The Online Casino Gambling Blog

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Now China isn’t the first place I think of when I think of gambling, but that was before I heard about the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau China. Built in 1847 by Portuguese settlers in Macau the casino is shaped like a giant lotus blossom with forty floors, three hundred guest rooms and two hundred tables for gambling which of course includes: blackjack, keno, slots, poker, roulette and all the standards as well as more exotic Chinese gambling games.

Known as The Forbidden City in China (Gambling is illegal in most other areas in the country) Macau gets up to twenty million visitors a year just for the gambling and while there are lots of casinos to handle all these visitors the best and most beautiful is the Grand Lisboa. For a memorable out of the ordinary experience this is definitely the place you want to spend your online casino winnings to get to.

Recently players at online gambling casinos have devised programs that function much in the manner of a gaming robot, these ‘gaming bots’ press the button to play the slots rather than have the player sitting in front of their computers and actively pushing the spin button themselves until they get a win.

Online casinos have counteracted this advancement in making game play easier by banning these gaming bots citing that they are an unfair advantage to the player. While it’s true that some gamblers do make more mistakes and thus lose more when they have to play for themselves this seems to me to be a banning that is staunchly in favor of the casinos! After all if a player has honed his or her skill to play as reliably as a robot the casinos could not ban that player, these game bots save players both time and money while cheating the casinos of very little if any money they might win if a player happened to make a mistake. Two thumbs down on this rule online casinos, two thumbs down.

So you’re making your first foray into the world of online gambling, you download the software, install it and now there you are faced with flashing lights and bright text encouraging you to make a choice. Where will you dive in?

Slot machines are actually probably your best bet, they require almost no skill and yet their payoff with the bells and the whistles and the clinking sound effect of coins rattling into your cup when you win is so worth it! The slots work well for a first time player online or in person, plus it gives you a chance to really experience what winning or losing will be like in real games. Some people just can’t handle losing, not even at 25 cent slot machines and that’s an important fact to know about yourself.

However, if Slots don’t sound like your thing then here are some tips - choose a game that interests you, choose a game you can afford to play, more importantly choose a game you can afford to lose at because beginners luck won’t run that far. Ideally as a new player whatever game you choose check it out and see if there are trial games that let you play without actually having to bet money as it will take a few rounds of anything before you get the hang of it.

Have you ever been fortunate enough to visit a casino while a slot tournament was in progress?  Well these slot tournaments are very exciting the area is surrounded by ropes will all the players banging away at their slot machine spin buttons. Playing at slots tournaments is a fantastic way of interacting with other players, have some fun and win some fantastic prizes.   There are lots of fantastic prizes offered at slots tournaments which make it all the more enticing to players. Prizes can include anything from cash, to parties and door prizes, and even raffles and banquets, there are no set rules to what these prizes should be. 

Most casinos have free slot tournaments to promote their casinos and attract more players.   You might be surprised to know that these free tournaments payout some very big jackpots.    Each casino has its own entry fee standards, some are under $20.00 while some can be as high as thousands of dollars, it all depends on the individual casino. The entrance fee for a slot tournament determines the amount of money a player stands to lose, if the entrance fee is $30.00 then that’s the amount of cash you stand to lose, that’s why players love these slot tournaments. Many casinos reward their regular players and high rollers by holding private slots tournaments, which are strictly by invitation only.

Curious as to how slot tournaments really works? That’s easy.  All slot tournament machines are programmed with a predetermined number of start credits or time limit.   Each player has to accumulate as many credits as they can in the given time. Starting credits and time limits are totally dependent on the particular slot tournament.   

The most common type of tournament format is the one thousand starting credits play time of twenty minutes. Normally each time you hit the spin button the maximum bet is played.  Starting credits are deducted from your credits for each spin.   As you play all your credits earned are usually displayed on an individual meter. You cannot replay any earned credits.   Game ends when either your credits run out or you reach your allotted time frame.   All unused starting credits will be lost. Now you understand why players keep hitting away at the spin button in such a frenzy.  The more you hit the spin button the more starting credits are used.

In slot tournaments all tournament machines are numbered and players are randomly paired to their tournament machine by a special drawing where numbers are drawn to determine which machine a player is allotted. All tournament machines are exactly the same.   Slot tournament machines are usually preprogrammed to generate more jackpot payouts combinations that regular slot machines. Obviously this enhances the excitement of the tournament. 

When you machine has stopped, all the credits you have earned will then be duly recorded by an official of the casino.  Because most slot tournaments usually consists of more than one round, even if you were to be ahead of your round there is no guarantee that you will be going home a winner.  The player who earns the highest amount of credits for all of the rounds in the tournament is the winner. Many slot machine tournaments offer prizes for various high ranking positions. One of the most common prize structure used in most casinos would be First Place $25,000.00, Second Place $10,000.00 and Third Place $5,000.00. Judging by these generous jackpot payouts one can easily understand why these slots tournaments can be so exhilarating and satisfying. 

Push the lever or spin the button?   It doesn’t make a difference which you prefer, at least not to the slot machine anyways, it will spin either way. 

No matter how many coins you play it will not alter the results of your spin, but it can however influence your overall payout. Set a limit to how much money you can afford to spend before you start playing at the slot machine. Once you reach your limit and exhausted all your funds, it is time to quit.   If you have been playing a slot machine and have not received a single hit after the first half dozen spins or so, now would be a good time to try a different machine. Chances are you might end up losing all your cash back to the machine. Loose machines keep you winning steadily.  The loosest slot machines are easily identified, usually in plain sight for all to see; casino foyers, near payout booths, places where there is plenty activity, etc.  Contrary to popular belief casino owners want players to easily identify loose paying machines; this is imperative for their business as a happy winner will keep coming back for more. 
 
 Need a break, no problem simply ask a casino worker to hold your machine.   Many casinos offer this service, referred to as a “cap” in the casino world.  Don’t forget to take your cash with you.  Use your player’s card whenever possible. There’s lots of free stuff to be had with a player’s card.  Haven’t got one no fret it only takes a few minutes. Player’s card can easily be replaced, including correct balance and all.  Make it a habit of ensuring your player’s card is in your possession, when you check out. 

Don’t play progressive slot machines.   Although the payouts are large and enticing these machines generate more reels and symbols, drastically reducing your chances of winning. The return percentages of maximum value slot machines are usually very high.   Avoid playing quarter slot machines (3 coins required) you’d be better off playing one dollar slot machines (only requires 1 coin). 

Most people don’t realize the most important thing about slots - each spin of the slot machine is unique, because the results depends solely on how fast the machine generates randomly selected numbers and not by the number of spins. Even if you played for hours at a machine and not receive any hits, then soon after quitting, someone else played on that same machine and won, does not guarantee you would have gotten a hit, had you continued playing.
No one can tell for sure when a machine is going to hit a jackpot.   Some machines have been know to hit the jackpot twice in succession, while others have gone for days without generating a single hit.   Anyone has a chance at hitting the jackpot once they have a spin at the reel.
If you seriously want to get ahead of the game, try the three-reel slot machines with the single payline, they offer the best payouts.
Steer away from multiple payline slot machines. Athough there are more paylines to increase your chances of winning, the payouts are much less than the single payline machines.

Let’s face it; there is no known tried and proven strategy that will allow you to win the slot machine on every single spin of the reel.  The house always has the edge, they are guaranteed at least a certain percentage of all monies that goes into the slot machine.   On a brighter note there are some pointers that can help you to even the odds in your favor.

All slot machines are programmed to payback a certain percentage.Payback percentage is predetermined by a computer chip imbedded in the slot machine, which generates randomly selected numbers and is responsible for the final outcome of the spin. Payback percentages can range from eighty percent to say ninety nine percent. The higher the payback percentage the greater your chances of winning, but this does not mean that the machine will pay the maximum payout every time you spin the reel.    Payback percentages do not occur very often.

If your goal is to have a steady flow of hits, play loose slot machines as these offer the highest payback percentages.  Contrary to what you might think these machines are not difficult to spot.   Casino owners realize how important it is for their business that their customers spot the winners.  These machines are usually in casino foyers, close to the cashier’s booth, in restaurants, and most anywhere where there is a heavy flow of traffic.   The easiest way to spot a loose machine is to observe which machines the regulars favor. If all else fails you can always ask one of the regulars. Generally speaking a machine with a higher denomination will obviously have a higher payback percentage. Obviously a quarter machine will offer a lesser payback percentage than say a one dollar machine. Steer clear of progressive slot machines, although they offer very big jackpot payouts their payback percentages are usually much smaller than your regular slot machine.
 
It is important to read the rules before you start feeding those coins into the machine.  Many players don’t bother to read the rules and just start playing. Each machine is different some require you to play the maximum number of coins in order to have a chance at winning the bonus. If you do not play the maximum coins for these machines your chances of winning will be very slim. A progressive slot machine is one such machine, you must play the maximum coins or else you won’t ever stand a chance at winning the jackpot.
 
Playing the slots can be a win, win situation. Casinos are famous for their free giveaways, so keep using your comp card to earn those rewards. Lots of nice stuff to be had, gifts, free food, tickets etc.  Doesn’t matter if you are winning or losing on the slot machine you still come out a winner with your comp card.

Know your slot machine.  Set a limit to the number of spins before playing, around three to five spins would be good.If you don’t receive a hit after four of five spins, get up and move on.  Keep in mind the longer you play at one machine decreases your chances of winning. Casinos flourish because no matter what the house always comes out the winner in the end.

   It is a sad but true fact that there is no known strategy for winning the slot machine.   There is no way that a player can predict what the spin of the machine will bring.  Although some folks will swear that they have a surefire slot machine strategy, this cannot be possible, and they are either being delusional or are just trying to impress or fool you. However, there are certain guidelines that you can follow that might help improve your odds of beating the slot machine. Let’s take a look at some of these options.
To begin with the first thing you should do is understand the game you are playing.  Read the rules and legends printed on the machine as no two slot machines are exactly alike; they all have their own unique system of rules and jackpot payouts.  Although some slot machines may look quite familiar to you, don’t be fooled, you should still read the legends printed on each machine before you start feeding those coins in the machine.

Most importantly before you even consider playing the slot machine, you need to have some sort of plan in place. First set a limit to the amount of cash you are willing to gamble or more importantly that you can afford to gamble, without dipping into your grocery money, or worse yet, having to mortgage the house. Once you have decided on your budget, stick to the plan, no matter how tempting the situation might be.  Casinos are very good at taking your money from right under your nose.    Next step is to set a limit to the amount of spins without any hits.  Limits should be between three and four spins max.    Some machines are just not generous when it comes to payouts, so if you find that after the third or fourth spin, you haven’t received any hits, don’t bother wasting your time and money on that machine, try another machine.   Look for machines that offer the highest payout percentages.   If a machine is not paying out regularly it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to hit the jackpot anytime soon.  Remember each spin is randomly generated by a computer program and is totally independent of each other.  

If you ever find yourself sitting at a slot machine that owes you money, just stay put, don’t leave that seat.    This might seem too obvious but there have been cases when this was not the case. Sometimes a slot machine might run out of cash before you have finished collecting your winnings. Just stay right there and wait for a casino attendant to come to your aid. Never feed the machine more coins until you have collected your money. Should you continue to play this could result in all evidence of your unfinished payout being erased.

   Your comp card should be working at all times. It is your duty to ensure that it is working and that you can use it every time you play the slot machines. With comp cards you are able to accumulate points and receive fantastic free gifts without any personal risk or loss whatsoever.  Every now and then a slot machine can temporarily lose its connection to your comp card. Do periodic checks to ensure that your comp card is working and your points are accumulating.

  There are lots of theories about how one can win at slot machines; Well there is yet to be someone who has won the big jackpot because of a surefire winning slot machine strategy.  The truth is winning the jackpot is just a matter of luck, it is totally random, you never know what the outcome of the spin is going to be.  Just remember that next time you sit down at your favorite slot machine. Should you find yourself getting frustrated or annoyed with a particular slot machine, you can do two things, either move on to another slot machine or stop playing all together. You can always come back tomorrow. After all playing the slot machine is supposed to be a fun game, so start having some fun playing your favorite slot machine.