The Hype Magazine’s Guide to a Successful Casino Night

Let’s be real. A night at the casino can either end up with you grinning or slinking back home with almost a tear in your eye. And you know we’d all like to be part of the former party and not the latter. While there’s no guaranteed recipe for success when it comes to the casino, there are various things you can do to help get that end of the night smile.

The Hype Magazine presents our guide to a successful night out at the casino.

The cashflow prep

Way before you hit the casino, you need to check your bankroll.

If you want to have a bountiful night out, you might need some fat stacks to support your play, so that when the chips are down you can get back up again. If you’re planning a big night at the casino, then save up for a few weeks. Put the money aside as your fund for (hopefully) a hefty win.

When you set aside a certain amount, make this your hard limit for your spending’s for the evening. A good trick is to take out the money in cash and leave all your cards at home. This way you can’t be tempted to overspend if you run out. This only works if you tell your friends they are not in any circumstances allowed to spot you any more money – and they actually listen to you.

The getup

Dress for success, baby! The more confident you are in whatever you’re wearing, the better you will feel. Don’t come to the table like you just fell out of bed. You don’t want to be looking like no slob with the other players looking like they’re minted.

While wearing what makes you feel confident is ideal, remember that casinos have dress standards. Check the dress code before you roll in to make sure that your outfit complies with the casino’s rules. Just because you feel most confident in your basketball shorts and tank may not mean that your outfit will get past the bouncer’s ever-watchful eye.

If all else fails in the dress department, go for what you’d wear to the club.

The company

Heading out solo to the casino is usually for old folks who come to play on the daily or for high rollers. If you’re a high roller, then congratulations! What are you doing reading this guide then in the first place?

For everyone in between, then you’re usually going to be going to the casino with a friend or two. So, who to pick? Let’s check out the options.

Friends who don’t gamble

Normally, you shouldn’t ask these people along, unless there is a sports game on, they’ll be interested in watching on the big screen there, or they love sitting around at the bar. Friends who don’t gamble will usually lose interest pretty quickly after a few spins of the slots and hopping over a few table games. If it’s someone who has never gambled before then you might get lucky and find a super fan that’ll be by your side time after time.

A date

Taking a date can either be a really good decision or a really bad decision. Generally, asking a date to the casino means that you are just there for a bit of fun, and not necessarily for a successful casino night – unless you’re judging success by other terms…

As a first date option, you’ll need to make sure that your potential partner actually likes casinos and is interested in a night out there, plus you may need to splash some cash to impress. Be careful about the first date at the casino – you don’t want to come across as a problem gambler!

Your significant other

Hubby or wifey like the slots while you play the tables? Perfect! Set reasonable amounts to spend each and then always make sure that you stick to them. The only thing worse than losing more than you intended to at the casino is having a very angry significant other on your hands – “That money was going to go towards our next holiday!”

Your best friends

This category of company is your ideal casino partner. You and your best friends always have a great time no matter what you are doing, so heading out to the casino will be no different (unless they’re the friend who doesn’t gamble – leave them at home).

The only troubles you’ll run into that might stop you from having a successful night out with your best friends is if someone gets too drunk, someone has an argument with their partner, or if someone gets kicked out. And even then, if you’re with a few people and your friend is still okay… well, then let the good times roll on.

The club

And we’re not talking nightclub here. At most casinos, you’ll have the opportunity to join a VIP or membership club that can give you more than a few perks. It’ll involve handing over your ID and details and getting on their mailing list, etc.

For example, if you join the M Life Rewards club (by MGM Resorts and Casinos), you will get access to partner deals, comps for playing slots, gift shop points through playing games, discounts on hotel rooms, pre-sale access to events, discounts to shows, and more – and that’s only on the first tier of membership. Other casinos will offer free drinks, food, and even complimentary rooms, depending on the club and casino as well how much you spend, and even how often you go.

If you’re planning a successful night at the casino, then make sure you can get the most out of it by joining the club.

The drinks

For many peeps, drinks play an essential part of the casino experience. However, like shooting pool, dancing at the club, or even just holding a good conversation, there is a limit to how much you should drink, the type of drinks you should drink, and how often to top up!

If you’re drinking while gambling, it’s better to go with low-alcohol drinks that you sip slowly and space with water or other non-alcoholic beverages. If you get too drunk you’ll wind up overconfident and far more likely to lose money by putting down riskier bets or higher wagers. Take it easy and leave the silliness until after you’ve stopped playing.

The games

The type of games that you play will likely have an impact on the amount of money you win or lose. There are certainly better odds with some games over others. There are also games where a degree of skill is needed to play.

For instance, poker and blackjack are generally the best games to play if you have the right skill and understanding of game mechanics. This means you’ll have a greater chance of winning on these games than in roulette, slots, or keno, which are games that are based purely on luck.

If you don’t know how to play poker or blackjack then there are plenty of guides to how to play online, or you can grab an ultimate guide book such as The Theory of Poker, plus you can play for hours at free online casinos to start to get a feel for the games and how to win. Don’t forget that on the casino floor for real things get a little different – yes you will need to put on your poker face, and no, sunglasses are not allowed to be worn inside.

The tips

Tipping at the casino is a thing, much like tipping at the bar is a thing – although it’s not absolutely necessary.

A good rule of thumb is if you’re liking the croupier and their company, tip them. If you’re having a great time with the other players at the table? Tip the croupier again. Winning big? Tip em. Knowing how much to tip is really a matter of reading the casino and the table and seeing what everyone else is doing first.

The time to call it quits

Is it 4am? Did you spend all your money? Are you up by quite a bit? Have you been at the casino for hours and hours and hours? Knowing when to call it quits is just as important a gamble as the bets that you are placing.

Set limits for when you’ll call it quits; whether it’s via setting alarms on your phone, an amount that you’re happy to win (or win back), or when your friends are getting tired or bored. Going over your ‘quits’ limit is just as annoying as a loss.

The lowdown on online casinos

Plenty of these rules apply to online casino play too. For a successful night at an online casino, you’ll still have to save up some dough for a bit of a bankroll, set your limit on the amount of cash you want to spend (which can be really easy at most of the websites), be aware of the amount that you are drinking, and know when to walk away.

There are other tips and tricks to further success in these casinos

The bottom line

Success is whatever you believe it to be. Sure, everyone wants to win a million dollars on a night at the casino, but that kind of luck is extremely rare.

A successful night at the casino should be measured by the amount of fun that you had, as well as making sure you didn’t go over your hard limit of how much you wanted to spend. Everything else is just a bit of icing on the cake.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.