Making Your Money Last

The dream for many casino gamblers is to win big, but the problem with trying to win big is that you may have to take big risks. Not all casino players are interested in doing this, and in fact many prefer to take a safe approach. This is not really surprising when you think about it.

The odds are always against you in the casino, so you are ultimately more likely to lose than you are to win. With this in mind, it makes a lot of sense to take a low risk approach and try to minimize your losses. You might not be very likely to land that big win, but at least your money should last a reasonable amount of time. The longer your money lasts, the more chances you have to get lucky and win some money.

We're not necessarily suggesting that the safe approach is the best way to go, as this really depends on your own preferences. You may enjoy throwing down a few high risk bets in the hope of multiplying your stake several times over, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. It's your money and, as long as you're aware of the risks, you can do what you want with it.

There are several reasons why you may not want to take big risks though. You might have a fairly tight budget for your gambling, for example, or you might simply not be much of a risk taker. You might play primarily for the entertainment value, and just want to get as much playing time as possible.

In this article we have provided a few tips for how to take a safe approach in the casino, and make your money last as long as possible.

Play Low Stakes

The first, and perhaps the most obvious, way to make your chips last in the casino is simply not to bet much. By only ever staking a small percentage of the total amount of money you are prepared to lose, your chips should go a long way even if you have an extended run of bad luck.

It's worth noting that you can usually play for lower stakes at an online casino than you can in a live casino. The table minimums in some live casinos can be too high for smaller budgets, but most online casinos have very low minimums. You can usually stake just a single dollar on a bet if you want, and sometimes even less than that.

Play Games With a Low House Edge

All casino games have a built-in house edge, which puts the odds in the favor of the casino. However, this house edge is not the same for every game. If you play the games where the house edge is low, your money should go a lot further in the long run. The expectation is still that you will eventually lose, but you will basically lose at a slower rate. Of course, it is always possible that you might win with a little bit of luck on your side.

Blackjack is one of the best games in this respect, as the house edge is very low if you know the correct strategies to use. If you consistently make the right decisions, and the games rules are not particularly unfavorable, you can reduce the house edge to less than 1%. This means you should, on average, lose less than $1 for every $100 you stake.

Baccarat is another good option, and some video poker games have a very low house edge too. You can expect to get plenty of playing time for your money with these. There are also certain bets in craps, such as the pass line bet, where the casino advantage is very small. Games that you should really try and avoid include keno and American roulette.

Learn the Right Strategies

In some casino games, the house edge is affected by the decisions you make. Blackjack is the best example of this. As we've just mentioned, it is possible to reduce the house edge to below 1%. However, most casinos actually make far more than 1% of all bets placed at the blackjack tables, because there are so many players that don't know the right strategies.

If you're going to play a game where strategy matters, it's very much in your best interest to learn the right strategies. Most of them are fairly easy to learn, and it's usually a simple case of memorizing what to do in any given situation. If you can do this effectively you can keep the house edge at a minimum, and thus make your money last longer.

Claim Bonuses & Rewards

As casinos make money from the vast majority of their customers, it makes sense that they will do their best to encourage more people to play with them. One way they do this is by rewarding players for their wagering activity.

In many land-based casinos, for example, you earn points every time you play. These points are based on how long you play for, which games you are playing, and the average amount you stake. The higher your level of activity is, the more points you earn. These points can then be exchanged at the casino, typically for meals, drinks, or even extra chips. By taking full advantage of rewards such as this, you can get better overall value for the money you spend.

There is even more value available at online casinos. They also run rewards schemes, usually based on a similar principle to the way land-based casinos do it. The rewards are almost always cash based though, and you can use them to play some more if you want. Alternatively you can simply withdraw them, to either cover some of your losses or increase your winnings depending on how lucky you have been.

Most online casinos offer "up front" bonuses in addition to these rewards. These tend to be awarded based on the amount you deposit, in the form of extra chips added into your account. You will almost certainly be offered a sign up bonus on your first deposit after joining an online casino, and many casinos will offer additional bonuses to regular customers too.

Bonuses are one of the best ways to get more playing time for your money, as they directly increase the amount of chips you have to play with. Please be aware, though, that they always come with terms and conditions attached. These usually dictate that you have to wager a certain amount before you will be able to withdraw any bonus funds, or any winnings made when playing with bonus funds. It's always worth checking through the relevant terms and conditions so that you're aware of any such requirements, and any other rules, before accepting a bonus.