Top 5 Misunderstood Factors Impacting Hourly Win/Loss Rate

There are plenty of differences between casual gamblers and more serious ones.

Not that there’s anything wrong with placing bets just for fun! Many a fine time has been had (and more than a few jackpots won) by players who come to casinos very rarely, just to let off steam, or just to keep a friend company.

But for players who take their wagering seriously, there’s no more important factor than hourly win/loss rate.

If you’re serious about tracking your profits and losses (which you absolutely should be, as it is crucial for good bankroll management), it’s easy enough to take stock of how much your winning or losing on an hourly basis. This then can help you make all kinds of smart strategic choices regarding where, when, and how often you play (and how much you can afford to risk)!

With that said, there are some elements of win/loss rate that are woefully misunderstood. Let’s take a look at five of these factors, dispelling myths in the process.

Call it luck, fate, joss, a hot or cold streak, or destiny: whatever you call it, some gamblers are absolutely obsessed with it!

In a way, this makes sense. On a short-term basis – over a few hours, a few days, or sometimes even a few weeks – being lucky (or unlucky) can have an enormous impact on your bankroll.

When we zoom out, though, and take the perspective of weeks, months, and years, luck ceases to be quite as big a factor in whether a player keeps winning or losing.

When it comes to understanding hourly win/loss rate, even the most superstitious gamblers should be prepared to make a slight change in their point of view. Over the long-term, luck has nothing to do with your hourly rate.

You may get lucky (or unlucky) once or twice in a row. Over thousands of rounds of betting, though, this ceases to be a factor. With that large a sample size, it’s not about luck – it’s all about mathematics.

That’s right! It’s about mathematics.

Plenty of punters think that this means a sophisticated betting system is in order. But this is not the case! Players who are thinking about hourly rate need to be focused on math, and there’s no figure more important than RTP.

It’s well-known that different games offer players different odds. Some kinds of games (as well as specific titles) come with better return-to-player rates than others. Players who lean away from the offerings with a higher (worse) house edge, and lean instead into releases that emphasize player-friendly numbers are going to do much better than those who do not.

Generally speaking, this is why savvier players are more likely to frequent blackjack, baccarat, Teen Patti, Andar Bahar, and roulette – these are the games that, when played skillfully, can offer gamblers superior odds.

Keno? Not so much.

If you want to boost your hourly rate, it pays to play where the odds (and RTP) are superior.

If RTP is among the most obvious factors when looking to improve one’s numbers, perhaps the least obvious one is most relevant before you even take your seat at the table.

This, of course, is taking full advantage of bonuses and loyalty programs.

Remember that a small improvement to an hourly rate, spread over many hours, can make a huge difference over time.

That’s why staying aware of the best bonuses available is so important! If you’re already playing games with strong RTP, the casino’s house edge is already quite small. Getting a sizable deposit matched, for example, can disrupt that edge in meaningful ways… sometimes even tipping the advantage towards the player!

Even more underrated than bonuses are the special promotions that become available to players on a short-term basis. For those who play with focus and discipline, these promotions can present massive opportunities.

For all the value of chasing advantages against the casino, the fact of the matter is that at least 99.99% of the time, the house holds the mathematical advantage over the player.

This should be surprising! After all, if they didn’t have the edge, they’d go out of business!

A player’s goal is to get their winnings in the short term, then walk away before giving them back (with interest). What does that mean practically?

It means that slowing down the pace of play works to your advantage.

The faster you play, the more rounds of betting the house will get in to take advantage of their long-term edge against you. When you play fewer hands per hour, the opposite is true – your chances of doing well against the house improve, and there’s also the added bonus of having more time to make smart betting decisions.

That’s why we never recommend playing alone at an empty table, where the dealer can arrange a round of betting every minute! Playing fuller tables really helps slow down the pace of play.

Betting Tactics

Finally, while most players are keenly aware of the different strategies for playing different games, not quite so many are aware of the ways betting strategies need to vary from one game to another.

Managing a bankroll in roulette is not the same thing as doing so in blackjack, or in slots. Too many players focus on overly complex, Rube Goldberg-like ‘betting systems’ (like Martingale, for example) that they can apply to any game, instead of tailoring their bets to the table they’re seated at.

We strongly recommend finding the most advantageous bets in each game you choose to play – even-money wagers in roulette, the banker bet in baccarat, and so on – and sticking to them! That’s the best way to maximize your hourly rate.