If there were no mistakes, gambling wouldn’t exist. So true and so insanely hard to argue with – after all, that’s the unavoidable imperfection that generates thrill in us every time we see a perfect play executed by our favorite gambling star. However, no matter how hard it is to avoid mistakes, we all expect to improve with the game we play, do we? Just imagine you knew you would never improve…you wouldn’t play that game anymore, would you?
We all pave our gambling paths differently – every experience is unique – but, surprisingly, most of us make the same mistakes, the common and easy-to-avoid ones, the gross blunders that ruin our pastimes at brick-and-mortar and online casinos. Without further ado, let’s shed light on the most outrageous, glaring mistakes to avoid.
Mistakes at Brick-and-Mortar Casinos
#1 Playing Under the Weather or Boozed
Being new to the world of gambling, you might find it surprising that physical conditions are of paramount importance for anyone willing to win for a long time. Treating gambling like professional sports is the best way to go: if you have a headache, out of sorts, or have any other physical impairment, don’t even approach the table or at least – if they desire to throw the dice is unbeatable – do not make it long.
#2 Emotional Weakness
While it’s absolutely clear that you cannot hold the winnings streak forever in games of chance – simply because the casino always has a certain house edge (no matter how minuscule it could be) – most beginners tend to think of themselves as unbeatable. But there’s no such thing as everlasting luck – fortune is a tempting mistress that comes and goes.
As for the players of medium experience, most of them avoid the ‘winnings streak’ trap…just to fall into another one called arrogance, or overconfidence, or ignorance – any of the titles would suit for a situation when you’ve somehow managed to get a head start against a better opponent and think this will last forever. But just as you might have guessed, the beginner’s luck never lasts for too long – the very moment you start feeling omnipotent, you start losing. And then the ongoing snowball empties your pocket to the bone.
#3 Copying the Unsuitable Best Players’ Practices
When you see a luxurious tuxedo on a stout man, you don’t order THAT tux, right? You go and choose what fits you. Unfortunately, not all gamblers do so: there’s a very popular one-size-fits-all misconception that costs fortunes to weak minds.
The numerous broadcasts of poker tournaments and gambling highlights promote specific strategies, emotional tricks (like feeding meaningless stories to your opponent, blinking, making faces, etc.), and other bells and whistles that – as novices mistakenly think – can help in wiping the opponent off the table, and very effectively. Unfortunately, that has nothing to do with reality. Every trick that you’ve seen on TV was appropriate in that very moment of time and under that specific game circumstances, and there’s almost no chance for the situation to repeat itself.
Mistakes at Online Casinos
#4 Confusing the Winning Odds
To decompose this common mistake faster, let’s imagine a hypothetical situation when you are playing some one-dice game with the ultimate goal to throw five, and you’ve just thrown three for two times in a row. And now comes the question: what are the chances of throwing five, and what are the chances of scoring three with the next throw of the dice? Kudos to those answering ‘equal,’ since the chances are actually equal: previous outcomes have nothing to do with the next throw: that’s just how the math works. This misconception takes many forms, but the takeaway is always the same – learn the game math and mechanics before playing.
#5 Managing the Bankroll and the Strategy
There are myriads of gambling and sports betting strategies, including scientific-based and delusional, but no matter which one you use, it should fit your budget. This is especially true for strategies like Martingale, which assumes doubling down the bet every time you lose. Bankroll management is crucial, and – contrary to the popular opinion – it starts with managing your virtual credits. Of course, you can spend those to the left and right just because ‘you lose nothing,’ but then gradually, you will lose the connection with reality and the grip you need to stay afloat in the real-money game. Do not buy into spending tons of demo credits – play as if your hard-earned money is at stake.
