A great online casino bonus can be a fantastic way to attract new players. First deposit bonuses, in particular, are one of the best ways for casino sites to bring in players on a consistent basis. They Help to Retain a User Base. Online casinos bonuses also help these websites keep their users playing! The Best No Wagering Casinos. Here are some of the best online casinos that offer Wager Free bonuses to their players. Viggo Slots Casino: When you sign up at Viggo Slots Casino, you can avail their fantastic 100% Wager Free deposit match bonus along with 70 free spins on the classic Starburst Slot. These spins are also free of wagering. Currencies - Ensure that the online casino supports the currency of your country.; Why Online Casinos Offer No Wagering Bonuses. Competition - The online gambling industry is flooded with online casinos and they have to compete fiercely with one another to prove that they are the best.; Staying ahead of the trend - Online casino operators know that traditional bonus offers with wagering. The latest no deposit casinos typically offer one of two types of no deposit bonuses - free credit bonuses or free spins bonuses you can opt in for. They can be defined as follows: Free Credit Bonuses - With a free credit bonus you can claim a fixed sum of free credits (that typically range from $10 up to $100) which you can use to play most. Best way to wager casino bonus The casino well and truly has the house edge here, so you want to boost your chances of cashing out by any legitimate means possible. Although it's not possible to guarantee that you'll beat the wager requirements, it's generally considered that the best way to wager a casino bonus is to follow a few strategies.
Wagering requirements are the mandatory evil of almost every casino bonus. The majority of casino sites attract players with lucrative deposit bonuses and free spins – but 99% of these can't instantly be converted into cash. Before you can withdraw any money, your bonus or free spins winnings need to be bet a set number of times.
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But what exactly is a wagering requirement? What does wager mean in casino terms? Is there a best way to wager a casino bonus?
We'll explain all that and more, so you have a full understanding of how to beat wagering requirements.
What does wager mean?
Example video explaining the meaning of wagering requirements and how they work
If you decide to play at a casino using one of the many casino bonuses available, you will be given extra bonus money to play with. A wagering requirement is how many times you need to bet the bonus before it becomes real money which you can withdraw to your account.
Here's a good wagering requirements example, taken from the video above. A casino is offering a bonus of 100% up to £50. You deposit £50 and get an extra £50 in bonus money. However, the casino has placed a x10 wagering requirement on the bonus money. This means you need to use your £50 bonus money to place bets worth £500 overall before it is considered real money which you can withdraw. The calculation is done by multiplying the bonus money by the wagering requirement (£50 x 10) for £500 overall.
In some cases, a casino might apply wagering requirements to both the bonus money AND the amount you deposit. In the above example, that would mean your £50 deposit being added to your £50 bonus money for £100. That would then be multiplied to find the wagering requirement (£100 x 10), which would be £1000. This clearly has a huge impact, effectively doubling how much you need to bet in this case. Therefore, it's very important to check if you need to wager the bonus only or the deposit + bonus in the terms and conditions.
It's possible that a specific casino uses a different name for wagering requirements. For example, they are also known as playthrough requirements or rollover requirements at some sites. Alternatively, they may be referred to as obligations instead of requirements. However, all these terms still have the same wagering meaning as described above. They are almost always written in the same way too – such as 'x10'.
Why do casinos give bonuses with wagering requirements?
The reason for this is simple: casino sites are in the business of making money, and giving out free money wouldn't be good for business. However, they want to make things attractive for the players as well to get them to sign up.
Giving players casino bonuses is a way of offering players incentives to join – namely, by giving them extra bonus money to play with. This allows players to enjoy the casino's game selection, for example, which often consists of hundreds or even thousands of different games. Of course, there is the possibility that you will complete the wagering requirements too and be able to cash out the winnings. Whatever happens, it's a nice extra from the casinos to give out; remember, they don't have to do it!
What other terms affect wagering requirements?
Alongside what the wagering requirement amount is and what it applies to, there are a few other terms and conditions that may affect how you wager a bonus. A few examples include:
- Deposited money or Bonus money first? – You will either start playing with your own money that you deposited, or the extra bonus money you are given. This varies by each casino and is useful to know. For example, if you play with your own money first and win, you might be able to forfeit the bonus and withdraw the winnings without needing to wager.
- Max bet while wagering – Unfortunately, you can't place big bets to clear the wagering requirements quickly. Instead, you are restricted to a maximum bet when completing them – usually £5.
- Expiry date – Most bonuses expire after a certain amount of time. You often need to have completed the wager requirements by this date – otherwise you may lose the bonus money.
- Game weighting / Exempt slots – Some slots don't contribute as much to the wagering as others. For example, if a slot contributes 50% to the wagering, a £1 bet that you make on it would only be considered as £0.50 towards completing the wagering. Some slots are exempt too and contribute 0% (more on this later).
Of course, all casinos build their own bonuses and terms so there will be differences at each site. You should always read through the terms and conditions of an offer before making a deposit to make sure you agree with them. If you don't understand a term, make sure to contact customer support first (many are available via live chat) so it can be explained to you.
How hard is it to complete wagering requirements?
This varies a lot – as some bonuses can be a lot easier than others! In almost all cases, the lower the wagering requirement the better chance you will have – as this reduces how many times you need to bet before you can withdraw the winnings.
However, this can all change if the wagering is for both the deposit amount and the bonus money. In that case, even a lowly x20 wagering requirement would be a lot higher than it looks. It could even end up being higher than a x30 wagering requirement that only applies to the bonus amount.
For example:
- You deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money with a wagering requirement of x20 for both the deposit amount and the bonus money. You need to add both £50 together for £100 and multiply it by 20 for £2000 overall.
- Alternatively, you deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money with a wagering requirement of x30 for the bonus money only. You multiply the £50 bonus money by 30 for £1500 overall.
This shows just how much impact a deposit + bonus term can have.
But are you always looking to win from a bonus? Not necessarily. Sometimes you might decide to use such an offer to play a new game without using your own money. Or maybe you want to try out one of the new online casinos to see what kind of features it has. In these cases, the wager requirements aren't as much of an issue as your primary goal isn't to win. You can take a much more relaxed approach – with any winnings being an added bonus.
Casino bonus wagering requirements – How to compare?
When browsing through our list of casino sites, we've made it easy for you to quickly find and compare each casino bonus wagering requirements. Within each casino card on our site, we tell you what bonus the casino is currently offering to new players. Next to each bonus, you will see a gray question mark symbol (?). Simply hover your mouse or tap it on mobile to bring up the key terms and conditions. We always include the wager requirements within these key terms and conditions.
However, we strongly advise that you also check that the wagering requirements (and other key terms and conditions) are the same once you get to the casino's website. Some casinos change their bonus and/or terms without warning which we may not know about until we receive an update. Therefore, it's a good idea to double-check this yourself to make sure you are getting what you think. If you find a casino bonus and/or terms and conditions that are outdated, please let us know either by writing a comment in the casino's review or via our Contact Us. You will generally find wagering requirements written next to the bonus on the casino's website. In some cases, this is mandatory – such as for UK players.
Online casino wagering UK
That's because all online casino wagering must be clearly displayed at a UK casino. The fair and transparent terms and practices policy of the UK Gambling Commission ensures that wagering requirements must be found within the Significant Conditions section – which is always written alongside a bonus. All casinos found on Casino Professor are licenced by the Gambling Commission so they must adhere to this policy.
How to beat wagering requirements
To beat the wagering requirements, you need to use the bonus money to place bets until you've reached a certain amount. Every bet you make on eligible games will be added together. If your total bets reach the target, this means you have met the wagering requirements and completed them. Your bonus money will then be turned into real money which you can withdraw.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind. As mentioned above, casino sites often place a maximum bet while you are completing the wager requirements. This stops you from making a handful of massive bets to reach your target quickly. Instead, you are only allowed to place small bets at a time – £5 is usually the limit.
Wagering Requirement Weighting
Also, every game has a specific contribution to the wagering requirements. For example, a Slot A contributes 100% whereas a Slot B contributes 75%.
- £1 bet on Slot A = the full £1 being contributed to the wagering.
- £1 bet on Slot B = only £0.75 being contributed to the wagering.
The casino often decides the contribution (and possible exclusion) of a game based on its RTP (return-to-player). This is a theoretical percentage which indicates how much would winnings can be expected to be paid back compared with overall bets. For example, if you bet £100 on a slot with an RTP of 98%, the theoretical return rate would be £98. Of course, this is purely a mathematical calculation often based on millions of spins. You should NOT expect it to be accurate when you play. However, it does give an idea of a few slots that could possibly give the player a bit more of an advantage. Therefore, some casinos devalue any wager on high RTP games – possibly blacklisting them altogether.
You will be able to find how much a game contributes to the wagering in the terms and conditions. Here is an example:
- Slot machines (except those exempt): 100%
- Video Poker: 30%
- Casino Hold'em: 10%
- Oasis Poker: 10%
- TXS Hold'em poker: 10%
- Ultimate Texas Hold'em: 0%
- Baccarat (all kind): 0%
- Punto Banco: 0%
- Roulette (all kind): 0%
- Blackjack (all kind incl. Pontoon and Double Exposure): 0%
- All other games: 100%
As you can see, most slot machines contribute 100% – but not all. Some are exempt, and they are generally the ones with a high RTP (NetEnt's Bloodsuckers is a common example of an exempt slot). Also, table games like blackjack and roulette often have high return-to-player rates which can see them devalued too.
Each casino will publish a different list for game weighting contributions. If you can't find this list, or you are unsure about a specific game, make sure to ask customer support before playing.
Best slot for wagering
The best slot for wagering would be one that contributes 100% to the obligations and has a relatively high RTP. However, it's also worth considering the slot variance / volatility too. A low variance slot pays out more frequently on average, but generally the payout is smaller. A high variance slot pays out less frequently on average, but generally the payout is higher. So, what to choose?
While there is no definite answer, it's best to only really play a high volatility slot if you have a pretty big amount of bonus money – such as with a casino bonus. That's because a low bankroll can often be wiped out before any winning spins on a high variance slot actually land. This is often the case when wagering free spins winnings, as you don't usually start with quite as much.
Some of the best slots for wagering with low variance are:
- Starburst
- Gemix
- Tomb Raider
Some of the best slot for wagering with high variance are:
- Bonanza
- Dead or Alive 2
- Frog Grog
Of course, you need to make sure these games aren't exempt from wagering or devalued at each casino you play at.
Wagering requirements calculator
You can use our wagering requirements calculator to find out exactly how much you need to bet before you can withdraw any winnings. This is a good way to measure up your chances of completing them.
We realise that wager requirements can be a bit confusing and aren't exactly a fun part of playing casino. So, you can use the below tool whenever you like to work everything out.
Wagering Calculator – How to use
Simply populate the wagering calculator fields
In order for the calculator to work, you need to fill in the form completely. Here's what needs to be included for each field:
- Deposit Amount: How much you deposit.
- Bonus Amount: How much bonus money you will get.
- Wagering: What the casino bonus wagering requirements are, found in the terms.
- 'Bonus' or 'Deposit + Bonus': Select whether you need to wager the bonus money only, or the deposit amount and the bonus money. Again, this will be visible in the terms.
- Contribution %: How much the game/slot you will play contributes to the wagering.
- If you don't have a game in mind yet, just write '100' to get the standard requirements.
Once all this has been inputted, just hit enter to see the result. The wagering requirements calculator will give you a number. That is how much you will need to wager before the money can be withdrawn, in your own currency.
Wagering requirements example
Although different sites have different wager requirements, there are a few playthrough obligations that are common.
Therefore, we thought it would be useful to provide a wagering requirements example for all these common terms so you can better understand how they work in full.
20x wagering requirement
A 20x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 20 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with a wagering requirement of x20.
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 20 (£50 x 20 = £1000).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 20 (£50 + £50 x 20 = £2000).
30x wagering requirement
A 30x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 30 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with a x30 wagering requirement
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 30 (£50 x 30 = £1500).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 30 (£50 + £50 x 30 = £3000).
35x wagering requirement
A 35x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 35 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with a x35 wagering requirement
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 35 (£50 x 35 = £1750).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 35 (£50 + £50 x 20 = £3500).
40x wagering requirement
A 40x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 40 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with x40 wagering requirements
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 40 (£50 x 40 = £2000).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 40 (£50 + £50 x 40 = £4000).
50x wagering requirement
A 50x wagering requirement means you must playthrough your requirements 50 times before you can withdraw any winnings.
Case: 100% up to £100 with a x50 wagering requirement
Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the bonus money multiplied by 50 (£50 x 50 = £2500).
Deposit amount + Bonus money example: Deposit £50 and get £50 bonus money. The wagering requirement is the deposit amount + bonus money multiplied by 50 (£50 + £50 x 50 = £5000).
Free Spins Wagering Requirement
For free spins, the wagering requirements work in a slightly different way. However, it's very easy to work out what they are. Just multiply what you win from the free spins by the wagering requirement.
Case: You win £10 from your free spins with a x30 wagering
The wagering requirement is what you won from your free spins multiplied by 30 (£10 x 30 = £300).
Best way to wager casino bonus
The casino well and truly has the house edge here, so you want to boost your chances of cashing out by any legitimate means possible. Although it's not possible to guarantee that you'll beat the wager requirements, it's generally considered that the best way to wager a casino bonus is to follow a few strategies.
Online casino low wagering requirements
- No Deposit Bonus
- 20 Welcome Spins (UK only)
- First Deposit Bonus
- 100% up to £100 + 180 FS
Best Bonus Casinos Online
18+ | Gamble responsibly | BeGambleAware.org | T&C's apply
New customers. 20 Spins for selected AOTG slots credited on reg. 180 (20 per day) following first deposit. Spins valid for 24 hours. Exp in 30 days. Winnings credited as bonus funds with 20x wagering. Max win £100. Min £20 dep for bonus funds. 40x wagering. Game weighting/restrictions, Betting limits. Casino-only bonus. Payment restrictions + T&Cs Apply.
- No Deposit Bonus
- 10 Spins
- First Deposit Bonus
- 100% up to £50
18+ | Gamble responsibly | BeGambleAware.org | T&C's apply
Spins can be played on Book of Dead, 25X Wagering, Maximum cashout £100, Maximum bet cannot exceed £3.99, Spins are valued at 0.10 per spin, Standard bonus terms apply -- 100% first deposit match offer: Min deposit £10, Max deposit £50, Wagering: 25x bonus, Max bet is £3.99 per spin -- New players only, 18+, begambleaware.org
The most obvious is to choose the lowest wagering requirements casino. In general, the lower the wagering requirements the better as this often means a smaller target amount that you have to reach.
However, some casinos are sneaky and offer a low wager first deposit bonus – but you need to wager both the deposit amount and the bonus amount. In this case, what seems to be a reasonable obligation at first is actually much higher.
To avoid this, you can play at an online casino with low wagering requirements by selecting one of the options above.
Understand wagering terms
Alongside checking what the wagering requirements apply to, you should go over and understand the offer's terms and conditions thoroughly. Possibly the worst feeling at an online casino is to think you've won from an offer, only to be told otherwise because you haven't fulfilled a term.
In the worst cases, this could mean your bonus and any winnings being removed. This generally happens if you've broken a rule. For example, if you have placed a bet using the bonus money that was higher than the maximum bet.
In better cases, you may be able to rectify the mistake. For example, if you thought you'd completed the wagering only to realise that the slot doesn't contribute 100%. You could simply change to a more suitable game and carry on.
However, you can avoid all of this by reading the terms and conditions before playing. It sounds simple, but that is often the best way to wager a casino bonus. That way, you know exactly what is needed to beat the wagering while not accidentally voiding your efforts. If you don't understand a particular term, we strongly recommend contacting the casino's customer support for an explanation.
Avoid wagering requirements?
As people really don't like wager requirements, there are a few ways that casinos allow you to avoid them altogether. One way that is quite drastic is to not take an offer at all. Instead, you will deposit and play with your own money only. Most bonuses are automatically activated as very few players don't want them. Therefore, check with live chat how to make a deposit without getting the bonus first, if you want to.
However, there is a way to get the best of both worlds – a casino offer that doesn't have any wager requirements! Perhaps due to the Gambling Commission's stance on unfair terms in recent years, there have been more platforms in the UK scrapping wagering requirements for good. This means you can play with an offer and be paid out in real money straight away. View the best casino sites no wagering requirements to see your options. Yet, the vast majority of sites do still use wagering requirements. Therefore, if you want to play with a bonus, it's going to be difficult to avoid them in the long run.
FAQ
A wagering requirement is how many times you need to bet a casino bonus before it can be withdrawn.For example, you get a bonus of £50 that has a wagering requirement of x10. You would need to use the £50 bonus to place a series of bets until you had bet £500 overall (£50 x 10 = £500).
In almost all cases, a deposit + bonus wager requirement would be higher – so it's very important to check this.
If you don't understand a term, check it with the casino's customer support before playing. Otherwise, you may accidentally break a term which could result in your bonus being forfeited.
Every gambler wants to win profits. But this is very difficult to do when considering that the casino holds an edge in most games. Of course, you can use a combination of luck and skill to win more money. But banking on luck is a terrible way to earn long-term profits through gambling.
Therefore, you need to find games and advantage play techniques that give you an opportunity to win in the long run. I'm going to discuss the best games and advantage gambling methods that'll help you accomplish this goal.
Poker has long been one of the top ways to make money with gambling. This reputation has only increased in recent times with the availability of online poker. The reason why poker offers such a great opportunity to earn money is because you're competing against other players – not the house.
But I believe that any poker player can win with the right approach. The only question is what route you should take towards becoming a winner. Read the stories of any successful poker player – past or present – and you'll see that there's no single road to get there. But there are some universal steps you can take to becoming a stronger player.
Here are different methods you can use to improve your skills:
- Watching pros on Twitch streams.
- Watching training videos on YouTube.
- Joining a training site (usually $30 per month).
- Reading poker strategy books.
- Reading poker strategy articles.
- Hiring a poker coach.
- Reviewing your sessions afterward.
You also have to decide what poker variation and type you want to attack. After all, this game offers over a dozen variations along with different game types. Some of the poker variants include Texas holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud, Razz, Badugi, H.O.R.S.E., and Crazy Pineapple. The different types of poker include cash games, multi-table tournaments (MTTs) sit and go's (SNGs), and lottery style games. You should throw out lottery style poker games right away if you're a serious player. These games rely on too much luck in order to win anything significant.
This leaves you choosing between cash games, MTTs, and SNGs. Here are the pros and cons to each of these choices:
- Cash games – Pros: great for steady hourly profits, especially when multi-tabling online. Cons: your losses can accelerate greatly if you're not skilled.
- MTTs – Pros: give you a chance at winning a huge payout for a small buy-in. Cons: bigger MTTs have lots of variance, meaning you won't cash often.
- SNGs – Pros: you can make a steady profit from SNGs without assuming too much risk. Cons: you need to multi-table SNGs or play higher stakes in order to make serious profits.
The biggest thing to keep in mind about poker is that it's not an easy way to win profits. This is especially the case in today's poker climate, which features better players than ever before. But as long as you're willing to take a long-term approach to the matter – rather than expecting quick winnings – then you can slowly grind up the stakes and make some money. Moreover, poker offers more opportunities to become a profitable gambler than anything else on this list. Despite modern poker's increasing overall skill level, you'll find lots of juicy cash games, MTTs, and SNGs.
Chances are that you've seen a daily fantasy sports (DFS) commercial or two. These commercials are often aimed at making sports fans think that they can easily win money. This couldn't be further from the truth, though, because DFS is a skill-based form of gambling. The biggest winners are those who dedicate the most time to creating lineups, analyzing statistics, and learning other strategies. Much like poker, you're competing against other DFS players to craft the best player lineups. This skill aspect gives you an opportunity to win on a consistent basis.
The most obvious is to choose the lowest wagering requirements casino. In general, the lower the wagering requirements the better as this often means a smaller target amount that you have to reach.
However, some casinos are sneaky and offer a low wager first deposit bonus – but you need to wager both the deposit amount and the bonus amount. In this case, what seems to be a reasonable obligation at first is actually much higher.
To avoid this, you can play at an online casino with low wagering requirements by selecting one of the options above.
Understand wagering terms
Alongside checking what the wagering requirements apply to, you should go over and understand the offer's terms and conditions thoroughly. Possibly the worst feeling at an online casino is to think you've won from an offer, only to be told otherwise because you haven't fulfilled a term.
In the worst cases, this could mean your bonus and any winnings being removed. This generally happens if you've broken a rule. For example, if you have placed a bet using the bonus money that was higher than the maximum bet.
In better cases, you may be able to rectify the mistake. For example, if you thought you'd completed the wagering only to realise that the slot doesn't contribute 100%. You could simply change to a more suitable game and carry on.
However, you can avoid all of this by reading the terms and conditions before playing. It sounds simple, but that is often the best way to wager a casino bonus. That way, you know exactly what is needed to beat the wagering while not accidentally voiding your efforts. If you don't understand a particular term, we strongly recommend contacting the casino's customer support for an explanation.
Avoid wagering requirements?
As people really don't like wager requirements, there are a few ways that casinos allow you to avoid them altogether. One way that is quite drastic is to not take an offer at all. Instead, you will deposit and play with your own money only. Most bonuses are automatically activated as very few players don't want them. Therefore, check with live chat how to make a deposit without getting the bonus first, if you want to.
However, there is a way to get the best of both worlds – a casino offer that doesn't have any wager requirements! Perhaps due to the Gambling Commission's stance on unfair terms in recent years, there have been more platforms in the UK scrapping wagering requirements for good. This means you can play with an offer and be paid out in real money straight away. View the best casino sites no wagering requirements to see your options. Yet, the vast majority of sites do still use wagering requirements. Therefore, if you want to play with a bonus, it's going to be difficult to avoid them in the long run.
FAQ
A wagering requirement is how many times you need to bet a casino bonus before it can be withdrawn.For example, you get a bonus of £50 that has a wagering requirement of x10. You would need to use the £50 bonus to place a series of bets until you had bet £500 overall (£50 x 10 = £500).
In almost all cases, a deposit + bonus wager requirement would be higher – so it's very important to check this.
If you don't understand a term, check it with the casino's customer support before playing. Otherwise, you may accidentally break a term which could result in your bonus being forfeited.
Every gambler wants to win profits. But this is very difficult to do when considering that the casino holds an edge in most games. Of course, you can use a combination of luck and skill to win more money. But banking on luck is a terrible way to earn long-term profits through gambling.
Therefore, you need to find games and advantage play techniques that give you an opportunity to win in the long run. I'm going to discuss the best games and advantage gambling methods that'll help you accomplish this goal.
Poker has long been one of the top ways to make money with gambling. This reputation has only increased in recent times with the availability of online poker. The reason why poker offers such a great opportunity to earn money is because you're competing against other players – not the house.
But I believe that any poker player can win with the right approach. The only question is what route you should take towards becoming a winner. Read the stories of any successful poker player – past or present – and you'll see that there's no single road to get there. But there are some universal steps you can take to becoming a stronger player.
Here are different methods you can use to improve your skills:
- Watching pros on Twitch streams.
- Watching training videos on YouTube.
- Joining a training site (usually $30 per month).
- Reading poker strategy books.
- Reading poker strategy articles.
- Hiring a poker coach.
- Reviewing your sessions afterward.
You also have to decide what poker variation and type you want to attack. After all, this game offers over a dozen variations along with different game types. Some of the poker variants include Texas holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud, Razz, Badugi, H.O.R.S.E., and Crazy Pineapple. The different types of poker include cash games, multi-table tournaments (MTTs) sit and go's (SNGs), and lottery style games. You should throw out lottery style poker games right away if you're a serious player. These games rely on too much luck in order to win anything significant.
This leaves you choosing between cash games, MTTs, and SNGs. Here are the pros and cons to each of these choices:
- Cash games – Pros: great for steady hourly profits, especially when multi-tabling online. Cons: your losses can accelerate greatly if you're not skilled.
- MTTs – Pros: give you a chance at winning a huge payout for a small buy-in. Cons: bigger MTTs have lots of variance, meaning you won't cash often.
- SNGs – Pros: you can make a steady profit from SNGs without assuming too much risk. Cons: you need to multi-table SNGs or play higher stakes in order to make serious profits.
The biggest thing to keep in mind about poker is that it's not an easy way to win profits. This is especially the case in today's poker climate, which features better players than ever before. But as long as you're willing to take a long-term approach to the matter – rather than expecting quick winnings – then you can slowly grind up the stakes and make some money. Moreover, poker offers more opportunities to become a profitable gambler than anything else on this list. Despite modern poker's increasing overall skill level, you'll find lots of juicy cash games, MTTs, and SNGs.
Chances are that you've seen a daily fantasy sports (DFS) commercial or two. These commercials are often aimed at making sports fans think that they can easily win money. This couldn't be further from the truth, though, because DFS is a skill-based form of gambling. The biggest winners are those who dedicate the most time to creating lineups, analyzing statistics, and learning other strategies. Much like poker, you're competing against other DFS players to craft the best player lineups. This skill aspect gives you an opportunity to win on a consistent basis.
Of course, not everything regarding DFS is about analyzing stats. You also need to develop simple strategies that'll help you craft winning lineups. One of my favorite simple approaches involves looking for low-salary value players before filling out the rest my lineup. Focusing on the best value picks first helps me fill multiple positions on a roster before going for the high-salary players. Additionally, this allows me to see how much remaining money I have to go for the All-Stars at the end. DFS isn't as lucrative as poker or sports betting for the average gambler. But you can certainly win some major money through this form of gambling.
Case in point: former poker pro Aaron Jones won $5 million through a DraftKings NFL contest in 2016. Plenty of other players have won large payouts since then. First things first though; in that you need to become a successful player before dreaming about a big win. I suggest starting with general strategy in low-stakes contests, before diving into advanced stats and programs that can truly make your winner.
Sports betting is similar to poker and DFS in that you can win long-term profits. But it also works differently from these two games in some ways. Poker and DFS involve competing against other players, with the house collecting a small amount of rake from the contest. Sports betting, on the other hand, revolves around trying to figure out which side of the line has more value. Therefore, you're not competing directly against other bettors for winnings.
For example, you'd need to win 52.4% of point spread bets with 10% juice (comes from losing side) to be profitable. Winning over 52.4% of your wagers doesn't sound extremely difficult. But keep in mind that even the best sports gamblers only win 53% to 55% of their point spread wagers. The rate at which you need to win moneyline bets depends upon the odds you're taking. For example, you only need to win over 43.5% of the time on +130 moneyline bets to earn profits. But it's not any easier to beat moneyline wagers than point spreads or any other type of bet.
The reason why sports wagering is difficult to profit from is because bookmakers are really good at setting lines. Their goal is to create equal action on each outcome in a wager, thus guaranteeing them a profit when the juice is taken into account. I mentioned earlier how you're directly competing against other bettors. But you need to find favorable opportunities before most other gamblers, because lines shift when there's too much action on one side.
Jumping on lines early is one of the best things to do as a sports bettor. This allows you to find value before any potential shift occurs to balance out the action. Handicapping is the main strategy for finding value in lines. This technique involves examining a variety of factors to see if the bookmaker's odds lineup with your take.
Here's an example:
- Atlanta Falcons +140
- Carolina Panthers -165
- You handicap this game.
- You think that the Falcons are undervalued at +140.
- You bet on the Falcons to win.
The factors that you look at when handicapping differ based on the sport. But basic elements that you should consider include injuries, player matchups, travel schedules, motivational factors, and statistics.
Stats are very important in sports gambling, because you can use them to spot trends that'll give you an advantage over time. You can also use sports betting software to help you analyze advanced stats and make better bets. Of course, sports betting is like DFS in that you want to first learn the basics while concentrating on low stakes wagers. As you become more competent, you can graduate towards making bigger bets and using programs to help you out.
The esports industry has been rapidly increasing in popularity over the past few years. Esports betting, which has spawned from this growth, allows you to bet on the action. If you're already a sports gambler, then you'll appreciate the easy transition into esports betting. This form of gambling uses the same odds and types of bets that are featured in traditional sports gambling. You can also use many of the same handicapping skills to win esports wagers. The only difference is that you need to learn about the different games, leagues, and players involved.
Esports betting allows you to wager on over a dozen computer and console video games. Here are just some of the available games:
- Battlefield
- Call of Duty
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Dota 2
- Halo
- Hearthstone: Heroes of the Warcraft
- Heroes of the Storm
- League of Legends
- Overwatch
- Rocket League
- Smite
- Starcraft II
- Street Fighter
These games all have different leagues too, which gives you even more chances to specialize. But I strongly suggest that you only focus on one game and 1-2 leagues in the beginning until you master them. There's no sense in wagering on a bunch of options and spreading yourself thin. Instead, truly get to know a single game before moving on.
5 – Card Counting
Card counting is an advantage play technique that you can use in blackjack to make profits. The goal is to keep track of aces and 10-value cards so that you know when you have a better chance to get natural blackjack (21 on first two cards). Casinos pay you either 3:2 or 6:5 on your original bet when you have a winning natural blackjack. Therefore, you can gain a temporary advantage by making larger bets when your chances of getting a natural increase.
The biggest benefit to card counting is that you don't have to compete with other players to win. Instead, this is a matter of you learning how to count cards and avoid being caught by the casino. The latter is one of the biggest disadvantages to card counting. It doesn't matter how good you are if the pit boss detects that you're counting cards and has security escort you out the door.
This makes it important that you don't spread your bets too much when you have an advantage. Here are examples of an acceptable spread versus what's not:
- Acceptable – Going from table minimum of $10 to $50 (1-5 spread).
- Unacceptable – Going from table minimum of $5 to $500 (1-100 spread).
- Acceptable – Going from table minimum of $5 to $75 (1-15 spread).
- Unacceptable – Going from table minimum of $10 to $5,000 (1-500 spread).
One other critical aspect involves researching casinos and finding out which ones are more tolerant of bet spreads. Some gambling establishments will become suspicious immediately when you use a 1-15 spread, while others won't as long as you're not obvious about your counting efforts.
Of course, you also have to thoroughly learn and master a card counting system. The actual process of learning a system isn't overly difficult, especially if you use one like the OPP or Hi-Lo. The Hi-Lo is my favorite for beginners, because it's simple and will still produce good results. You should be able to learn how to use the Hi-Lo within a matter of minutes.
Also note that you'll need a large bankroll so that you don't risk busting out in your card counting endeavors. The average successful counter only has between a 0.5% and 1.5% edge, which makes for a lot of variance. You also have to account for how you'll be placing big bets when you have a positive count. This increases the risk, which is why you want at least a few thousand dollars in your bankroll when starting out.
Hole carding is another advantage play technique that you can employ in blackjack. This strategy revolves around trying to see the dealer's face-down card (a.k.a. hole card) when they peek for a natural blackjack. As you may know, the dealer peeks for a blackjack when their upcard is either an ace or a 10-value card. The round ends if they have a natural, and anybody without a natural automatically loses.
Under optimal conditions with a dealer that consistently shows their hole card, you'll have anywhere between an 11% and 13% advantage. The biggest obstacle to hole carding is that there aren't many dealers who'll actually reveal their value when checking for blackjack. Chances are that you'll have to sit at 100 or more blackjack tables before you find a really bad dealer.
You also need to sit in the correct seat to spot the dealer's hole card. First base (seat to croupier's immediate left) is best when there's a right-handed dealer, and third base (seat to croupier's immediate right) is best when there's a left-handed dealer.
Video poker is the only house-banked casino game that offers you a long-term advantage. Unlike hole carding and card counting, you can sit at a video poker game for as long as you want and take advantage of profits. The first step to being a video poker winner involves knowing which variations actually provide an advantage. Here are the three most-common variants that will deliver long-term profits:
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You may be disappointed to find out that there are no casinos outside of Nevada offering any video poker games with positive expected value (+EV). Moreover, the largest selection of beatable machines are found in Las Vegas. Assuming you have access to Nevada casinos – either through living in the area or visiting – then you want to practice for the games you'll be playing. After all, you need to use correct strategy to take advantage of +EV situations.
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Also note that being an advantage video poker player is a volatile pursuit. You'll only get a royal flush on 1 out of 40,000 hands on average, meaning that you'll need to play numerous hands before realizing +EV. But as I mentioned before, the great thing about video poker is that you can play games with over 100% RTP and not fear being kicked out of the casino.
None of the games and advantage play methods I've discussed is perfect. They all have their pros and cons with regard to the strategy and difficulty level. But the good news is that everything covered here are at least gives you the opportunity to make money through gambling. If you've ever dreamed of being a profitable gambler, then the opportunity is there for the taking.I prefer player-vs-player games, because they have the lowest barrier to entry. You won't get booted from the casino, and you can readily find poker and DFS games online. Advantage play techniques are nice from the perspective that they offer you guaranteed profits when used correctly. You don't have to worry about beating highly skilled players.
But one major drawback is that you can also get kicked out of the casino. Additionally, it's hard to find perfect conditions for card counting or hole carding. Video poker is great from the perspective that you can win money without worrying about the casino staff breathing down your neck. The downsides, though, include that you only find +EV games in Nevada and you won't win large profits with these games. In summary, winning in gambling is far from easy. But there are multiple ways for you to accomplish this if you're motivated to do so.
