So how do you make your winning picks? Do you learn and understand what the act of placing a wager involves, and where the money goes? Do you use your rational judgment to separate fact from inference? Do you study the tendencies of the betting public to take advantage of their squareness? Smart.

Or do you win by betting on your favorite team? Do you pick the team with the most eye-catching uniforms and the hottest cheerleaders? Do you follow a “can’t miss” trend that has no relation whatsoever to the next game? Do you bet on the Chicago Cubs? Lucky.

Every now and then you get that feeling of invincibility. It’s like you know that you’re going to win. Some days you just wake up and it all feels like it’s going to come together. A positive outlook is a contagious thing; once you feel that you’re going to do well, things seem to fall into place.

It’s not like you win every time you feel lucky. But I can’t recall winning when I was feeling unlucky. There’s a correlation there somewhere, but no has been able to pinpoint exactly how to do it. I don’t know if we can will our way to good fortune, but feeling lucky will increase your chances of getting lucky.

It will pay to play when you’re in good spirits. If you get angry and decide to play casino games to get your mind off of that emotion, you’re likely to get disappointed. Gamble when you’re happy – it works better.

2. Play when you’re happy, not when you’re upset. Don’t play online because you have problems, play when things are going well in your life.

3. Make sure you take advantage of buy-in re-load bonuses. They can extend your playing time and increase your chances of getting lucky. You don’t necessarily get them automatically.

4. Learn to play basic strategy if you play blackjack. You’ll win more often and get to play for a longer time. It’s more fun when you know you’re playing the best you can.

5. Get out when you’re up. If you’re up get most of that money in your pocket, and save a small percentage to play with.

2. Bankroll Management – playing in the proper-sized game for the money you have.

3. Counting Cards – using a plus / minus system to predict when a deck has more big cards left in it.

4. Search for good bets – only bet on situations where you have 45% or higher to win.

5. Search for higher payout percentages – read machines and play ones with 98% or better.

6. Maintain a hopeful attitude – the more you have, the more you’ll win.

7. Use your comps – casino freebies allow you to recover a percentage of your losses.

8. Stay sober – save the drinks for the end of the playing session.

9. Cash out double your buy-in – walk away if you double your money on any game.

10. Bet the max bet on progressive slots – you don’t win it unless you bet the max.

1. Play tight aggressive poker. Wait for premium hands and make pot size bets.
2. Stick to the come/don’t come or the pass/don’t pass line bets on the craps table.
3. Stick to the near even outside bets like Red/Black on the roulette table.
4. Bet on the banker every time when you play baccarat; use the house edge to your advantage.
5. Always play max bet when you’re playing on progressive jackpot slot machines, you won’t qualify otherwise.
6. Get some optimum play charts for the blackjack table and stick to them.
7. Search out video poker machines that pay out over 97% with large jackpots.
8. Opt to be the bank when playing Pai Gow and use the house edge for yourself.
9. Look to walk away from a game if you’ve tripled your buy-in.
10. Take advantage of any comps the casino offers; just ask the pit boss.

I know that feeling as though you need to look cool is kind of high school. When you try to look cool you risk the chance of coming off fake… because that’s exactly what you’re doing, trying to be something you’re not. However trying something new that makes you feel different can open you up to something that you could end up really liking. A change of pace is always is a good idea. Here are a few tips on how to look cool when you go into a casino.

Dress the Part
You don’t need to get super elaborate like James Bond in a tuxedo but you should defiantly ditch the t-shirt, jeans and the cap. What ever your style, dress for a casino like you’re going to a better club. Put some good shoes on, do your hair, what ever you do the key here is to look like you have money.

Act like A Pro
Another key is to look like you know what you are doing. Put your money down on the felt; never hand it directly to the dealer. Know the rules of the game and use the right phrases and actions when playing. For example, when playing blackjack always tap the table for a hit and wave your hand for a stand. One thing that you should also do is tip your dealer from time to time (the equivalent of one half of your standard bet every quarter hour or so, more when you’re winning).

Winning is Cool
Well this is a pretty obvious one. Every game has a strategy, even roulette. You can’t always win, but you can certainly give yourself a better chance of winning. Read a few books on gambling strategy. Most importantly never leave the table without chips. Yes, this will take some discipline but this mental practice will keep you looking cool and always allow you to go home with money in your pocket.

There’s no surefire secret to winning at online casinos. If there was, I would be selling it in a book for thousands of dollars each. Even professional gamblers lose almost as much as they win. There are ways to increase your chances at winning; it just takes a bit of experience to learn all the advantages a gamer can use to reduce the house edge against you.

The first thing you can do is to make good bets. Learn which bets give you better odds to win and structure your gaming around them. There are lots of bets that give near-to-even odds, and plenty of games where the house edge is less than 1%.

Another way a player can get back a big edge from the house is to take advantage of casino comps and bonuses. These freebies can often get back the 1% you give up.

Ashley Revell has to be the king of “don’t try this at home”. This guy liquidated everything he owned and travelled to Vegas to bet it all in one shot. He was on some kind of faith mission, and put everything he had achieved on the line for the chance to double it. He took his $136,000 and bet it all on Red on a roulette table.

I understand that faith is an important thing to have, but someone around him should have put a bankroll management book in his hand. This event may have been presented as a heroic example of how taking a chance like this can be romantic, but I don’t care what anyone says – this guy was a complete idiot. Not only did he risk his future, but he risked becoming the biggest idiot of all time. Want to find out what happened? Check it out here.

The best casino games to play are the ones with the lowest house edge or of course the ones where the player has the advantage. When it comes to making bets we all know that some are better than others. Here’s what I think are the best ones to make.

1. Blackjack – Card Counting
   You can get yourself a 1-2 percent edge over the casino by learning how to count cards. Counting cards is a skill that takes a lot of practice to master. Its not illegal but counters must disguise their skills or they can be barred from playing.
2. Casino Poker
   This is a skill game which plays a huge factor in determining the winner. Players are competing against eachother and not against the house. There is no house edge eccept from the small amount the house takes from each pot.
3. Video Poker
   This game has a pretty small house edge, if you make the correct playing decisions. The house edge is determined by the pay table and plyers can determine the payback by reading the schedule.
4. Craps – Don’t Pass/Don’t Come
   This game gives you a slight edge than a pass the line bet. The house edge is 1.14 percent. You can lower this edge by laying double odds.
5. Baccarat – Banker
   The banker bet in Baccarat has a smaller house edge than the player bet but requires you to pay commission when you win. In this game the house edge is 1.06 percent.