The gambling world is filled with different bets. You can play countless casino games and even find specific types of casino bet within each game.
This makes it difficult to know when you’re placing a good or bad bet. Because of this, many players like to use online resources to research their wagers.
But research doesn’t always help you avoid betting on bad propositions. Gambling involves emotions, which can force you into making a wager that you’ll later regret.
You obviously want to avoid making bad bets so that you stand a better chance of making profits. And I’m going to discuss 5 warning signs that you’re about to place a poor wager so that you can avoid doing so.
1 – You Don’t Know the Bet’s House Edge and Odds of Winning
Two of the most important things that you need to understand before making a bet include the house edge and odds.
The house edge refers to how much money the average player will win back over the long term. If you’re facing a 1% house edge, then you stand to win back $99 for every $100 wagered.
This is a long-term losing proposition for the average player. But youre still almost on equal ground with a casino in this situation.
What you want to avoid is bets where the house edge is drastically higher. Wagers with high house edges reduce the odds of you winning money.
Here's a list of popular casino games and their house advantages.
Video Poker = 0.46% house edge (9/6 Jacks or Better)
Blackjack = 0.5% to 2.0% (based on table rules)
Baccarat = 1.06% (banker bet)
French Roulette = 1.35%
Craps = 1.36% (dont pass line and dont come bets)
Pai Gow Poker = 1.46%
European Roulette = 2.70%
Let It Ride = 3.51%
Caribbean Stud = 5.22%
Keno = 10% to 40% (varies by casino)
You can see that baccarat, blackjack, craps, French roulette, European roulette, and video poker are some of the best wagers in the casino.
But you also must consider each individual wager with any game. Some casino games vary wildly from one bet to the next.
Craps is a perfect example because it features solid main bets along with some of the worst prop bets known to man.
Here are
the craps bets.
Odds* = 0.0% house edge
Don’t pass line/don’t come bet = 1.36%
Pass line/come bet = 1.41%
Place 6/Place 8 = 1.52%
Lay 4/Lay 10 = 2.44%
Lay 5/Lay 9 = 3.23%
Place 5/Place 9 = 4.0%
Lay 6/Lay 8 = 4.0%
Buy 4/Buy 10 = 4.76%
Buy 5/Buy 9 = 4.76%
Buy 6/Buy 8 = 4.76%
Field = 5.56%
Place 4/Place 10 = 6.67%
Hard 6/Hard 8 = 9.09%
Big 6/Big 8 = 9.09%
Yo (11) = 11.11%
3 = 11.11%
2 or 12 (Hi-Lo) = 11.11%
Craps (2, 3, or 12) = 11.11%
Hard 4/Hard 10 = 11.11%
Horn = 12.5%
Whirl World = 13.33%
2 = 13.89%
12 = 13.89%
Any 7 = 16.67%
*(available in some casinos)
It doesn’t take a genius to see that some of these wagers are terrible. But certain craps players still like placing risky prop bets due to the large payouts or simply because they don’t know the odds.
This brings me to another point in that you always want to know the odds of winning each wager. Odds are different than the house edge because they refer to your chances of winning a single bet.
A wager can have a good house edge but still have poor odds. While you may have good long-term chances of winning a certain bet, bad odds make it so that wins are few and far in between.
Look at the available roulette bets and notice the vast differences in odds.
Single number 36:1 odds, 35:1 payout
Split 17.5:1 odds, 17:1 payout
Street 17.5:1 odds, 17:1 payout
Corner 8.25:1 odds, 8:1 payout
Six line 5.17:1 odds, 5:1 payout
Column 2.08:1 odds, 2:1 payout
Dozen 2.08:1 odds, 2:1 payout
Odd/even 1.06 odds: 1:1 payout
Red/black 1.06 odds: 1:1 payout
High/low 1.06 odds: 1:1 payout
I’m not saying that players are wrong for wagering on long odds. But theyre also going to lose a lot before these wagers come through.
This is even more excruciating when dealing with a small bankroll and wanting to play for a while. Anybody who wants to sustain a small bankroll should stick with bets that offer high odds of winning.
Examples include baccarat, blackjack, even-money craps bets, and even-money roulette bets. You can also add sports betting to this list if youre placing informed wagers.
The good news is that it’s easy to look up information on odds and house edges. I suggest doing a quick Google or Bing search on your smartphone for this info before placing any wagers.
The Psychology of Gambling and Decision Making
Gambling decisions aren't always about the numbers. Psychological factors play a big role too. The Gambler's Fallacy is one example. It's the belief that past events can affect future outcomes in games of chance, like thinking a roulette number is due just because it hasn't come up in a while. Then there's the Anchoring Effect, where players rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive, like a dealer's pitch. Recognizing these biases can steer you towards smarter bets.
Another psychological aspect to consider is the lure of near-misses. This happens when a player comes close to winning and feels encouraged to try again. Casinos know this adrenaline rush keeps you betting. Understanding the near-miss effect can help you pause and reassess your situation. Furthermore, Loss Aversion can have a big impact, where the pain of losing is more intense than the pleasure of winning. This can push players to make erratic bets just to avoid losses, altering their strategy negatively.
2 – You’re Chasing Losses
The absolute worst thing that you can do in gambling is chase losses. This habit is common during a long losing session when you want to win everything back.
You cant fault a gambler for wanting to leave the table a winner. But betting purely to win back previous losses is a recipe for disaster.
Some players use the logic that they’ve had bad luck early in the session, so they’re due to experience good luck. This sounds nice in theory, but there’s no basis behind it.
In fixed-odds games, youre no more likely to win the next bet than you were the previous wager.
The chances of winning a baccarat banker bet are always 51% (minus 5% commission) no matter how many wagers youve lost before.
Nevertheless, players continue making extra bets or even increasing their wager sizes based on the assumption that their luck will change.
This is a bad idea from a bankroll management perspective and can lead to losing money that you can’t afford to part with.
The best way to avoid chasing losses is to set stop-loss limits. This refers to the point where you quit a gambling session after losing so much money.
A stop-loss limit can be based on personal preferences. I recommend that you take your bankroll size into account when setting this number.
Here’s an example.
You have a $1,000 bankroll
Your stop-loss limit is 15% of your bankroll
Youll quit when reaching losses of $150
You can use either a specific number of bets or the percentage of your bankroll to decide this figure. But the key point is that you set a stop-loss limit and stick with it to
avoid chasing losses.
Of course, you must be able to actually quit when reaching your stopping point. And you can use different methods to help in this matter.
An online
casino player could limit deposits to what they feel comfortable losing. And they might only send enough funds to their banking option to cover the stop-loss limit.
Here’s an example.
You dont use PayPal for anything besides online gaming
You fund the PayPal account with $150
You transfer this amount to an online casino, leaving nothing in the PayPal account
The point is to make it inconvenient to go past the amount of money that you’re comfortable losing.
Importance of Budgeting and Bankroll Management
Managing your money wisely is as important as understanding the game. Set a budget before you start, splitting it into smaller units. This acts as a way to control losses and keep you playing longer. Consider using the Kelly Criterion, a formula that helps decide the amount to wager based on your perceived edge in the game. But remember, sticking to your budget is key, no matter how good a bet looks.
Besides unit betting, incorporating a win limit can enhance your bankroll strategy. Decide on an amount after which you’ll walk away with your winnings in a session. This prevents the temptation to keep playing until you lose it all back. Financial discipline doesn't just protect your wallet, it also sustains the thrill of the game over time, ensuring your gambling remains a pleasurable pastime instead of a hazardous obligation.
3 – You’re Playing a Skill-Based Game Where You Don’t Know the Strategy
Skill-based games are attractive since you can use your knowledge to lower the house edge. But this is a double-edged sword, because you can also lose more money by not knowing the proper strategy.
If you don’t know much about a skill-based casino game, then this is a bad bet. You could end up losing far more than you would with a non-skilled game like baccarat, slots, or roulette.
Casino games that feature an extensive amount of skill include:
Arcade-style casino gaming
Blackjack
Poker (Texas hold’em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, etc.)
Skill-based slot machines
Sports betting
Three-card poker
Video poker
Some of these games have fixed odds and a house advantage. Examples include blackjack, skill-based slot machines, three-card poker, and video poker (except with rare machines).
Others don’t have fixed odds, meaning youll win or lose a variable amount of money. Examples are poker and sports betting.
Many people like poker and sports betting for the fact that highly-skilled players can win big. This is why there are plenty of professional poker players and sports bettors.
But if I were to choose a type of skill-based game to play without knowing strategy, I’d pick games with fixed odds. The reason why is because even bad players can limit their losses to a degree.
For example, a bad blackjack player will only surrender around a 4%-5% house edge if they’re trying. Likewise, a novice video poker player on a good game like 9/6 Jacks or Better (0.46% house edge) will face a 5%-8% house advantage.
Bad sports bettors typically don’t lose much more than those who play games with fixed odds. The reason why is because sports lines are crafted to draw equal betting action on each side.
This means that the average bettor only loses the 10% vigorish, which sportsbooks take from the losing side. Anybody in this position is only surrendering a 2.40% edge.
But the problem is that many novice sports bettors overestimate their abilities. This can lead to long losing streaks and chasing losses when you think that your next big win is around the corner.
Poker is the worst game to play when you dont have strategy knowledge and arent actively learning it. This is especially the case when you’re playing cash games, which can see 60-80 hands per hour online.
If you’re the biggest fish at a poker table, then you may be surrendering a 5%-15% edge on every cash-game hand. Add this up, and its quite costly when you’re playing no-limit stakes of $1/$2 and above.
Poker tournaments are more forgiving because you’re paying a single buy-in to play an event that could last one hour or longer. But also keep in mind that most poker tournaments only pay the top 10%-20% of the field.
Again, casino games with fixed odds can cost you less when you don’t understand the strategy. But you’re making a bad wager either way because you’re surrendering even more of an edge to the house/other players.
I recommend brushing up on strategy for any skill-based game that youre interested in.
You can find countless
online resources for games like blackjack, poker, sports betting, three-card poker, and video poker.
In the case of blackjack, there’s no need to fear learning strategy. All you must do is look for a blackjack strategy chart and use it to learn optimal basic strategy.
Games like poker, sports betting, and video poker are tougher learn. But some players who like the challenge will also appreciate developing mastery in these forms of gambling.
4 – You’re Making Volatile Bets and Expecting Quick Winnings
Gambling volatility refers to how closely your short-term winnings align with the house edge.
Earlier, I discussed roulette wagers that have long odds of winning. But you’ll find even more volatile bets in the
casino, including slot machines and video poker.
The challenge with these games is that they offer a variety of payouts. This means that prizes on the lower end could pay even money while jackpots can be worth thousands of dollars.
Heres a new generic example of a slots pay table.
10,000 coins (jackpot)
1,000 coins
500 coins
200 coins
100 coins
50 coins
20 coins
10 coins
5 coins
The jackpot is worth 2,000x the lowest payout in this example. And this creates lots of volatility, because these games must adjust by paying on a less-frequent basis.
Some players enjoy this volatility because they dream of winning a big slots jackpot or royal flush hand. And this is fine if you’re prepared for the wild variance thatll ensue.
But slot machines and video poker become a bad bet when somebody enters the situation hoping to earn quick profits. The reason why is because it makes bankroll management difficult if you have no idea when your next win is coming.
A good way to handle bankroll management for volatile games is to prepare for the worst. The most that the average slots player will lose in an hour is around 350 bets.
If you’re wagering $1 per spin, then this puts the worst-case scenario at losing $350 an hour. Here’s the math on how long your bankroll will last under the circumstances.
You have a $1,500 bankroll
Youre betting $1 per spin
You lose $350 per hour on average
1,500/350 = 4.29
Your bankroll will theoretically last 4.29 hours
Again, some players are comfortable facing this type of volatility. They have a large enough bankroll to handle the losses and are prepared to face long odds.
But don’t enter a land-based or online casino with $50 and expect to spin the reels for hours or play countless video poker hands. These games involve plenty of luck and can see you take on big short-term losses.
I especially recommend avoiding progressive slot machines if you’re trying to stretch out your bankroll. Odds are that you won’t win the jackpot, meaning you’re playing a game with low base payback.
The Megabucks progressive slot machine in Las Vegas is a good example. The base payback is 88%, which increases as the progressive jackpot grows.
The problem is that your odds of winning the jackpot are roughly 1 in 50 million.
Considering that a qualifying jackpot spin is $3, this is a significant amount to bet on a game with 88% base payback.
If you never win the jackpot which is the case for almost every Megabucks player then you’re going to lose an average of $0.36 on every bet.
This is $216 if youre performing 600 spins an hour. I highly suggest avoiding Megabucks if you’re not prepared to do this.
Probability and Payouts in Different Casino Games
Different games offer varied odds and payouts. Blackjack offers better odds with basic strategy, but poker relies on player skill against others. Slot machines attract with high payouts but come with long odds. Video poker offers better paybacks than traditional slots if you play right. Picking games with odds that match your play style and understanding pay structures can make all the difference.
When looking at specific games, Keno and slot machines often have higher house edges, but their potential payouts excite many players. Online games sometimes offer better odds than land-based casinos due to lower overheads. For instance, some online slots boast higher return-to-player rates compared to their physical counterparts, making them appealing options for players mindful of probabilities. Always compare payout rates and choose games wisely for a balanced gaming experience.
5 – You’re Betting to Earn More Comps
Brick-and-mortar
online casinos give comps to players to retain their loyalty. The goal is to reward players for their betting volume in the form of cashback, free slots play, free bets, and VIP service.
You obviously want to take advantage of comps if you enjoy playing casino games. But you must also avoid falling into the trap of playing just to accumulate more rewards.
Some players will extend their session in order to collect a better comp. But this is almost the equivalent of chasing losses because the risk isn’t worth the reward.
Some players scoff at the notion that going for more comps is the same as chasing losses. But the math shows that these are roughly equal scenarios.
Here’s an example.
You bet $3,000 over a session
Youre playing an online slot with a 5% house edge
3,000 x 0.05 = 150
Youll theoretically lose $150
The comp rate is 0.1%
3,000 x 0.001 = 3
Youll earn $3 in comps
The problem with comps is that casinos have done the math on what they can afford to give away in freebies and still make a healthy profit. This is why theyre only willing to comp around 0.1% of wagers for slots and table-game players.
If you’re playing a penny slot machine with a 10% house edge, then you’re only getting comped on one-hundredth of your theoretical losses. Even if you’re playing an online slot with a 5% house edge, you’re only receiving rewards on one-fiftieth of your losses.
Few gamblers would continue playing
casino games when theyre not in the mood just to collect such small amounts. This is in essence like spending $100 on Chuck-E-Cheese games, only to cash in your tickets for a stuffed bear worth $2.
The upside is that you can move up to higher VIP levels based on your playing volume. You’ll earn a bigger comp rate when advancing levels, such 0.2% or more.
But you’ll also run into the same problem in that your rewards arent worth the value of theoretical losses.
I suggest that you only play casino games for entertainment and let the rewards come naturally.
Understanding Casino Promotions and Bonuses
Casinos love to entice with bonuses and promotions, but they come with strings attached. Wagering requirements mean you must bet a certain amount before cashing out bonuses. This fine print can affect your profit chances. Rewards might seem generous, but understanding terms like ‘playthrough' can prevent nasty surprises. Always weigh if a bonus aligns with your gaming strategy and bankroll.
Not all bonuses are created equal. Some offer free spins, while others give cashback or a deposit match. When you spot a bonus, calculate its real value by considering its contribution to your play strategy. Do you need to deposit a large amount to claim it? Is it time-limited? Answering such questions can save you from falling for headline offers that don't genuinely benefit you. Focus on offers that align with your play habits, allowing more for extended play or preferred games.
Conclusion
Bad bets come in many different forms. This makes the key knowing general traits that make up a bad wager.
The easiest way to spot poor wagers is by the house edge. A high house advantage indicates that you’re likely to lose money in the long run.
Another example includes when you play skill-based games without knowing the strategy. This puts you at a bigger disadvantage than skilled players.
Other signs can be dependent upon the individual. For example, placing bets with high volatility is a bad decision when you want to make a small bankroll last.
Emotions can also lead you to making poor bets. This is especially the case when you chase losses or go after extra comps when you’d rather stop playing.
Being able to identify bad bets is an important trait to winning in casino games. At worst, you’ll be able to minimize losses by placing fewer bad wagers.
If youd like to utilize what youve learned here, be sure to check out our
recommended online casinos. Gambling on the web with the wrong companies is even worse than making bad bets, so use our recommendations and ensure youre playing with safe and reputable operators.
Responsible Gambling Practices
Responsible gambling practices help keep the experience fun. Watch for signs of problem gambling, like feeling restless when not playing or betting more than you can afford. Set time limits for gaming sessions and stick to them. Check out resources like Gamblers Anonymous or online self-assessment tools to keep gambling enjoyable and under control.
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