do ratings even matter or is it all just personal experience

i've been reading a lot of casino and sportsbook reviews and they all have these rating systems like 4.3 stars or whatever. i get that ratings are supposed to help, but honestly sometimes a spot with a lower rating has worked out way better for me than a so-called “top” one. i feel like people just rate based on one bad beat or a huge win, not the actual quality or odds.

i started trusting my own notes and results over any ratings lately. maybe that’s just how my brain works from running numbers all day. do you guys pay attention to ratings or just go by your gut and experience?