*expectation Expectations are everything really. If you expect to have a terrible time somewhere and end up having a mediocre time you will end up pleased, as your expectations were lower than the reality of the situation. Consequently, if your expectations are high and you end up having an average time then you will end up disappointed as your expectations were not met. I suppose that one could say it's better to be a pessimist, this way you're never disappointed. However, according to Dear Abby optimists live longer, so I don't recommend that tactic. Expectations cloud our objectivity and set up a false standard, which is why it's typically better to have no expectations whatsoever. Having no expectations, on the other hand, is extremely difficult to do. Playing in online casinos without expectations is especially difficult when you see advertising which talk about winning now, free money, and the like. Player expectations have been a major subject lately on various message boards. For some reason many people seem to expect to win money when they play at casinos, be they land based or internet. Everyone seems aware of the house edge, but they are so lured by the vague advertising promising free money that they ignore all logic and go in expecting to win. If you were to ask these same people if they think people always win when they play online I'm certain they would probably tell you no. Yet somehow when they go and play themselves they are shocked if they have a bad game run. They also tend to not do their research on the sites themselves to see if their expectations are valid, and they expect every online casino to behave the same way. This is why so many game portal owners and responsible gaming sites are trying to push the real fact about gambling, that it is for your entertainment value only and not for making money (unless of course you are a professional player, but then professionals know that they won't always win.) Casinos, poker rooms and sports books of all types are after your entertainment dollars. This means your money that could go to a movie, not the money which you owe to your landlord for last months rent. If you think about it from an entertainment dollar point of view, casinos (both land-based and internet) are a good deal. You're going to spend the money on something you enjoy. If you lose, then at least you didn't spend more than you can afford, and you had fun while you were doing it. If you win, you have more entertainment money to spend at a later time. You don't have the chance of winning money when you go to see a movie. Thinking of the money you use to play in an internet gaming casino as entertainment money also changes how you spend it. Players who play for their entertainment are more likely to play the smaller rate tables rather than blow it all in one go. The lower the amount you spend per bet the longer your money should hold out for you. This also, by the way, increases your chances of winning, as you are playing more games overall. Having realistic expectations (such as accepting the fact that the house edge will never go away) is the surest way to enjoy yourself when playing in an internet gaming casino. Of course, this doesn’t mean simply accepting that you will always lose when you play, because that simply doesn't have to be the case. It is possible to win money while playing, I've actually done it, and I speak from experience. The best way to increase your chances of winning while playing is to play skill games such as blackjack and poker, and learn the strategies and statistics behind the game. There are several sites which will give you all of the strategies necessary to learn how to get the most out of your blackjack and poker game. It's also a matter of choosing the right game. Checkout the payout tables for the game itself, then check out the payout percentage of the game in the casino, after that see how many decks are used and if the decks are shuffled per deal or if they are shuffled after awhile. All of these aspects will help you increase your chances of cashing out with some money. Of course, if slots are your game then pick the casino with the best payout percentage (or one that is due to have a good month) and pray for luck. Slots are a game of pure chance (along with roulette, baccarat, and keno) and as such there is no advice I can give you to win money there. It's not that people never win at slots, every few months some lucky player wins at least a million dollars, it's just that I've never won at slots. At least, I've never won enough to make my wagering requirement and actually cash out with money. Remember your good money management skills when playing anywhere. Decide before you start to play how much you can afford to lose before you will walk away, and how much you would like to win before you walk away. Then stick to these numbers. Also, make sure that your expectations are realistic. If you have $100 to spend on your gaming entertainment don't make your win amount one million dollars. While there's a chance you could walk away with that it is so small that you are more likely to walk away with nothing. Playing your favorite casino games is meant to be a fun and entertaining experience. By keeping your expectations realistic and your money management in line with your expectations (by only spending your entertainment money) you are guaranteeing your chances of having a good time, even if you can't guarantee your chances of winning. Posted on: November 25, 2005
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