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Four Tips for smart Slot play

tore — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:41:00 +0000

While you now understand how a slot machine works, and how the percentages rarely work in your favour, there are some ways to approach slot machines that might make your experience more enjoyable … and profitable.

The following tips aren’t necessarily supported by numbers, but can’t hurt when you consider how many and which slots to play.

Ask for help: that’s right, you don’t have to guess which machine to play. You have a resource at your fingertips. Ask the attendant on the floor. Ask the change people who work the slot machines, or who stand inside one of the carousels handing out change. They do nothing but watch slot play in their casino all day long, so there’s a good chance they at least have an idea about which machines payout. They could be wrong, but they want to help you win because, if you do, there’s a chance you’ll give them a tip.

Walk the floor: take a few minutes after you arrive to watch the play of other players and to look at the patterns of the machines. Note which ones have paid a jackpot, or those that always seem to be ringing and buzzing. Knowing machines can be helpful, the same way a craps player waits for a table to get “hot”.

Play the top number of coins: in most cases, you win big when you hit the jackpots. And the jackpots on most machines, especially progressives, jump to bonus levels when you play the maximum number of coins. Don’t miss out on this by being a coin short when you hit.

Reserve your favourite machine: if you have found a machine that is lucky for you, and you want to continue playing after a short break, the change person will reserve it for you for a short time while you leave the floor. Just ask them for help and give them a small tip for doing so.

Modern Slot Machines

tore — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:41:00 +0000

Even in Nevada, slot machines were merely a curiosity, with even the largest casino containing no more than a few hundred machines. They were there to entertain the browsers, while the serious gambling was conducted at the tables.
A couple of things happened in the 1960s and 1970s that changed the attitudes of both the casino executives and the players. Electro-mechanical machines were developed by pinball-machine builder Bally Manufacturing which permitted many more payouts than the mechanical machines could accommodate. And the Bally machines came complete with an enlarged “hopper”, or coin-storage unit, that could
hold up to 2,500 coins. In addition, the Bally machines could accept more than one coin at a time, which allowed the players to insert up to five coins on one pull of the handle. Bally also developed many machines for Europe through its Bally Wulff subsidiary, including many wall-mounted units
popular in Germany.

Sound effects, special lighting, music and more frequent payouts drew more and more players to the slot machines. Players could choose from three, four, and five-reel machines and, in 1980, Bally engineered a group of advanced machines that could. be linked together to create a giant jackpot.
Ironically, this development would fuel the growth of Bally’s chief competitor, IGT, which developed the “life-changing” million dollar jackpots now commonplace in systems like “Megabucks”, “Quartermania” and “Dollars Deluxe”.

Today, there are dozens of slot-machine manufacturers around the world, including Australia’s Aristocrat, Japan’s Konami (each with major subsidiaries in the US), Europe’s Novomatic, and many companies based in the US. Slot machines are often designed for specific markets. In Australia, Aristocrat produces video-slot machines that include intricate graphics and complicated payouts for a very sophisticated slot player. In Japan, pachinko and pachisuro parlours reward players with prizes rather than cash. American players vary according to the area in which they play. In Las Vegas and Atlantic City, mature slot players turn more frequently to video poker, where they feel they have
some control over their wins or losses. In other, newer, jurisdictions, the simpler the machine, the better. The fact remains that slot machines are becoming more and more popular, and slot manufacturers are producing more attractive machines to entice increasingly selective players.

Poker - Seven Card stud

tore — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:44:30 +0000

One of the most complicated, but rewarding, of all poker games is seven-card stud. The sheer number of pos ible hands and permutations of combinations of cards makes it difficult to figure all the angles. But, then again, that’s what makes it so interesting.
After you decide on the limit of the game you want to play, there are two crucial decisions to make early in the game. The first is whether to make an initial bet after the third card is dealt, or to enter the first round of betting at the point known as “third street”. The second is whether to continue to bet when the fifth card is dealt, a point in the game known as “fifth street”. This is undoubtedly the last point you can exit the game without too much financial damage.

It’s true that every decision you make at seven-card stud can be important, and any mistake can prove costly, but by mastering the possibilities at these two crucial points in the game, you have a much better chance to come out ahead at the end of the night.

STARTING SEVEN CARDS
While most low-limit, seven-card stud games require no ante, the higher limit games frequently demand a modest ante. Before beginning play, ask the dealer about any procedures that may be unclear to you and he’ll be glad to explain the play of that particular table.

As play begins, each player is dealt two cards face down and one upcard. The lowest card will be required to open the betting, with a bet known as the “bring-in”. This player has no option, he’s required to make at least the minimum bet. If two players have the identical low card, the alphabetical order of the suits - clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades - determines who opens the betting.

The player immediately to the left of the bring-in now has the option to call the bet, to raise or to fold. If he folds or calls, the person immediately to his left has the same options. But if he raises, every player to his left must match that raise, raise further or fold. The game proceeds clockwise until every player has made his choice of how to act on that hand.

Each player receives three more cards face up, and the final card face down. There is a round of betting between each card and, in these subsequent deals, the player with the high hand has the responsibility to act first. If two hands are of equal value, the first player to the left of the dealer acts first. The betting session following the final card is known as the “river”.

At this point, the player with the high hand is not required to bet. He can “check”, which means that he’s not going to bet but pass the option to bet on to the next player. If another player makes a bet, the players remaining in the hand must at least match the bet.

A word about bets. For low-limit games, £1-£5 for example, the first player must bring in for £1, and initial bets are also for £1. Raises, on the other hand, may be from anywhere between £1 and £5.

Some games have double limits. For instance on a £2-£3 game, the bring in will be for £1, and all players must match that £1. If a raise is made, it must be for £2, at which point, all subsequent bets must be for £2, and raises must be in increments of £2. All bets and raises in the last two betting
rounds must be in increments of £5. Once again, if this is confusing while you’re playing the game, the dealer will be most helpful in explaining the betting procedures.

The real don’t of Craps

tore — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:52:50 +0000

As you see, many of the best bets in the casino are found at the craps table. The pass and don’t-pass lines, come and don’t-come, some of the place bets and, most effectively, taking odds on the pass or don’t-pass bets, offer some of the smallest risks you’ll find at any casino game.

No odds     1.41%
Single odds     0.83%
Double odds     0.59%
Triple odds     0.46%
5 x odds     0.32%
10 x odds     0.18%

A look at the box above shows just how much a don’t-pass bet with odds cuts the house advantage.

To put up more money to win less, you are reducing the house advantage each time you multiply the odds bet.

Conversely, however, many of the worst bets in the house are also emblazoned across the craps layout. In most cases, the worst bets will give the player the largest betting area.
The stickman will act like a huckster, and try to sell these long-shot bets.
Only an intelligent player will be able to understand why it’s important to avoid those bets. Since most of the wagers are resolved by one roll of the dice, it’s easy to estimate their handicap. There are good reasons for them being known as “sucker” bets.

Craps - Free Odds part2

tore — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:12:22 +0000

In America, if you win a $5 bet on the pass line, and you place a $5 free odds bet behind the line, you should get paid $7.50. But you won’t because the casino doesn’t want to deal in coins. To get the full advantage of your free odds on the five and nine, you’re going to have to add $1 to your free odds, to increase your free odds bet to $6. Online Bingo

Bt taking these free odds, you’ve reduced the house advantage on the pass line to less than one per cent, clearly the best bet in the house.

In most casinos, you may reduce your advantage even further, because the majority of gaming halls allow you to take at least double odds. That means, for the four and ten, you can bet £5 in free odds behind your £2.50 pass-line bet. Should a four or ten be rolled before a seven, the dealer will pay you 2-1 on your free odds and even money on your pass-line bet, for a total of £12.50 for £7.50 risked.

Because there is a dwindling pool of craps players, casinos in major locations value their loyal customers. If they didn’t have excitement at their craps games, the game would eventually disappear in individual casinos, severely impacting the bottom line. So many casinos use odds as a marketing tool. In some places, you can get triple, quintuple and even ten-times odds at the craps ‘game. These promotions are very valuable to intelligent players. In some casinos, for example, in Tunica, Mississippi, in 1995, craps games were offering the unheard-of 20-times odds.

Understand, however, that, while the casino has no house advantage on the free-odds bet, you must risk more money than your original bet to win. And even though there is no house advantage, the chances of winning or losing the bet is right down the middle, 50-50. If you’ve got a small
fund, and take double odds on your £2.50 line bet each time, you could be in trouble if you hit a losing streak. It doesn’t take long to lose your stake, even playing even with the house.

You may not remove pass-line bets until they are resolved one way or another, but you may remove odds bets at any time. Since the casino would prefer you don’t take odds to begin with, it will allow you to remove them whenever you want. Don’t do it.

Craps - Free Odds part1

tore — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:12:21 +0000

In some casinos, you’ll see a “Big 6 and 8″ at the corner of the table and a large area to make “field” bets. The “hardways” and “one-roll” bets virtually shout out to you with their dice diagrams. Forget all of them. They’re like adverts for bad bets, and the Casino Games would love you to make those bets on every roll.

The best bet on the dice table isn’t even printed on the table. The best bet on the table is the “free odds” that you get to place behind your pass-line bet. Pass-line bets are paid at even money. If you bet £5 on a shooter and he rolls a six as the point, and makes that six, the dealer will pay you £5 for your pass-line bet. The house has a small advantage of 1.4 per cent on pass-line bets.

You can reduce that advantage substantially by putting up free odds, an additional bet that gets paid at the true odds of the number rolled. Let’s say you bet £5 on the pass line, and the shooter rolls a four. The odds of rolling a four are 2-1, but you only get even money on the pass line. But if you take free odds, you get paid 2-1 for your free odds because there are only three ways to make a four, while there are six ways to make a seven.

The ten and four are called “sister” numbers because the true odds of rolling a four and ten are the same. Other sister numbers are the six and eight, and the five and nine. The free odds are more complicated for these numbers.

When you roll a six, there are five ways to make a six, while we’ve seen there are six ways to make a seven. So if you have a £5 bet on the pass line, and back that up with £5 in free odds, and a six is rolled, you’ll get paid £5 on the pass line, and £6 on your free odds, for a total payout of £11. The same is true for the eight.

Now the five and nine are a little more complicated. There are four ways to make the five or the nine. So true odds are 6-4, or 3-2, or 9-6.

Baccarat - D’Alembert system

tore — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:37:03 +0000

An 18th-century French mathematician thought he had devised the perfect system. Jean Le Rond d’Alembert reasoned that when two events have an equal chance of happening - as with the two hands at baccarat in a casino - if one begins to happen more frequently than the other, the alternative event must eventually begin to occur more often in order to even up the odds, or achieve equilibrium. Nature always seeks equilibrium, d’Alembert believed.
In the d’ Alembert system, the player bets one unit on either the Banker or Player. When he loses, he increases his bet by one unit. When he wins, he decreases his bet by one unit. Bets will vary according to size, but eventually he will find himself betting one unit, and equilibrium will be achieved. Losses will be balanced by an equal number of wins. The problem with this system is that it is simply hogwash. Nature does not try to achieve equilibrium. Baccarat has no memory, so the result of one hand or a series of hands does not affect the next one or the next series. Just because the Banker hand won ten in a row doesn’t mean that the Player hand will win ten in a row. In fact, the difference could even get larger. In the long run, the ratio of Banker hands to Player hands may get smaller, but the difference between the number of hands could actually increase in the short run.

OK, so you see the d’Alembert system is destined to lose. So why not do the exact opposite? Since the Martingale system will lose, let’s try the reverse. This can be applied to many systems but, unfOltunately, the logic doesn’t hold up. You see, any system is irrelevant. Players lose because the loss is only a combination of the amount bet with the house advantage. It’s impossible to defeat the house advantage. In the long run, the player would lose just as much money by betting one unit at a time, as he would by utilizing one of the above systems. A system may only alter the size and times of the wins or losses; for instance, many small losses and a few large wins.

Baccarat Basics

tore — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:16:14 +0000

Baccarat in online casino is a game with only two bets, banker and player. The odds are very nearly 50-50 for each and, as in most casino games, the deciding factor is most often nothing more than pure luck.
The baccarat table is oblong with seven numbered positions on each side of the table. Just like in hotels, the number 13 is skipped, so the numbers reach 15 at most games.

At each position there are three bets. The “Banker,” the “Player” and the Tie. B-A-N-K-E-R and P-L-A-Y-E-R are spelled out on each side of the table in the corresponding areas. The position for the Tie bet is generally above the Banker and Player bets.

Three dealers work the games at all times and perform similar functions as the dealers at the craps table. Two dealers sit or stand behind the chip rack and pay or take the players’ bets on each side of the table, depending upon the outcome of the hand.

A croupier, sometimes referred to as the “caller”, stands in the middle of the table and makes the calls on the hands, directing the players on the procedures of the game. Baccarat is the only game where the players deal the cards.

Before starting the game, the dealers shuffle eight decks of cards together and place them in a covered shoe. Even the shuffling procedure is elegant. The croupier takes two decks off the top of the deck and “laces” - intersperses - them throughout the remaining cards. Player number one is offered the opportunity to be the Banker.

As Banker, the player deals two cards for each hand. The first card is the first Player card, and goes to the croupier. The second card, the first Banker card, goes under the corner of the shoe. The third card, the second Player card, goes to the croupier, and the initial deal is complete with the fourth card, the second Banker card, which joins the first under the corner of the shoe. The croupier then passes the Player’s cards to the player at the table with the highest bet on the Player’s side. lf no one is betting on the Player side, the croupier exposes the cards.

Players need not accept the shoe to act as the Banker. It is not considered incorrect to pass the shoe, particularly if you plan to make a Player’s bet. But you may take the shoe and bet the Player’s side. Other players may comment that you’re betting against yourself but, once again, the rules are predetermined and the cards are already in the shoe, so it doesn’t really make any difference what side you bet when you deal the cards.

The rules of the game determine whether a third card can be taken but, in the end, the winner is the hand with a total closest to nine. Face cards and Tens have no value and when the total of the cards is more than nine, the left¬hand digit is dropped. For instance, in baccarat, Eight and Seven equals Five, because you drop the ten-count of the true total, 15.

The only other bet that a player can make in baccarat is the Tie bet. It is a side wager that is usually placed along with a Banker or Player bet. When a tie occurs, the two hands end up with the same total. Neither the Banker nor the Player loses, and the casino pays the bets that were placed on the tie for that hand only. Ties pay 8-1, but the odds favour the house to such an extent that the tie wager is considered a bad bet.

Because the Banker bet has a slight advantage - without ties the Banker bet wins 50.7 percent of all hands - a winning wager on the Banker option owes the house a five per cent commission, in other words winners are paid out not at evens but at 19-20. The dealer keeps track of your commission in a box in front of the chip rack by using plastic lammers designating the amount owed. You may pay this commission at any time, but it must be collected after the shoe is completed. Player bets are paid even money. The Tie bet pays 8-1, but the true odds are more like 9-1, making the Tie bet the worst at the baccarat table.

After placing his bet, the Player has no more decisions to make. There are no double downs, splits, or free odds. The game proceeds according to a set of complicated rules that need not concern the casual player. With simple choices and clear cut decisions, the game is a real favourite with those gamblers who really like to rely on systems.

Roulette System- The Third Column

tore — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:53:25 +0000

The layout of the roulette table in a casino is somewhat curious. The scattering of the numbers across the table has tempted players who are constantly in search of winning systems. One anomaly on the table has generated many system sellers down through the years who believe there is a sucker born every minute. everest poker

John is one of those believers of a system that has been discredited for years. But the appeal of his argument is so strong, he gets at least a ten per cent response whenever he finds a new list upon which to foist his sweet-sounding direct mail efforts.

The system is known as the “third column” system, and John is adept at eXplaining why it should work for you. Because the third column on the roulette table contains eight red numbers and only four black numbers, John reasons that it is a mathematical flaw that can be exploited by roulette players.

John believes that by placing a two-unit bet on black, which pays even-money, and a one-unit bet on the third Column, which pays off at two-to-one, he will mitigate the 5.26 per cent house advantage. With 18 black numbers in action and eight red numbers, he has reduced the prospect of losing to only the 12 remaining numbers (ten red numbers and the “0″ and “00″.

John does very well when he lays this system out for his suckers … er, clients. “You’re covered on 26 of the 38 numbers,” he says. “How can you go wrong?”

Here’s how. Let’s run the maths. For theoretical purposes, let’s use 38 spins, one for each number on the roulette wheel. Let’s assume that each number comes up once. Because you’re betting three units for each spin, you’ve put 114 units in action (3 X 38).
By allowing each number to win once, when you’ve done the experiment, you’ll have lost six units. That’s six out of 114. Can you guess what that makes the house advantage on this bet? That’s right, 5.26 per cent.

John doesn’t want you to do the maths and, because of his winning manner, very few of his clients even question his system. But there’s a loophole in every system. You just have to know where to look.

The Systems Approach in Blackjack

tore — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:36:56 +0000

Frankie plays blackjack in the casino almost every week. When he has a choice, he always sits at the last seat at the table, which is called third base. He doesn’t like to sit at the first seat - first base - and be the first to get the cards. titan poker

Frankie prefers to see all the other cards come out before his cards. He’s not a card counter, but all the same he gets certain feelings about which cards are coming next, and third base is the perfect place for this.
What drives Frankie crazy when he doesn’t sit at third base is when the last player takes the dealer’s bust card. He never does that when he sits there.

Does it really matter whether you sit at first, second or third base at the blackjack table? Your seat has absolutely no bearing on the natural order of how the cards come out in the shoe, so it doesn’t matter.

Many players complain about how the third base player disturbs the order of the cards, by taking the dealer’s breaking card, By sitting at the third base, or “anchor” position, they feel they can dictate what kind of card the dealer receives.

Is this logical? How can Frankie tell whether the card coming to him would be beneficial? He can’t, and he conveniently forgets it when his draw card would have busted the dealer.

Even a card counter wouldn’t be able to know for sure whether a Ten or a low card was coming, and his play would be dictated by what’s best for him, not what was worst for the dealer. If you’ve got a 15 and the dealer has 10, a Ten-value card coming would be detrimental to the third base player regardless of whether he drew it or the dealer drew it.

And one thing players tend to overlook is that the third base position will do as much to help the other players at the table as to hurt them. It just follows that the natural order of cards would not necessarily favour either player or dealer.

You can prove this for yourself. Keep track for a decent amount of time of how many times the third base player hurts the other players, and how many times he helps them. You’ll be surprised at what little effect the “anchor” has on the game.

But you’ll never be able to convince Frankie!