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Beat Las Vegas
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By Richard Manning, Jr.
You’re gonna beat Vegas this time. Rough it up a bit. Kick some butt and take
names. You’ve repeated these mantras to yourself since you started travelling
northward on I-15 three hours ago. And now that the smoky column of light
blasting out of the top of the Luxor and the slender structure of the
Stratosphere have appeared in the distance to frame The Strip, your utterances
are absolute convictions.
Too bad a strategy to win in Vegas never occurred to you.
It is no secret or surprise that most everybody is an optimist on their way to
Las Vegas, and it is that self-made sense of accentuating the positive that
entices people to keep coming back. However, the phrase “talk is cheap” takes
on much more than mere cliché status when you set foot into a casino. Chances
are that if you embark with ambitious plans of monetary gain in Sin City and
yet have no idea on how to follow through on such an undertaking, that
four-hour trip up the interstate is going to double in length when you travel
back down it. It is a pattern of loss that will most likely continue if you do
not come to the casinos equipped with some sort of battle plan.
Obviously, there is no foolproof way winning in Las Vegas. If there were, the
city that tourists love to visit would be just another normal town that its
residents currently try to treat it like. The good news is that there are a few
standard rules to live by that will minimize your chances of watching the
gaming action after the first night as opposed to playing it. The first rule of
thumb is to start conservative no matter what game you play. If you are at the
blackjack table, try winning a couple of hands before increasing your bet. If
you are leaning over a game of craps, stick to the pass line for a few rolls.
Only take those kinds of chances the dealers and croupiers will attempt to goad
you into taking when you are up. Losing five bucks on a hard eight when you
crap out hurts a lot less when you are up fifty dollars than when you are down
twenty dollars.
While slowly building your chips sounds like the foundation to a potentially
successful weekend, the actual cornerstone rests in your two legs. If you blow
through fifty dollars on Let it Ride before you have the chance to ask the
cocktail waitress for a screwdriver, flee from that table immediately. Remember
that dealers can get hot streaks just like you, but the house edge dictates
that they will catch fire more frequently than you do. Dipping into your wallet
for your next fifty is not going to magically melt the iceberg that has formed
over the felt. Spend that extra bill somewhere else, like the table next to the
one you are running from.
Finally, do not forget to take a break every now and then. Admittedly, it is a
lot easier to say it than to actually do it, especially if you are enjoying
even moderate success at the game you are playing. But stepping away from the
casino action for a spell will actually make you a better player. If you play
too many consecutive hours entrenched in the same seat, mental fatigue, apathy,
and other such nasty things will settle in, exponentially increasing your
chances of doing something stupid with your money.
While these tips will not guarantee success at the casino, adhering to them
will go a long way into making your money, and your fun, last a good deal
longer. And with a little luck, it may make your trip home feel shorter, as
well.
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