casino weblog

Had a bad run with the cards and lost a few dollars - got my pride wacked outa shape. Thought about playing video poker machine for a change of scenery, but ended up walking past the slots machines into the bar. So here’s me sitting here nursing a consolatory screwdriver and my quiet time’s disturbed by the young fellah who seems to think I owe him another piece. He’s got no cause to beef with me.

And it’s not like he’s anteing up so much cash he gets any rights to bid me what to do. He’s like a piker - stingy bettor with a big mouth. Not worth the time of day, most days.So I s’pose I’d better say a few words of reassurance - not that it’ll actually boost your confidence. The truth ain’t designed to do that.

So, let me sit you down in front of a video poker machine playing Jacks or Better on a pay table that’s offering 9-6-250 like online at goldencasino.com. For those who’ve not boned up on the jargon, that’s a machine paying 250 per coin on a Royal Flush, 9 on a Full House and 6 on a Flush. That machine’s set up to pay back only a fraction over 98% of what it takes. Even if you play a perfect strategy on this machine, the theoretical return never gets above 100%. It bears saying again. No matter which lucky rabbit’s foot you got in your pants, the very best you can hope to do is to almost break even.

The House took millions of extra profit. Half the room got to playing the Martingdale System. They were doubling their bets after every loss. So why do some folk get so all-fired sure they’ve been cheated by slot machines? In a word: frustration. They were hot, certain their luck was in, but had a long bad session. That always makes the loss harder to bear - when your emotion gets in the way of your judgement. Gambling’s got streaks of luck both ways. But they tapped out of money before the streak ended. Was there anything wrong with the wheel? Nope! The math god smiled and it was true.

If I stopped there, there’s no sense in any casino cheating on the slot machines. But there’s no denying you’re right ’bout one thing. I’ve seen a few do it to put the money in their own pockets - most of them got decent burials, too. Yeh, there’s some cheating going on, but most of it’s on your side and it’s not very subtle.

One last thought before the thinking’s done: some of you load up your own software to run alongside video poker machines - kinda like a coach. They might not like some of the things they find - not within the spirit of the game from their point of view. Remember the old Chinese saying, “Big fish eat small fish.”

See you in a casino!

I am skeptical of much of what Scarne has written about blackjack, so I’ll quote from Mickey MacDougall’s MacDougall on Dice and Cards (Coward-McCann, 1944, NY), which was published prior to any of Scarne’s books: “Many professionals dress up the game by giving prizes for certain hands. I believe Epstein’s information is taken from Scarne, and Scarne states that he discovered the origins of blackjack in America as a result of his private discussions with old-time gamblers, not from any published texts that can be looked up today.

According to Richard Epstein, blackjack became popular game during World War I, and was called “black-jack” from the custom of paying a bonus to a player who held an ace of spades with a jack of spades or clubs. According to some historians, by 1919a Chicago gambling equipment distributor was selling felt table layouts embla-zoned.

In an honestly dealt single-deck game, this gimmick bonus would give the player a substantial edge over the house, assuming the player knew basic strategy (an unlikely assumption). I would also assume that a gambling house that offered this bonus would be using any number of illegitimate methods to assure the house a healthy edge.

That amusing bonus payout that gave blackjack its name, however, has long since disappeared. There may be some casino somewhere that pays a small bonus if a player is dealt a natural 21 which includes a jack of spades or clubs, but that is no longer a normal rule of the game.

Thorp also included a Simple Point Count in this new edition of his book, but at the time that strategy seemed way too simple to most players to gain much of an edge, or to be taken seriously by players who wanted to beat the game. Later, the power of Thorp’s simpler method of adjusting the running count, without keeping a separate count of the exact number of cards played, would be shown.

That’s when Ed Thorp dropped another bombshell. Under the auspices of their Vintage Paperback division, Random House published a revised and expanded edition of Beat the Dealer. And the most important addition was Harvey Dubner’s Hi-Lo counting system, which Thorp called the Complete Point Count, with a computer-optimized strategy devised by Julian Braun. Today, a blackjack is simply any initial two cards that consist of an ace and any ten-valued card. To the casinos’ frustration, this was a system that could more easily be applied to multiple-deck games.

During the early 70th, Dr. Kit Taft began developing the first concealed blackjack computer, and soon, Kit had started using a computer in the Nevada casinos to play “perfect” blackjack. By the mid-’70s, Kit and his son, Marty, had met Al Francesco, and they would be putting together teams of players using computers to beat the blackjack tables.

Nevada had no laws at that time prohibiting the use of devices at their tables. Kit’s first computer weighed fifteen pounds. He went on to develop dozens of concealable computers and other electronic devices over the next two decades, ever smaller and more powerful.

In the toe of each shoe there were two “switches” - one above each big toe and one beneath - for a total of four switches. By using a series of toe taps, kind of like Morse code, the player could relay to the computer everything it needed to know in order to make a decision in a blackjack game: which cards had already been dealt, what cards the player held, and the dealer’s upcard.

There is only one thing that you must always bear in your head when playing online casino poker. Your experience level can’t prevent you from situations where you’ll need help. There are three main rules that can be followed to improve the game of all players, regardless of how well they play.

Showing other players that you are new to the game can sometimes help in giving you a better advantage. If a person sees an inexperienced player, some will tend to be lenient towards you. This is the key to having fun, and of course winning the money.

In truth however, most players are only looking at what they are doing, and will tend to ignore any others that are in the room. Therefore, there is no need to concentrate on any other player during a game other than your own hand. This way, the game will run smoothly, and you’ll be guaranteed to have fun.

The second rule that is stressed to those playing poker is to gain information about the room you’re entering. So many players sit down to play a game without taking anything in. The staff in the poker room are there to help all players, so if there are any queries you might have, these are the people to help you. They can inform you on the types of games that are offered, the rewards and incentives that come with the games, and they can also tell you other things such as how long the games typically last.

It isn’t a requirement that you enter a poker room and start playing, and it is possible to watch others playing a game to determine the experience level of each player before deciding whether or not to play. Helpful hints are always good to have when deciding on different rooms of casino poker.

Finally, the last rule in casino poker is to take breaks. Concentration is a key factor in playing online poker, and it is very common for players to become frustrated with newer ones who play too long and then begin to falter in the speed of their game.

When walking around the poker room, you should notice the dealers first. Watching them will give you an idea of the speed of the game that is being played. This is so that the newer or more inexperienced players can have the opportunity to obtain refreshments as and when needed without disturbing others. Not only that, taking a break will enable you to walk around the room, and obtain any other information about the players that might help you improve your game.

Which way one decide to go to the casino? The answer is easy: go with what you know. But the follow up answer is: grow with what you like. What do I mean by that? Browse yourself to find the best online casinos. If you enjoy the casino games offered and what to try them out, why not? Most importantly, if the site offers a variety of the game that you like plus provide you with the other famous casino games you want to try out, you should definitely get in on the action. However, being that playing these online casino sites is really one big game of chance and odds, it would be safe to say that by trying your luck at more games, you are increasing your odds all the way around, right? So be smart when you find the online casino that’s right for you. Find one that offers more games, more odds, nice payouts, and amazing software to work with. This will leave you feeling like you are playing smart, increasing the odds that you will be back to patronize that particular gambling site.

Some people believe that playing slots can be a game made solely for losers; one that is connected to nothing at all, and requires no skills or techniques in order to win. These folks are often think that there are nothing they can do about slots and that all that can influence on the game is lady luck. Operated by a random number generator, the game of Slots is always maintained to generate fresh, random numbers regularly. This makes you think that you’re playing in the best videogame ever. Also, you do have to require a familiarity with the game so that you can play correctly and leave happy, knowing that there was nothing you could have done to sway the outcome. One thing that you should know is that when you play free slots you won’t win anything. This is a practice style game. When you do bet real money, you should always try to go for max bet, especially if these are slots. This would mean that your payout. Now, this is something that you should know if you choose to play slots. Or you can remain uninformed about the game and walk away with less than you could have potentially walked away with. Would an uninformed slots player do that? I don’t think so.

Many people think that slots are a game that only allows the best players to win. Those people, though, would be wrong. Slots are a game that offers the ultimate in the “trying your luck” experience. You could literally be anyone, walking around, with nothing to do. You could also have nothing in your pocket but some spare change. Chances are you could find yourself spending that change in a slot machine, trying your luck. If lady luck shines on you in that moment, at that slot machine, you may find that you win a generous amount of money. When you play slots, you are giving away total control to the fates. And if you are lucky, you can have a life-changing experience. The same simply cannot be said about other casino games. You should have a sense of the game and some skill about the ways the games are played. The options for slots have grown and are now endless. Don’t mistake luck for dumb-luck, though. You should know that you can play the best slots around at the right places. You can play free slots online and try your hand at luck from the comfort of your own home. Slots online is one of the places where you can find the games best suited for your skill level and your lucky day!