Are you a sporting guy or gal? If so, I have a proposition for you. How about we start flipping a coin. Every time heads come up you give me $1.00. Every time tails come up I’ll give you 90 cents. Do we have a bet? I can’t blame you if you said no. But guess what?

There are dozens of wagers just like that in every casino you enter. Some are worse, much worse.

In this article I’m going to help you avoid those wagers. Instead I’m going to tell you about some of the very best wagers you can make when you play in any casino. I am also going to include a selection of wagering methods to give you a better chance of actually winning some cash. To round this information out, you’re also going to learn the one secret you must know to have any chance of winning. It is in fact the secret of every professional player.

The great Casino Illusion

It’s all yours for the taking! Money, fancy cars, vacations in exotic places, all you have to do is get lucky. It seems like a dream come true. But before we part with something as dear to us as our hard earned cash, perhaps we should consider our options. Today casinos offer a staggering array of games all fighting to get our attention. We know there is a cost to playing those games, but how much is that? The truth is the casinos prefer we didn’t know, but the answer is the house edge. Other than that, the games are completely free to play. That “edge” however is going to cost us anywhere from a low of just over 1% to as much as 26%. Consider that my offer to start this article only gave me a 10% advantage and you can see how much this can cost you. Common sense tells us that to get the most from our money, we are better off making only the low percentage wagers. Taking a flyer on a long shot could be fun, but let’s not make a habit of it if we plan on staying a while! Those low percentage wagers are usually the ones on even money propositions.

Can we win by making only even money wagers?

Probability says we can’t. It says that for every 100 decisions on an even money proposition we will get 50 winners and 50 losers. Of course it doesn’t always come out that exact, but on average we’ll win 50 and lose 50. That pretty much eliminates betting a flat rate for each decision. 50 winning wagers and 50 losing wagers would normally break us even, but we have to consider the house edge. At 2% we’ll only get back $98 for every $100 we wager. A slow death for sure, but it's definitely not a winner. But wait a minute. Those decisions are not going to occur win, lose, win, lose and so on. No, they are going to happen randomly with some decisions repeating 2, 3 and even 4 or more times in a row. It then stands to reason that at some times during our series we could be ahead (or behind) more than just a chip or two. Maybe by varying our bet at times we can actually make a few dollars. Let’s examine a couple of wagering methods to try and capitalize on those times when we are ahead or behind.

First we have the D’Alembert, a popular European system

The object with this system is to win a one-unit bet. Which side we bet with does not matter, the system is in the wagering not how we play. The rules are simple. After any loss increase your wager by one unit. After every win reduce one unit. Once you win a wager with a one-unit profit you start over. This method is designed to grind out small wins over and over again. The method is conservative and can show a profit even if your wins are less than your losses. Like the “flat” bettor however, as you get into long runs of play the percentages will still hold true. If you remember nothing else, write this out and commit it to memory.

In the “Long Run” the percentages always hold true.

They are as reliable as the sun rising. Forget that and you might as well just write the casino a check. Am I getting through to you? I hope so because with that statement also comes the secret of the professionals, and the one and only way to win. Do you know what it is yet? Don’t worry I’ll tell you at the end of this article but think about it.

Here’s another wagering method.

Down below is a series of numbers. These numbers will represent betting units. It doesn’t matter what size the units are that you are playing with. You always begin the sequence with the first number. After any win go up to the next number. After any loss start over from the beginning.

1-2-1-2-3-4-5-6

If you win at level 6 you may continue to go up one unit or stay at that level until you lose. Of course at that point you could also just end the series with a nice profit. This method can do very well when we get on the right side of the wins and losses. Once we get our second win at level 2 we are guaranteed to make a profit regardless of where the series ends. Of course we can also get on the wrong side of the decisions. The key is to win the first 2 decisions. When you get lucky recognize it as such and don’t give it all back when your luck changes. Notice I didn’t say “if” your luck changes, I said “when” it changes, because it always does. There is no way to predict when that will happen. It could be today, tomorrow, or even the next decision. The problem is that sometimes it is hard to tell when that happens. Here’s what I do. I don’t try to outguess it. As a general rule, I walk after 3 consecutive losses. Don’t fight the dealer or the table. They always win.

Now that you know a couple of ways to wager let’s see what games offer us the best odds. Let’s look at our options

Different Games

To begin with, there are so many new games space does not permit a review of all of them. So let’s take a look at the better wagers on the traditional games. That would be:

• Blackjack
• Craps
• Baccarat
• Roulette

Blackjack

Blackjack offers us one of our best chances to walk home a winner. Not because of the variety of wagers it offers, but because of all the games the casinos offer, blackjack is unique. It’s unique because the casino advantage is totally dependent on the skill level of the player. Theoretically it is possible to play at a 100% disadvantage. All you need do is hit every hand until you bust. Conversely with perfect play it is possible to give the casino little more than a 1% advantage. This makes blackjack one of the very best games to play. Just make sure you learn a good basic strategy to play with. Dozens of books can teach you that and you can even purchase a laminated play card, right in the casino’s bookstore. These cards have all the correct plays listed for every hand you could get. One bet to avoid however is the “insurance” wager when you have a blackjack. This bet carries a house edge of about 16% and the only insurance it really offers is that the casino will lose less! When it’s offered just smile and say “no thanks.”

Playing blackjack with a solid basic strategy makes it one of the best games you can play.

Craps

Let’s now wander over to that noisy table with everyone screaming

No doubt, that’s the craps table. Dice flying, chips being tossed and people screaming with every throw of those perfectly square cubes. Along with all the excitement this game generates there are a dizzying choice of wagers available to us. Some are good, very good in fact, and others, well let’s just say we’ll eat better if we avoid them. Craps does offer a few very attractive wagers with a house edge of less than 2%. Betting the Pass Line carries a house edge of just 1.41%. Playing the Pass Line with odds reduces that to just .848%. Playing Don’t Pass is equally good with a house edge of only 1.40%. Don’t Pass with odds reduces that edge to .691%. The counterpart to those wagers are the Come with the exact same odds as the Pass Line and the Don’t Come with the exact same odds as the Don’t pass wager. Stick to those for your best chances of winning.

Baccarat: is it only for high rollers?

Well the casino would like you to think that. That’s because baccarat has such a low house advantage. There are only 3 wagering choices available at baccarat and 2 of those come with the best odds the casinos offer. Bet on Player and the house edge is just 1.26%. Bet on Bank and that edge is even lower at just 1.16%. The third wager is a bet on a Tie and that carries a house edge of 14.36%. With odds as low as they are on Player and Bank however, it is in the casino's best interest to try and attract high rollers. The truth is anyone can play baccarat and now many casinos offer “mini” baccarat tables with lower table limits. If you can find a game it is a very good choice. It is also about the easiest game to play. You only have two choices to make. How much to wager and on which hand, Player or Bank. Everything else is automatic with no further decisions necessary by the players.

Last -- and deservedly so -- is roulette

I say deservedly because of the games I’ve described roulette has the highest house edge. At just over 5% it’s not the worst game in the casino but it’s not as good as those above. Just stick to the even money wagers here. That would be: Odd, Even, Red and Black.

Throughout this article I have stressed making only wagers that carry a low house edge. I have also given you a couple of wagering methods that give structure to your play. The object is to try and help you avoid the wild emotional swings that can come from casino play. Remember, the percentages always hold true and they favor the casino. From that, comes the secret I have spoke of. Do you know what it is yet?

Quit When You are Ahead.

Once you have won money you are not playing with their money. It is now your money! Don’t give it all back. When your luck changes don’t fight it. Just pocket your profits and walk.

Take some home with you. Good luck!