It’s been an incredible year for me when it comes to casinos. I personally won my first Grand progressive in 2022, and managed a second this past year, along with my first ever Keno handpay, among other fun accomplishments.
But like many players, my relationship with casinos ebb and flow. As much as I spend time learning about how games work and the various things to watch out for (and share them with you here at Flip The Switch), I’m not immune to the emotional ups and downs of gambling either.
Through that filter, I share five casino resolutions for 2024 that I aim to follow:
1. I Will Not Chase Status
One of the areas I’m always prone to do is to chase status. I have been Caesars Diamond and MGM Gold for over five years apiece, but accepting the job to join the BCSlots team, and the cross country move that followed, was an investment in life that meant casino visits had to take the back seat.
In October, I went to Laughlin, where a triple point multiplier was running, and I endeavored to earn enough to renew my Caesars Diamond status. The Video Poker machines had another idea, and I ran way below what should’ve happened for the amount of hands I did, so I gave up on the idea a couple of hundred points in.
That was a fresh reminder that often the status levels that you can earn are more expensive than the perks you get from them, and chasing status is not worth it.
2. I Will Concentrate My Play
Another consequence of my move is the majority of my play was localized to a couple of casinos near me here in California, and I found my offers more steady and robust than I would normally find myself getting, which was a nice perk of this change.
When you do a lot of small budget visits, or spread your money around too many casinos, it can mean a lot of tiny offers at casinos. When you concentrate your play on less visits with better budgets, and less casinos in favor of a couple of casinos where you aim to get better offers, it can pay off.
Casinos can only give you so many hotel nights and so much food, so in many cases that means other perks pick up the slack, which is why concentrating your play can be so beneficial.
3. I Will Honor My Stop Points
It’s easy to keep spinning past a number that’s in your head. It’s also easy to say “Oh one more machine” when you’re on the way out the door. Both of these can yield fun moments, but the longer you are in a casino, and the more wagers you place, the bigger the chances the casino will win more of your money.
On one recent casino trip, I broke two of my rules. This was one of them, by allowing myself another $100 because I saw a machine I hadn’t played in a long time. I lost the $100 more efficiently than at any other point in the night. Oddly, this was the second time this year at the same casino that this happened.
4. I Will Only Put Cash Into A Machine
The second rule I broke was I put a ticket in instead of cash, and played down past the amount I meant to on the ticket. This is such an easy thing to do when playing at casinos, because you get sucked into the game and don’t monitor the credit balance like a hawk.
One of our tips here at Flip The Switch is to put cash in instead of a ticket, so you can control the exact amount you want to play with on that machine. If you get ahead and cash out a ticket, consider bringing it to a ticket redemption machine, where you can get cash and repeat the process.
5. I Will Lock In Wins Better
When I get a big win at a casino, something that’s been happening a bit more frequently to me the past year or two, I start to let my guard down a bit and let myself play a bit more aggressively than I normally would. When I do, I’ve had a number of instances where I just end up losing money faster.
It’s certainly possible to play more aggressively and end up further ahead, but most of my best wins have been on very average bets – $1-$2 spins have been what I’ve gotten all of my solo handpays on in my lifetime. So I also haven’t had to bet more aggressively to have enough of these moments happen.
Along with that, I also allow myself to play more, because I know I’ll leave the casino ahead, but I could leave even more ahead by maintaining that discipline. We offer the Winners Bank in our shop, and perhaps that’s the solution for me as well.
What Are Your Casino Resolutions?
Are you seeing casino resolutions for yourself this year? I’d love to hear yours as well! Share them in the comments!
I WILL LEAVE MY CREDIT CARD AT HOME! I know financially that “borrowing” from your credit card to gamble is suicide. I’ve spent the last 6 months paying off my credit card because of gambling. The interest on a cash advance is horrible and I am much smarter than that….or so I thought. From now on, the credit cards will be left at home or safely tucked away in my glove box.
This is a great suggestion – always use cash you have on hand that you can afford to spend! Best wishes in 2024, Mary!