If you’re going to Vegas just to have fun then it doesn’t matter what games you choose to play. If you’re heading to Las Vegas with the hope of turning a profit though, there are a bunch of games you should definitely avoid.
Now, brace yourself because this might sound harsh but it’s true – the games in our list below are for suckers. They’re for the millions of tourists who visit Vegas each year and don’t bother to read up on the game rules, odds, and payouts before they go.
It’s OK, you’re not a sucker. You can’t be because you’ve taken the first step towards arming yourself with information just by reading this article. Here are the games you should steer clear of:
1. Double Zero Roulette Wheel
A single zero roulette wheel has a house advantage of 2.7% but a double zero roulette wheel has a house advantage of 5.3%.
That one little extra ‘00’ pocket on the double zero wheel doubles the casino’s advantage over you. Even though you might need to hunt around The Strip a bit to find single zero roulette tables, it’ll be worth your time.
Obviously, the casinos in Las Vegas aren’t just innocent fun palaces where adults can P-A-R-T-Y, they’re businesses and deep down they want you to lose. That’s why you’ll notice that there are hundreds of double zero roulette wheels dotted around every casino floor but only a handful of the fairer single zero roulette wheels.
2. Keno
Keno lures gamblers in with its eye-catching massive jackpots but there’s a reason it’s so popular with all the old people.
No, it’s not because keno is so slow and dull that the risk of having a heart attack due to excitement is nil. It’s because nobody with a fully functioning brain that hasn’t been worn down by 70+ years of life on this planet would choose to play a game that has worse odds than the Powerball lottery.
Your odds of hitting the jackpot on a 15-number keno ticket are 428 billion to 1. Your odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 175 million to 1.
Yep, that’s right you have more of a chance of winning the Powerball than you do of winning a keno jackpot. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, at least the lottery jackpots are worth millions. Keno jackpots are small fry in comparison and are usually between $10,000 – $50,000.
The house advantage on keno games in Vegas is a huge 25 – 30%, making it the game with the worst odds in the whole of Sin City.
When it comes to Keno just say no, kids.
3. Wheel of Fortune
There’s something strangely satisfying about the sound a wheel of fortune wheel makes as it spins round. Click, click, click…
That iconic noise is about the only part of the wheel of fortune game that will leave you feeling satisfied though. You’re unlikely to win on this game because its house edge in Las Vegas versions of wheel of fortune is anywhere from 11 – 24%.
Casinos love to put this game in a high visibility spot because it pays so badly that it makes the house a heap of profit. Plus, because it’s bright, shiny and noisy, it attracts a lot of attention from passers-by.
We recommend you do this when it comes to wheel of fortune – walk past.
4. Penny Slots
Every analysis ever conducted on the payout rates of the different slot machines in Vegas always turns up the same thing:
Penny slots have the worst payout percentages of all slots – 88.1%.
The best slots in Vegas have payout rates of 94.9% and the average is about 93.5%.
The big appeal of penny slots is that they’re supposed to be cheap. That low cost means in theory, you can make your gambling session last longer. Here’s the snag: most Las Vegas penny slots have a minimum of 50 lines, so you’re betting 50 cents a spin not 1 cent anyway.
Reports from Vegas experts also show that some casinos, like the Bellagio, have penny slots with an $8.88 maximum bet per spin.
Despite what their name suggests, penny slots can get real expensive, real quick.
5. Blackjack Variants
If you’re really looking forward to hitting the blackjack tables in Las Vegas and you’ve got your strategy down, you’ve been practicing your sly card counting and you’ve even watched the Rounders movie six times, you need to do one other thing.
Before you enter the casino take a marker pen and write this on your hand or on your buddy’s forehead if it’s easy to read:
Only play blackjack that pays 3-2
Blackjack is famous for being the one casino game that you can beat if you play it perfectly. The problem is that the house advantage can’t be eliminated in any other version of blackjack besides the original classic version.
Stay away from every variation of blackjack that isn’t the classic one, from Spanish 21 to Blackjack Switch.
Even if you do play classic blackjack that pays 3-2, you’re not completely safe from Las Vegas’ money-grabbing tricks. You’ll see a load of exciting looking side bets you can place at classic blackjack tables. Ignore them. These side bets are just a way to increase the house edge, so stick to betting on the main game.
