Some people say casinos are a place to have fun, others that they're where frivolous types go to lose their wad, while for professional card-counters playing high stakes blackjack in Vegas, they are places of work.

No matter what you think a casino is, keep in mind that they are big business. Dwell for a second on the words of Bob Stupak, former owner of the Vegas World Casino: 'It's our duty to extract as much money from the customer as we can and send them home with a smile on their face.'

So, how do casinos go about extracting money from you? They don't have to cheat because, except for blackjack and video poker, every casino game has a built-in profit (known as the house edge or advantage) on every bet. But some games offer more attractive odds than others, so it pays to take heed of the following rules.