Total Dark Side

If you really want to let the real gambler inside of you out, there's a way to do so, and it even has a positive expectation. (But lets not worry about the expected value -- the inner gambler doesn't want to hear about it.)

But it's a shady path.

Oh yes. I'm talking about blackjack sticky bonuses.

I played my first one last night using the Strategy for Sticky Casino Bonuses. It's crazy.

Here's how it works: you deposit something like $100, and get a bonus of between 200 percent and 300 percent. But there's a catch: you can never ever withdraw the bonus money, no matter how much you play.

What's the point? Well, you can use that money to gamble with and try for a big score.

It's risky. You'll probably lose. I lost on my first try.

But math says that if you do it a few times, you'll come out ahead.

And it's fun. It's really fun. It's evil.

Gambooooolll!!!

I almost went bust on my 16th hand -- from $400 to $67 in no time.

But then I went on a rush. From that last $67 to more than $900. Unfortunately, the way you do these things is you set a goal and don't stop until you reach it or go bust. My goal was $1,100 for an $800 profit (because $300 of that money was the sticky bonus).

I never got there. I lasted 18 minutes and wagered a total of $4,573 in that time -- far more than the required $1,600 workthru. The cost to me was $100.

I can't wait to try the next one though. I feel like such a fish, but these bonuses are a pretty good deal if you can handle the swings. I'm up for it.