Saturday, June 11, 2011

Rules of Blackjack

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If you like a fast-paced card game, blackjack may be for you. It’s the fastest table game at the casino, so maintaining your bankroll is the most important part of blackjack. It’s a game of streaks so you must learn how to take the bad with the good. That’s what gambling is all about.

The dealer is your opponent in blackjack. Others at the table play against the dealer as well. The goal is to get a hand totaling as close as possible up to 21 without going over. Cards 2 through 10 count as face value. Face cards count as 10. An Ace can count as 1 or 11. You want an Ace, because the value can change from 11 to 1 if you go over 21. Hands with an Ace are called soft hands, while hands without an Ace are called hard hands.

Casinos will use six to eight decks to keep players and card counters guessing. Online casinos use a random number generator (RNG), but your odds are still better online than on land. A tie in blackjack is known as a push and you get your original bet back. A hand totaling 21 pays out 3 to 2. Dealers are usually required to stand on a hard 17, where they can’t take any more cards.

Always hit or double down for a soft hand with an Ace and a 2 through a 6. Splitting hands is tricky. Basic blackjack strategy tells you to split 5s or 10s rather than 8s. Blackjack has a house advantage of 5%, but you can get that down to 0.5% with basic strategy. So, blackjack is a game that you can win with a lot of practice. Just be patient because even the professional players only turn a 1-2% profit over the long term.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Rules of Slots

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You may think you know everything there is to know about slots, but I bet I can surprise you. Did you know that the only time there isn’t a house advantage when playing slots is the double up bonus? Did you know that a 1-reel game has 243 ways to play? Some new slot games today have more than 100 reels.

Slots are the most popular online casino game because they are easy to play and you can win life-changing payouts. Each one has a different theme, a way for you to escape from your everyday life. After all, entertainment is the root purpose of gambling. Once you read up on strategy sites like this one, you can make money at it.

There is no definitive strategy to winning at slots. Just find the right type of slot, know how much to bet and check the payouts before you start. The most popular slots today are video slots with at least five reels and multiple lines to play with a bonus. This is different than the classic 3-reel, 1-payline slots where you play fixed lines. You can now play the entire position of the reel, giving you more ways to win, such as the scatter feature.

The best slots come from the biggest software providers like Microgaming, Vegas Technology and Playtech. The best video slots are the Real Series from Realtime Gaming (RTG) or i-Slots from Rival Gaming.

As I mentioned before, the double up bonus is the best bet for a slots player. You are eligible after a win and you can do it up to five times. Always do the maximum bet when playing slots. If you can’t afford it, find a cheaper slot because you want to get the full jackpot, not just a percentage. Check the payouts percentages before playing. When you see a $1 million jackpot or more, it’s likely a progressive jackpot, where multiple slots are linked together, even at other affiliate online casinos.