Rob's online casino discussion blog

Reasons to Play Poker

Robert Dailey — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:32:27 +0000

Social rewards. This is a major reason behind the traditional home game. Many friends like to hang out and play cards, and many people become friends over the card table. If this is one of the major reasons you wish to play, stick with low stakes, where the games are more fun and friendly.

Entertainment. Poker is a competitive game. To win, one needs the skills and the bit of luck the game necessitates. Many find this enjoyable and compare poker to playing a sport. Make sure you don’t get swept up in the ‘entertainment’ nature of poker, because it is possible to lose a lot of money at the game.

Education. The skills necessary to become a good poker player apply well to other aspects of life. Poker will help you to improve your judgment skills (reading people) and sharpen your logical and strategic skills (how to play your hand).

To make money. Most people play poker for fun, but some make considerable money at it. Of course, these people are few and far between. Not everyone can make a lot of money from poker.You an make a lot of money playing pokerturniere and boni. Nevertheless, the desire to win more is definitely a reason to improve your poker skills. Beste Pokerraum - Bwin pokerboni.

Playing with the Big Boys Means Winning Big Toys when You Play Online Casino games and Slots

Robert Dailey — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:54:41 +0000

How do you know you’d make a great casino game player? Easy: you want to see your pockets lined with cash but you don’t mind it so much if you walk away with thinner pockets. It’s all about fun, but you definitely have paid your dues and practiced enough to know how the online casino games are played. You’ve experienced all of the sides of the casino. From the land-based gambling halls to the online high-end slots and poker tables, you know what to expect and you know the techniques needed. You know when to double-down and you know when to walk away from the table. Now, the stakes are higher because you’re done playing free slots. You want the progressive slots and you want to win the big jackpot. When you’re done with that you are ready to move onto the “bog boy” table, playing for real money and playing for keeps at online blackjack and online poker. But wait! You work hard every single day and have obligations. You won’t be able to get to the casino for a few months? How do you remedy this? Easy. Online casinos are real, virtual reality worlds in which you can win real cold hard cash. Start playing online slots and winning now.

Blackjack Myths and Legends

Robert Dailey — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:46:16 +0000

Within a day, a myth can grow. A legend can sprout up out of nothing and morph into something larger than life. Soon, the myth is so big that it can come back to where it started. This is how the myths of blackjack started. Somewhere, in the past, there must have been a winner who won so much, so quickly. Since then, players from all over are ready to win the big bucks right away. This is possible, but does not happen as often as most gamblers believe.

While counting cards and playing often can definitely increase your chances of winning the money that legends are made of, you must always be aware of the reality that odds are in the favor of the house. It is slightly more in your favor when you are playing online blackjack. The truth is you have better odds the more you play. The story that made the myth grow may very well be true. The reality of that myth may also be that it was dumb luck. The best way to play up your chances is to play often and with a good sense of reality and entertainment.

Blackjack online is a great way to gain the practice and skills that you need in order to do well in the traditional, livelier, some would say, more advanced blackjack game. The truth is, blackjack online may offer you some advantages, one being the odds are slightly even more in your favor. While this may be enticing to some, you have to be prepared in knowing that while the odds are more in your favor, you have no idea how many other players are out there playing along with you. This is something that can only strengthen your online casino game skills. This way, when you do take a trip to a traditional casino, you are ready to play right along with the best blackjack players.

The myths and legends that surround blackjack also get more word of mouth or attention because it does deal with traditional blackjack games. Those who see the big win in the casino like waitresses, house managers, other players, and dealers, all see the win and are able to spread the word, building a legend as they speak. Online blackjack, on the other hand, only deals with you alone on your PC. When you win, the only person who you can brag to on the spot is your bank. This is definitely not the worse thing! This is very good for you if you don’t crave some sort of attention for your win. If you only want money and not a legend, your best bet is to play online blackjack.

When you are ready to play online blackjack, you can sign up to an online casino and get the information you need to play right. Learn how to play online blackjack safely and have fun. When you are ready, you can enjoy creating your own blackjack legend!

Cheating

Robert Dailey — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:31:46 +0000

The common form of cheating is called “slugging.” That’s where a player uses slugs-metal discs other than U.S. coins or casino tokens - instead of coins. There are slugs that work in slot machines, but the downside is a harsh one. Get caught and you’re looking at jail time.
Back in the old days, some cheaters used to get away with gluing a string to a coin. They would insert the coin, pull the arm, and then use the string to pull the coin back out through the slot. By doing this again and again they could play for free for as long as they wanted, or until they got caught. It has been a long time since such a scheme could work. Anticheat devices in modern slot machines make such an act impossible today.
In every community there exists the very bottom of the totem pole, the lowest form of known life, and in the slot machine section of any casino that lowest life-form is called the “silverminer.”

Four Card Keno

Robert Dailey — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:51:09 +0000

One of the games I like most on these machines is а game called Four Card Keno. This video keno game has four cards, and you can play all four at the same time. You don’t have to, but the whole point of this game is that you can and because of this, you can quadruple your hits. Here’s how it works:

First, you select the amount you wish to wager per credit. You do this by selecting the denomination icon of your choice on the main screen. Next, you touch the Four Card Keno icon, and this takes you to the game. Then, you choose how many credits you wish to play per card. You do this by touching the bet-one icon once for each credit per card. For example, say you want to play one credit per card. This means you will touch the bet-one credit button four times, and this will wager one credit for each of the four cards. Or you can touch the “bet max” button, and this will play the maximum wager per card, which is ten credits, for a total wager of forty credits per game. If you are playing the one-penny-per-credit, this means you will be wagering 10 cent per card, for a total bet of 40cent per game. And so on for all the other denominations available.

Why is Blackjack more profitable than over casino games?

Robert Dailey — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:27:19 +0000

To bring this concept into focus, let’s compare blackjack to some other popular games such as slots typically found in most casinos. Take craps, for example. Let’s assume the shooter rolls an 8, composed of a 5 on one die and a 3 on the other. The dice are returned to the shooter, who is about to roll again. Obviously the 5 and the 3 contained on each die could easily come out again. And, in fact, the odds of that happening are no different than were the odds of a 5 or a 3 being rolled the first time. In roulette the same logic applies. Let’s say the croupier spins the ball and it ends up falling into number 15. The physical pocket corresponding to number 15 always remains in the roulette wheel. So when the dealer spins again a few minutes later, number 15 has as much chance of coming out again as it did the first time. In simple terms this concept is called “replacement,” or in probability theory, the “Law of Independent Trials.” Now on to special blackjack, and notice the difference. When the dealer finishes dealing a hand, the used cards are placed in the discard tray—not to be used again until after the next shuffle. (Obviously, the shuffle at the beginning of each deal or “shoe” represents “ground zero”) For this example let’s say the 3 of diamonds was among those cards just dealt in a single deck game. A hard fact has just been established. The 3 of diamonds cannot be dealt again until after the next shuffle. Think about it. In no other game does such an absolute present itself, where knowledge of the past can and will have a direct effect on the future. The same logic holds true for multiple-deck games, only on a lesser scale. In a six-deck game where there are a total of 24 3s, after one hand in which a 3 is dealt, you can rest assured that only 23 3s are left in the shoe. Although such specific information as knowing exactly how many of any particular card remains in the deck or decks at any given moment isn’t humanly possible to track and process to one’s advantage, nevertheless, this represents the basic premise on which all responsible card counting methods are based.

So where and from whom did all of this originate?

Card counting was first developed and proven to be a viable method by Dr. Edward O. Thorp, then a professor of mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The year was 1960, and using the University’s IBM 704 computer, Dr. Thorp was able to formulate and test his theory that a significant advantage could be obtained by a blackjack player able to follow a predetermined strategy and keep some sort of track of high and low cards Blackjack tournaments as they were being dealt. His research began three years after a technical paper appeared in the “Journal of the American Statistical Association” entitled, “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack,” written by Roger R. Baldwin, Wilbert E. Cantey, Herbert Maisel, and James P. McDermott of the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground. “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” outlined the first bona fide version of a “basic strategy,” but it was Dr. Thorp and his exhaustive computer simulations that led to the first comprehensive playing and card counting strategy that could successfully beat the game. A year after proving his method in live casino play, the first edition of Thorp’s 1962 best-selling book Beat the Dealer was published, and revealed to the masses just how blackjack could be beaten.

How can we tell the difference between different machines, if they look the same?

Robert Dailey — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:13:40 +0000

Look at the pays on the belly glass if it’s a reel favorite slot games machine, or the “pay” screen if it’s a video slot machine. Also, look at the top jackpot amounts, or even the top two or three jackpots, for maximum-coin play. The differences in these amounts will indicate which kind of machine this is, as compared to others which may look the same. Another hint is to look at the multiplier symbols, and bonus pays and bonus rounds. These may be slightly different, but sufficiently so for you to discover this if you look for it. For ex-ample, on the reel slots, one machine may have multiplier symbols which also substitute for all other symbols, while another machine that looks identical may have these same symbols, but they are only “wild,” although otherwise they look the same. On video slots, some of the machines may have only five lines, while another one that looks exactly like it will have nine lines or more. Also, on some of these, the minimum pays may be limited to only some lines, with some “wild” symbols working only on the first and fifth (or last) reel, while on other machines that look the same, these can pay anywhere. Some of these may only pay left to right while others, which look the same, may pay from both sides slots tournaments. It’s up to you to take the time to find this out.

Where are the best-paying machines?

Robert Dailey — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:15:29 +0000

For reel slots, look for slot islands in areas of the casino which can be seen from different vantage points. Walk around, and find the banks of slots which can be seen from just about everywhere in the casino, or as many points as possible. These are the most visible slots, and these will traditionally be set the loosest. For video slots, or other reel slots, look for areas which are about halfway between the pit and the other common areas of the casino. Stay away from machines which are near the table games pit, or near the showroom lines, buffet lines, coffee shop, gift shop, or any other area where there are other things to do. Also, many casinos put their best-paying machines in front of, or near, the main casino cage. The same are slots tournaments. This is so that those people cashing in, or cashing checks, will see people winning and will spend some of their money in these machines as they are leaving the cage. It’s smart to look for this.

Where do the casinos put their good machines, and where do they put the bad ones?

See above. Also, sometimes the good machines can be found in hard-to-see areas, where few people go. This can be because the casino wants to attract players to that area. However, most of the time the above item serves to answer this question.

How do we know which ones are the better payers, and which ones are the takers?

Robert Dailey — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:51:35 +0000

You can’t. Not exactly, and not all the time. However, there are some hits. Look for slot islands among reel slots. Look for simple pays and multipliers. Among video slots, look for game which can be easily understood, and which offer frequenbonus hits. Finally, look for IGT machines as a brand name. These are always among the best-paying slot machines in any casino.

How do they make money for the casino?

Robert Dailey — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:01:06 +0000

By “holding” that preprogrammed prcentage, over all events, and over all the time the machine is powered. If the preprogrammed “hold” percentage is 2 percent, then the machine will hold at least that, dependig on play. Some machines require the players to wager maximum coins in order for it to pay at the proper preprogammed rate. Other machines require player skill, and threfore if they are played badly, will hold more. For this reason, even machines which may be programmed to “over100 percent pay-back” can still hold money for the cash), and thus make a profit for the casino, because many plaers will play these machines either without the maximum-coin wager, or just play them badly. Good play, skillful nd knowledgeable play, combined with always wagering te maximum coins, will equal profits from your slot play closest to the optimum payback percentage of each such machine. You will, therefore, force the machine to hold less for the casino.