LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Lotto fever recently swept the nation with the highest Powerball jackpot in history. While we don't have a lottery here in Nevada, you can win the jackpot.
But what does it take to score big in Vegas? 13 Action News anchor Tricia Kean talks with the experts and shares some secrets on how to win at the casino.
HIT THE JACKPOT
"I love seeing somebody hit a jackpot, win a big amount of money and just the smile. It's just an energy you can't produce anywhere else," says Dustin Boshers, also known as the Casino Boss on TikTok.
As Director of Casino Operations at Red Rock, he sees players strike gold on a regular basis. Many of them are superstitious, but he says there's no secret to picking a winning machine.
"At the end of the day, the slot machines are completely random, so there's not a machine that's hot or a machine that's cold," Boshers said.
He says the same goes for table games. Players shouldn't worry about who else is sitting at the table.
"Other people's poor decisions are not going to affect you in the long run," he said.
Boshers says it comes down to your skill and knowledge of the game. If you're not sure about something, ask the dealer for help.
TRANSPARENCY
If you're not sure how a game works, don't be afraid to ask, Boshers added.
"They think it's kind of old school, where it's a secret how the game works or it's a secret how the casino makes their money. It's all transparent," he said.
If you're looking for casino games with the best odds, Boshers says you might want to try your hand at blackjack, or especially poker.
"There's luck involved on that game a little bit, but there is absolutely strategy. It's how you play the hands. It's reading your other players at the table. So that's all skills," Bosher said.
"There's a lot of skill and a lot of luck and on any given day. If you don't have the luck, forget it. I don't care who you are. And if you have a lot of luck, sooner or later it's not going to last," says poker player Barry Shulman.
If anyone knows anything about winning, it's Barry and his wife Allyn. They have the trophies and World Series of Poker bracelets to prove it.
As founders of Card Player Magazine, these two make a living sharing strategy about their favorite game.
"There's always an element of luck, because you don't know what the turn of the card will be. However, it's like the cream rises to the top. The better players, over time, will make more money than the people who are just goofing around or haven't studied the game," Allyn said.
LEARN TO PLAY
Learning to play poker is easier than ever these days, thanks to articles and videos available online. You'll also need plenty of real-world practice.
"Anybody can come and play a small $20 poker tournament. Start playing, start learning some moves and get better and better," Allyn said.
She says a tournament ultimately provides the best chance of winning big.
"Tournaments are more exciting because of the ability to win a huge amount of money with a small buy-in. It's kind of like a lottery," she said.
The best part is, anyone can be a winner if they're willing to learn. At 76 years old, Barry says he can still compete with players 50 years younger.
"I'm still competitive and other guys my age are competitive. And women can compete with men, and people who are physically disabled can compete. So almost, assuming you're let's say a 'B ' mental capacity or more, you can be a championship poker player," Barry said.
"But everybody in life wants to be a winner. So I think the fascination is like, who won? What's their story? I mean, that is very, very interesting," Allyn added,
That's exactly what's helped Las Vegas become the entertainment capital of the world. Boshers says there's always a very real chance you could be the next big winner.
"When they see somebody winning and it's an average person on the street that actually hit, they're like 'wow, that could be me. I could hit that too,'" Boshers said.
