There are many casino myths circulating the internet and casinos themselves. It is beyond the scope of this discussion to deal with all the myths, so perhaps the best option is to debunk the most common and most costly myths. Remember, myths and negative information is generally spread by unhappy and dissatisfied gamblers, and one certainly needs to reconsider one’s position if it is they who should be holding the preeminent view.
The Belief That Something is Due to Happen
The most costly myth for gamblers is the belief that anything in a casino is due to happen. When playing roulette, and standing watching the game for a while before playing, clutching a stack of chips, you see red come up six times in a row. The tendency is to put the chips on black, because black is surely due to come up, after all, with red coming up six times consecutively the law of averages means that black should surely be next. This presumption has made more players broke than any other. Believing that black will be up next, that somehow the odds have improved on the ball landing on a black number, is what is known as the gamblers’ fallacy. Every individual spin, deal or toss carries the same odds as the one before. It is only ever the casino that wins with the law of averages over time.
The Card Counting Question
The next casino myth that should be debunked is the belief that card counting is an illegal act. It is not. Casinos may not like card counting because it improves the players’ odds, and if done in a loud way, reserve the right not to accept wagers from card counters, but it is not illegal. Stu Unger was perhaps the greatest gin rummy player ever, and a fine poker player as well, and he had the ability to count cards to a fantastic degree. He was so good, that he once won a bet that after six full decks were dealt he would know what the final card was. He won $100 000 that night. A good tip here is to practice the skill at home, though.
The Casinos are Rigged
A third myth that has gained some prominence of late, is that casinos rig the games in their favour. Reputable casinos will certainly not be doing this, they simply do not need to, the games themselves and the process of casino play is already in their favour. Every casino game has calculable house odds, which, although small, are going to play out in the casino’s favour over time. Casino players who win vast amounts of money consistently need to continuously buck the odds and win over a shorter period than the odds that apply for casinos. In order to place the odds in their favour players should know all they can about the particular game they are playing, understand the odds, and realise when these odds are in their favour. Casinos use proven random number generators and players can rest assured that the house odds are not stacked against them, not more than the game in question anyway.