Going to a casino can be overwhelming. In fact, the lights and sounds and bustle of the gambling floor are actually designed to be a little overwhelming. The excitement of it all helps make the games more fun and gives you even more of a rush when you’ve won a hand.
Choosing the right casino games for you is an art, and it’s generally a good idea to have an idea of what you want to play before you arrive. Sticking to games you know is one thing but having a plan for the kinds of games you want to play can help you have more fun and stick to your budget at the same time.
How To Choose the Right Casino Games
What Is Your Budget?
The first thing you should think about is the kind of budget you’re working with. Most people want to make their starting budget last as long as possible while still having fun. That can mean looking for a low-stakes game of poker or blackjack for some people, while it might mean choosing an affordable slot machine for others.
Think about what your budget and how much playing each game costs. Your odds of winning should be a minor consideration since winning is never a guarantee. The more wins you have, the more you’ll be able to refill your budget for gaming, but you shouldn’t overestimate your ability to win.
If you have a large budget you can probably afford to play some of the more expensive games at the casino. However, if your budget is slim you should stick to low stakes games that take a little longer to play.
What Games Do You Know?
This might be the most important thing to consider when you’re planning a trip to the casino. Trying to play games you don’t know very well can be a serious challenge. You might also end up making rookie mistakes that blow through your budget too quickly if you don’t know the games you’re playing very well.
Try to stick to the games you know for most of the night. It’s okay to play a couple of rounds of new games for some variety and to learn, but you shouldn’t spend too much of your time (or budget) on games you don’t know very well.
What Games Have the Best Odds?
It’s also important to think about which games have the best odds for the player and which games have the best odds for the House. It’s critical to pay attention to the odds on different games when you’re planning your night.
Things like video slots might sound like they have good odds since they say that most people who play slots are winners, but the size of the win means that slots actually have a high edge to the house. Most slot players will lose more money than they win, and by relatively wide margins.
Other games with better odds, like Craps, Roulette, and Blackjack might be a better option if you’re looking to claim more substantial wins to stretch your budget.
Or you could play a wildcard game like Poker that depends on both chance and skill, with players walking away with both big wins and big losses.
Of course, some games, like Blackjack and Poker usually take a little longer to play, so they can also be used to stretch your budget if you can find some low-stakes games to play.
Tips to Choose the Right Table
Watch a Few Rounds
One thing that many gamblers don’t think about enough is that you can watch games instead of playing all the time. Sipping on a drink while watching a great game between other gamblers can be almost as much fun as playing yourself.
But watching the tables is about more than just having fun while you watch. Watching can also be a good way to decide what game you want to play next, and which table is the right table for you.
Why does the table matter?
Well, the stakes on every game will usually vary between different tables. The skill of the players will also vary some, and every dealer will handle their table a little differently.
Finding the right table will help you have more fun and can help you stick to your budget.
Don’t Push Your Budget Too Hard
Gambling will naturally make you want to break your budget, especially if the ‘fun’ tables are all the higher stakes games. That’s actually relatively common since high stakes players usually have a higher budget and care less about losses, and because casinos will generally save their best dealers for the higher stakes’ tables.
That doesn’t mean you should buy into a game with higher stakes than you can afford just because it looks fun. You might want to budget for a couple of games like this, just in case it really looks like a lot more fun, but you should remember that you can have fun at almost any table.
Stretching your budget is one thing, buying into a game you can’t afford is something else.
What Kind of Experience Are You Looking For?
Choosing a game is about more than just the money you’re going to spend and how long you get to keep playing. It’s also about getting the kind of experience you want to have at the casino.
Here are some questions to consider before you start choosing casino games:
- Do you want to play games of chance or games of skill?
- Are you looking for a laid-back game or a more competitive playing style?
- Do you want to play games with bells and whistles and lights?
- Are you looking for a relaxing game?
- Do you want to spend a lot of time thinking and strategizing, or do you prefer games that don’t need a lot of thinking?
These questions are important for choosing the game you want to play and deciding when you want to play the game. For instance, you might want to start playing poker but switch to roulette after a couple of drinks to help wind down.
Taking your needs as a player into account is always going to have a bigger impact on your enjoyment than your budget and other factors.