The Casino Games to Play If You Don’t Want to Lose All Your Money

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Good odds: Video poker

The quickest way to empty your pockets is playing slots. Losing money is never fun, and it’s even less so when you skipped the magic show just to watch your money disappear into a machine. According to wizardofodds.com, the easier the game, the worse the odds to win. Whether you’re pressing a button or pulling a lever, figuring out how to play the slots is fairly simple, which does not bode well for your pocketbook, and the quick rate between each play means your wallet empties fast. If you don’t want to deal with complicated table games, Michael Bluejay of vegasclick.com recommends video poker as a good alternative if you’re willing to learn the proper strategy. Derk Boss, a licensed Nevada private investigator and casino security surveillance expert, agrees. “That’s a game where there are strategies you can study,” he tells Fox News. “It doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win, but it gives you a much better chance. It’s going to reduce the house advantage and put things a little bit more in your favor.” Of course, your best bet is to skip the casino games and head to these 10 must-see Las Vegas attractions that don’t involve gambling.

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Good odds: Craps

According to Vegasclick.com’s Average Loss Calculator, over a ten-hour period betting $5 a round, you’ll lose about $30 playing craps. On a $1.50 a pull slot machine, you’ll lose upward of $630 over the same amount of time. Plus, craps is far more exciting than pulling a handle all by your lonesome. It’s one big party at the craps table—you can easily spot them by looking for the area where a crowd is hooting, hollering, and clapping. Beware, though, the energy and excitement can be contagious and you might end up betting more than you anticipated just to stay at the table. According to New 5 Cleveland, craps offers the second best odds on the floor, with a nearly 50/50 chance of taking home some dough.

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Good odds: Penny slots (played for fun)

But what if you want to gamble and you’re apprehensive about playing at a table? What slot machine is your best bet for having fun without going broke? “Asking what slot is best to play is like asking what knife is best to stab yourself with,” says Bluejay. “It’s the wrong question. A better question is: What games give me the best chance of winning, or what games take my money the slowest so I can play longer? The answer will never be slots.” Penny slots are the exception, Bluejay says. “If you’re playing a penny at a time—which my wife and I actually do—we can afford to lose more,” he says. Bluejay says he’s also partial to the old three-reel electromechanical machines because they were his first introduction to slots decades ago, plus they’re simple and have slightly better odds than the video versions. But in the end, Bluejay enjoys playing whatever his wife’s playing. “We play together, and the enjoyment for me isn’t the slot itself as much as it is seeing her happy,” he says.