Your bankroll, your friend

10 September 2016

By Jerry Stickman

As a typical gambler, you bring a certain amount of money with you on a gambling vacation that is strictly for gambling – right? Money that is expendable. Money that if lost will not mean you will miss making the next mortgage payment or that you cannot pay for that upcoming operation.

If you are a smart gambler, you do. You do not go to the ATM. You do not write checks for cash. You have a gambling budget and you stick to it.

If you are that type of gambler, congratulations: Having dedicated funds for gambling is a great foundation for an enjoyable gambling experience. Now the question is: How can one get the most from their gambling bankroll?

Consider the following scenario. Our intrepid gambler arrives at his favorite casino and checks in for a two-night stay. He is looking forward to some excellent food and drink, and maybe a show. What he really came for, however, is to try his luck at his favorite games.

After unpacking and arranging things in his room, he puts his entire gambling bankroll in his pocket and quickly heads to the casino. He looks around and finds an open spot at a craps table. He moves in, pulls out his bankroll, buys in and immediately starts making bets. He notices the point is 10 so he puts $10 on the pass line and backs it with $20 in odds. He places the 4, 5 and 9 for $10 each.

Within two rolls the dreaded 7 appears and he loses all the money he has on the table without a single winning bet. He makes more bets, and is quickly down a couple of hundred dollars more. He makes some hardway bets, hop bets and horn bets in an attempt to recoup some of his losses. He knows these bets pay as much as 30-to-1. But only a couple of these bets hit, and his entire bankroll is gone in about an hour – putting him out of action for the rest of his stay.

Has something like this happened to you? If it has, you know it is no fun to have a couple of days in a casino with no money left to play the games. If this happens too often, you might very well consider giving up casino-based vacations entirely. Who would blame you?

This type of situation can be avoided – or at least minimized – with a little knowledge and discipline to act on that knowledge.

If you are looking to maximize your length of play, you need to minimize the amount you lose per hour. This is done by reducing the amount you bet over time and playing only the best games or bets (those with the lowest house edges).

Reducing the amount you bet over time is accomplished by making smaller bets, making fewer bets and/or playing slower.

With a $500 bankroll, betting $25 per hand of blackjack makes little sense. There are only 20 bets in your bankroll – and that doesn’t consider double-downs. It is very easy to have an unlucky streak that quickly eats up 20 bets. Playing $10 – or better yet, $5 – per hand will make your money last much longer.

To reduce losses, play slower. Remember, when the house has the edge, the slower you play, the less money they will get from you. For example, deliberately play each hand in blackjack. Take your time thinking about your hand and your options – but do so within reason. There is no need to hurry your play to keep up with a fast dealer, but don’t take so long that the other players want to strangle you.

Follow these rules and you will be well on your way to many enjoyable gambling experiences.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses slow and tiny.


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. 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 stickmanjerry@aol.com