Casinos are always looking for new games to add to their current offering and to take the place of those that aren’t bringing in enough money. New games are released every day, and old ones are retired. Every game has a perfect strategy to reduce the house edge, whether it be a table game, a blackjack variant, a brand-new slot machine, or a video poker game. Both the casinos and many players are aware of this, despite the fact that the majority of them don’t always use the best strategy.
The problem is that creating new strategies is required for brand-new games, which is problematic for those of us who want to play the best strategy in every game we play. You can typically find mathematical strategies for brand-new games online pretty quickly if you don’t want to wait for that to happen. You can use some of the following advice to play as close to optimally as possible until you find a better strategy.
Fundamental Rules for New Casino Games
Before playing any new casino games, the most important piece of advice is to make sure you fully understand the rules and how the game is played. Whether it’s a new casino game or not, never play a game until you fully understand it.
Table Games
You can frequently play new table games close to optimally by using common sense. Some games make this easier than others, but generally speaking, if you only make a few minor mistakes in one playing session, you won’t lose too much in terms of expected return. I can still remember playing my first game of Mississippi Stud poker without first learning the best strategies. After leaving the casino and reviewing it at home, I found that I was essentially using the best strategy. Because of this, I wasn’t losing a lot of money.
In games like Pai Gow Poker or Baccarat, where the dealer has a set strategy, if you have a choice in how to play your hand, you can usually just adhere to those rules. Even if you don’t get the maximum return possible, you should get close. Think about the dealer’s moves and the fundamentals of blackjack. Even though the dealer rules aren’t the best basic strategy, if you’ve never played before, they’ll stop you from making terrible mistakes that could end your life in one game.
Poker video
New video poker games find it challenging to compete because of their ubiquity and low house edge compared to Deuces Wild or Jacks or Better, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look for the best games. If you are familiar with a new video poker game, you can use the best strategy from a related game to play it. For instance, you can use the best strategy from Jacks or Better to play Tens or Better even though it isn’t a brand-new game. You can also probably use it when someone introduces Queens or Better. When playing brand-new video poker games that feature wild cards, you can frequently use the Deuces Wild strategy to choose which cards to play.
Use caution when using strategies designed for other games on too many hands. The majority of the games on this page are designed for short playing sessions, so your expected return won’t be too high. However, playing for long periods of time without the best strategy can quickly add up. In order to receive the highest payouts (which frequently include a bonus amount) when playing video poker, make sure you are betting the maximum number of coins per hand. You can always play for fewer coins per hand if you need to. You could, for instance, lower the cost from $1 per coin to $.25 or $.05 per coin.
Gaming machines
Slot machine games typically don’t require much strategy. In general, there are no restrictions on the machines, but you must make sure you are playing enough coins or lines to be eligible for the top payouts. Every time, I make an effort to use a coin value that will enable me to activate every pay line. I don’t want to miss out on a profitable combination because the pay line wasn’t activated, even if I have to play one penny per line.
Other Games
When casinos introduce games that don’t fit into one of the aforementioned categories, it can be difficult to decide what the best strategy should be (slots, video poker, or table games). Other games typically have some of the highest house edges, so I generally avoid them until I know what the true house edge is. Consider how much of an advantage the house has in games like Keno and others that don’t fit the mold of traditional casino games. Keno frequently has an advantage of at least 25%. You might as well buy a lottery ticket if you’re going to play the majority of these games.
Side Bets
Casino games are increasingly including side bets. There always seems to be at least one side bet available in new games, and some even have multiple options. Side wagers are generally poor wagers. They typically have higher house edges than the main games to which they are linked. I don’t place any side bets until I understand the mathematical justification letting me know the expected returns.
Conclusion
Do not let your ignorance of the most effective strategies keep you from trying a new casino games. Use the aforementioned advice and don’t wager lose, money than you can afford to lose to give yourself the best chance. Once you are familiar with how a new game is played, there is no reason to hold off on trying it out. Use common sense, rely on what you already know, and be careful with your money.
