An advantaged gambler is a gambler who has gained an edge in a particular game and can be profitable in the long run. The most common games in which dominant players play include blackjack (card counting), Poker, sports betting, and video poker.
After all, this allows you to learn the “secrets” of the Casino. You can then use this knowledge to exploit the casino in the aforementioned games.
But does working at a casino really give you the insight to be an advantaged gambler?
I’m going to discuss this by looking at how working at a casino can help you gain some edge playing the game and tips.
What can casino workers learn about card counting?｜KingGame
An advantaged gambler is a gambler who has gained an edge in a particular game and can be profitable in the long run. The most common games in which dominant players play include blackjack (card counting), poker, sports betting, and video poker.
Advantage gamblers come from all walks of life, from lawyers to college students. But one seemingly obvious path to becoming a professional gambler is by becoming a casino employee.
After all, this allows you to learn the “secrets” of the casino. You can then use this knowledge to exploit the casino in the aforementioned games.
But does working at a casino really give you the insight to be an advantaged gambler?
I’m going to discuss this by looking at how working at a casino can help you gain some edge playing the game and tips.
What can casino workers learn about poker?｜KingGame
One of the most important parts of being a card counter is avoiding detection by the casino. If the casino finds out that you have successfully counted cards, they will kick you out and possibly ban you from their property.
Just Google and you can learn about the methods casinos use to draw cards or slow down the card count. Some of the most common methods include:
The deck is shuffled after players have significantly increased their bets.
Have the pit boss focus on the suspected card counting table.
Add more decks to the shoe (if less than 8 decks).
Facial recognition recognizes the blacklist counter.
Have the casino worker or cocktail waitress start chatting with the counter.
These are common things many casinos do to hinder card counting. But as a casino employee, you actually sit in on the conversation about how to spot the counter.
You will especially know this information if you are a Dealer or casino owner who works at a blackjack table. Casino security is another job that involves monitoring card counting.
One thing insiders have discovered is that some casinos hire private investigators or ex-card counters. The latter can be watched from the security room as they have a lot of knowledge about the activity.
All things considered, working in a casino, card counters get the most out of any dominant player.
What Can Casino Workers Learn From Roulette?｜KingGame
Some well-known poker pros started their dealing games. This includes Johnny Chan, Scott Fischman, Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow and Scotty Nguyen.
Considering we have verifiable examples of poker pros who started out as dealers, this seems like a good entry point to becoming a successful player.
One of the reasons why dealers are good poker pros is because they spend 40 or more hours a week monitoring games. This allows them to develop a sixth sense for physical signals and what cards a player is holding in different situations.
The downside is that you also have to worry about dealing with the actual game and can’t just think about strategy all the time.
Another problem is that you have to socialize with the player in order to draw more hints. This is another aspect of learning poker strategy when the cards are dealt.
Poker has gotten tougher since Chan, Forrest and Matusow dominated the game. The best way to become a better poker player is to play and learn strategies whenever you can.
However, if you need a day job while trying to become a professional poker player, there’s nothing like handling the game. When you’re comfortable with your game and multitasking abilities, you can start reading and spotting tells.
I can’t think of any other casino employees who would benefit greatly from poker. Maybe arena owners or security personnel go to games every chance they get.
But again, you can definitely learn something about poker while being a full-time dealer.
What Can Casino Workers Learn From Sports Betting?｜KingGame
What Can Casino Workers Learn From Roulette?
Roulette offers a variety of edge plays, including house signature and biased roulette.
The dealer’s signature is the phenomenon that occurs when the dealer unconsciously spins the ball the same way every time. Any player who discovers this feature, including spinning the ball and the wheel at the same speed, will have a better idea of where the ball will land.
I saw comments from former dealers explaining how they were able to spin the ball with a degree of precision. Of course, making money from roulette requires being on the other side of the table.
I guess dealers can monitor their spins with other dealers to come up with an average. For example, they might find that the wheel makes an average of 30 revolutions before the ball stops.
But on the other hand, the best way to discover these dealers is to watch a particular dealer for a considerable amount of time. This means that roulette dealers can only gain so much knowledge from their work.
Wheel bias refers to a roulette wheel that is biased towards a certain number. This is a result of wheel wear.
A casino owner or floor manager may have some knowledge of any off-wheels in their casino. This knowledge will come from time spent testing equipment at the beginning and end of the shift.
Plus, they don’t have to spend hours of their free time documenting roulette results to spot discrepancies like regular customers do.
But this theory has two problems:
1 – Employees will use their advantage to take legal action, or at least litigate.
2 – There is very little bias in roulette today.
From the first point, if a casino finds out that one of their employees has used insider knowledge to win money, they will not be happy. That means employees could face legal action if they act on their information.
The second point is even more damning because all the famous examples of wheel slip involve wooden wheels. Woodwork (number dividers) can damage over time and cause the wheels to deflect.
But today’s casinos use Starburst wheels whose metal frets rarely fail. Both the lack of a deflection wheel and potential legal action mean that casino employees cannot actually use the technology.
What Can Casino Workers Learn From Video Poker?｜KingGame
Aside from being a blackjack dealer or table boss, oddsmakers are the best way to be an edge gambler.
Oddsmakers analyze many factors to create solid lines that draw equal betting action on each side.
These employees have to keep an eye on not only weather, injury reports, and individual games, but also in-depth factors like jet lag, historical trends, and obscure statistics. Most importantly, they need to understand exactly how the gaming public behaves.
This skill means that oddsmakers know exactly what information sportsbooks use to determine their odds. They can then use this knowledge to determine when a certain betting line provides value.
The relationship is so strong that some professional sports gamblers have actually become oddsmakers. One example is Kenny White, who went from professional gambler to top Las Vegas oddsmaker.
Lower level sportsbook employees can put their experience to work in a successful betting career.
Going a step further, they can follow the daily market and use their free time to make accurate betting predictions. They can then track their results and start betting at another sportsbook once they gain enough confidence.
What can casino workers learn from this?｜KingGame
Earning bonuses doesn’t technically make you an advantageous gambler. But you can combine jackpots with high-paying casino games for returns greater than or close to 100%.
Several types of casino employees have a solid understanding of how to earn extra bonuses.
Examples include pit owners, floor supervisors, and dealers. Even cocktail waitresses have an idea of when a player should get a free drink.
These professionals know what casino employees look at before handing out freebies. For example, casino owners know how casinos rate baccarat players to determine what bonuses they deserve.
I don’t think it’s worth working at a casino just to know how to get free stuff. Even if you’re a comp hoarding master, you’ll only get a slim edge on the house.
To make things even harder, most casinos these days are not very generous when it comes to freebies. This belittles anyone’s knowledge on how to get more compensation.
Conclusion｜KingGame
Whether casino employees learn anything about being the dominant player depends on the game.
The best opportunities to learn gambling to your advantage using your casino location include blackjack, poker and sports betting.
Blackjack dealers, casino owners or security guards will know how to disguise their counting efforts. From here, all they need to do is learn how to keep an accurate count.
Poker dealers can practice reading and spotting tells as they become more familiar. They can then play poker and learn strategies outside of work.
Oddsmakers already know the factors that affect the game and predict public behavior. They can easily use this knowledge to place successful bets.
Casino employees can gain little value in learning about roulette, video poker, and bet hoarding. But none of these insights offer a realistic chance of becoming an advantage player.
In conclusion, if you want to gain an edge, you should focus on casino jobs involving blackjack, poker or sports betting. Other jobs are just for paycheck.
