The Trojan Tortoise school of casino gambling goes something like this:

1. Only ever buy in for the smallest of amounts. £5 or £10 will never get you written up on the inspectors’ table control sheets

2. Always wear dull clothing. ‘Alf’ preferred a beige jumper over a grey shirt, with brown or grey trousers

3. Wait until you find a decent game in progress, and watch to see whether the dealer is hot or cold. Alf stuck to blackjack or roulette

4. Strategy and card counting to at least a basic level are required. Bet small, increasing in a minor way

5. At the roulette table, only place five or so minimumstake chips per spin. My ‘Alf’ copied winning players or played opposite losing ones

6 Cash out whenever ‘the cage’ is busy. Smaller wins won’t get you noticed

7. Only play on a busy table

8. Set a time limit on your play – say 10pm

9. If you’re having no luck, go home. If you do get a lucky streak, use ‘the casino’s money’ to press

10. If you do have a losing session, move to a different dealer, at another table