At the door to the party, they handed out to each person $2000 of play money, which could be exchanged for raffle tickets at the end of the night. I discovered that the most effective way to increase it was not to play a game where the odds are rigged for the house, but to find a dealer who wants to see the beginner win and will therefore cheat in my favor, and to position myself near people who were leaving early and therefore giving all their extra money to the first person who asked for it.
So I made my own beginner's luck.