Casinos are built with the intention of keeping gamblers at the games. Now, this may seem like an obvious statement but you would be surprised by the lengths they have gone to ensure you keep playing. Every casino operates to keep you happy even while you are losing money, but some of the secret techniques they use to do this, go way beyond keeping a drink in your hand while you play blackjack. Here are ten tips for you to take with you the next time you head into a casino to try your luck.

1. You might not know it but there is a difference between the odds of you winning on a particular bet you make and the odds calculate by the house and, of course, the odds are always tilted in the favor of the house. This technique is how the casino or house remains profitable still it is not so unbalanced to make the prospect of winning appealing or the money they make on a particular bet obscene.

2. The house always has the edge, and they have arranged the system to ensure that. It is possible to increase your winnings, in the long run, but ultimately the house has a better chance of making a profit off of you rather than the other way around. It’s important that you make the smart decision when it comes to knowing when the house has you. Remember that you are a guest and when you win at a game that is not focused on skill you got lucky.

3. The house advantage on certain games varies. So depending on the game you choose to play you have a much better chance of walking away with more money in your pocket than you came in with. Of course, you must play smart and research that game has the best odds. Stick to games like poker and especially Texas hold’em and don’t be embarrassed to walk away. If you are familiar with games of chance that take a bit more skill, you will be more likely to walk out of the casino with your bank account and shirt intact.

4. The best games to play, to avoid losing too much money, are live poker, pai-gow poker, blackjack, mini-baccarat, the sports book, and bingo. These are the games where the house’s edge is lower than a percent. Don’t be to threatened by the games on this list that you haven’t played yet they are pretty simple to learn, but they can still be profitable because of the way their odds are set up.

5. If you want to make a risky bet, then try your hand at Let It Ride, Red Dog, Caribbean Stud Poker, single-deck 21, and other games like these. At the Casino, these games give the house a huge edge regarding the odds. Additionally when people win at these games, they make plenty of noises and attract more players. Most of these games are variations on more popular games so you might think that you have a handle on how the games are played but, even though these games are not out and out rigged games they favor the house much more by design.

6. Keno is a game that essentially amounts to depositing your money into the casino as if it was a bank that has no intention of giving you your money back. Of course, the game is fun, and you get to socialize, but the odds are heavily against you. It’s a great noncommittal game to play, but again the advantage for the house can be around 50 % in some cases. When you break down the odds and look at the skill involved in playing, you might as well just play the lotto.

7. The casinos love games like blackjack and slot machines because they are notorious for near wins that keep you playing. Blackjack is a game where you can make several bets based on very few variables and potentially loose more than you win and with the slot machine you rely heavily on bonuses and high payouts that are more than likely out of reach.

8. The lights inside of a casino are adjusted to mimic the lights you would find in most living rooms to make you more relaxed and less attentive. This technique goes hand in hand with making sure your drink is never empty. A relaxed and slightly drunk player is bound to be a bit more liberal with their tips and chips. Also, this goes in conjunction with the temperature control inside the casino, that is typical kept brisk even in casinos outs side of Las Vegas to keep players focused on the game.

9. You won’t see any clocks in a casino so gamblers will have no frame of reference as to the amount of time they have been gambling. This technique is one of the simplest ways the floor designers and pit bosses try and manage you and with the lack of watches, thanks to everyone having a smartphone, this is easier than ever.

10. One of the best games for beginners is baccarat. A lot of people heading into a casino can become intimidated by this game thanks to James Bond films and the fact that it is the favorite game of many high rollers. However, this game doesn’t require much skill at all and can pay off big as compared to hoping onto the roulette table and picking your favorite number. Casinos even have mini-baccarat table available with small five dollar minimum bets and the best odds you are likely to find in any casino.

There are a lot of ways that casinos have managed to keep people playing and loosing for the houses benefit. The way they are constructed makes them fun, engaging, and for gamblers who are not aware, very costly. The best thing you can do to annoy casino owners is to go into the whole affair well prepared.