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Enjoying Yourself in the Casino: Three Rules

You do not need a bankroll of millions or even thousands of dollars to enjoy yourself in a casino. Nor do you even have to be an expert, professional-level card counter at blackjack. Casino insiders will tell you that any patron is bound to have great good fun if he goes with family or friends, decides on a win/loss limit for the night, and chooses those games where the house edge is not quite so pronounced.

Remember, first of all, you are in the casino to enjoy yourself, see if Lady Luck will favor you, soak in the glitz and glamor of luxurious modern establishments, and revel in the fawning service of casino staff. "But," you protest, "don't I go to casinos to get lucky and hit the jackpot?"

Absolutely not! Remember that in every game, odds are fixed in favor of the house. In the long run, everybody loses.

Still, there is lots of fun and excitement to be had chasing a progressive jackpot or pitting you skills against the dealer in baccarat. So if you are with family, friends or colleagues, you can rejoice at little wins and josh each other over an unlucky streak.

The second is caveat is the size of your bankroll. Decide on an amount and cut your losses when you reach that point. The worst thing any gambler can do is to chase his losses. Nine times in ten, you dig an even deeper hole that you will never get out of.

Be realistic. If $ 500 is all you can afford to lose without dropping the rent or grocery money as well, then that is your limit for the evening. Even $300 to $500 will get you a few hours of fun on a variety of slot machines.

Quitting while you are ahead also works. On a visit to Macao, a well-known Thai businessman and notorious smuggler lost 8 million baht on two successive Texas Hold 'em Poker games. He recouped with a 10 million baht win on the third game. Whereupon, he rose, cashed his chips and took the very next hydrofoil out of Macao. Quite simply, he had reached his limit.

But if you are obsessed with winning and cannot resist the lure of telling a tall tale later on about hitting Harrah's for ten big ones, then be prepared to select your game carefully. If you are new to casinos, learn the mechanics first. In casino baccarat, some combinations are instant winners and you can hit only at certain numbers.

Having mastered the house rules, the most important bit of knowledge really has to do with the odds in each game. Baccarat, for instance, is a safe bet with odds of 1:1 because you bet only on the player or the bank. The payout is a highly satisfying 35 times in roulette. And in stud or 7-card poker, getting a straight flush returns 125 times your bet.

So you can safely count on enjoying your next visit to the casino if you go as a group, bone up on the game odds and be rational about sticking to a bankroll each time.