Your Chances of Being a Successful Gambler Depends on Your Choices

Author: Neha Agrawal

Most of the games offered by a casino that you visit, either online or in person, give the house a slight edge. If you’re playing slot machines, they usually return about a 5% profit to the house. Roulette, at least in the European version, has a house edge of about 2%. But if you’re trying to make serious money at these and other games with similar returns, you’re going to need luck, since the odds are against you.

There are, however, other types of gambling in which the return to the house doesn’t prevent you from being a winner. These include sports betting and poker. Even though both of these types of gambling can give a percentage of money to the house or bookmaker, it is still possible for you to be successful gambling at either of these types of betting.

The reason for it is that in both poker and sports betting, you are not so much battling the mathematical odds as you are competing against other players. In poker, the talents of the individuals are the most important consideration, since the player with the best hand or hands does not have to win the most money in any one hand or even in a tournament.

The same is true of sports betting. Though in theory, you’re betting against an established line, that line is really a reflection of betting sentiment. It’s not a mathematical formula, like the 35-1 odds on a number in roulette. If you have more insight into games than the general public, you will be able to have successful gambling years.

This is true even though you’re apparently fighting the odds. At any casinos now offering sports betting, you seem to be taking the worst of it. Your victorious wagers only win 100 units for every 105 you bet. But it is not the same as playing a game of chance, in which the real odds of winning a head-to-head matchup are 50%.

In sports betting, the outcomes of games need not come out so evenly. And if you have real insight into whatever sport you’re betting, you can do better than 50% on your head-to-head matchups. For that matter, you can probably make even more money with parlays and other types of wagers which have larger payoffs. All you need is the knowledge of the sport you’re betting. And you need to be willing to study to get that knowledge, as well as practice, practice, practice.