Gamblers tend to fall into one of two categories. Some gamblers are constantly looking for ways to improve their results, and others just seem to go with the flow and never try to improve. Which type of gambler are you?

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, you can start taking action to improve your gambling skills starting right now. I’ve put together a quick overview of seven ways you can learn more about gambling and improve your results.

Read Books and Articles

Gamblers generally fall into one of two categories. Some gamblers love to interact with other people and enjoy spending time around people in general. The other category is filled with gamblers who’d rather spend time alone than talking to other people.

Gamblers from both groups can learn a great deal for reading books and articles, but people in the second group tend to lean toward solitary learning. You can find books and articles covering just about anything you want to know, including how to be a winning gambler.

It’s easier than ever to gamble while limiting your social interaction, but the problem is that most advantage gambling techniques have to be used in live settings.

You can bet on sports and play poker online, but the best casino games offered online require further skill to beat. I’m a strong believer in book learning, because almost every possible advantage method is covered in print. Even the most secret ones are hinted at in some literature, and you can use books and articles to learn how to beat blackjack and poker.

Watch Instructional Videos and Feeds

Instructional videos and live feeds of gamblers are great learning tools. You can find more videos and feeds now than ever before, and the number just keeps going up. You can also see how things work in the gambling world by watching videos.

Poker players can watch thousands and thousands of actual hands to analyze what works and why. This is one of the most overlooked tools available to poker players. But you can also find videos covering other gambling activities as well.

The next best thing to experience is watching someone else play. While you can learn a great deal from the action on videos, make sure you watch for other things on them. When I watch poker videos, I always watch the players who aren’t involved in the hand, too.

Just make sure you don’t fall into the trap of thinking the hands you see in videos and on television are the type of hands that happen on every deal. Most hands in poker are boring and simple, so they don’t get shown on television or online often.

Trial and Error

Learning how to improve your gambling skills by trial and error is the slowest and most costly way to do it. But it doesn’t mean it lacks value. Some things can only be learned by trying them. You can learn a great deal about gambling and improve your skills by reading about it and watching videos, but once you reach a certain point in your education, you have to try your hand in a real game.

I don’t suggest starting your learning with trial and error. You can find all kinds of good information before you start gambling, so you can skip a great deal of pain by spending some time with print and video before you start playing for real money.

Experience

No matter how much you learn from books, articles, videos, and television, there are some things you can only learn with experience. This is true for most forms of gambling, but the place it’s been the truest for me is at the poker table.

I play poker online sometimes, but I still prefer to play live. When you can watch your opponents, you can pick up things that help you improve your results. This can add a great deal of profit to your game over time.

Even if you don’t play poker, you can still learn a great deal by getting experience playing your favorite games.

Free Online Casino Games

One of the best learning tools created in the last half century is free online casino games. You can get a free account at hundreds of different online casinos and poker rooms and play just about any game you want for free.

This is a great way to learn the rules of specific games and gain experience without risking anything.

Casino games are designed to take your money, so most gamblers lose in the online casino long run. While you can play certain games in particular ways that give you a chance to be a long term winner, free online games are a great way to play without putting your money at risk.

Do the Math

I know that many people are scared of math. The reason I can say this is because I spent several years teaching math, and most of my students were afraid of it when they started my course. Most people who’re scared of math do everything they can to avoid learning more about it. But you can quickly improve your gambling skills by learning everything you can about the math that runs casino and gambling games.

You can’t learn everything you need to know in one section of an article, but here is a list of things you need to learn more about to get you started on the right path.

• Casino house edge

• Odds

• Expected value

• How strategy can be used to change the house edge in some games

Find a Mentor

How much do you think you could learn if you found a wise older advantage player who took you under his or her wing and showed you all of the ways they’ve learned to beat the casinos? Do you think this would be faster and more profitable than learning everything through books, videos, and experience?

I don’t think there’s any doubt that finding a mentor is the best way to learn how to become a winning gambler. I think it’s also the fastest way to start winning money while gambling. But it’s difficult to find advantage gamblers.

Advantage gamblers don’t advertise because they don’t want the casinos to know who they are. And most of them aren’t looking for someone to teach their skills to. After all, there are only a limited number of advantage opportunities, and every new advantage player makes it harder for other advantage players.

One of the important things you need to learn about gambling and life in general is that everyone is out for themselves.

The question you need to ask is what do you have to offer an advantage player in return for their knowledge and help? It’s easy to say you don’t have anything to offer, but this attitude won’t get you anywhere.

One way advantage players get started is by working with a card counting team. You can learn how to count cards and act as a counter for a team that uses big players. You always bet the minimum and use basic strategy while counting and signal a big player when the count is favorable.

If you can afford it and want to focus on playing poker, hire a poker coach. Sports betting is challenging, but you might be able to start running bets for an experienced bettor as a way to get close to them. This is illegal in some areas, so make sure you understand the laws before using this tactic.

Winning gamblers also need help in areas that don’t involve gambling. Many of them need an accountant or lawyer, while others hire people to take care of other things in their lives like take care of the shopping and dry cleaning. This could offer an opportunity to trade services for their help.

It’s challenging to find a gambling mentor, so you need to keep your eyes and ears open and meet as many people as possible. When an opportunity presents itself, you need to be ready to act.

Conclusion

This list of seven ways to improve your gambling skills isn’t in any particular order. You can start at the top and work down, or you can pick one or two tips and start using them. The important thing is to get started, because if you never start improving, you’re going to continue losing more than you should.