You Don’t Have to Lose Money Gambling – 9 Ways to Improve Your Strategy

Guy Looking Into Wallet, Lose Money Crossed Out

Gambling is one of the most rewarding hobbies on the planet. Gamblers have the privilege of traveling worldwide to unique casinos and meeting interesting people.

In some instances, the average gambler even gets to leave with house money. That’s the true motivation for the overwhelming majority of gamblers.

However, most players lose money trip after trip. That introduces the most pronounced downside of gambling, the losses.

I want you all to have a fantastic adventure in the casino. So, I’ll let you in on a pretty big secret.

You don’t have to lose money gambling. Use these 9 ways to improve your strategy, and you’ll become a winner.

1 – Become a Smarter Gambler

One of the most straightforward methods for improving your gambling strategy is to become more informed. That means seeking the games with the lowest house edge and looking for opportunities to diminish the advantage further.

That will require minimal research on your part and a bit of discipline.

The rewards will be worth your investment.

Another key to becoming a more intelligent gambler is focusing on the fundamentals employed by successful gamblers.

Sharp bettors, poker professionals, and card counters operate in various areas of a casino. Still, their formula for success remains largely unaltered.

Setting limits on your time, making a strict budget, and following basic money management principles are keys to success. Before you dive into the deep end of the gambling pool, be confident that your fundamentals are in check.

2 – Leverage Sponsors to Stake You

If you’re a good enough gambler or salesperson, you may not have to stake a single dollar of your own money.

There are a ton of gamblers who leverage sponsors to stake their casino sessions. The most notable examples of this can be seen in the poker rooms, but it’s not uncommon for other advantage gamblers to be staked.

Players can hold onto their own money during losing sessions by having someone to front the cash. But don’t assume that you’re going to keep all of your winnings when things go well.

Important:The sponsors fronting your money will be expecting a kickback in excess of the money they put in your hands. Still, it’s an honest relationship when the agreement is suitable.

Even at the top of the poker world, you’ll see this arrangement. Sometimes other pros will stake a buddy merely because they want a piece of the action.

Playing with someone else’s cash will eliminate any money siphoning from your bankroll.

3 – Only Gamble When You Have the Advantage

Players lose in the casino because the house has an advantage. You can negate that advantage by using the correct strategy and playing good games.

A prominent example of this is the card counters. Blackjack has a mathematical edge of between 2-4% for the casino.

Yet, there are ways to diminish that number tremendously. The blackjack basic strategy will drop the house edge to below 1% in the fair games.

Unfortunately, a 0.5% edge means the players still lose.

Card counters track the number of high-value cards in the shoe to gain an edge. When the count is high, players raise their average bets significantly.

Because of the higher payouts for a natural, the wins offset losses at a lower stake.

In the long-term, card counters enjoy an edge on the casino.

For sharp sports bettors, gaining the advantage boils down to finding the value. When a sports bettor can develop a system for picking the games where they have value, a profit is within reach.

Sports betting is the most lucrative avenue for advantage gamblers. The top punters on the planet make hundreds of millions in the sportsbook.

Video poker is another game where the proper strategy will give you long-term profitability. You need to pair the approach to the best variant to establish an edge.

The video poker machines that allow long-term profit are phasing out of casinos, but they exist.

The poker room is a popular area for players looking to gain an advantage. I’m going to take a close look at how the average poker player can make money playing poker in a moment.

It would be best to keep in mind that having the advantage won’t mean you win money every session. There will be the same variance that slows players sometimes to win.

In the long run, having an advantage will make you a winner.

4 – Redefine the Way You Look at Losing

Occasionally, a simple shift in perspective is enough to cut the thought of losing out.

I don’t consider spending money the same as losing money. So, your gambling money could be seen as entertainment money.

For example, it’s not uncommon to spend $100 on concert tickets. That’s typically a 3-hour show, which breaks down to around $33 per hour.

A casino gambler can be entertained for far less than $33 per hour. The house advantage on the baccarat banker bet is 1.06%.

Imagine you’re wagering $1,000 per hour at the baccarat table. That will cost you $10 per hour.

I can’t think of many viable entertainment venues that offer such value. Rethink how you look at the money you spend in the casino to stop “losing.”

5 – Change Sides and Become the House

If you’re serious about making a push to become a winner, flip the roles. Casinos have an advantage on players because the games are designed for the house to win.

Tips:You can enjoy the same odds by becoming the house. I’m not suggesting you find angel investors and open a legitimate casino resort.

Hosting a cash casino night will put money in your pocket; it’ll be almost impossible to lose.

A more common approach for the individual looking to take on the role of a casino is the bookie. I play golf with a few bookies regularly; they all drive extraordinarily lovely vehicles.

I’m talking about the type of cars that could’ve got you a nice house a few years ago.

Regardless, because of the vig, these guys can’t lose.

You need to understand the gaming laws in your area carefully. I wouldn’t want any of you to break the law. I’m merely sharing a way that some gamblers have made the switch and eliminated losing.

6 – Play Exclusively With Weaker Players

For poker players, not losing money is simple. Find weaker players and dominate them.

That’s easier said than done because poker rooms are full of sharp players looking for their next victim. Yet, the potential to find an advantage remains plentiful.

Poker is a skill-based endeavor. That means any players less skilled than you will be easier to beat.

Having a general poker base and some experience puts you ahead of most players you’ll find in casino poker rooms.

Tips:If you’re still a fish that’s getting schooled every session, read a book. Reading poker strategies laid out by some of the best players of all time will make you a better player.

When all else fails, host a poker night, and beat up on friends and family. The practice will translate to the more significant cash games.

7 – Practice Without Exposing Your Bankroll

One of my favorite bits of advice for losing gamblers is to practice online. There’s no game that you won’t get better at from practice.

Playing online is the perfect way to practice because of its convenience. You can play from home, at work, or on your mobile device.

Best of all, the games are free, so you don’t have to expose your bankroll while you improve.

8 – Utilize Online Casino Bonuses

Online casino bonuses can be a tremendous ally for recreational gamblers. The online casinos hand out deposit bonuses to attract new gamblers to the site.

When gamblers leverage these bonuses, they don’t have the stress of watching their deposit vanish overnight.

When you get on a heater utilizing an online bonus, you may be able to cash out before you dip into your cash. That provides an excellent opportunity for gamblers.

Try spending some of the casino’s money to beat them at their own game.

9 – Stop Feeding Money to the Slot Machines

If you play slot machines, you are going to lose money. That’s a fact of life, like death or taxes.

Further Info:The house edge for slot machines averages close to 10%, which means, on average, $1 of every $10 played goes to the casino.

You can’t find an edge on the games no matter how hard you look.

The pace of slot machines also works to defeat gamblers. The typical slots player will spin the reels close to 600 times per hour.

So, even if you’re only playing for $1 per spin, you’ll lose $60 per hour. Leave the slot machines for the jackpot chasers, and you’ll lose much less in casinos.

Conclusion

It took me years to understand that you don’t have to lose money gambling. The 9 ways to improve your gambling strategy will have you on the path to winning.

Sadly, the variance will always be a factor due to the random nature of the games. Yet, you can enjoy a long-term profit by making the best choices.

Petko Stoyanov
Get in touch with Petko
About Petko Stoyanov
My name is Petko Stoyanov, and I've been a gambling writer for more than ten years. I guess that was the natural path for me since I've loved soccer and card games for as long as I can remember! I have a long and fairly successful history with English Premier League betting and online poker, but I follow many other sports. I watch all big European soccer leagues, basketball, football, and tennis regularly, and I keep an eye on snooker, volleyball, and major UFC events.