There are hundreds of games in any given online casino, but these ultimately boil down to two types: skilled-based and luck-based.
In the first type, the games can be beaten with skill and knowledge. They are often (but not always) played against other players and include games like poker and blackjack. In the case of the latter, they are nearly always played against the house (with bingo being one of the few exceptions) and whether you win or lose is 100% down to Lady Luck.
We have discussed the intricacies of many skill-based games in the past (see here for card games) and we have also discussed the best versions of real money roulette (click here) and interactive games (see this guide). In this game we’re going to go all-out to show you how you can win at games of chance in online casinos.
Strategies for Beating Roulette
The most important thing to remember when it comes to games of chance like roulette is that there is no guarantee of success. You can be a professional poker player and earn a very large and very consistent profit, but it’s difficult to do the same thing with games of chance.
However, there are many ways that you can increase your chances of success every time you sit down to play. After all, the house always wins, but only because more players end up in the red than the black. Your goal is merely to become one of the few that consistently remains in the black, and these tips can help you with that.
1. Be Careful with “Guaranteed” Roulette Strategies
There are a number of roulette strategies that promise to secure you big wins, or at the very least get your money back at the end of play. They seem to be based on logic and at first glance they may even make sense, but they can be a slippery slope.
One of the best strategies is the “Bet Black” or “Bet Red” strategy. This strategy recommends that you keep betting on red or black and that you double the size of your bet every time.
The logic comes from the belief that red/black will eventually land, so even if you lose a lot to begin with, you’ll get your money back. And there is some sense to this. Let’s imagine that you begin with $10 and bet on red; the wheel lands on black four times and then hits red.
You lose $10, $20, $40 and then $80, but because your next bet is $160, you eventually win all of that money back.
But there are multiple issues with this strategy. Let’s imagine that the above scenario does win, but you only have $500 in your account and the next two spins land on black. You have just lost everything.
What’s more, if you win the first few games and then lose one, you’ve just lost all of your winnings. You could win the first 5 and then lose just 2 and you would still lose a lot of money. There is just no way of escaping this with a big profit in your account and you’re always just one spin away from losing a huge amount of money.
This is pretty much how all strategies end and it is why you should avoid anything that guarantees you success. It’s like your mother always told you, “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.
2. Bankroll and Bet Preferred Outcomes
There is no “ideal” way to bet on games of roulette, but there are ways that are more suited to your preferences. For instance, if you only care about winning a lot of money, you don’t care if you win small amounts and you are happy to write off your deposit, you should look to bet big on single numbers.
If you win, it will be big enough to bring a smile to your face. If you lose, you won’t care. On the flip side, if you’re the sort of person who gets upset when they lose any amount of money and you’re happy with even the slightest profit, then you should bet small amounts on Even money odds.
Bankrolling is also very important. Your bankroll is the amount of money that you can afford to lose over a given period. It should be set before you play and you should use deposit limits to cement it in place. The last thing you want to do is get carried away when you have lost money and start depositing amounts that you can’t afford to lose.
3. Quit When You’re Ahead
Statistically speaking, you have just as much chance of winning whether you are on a winning streak or a losing streak. But it’s very easy to get carried away when you’re on a winning streak, and it’s important to quit while you are ahead not just to avoid this, but also to collect your winnings.
On the flip side, if you are behind then you should seriously think about taking a break or even reducing your stake. It’s counterintuitive, as most gamblers who are losing big will increase their stake to try and get their money back. But this is how gambling addictions happens, it’s how people go from casual gambling to problem gambling.
It’s all about making sure your emotions don’t take over, whether those emotions are happiness and invincibility or desperation and frustration. This is the attitude that helps professional poker players to keep their cool even after they have sat in the same chair, playing the same game for hours on end.
4.Take Advantage of Bonuses
There is no better way to guarantee a profit than to play with someone’s else money. So, make sure you focus on securing as many new member bonuses as you can get (learn more about them here). But don’t just stop there, loyalty bonuses are also essential if you want to secure a profit playing any game of chance.
Loyalty bonuses give you an incentive to keep on playing, and they help to tip the balance in your favour if you are even after an extended session. Let’s imagine that you play the “Bet Red” or “Bet Black” strategy that we mentioned above (even though we wouldn’t recommend it).
You begin with a $20 bet and you keep on doubling. You lose the first 9, win the 10th, and get your money back. At that point, you decide to call it a day, wiping a bead of sweat from your forehead and thanking the gods that you were able to win in the end.
Usually, you will have gained nothing and lost nothing (except for a nervous disorder and a few years off your life expectancy). But with a loyalty scheme, you can walk away with a huge points balance that is able to put you in profit.
5. Play Live Dealer Roulette
This is another piece of the mindset puzzle. When you play virtual games of roulette you are in control. You can bet big, go on tilt, and play quickly. It is very easy to lose a lot of money and to let your emotions get the better of you.
When you play live dealer roulette it is a different story. You are facing-off against a real dealer, you’re playing alongside real players and everything moves slowly. Not only do you have extra time to cool off after each loss, but the addition of other players adds a certain degree of responsibility and humiliation, which may stop you from flying off the handle and letting your emotions get the better of you.
Strategies for Beating Other Games of Chance
There are many games of chance on online casinos. As is the case with real money roulette, these can not be beaten with clear-cut strategies, but we have provided some tips below to help you increase your return when you are playing these games.
Sic Bo
The main reason so many first-timers lose big playing Sic Bo is simply because they don’t know the rules. They jump into this game assuming it is as straightforward as other basic games of chance, but that is simply not the case and it is very easy to lose a lot of money if you don’t know your way around this game.
It’s also important to stick with classic variants as opposed to modern recreations like Crown & Anchor, as the house edge is much greater.
Three-Card Poker
Three-Card Poker, unlike other games of poker, has a significant house edge and is played against a dealer and not other players. This basically means that no amount of bluffing will help you.
It does help if you understand poker hand values and get to grips with the rules of this game (it is very easy to pick up and play) but in reality you’re always fighting against the tide as the casino has a significant edge.
Casino War
This is one of the few games of chance where the house edge regularly swings into the player’s favour. Playing smartly can push your odds of success higher than the dealer’s, but to do this you need classic versions of the game. You should also play with welcome bonus money or as part of a loyalty bonus, as that way you can give yourself a huge advantage over the casino.
Baccarat
A lot of skill-based players are tempted by baccarat on the belief that it can be beaten consistently just like poker and blackjack can. But this is simply not the case, at least not for games of Punto Banco, which is by far the most popular version of baccarat.
If you want a more skilled-based game, look for other variants, learn the rules, and take it easy. This is a historic game that we would definitely recommend learning.
Scratchcards
Scratchcards are basically instant lotteries. The first thing you should do is look for the payout, which will be displayed in terms of how many cards you need to buy before you can get a winning one (eg. “1 in 2.5”).
Look for cards with big jackpots and small ticket prices, don’t get tempted by games that cost a lot of money and offer multiple games, and don’t let the big graphics and bonus features distract you either.
