Basic Slots Terms You Should Know

Be prepared. That’s my motto. For players about to enter the casino world of slots online or off, these terms will give you a good starting point towards your education.

We begin with Slots Types/Versions:

Basic, straight or “flat-top” slots have a constant top jackpot payout that does not change no matter how much the machine is played.

Multiplier Slots pays for certain symbols on a graduating scale. On a three reel, you get 5 coins for a “cherry” playing 1 coin, 10 pay for 2 coins and 15 pay for 3 coins. The payouts for playing 1 coin are much smaller than if you played maximum coins.

Bonus Multiplier Slots offer larger top jackpots as incentive to play max coins. The top jackpot symbol, e.g. 7’s will only pay with max coins. This is important for those players who have lined up winning 7’s only to find their single coin bet did not win.

Multiplier ‘Wild’ Symbol Slots: versions with bonus credits, scatter pays and free spins include Multi Jackpot, Triple Double Diamond, Five Times Pay and Triple Red White & Blue. Same scenario, max coins produce larger winnings.

Buy-your-Pay: Each coin played triggers the posted symbol payout. E.G., if you play one coin, you only trigger ‘cherry’ pays. Two coins trigger ‘cherries’ and ‘bars’. Is there a worse feeling that lining up all three top jackpot symbols with only one coin played?

Double Machines: pays double or triple with winning combinations of certain symbols lined up, e.g. Double Diamond.

Signature Slots: online and off casinos offer their own brand of slots, generally looser creating the desired PR for the casino.

Progressive Slots: offer growing jackpots dependent upon amount of monies played through the linked bank/carousel slots. A larger bankroll is required and all progressives are at least three coin max slots with two jackpot levels – primary and secondary. When either jackpot wins, values are reset to minimums for each. Max play is mandatory here.

Additionally, online progressives offer several high dollar top jackpots that now provide valid competition to land-based progressives.

Bonus Multiline Slots: described as ‘branded machines’, ‘entertainment-content’, ‘brand recognition’, ‘participation’ games, and ‘interactive’ slots. The name Bonus Slots says it all, an opportunity to go to a ‘second chance’ bonus round where the real money is.

You are on sensory overload with Bonus Slots offering at least 25 symbols filling up the screen in front of you. Multiple pay-lines with as many as 50 paylines.

Most versions come in penny denominations; also nickel, quarter and dollar.

RNG – Random Number Generator, a computer chip placed inside the slot machine by the manufacturer which randomly selects hundreds of numbers and symbols every second, faster than you can pull that handle or push that spin button; working even when the machine is idle. Each number corresponds to a certain symbol combination that is randomly chosen after the first coin is dropped or credit played. Fewest programmed combinations are for the top jackpot. This program computer chip is also designed to determine that particular slot’s average payout %.

No slot machine will pay back its preset payoff percentage rate every time, because the final outcome of every spin is randomly selected.

Reels: number of wheels/reels showing on slot with symbol combinations imprinted: usually three, but some slots have five.

Slot Schedule: posted information on front of slot tells you what type of slot, denomination and win amounts possible for each coin played. Read this!

Loose/Tight slots- Loose slots will have better payoffs to a ‘certified’ high of 100%, on average over a period time. A machine will have a symbol; let’s say 2-3 cherries, which pay a couple of coins.

These cherries will replace a symbol that doesn’t pay, and presto you have a loose machine. Reverse this procedure for a tight slot. In other words, the more paying symbols a machine has, the greater the probability of payouts – thus a loose slot.

Slots Drop/Hold: Drop: amount of money through the slot. Hold: amount not paid out as wins; these two numbers determine slot’s payout %.

Slot Testing: playing through a single roll of coins without using accumulated credits to determine possible payout % for selected slot.

Up/Down Slot Cycle: Slot’s average payoff percentage rate applies over the long haul, as long as one year. Therefore, a slot with a 98% payoff percentage rate will sometimes pay off at 130% and other times at 50%…sometimes at 28% and other times at 502%. The lower percentages indicate a down cycle and the higher numbers an up cycle.

Sound of Rain: coins dropping into the holder after a payout.

Slot Club Cards/Comps/Online Promotions: Sign up for freebies and reap the benefits.

Slot Talk: information traded between other players, change people and slot hosts to locate winning slots and improve your slots education. Online slot players’ forums are another resource.

I will return soon with more Slots Talk. In the meantime, why don’t you check out my website where I’ve compiled many more slots articles, general gambling articles and much more!

Online Sportsbooks and Betting Exchanges: A Beginner’s Guide

With the exception of the occasional “friendly” bet that’s made between friends, for untold years sports wagering has been done through the services of a bookmaker, a person or organization set up to “book” bets, pay winners and collect from losers.

On the whole, it’s been a solid, successful system that has offered punters the action they craved while securing a profit—and sustainability—for the book.

Over the past few years, a new breed of betting forum has crept into the gaming scene, an industry whose novel approach to wagering has set the stage for a potential sportsbetting coup: betting exchanges.

These person-to-person sites have turned the wagering world upside down, letting gamblers confront one another rather than the house. But which is better? That’s for you to decide.

Traditional Sportsbooks vs. Betting Exchanges

Before getting mired into a debate about the merits and flaws of each system, it’s important to have at least a working understanding of the two formats. At their most basic levels, they are:

Sportsbook: An organization that accepts wagers on sporting events. In order to provide bettors with their services, bookmakers charge a small commission on all losing wagers. That commission ranges from a typical 10% to as low as 5%. Following the posted event, the bookmaker pays winners according to predetermined values, or odds.

Betting Exchange: A betting exchange facilitates wagers between gamblers directly. They allow bettors to act either as the book themselves—setting things up to earn a profit through others—or to search for the best odds courtesy of another bettor. The bettors are involved only with each other, with the exchange taking no direct interest in any wagers. Instead, the exchange makes its profit by charging a commission, which is calculated as a percentage of net winnings for each customer on each event, often 2% or less.

Traditional online sportsbooks offer a variety of benefits. For starters the biggest books provide bettors with an extremely wide range of events—just about every major and minor event the world over—as well as diverse betting opportunities including reverse bets, round robins, futures, propositions, straight wagers, parlays, teasers, if-bets, etc.

Also, the better books tend to offer players more in terms of incentives then their exchange competitors. These can take many forms, such as sign-up bonuses, VIP points, 1/2 “juice” specials, and referral bonuses. In ideal cases the book will also feature a combination of recurring incentives (such as monthly deposit bonuses) so punters can perpetually augment their bankroll.

Finally, let’s not neglect the fact that traditional online sportsbooks are relatively easy to use, simple to navigate and tend to come complete with a host of resource options and links that can assist gamblers while making a decision.

Like their more traditional counterparts, betting exchanges have their own set of special perks. Punters, for example, can back their selection just as they would a traditional bookmaker, but expand to “lay” a price; that is bet against a team winning, rather than betting that they do win. In addition, when it comes to specific bet, punters are free to ask for a better price than what’s offered in the hope that someone will come along and match that request. In fact, the odds available on a betting exchange are frequently superior to what’s offered by the traditional bookmakers, despite the commission charged.

Another advantage of the exchange is the ability to alter one’s position during a long-term event. For instance, if you backed team X for $10 at 16-1, later you could lay them at 2-1 in order to guarantee a profit. You could offer $30 of your potential profit in order to win $15 if they fail, thereby covering your initial $10 stake. In this case, your first bet of $10 would return $160 with a victory. In the case where you are laying team X for $15 of your opponent’s money to $30 of your own, team X’s loss would earn $15. When both bets are accumulated the result will either be a $130 profit with a team X victory ($160-$30=$130) or a $5 profit (-$10 + $15=$5).

On the downside, however, betting exchanges can face restrictions that may limit a bettor’s opportunities. For example, exchanges are not suited to unrestricted multiple parlay betting. Major exchanges like Betfair do offer accumulators of their own content but these are typically limited. Also, exchanges tend to restrict the odds that can be offered to between 1-100 and 999-1
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As you can see, there are plusses and minuses associated with both online sportsbooks and betting exchanges—both are great, neither is perfect. Tour through the different sites, get a feel for how each one works and choose the one that suits you the best.

Introduction to Texas Hold’em

Although Texas Hold’em is a game which can take years to master, it can be learned in its most basic form quite quickly. And, there is no substitute for hands-on experience – you can read about Texas Hold’em until the cows til the cows come home, but until you actually start playing, you will never truly grasp this game’s unique flow.

Therefore, let’s review some of the game’s fundamentals you’ll need to remember before you get out there and start playing.

Grab The Pot

The object of the game in Texas Hold’em is to collect the pot at the end of each hand. Pretty basic, right? However, here’s where things get interesting. Texas Hold’em can be qualified as a “community card” game, meaning that all the players involved will build their final hand based upon certain shared cards. Five of these cards are dealt throughout the course of a hand, and are used in conjunction with two cards that are yours alone. These two cards are referred to as “hole” cards because they are kept face down throughout the hand.

Show And Tell?

Whether your hole cards will ever be revealed to the other players depends upon the outcome of the hand. For instance, if you find yourself in a one-on-one (or “heads up”) situation at the end of hand and you convince your opponent to fold through masterful bluffing, it is up to you whether to reveal your two hole cards. After a successful bluff has been executed, some players cannot resist the temptation of rubbing it in their opponent’s face by revealing the worthless cards. Other, more cautious players, decide not to reveal their cards and thus keep their opponents guessing indefinitely.

A Typical Hand

Let’s now look at the overall structure of a typical hand of Texas Hold’em. Once you have been dealt your hole cards, there is a betting round known as the “pre-flop”. Then the dealer will set three cards face up on the table, which are collectively called the “flop”, and a betting round follows this. Another card is turned face up, called the “turn”, followed by yet another round of betting. Then, the river card is dealt, also face up, the final betting round takes place, and the chips change hands.

It’s easy to learn how to play Texas Holdem, so either catch another article at this website or start practicing now!

Survival Guide for Internet Gambling: 10 Simple Rules to Play, Win and Live Part 2

We continue the Survival Guide for Internet Gambling with Rules #6-10.

Rule #6: Stop the bleeding: Set valid limits
Don’t adopt the mindset to play to your last dollar. Successful gambling hinges on is the ability to control impish impulses and properly manage that bankroll. Setting limits on how much you’re going to risk for the day is a useful tool that will help you develop discipline and serve to protect you from being totally wiped out during a particularly bad run of luck.

Personally, I always set a loss limit of 50% of my bankroll. Although high to some player, I find 50% to be comfortable, allowing me to walk away and lick my wounds with a sizeable portion of my money safe and secure.

Rule #7: Have a clear goal
What’s the goal of gambling? To win money. But such a broad description can be counterproductive in the mania-inducing setting of the casino floor. How much is enough? If I started with $100 and am up to $600, how much of that $600 should I continue to put at risk? If I lose $300 of it, should I leave with the remaining $200 profit in tact, or try to win back what I once had?

On any given day in a casino, most players are ahead as some point. The problem is they don’t know when to quit. They simply want more, and more. And that’s how they start losing. Just wanting to win money isn’t enough of a goal. Be more specific. Outline your goal for any gambling session and do you best to reach it. But make those goals realistic, preferably based on both your skill level and your bankroll. If you’re a solid player starting out with a $1,000 bankroll, try to win 30%–$300.
If you’re a beginner, consider a lower profit rate of 10-20%. Then, regardless of your level, once you’ve reached your goal, put aside your original bankroll plus a tidy profit and play with the rest. This keeps you in the game to possibly earn more, while simultaneously locking in a profit.

Rule #8: Heed the payout percentage
In online gambling, most reputable sites allow visitors to review the payout percentage history. Although its usefulness is limited to games where skill is a major factor, such percentages from chance games—like slots—offers players a peek at what type of battle they’ll be fighting.

Rule #9: Take advantage of comps…but don’t chase them
Unlike traditional casinos whose comps involve cash, rooms, food, and entertainment, online casinos are limited to one, crucial freebee—money. These comps take many forms including new player bonuses, VIP programs, retuning player rewards, referral fees and so on. Be sure to maximize these rewards whenever possible. For example, if you’re a new member and plan to wager $200, deposit it all in one shot rather than splitting it into three or four separate deposits. This frequently earns more free cash, since new player comps are often based on a percentage of that initial deposit. In addition, be familiar with the site’s continuing promotions and know how best to use them to your advantage. Do they comp player deposits monthly? Is there a “Player’s Club” where you can earn points for play? Can you earn cash back on losses?

Although comps are an important bankroll booster, don’t let them sway your judgment to the point where earning that comp becomes the be-all, end-all—even to the point of decimating your bankroll. Comps earned as a part of your natural play are wonderful little treats, but don’t ever, ever chase after them. They’re just not worth it.

Rule #10: Find a site that supports your preferences
Our last rule is also one that many new online players overlook. When choosing a site, don’t buy in to the hype and marketing gimmicks used to draw you in. Do your own research—visit web portals, or read unbiased reviews online and in reputable gaming magazines—and use that information to help find a site that fits you the best. For example, a slots player should choose a site that offers a large selection of such games, AND provides special comps, reward programs and other suitable benefits. A blackjack player, on the other hand, might want to find a site that offers multiple versions of the game, preferably ones featuring reduced-edge rules.

Just following these simple rules won’t transform you into a gambling guru overnight. There’s a lot more involved in successful gambling, much of which can be found here, be it for recreation or a profession. But this is a good start. Incorporate each of these rules into your play, actively work to improve your basic skills, and strive to become the best possible player: a knowledgeable one.

Just remember, unlike that street thug, you don’t have to give the casino anything.

Survival Guide for Internet Gambling: 10 Simple Rules to Play, Win and Live Part 1

When a street thug takes your cash, they call it a crime.  But when a casino does it, well, it’s simply chalked-up to bad luck.  Funny, since it seems at times that the only difference is that you don’t spend hours trying to reach to a street thug.

Kidding aside, successful casino gambling is tricky business.  Almost invariably, the odds are stacked against you, requiring a lot of skill, discipline, resolve, and guile to prove successful.  While you can’t always expect to win, no matter how good a player you are, neither do you need always lose.  It just takes a little extra effort and determination to learn the basic rules for successful gambling and make them a part of your play. To further research online casinos and the rules of the game, check out Win247, a great resource for all your gambling needs.

Rule #1: Learn first, play later.

Often because of some basic familiarity, gamblers dive right in and start betting before fully understanding all of the attributes, risks, and subtle nuances of the game.  Even players who have been gambling for years are sometimes at a disadvantage because they learned the mechanics of a game, and not its intricacies.  What’s the house edge?  Is the strategy the same for two decks as it is for six? Eight?  Can I (or should I) hedge my bet?  Should I always play the maximum coins on a straight multiplier slot machine?

Unless you can easily answer all rules and strategy questions for the game(s) you play, you increase the house’s edge and hand over more money than you otherwise would.  Wanna start down the path towards successful Internet gambling?  Learn the ins and outs of the rules and strategies, practice in the free play mode, and don’t risk any real cash until you’ve mastered the game.

Rule #2: Bet sensibly.

With very few exceptions casino gambling is negative-expectation entertainment.  That is, the games are designed to favor the house, and in the long run even the most skilled players will ultimately lose.  Craps, roulette, slots, Caribbean stud poker, blackjack (sans card counting)—just about every game subjects players to their insidious bankroll-depleting nature.

Of course, the house’s edge varies from game to game, with some being minimal or only moderately costly, while others are simply horrendous.  Complicating matters even further, even the best games commonly have bad betting options built in that can wreak havoc on the bankroll.  For example, craps is a relatively low vigorish game that offers many sensible bets such as the combined Pass/Odds (2X) at 0.6%.  Yet just a little farther into the table sits the “Any Seven,” a horrible wager costing a whopping 16.7%!  Similarly a blackjack player could find a decent game online with a vigorish lower than 0.5% (depending on the rules) but give into fear or temptation and take insurance, and suffer an edge of about 7.0% on the bet.  In short, whatever your game, be sure you know which bets are good and which ones are bad, and stick with those that offer the house a mere pittance for your action.

Rule #3: Gambling is like sex—slower is better!

Speed can be a good thing.  It wouldn’t be much of a race if all of contenders in the Kentucky Derby simply trotted along at a comfortable pace.  Sex, on the other hand, isn’t typically an activity where a speedy delivery gets high marks. And neither is gambling.

Because of the house’s edge attached to each game, gamblers are perpetually paying for the luxury of playing.  And the faster you play, the more hands you see, or the more reels you spin, the quicker your bankroll is depleted.  This can become even more threatening in the computer-generate online environment where the games move much faster than they do in a real casino.  So slow it down.  Take a few breaths in between each hand, or count to five or ten.  Do anything you can to lower the number of bets made every hour.  True, this won’t reduce the house’s edge one bit, but it will keep you playing longer and help you to develop one of the toughest skills in gambling: self-control.

Rule #4: Choose the best game versions

One of the greatest features of online gambling is the freedom of choice its accessibility offers.   Rather that being at the mercy of location, players can select from hundreds and even thousands of casinos in search of the best games.  And since online casinos need to operate with a global approach, players can often use international rule variations to their advantage.  For example, here in the U.S., roulette players are pretty much stuck with the double-zero version of the game—which features a “0” and “00” and a vigorish of 5.26%.  Online casinos, however, frequently offer French or European versions of the game that feature a single zero and the “en prison” rule where even money bets that land on zero either return half the bet to the player, or it becomes imprisoned with the outcome decided on the next spin.  The edge on this version is drastically lower—2.70%

Rule #5:  Avoid costly side bets.

More than a few casino games offer optional side bets that proffer large jackpots should you be lucky enough to overcome the long odds. Games like Let it ride, Caribbean stud poker, and certain versions of Blackjack and Roulette are among the most common culprits, luring players in with potential paydays in the hundreds of thousands. While these can be very tempting, it’s best to beg off such action in favor of the main game at hand.  Why?  Most of these side bets have a vigorish hovering somewhere in the 25% range—that’s $25/hour when 100 decisions are made hourly.  That’s simply just too costly a wager to make for such little chance of success.

Next time Part 2: Rules #6-10 of your internet gambling survival guide.