Everyone has a strategy or a system for playing at online casinos. Whether it’s online pokies, blackjack, roulette, or video poker, everyone has an idea of how to gamble. Some of those ideas are outright bad and will guarantee that you’ll lose money at the casino.
Today, we will take a look at 5 of the worst strategies people use while playing at online casinos. By avoiding these mistakes, you’ll give yourself a better chance at winning more often.
Always Bet Max Credits on Pokies at Online Casinos
Most people assume that playing max credits on online pokies is the only way to win. They mistakingly believe that machines are programmed to pay out better for max credits. This is not the case. Betting 1 credit or max credits makes no difference in the frequency of how often you win or how often you trigger the bonus feature.
The only thing that betting max credit may impact is certain progressive jackpots. Some jackpot pokies require that you bet a certain level or bet max credits to qualify for the jackpot. These are the exception rather than the rule.
Play Like the Dealer in Blackjack
Most people believe that if they play blackjack using the same rules as the dealer, they will win more. That means hitting on all hands 16 or under and staying on all hands 17 and up. This is a horrible strategy.
The reason this works for the dealer is that you must go first. If you bust, the hand is over without the dealer having to play. Dealer rules work because you’ve already played. Next, when you play like the dealer, you increase the house edge to between 5 and 6 percent. Normally, the house edge is just .05 to .75 percent when you play a basic perfect strategy. If you like giving away money to the house, go ahead and play this way.
Taking Insurance in Blackjack
Insurance is a side bet you can make in blackjack when the dealer has an ace showing on the deal. It pays 2 to 1 when the dealer has a blackjack. Since your insurance bet is half your initial bet, you effectively push when an insurance bet hits.
The house edge on this bet is massive. Even if you’re playing single deck blackjack, the house edge is 5.9 percent. It goes up to 7.5 percent when there are eight decks. This is another sucker bet to ignore.
Not Betting Max Credits on Video Poker
While it is not necessary to play max credits on online pokies, you’re making a huge mistake by not doing so with video poker. For starters, the only way to get the best payout in the game is by betting max credits and hitting a Royal Flush. The Royal Flush on max credits is the jackpot for video poker.
When you don’t play max credits on video poker, you are actually losing a couple of percentage points in RTP. By playing less than max credits, the RTP of a video poker game drops by about 2%. For example, 9-6 Jacks or Better pays 99.54 with perfect play on max credits. This drops to 97.54% with less than max credits. You can suck at playing video poker and get a 97% payback, so give yourself some better odds by playing max credits.
Making Side Bets in Table Games at Online Casinos
Many table games at online casinos come with relatively low house edges. Even games like 3 Card Poker has a house edge of around 3 percent. The way that the casino makes money at many of these games is through side bets.
Side bets, depending on the game, can have a house edge of between 5 and 10%. Some side bets, such as a progressive jackpot royal in 3 Card Poker, can have house edges exceeding 40 percent. If you like making sucker bets, make side bets in table games.