Casino Gambling Strategy

Gambling Tip: The Four Events of Gambling

Click on the arrow below to see and hear Leonard Benson talk about "The Four Events of Gambling" as featured at YouTube:

Gambling Tip: The Three Strikes ... You're Out Rule

I’d like to touch on a departure rule that has served me well in every game I play. Namely:  THE THREE STRIKES ... YOU’RE OUT RULE!

So, what exactly is this THREE STRIKES ... YOU’RE OUT RULE and why is it so valuable? Well, the three-strike rule is both a table and daily departure rule which I apply to craps, blackjack and baccarat. I have not found a way of applying it to roulette yet. Simply stated it says that after you have played a total of three tables — no matter what the game — if you are behind any amount of money. you are done with that game for the day.

Sounds tough to follow, huh? But it really works. And not to follow this rule will only find your buy-in grinding down from table to table if you stick with that one game. So if I’m down, let’s say a third of a buy-in after three tables of craps, I then play three tables of blackjack following the same THREE STRIKES AND YOU’RE OUT RULE. If I am down after three tables of blackjack, then I play six units at three different tables of baccarat. If I am down after that, I am done for the day!

But whether you play three or just one game, the three-strike rule is truly a good measuring stick to see if you are going to win that day. Just ask yourself this: How many times have you beaten the casino when you were down after the first three tables of play? I have talked with many gamblers and by far the general consensus is that when you win, you usually show a profit after the first three tables. If you are not ahead after the first three tables, you usually find yourself playing catch-up most of the session or losing the whole buy-in.

I know it sounds too simple to be true. But it is. And the reason the three-strike rule works is this: If you play three tables (an odd number), then you only have to win 66% of the tables to have a chance to show a good profit. But if you play four tables (an even number), you have to win 75% of the tables to have a chance to show a good profit. Moreover, if you play an odd number of five, let’s say, you are risking too much money over these five tables to secure a profit. And if you play an even number of two tables, you don’t have enough of a sample to see if the tables are really going your way.

No, THREE TABLES are perfect. The tables in craps, blackjack or baccarat are a good test to see if the tables are working hard but not too much so you will jeopardize your whole buy-in.

Many times, I have gone to an Atlantic City casino, played three tables of craps and found myself down two or three units. If I don’t feel like playing all three games — I do one of the two: 1) I play one more table of craps and if I lose anything on the “do” side, I stop for the day. If I won on the “do” side, then I continue to play on both the “do” and the “don’t” until I lose my next table. Or: 2) I wait at least two hours and then go to a different casino. I then play three more tables and follow the three-strike rule. If I’m down after three tables, I wait another two hours and go to a third casino and again play the three-strike rule. If I am down after playing three tables at three different casinos, I am done for the day no matter how little I am down.

But again, whether I play just one game, three tables at three different casinos or three tables at three different games is my guiding light. That three-strike rule is my time at bat and if I follow it, I know that I’ll have the money to come back another day and hit a home run! Think about.

Until next time.

Jeff Fisher.

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SUPERSTITIONS RUN RAMPANT IN CASINO GAMBLING

There’s something about gambling that brings out the superstitions in people. Want a good example? The next time you’re walking through a casino and you hear loud, jubilant cheers from a crowded craps table, walk over there and plop down a couple of chips on the “don’t pass.” About the least thing that can happen is a sudden hush may fall over the table. The worst is that the guy next to you may punch your lights out.

If he did, it wouldn’t be anything personal. That would just be his way of showing that he doesn’t appreciate your “jinxing” the table by betting against the dice now that they’re finally hot.

Craps shooters may be among the most superstitious gamblers in the casino. Many of them tend to feel that if they all think and bet together as one, it will actually affect the outcome of the dice.

I don’t think so. At the craps table, the pass line is the most popular bet, the very crux of the game, really. The pure mathematical odds are such that if a team of 15 trained chimpanzees swarmed the dice table and continuously bet on the pass line, the chimps should win 493 bets out of 1,000. That’s pretty close to 50-50 without any telepathic intervention at all. Now, if 15 frenzied, superstitious humans all chanting and betting in unison can’t raise the number from 493 to 500, how much can it be helping? And the last time I checked the gambling board report, the craps tables in Illinois were still making money.

At the mini-baccarat or Caribbean stud table, some players are reluctant to sit down if their “lucky seat” is already occupied by somebody else. And if they do sit down in some other seat and begin to lose, they may bemoan the fact that they were forced to sit in the “electric chair.” But if that person should win in that seat, of course it will have been due to his expert play and not good cards. We do tend to blame our losing on bad luck and dismiss our winning as merely a natural by-product of our astute gambling proficiency.

Blackjack players have plenty of their own superstitions as well. How many times have you walked up to a “21" table and a player there asks you to wait until the end of the shoe before sitting in? Why? He doesn’t want you to change the order of the cards. That would be tampering with something sacred. Blackjack players are also very superstitious about being involved in a hand where another player makes a wrong decision. The general belief is that bad players bring bad luck.

Casino players harbor many other false beliefs that may or may not be considered as superstitious, but really just stem from a lack of understanding of how chance events work. Following is a list of remarks I’ve heard in casinos that have no bearing on the future. Have you ever uttered any of them

• (craps) “If we can just get on a hot table, we’ll win.”
• (blackjack) “Every time I hit 12 I bust; I’m good.”
• (baccarat) “The banker’s on a run; go with him.”
• (any game) “I’m due to win one.”

Every one of these “famous last words” assumes that the results of upcoming events are dependent upon recent outcomes. Not true. All of these trends are as likely to immediately reverse themselves as they are to continue. Disregard them and pay attention to legitimate strategic details. You’ll be better off.
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Gambling is Good For You!

NOTE:  We are reprinting the following article with the permission of “Weekly World News.”

Do you like to gamble? Don’t worry, it’s good for you — even if you lose all your money!

Gambling is exciting and stimulates your body just like physical exercise does, experts say. It quickens your pulse and makes your blood run faster. Gambling even helps to relieve tension and gives you a “high” without drugs.

“Gambling is a healthy form of recreation and an emotional outlet,” says Dr. Don Baucum, Ph.D., a teacher of gambling psychology. Gambling puts you in control. You make your own decisions. You become your own boss and get a psychological boost, Dr. Baucum observed.

“If you bet on baccarat, blackjack, craps, poker or roulette games, you’re the one who declares which bets to go with, which bets not to go with, and you’re the one who decides how much to bet on one and how much to bet on another.

“If you have a routine day-to-day job in which you have very little decision making responsibility, and then go out to gamble for recreation, you can change your personality entirely — and that is very healthy.”

Psychologist Dr. Igor Kusyszen says gambling makes you feel more alive because of the risk and uncertainty. “You get a high without drugs,” he said. “The excitement of winning and the disappointment of losing are very healthy. It’s a form of exercise,” he said.

“You get the same health benefits as you would from most exercises,” Dr. Kusyszen added: “Increased heart rate, faster system circulation of the blood, muscle tension and relaxation, and an increase of oxygen through the system because of more rapid breathing.”

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Gambling Cycles - Leonard Benson On Video

Click on the arrow below to see and hear Leonard Benson talk about the cycles of gambling:

Being A Professional Gambler

To win consistently in the casino you have to understand what it is to be a professional gambler. Whether you play full time or part time, whether you play every day or once a week, professional gambling involves the complete understanding of departure rules, of money management, of making profits and protecting your bankroll. You definitely need to have a complete knowledge of the game you are playing. You must use a systematic approach based on a winning strategy. Winning also requires a certain psychology — what we like to call “aggressive patience.” It is this professional attitude that can make all the difference in achieving a consistent profit after 10 or 20 or 100 sessions at the casino.

What exactly is “aggressive patience”? The answer lies in the very nature of casino gambling itself. We know that gambling can be very fickle. At times, the craps and blackjack tables can be loaded with action and then, without warning, they can turn cold as ice. It takes tremendous patience and discipline to find the winning roll or favorable shoe under those adverse conditions.

You cannot push the dice or blackjack tables. That is the first law of being a professional gambler. Believe me, if you try to force the tables by increasing your bets or staying too long, the casinos will wipe you out. You must have the patience to wait for the tables to turn your way so you can make the big bets when conditions are in your favor. That’s how you can become and remain a successful professional gambler.

Be aggressive. But also be patient. It’s important for you to have both temperaments. You just can’t be “patient” all the time. You cannot be satisfied with making only minimum bets. You must also be “aggressive” and be prepared to strike at any time when the tables call for such action.

That’s the psychology of being a professional gambler. Is it yours as well?
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Gambling Strategy: The Importance of Bankroll

I have written and talked about the four ingredients necessary to be a successful gambler.  They are bankroll, knowledge, money management and discipline.

Discipline is the most important in the end.  It is the ability to walk away a winner or with minimal losses.

However, before you can use knowledge of the game, money management techniques  and eventually discipline, it all starts with bankroll.

Most people will scrape up whatever money they can and think that luck, law of averages or some other illogical theory will make them a winner.  It doesn’t happen that way.

A small bankroll causes you to play scared and you will make decisions that coincide with your shortage of money.  A small bankroll is such a disadvantage that you find yourself making moves just to stay in the game instead of taking advantage of the beating the house when you encounter a good hot or cold streak. 

For example, let’s say a bet calls for taking or laying odds and you don’t have enough money to do it.  So you merely make the flat bet.  The bet wins but look what your lack of bankroll has done to you.  It affected your play and caused you to change an appropriate betting decision because you didn’t have the proper bankroll.

There are two main reasons why most gamblers go down the tubes.  Lack of a loss limit and lack of a win goal.  These are determined by your bankroll.

A loss limit is a limit you set on what your losses will be for a certain day, game or table.  It’s the limit you lose.  You never bet down to your last chip.

A session should last until either your win goal is accomplished or your loss limit is reached.  When you lose that predetermined amount your play is over.

Loss limits will completely eliminate the possibility of ever going broke.  A 50% loss limit should be used but no more than 60%.  This means I can lose anywhere up to 60% but never exceed it.  My buy in is usually $3000, so I will never draw down more than $1800.  The reason you take more money with you than you put at risk is to eliminate playing with scared money.  If you are tempted to play with the extra money then you have no discipline.  You can make the loss limit lower but not below 25%.  You give up your recovery power the more you lower your loss limit.

When you are losing you don’t have to wait for your exact percentage to be reached to quit.  When I’m losing at a certain point and can’t get going I realize I’m in the wrong spot and pack it in at less than my loss limit.

Just as important as a loss limit is the win goal.  This is the amount of money you set as the goal you want to reach.

This win goal must be set before your first bet, not after you get ahead.  It must be set on your starting bankroll same as the loss limit.  I usually set my win goal at 20% but never more than 30%.  That is not to say that I can’t win more than that 20% or 30%.  When I reach my goal I will continue playing until I have a losing shooter.  I will continue as long I’m still winning or breaking even.

The win goal is only a point you want to reach and then guarantee your profit for the session.

Win goals must be made small, so we can attain them easily, and then go for the bigger returns.

We must accept the fact that gambling is a tough business and that winning small amounts consistently is better than always going for that big hit.  We’ll have our big days but the main thing is to minimize losses.  If you adhere to the money management, knowledge and discipline techniques presented in the numerous Benson systems, you will see how much longer your bankroll will stay active.  As long as you have that bankroll to compete, you’re a threat to the casinos.

Gambling Strategy: Bet Selection

Click on the arrow below to hear and watch Leonard Benson talk about the importance of "bet selection."  This gambling tip can help you have a better chance walking out a winner when you go the casino the next time!

Gambling Laws of Success

Over the years I have studied the habits of successful players in all games. From these studies Twelve Basic Laws of Success materialized. If you can unfailingly and conscientiously apply the 12 Success Laws, you can count on winning consistently while playing baccarat, blackjack, craps, poker or roulette.

In this article three of the Laws are briefly discussed:

SUCCESS LAW #1 — THE LAW OF ADHERENCE TO STRATEGY

Thou shall not second guess the strategy. All of Leonard’s strategies and systems are well proven. In their zeal to win, many new players forget why they purchased a strategy in the first place. It’s easy to get sidetracked, to think you can improve on the system. Wait! Why tamper with what you know works?

Don’t let the excitement of the moment carry you away. No matter what others around you are doing, even if they’re winning at a particular time ... stay with the system. Yes, sometimes crazy bets do work. But it’s the long run you’re interested in. You want long-term, consistent results.

SUCCESS LAW #4 — THE LAW OF SAMURAI DISCIPLINE

If you’ve ever had the privilege of watching Leonard play, you have probably noticed his phenomenal ability to focus his laser beam discipline. When he’s playing his concentration is one hundred percent on the game.

Centuries ago in the Japanese culture there existed the Samurai warrior — the Best of the Best. Their ability to focus, to remain disciplined, and to work at consistently perfecting their skill is legendary. You must be as the Samurai — a Samurai player. For if you become distracted, or let your skills get sloppy, you can count on losing.

SUCCESS LAW #9 — THE LAW OF DETACHMENT

We all approach the table with a desire to win. The consistent winner, however, has the intention of winning but stands back from the intense need to win. He detaches from the results. He is free from emotional reaction or turbulence.

When you are intensely focused on winning and you begin to think about not losing, many things happen. You get tense. Your focus is on not losing. Your breath is very shallow, depriving yourself of the oxygen necessary to stay focused and to concentrate. You react and often try second guessing the game. Now you are virtually doomed to lose. The Samurai gambler always remains detached from the results — watch him.

Moving beyond strategy is a must. YOU, and only you, can do it. SOLID STRATEGY + THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF STRATEGY + ABILITY TO GO BEYOND STRATEGY = CONSISTENT WINNER. Good luck!

This article was contributed by Kathleen “Max” Latham, a long-time Leonard Benson client.
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Gambling With Your Summer Vacation!

It’s hot in Las Vegas this time of the year! I love it. For many, many years I woke up at noon, had a leisurely brunch, exercised, swam and sunned for a few hours, then “went to work” playing in the casinos. After that, I still had plenty of time to enjoy the Vegas night life.

I enjoyed that lifestyle for a long time. You can, too, if you have the discipline to consider it “work” when you play baccarat, blackjack, craps, poker or roulette. I have become deeply involved in day-to-day operations of the Leonard Benson Company, so I now do much less playing — but I still look back fondly upon those years.

Summertime in Vegas means more vacations and more outdoor activities. To the Benson family of gamblers it means a lot more time to gamble. However, we certainly don’t want you to ruin your vacation by abandoning the methodical approach to gambling — and winning — outlined in all of our courses. “Vacation time” doesn’t mean taking a vacation from the table and daily departure rules that help to make your gambling experience so successful on a consistent basis.

It is these departure rules, along with our unique strategies, that separate the Benson family of gamblers from the rest of the gambling world.

Don’t play like the millions of losers who visit Las Vegas and Atlantic City on an annual basis. Instead, play like a winner, enjoy your vacation, and go home with more money than you started with.

If you are not yet a Benson family member, we invite you to check us out (CLICK HERE). Just keep in mind this slogan, which is also our company’s philosophy: “It’s never a gamble to deal with us.”
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