Gambling Without Losing

Every gambler’s dream is gambling and never losing. It doesn’t happen that way. Walk into a casino and the deck is stacked against you. The house odds are set so that over time the house always wins even if you take them for a bundle once in a while. Remember, it’s a business.

In these days of fast growing and constantly changing technology, however, you can simulate accurate and realistic gambling scenarios in the comfort of your own home. Digital technology in the form of computers, cell phones and electronic tablets is now able to simulate casino gambling in a very precise, accurate way.

For those of you not familiar with the newest kinds of cell phones and tablets (iPhones, Blackberries, iPads, etc.) there’s an entire new world waiting for you out there in digital space. These new (new for old timers like me!) cell phone computer programs are called “apps” which is short for “applications,” and for a small fee and sometimes no fee at all you can shoot craps, play blackjack, have a turn at the slots and even “bet” on Keno while you are sitting on your couch, riding the train to work, or vacationing in Aruba! Frankly, it’s amazing.

Now, I’m not talking about internet gambling, which is still not approved in the USA (recently approved in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware!). Pending bills before many state legislatures may change that very soon and then you can risk your own, real money if you want. These games use “play” money but the thrill is every much as authentic as playing for real.

 Two games that I can personally recommend, one a craps game and the other a blackjack game, are easily available for iPhones and iPads.

The craps game is called “Aw Craps!” developed and produced by 24x7digital. (A Review) It costs a whopping $1.99. For that meager layout you get a very slick craps layout that allows every conceivable craps bet you can imagine. Have a scheme? Try it out here for nothing. Unlike many inferior products, this game calculates and allows for all odds bets and even keeps track of statistics. It’s quite good.

The blackjack game is called “Blackjack 21” and it’s made by Smash Atom Software (Another review!). This one is free! You can set your table limits, bet as much as you like, and experience every bet you would at a casino from surrender, to insurance, splitting cards and double downs. You have to put up with a few banner ads that scroll across the top of the screen but after a while you don’t even notice them.

Poker your game? Try the ZYNGA, PokerStars or WSOP apps and you will get very close to a realistic online poker experience. Not surprisingly, you will meet players who go “all in” on every hand. This definitely takes away from the experience and from your learning. It’s best to avoid NL Hold ‘em “cash” games and stick with Sit N Go formats or Multi-Table Tournaments (PokerStars has the best of these). For some reason players are more reluctant to push all their chips in without a decent hand in these games.

All of these games are fun and challenging – almost like real gambling – and they won’t cost you a bundle. In fact, they won’t cost you much at all.