Beating the Casino

Beating the casino is not something that can be done in many games, but there are a few games that make beating the casino perfectly possible, at least in theory, and these are the ones where the player can eliminate any edge that the house has over him.

In a game likeroulette there is no way for the player to influence the random event of where the ball will end up when the wheel stops spinning. The house edge in this game is therefore fixed and beating the casino is impossible over the long term. But in games like poker and blackjack, where the odds of winning are determined by the ability of the player, it is possible to affect the outcome by using skill. If proficiency affects the odds in any way, then skilful poker and blackjack players will eventually fare better than inept players will.

This feature is what makes beating the casino in poker and blackjack so appealing to the really keen players. In blackjack, the house edge can be eliminated by choosing a casino with the most favourable rules, playing to perfect basic strategy and counting cards. In poker, there is no house edge to overcome, because the house makes its profit by taking a tiny percentage of each pot (this is known as “the rake”), so you just have to play better poker than the other players at your table.

Beating the casino in order to come out with a profit is therefore perfectly possible if you have the necessary skill to play properly. However, if you don’t have that skill then you will be relying on luck just as much as players of roulette and craps players, which means you probably won’t make any money in the long run.
 

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