Enjoying your favourite casino games is a fun pastime which could see you leaving with a profit, but buying into the many myths and legends that surround casinos could see your evening ruined, or worse yet – dash any chances of hitting a win. It’s difficult to trace the exact origins of many of these myths and legends, but we are all well-aware of the fact that rumours spread like wildfire! Below we detail popular casino misconceptions and explain exactly why they are utter nonsense.

The Gambler’s Fallacy: I’m Due a Win

This popular misconception is so widespread that it has its own term: the Gambler’s Fallacy. The thinking behind this is that any bet which, for instance, gives players a 1 in 4 chance of winning, should be won every 4 times. In keeping with this thinking, any bet that hasn’t been won after 4 times is ‘overdue’. Unfortunately that’s not how odds work, as each bet is independent of the previous one, meaning that the 4 to 1 odds remain the same every time and do not improve.

Pumping Oxygen Into the Casino

This myth is so common and widespread that even people who have never been to a casino are most likely aware of it: apparently casinos pump oxygen into the casino to keep you awake and keep you playing for longer. Apart from the legal ramifications of essentially gassing players, it would cost a casino a fortune to pump pure O2 into a building and just isn’t cost effective.

Casino Games Are Rigged

Many people will blame casino failure on the fact that the games are rigged and it’s such a popular misconception that casinos go to great lengths to assure players of quite the opposite. Modern, automated slot machines are governed by Random Number Generator software, and many checks and balances are put in place at table games to prevent foul play. The truth is that there is no reason for the casino to cheat its players as each game has a built-in house edge which means the casino will make money no matter the outcome of your bet is. If you’re concerned with the legitimacy of online games, reputable sites for Canadian online slots all use RNG software.

Card Counting Is Illegal

Card counting is best described as keeping a mental tally of the high and low cards that have been dealt in a hand. It’s a difficult skill to master which requires quick thinking and a keen-eye, but if used correctly, card counting can give Blackjack players an edge of 0.5-1.5%. It is, however, not illegal and you won’t face any legal action if caught, but casinos don’t take kindly to counters. The casino reserves the right to refuse your wager and ask you to leave if caught.

Other Players Are Ruining Your Hand

No matter which card game you’re playing, be it Pai Gow, Blackjack, Texas Hold’em or Baccarat, the only thing that governs your cards is pure luck of the draw. Of course it’s entirely possible that a fellow player may be playing Blackjack and hit for a card that could’ve been yours, but that has nothing to do with the player and it would make no sense to blame them for this action. Blaming other players for your failure will quickly ruin the atmosphere at the table, and could see you being asked to leave.

If you have a casino question, rather do research than believe the tall tales you hear at the casino.