What Not to Do On Your First Trip to a Casino

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The excitement of gambling at a real-life casino is beyond compare. Online casino gaming is pretty fantastic, but head to a packed casino just once and you’ll see what all the fuss is about.

At the same time, heading to a casino as a newcomer can be quite intimidating.  Assuming you’ve little to no past experience with such things, you’ll have no idea how to conduct yourself.

Not to mention, how to avoid the rookie errors most newcomers make on their first outing.

Of course, trial and error hold the key to getting things right with most casino games. Not to mention, the overall casino experience in general.

In which case, why not learn from the trials and errors of others – rather than making the same mistakes yourself?

With this in mind, here’s a brief rundown of several things not to do during your first trip to a real-life casino:

1 – Diving In with Big Wagers

First up, it’s common for newcomers to get caught up in the excitement of the whole thing and blow their bankroll in a matter of minutes. For obvious reasons, this is never a particularly wise idea.

Think of it this way – your objectives when visiting a casino should be to play as many games as you like for as long as you like, without running out of money. It’s something of a survival challenge from start to finish, doing whatever it takes to avoid blowing your wad too fast. 

The trouble is, adrenaline and emotions have a tendency to take precedence over logic and common sense. Given how there’s plenty of adrenalin flowing during that first visit, you’ll need plenty of willpower to ensure it doesn’t get the better of you.

2 – Passing Up Optional Membership

You’re approached by somebody carrying a clipboard, so you immediately scurry past them without making eye contact. It’s the classic British approach to dealing with people looking to get you to sign up to something. 

Unfortunately, passing up optional membership in a casino is almost always a bad idea. Yes, you’ll probably have to deal with the occasional promotional e-mail. In return, you could find yourself staring down the barrel of any number of incentives.

Even if you don’t intend to play at the casino on a regular basis, you could still be in line for a fair few freebies. Complimentary drinks, free meals, comp points that can eventually be converted into real cash – all on the cards at most major casinos.

3 – Not Taking Regular Breaks

Losing track of time at a casino is easy to do, as that’s exactly what they want you to do. Casinos are meticulously engineered to make you forget what time it is, or simply not care what time it is. And in doing so, spend more money than you intended.

Feel free to stay at the casino as long as you like, but be sure to take regular breaks. At least once an hour, take at least 15 minutes off to stroll around the place or get some fresh air outside.

This is essential for clearing your mind and restoring your senses. Playing without breaks, by contrast, is a guaranteed recipe for a disappointing and costly outcome.

4 – Taking Your Credit Card

With a credit card (or debit card) in your pocket, you have access to more money than you can comfortably afford to lose. In the unfortunate event that you lose track of your senses at some point during the visit, you could find yourself delving into your reserve funds.

Or in the case of a credit card, borrowing money from the provider to fund your gambling activities.

This is never a good idea, for the simple reason that an undefined bankroll is  extremely dangerous. When heading to a casino, you should decide in advance exactly how much you can afford to lose, and take this exact amount of money in cash. If and when you’ve burned through every penny of it, it’s time to head home. 

5 – Not Practicing in Advance 

There’s technically no reason in this day and age why anyone would need to head to a casino with no knowledge of the games on offer. Irrespective of whether you plan on trying you luck at the blackjack table or the roulette wheel, it simply makes sense to practice in advance first.

In this sense, practicing in advance isn’t about building the kind of specialist skills needed to beat the house and pocket a prize. Instead, it’s simply a case of getting to grips with the basics, so you know what to do when you get to the table.

You know which betting options are available, where to place your chips and so on. This can make the whole thing a much less daunting experience as a newcomer, ensuring you get more enjoyment out of your first casino visit.

6 – Sticking Exclusively with Slots

Spending the entire night at the slots can be tempting for several reasons. They’re easy to play, they’re unintimidating as you’re on your own and there are hundreds of them to keep you busy.  All well and good, but slots don’t really serve up the experience casino gaming is all about. 

If you’re simply looking to play slots for several hours, you may as well play the online versions at home.

Spending a good amount of time playing slots is fine, but it’s still important to check out what’s on offer elsewhere. Even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone for a while, it’s something you won’t regret doing.

7 – Playing Games You Don’t Enjoy

Last up, there are far too many casino regulars who play games they don’t really enjoy, simply because they’re the games everyone else likes. Or perhaps, they’re the games they think they’ve the best chance of winning at, even though they can’t stand playing them.

This goes against everything casino gaming is supposed to be about. Everything that happens from start to finish should be exclusively about enjoyment and entertainment. 

If there is anything about any given game you don’t like, don’t play it. Why spend money on something you don’t enjoy, when there are dozens of alternative options available you’ll have much more fun with?

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