What Is Advantage Gambling?

No reputable casino will tolerate scammers. Land-based clubs and online websites kick out cheaters without delay and usually punish even visitors who violate the rules unintentionally.

But gambling operators fight not only apparent crooks. They often pursue clients who use theoretical knowledge and practical skills to beat the casino. They accuse such customers of being advantage players.

How Does Advantage Gambling Work?

Let's try to give a brief and understandable definition of the term:

Advantage gambling implies using relatively lawful methods that help players get an edge over the casino.

Please note that we are discussing ways that do not violate the laws. Marked cards, loaded dice, deck substitution, and other tricks also help to win, but they are illegal.

Advantage gambling means the ability of the client to use specific rules, faults in the dealer's work, flaws in the bonus program, and other features of the club, allowing them to benefit from them.

A classic example of advantage playing is card counting in blackjack. Counters can not be sued or put behind bars, so the operators create unbearable conditions for them or kick them out of the casino, citing internal rules.

Of course, professionals are not limited to blackjack. To some extent, the principles of advantage gambling can be successfully applied in many other games: poker, video poker, craps, baccarat, roulette, and even slot machines.

Moreover, experienced gamblers also benefit from loyalty programs, cashback, free tournaments, lotteries, and other promotions. They do not ignore the free services offered to regulars. Thus, it is an extensive set of measures that allow you to turn gambling into a stable source of income.

More about them is described below.

Basic Concepts of Advantage Gambling

Almost all casino games have a mathematical advantage of the casino, also known as house edge. For example, in some video poker games, it is 0.1%; in European roulette, it is 2.7%; and in craps, it can vary from 0% to over 20%.

The house edge shows what part of the total bets a client loses in the long run. So, the longer you play European roulette, the closer your loss will be to 2.7% of the total bet amount.

Advantage players choose games with minimal house edge and then use various tricks that allow them to get rid of it and even beat the casino. In other words, they do their best to get an RTP over 100%.

For example, the basic strategy and card counting allow you to achieve this in offline blackjack. In video poker, the optimal strategy can help you achieve an RTP of over 100%.

Usually, game rules do not allow you to get a mathematical advantage over the casino. Still, the skillful usage of the bonuses and loyalty program increases your odds of beating the house.

Psychological Aspects of Advantage Gambling

Understanding that no players always remain in the black is essential. A single session can be unsuccessful even for the most skilled and experienced punter. Professionals rely on an extended span, so they need to have the following characteristics:

• Patience,
• Attentiveness,
• Stress resistance,
• Assiduity,
• Endurance, and so on.

They should not lose their temper, be distracted, or drink alcohol. They don't have time to have a friendly chat with their neighbors at the table because mistakes can cost them too much. Yet, trying to look like ordinary clients, many gamblers talk with other visitors.

It is also necessary to have a sufficient bankroll that allows them to wait out unlucky streaks. If the financial situation of the advantage player leaves much to be desired, he reduces the bets so as not to go bankrupt completely.

Casinos' Attitude to Advantage Players

Gambling operators are not happy about professionals trying to make a living via gambling. The terms and conditions usually state that they provide services for entertainment purposes. Sometimes there are unambiguous statements that advantage methods are prohibited, but casino representatives often decide what client actions can be interpreted in this way.

Any successful blackjack player can be called a counter at offline casinos and run out of the club. 

Also, a lucky player can be accused of other sins:

• Peeping the cards of the dealer,
• Sharing information with other visitors,
• Bonus abusing, etc.

In online casinos, gambling operators also have plenty of ways to spoil the client's life. Claims can differ, but they are often related to promotions or banking. Here are some potential issues:

• casino promotion abuse,
• incorrect bonus wagering,
• violation of withdrawal terms and conditions,
• problems with verification, etc.

Of course, reputable online casinos value their players and do not make baseless accusations.

Advantage Gambling for Different Games

Experienced users do not get tired of looking for new ways to benefit from different games and casino services. How they do it in various game categories is described below in the article.

Of course, these are not detailed instructions but only brief reviews. To learn how to gamble professionally, read the thematic pieces on Casinoz.

Advantage Blackjack Playing

It is impossible to talk about advantage gambling without mentioning blackjack. It's a classic, a foundation. Anyone interested in casinos has heard about basic strategy, card counting, and other techniques. Most amateurs try to master them and put them into practice.

Unfortunately, the popularity of blackjack played a cruel joke on it. Finding a game with favorable rules is difficult, even in the world's largest gambling entertainment centers. And if you find such a table, be prepared that your every move will be viewed almost under a microscope.

Once again, we remind readers of Casinoz that many tricks of professionals do not work in online blackjack. For example, it makes no sense to count cards in a game based on a random number generator.

Let's highlight a few techniques for advantage blackjack players:

• Search for the most profitable blackjacks - First, you need to find a table with the maximum theoretical payback. If the house edge is initially too high, it will not be possible to get rid of it. Each aspect of the rules affects the RTP. Experienced customers can calculate the return to the player by looking through the rules.
• Optimal strategy - The basic blackjack strategy is a standard set of recommendations for the main types of games, but sometimes they need to be adjusted to achieve better results.
• Card counting – There are several popular methods of card counting in blackjack. Even the most uncomplicated ways make it possible to beat the casino. Advanced systems allow you to play even more successfully.
• Card tracking is a complicated technique by which professionals follow the location of certain cards in the shoe or deck. As a rule, this can be achieved if the croupier does not do the shuffle carefully enough.
• Dealer card peeping – You can find the dealer's hole card in land-based casinos. Naturally, having this information, the client easily beats the house.

Other tricks are also used. Some of them are close to fraud, so we will not focus on them in this article.

Of course, casino owners and managers oppose advantage players in blackjack. They use different methods:

• CSMs constantly shuffle cards without leaving them in the discard tray, which makes card counting useless.
• Authorization and databases allow security services to hunt famous card counters.
• Systems of analysis of players' behavior give a chance to track advantage gamblers.

However, the real pros still manage to beat the casino. Some clubs even have to make deals with them. They provide counters with free VIP services but take their word that they will not play there.

The names of the most famous players are listed in the Blackjack Hall of Fame. But knowledgeable people say many best masters avoid publicity to continue quietly cashing in on the casino.

Advantage Video Poker Playing

Video poker is attractive to professionals because the mathematical advantage is on the player's side in some games. Here are some examples with a theoretical return above one hundred percent:

1. Full pay Loose Deuces Poker – 100.97%
2. Downtown Deuces – 100.92%
3. Full pay Deuces Wild – 100.76%
4. Full pay Joker Poker – 100.64%
5. Double Bonus – 100.17%
6. Super Bonus Deuces Wild, 10/7 – 100.13%

Most are in brick-and-mortar clubs, but some games are available in online casinos.

To achieve such an RTP, you need to play video poker with the optimal strategy explicitly made for each of the games mentioned above.

Gambling operators understand that video poker has a high payback which is a danger for them, so they introduce various restrictions for its fans.

• Video poker is usually not allowed for wagering bonuses.
• Comp points are counted at very low odds.
• Cashback may not apply to customers playing video poker.
• Video poker tournaments are rare, and the rules are less profitable.
• The best games are not found everywhere. Often these are technically outdated models with slow gameplay and inconvenient interface.

However, video poker attracts thousands of advantage players around the world.

Advantage Casino Poker Playing

Next, we will talk about the varieties of table poker, in which the player is the opponent of the institution. Club poker will be left for other publications.

Caribbean Poker, Casino Hold'em, Let It Ride, and other varieties of casino poker are not as attractive to advantage players as video poker. The reason is apparent:

They have a relatively high house edge.

Usually, it is from two to three percent, and you cannot eliminate it with the help of the basic strategy.

Sometimes casinos offer bonus features increasing the RTP in poker significantly. For example, in Oasis Poker, a wild card is triggered for several rounds. It substitutes for other cards in poker combinations. If there is an opportunity to participate only in these rounds, you cannot miss it.

Another fantastic advantage for professionals is dealers' careless attitude to exchanging information between the neighbors at the table. Technically, this violates the rules, but dealers and pit bosses do not mind if players look at each other's cards. The article's author happened to be in clubs where it was not forbidden to lay open cards in five hands and discuss them with other customers.

In general, most casino table pokers are not profitable for the client, but various additional nuances can make them attractive to experienced players.

Advantage Craps Playing

Let us immediately warn the readers of Casinoz that the online casino leaves almost no chance for professionals. Yes, in some bets, the player had even odds of winning with the house, but the client will not be able to get a mathematical advantage in any way. You can use betting systems, but they will not help to achieve an RTP of over 100%.

It will also be challenging to count on bonuses and comp points because, for fans of craps, there are usually strict restrictions on promotions. For example, meeting the wagering requirements in craps is often impossible.

In land-based casinos, the game of craps attracts both ordinary gamblers and advantage players. Scammers use "loaded" dice and other tricks. We will not talk about them in this article.

Professionals, who do not violate the law, resort to other methods. The most famous technique is considered to be a controlled dice roll.

In brick-and-mortar casinos, customers shoot the dice at the craps tables. It is believed that experienced masters can land the necessary dice combinations more often. For example, Stanford Wong and Frank Scoblete insisted that they had mastered this technique.

Many gambling pros question the reality of this method. Numerous books, media articles, and even scientific research are devoted to this subject matter. It is also explained in Casinoz articles.

Advantage Baccarat Playing

In the past, baccarat fans played against each other. During the game process, they made decisions on which the outcome of the round depended. In other words, it was an intellectual and challenging game of chance, which relies much on skill.

Casino operators adapted baccarat to their needs. Currently, land-based clubs and online websites offer a mini version with straightforward rules. Customers do not need to make complex decisions and calculations. They only have to make one of three available bets before the start of the round. Then they watch what is happening and hope for luck.

At the same time, baccarat remains one of the most profitable games for the visitor. Bets on the victory of the banker or player have low house edges. But completely getting rid of the casino's advantage is impossible.

Some customers try to count cards in baccarat in offline casinos, but this technique hardly allows them to beat the house.

Advantage Roulette Playing

If you have often been to land-based casinos, you have probably met many customers who consider themselves roulette experts. They have many years of gambling experience. They have dozens of fascinating stories about their wins. They are always ready to advise on how to play roulette. But 99% of them are no more than addicted laypeople who have lost impressive amounts of money.

The reality is harsh:

If you do not cheat, roulette is not suitable for advantage gambling.

Exceptions are infrequent. You can beat the house on roulette in the following cases:

• The equipment is outdated or incorrectly installed, causing the ball to land in some numbers more often than others.
• The dealers work haphazardly, making it possible to predict the results in many rounds.
• The casino conducts very profitable promotions for roulette players.

Gambling experts often discuss the topic of visual ballistics. The question is whether they can track the ball movement and predict the winning number.

Of course, this is a challenging task, which is hardly possible without special equipment. But using auxiliary technical means is considered fraud in all casinos, so we will not focus on this method in this article.

For the same reason, we will not consider frauds with chips and other cheats.

Advantage Slot Playing

Most slots are not suitable for advantage gambling due to low RTPs. Agree, 95%, 96%, and even 97% are very few. It is not possible to get rid of the casino's mathematical advantage. Neither betting systems nor other tricks of this kind increase the theoretical payback.

However, online casino slot machines have a severe advantage. They are usually covered by all promotions, although you need to clarify this point in each case.

• On slots, you can play through bonuses.
• Slot players receive 100% of the comp points.
• There can be free spins on slots.
• Free slot tournaments are also standard in Internet gambling.

It turns out that an experienced player can take advantage of such privileges.

Slot machines with progressive jackpots should be mentioned separately. As the amount increases, the house edge decreases. At some point, RTP can exceed 100%. Advantage players also use this.

Casino Tournament Advantage Playing

Tournaments have long been in demand among customers of gambling clubs. Many years ago, they were adopted by the operators of land-based casinos, and in recent years, such events have been arranged in online casinos. Often, the rules of participation and the format of competitions allow advantage players to turn them into additional tools.

For example, online casinos can hold free tournaments with a pool consisting of the following prizes:

• Real money,
• Bonuses,
• Free spins,
• Comp points,
• Valuable things, etc.

Participants of online slot tournaments can be all customers who make bets in certain games at the specified time. Maximum payouts, bet turnover, total winnings, or other criteria determine winners.

Accordingly, an experienced user can choose a slot with a high RTP, play by the optimal strategy, and try to get a part of the prize fund.

In slot tournaments, the player has to rely on luck for the most part. When it comes to blackjack or video poker tournaments, the participants' theoretical knowledge and practical skills come to the fore.

Casinoz published feature articles with recommendations on how to play casino tournaments more often among the winners.

Progressive Jackpots and Advantage Gamblers

Jackpots were mentioned above in the article. Many users claim that they manage to beat casinos by playing progressive slots. 

Let us briefly explain what we are talking about. Initially, the machines with growing jackpots have low paybacks. They are not uncommon to offer an RTP of about 90%. But with the increase of the jackpot amount, RTP grows too. At some point, it can exceed 100%.

It means that the player gains an edge over the house.

But do not forget that we are talking about the theory. Large jackpots are few, and thousands of customers compete for them. If millions of dollars are at stake, tens or hundreds of thousands of players worldwide are fighting for them. Of course, the odds of winning such a jackpot are minimal.

However, professionals still find profitable jackpots in slots and other gambling games, so we will not argue that this practice does not make sense.

Complex Approach to Advantage Gambling

The experience of thousands of players makes it clear that all available measures used in the complex work best. You need to use every opportunity to reduce the casino's mathematical advantage and, in some additional way, benefit from bonuses and other promotions.

Learn to play your favorite game professionally, but do not focus on one direction. The most successful customers constantly look for casino weaknesses and do not hesitate to strike at them.

• Jean Scott learned to make money on loyalty programs.
• Peter Liston has mastered playing progressive slots.
• Stanford Wong took advantage of a wrong payout multiplier in sic bo at the Grand casino.

Take their example.

Tips for Beginners

Finally, we will give readers of Casinoz some practical tips on advantage gambling.

General Advice

• Do not rely on fortune. Math is your best friend and loyal partner.
• Constantly develop, learn and follow the news of gambling.
• Do not confuse advantage playing with fraud. Do not cross the line separating the professional from the sharper.
• Remember that many of the principles discussed in this article are applicable only in land-based casinos.
• Read articles on Casinoz.

Gameplay

• No matter what kind of gambling games you prefer, always choose titles with the maximum theoretical payback.
• Sometimes it makes sense to abandon the most profitable games if they include casino restrictions.
• Do not play blackjack, video poker, or table poker unless you master at least a basic strategy.
• Play progressive slots only if the jackpot amount is high enough for RTP to become acceptable.
• Do not hope that the betting systems for slots will help you beat the casino.
• All sorts of progressions, betting algorithms, and other strategies on roulette also do not work.
• The most profitable games usually seem dull, and the most spectacular slots typically have a low RTP.
• Never risk real money if you do not have data on the house edge and do not know how to play the game correctly.

Finance

• Allocate a certain amount of money to the game, without which you can do it in everyday life.
• Break the bankroll into pieces by planning possible streaks of bad luck.
• Never go beyond the established financial limits.
• Do not borrow money to gamble.

Psychology

• Remember that professional gambling is a routine that has nothing to do with rest and entertainment.
• If you want maximum results, take advantage of gambling as a job.
• Don't forget about addiction. It is dangerous even for professionals.
• Learn to control yourself in any situation.
• Be prepared for cheats on the part of the casino.

Bonuses and Promotions

• Look for really beneficial promotions.
• Accept attractive bonuses.
• Try not to look like a bonus hunter.
• Do not violate the bonus terms and conditions.
• Keep track of events in different casinos, even if you do not always play them.

Conclusion

Being a professional player is difficult, but you should adopt the basic principles of advantage gambling. If you don't want to do it, ask yourself:

1. Why do you risk money on low RTP slots when you can choose titles with much higher payback?
2. Why don't you learn to distinguish useless promotions from the best bonuses?
3. Is it not worth understanding bankroll management basics?

A reasonable player is not afraid to ask himself such questions and seeks to find detailed answers to them. 

Do you want to discuss the topic in the comments? We are interested to know your opinion.