Gambling in GTA: San Andreas

In GTA: San Andreas there are almost twenty casinos, but only three operate as full-fledged gambling venues: Four Dragons, Caligula’s Palace, and the Casino Floor. They are open from the very beginning of the game, but there are restrictions: the amount of money and the Gambling skill, which increases by one point for every $1,000 wagered. As you spend more, higher-stake tables and new chips with larger bet increments become available.

Thus, to unlock tables with the maximum $1 million bet, you need to wager a total of $100,000 beforehand. There’s a simple way to do this without losing a single cent: at roulette, place half of the maximum allowed bet on red and the other half on black. No matter which one wins, you’ll get all your chips back, but the wagered amount will still count toward your Gambling skill. Of course, there’s always a chance the ball will land on 0 (green), but the probability isn’t very high.

However, if you keep losing, you’ll eventually end up in debt to the casino. After your balance reaches 0, you can gamble on credit. The maximum debt equals the betting tier you have access to. Negative balances are displayed with a minus sign in red. If you’re in debt and end up in the hospital, you won’t be charged for treatment.

At -$500, CJ will get a call from a creditor reminding him to pay up (any income automatically repays debt). After a while, they’ll call again to say they’ve sent collectors after you. From that point on, expect attacks from one or more (depending on debt size) armed thugs with Micro-SMGs and AK-47s, driving a black Vincent (easy to recognize by its erratic driving). Attacks will stop if you leave Las Venturas or repay the loan. If you kill the attackers, you can collect a decent sum from them — often enough to repay part or all of the debt, with some profit left over.

You can win and lose millions in the casino through:

• Blackjack,
• Video Poker,
• Wheel of Fortune,
• Roulette (not available in the Casino Floor),
• Slot Machines (not available in the Casino Floor).

By knowing the rules and having a high Luck stat (increased with each collected horseshoe, maxed out after collecting all 50), you can grow your wealth. The recipe for success is simple: save before entering the casino, make the maximum bet, and play. If you win — save again. If you lose — reload the previous save.

Blackjack

The goal is to score more points than the dealer, but no more than 21. Card values: numbered cards equal their face value (e.g., 7 is worth 7 points), Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 10, and Aces are worth 11 or 1 (11 if the total is ≤21, otherwise 1). At the start, both dealer and player receive two cards. Then you decide whether to stick, hit, or double. Doubling not only doubles your bet but also lets you play two hands. This is the right move, for example, when dealt two Aces — because an Ace plus any 10-value card makes a blackjack (21) — an instant win, unless the dealer also has the same. In a tie (push), the chips are returned. You can keep hitting until you have five cards or bust.

PC controls:

• F or Enter — play/exit
• Left Mouse Button (LMB) — get an additional card (hit)
• Left Shift — stick or continue
• Space — double

Video Poker

Our task is to collect the best combination of cards from the deal. You can exchange them once or keep them (hold), and increase bets (add coin) up to x5. After forming one of the following combinations, we play (deal). Royal Flush — five highest cards (ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace) of the same suit (this is the best hand in the game); Straight Flush — five cards of the same suit in sequence without gaps (example: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 spades); Four of a Kind — four cards of the same value (with the same digit or symbol); Full House — three cards of one value and two of another (example: three Kings and two fives); Flush — five cards of the same suit; Straight — five cards in sequence regardless of suit; Three of a Kind — three cards of the same value; Two Pairs — two cards of one value and two cards of another value (example: two Kings and two fives); Pair (Jacks or Better) — two cards of the same value. Payouts will be multiplied by the coefficient from the table on the screen.

PC controls:

• F or Enter — play/exit
• Arrow keys (up, down, right, left) — navigate
• Left Shift — action

Wheel of Fortune

There are six cells to bet on, which are more like multipliers of chips in case of winning (chances of success increase with the Luck level): 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 (star) dollars. So, for example, by placing a hundred on 10 and winning, we’ll get a thousand. There are 54 sectors on the wheel itself, among which numbers with small values are more often repeated, and less often with large values. Thus, the probability of winning by betting on the star (the highest payout) is much lower. Betting on all options at once is a losing proposition, as after multiplying by all coefficients and subtracting, a negative amount remains.

Controls on PC:

• F or Enter — play/exit
• Arrow keys (up, down, right, left) — move around the table
• Space — increase the bet
• Left Mouse Button (LMB) — decrease the bet
• Left Shift — spin the wheel

Roulette

There are 39 options for betting on the board, which, when won, are multiplied by a certain coefficient. If you bet on red/black, even/odd, 1 to 18, or 19 to 36, the amount is multiplied by 2; if on the first dozen (1st 12), second (2nd 12), third (3rd 12), or on one of the columns (3 to 1) — x3; if on 6 numbers — x6; if on 4 — x9; if on 3 — x12; if on 2 — x18; and if chips are on one number, and that number comes up on the roulette, then it pays out 36 times the amount bet.

Controls on PC:

• F or Enter — play/exit
• Arrow keys (up, down, right, left) — move around the table
• Space — increase bet
• Left Mouse Button (LMB) — decrease bet
• Left Shift — spin the wheel

Slot Machines

One attempt costs 1, 10, 20, or 50 bucks. Moreover, this amount can be easily changed by simply moving away from the machine for a few meters. After that, it will reload with a new cost. The only way to influence the win is by increasing the Luck parameter. And you can win only when three identical symbols appear in a row. If the first two do not match, then it is already obvious that this is a loss. With three cherries, the prize is the bet multiplied by 25, with three bunches of grapes — x100, with three 69s — x250, with three bells — x500, with three gold bars — x1000, with three double gold bars — x5000.

Controls on PC:

• F or Enter — play