Slot machines: a winning strategy

27 August, 2008 (02:07) | Uncategorized | No comments

Most people who play slots, hope to take home jackpot one day. There is also the pure entertainment value of playing the slots. While it would be great if there was a strategy that could make you a long term winner at slots, the truth is, there is really no such thing. First, be sure that you understand what you are doing when you play slot machines. Know what the pay tables are and what it takes to be eligible to win a jackpot or bonus before you put any coins into a machine. If you play fairly often, you can join the slots club at the location where you play. It is free to join and members get benefits like free meals, discounts on hotel rooms or even free rooms, and sometimes cash back. Perhaps the most important rule of thumb when playing slots or any game of chance for that matter is only play with disposable income - that is, money that you can afford to lose. For example, if you decide to play four sessions, stop if you have used up one fourth of your bankroll during any one session. Take a break and do something else for a while. If you win, you may decide to keep playing or to pocket the winnings for now. If you want to be able to play for a long time, make sure you choose a machine that does not penalize you for playing less than the maximum number of coins. Be sure that you are rested and alert while you are playing, and don’t play for a long period of time without a break. If you are tired, you are more likely to make a costly mistake. It is a good idea to decide in advance how much you will spend on slots during an entire day or trip. Divide your bankroll into equal amounts and play that many sessions without going over the allotted amount during any one period of play.On the other hand, if you are playing progressive slots with the hope of hitting the jackpot, you have to play the maximum number of coins in order to be eligible for the big prize. Don’t play on a progressive slot machine if you only want to play one coin at a time. Remember that slot machines are intended to be fun and entertaining. It can be exciting to win the jackpot, but the primary goal of playing slots should always be to have fun without losing your shirt!

Instinctive paranoia

22 August, 2008 (08:26) | Uncategorized | No comments

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.

‘Cause most folk can’t play the perfect strategy, the House edge on every video poker machine keeps the funds rolling in. That’s why you gotta pass the carousels of slot machines before you get to the tables. They’re the bread-an-butter earners for every casino.

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. Greed’s the worm in the gambling apple. Don’t matter which side of the fence you’re on, there’s always some as thinks they’re gonna hit it big. So I’ve seen pit bosses and managers decide the Vig’s not enough and rig the games. 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.

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. On one hot August night in 1913, the roulette wheel in Monte Carlo came up black a record-breaking twenty-six times in a row. The House took millions of extra profit. Half the room got to playing the Martingdale System. They were doubling their bets after every loss. 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.

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. Me, I don’t have no problem with that, but some online casinos’re uploading Dynamic Link Library subroutines to identify the applications you’re running at the same time as the casino package. 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.”

Catch ya ’round.

Homing in on house rules

16 May, 2008 (11:40) | Uncategorized | No comments

Blackjack rules are fairly similar worldwide — with a few variations. Sometimes a small placard sitting on the table indicates where the casino stands in regard to certain scenarios. If you don’t see a placard, you may ask the dealer what the house rules are, even when you’re in the middle of a hand.

Purchasing chips

16 May, 2008 (11:38) | Uncategorized | No comments

After you select your seat, you need to buy chips from the dealer. Select the amount of money you want to start with and lay your cash on the felt in front of you. The dealer changes your cash into chips and slides them across the felt to you.

Don’t hand your money directly to the dealer; doing so is a breach of eti¬quette and brands you as a greenhorn.
After you receive your chips, leave them on the table in front of you. Chips come in several denominations and are color-coded. Although every casino uses distinctive chips, most colors are standard. (Check out Chapter 1 for a list of the different color chips and their values.)
Start off with a small amount of chips. A good approach is to cash in no more than 25 percent of your daily bankroll for chips. For example, if you budget $400 for the day, buy in for no more than $100 to start. This way, when you’re losing, you minimize the temptation to bet more than you planned. You can always buy more chips later if necessary.

Limits

16 May, 2008 (11:37) | Uncategorized | No comments

Before you actually sit down, look for the table’s minimum and maximum betting limits - and choose blackjack tacktics. Every table has these fixed limits, which the casino usually posts on a small sign located on the table to the right of the dealer.

Casinogame - play in Internet

6 May, 2008 (10:00) | Uncategorized | No comments

Internet play is similar to a video poker machine. You have a video interface (your computer monitor) and buttons (on your mouse), and high-tech sili­cone chips (rather than a real deck of cards) determine the outcome. Just as in video poker, gambling online means that money changes hands. The method of exchange may be slightly different, but your bink account doesn’t notice.

In order to gamble online, you need to have access to a cbmputer. To start playing,

1.       Log on the Internet.

2.   Do one of the following:

    • Download gambling software on your own  computer

 

    • Connect directly with the mother ship in cyberspace (such as with flash or Java).

Normally, downloading the casino and saving it to your computer is better; it takes only a few minutes and is totally free. However, if you have dial-up or limited storage space on your hard drive, some casinos offer a lite version (a scaled-down version that has only the most popular games).

Be sure you have a good virus protection program before doing any Internet gambling.