How to Get an Edge in Casino Games

How to Gain an Edge in Blackjack

If you’re reading this, I have to assume you are already very familiar with the rules of blackjack. Most of the traditional variants – not the low-paying specialty variety like Caribbean Blackjack or Cashback Blackjack – already present a low edge of 0.5% or better with basic strategy applied. That’s a good starting rate, but the goal is to bring that number down below 0.

To turn the advantage to your favor, you must do two things. First, you need to choose the lowest edge game available to you and stick to the basic strategy for that game. Second, you need to employ a card counting technique. Only through card counting will you be able to turn the house edge into a player advantage.

There are lots of card counting methods out there. Some are extremely easy to integrate into your game. If you can add and subtract by ones, you can do it. Others are highly detailed in their counts, involving everything from fractional numbers to deck tracking and ace sequencing.

The more complex the counting system, the more effective it’s going to be in giving you the advantage. I would suggest starting small, then working your way into the more advanced methods. This link should get you started, and help you progress through the levels.

• How to Count Cards in Blackjack

Gain an Edge in Video Poker

Video poker is extremely easy to play, and the ingredients for winning are simple. Find a game with a pay table that presents a slight advantage (positive expected value, or +EV for short), and employ the perfect strategy to get it.

+EV video poker games are a rare gem, but they do exist, and there’s two ways to find them. One is to scour land-based casinos. Some of them will occasionally place 100%+ RTP video poker machines on their floors. It’s not because they want to lose money, but because they know word of its presence will draw more foot traffic to the casino.

With that in mind, you can often find out which casinos have these machines at any given time by searching gambling forums. There are players out there who post the locations of +EV video poker games whenever they find them, along with any specific the details of the game. The more people participate in these forums, the more it benefits everyone.

The second option is to play progressive video poker machines game with over-sized jackpots. The edge on progressive games always varies with the size of the prize. Once the jackpot becomes large enough, a player advantage will exist. And the higher the jackpot rises, the greater the player’s edge grows. 

Be the Best Poker Player at the Table

Gaining an advantage at the poker table is easy – at least, in theory. All you have to do is play better than everyone else. If you’re devoted enough to acquiring a professional-grade poker education, you can attain that level of skill. Just how much skill you’ll need depends entirely on the people you compete against.

This page will give you all the information you need to learn the games (Texas Holdem, Omaha, 5/7 Card Stud, PLO, etc.), and develop winning strategies.

• How to Win Real Money Poker Games

Sports Betting for Profit with Minimal Risk

Much like poker, the more you know about a particular sport, the more likely you are to make accurate predictions in sports betting. It’s a skill known as handicapping, and unfortunately, it is not my forte. While I do enjoy watching a lot of sports, I’m not one to investigate each athlete in a match-up, how they’ve competed historically against certain opponents, or how the upcoming weather forecast might impact a game (among many, many other things).

If you think you’ve got the time and patience for it, and can keep yourself from making bad bets based on personal fan favoritism, I highly suggest researching handicapping strategies.