Truth Bites!!!!

People generally have many misconceptions about Casinos, so I thought today I might clear a few of them up for you.

First of all, let me say that Casinos are places that offer people the chance of fast easy money at games of chance. They have revolving doors, you can leave at any time, noone is forced inside and quite frankly, they don't really need too.

The 'odds are in the houses favour'.
Well of course they are, a Casino is a company, a buisness. They will offer you odds on all games, but will hold back a percentage, as there cut, or tax for giving this service. The House clearly states what odds it offers, and the rules of the game.
For example, in Blackjack, we will pay you odds of 1 and 1/2 times your money for a blackjack. Now this is saying that every 1 and a 1/2 hands, there will be a blackjack. Now this is true, but with 7 players, plus a dealer receiving cards, you're chances of getting that blackjack decrease greatly, plus it could be the dealer who gets it and then everybody loses.
On Roulette, there are 37 numbers(or 38 in the US) on the wheel, but we will pay you only 35 to 1, if you win on a single number. Therefore gaining our 2 or 3 points on the bet.

The'house always wins'.
In the end maybe but in actual fact, believe it or not, the opposite is also true. Around 90% of people who enter and play in the Casino, will win. But it's never enough and thats where things turn in the Casinos favour again. Almost everybody will be winning at some stage in the casino, they just can't leave when they're up. It could be $5, it could be $1000, but they always want more. The longer you stay in the Casino, the greater the chance is you will lose it all again. In the end, usually, the house will win.
I have seen someone enter the Casino(in Edinburgh), and put 50pence on a number at Roulette, because he seen that number of bus pass as he came into the casino. It won. He then went to go on and win around 10,000 pounds, from that original 25p. You know how much he left the Casino with???? Nothing, he went on to lose the 10 grand, plus 2 grand from his own pocket, plus 3 grand he borrowed from a friend. Why??? Because it wasn't enough, and when the tide turned because he was there that long, he was just chasing the money, that was never coming back. This may seem extreme, but not uncommon. The amounts varie from person to person, but you get the idea.
For every 5 people that leave the Casino winning, there will be 45 losing. 99.9% of the time that will be more than enough to cover any losses. Gamblers work on a day to day basis, with regards to there win/loss, whereas a Casino works on a Yearly basis.

The'games are rigged'.
In answer to this I always laugh. Firstly, they're not rigged because they can't be. There are far to many restrictions and laws to allow any Casino to fix results and games. Secondly, they're not rigged because they don't have to be. There are many techniques used to change or force an outcome, but all 100% legal. Like speeding up a game, to get more hands/spins per hour, or to rush someone into a bet, not giving them time to think about it. Changing dealers, more often, and at different times, to break up a streak. At the end of the day, they are a buisness, and if they're losing money, they will do something in the hope of changing this, just as any other buisness would do.

Now I know Gambling is a problem, and addiction that many people have, and some of you may think Casinos prey on this. That is something you can decide for yourself. I will tell you that if anyone needs help stopping gambling in the Casino, the Casino will be the first to help. There are Gamblers Anonymous flyers and numbers in every Casino, and all you have to do is ask, and they will bar you from entering.

My personal advice to everybody is this though...

If you have an addictive personality...DON'T GO.
If you do go....expect to lose, anything else is a bonus. Only take enough money in your pocket that you can afford to lose.

If you win....assume you were lucky, it was NOT skill.
If you win....ALWAYS tip the dealer.