While elaborate themes, musical shows, shopping centers and luxury hotels might lure customers into a casino, the billions in profits casinos rake in each year come from games of chance like slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and keno. Casinos might not exist without these games, and they certainly wouldn’t attract the millions of visitors they draw in with free entertainment, food and drinks. But what is it about gambling that compels so many people to risk their hard-earned money?

Casinos rely on a number of security systems, from cameras watching every table and window to sophisticated “eye-in-the-sky” surveillance devices. But there’s also a more subtle aspect to casino security: the rules of the games themselves. The shuffles, deals and reactions of the patrons at each table follow familiar patterns that are easy for security personnel to spot. Then there are the high-tech devices that enable casino security to monitor each game minute by minute and discover almost instantly any statistical deviation from expected results.

If you want to win at a casino, try to stick to the basics. Keep your bankroll in check and don’t gamble more than you can afford to lose. It’s easy to get caught up in the flash of the games and start betting more than your budget allows. Then you’ll have to ask yourself, is this really the kind of gambling experience I want? If so, then it might be time to walk away.