leave with a reasonable amount of that bankroll intact – if not increased.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines and 888casino.com. He authored the video poker section of “Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker!” You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com