Online Casinos Explorer

Tips for Craps: Make one or two come bets or just stick to pass line bets with double odds.  As an alternative to the come bets, you could place the 6 and 8. 

Don't let yourself be tempted to play the high house percentage proposition bets in the middle of the craps table layout.  If you succumb to temptation, you're likely to quickly dissipate any winnings you might have accumulated!

Tips for Baccarat:  Baccarat is a simple game.  You either bet on the banker's hand or the player's hand and the rules are set by the house.  Make sure that you keep a score card and record any losses or wins.  Look for patterns - streaky or choppy, then you can bet on whether or not these patterns will stop or continue.

Tip for Blackjack Players:  Take the time to l earn the basic strategy for playing each hand against any dealer's up-card...you'll find it in most blackjack books, a blackjack card or on the internet.

3rd Key Decision:  Bankroll and Betting Unit

Apply the principles of budgeting to your bankroll.  Manage your online casino account.  Decide how much risk you want to take and size your bankroll accordingly.  Generally speaking, a 200 unit bankroll is a good betting unit.  So, for example, if you're playing with a $2000  bankroll, your basic betting unit would be $2000 divided by 200 or $10.  Obviously, more aggressive gamblers would use 100 units or less. 

The principle is:  the more units you divide your bankroll into, the lower your risk of losing; the fewer units, the higher your risk of losing.

4th Key Decision:  Create a schedule of casino play and other gambling activities

Make an effort to schedule your casino playing sessions around other activities...since you're playing from home, structure your time efficiently - both your starting and your ending time.  And stick to your schedule!

5th Key Decision:  Don't lose your perspective

Keep a clear and cool head.  Don't rush into a game.  Rather, take time to review your gambling objectives and strategies.

6th Key Decision:  Select your game

Don't let your game selection be made on an ad hoc basis.  Look at various promotions and bonuses and choose the game with the best odds. 

7th Key Decision:  Knowing when to increase your bet size

Make this decision with your head and not with your heart.  Don't let your emotions interfere with making an intelligent bet.  Don't let yourself bet up too bet up too heavily on a winning streak (especially if you're playing craps) or chase losses.  

You need to place your bets with a carefully thought out plan in the heat of battle.  Following is a sensible betting strategy:
Bet up on a series of wins as follows:

Conservative Progression:  1-1-2-2-3-3-4-4-5-5-6-6

Aggressive Progression: 1-1-2-2-2-4-4-4-8-8-8.

In each case, increase your bet to the next unit level in the series on successive wins on even money bets:  blackjack, craps pass line, baccarat, or roulette outside bets.  On a loss, revert to a one-unit bet and start over.  Study these progressions and you will come to appreciate their value in not only accumulating profits on a winning streak, but also protecting these profits.

How far do you go in each of these progressions  Make this decision before you start play, not in the heat of battle.  Notice that each progression gets you a 12-unit profit after six successive wins.  Not too shabby!  These winning streaks do happen, but I suggest you pick a reasonable level to reach, and then back off to a one-unit bet.

If you find yourself in choppy back-and-forth game, play a mild up-as-you-lose progression, e.g.  1-2-4, reverting to a one-unit bet on any win or after losing three in a row.

8th Key Decision:  Know when to leave the table

Have a strategy in place, setting out the set of circumstances in which you will walk away from a game. 

A stop-loss strategy: Decide how many betting units you will lose before withdrawing from a game.  Generally, six is a good number, but no more than ten.  For example, if your betting unit is $20, leave the game if you're down $120, and look for a better game.

You'll value every unit you don't lose, every unit you save, because it's evidence that you've cut your losses short.  

A stop-win strategy: Use a trailing stop loss to make this decision.  Once you've accumulated winnings of, say, half of your buy-in amount, divide your chips into three even piles and only bet off one pile.  Use the chips you win to keep the three piles even.  When you lose, only wager the chips from one pile and once that pile is finished, leave the game with the other two piles (representing your buy-in and your win).

9th Key Decision:  Document your results

Use a pocket notebook to record your losses and wins, and mark down comments about your game play that may assist you later on. It's a useful exercise, and can make for interesting post-play analysis.  

10th Key Decision:   Know when to end the session

Here are two sensible reasons to terminate your gambling session:

1.  You are tired.  Your fatigue is affecting both your judgment and your game.
2.  You have reached the limit of your optimal session time (normally around 90 minutes) and need a break to help you keep perspective. 

Be honest with yourself.  If you're tired or need to rest, take a break and give your self a chance to assess the situation.

If you take these 10 key decisions seriously, you'll be increasing your odds.  Disciplined play, in line with a clear strategy and plan of action, will give you the best chance of ending your online gambling session as a winner!