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Got a $20 bill burning a hole in your pocket? Fancy splashing some cash at the casino but the reservoir is (almost) dry? Want to bet on red, but you’re (pretty much) in it?
You’ve got only $20 to take to the casino and you’re looking for a sure thing. Can you work it and win?
Here at Techopedia, we’ve cogitated, calculated, and considered the various options available. We’ve crunched the numbers, done the math, and come up with a formula for some fail-safe action on the casino floor (make sure to read the small print).
So, pull up that lounger, make yourself comfortable, and join us as we go on the ultimate low budget casino bender. We’ve got $20 to spend and we’re going to give it some Jerry Maguire: we’re gonna show you the money. This is how to win at the casino with $20.
For 0% House Edge, Make This Craps Bet
Are you paying attention? Did you know that there is one casino bet that has no house edge. Zero. Zip. Nada.
Not just a low-single-deck-perfect-basic-strategy-blackjack house edge of 0.5% (more on that later), but a bona fide, genuine, baked-in, coin flip, 50/50, ‘it’s you or the house’, vig-free wager.
Head to the craps table to discover ‘The Best Bet in the Casino’. The bet is known either as the ‘Odds Bet’ or ‘Taking the Odds’.
It’s a side bet that pays true odds, with absolutely no house edge. You can make the bet only when there is a live bet on the pass line. Taking the odds occurs only when the point has been set, before the subsequent roll. Some casinos allow you to make the bet on another player’s pass line bet. Be sure to ask.
The bet is usually limited but it is always worth playing because it is the only truly fair bet in most casinos. If you specifically want to gamble your $20, this has the best risk ratio on the gaming floor. Croupiers play it on their day off (and endlessly go on about it).
Now let’s take a look at some other low risk options.
Play Games With the Best Odds
First things first: casinos are monuments to math. Behind the comped drinks, the razzle-dazzle, and the larger-than-life venues, are the number crunchers.
The (very) well-paid gamblers who are betting against you. They are the people that have the odds statistically stacked in their favor.
So, even though we are about to reveal the best bets at the casino; that’s all they are. You are still going to lose that $20. It just might last a little longer, playing these games.
We’re looking both online and offline, to get you the best 20 bangs for every one of those 20 bucks.
Here are the top five games with the lowest house edge. These super low numbers reflect different variants of the games and perfect play.
If you want to make that $20 sing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you’ll need to gamble tight, smart, and like a pro.
- Craps: from 0%
- Video Poker: from 0.05%
- Blackjack: 0.13%
- Online Slots: from 0.93%
- Baccarat: from 1.06%
Craps
It’s the bet the off-duty croupiers love to play. The Holy Grail of Gambling: the infamous Take the Odds at the craps table.
To be fair: if you just play the pass line (come and don’t come), the average house edge on the action is around 1.41%; still pretty good.
Step into the center, and play the hardways, and you’ll be waving goodbye to Andrew Jackson before you can say ‘new shooter, please’.
If none of the above makes sense, read up on how to play craps and what the come bet means and you’ll be ready to take advantage of its low house edge in no time.
Video Poker
Are you a bored statistician with far too much time on your hands? We need a math maestro to really nail down the numbers on video poker, because there are so many variants of this hugely popular online casino game. If you shop around, you can find some very favorable odds.
One of the most popular games found at video poker online casinos is the classic Jacks or Better. You can expect to get a pretty tight house edge of about 0.46% here.
Try a game like Double Double Bonus Poker, play optimal strategy, and land a few of the four-card combo bonuses, and you can get very close to a genuine even money bet.
We’d suggest learning how to play Jacks or Better first before playing other variants.
Blackjack
Blackjack is still one of the most popular card games at any casino. The overall house edge is low, around 2%, when you play perfect blackjack strategy.
Once again, there are variants to look for – especially online. Never play at a table that pays 6:5 blackjack. It has to be 3:2. Seek out a single deck game, if you can.
Some live blackjack casinos throw various bonuses into the action. This can push down the house edge. Once again, shop around to make that $20 bill fly.
Slots
If you have always thought that slots are for suckers, you would be wrong.
In Las Vegas, at the casino, the slots are definitely not the best way to beef up that $20 bill. The odds are very much tilted in the casino’s favor. When it comes to real money online slots, however, it’s a different matter.
The highest Return to Player (RTP) percentage we could find online is Playtech’s jungle-themed online slot Ugga Bugga at 99.07%. This is the amount you can expect to win back, on average, over a long period of time.
As the drums beat, 10 separate 3×1 reels spin. It’s a quirky and unusual slot, famous – primarily – for its super high RTP and low house edge. Bang that drum, spin those reels, and get lucky.
Baccarat
James Bond’s favorite game is also a pretty good option for your $20 bet.
If you’ve never played, you can learn how to play baccarat in minutes. There is no skill involved and you get 50/50 on player bets.
If you bet the banker, you pay a 5% commission. The low house edge makes this classic card game a licensed to thrill, double O, option.
Comps & Loyalty Cards
We’ve introduced you to the best bets in the business. Now, we are going to show you how to really stretch that $20 bill into something special.
There’s a golden rule that every casino advocates, beautifully voiced by Robert De Niro, in the movie Casino, which is actually based on true events: “In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing and to keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose.”
Comps are a means to an end. It’s the casino, weighing up its options, choosing to risk a little, to win a lot.
The casino gets you a free cocktail. You get happy. You keep spinning those slots. The winning streak will eventually pass and the cold front of ‘loss’ will drift in from the east.
However, canny players, with just $20 to roll, can play tight. Execute perfect strategy table games, play super low-cost slots, and get comped to the max if you follow a few of these pointers.
Three free cocktails, a free show, and a dinner voucher, just for turning $20 over a few times at the blackjack table or on the slots. That’s a win, by any definition.
How to Get Comped
- Always use your player’s club card (more on this below).
- Play slots (high house edge, low maintenance, trackable, comp-able).
- Make sure your play is tracked correctly (always use your loyalty card).
- Gamble where you are staying.
- Try smaller casinos.
- Bigger isn’t always better (grind out the small change to get those cocktails).
- Tip the wait staff.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for a comp.
- Add everything to your room bill and ask for discount at the end of the week – they can only say no.
Loyalty Cards
If you’ve got only $20 to burn, you should definitely sign up to every loyalty card available. Don’t forget to use them, every time you gamble. It soon adds up.
Here are a few of the best in the betting business:
MGM Rewards
This is a five-tier plan that starts discounting from tier one, with reduced pricing on rooms, shows, and cruises. MGM Resorts has scores of casinos, events, and properties all over the world; including Macau, Shanghai, and Las Vegas.
It’s the largest entertainment company in the world and it knows that loyalty pays. Get a card and start getting some credit.
Caesars Rewards
Caesars Rewards is a six-tier gaming benefits program that brings together both its real world and online businesses.
Once again, there are scores of operators opting into the program, including National Car Rental, Wyndham Rewards, Norwegian Cruise Lines and 1-800-Flowers.com. Slots pay one Reward Credit for every five dollars wagered.
Rio Rewards
If both MGM and Caesars bring corporate might to the table, Rio Rewards is a far more nimble and accessible loyalty plan that rewards you from the get-go.
You get free slot play worth $8 simply for signing up, as well as the ability to ‘earn local comp experiences’. The card is limited strictly to the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Wynn Rewards
Wynn Rewards gets a lot of love from its players, with discounted hotel stays, contactless hotel check-ins, and credit for every slot and table game played.
You can spend your comped dollars on dinner or enjoy priority access to venues and events.
When you head to the concierge to sign up and claim your loyalty card, more often than not there are some freebies up for grabs. It could be a t-shirt, a drinks voucher, or some free spins on the slots. They want you to sign up and this is a great place to add a little extra to your $20 stack.
Bonuses – the Online Comp
Even the best online casinos can’t gift you a free drink. They can – however – credit you with the chips to buy your own.
If you want to win at the casino with $20, finding a juicy online casino bonus is a great option.
There are literally thousands of operators offering big casino bonuses, kickbacks, rewards, special offers, and more. Here are a few of the bonus types you should consider:
- Welcome Bonus: Usually a bunch of goodies, activated when you make your first real money deposit.
- Deposit & Reload Bonuses: Get extra chips or spins when you make a real money deposit.
- Payment Method Bonus: If an online casino is hyping a particular payment method, sometimes it will incentivize it with bonus chips or credits.
- Referral Bonuses: Get paid for sending traffic and players.
- VIP Bonuses: The more you play, the more they pay. Probably not an option for your $20 play but one to consider, if you reel in some winners.
Always Read the Small Print
Most of these bonuses come with wagering requirements. These can vary from reasonable to insane. You might have to play your bonus 500x before you can redeem it; a virtually impossible challenge. So, shop around and read the small print before making that real money play.
The Cheating Option
They say cheats never prosper but history, reality, and a few crafty players, with healthy bank accounts, agree to differ.
Card Counting
You’ve got $20 and you want to win. Learn how to count cards. Card counting is legal but casinos hate it. It’s also incredibly difficult to master.
If you can find a blackjack table, playing a single deck game, it will make the counting easier. You basically need to use a counting system to value the deck.
When the deck is full of high value cards, the odds tilt in your favor. It’s time to step up with your $20 bill and play.
Roulette Bias
Roulette wheels are very carefully monitored and maintained to ensure there is no bias in the wheel. But there always is. You just have to spend months spotting it.
Over the years, a handful of patient roulette players have studied the form of a certain roulette wheel and gone on to beat it; usually by betting certain areas of the wheel with a bias.
There are many other nefarious ways to try and beat the casino, illegitimately. These include*:
- Past-Posting: Swapping small value chips for high value chips, post play.
- Card Marking: Usually in collusion with casino staff, to monitor specific cards.
- Collusion: Working with a croupier and/or other players.
- Bug Hunts: Finding the quirk in the software that could turn your $20 into $20,000.
⚠️*We strongly recommend you don’t try any of these!
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
You really want to win at the casino? Back in the early days of Las Vegas, a chicken dinner would set you back two bucks. If you doubled up and won a standard one-dollar bet, the croupier would exclaim: ‘winner winner, chicken dinner’.
You’ve already got $20 in your wallet. Las Vegas is renowned for its cheap buffets, especially if you head off the Strip. The Garden Court Buffet, at the Main Street Station Casino, is an all-you-can-eat that specializes in rotisserie chicken and Hawaiian food. The Monday to Friday brunch is $20.99.
Head to the Garden Buffet at the South Point Casino and you can choose from Asian, Mexican, Italian, Barbeque, Chinese and seafood. Lunch will set you back $19.95. That’s a definite win for your $20. No dress code needed.
Why not just go for the ultimate burger? According to TripAdvisor, you’ll find that at the Triple George Grill. The George’s Patty Melt costs $18 for a 10oz patty with heavenly trimmings. You’ve even got change for a $2 tip.
If you prefer foul that’s been fried, TripAdvisor’s top tip for fried chicken is The Crack Shack where $21 will get you a half bird of their signature bone-in fried chicken. Ask nicely and we think they might just let you off that missing dollar.
Charity
The great thing about casino destinations like Las Vegas is they want you to hang around and gamble. There are hundreds of free distractions to enjoy. Just wandering from casino to casino, taking it all in, is a great way to spend your time.
So, why not donate that $20 to the charity of your choice and enjoy Las Vegas for free. You’ll enjoy the wholesome virtue of supporting a good cause, as well as reveling in the sights and sounds of Las Vegas on the casino’s dime. That’s a win in anyone’s book.
You might just hit a jackpot for being a generous soul. Who knows…
Remember: the House Always Wins
Enjoy your $20 bet at the casino but – if that’s your limit – stick to it. In the long run, the casino always has the advantage.
The truth is: 20 bucks won’t last very long, either online or on the streets of Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
That $20 all-you-can-eat chicken dinner is probably your best bet. See you at the buffet with 20 bucks and a plate load of food.
