The Mayfair Casino School

The casino school the casinos won’t write.

Read or listen to lessons in roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker and the game-show floor, all narrated by Annabel Cavendish, our editor. Insider numbers, named-venue specifics, and the maths your friend at the bar wishes she knew. Free. No email. Your name on the certificate when you finish.

  • 48 lessons
  • 5 games
  • Free always
Annabel Cavendish, editor, in a London casino room
Annabel CavendishEditor.

The Syllabus

Five courses. One diploma.

Short lessons for grown-ups, in writing or narrated by Annabel. Every claim has its working shown. A quick check at the end of each lesson banks your progress; a certificate prints with your name when you finish a course; the diploma lands when you have done all five.

Available now

Roulette

From La Partage in Monte Carlo to Lightning's lucky-number maths, and why your friend's Martingale is a tax on optimism.

  1. 01Rules and variants
  2. 02The house edge, properly
  3. 03Wheel physics, briefly beaten
  4. 04Every bet on the table
  5. 05Martingale, debunkedListen now
  6. Plus seven more lessons
Open the roulette course 12 lessons · ~82 min audio · Certificate on completion
Available now

Blackjack

Basic strategy line by line, the Hi-Lo count, why online counting died and where it didn't, and the side bets that exist to punish you.

  1. 01The deck, the rules, the variants that matter
  2. 02Basic strategy, line by lineListen now
  3. 03Counting Hi-Lo, true count, betting spread
  4. Plus nine more lessons
Open the blackjack course 12 lessons · ~67 min audio · Certificate on completion
Available now

Baccarat

Punto Banco in plain English, the third-card rules, the Phil Ivey edge-sorting case, and the high-stakes London rooms still running it.

  1. 01Punto Banco, Chemin de Fer, Baccarat Banque
  2. 02The third-card rules in plain EnglishListen now
  3. 03Banker, Player, Tie: the real edges
  4. Plus five more lessons
Open the baccarat course 8 lessons · ~40 min audio · Certificate on completion
Available now

Casino poker

Three Card, Caribbean Stud, Ultimate Texas Hold'em. The decision tables, the side-bet traps, no fluff.

  1. 01Three Card Poker, the optimal play
  2. 02Caribbean Stud, raise-fold thresholdsListen now
  3. 03Ultimate Texas Hold'em, four decision points
  4. Plus nine more lessons
Open the casino poker course 12 lessons · ~59 min audio · Certificate on completion
Available now

Game shows

Crazy Time, Monopoly Live, Lightning, Funky Time. How the multiplier wheels actually price, and which bonus rounds are pure spectacle.

  1. 01How Crazy Time really pays
  2. 02Monopoly Live and the four-roll questionListen now
  3. 03Lightning, multipliers, and the catch
  4. Plus three more lessons
Open the game show course 6 lessons · ~31 min audio · Certificate on completion

The Diploma

Worth keeping on a wall, frankly.

Every course earns its own certificate. The Mayfair Casino School diploma arrives when you have collected the set, signed by Annabel, dated, your name in foil. Print it, frame it, send it to the friend who keeps recommending the Martingale.

After class

Where we would actually play

Course done and curious? We keep a short, opinionated list of UK-licensed casinos we think are well run. Honest notes, no top-of-page banners, no upsell on the lesson pages. Read it after the course, not before.

See the short list →

MayfairCasino.com is an independent guide. 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. BeGambleAware.org.

Gambling should be fun. Set your limits and play within your means. If gambling stops being enjoyable, take a break. 18+ only. For support, visit BeGambleAware.org, call GamCare on 0808 8020 133, or self-exclude at GAMSTOP. Read our full responsible gambling policy →