Here at Slots Play Casinos we have spoken quite a few times about the advantages of playing casino games online at one of our recommended casinos or at any other reputable online casino over playing at a land-based casino. Still, a lot of people like to go to land-based casinos.
So, in the interest of giving our readers good advice, we present some things not to do at a land-based casino.
Don’t Count Cards in Blackjack
Some people sincerely believe that counting cards is the way to win consistently at a land-based casino. It isn’t.
First of all, counting cards works well only in single deck blackjack games and those games have pretty much gone the way of the dodo bird. Nowadays, most blackjack tables at a land-based casino have a perpetual shuffling machine which makes it literally impossible to count cards.
Second, counting cards is really hard. It goes too fast for most players. Therefore, if you attempt to count cards, you will likely make mistakes that you would not have made if you were simply following the best strategy for every hand.
Third, pit bosses can detect a card counter a mile away. They will keep their eyes open to see if you win or lose. If you are losing, they will let you believe that you are counting cards successfully. If you seem to be winning, they will send a cocktail waitress over to offer you a free drink.
They know that a strong drink will impair your ability to count cards and that you will then start to make the aforementioned mistakes.
Finally, a really successful card counter may simply be asked to leave the casino.
Don’t Accept Any Free Alcohol
Land-based casinos know that the cost of giving players free alcohol is returned to the casino many times over as players make poor decisions while under the influence.
If you want a drink when you stop playing for a while, it will cost you money at the bar. It is better to pay for your drinks and not lose money to poor decisions than the other way around.
A subset here is that there will be some people under the influence at a land-based casino. If one of them makes untoward gestures toward you, never confront them directly. Instead, go to a pit boss and tell her or him what happened. They will probably escort the offending person out of the casino.
Don’t Come Back to the Casino Floor after a Meal at the Buffet
Land-based casinos also offer vouchers for free meals at the buffet. The casinos’ thinking is similar to the idea of giving free alcohol. The casinos know that people tend to overeat at a buffet.
So, a player who comes back to gamble after eating a hearty meal at the buffet will be tired from the effort to digest the food. Being tired is a proven way to make poor decisions in any casino game.
Don’t Play Blackjack if You Don’t Know the Best Strategy
We will soon get into the fact that many land-based casinos pay out less than they should in roulette, blackjack, video poker, and slots. Here we want to emphasize the importance of knowing the best strategy for every hand in blackjack.
If you are playing at a full-pay blackjack table, and you use the best strategy on every hand, your return to player rate will be about 99.5%. Gamers who don’t know the best strategy in blackjack win a lot less.
Don’t Sit for Too Long
When we talk about playing at an online casino, one of the positive points is that the casinos are always available so there is no reason to play on and on for hours. We also talk about how important it is, in general, to get up, stretch, and move around. This is important at work as well, especially if you work at a desk.
Most people who go to a land-based casino want to play for hours on end. We say that if you do go to a land-based casino, you should see the cost of travel and hotel as the price you pay for the experience of the land-based casino.
It doesn’t mean staying on the casino floor for hours. The same good practice that applies at work or when you are playing at an online casino should apply to playing at a land-based casino.
Don’t Fall into a Rut
This is a corollary to the point above. A lot of land-based casino players fall into a rut in which they play a single game for hours. This is a true rut that online casino gamers usually can avoid.
The way to avoid this rut is to set a time limit on playing any single game. Accept the fact that you will be giving up your seat, possibly never to recover it again. This is a big part of “having fun” at a land-based casino.
Go out for a walk. The key is to adopt all of your best practices from when you are at work or at home for your stay at the casino.
Don’t Assume That the Casino is Paying You Fully
This means that many land-based casinos have lower pay scales that good and reputable online casinos such as the ones we recommend have. In roulette, an American land-based casino will offer only American Roulette. Our casinos also offer European Roulette. The difference is that the house edge in American Roulette is double the house edge in European Roulette.
In video poker, many land-based casinos pay only 8-5 or 7-5 for a full house and a flush. Our recommended casinos always pay 9-6.
In blackjack, many land-based casinos now pay only 6-5 for a blackjack while our casinos pay 3-2, as they should.
Finally, many land-based casinos calibrate the random number generator that determines all outcomes in slots to return to players from 90% and lower, while our recommended casinos still calibrate slots to pay about 96-97%
Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Volatility in Slots
Volatility means how winnings are distributed. In a slot with high volatility, the wins will be somewhat bigger, but the number of winning spins will be somewhat fewer. The opposite is the case in slots with low volatility. At a land-based casino, if the slot terminal doesn’t tell you what the volatility of that slot is, we recommend that you not play it!
Playing at a Land-based Casino Can be Fun
We still fully recommend online casino gaming for all of the reasons we have delineated many times. These include convenience and comfort and a lot more. But, in a self-controlled environment, a short time at a land-based casino can be fun.
Just remember to avoid all of the pitfalls and pratfalls of playing at a land-based casino.
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