Saving Some Losses

30 March 2024

By Jerry Stickman

From Gladys,

Hi Stickman,

I just read an article about how much Las Vegas casinos win from players. It listed several different games and had figures for last year. The games were slots at different amounts, baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette, and Pai Gow Poker. The amounts seem very high. Could you give some pointers about how to minimize these very high numbers?

Thank you very much for your insights.

Gladys

Hi Gladys,

Casinos are in business to make money – and they do very well at it. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help minimize their impact on your bankroll.

Slots: There are several things a player can do to minimize losses on slot machines. Play at a level that is within the gambling budget. Do not play dollar slots if the bankroll is under 100 dollars – 25-cent or less would be more appropriate. Be careful playing penny slots. Players can easily spend up to $1.50 or more per spin. Do not fall for that.

Play single line slots – if the casino has them. Play one line of three-line slots that pay the same per-credit amounts for one, two, or three credits played.

If you cannot afford a single line 25-cent slot, consider playing nickel or penny slots, but be careful to keep each bet at a low level – maybe only 3-5 lines on a penny slot.

Do not play progressive slots – especially progressives that include more than one casino such as Megabucks. Progressive slot machines have a (sometimes much) higher casino edge than stand-alone slots.

No need to play at a lightning pace (unless you are in a slot tournament). Players will lose at the house edge over the long run. Play it slow and easy. Make the bankroll last a bit longer.

Consider playing video poker instead of standard slot machines. The house edge on video poker games tends to be lower than standard slots – and, by reading the pay tables, it is possible to know the house edge of the game. Playing video poker takes some effort to get the most out of it. You need to learn the proper playing strategy for the game and pay table you want to play. It can be well worth the effort, however.

There is an abundance of information on this website as well as others to help you learn what to look for and how to play video poker.

Baccarat: Find a game with table limits that are comfortable. The game is very easy to play
– you don’t have to do anything while the hand is played. The only decisions you make are the size of your bet and whether to bet on the Player or Bank.

Only bet Player or Bank. Never bet Tie. It has a 14 percent house edge. Most casinos have both standard baccarat and mini-baccarat (or mini-bac). The difference is mini-bac is played on a blackjack-sized table and limits tend to be lower. The problem with mini-bac is the speed of play. The limits may be lower, but the number of hands per hour is much higher.

Blackjack: Find a table with limits that are comfortable. Keep in mind that there will be situations where you should split or double down. Each split or double down requires an additional bet of equal size.

Only play at tables paying 3-for-2 for blackjack – never play at a table paying only 6-for-5.

Flat bet (bet the table minimum – or at least the same low amount – for each
hand).

Learn basic strategy to achieve the lowest house edge.

Avoid any side bets.

Craps: Again, find a table with comfortable limits.

Only bet low house edge bets – pass (or don’t pass), come (or don’t come) – about 1.4 percent or place the 6 or 8 – 1.52 percent.

Make only one bet – two at the most. It may be boring, but your bankroll will thank you.

Roulette: Find a table with comfortable limits.

Bet only outside bets paying 1-to-1 (2-for-1). These are Odd, Even, Red, Black, 1-18, and 19-36. Do not bet single numbers. They can devastate bankrolls very quickly.

Pai-Gow Poker: As with the above games, find a table with comfortable limits.

Slow play. Take your time arranging your hands. The more hands you play, the more you lose.

Do not bet any side bets.

There you have it. Following these guidelines will help you lower the bite from playing in the casino.

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