Tips for Online Video Poker Players when They Go to a Land Based Casino

Here is an interesting factoid: there are a lot more online gamers than people who gamble at land based casinos.  It makes perfect sense.  Online casinos are readily available.  They offer hundreds of games. The payouts are higher than at land-based casinos.  A no deposit casino, such as Springbok, will start new players off with free money before they ever choose to make a deposit.

There are many other reasons why online casinos have more players than do land based casinos but another interesting fact is that many players who most often play online eventually make their way to a land based casino.

In this tips article, we’ll explore some things a devoted video poker player needs to know when he or she ventures into a land based casino.

Tip 1:  Play only when you feel in top shape.

This sounds obvious but, at a land based casino, you’ll lose your game if you have to get up for a visit to the loo or for any other reason.  Online players never think about such things so, when you play at a land based casino, avoid all drinks with caffeine, avoid spicy foods, make sure that you’re in excellent health, play only after you’ve had a good rest or a deep sleep, and leave your telephone in your hotel room.

The advice about being in excellent health is a reference to the cost of getting to a land based casino.  If you’re a little under the weather at home, there’s no big deal: you simply play less or not at all for a day or two.  But if you feel a cold coming on, the absolute worst place to be is at a land based casino.  You could feel that you’ve wasted money and that you have to play through the cold.  This almost always leads to losing more.

A corollary to this piece of advice is that if you’re playing any game at a land based casino and the person next to you is sniffling, coughing, or otherwise fighting a mild illness, get up and go either to another part of the casino or to another casino altogether.

When you’re at a land based casino, you can play at any hour day or night so there is really no reason to play when you’re tired.  Go take a rest and come back refreshed even if it is 3:00 am.

Tip 2: Check the pay tables.

This advice applies to online casinos as well but at a land based casino, you might not find a 9-6 game or if you do it likely will be occupied.  It is not for naught that we say over and over that at an online casino there’s no waiting.  If you find yourself waiting for the video poker game you want to play, you’ll be sorely tempted to play in a less favourable game just to have a game to play.  Don’t let the casino lead you into temptation.

Tip 3: Be ever vigilant about managing your bankroll.

It is simply a lot easier to get up from an online video poker game than from a land based game.  At home, you have a lot of other things to do such as preparing dinner, cleaning up, getting together with friends, going to work, and so on.  At a land based casino, you’ll play casino games, eat, drink alcoholic beverages, sleep, eat again, and maybe go to a show.

More than likely, you’ll find yourself playing for longer sessions.  This requires more definitive bankroll management values.

Tip 4: Don’t drink alcohol whilst you’re playing.

Again, this advice also applies to online video poker gaming but the temptation to imbibe is very strong at a land based casino.  First of all, you feel like you’re on holiday and a little extra indulging in alcohol is a big part of any happy holiday.  We say drink alcohol to your heart’s content after you play.

A corollary to this piece of advice is that the hostesses who will offer you free drinks will all be very attractive.  They may be wearing tiny uniforms that will take your mind off the game you’re playing.  The casino wants you to get distracted so they send out these nubile hostesses often.

Tip 5: Keep your eyes on the game.

Video poker is not like slots in that it requires sound decision making on every hand.  If you’re distracted by noise, lights, the yelling and cheering that comes from the roulette and craps tables, and by scantily-clad women, you’ll lose at video poker.

If the cheering from the roulette and craps tables attracts you, go over and see for yourself what all the ruckus is about.  Roulette and craps are fun games and the crowds at land based casinos certainly add a feeling of excitement to them.  So, if you want to play these games do so but, when you’re at the video poker terminal, give it your full attention.

Tip 6: Keep track of any bonuses the casino offers.

You might have to ask, unlike at an online casino, where all bonus offers are flashed on the screen for all to see.  So, go to the desk and ask what benefits the casino is offering.  If you’re in a place with many casinos, you can choose to pay at the casino with the best benefits.

Some benefits are for meals or rooms.  We suggest looking for a land based casino that offers casino credits rather than meals or rooms.

Tip 7:  Let yourself feel like you’re on holiday.

In fact, you are on holiday and you ought to enjoy it aside from the gambling.  Even if you’re just a hundred or so kilometres from home, you ought to indulge yourself and be the tourist as well as the video poker enthusiast. 

Visit a great museum or restaurant, a park or local theatre, or a local brewery.  It is a holiday so you should treat it as such.

Tip 8:  Remember that online video poker is still the best place to play at your leisure. 

Online includes mobile which is the exact opposite of a land based casino where you travel to the casino whilst at a mobile casino, the casino comes to you.

At an online casino, you can play for free, you never have to wait, you can choose from many more variations of video poker, and you incur no extra costs.   So, for all the benefits of playing on land, online remains the video poker platform of choice for many more players and the gap continues to grow!