The Online Casino Gambling Blog

I’ll begin by stating the obvious: the type of blackjack you’re playing will determine the odds you will receive. In single deck blackjack, the kind that is most common the house carries a .05% advantage. Beware that while many casinos advertise single deck blackjack they may have an actual policy of Blackjack paying 6-5 which will be posted somewhere near the table if this is the case. This 6-5 cost almost triples the house advantage upping it to 1.44% so be sure to watch out for the fine print before betting.

In most online casinos which are almost all run out of European countries the European style of blackjack is played wherein the dealer employs the ‘no peek’ rule that is the dealer’s hand is not checked for a blackjack after the cards are dealt but waits until the players have made their wagers and looked at their own cards. At this point the dealer then checks the hand if the dealer has a blackjack the player loses the entire amount wagered.

As for the other variants on the game the Atlantic City blackjack odds leave a player with a return of  -0.43% which is quite low leaving us with the idea that standard blackjack may be the way to go when playing this game. Atlantic City blackjack is also much more complicated as it uses eight decks of cards and players can split their hands up to four times. So really until you’re much further along in your understanding of the game you’ll want to stick to just regular blackjack.

At its heart Blackjack is not a complicated game there are just a few simple rules for basic blackjack that I’ll cover in this article. Basic Blackjack begins with a wager – the player places whatever bet (usually the posted minimum at a casino table) they feel is appropriate along with everyone else in the game and then the hands are dealt around the table. Each hand is two cards – the players are either both face down or face up but the dealer is dealt one card face down and one card face up. The object of the game is to reach 21 by adding the face value of both cards in the cases of Kings, Queens and Jacks these are all valued at 10 while the Ace can either count as a 1 or an 11. If your hand adds up to more than 21 this is what’s known as a ‘bust’ and you have lost the game. At the end of the round whoever comes closest to 21 if no one has hit 21 wins. If the dealer and a player have both come up with ‘Blackjack” this is a tie.

Once a player has been dealt their cards they can either elect to ‘hit’ which means drawing another card in hopes of increasing their proximity to 21 without going over or the player can ‘stand’ which means keeping the hand that has been dealt. A dealer is required to ‘hit’ if his hand adds up to 16 and to ‘stand’ if his hand adds up to 17.

In certain blackjack games you may be allowed to “Surrender” before the round is over, this allows you to back out of the game and lose only half your original bet.

Blackjack can be played at home, in land based casinos or even at online casinos but be sure and read the instructions as with every gambling game as there are many variations to the traditional blackjack game. All differing rules will most likely be posted clearly on the tables at land based casinos and can be found in the FAQ or Frequently Asked Section at most online casinos.

As always have fun and gamble safely!

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.

Moving on from Poker to the next most popular gambling game we come to Slots. Calculating the odds of a modern day slot machine is not as easy as it used to be in the good old days when slot machines were mechanically operated. Long ago one could simply calculate any slot machine’s odds by counting up the number of symbols on the reel. Take for example a three reel slot machine with nine symbols and a single play line as our example. The calculations would be nine multiplied by nine multiplied by nine which gives you a total of seven hundred and twenty nine, possible winning combinations in any given spin. The odds of you hitting the jackpot are one in seven hundred and twenty nine. These day things have certainly changed since then.   In today’s modern world everything is becoming computerized, including the way slot machines operate. Modern slot machines are now programmed with a computer chip that generates combinations and payback percentages in accordance with the casinos, by randomly selected numbers. The old method of calculation the odds based on reels and symbols no longer applies.
 
The final result of the reels and combinations of each spin are totally dependent on those randomly selected numbers generated by the computer program. These computer programs are do not have any specific instruction on when to payout a jackpot, so don’t hold your breath on hitting the jackpot anytime soon.  Over time the machine will accumulate a certain amount of payback percentage, as set out by the casinos. As a result of this new system it would be pointless for anyone to try and calculate the odds of any slot machine, unless of course they had some inside information as to what the payback percentage was. The payback percentage of any given slot machine is totally dependent on the particular casino and has nothing to do with the particular type of machine.  

All slots machines have their legends printed on them which include rules of the game and possible strategies to follow to help even your chances of beating the machine, and the relevant payout information.  The higher denomination machines offer the highest payback percentage. The reason behind this strategy is that the casino can afford to use a smaller portion of the wagers from these higher paying slot machines to create the same amount of profit as the lower denomination slot machines. The more popular casinos usually offer higher slot machine payout percentages, because they have a larger amount of customers than the smaller casinos.

It makes no difference which slot machine you choose to play the fact is your odds can never be more that one hundred percent.  Some slot machines offer a payback of ninety nine percent while others offer a payback of seventy percent.  If you want to find the really high paying slot machines you will have to try as many machines as possible and you will eventually come across one that pays on a regular basis, these are called ‘loose machines’. Once you find a high paying slot machine you should keep on playing that same machine until you stop receiving any more hits. No one can predict how a slot machine is going to behave on any given day, you might receive a lot of hits on a particular day and the next day when you play on that same machine you might not receive a single hit. In a regular brick and mortar casinos the chances of winning the big jackpot are usually around five hundred thousand to one. If you were to hit one of these jackpots you would certainly have to think of yourself as one very lucky player.

Picking up from yesterday here are a few more tips for the intermediate player.

A good player is an unpredictable player
A player you can predict is a player you can beat, don’t be that player. Shake up your betting style or act like you’re bluffing when you’re not, keep the other players on their toes so they can’t tell what you’re going to do.

Use your position.
The best position to hold in a poker game is the button – as the last player to bet you have the most advantage as you can observe everyone else’s actions and consider them carefully before making your own.

Practice makes perfect
And online poker is perfect for practice as it tests your basic skills and gives you a chance to practice your strategy. Use it as the advantage it can be for when you play at real casinos.

Greed is the greatest hindrance a player can have.
Don’t try and win every single hand at the highest profit you can, be realistic both in your bets and your expectations.

A Good Player never stops learning
In addition to these tips there are dozens of good books out there than can teach you different types of poker strategy. Learn from your opponents as to what works in a bluff and what doesn’t. Learn your own preferences, learn your bad habits and cut them out of your game, learn what you like to do as a player and make that work for you.

Most importantly if you’re not having fun you’re not playing the game right.