Advice for Knowing When to Cash Out at the Casino

Last Updated May 18, 2023 7:10 am PDT
People and money
  • Adjusting your expectations is one of the top tips for knowing when to cash out at a casino.
  • Paying attention to your bankroll and setting loss limits stops you from losing too much.
  • Setting a target profit goal helps prevent you from getting too greedy and turning wins into losses.

For many reasons, knowing when to cash out at casinos is the golden rule of gambling.

It can prevent major losses and keep your winnings safe from being recouped by the house. Furthermore, it can help with good discipline when playing your favorite games.

Becoming adept at determining when to cash out at the casino is not a gift. It’s more of a skill. And as with anything skill-based, it usually comes because of learned behaviors. Or experience.

If you want to up your game in this department, the following tips will help.

5. Adjust Your Expectations at Online Casinos

Online Casino

I have some strong tips to help you better gauge when you should be cashing out at the casino.

It all starts before you step foot in the casino or log in to one of the best online casinos.

Many gamblers have high hopes when they start spinning the slots or start playing a table game. This is something we are all guilty of.

There’s always a slim chance you hit the jackpot or go on a crazy winning streak. But, the main takeaway here is to manage your expectations.

Accept the fact that your chances of winning a crazy amount of money are slim, to begin with.

It’s also important to know what types of games you are playing.

Certain games are more volatile, where you don’t win as frequently, but the wins are larger. Other games offer more consistent wins, but your wins won’t hit as hard.

If you want to know how to leave the casino with money, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting into.

In the end, there’s always a chance you win a large sum of cash at the casino. Maybe you will get lucky on your first try, which will all be for nothing.

A more likely outcome is that you might make some money, but it won’t be a life-changing amount. Steady wins over the course of your betting career will add up.

Play the right way, and you’ll be able to win a nice chunk of cash for yourself over time.

Setting realistic expectations for yourself is one of my top tips for cashing out at a casino. If you want to practice this method, follow the steps below to sign up at a reputable casino.

4. Always Keep Tabs on Your Bankroll

As someone who once had a lump of cash in my pockets one minute, only to have the Invisible Man steal it all from under my nose the next, I certainly acquired the taste for a sensible attitude.

Of course, the Invisible Man didn’t mug me. I lost it. Why? Because I wasn’t keeping track of what I had.

Much of that was due to the fact that I was young, dumb, and careless. Three things that a man with an alarming number of gray hairs emigrating to the top of his head should not be.

I have learned over the years that the best time for cashing out at the casino is when you initially said you would.

I don’t think getting up and heading for the doors is easy.

I could be up $2000 or down $4000. It doesn’t matter. I would still hear my brain goading me, talking thrash like Muhammad Ali to George Foreman at the Rumble in the Jungle.

Nonetheless, I’m sure you experienced gamblers understand what I mean.

At the casino, impulses — including the desire to show off to potential mates, beat the house, or reclaim your lost money in a Hail Mary shot — will typically see you leaving the casino like Foreman left the ring that night.

How do you counter this? One of my top cash out casino tips is to pay attention to your bankroll.

You can’t understand when it’s time to give up the ghost without knowing where you are at. So, keep tabs at all times, and lean on our guide to bankroll management.

3. Adhere to Any Set Loss Limits

Poker Chips

When is it time to leave the casino and cash out? Perhaps when you have lost everything? Not necessarily.

I mean, you could be a multimillionaire and head to the craps tables with $5. If you lose, you walk.

Conversely, you might be a regular Joe or Joanne hitting the slots with a bankroll into the thousands that will go when there is nothing left.

Knowing when to cash out on a slot machine or at the craps table is the key to your success.

Ideally, you want to know your limits before you play. That means identifying a magic number and sticking to it. Understandably, it’s the last bit most have a problem adhering to.

The same can be said for anyone playing online. And you were then struggling to get their hands on winnings.

Naturally, loss limits come in all sizes.

Just take the infamous Archie Karas, who managed to lose $40m of his fortune. Having a particular amount in mind is unnecessary, as our finances and circumstances differ.

Sometimes, you might not even get to the magic number at all if you have been lucky—more on that in the next section.

There’s no point learning how to know when to leave the casino if you aren’t sure what type of gambler you are. If you find it fairly easy to get up and walk, there might be scope for floating limits for losses and wins.

But if you are a player that struggles to stick to preset floors and ceilings, don’t tempt fate.

You can always read about how much money you need to bring to the casino. The following piece lays things out rather nicely.

2. Create a Win Limit and Stick to It

A smart bettor should have a fair understanding of when to cash out at casinos.

But the golden-tier gambler knows when it’s time to get on the horse and leave town, even though it might surprise you that the brightest among us aren’t only concerned with heading for the exit when they have lost enough.

No, no. They also set limits on how much they win when preempting when to cash out at casinos.

Let’s imagine it like this. You’re asking, “When is it time to cash out at the casino?” If that is the case, there’s a chance you might be sensing that it’s ready to hit the spiral staircase with a nice profit.

But on the way, you happen to come across your favorite slot. You put $20 in, for old-time’s sake, but lose it. Pretty soon, you’re fully engaged in the game and have lost both your gains and your initial bankroll.

If you set concrete win limits of $250, playing any other games on the floor would have been a no-no. Under no circumstances would you have broken into your winnings.

Had you used a floating win limit, you might have allotted up to $50 of the winnings, but no more. But again, it isn’t easy to stick to any form of wagering limits when they are conditional.

I’d suggest 100% adherence to the set figures and leave it at that.

These online casino payout tips could be useful if you ever encounter any issues.

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1. Know Your Intentions

Nothing is straightforward because the best time to cash out at the casino depends on the player’s intentions.

There are many reasons one might head to Atlantic City or Las Vegas. Sometimes, it is to win money. Other times, it’s just for a bit of fun.

Ergo, when to withdraw money at casinos will come down to strategy or when the party stops.

Before you set foot in any gaming house, you should set your expectations against your intentions.

If you’re a professional gambler, bankroll management will ultimately lead back to what you should be spending.

If you’re in Vegas for Brian’s bachelor party, it’s unlikely that you will be committing yourself to mammoth blackjack sessions.

Either way, you should still be careful.

Heading into a casino intoxicated and with no limits on what you are spending might work out well for a tiny percentage of players. But for most, it could result in big losses.

Deciding When to Cash Out at Casinos

So, when is it time to cash out at the casino?

If you plan on following my tips, you should have a better idea of when that will be. It’s important to know that not all trips to the casino are going to be the same.

You might spend an hour or two before deciding it’s time to cash out on a slot machine, while your next visit might take 20 minutes.

The main thing to remember is that you call it quits when you’ve hit your limit.

Hopefully, you end up hitting your winning limit, but it’s important to cut your ties when you’re too far in the red as well. Nobody wants to end the night in the negative, but sometimes it’s just not happening for you.

Cashing out at a casino takes guts. Sometimes you’ll make a decent profit, but other times you need to survive to fight another day.

Eager to learn more? I recommended these easy casino withdrawal tips!

Footnotes:

  • Tidbit about the Rumble in the Jungle is from History.
  • Greek Reporter provided details of Archie Karas’ historic losses.
Anthony Haage
Anthony Haage Author

Anthony is a sports writer for GamblingSites.com covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and more. He also covers other various topics such as entertainment, general sports betting tips, and more.

His favorite teams are the Chicago Bears, Bulls, Cubs, and Blackhawks. He also will be a temporary fan of any team if it means winning him bets.

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