Intuition in gambling: should it be trusted?

Gambling is actively increasing the number of its fans all over the world. This contributes to the emergence of many schemes and guides to winning at the casino. Most of them are based on mathematical calculations, but one of the most popular approaches to the game has nothing to do with numbers and formulas.

Most gamblers rely on their intuition when playing casino games. Some even build entire strategies based solely on their intuition. But does it make sense to trust instincts when playing at online casinos? In this article, we will attempt to provide answers to these and many other important questions. 

A scientific explanation of intuition

From a scientific point of view, the use of intuition in an online casino or any other gambling platform has not been studied extensively. None of the scientists can clearly answer the question of what it is and how it works. There are various theories and assumptions, but the object of research is too complex. In general, science and psychology agree that intuition is a way of knowing without any proof, comparison, without involving conscious processes or any understanding of how knowledge was obtained.

According to some studies, a person is entitled to trust intuition because it knows the answer long before consciousness is involved. A person may be asked a question, consciousness is still processing it, and subconsciousness is already ready to give an answer. And this answer appears in the form of intuition. Today, our intuition is activated rather seldom, because a human being is more accustomed to using conscious tools now.

Intuition and card games

If you ask an experienced poker player about the key to a good and successful poker game, you will often hear the answer that it is not enough to learn the basic rules, names of combinations, and popular strategies that are appropriate to use at the poker table in certain situations. Something more is needed. And, this “something” is what many players call “intuition”.

Describing their intuitive actions, most poker and blackjack players explain them by the fact that before making such a decision, they remembered a similar game situation. It turns out that intuition still appeals to experience but only perceives it as fact and does not analyze it. Thus, many famous poker players have a good memory and can easily recall how they played a particular hand and how their opponents at the poker table reacted to them. Based on collecting and analyzing all this visual information, they can make the right decisions again and again.    

But still, without a good knowledge of the rules of the game and the ability to calculate probabilities, it will be quite difficult to beat your opponent or a dealer. Most professional players first learn the ins and outs of the game, draw a few thousand hands, and only then begin to trust their intuition.

Intuition and slots

Slot machines operate on the principle of generating random combinations. This makes it impossible to predict the outcome using logic and mathematical calculations. There is no such magic mathematical model, which allows to accurately predict the slot outcome in the real money casino app or other gambling websites. In such situations, only intuition can help players to find the right decision. Of course, if the slot machine involves only pressing one button, the instincts are unlikely to help here. This method will be effective only if the player can at least somehow influence the result of the game — to raise bets, choose lines, and so on. As you can see, the question of using intuition in slot games is also quite complicated.

Intuition and the choice of casino

There are thousands of online casinos today. The choice is really wide, so it is quite difficult for beginners to decide which site is better to play. But this step is extremely important because player’s winnings largely depend on the quality of the casino. Of course, there are many criteria for choosing the right platform, but even such an approach will bring too many options.  

This is a situation where intuition can be a great helper. Usually, while flipping through the catalog of games or just looking at the design of the site players feel whether this place suits their needs or not. They can pay attention to really small details allowing intuition to make the right decision.

When instincts do not work

If a beginner without knowledge of the rules starts playing difficult games against experienced players, intuition is unlikely to help him. Sure, there are times when newcomers win huge prizes, but that only happens in games like roulette or slots. Harder card games require a lot of patience, experience, and the ability to analyze your opponent. So it is always important to keep a balance and use intuition only as an additional assistant.  

How to develop intuition

Having a well-developed intuition is an important skill for every professional gambler. However, if nature has not given you an excellent instinct, it is not a reason to despair. It is possible to develop intuition from almost zero level. But to do this, the players will need to spend a lot of time and get as much practical gaming experience as possible. Only this way instincts will really develop.

Of course, the best game to build such skill is poker. This type of card game allows you to strike a balance between conscious play and your instincts. Even if you know all possible strategies and can calculate the cards, you still need a lot of intuition to know whether or not to play a hand to the end. The same applies to blackjack, but here players pay a bit more attention to calculations. 

Conclusion

Theoretically, intuition is a very important aspect of successful casino gaming. Even after learning the game, it is quite hard to be totally sure of your abilities. In such situations, intuition allows players to make the right decision. But some people rely on their instincts too much, though it is better to consider it as an additional source of information.

If the game involves the use of any strategy, it is very important to be able to listen to your inner voice. Quite often the subconscious can show the right moves based on past games that have been recorded to your mind before. But If we consider slot machines, the possible influence of a person’s instincts is reduced to a minimum. Anyway, it is necessary to approach the game responsibly and find the right balance of experience and intuition.