You probably have seen many websites, sometimes shady ones, that promise you can follow a system to beat casino games all the time, even posting unbelievably high payouts as “proof.”

Unfortunately, casinos would’ve been out of business for a long time now if this were true. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any strategies or tactics for casino games; quite the contrary.

You can use many strategies for different games, but none are oriented toward winning every time. The approach is mainly geared towards minimising your losses. Not all games are equal, so many players wonder whether some casino games can be considered as strategic as chess. If so, your skill would play the most significant factor in winning.

Let’s look at chess first to compare it later with casino games.

Why Is Chess A Strategic Game?

The premise of chess is simple: beat your opponent by performing a checkmate. This means their King can’t move anymore without getting into an “under attack” position. For this, you need to know the rules: how to move pieces across the board.

But what makes an amateur that knows the rules lose every time over a Grandmaster? An important issue is that the experienced chess player understands how to develop strategies using the game rules in their favour. They can anticipate moves and project themselves into different scenarios and their outcomes.

Of course, this takes a lot of training and commitment. You need to study openings, the value of chess pieces, study tactical positions, analyse games, and much more. You could even say that chess is all about strategy, and the pieces and board are the media where your strategy unfolds.

A key issue is that, unlike casino games, no luck is involved in chess. Only players’ skills are what determine the outcome of games.

Casino Games Are a Different Beast to Tame

On the other hand, casino games have a definite factor: luck. In some way or another, all casino games have a random chance of ending with a positive outcome for the player.

For instance, you might have had slot machine lines explained to you. Some games let you choose how many you want, so there’s a strategic layer there. However, in the end, luck is what determines the symbols that show on the screen.

That means that no matter how “good” someone is at a particular game, there’s always the chance that randomness still makes them lose.

Some games are more random than others. A good example is, again, slot machines. Everyone can press a button or pull a lever and make the reels spin, so there’s no skill involved. The outcome will be determined by randomness alone.

There are some strategic elements, for example, the bet amount. A system with different bet sizes, such as the Martingale, is a strategic gambling approach.

Even though luck and randomness are involved, there are games better suited for strategists than others. Let’s take a look at them.

Casino Games with Strategic Qualities

Undoubtedly, the most strategic casino game is poker. Knowing the rules can take minutes like chess, but mastering the game requires commitment. It also has the anticipation factor in common. In both chess and poker, it’s vital to anticipate the opponent’s moves.

In poker, deciding when and how much to bet, when to withdraw, and assessing the best move according to what you analysed from the table is critical.

Another strategy game is blackjack. Since you need to get 21 to win, or as close as possible without going over, there’s a lot of strategy involved. As the cars are drawn, you have to decide whether to go on or stop based on your hand and your opponent’s (in this case, the casino dealer).

In blackjack, there’s even a strategy linked to card counting. It has to do with counting the high and low cards dealt, based on the principle that high cards benefit the player, whereas low cards benefit the casino.

Craps is also a highly strategic game based on many different bets. They all include carefully analysing the payout odds and minimising the house edge. This contrasts with roulette, which is entirely based on luck.

Remember the Fun Factor

Unlike chess, casino games’ main attraction is the chance to win money. This is why people go the extra mile to look for a magical formula to make them rich when playing casino games.

Everyone knows someone who’s incredibly lucky at a particular game, so they must know some secret. There are several possible reasons for this, including this player going against less skilled opponents, cheating, or good bankroll management.

Always bear in mind that casino games should be played for fun and responsibly.