advantage gambling
Rate this news

Introduction: Advantage Gambling vs Basic Strategy

Do you prefer an advantage in gambling or a basic strategy? Probably the majority of gamblers go to the casino armed with nothing more than a bankroll and some luck. Essentially, they have zero plans and will just continue gambling until all the funds are gone. As for-profit gamblers, this sounds slightly painful to us. There’s a huge difference between a player who’s just throwing money at any old bets and one who’s using basic strategy. The latter can certainly look forwards to making some profits all the while having a great time.

But even if you stick with basic strategy, you’ll still be needing to have Lady Luck seated at your elbow as you play. Therefore, it might be better to turn to advantage gambling. This form of gameplay will give you the best chance of making a profit. The only downside is that advantage play requires a certain amount of effort on the gambler’s part. You’ll need to be setting aside some time to learn some jackpot winning tips and tricks. So the real question is this; is the extra effort worth it or should you just stick with basic strategy

Basic Strategy Is Best for Casual Gamblers

If you’re a casual gambler, then you should really ask yourself why you gamble. The answer will tell you the sort of approach you should have towards gambling. For example, if you gamble for the sake of entertainment, then you should keep things light and airy and just stick with basic strategy. You should avoid learning the counting of cards. Don’t start learning stuff that will make you start to take things more seriously. Just play and enjoy yourself. If on the other hand, you’re playing to make a profit, then the extra work will be a requirement for getting ahead in table games.

Using basic strategy, in particular with games that are very simple, (like baccarat for example), isn’t going to ruin your day. Using baccarat as an example, there are only three bets to be made. So as long as you stick to basic strategy and only bet on the banker’s hand winning every time, then you’ll be winning partly because you would have lowered the house edge to a mere 1.06%.

advantage gambling
One way or another, always stay responsible

Casino Gambling

If you’re betting in craps then you can lower the house odds on don’t pass the line bets to 1.36% and on a pass, the line wagers to 1.41%. Of course, you can reduce these house odds even further by placing odds bets into the equation. If you want to use simple basic strategy without getting in over your head, then those are perfect for casino games like craps or baccarat. And the use of basic strategy will give you the best chance of winning. It’s important to get comfortable with a simple betting strategy before moving upwards to something more complex. An example would be blackjack, where the house edge can change on every move at the card table.

Play Slots Online at the King Billy Casino

Now, if you can play the game to its optimum level, then you’ll see a house edge of around 0.5%. And what’s even better is that to know some basic strategy for winning at blackjack, you certainly don’t need to study that much at all.

Advantage Play Is More Involved

We should point out that advantage gambling is not just for those having a simple flutter. It’s for serious players who want to win. Just a common advantage play technique like card counting will require plenty of your time practicing. Having said that, the counting of cards isn’t such a bad place to begin your advantage play education. The hi-lo method can actually be learned in but a few minutes. At its most basic level, all systems are really all about knowing when to raise your bets. That’s all. You’ll need to camouflage your intentions from both the other players and from the casino itself. This’ll allow you to increase your jackpot winning chances.

You see, casino’s really don’t like advantage players. Yes, we understand that a casino needs winners to make publicity ad show the world that, yes, you too could win the jackpot. But they’d prefer this person to be an average Joe. If you’re an advantage player, then you’ll know all the angles, so to speak, and casinos hate these types of people winning.

Basic Strategy Requires Some Luck to Win

By knowing the rules and having some knowledge of when to bet what, you can certainly lower the house edge. But you’ll still be needing to have some luck on your side. If we return to the example of blackjack and it’s lowered house edge of 0.5%, this translates as winning back$99.50 for every $100 wagered. In theory. Oh…and over the long run. This win rate is a lot better than you might find with other casino games. But you’re still going to end up out of pocket at the end of your gambling session. And that’s the part where you hope Lady Luck will intervene and help you score some wins.

But dependence on chance or luck to fulfill your goals is probably not the best strategy. It means that you could easily win thousands of dollars in one night, or conversely, lose that amount in that given time frame. As they say, Lady Luck is a fickle mistress!

advantage gambling
Fortuna is that you?

Advantage Gambling Is the Only Way to Make Guaranteed Profits

If you’re after guaranteed profits, then you’re going to have to sit down and learn about advantage gambling. There’s no other way to come out ahead of the house. This method ensures that the odds are constantly in your favor. Yes, there’s still an aspect of luck in the short term, but over time this factor is steadily reduced. here’s an example of advantage play.

You’re a card counter who holds a 1.5% edge over the casino.
You wager $100,000 throughout the night.
100,000 x 0.015 = 1,500
You theoretically stand to win $1500.

OK…who on earth has $100,000 to wager? We get your point. But the math is correct and we just want to show you, that over time, there’s money to be made.

Basic Strategy Can Be Very Simple

Basic strategy is, just as the name implies, pretty basic. It’s also basic to learn as well as use. In fat there are some games where the only strategy you’ll be needing is to know which bets offer the lowest house edge. We think that games like baccarat, craps and roulette are great choices for the beginner. They all have a low house edge in common as well as giving you a strong possibility of coming out a winner. Though blackjack strategy may look a little intimidating at first, it’s relatively easy to learn. We suggest that you carry a blackjack strategy chart with you at all times and refer to it whenever necessary. This will cut down your learning time. On the whole, you should be able to push the house edge down to around 1% on many casino table games.

King Billy Casino Welcome Bonus

151% match bonus up to €500 + 51 Bonus Spins

This is an exclusive bonus. 18+. New customers only. Wagering requirement: 30×. Min deposit: €20. T&Cs Apply.

Some Forms of Advantage Gambling Are Very Difficult to Master

At the easy end of the spectrum, we can find card counting. It’s something anyone can learn in a couple of hours. At the other end of the spectrum, we have things like hole carding and deck shuffling tracks. These are more difficult to get right. Shuffle counting is a continuation of card counting. Begin by counting the deck as normal. Then you can determine whether the shoe is running positive or negative. Armed with this information, you can vary your bets accordingly. And this gives you a much better chance of winning. We should add, that the counting part is pretty easy. It’s the visual tracking of the positive section as it’s broken up by shuffling is where things get mighty difficult.

advantage gambling
Take your time!

Gambling: Advantage Gambling vs Basic Strategy

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that you can track cards. This is where you gain up to a 5% advantage. But it isn’t as easy as it sounds on paper. In games which feature hole cards, like blackjack, Caribbean stud, and three-card poker, you’ll gain a considerable advantage. But, just like deck tracking, it’s easier said than done. You’ll have to spend hours trawling the casino looking to find a lazy or tired dealer who’s inadvertently showing the hole cards before or as they dealt out. And you have to be able to spot the card’s values without looking suspicious.

What Should You Choose: Basic Strategy or Advantage Play?

The simple answer is that it all depends on the type of player or jackpot games you want to play. If you’re just about mucking around and having some fun, then basic strategy is the way to go every time. This way, you’re just sticking with the simple stuff and there’s nothing to overly complicate things. Advantage play is not such an easy fish to land. Often times you’ll be frustrated over the sheer time required to start to pull in profits. You can easily spend a night in the casino with just a couple of hundred bucks to show for it. But…at least you’ll be in profit.

An advantage gambling player is going to need a substantial bankroll to get things rolling. If, for example, you’re just counting cards, then you’ll be needing a minimum of at least $10,000. And the reason for such a large sum is that you’ll need to survive any volatility. Though you can easily be holding the edge, a string of bad luck could all but sink a player with a lesser amount. Remember that these numbers are all given with the assumption of a long period of gambling. Don’t go expecting huge results from the get-go. Things don’t work like that.

Conclusion: Advantage Gambling vs Basic Strategy

Hollywood loves the advantage play meme. You’ve all seen movies with card-counting savants or drunken tricksters spotting cards and then cleaning up all the chips in Vegas. But the reality is so much more mundane and boring. This is the bit the movie always miss, along with the size of bankroll you’ll be needing to keep the operation afloat. Of course, no one wants to watch a movie of someone trying to catch the hole card before it’s dealt. So, to sum up, either strategy is good. At the end of the day, as you sit at the table, sipping your comped G and T, it’s not so much that you’ll choose a playing style. But it’s more likely that the way of playing will choose you. Listen to your inner Shifu.

Click here to visit King Billy Casino for fun-filled games!