If you’re a frequent casino visitor, you would have noticed that some games in the casino have literal thermometers attached to them. Have you ever wondered what this means? Just like the thermometer tells you if your temperature is hot or cold, it also allows casino owners and visitors to know if the figurative temperature of the machine is high or low. When the machine is getting a lot of activity from visitors, the light on the thermometer becomes red and it is considered as a hot game. If it’s not getting too much attention from clients, the light of the thermometer will be yellow and it would be referred to as a cold machine until things improve.
Should You Focus On Hot Games In A Casino?
There is an existing theory that your chances of winning will be higher when you play hot games instead of cold games. It is based on the fact that the hot games are getting a lot of activity from players because they payout more. Also, because they are getting more activity from players, the payout percentage will be high. Does this mean that you’re not going to win when you play games on cold machines? Not at all, you’re still going to stand a chance of winning but the percentage may not be as high as it would have been on a hot machine because they haven’t received a lot of traffic. At least this is what the theory stipulates. There is still a chance that someone who takes the risk and plays a cold machine will be fortunate enough to hit the jackpot on the first try. It is all based on luck after all.
Just like you can determine if a slot machine is hot or cold by viewing the thermometer, you can determine if a table game is hot or cold by being observant. Most regular gamblers determine which tables to play on by checking out how many people are already on the table, the size of each player’s chip stack, and the expression on each player’s face. If most people on the table have high stacks and smiles on their faces, the table will be tagged as a hot table and the player will decide to stay on this table.
While a lot of people believe in this theory, it is more of a fallacy than a logical approach to increase your chances of winning. This is because casino games always give the house a mathematical edge over the gamblers. So, you can’t boost your chances of winning by simply staying on a hot or cold table. The truth is that a table can go from hot to cold as soon as you start playing and there is absolutely no way for you to predict when this will happen.
The hot and cold theory may work in your favor sometimes during slot games, but the case is different when it’s time to play casino table games. This is because these table games are random. Even the results of table games that have clear strategies still boil down to luck and the house edge hardly ever changes. If you want to test the theory, you can play on a hot table but you should not expect too much. You can also try playing on a cold table. This is another approach that some gamblers use.
Those players who use this method will look for tables with players that have few chips, frowning faces, and overall long faces. They believe that if the table has been cold for a while, there is a chance that it will get hot soon. So, those who use this strategy join while the table is cold with hopes that they will win. Keep in mind that just like playing on hot tables doesn’t guarantee that you’ll win, playing on cold tables doesn’t guarantee your win either. If you want to test this theory, you should use some safeguards to protect your wallet and control your expectations. Some of these tips are as follows:
1. Stake According To Your Comfort Level And Budget
There is nothing wrong with trying your luck with cold or hot games. However, it is important that you only gamble with money that you’re comfortable losing. For example, if you usually sit on tables with a minimum bet of $10, don’t sit on a table with a minimum bet of $25 just because it is a hot or cold table. The temperature of the table shouldn’t make you increase your stake irrespective of the game.
2. Follow Your Heart Not The Voices In The Casino
It’s not unusual to hear other players I and dealers in the casino recommend certain tables or machines because they are either hot or cold. If this happens, you must ignore those voices and follow your heart because it is a fallacy and nothing more. It is illogical for predicting future events based on past events when you’re gambling.
3. Never Forget That The House Has an Edge
You must have heard that the house always wins. This is true. The house has an edge because casinos are not charity organizations. They are money-making establishments. This doesn’t mean that the casinos rig the games to ensure that they always win. They just program the payouts randomly but in such a way that they always win in the long run based on the difference between the probability and payouts.
4. Try Card Counting When The Hot and Cold Strategy Fails
A more reliable method of boosting your chances of winning table games is by counting cards. When you count cards properly, you will be able to make a near accurate prediction during a card game. Keep in mind that playing cards usually have high and low values. You can determine which cards are likely to come your way by tagging the ones that have already been dealt. So, if the dealer has served a significant number of low cards during the first few rounds, the rounds that follow are most likely going to be full of high-value cards.
5. When You Hit The Jackpot, Walk Out of the Casino
If you’re fortunate enough to hit the jackpot during a hot or cold casino game, the smart thing to do would be to walk away with your earnings. If you don’t leave early, you’ll end up staking all the money and losing it. Casinos are counting on you to stay put after winning so that they can take back their money. Even when you’re gambling online, make sure you stop after you hit the jackpot and withdraw your money. You can always resume later.
6. Make Sure You Know What You’re Doing
Before you visit the casino for the first time, it’s a good idea to learn how to play each game at home. No one becomes a professional overnight but practice makes perfect. So, start practicing from your home until you can make your way to a landbased casino. If you have no idea what you’re doing and you find yourself in a casino, stick to playing slot machine games. As long as you know how to use a vending machine, you’ll know how to use a casino slot machine.
In conclusion, slot machines usually run on a Random Number Generator software. So, there is no way to guarantee your win. The hot and cold method is a gambler’s fallacy. You can try it if you want but you should not put your hopes up whether you’re using it during a slot machine game or a table game. At the end of the day, you need a whole lot of luck to win in a casino whether it is online or landbased.