Gambling is the act of risking money or valuables on an event with an uncertain outcome in hopes of winning additional money or goods, usually with a component of randomness or luck. Casino gambling is a specific form of this activity conducted within a casino, a venue designed for such games of chance. In casino gambling, players bet against the houseThe house is a colloquial term for the casino. The "house edge" is the casino's edge. "The house always wins" refers to the idea that..., partaking in games like blackjackBlackjack, also referred to as 21, is a popular casino card game where players attempt to have a hand value closer to 21 than the... More, where the goal is to have a hand value closest to 21 without exceeding it; rouletteRoulette is a popular casino table game originating from France. Players place bets on either a single number, various groupings of numbers, the colors red... More, in which players wager on where a spinning ball will land on a wheel; and slot machinesSlot machines, also known as a fruit machines (e.g., in the United Kingdom), pokies (e.g., in Australia), one-armed bandits, or simply slots, are games of... More, where players try to line up symbols on rotating reels. Casino games are designed so that the house takes a fixed percentage of all bets or has a long-term advantageIn gambling, one's advantage (or disadvantage) refers to the percent of each bet a gambler (or the house) can expect to win (or lose) on... (at least over the sum of all gamblers), which has historically been the main source of a casino’s profits, although modern-day casinos often have multiple profit streams including restaurants, retail shops, entertainment and events, and hotel rooms.
This website and the associated Substack are focused on casino gamblers’ strategies for and beliefs about winning, how well they work and why, and how those strategies and beliefs inform—and are informed by—the science of judgment and decision making. The primary focus is on the games of blackjack, roulette, and slot machines. You can learn more about each of those games, the strategies and beliefs associated with them, and their relevance to judgment and decision making by going to the landing page for each game below.