Every time you go to play in a casino, whether it is your local brick and mortar venue or your favorite online site, there are certain hopes and expectations. Even if we primarily play for fun, there is always the desire to win money. And, if at all possible, big money at that.
The only way to win big in a casino without risking a lot of your own money is by “running it up,” i.e. using any winnings you may get along the way to play more. So, if you start with $50 and get to something like $200 or $300, you’d usually take it home with you and be happy. But, every now and then, we have this crazy idea about really going for it and turning some serious profit.
At the end of the day, you’re just risking $50 of your own cash, so, money-wise, it’s not going to hurt you that bad. And, if you’re ready to take some risks, it can be an exciting evening of play that you’ll likely remember for a while.
When all is said and done, trying to run up your initial investment in a casino has its upsides and downsides. In this blog, we’ll look at both and also give you some ideas and guidelines on how to go about it if you really feel like doing it.
Is It Worth It?
Let’s first start with the last item from the title – should you do it? The reality of it is, the longer you stay at a casino the better are your chances to walk away with nothing. You might be having a really good run on the tables and slot machines but, eventually, it has to end, and there is absolutely no way to tell when that’s going to happen.
So, if you start with $50 and run it up to a few hundred, if you continue to play and keep increasing your bets, the odds are you’ll walk away with nothing. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with this as you’re paying $50 for plenty of entertainment but you need to have a really clear idea about what you’re doing.
No Regrets Are Allowed
If you walk in a casino and decide to go for it, you must make up your mind that you’ll have no regrets afterwards – otherwise it is just not worth it. When you go out with a bunch of friends to see a movie or grab some drinks, you have no regrets about spending money. You paid to have good time and that’s perfectly fine.
You need to approach this the same way.
I’d say that, in general, starting small going for a big win in a casino is not such a good idea because, usually, you simply have to lose. But, if you do decide to try it and catch a good start (which is obviously required, or your entire plan will be over before it even started), then you should approach it as an experience, not an investment.
What I mean by this is, don’t be depressed if you go up to $500 and then lose it all. Of course, it is easier said than done, because that was your $500 to take home and spend on something nice, but if that’s how you’re going to feel about it, then just don’t do it. It really won’t be worth it.
Of course, you do need to have a certain target set before you go in and stick to, which I’ll talk about in a moment. Without this, you’ll simply lose 100% of the time because there is no way to keep winning indefinitely. But, the bottom line is, if you get half way there and then bust, you must make sure you take away the positive side of it – the excitement, the challenge, the entertainment. If you’re going to dwell on the fact you lost, just don’t do it. Take whatever profit you feel will make you happy and walk away.
Is There a Method to the Madness?
If we’re talking about running up a small initial investment into big bucks at a casino, we all know the odds are heavily against us. This isn’t something you get to see every day – not even close. So, is there a point in even bothering with it and will it cause you more frustration than it is worth it?
First of all, this is obviously a challenge, so there is that element to it. You’re trying to do something that’s not done every day, which is exciting on its own. Furthermore, we all know it can be done: we’ve heard stories, we’ve seen people doing it, and, some of us have done it before – whether we planned for it or it just happened.
If you take this challenge the right way, you’ll get a few things out of it:
- A lot of excitement
- A potential for some great stories to tell your friends
- A chance to win a significant amount of money (albeit slim)
So, if you’re looking at it as entertainment and you’re someone who likes to gamble on occasion, then this can definitely be a great experience. Successfully running up your initial casino money to your target amount will give you more than just extra cash in your pockets; it creates a sense of achievement and can be a great motivation.
How to Give Yourself the Best Shot at It
I’d wish more than anything to reveal a secret sauce here that just gives you a step by step strategy for running your money up and just winning every time. Sadly, there isn’t one, so the best I can do is to give you some ideas and suggestions. A lot of it will depend on your personality, what you enjoy most, and, finally, how lucky you get.
Always keep in mind that a significant part of the process needs to be focused on the entertainment side. If you’re going in there focusing solely on the money, the odds are you’ll walk away disappointed. Instead, turn it into a great experience and you’ll be a winner no matter what.
Set Your Limits & Your Targets
The first thing you should do is set your limits. Figure out how much you want to spend. Whether it is $20, $50, or $500 will depend on every person individually. Simply, make it an amount you’d usually spend on a nice night out, because that’s what this is. Since you’re doing something fairly risky (in terms of money), let it be an amount you can afford to spend with no regrets.
Secondly, you absolutely have to set a target. If you’re taking $100 with you, figure out how far you want to go. Obviously, you can do whatever you want, but keep in mind that the higher you go, the better your chances of busting. I’d suggest anything between 10x and 20x your starting roll, to make it challenging but not completely unrealistic.
Start Slow & Build It up
To get where you want to go, you’ll need to catch a lucky streak – there’s no way around it and that’s pretty much out of your hands. However, you can give yourself more chances by starting slow, i.e. playing slots at lower bets and trying to catch some wins. If your luck is in, you could easily turn your initial $50 into $200 or so.
Once you have three or four times your initial amount, you can start increasing your bets. You can also consider changing the game and going over to roulette or blackjack. These games can eat up your money fairly quickly, but catching a good series on roulette isn’t that uncommon. So, maybe you could do 10 spins at $10 each, favoring one number with a stronger bet and see if you can get lucky.
If your streak continues, you could end up with a few hundred on top of what you brought to the table, so now you have $500 or $600 in front of you. If you lose, you can take that $100 back to slots and try again.
The idea is to really make it an experience and provide yourself with as many exciting moments as possible. If things go well on roulette, why not take a couple hundred to a different game – maybe the one you’d never played before (baccarat, Caribbean Stud, or whatever else tickles your imagination).
When You Hit Your Target – You’re Done!
If your lucky streak holds up and you get to your target number, I’d suggest you stop immediately. Don’t do another $100 on slots “for luck” or few more spins on the roulette. It can be a dangerous proposition that takes you down the road you don’t want to go. Those winnings can leave your presence before you even realize it.
Get your cash, walk out, and go celebrate – you did it! After all, you can always take a couple of hundred from your win at some later point and try to repeat the process. Don’t go over your targets and push the envelope because, if you do lose, you’ll really feel bad because you did what you wanted to do and then you let it slip out of your fingers.
Final Advice on Running It up
The entire process of running it up in a casino can really be an entertaining experience and, on occasion, a very rewarding one. However, one thing you never want to do is break your budget. This can be hard at times because your initial $100 might be gone very quickly and this really makes you feel frustrated. You had the entire evening planned out and now it’s all over in half an hour.
So, my final piece of advice would be to have a backup plan. If you bust quickly, plan ahead of time and figure out where you can go afterwards. Whether you’re going to meet up with some friends or go catch a movie, don’t break your gambling budget for the evening.
In the end, it needs to be just another form of entertainment and nothing else. You can’t afford to get stubborn against the casino as that never ends well. Take your losses the same way you accept you paid for a ticket to see a really bad movie. It happens but things will be better next time!
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