Know Your Game

Most games of chance are total sucker bets. They don't pay true odds - the house takes its percentage by trimming the odds used. Most games, the house percentage is so high, there's no way you can win more than a very few bets without losing money. If you think of luck as coming in waves, only the very tip top crest of the wave will make it into your favor in such games.

Therefore,

Pick plays of games where the house percentage is as close to zero as you can get it. Certain simple Blackjack, Faro, Craps and Shimmy (Chemin De Fer) strategies can get you down to just the tiniest house percentages. Never zero, of course. If you don't want to learn one of these strategies, you may as well just flush your stake down the toilet.

(Part of the GamblingPatternLanguage)