Casinos and the House Edge
As most online casino players and anyone who gambles will be aware, the house edge or house advantage is what makes the casino their profit. The house edge is always in the casino’s favour, and it is what allows them to make money when you play. As you probably realise, people lose their money at casinos much more often than they make it back or make a profit – this is the effect of the house edge, which makes sure that casinos don’t lose out. They are running a business, after all. However, this doesn’t mean that there is no way you can win when gambling online, you simply have to be cautious about it.
One of the most important and essential you may hear is to quit while you’re ahead. That is, if you make a tidy sum from a slots machine or a poker game, don’t get reckless. In the immortal words of Han Solo – don’t get cocky. It’s always best to pull out with your winnings, even if they’re relatively small compared to your original bet. Any profit is a profit, and if you give in to the urge to continue then you risk losing that profit and making a loss instead. If you do decide that you really want to continue, be especially cautious and don’t take any big risks.
Another good tip is to go for the kinds of games which have a lower house edge. The Big Wheel or Wheel of Fortune in casinos, for example, has a terrible house edge and should be avoided as you could lose big time. More favourable are the odds on games such as slots, which are completely random, and Blackjack. Both based on chance, these are games where you can win big sums without risking too much of your hard earned cash and without donating too much money to the house edge.
