May 24th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Alex Spieler
Baccarat is one of the oldest and most popular games in casinos all over the world. It is especially popular among high-rollers and Asian gamblers. But most people don’t know how to play it. That is pure ignorance. Baccarat is the Casino game with one of the lowest overall house edge (approx. 1%).
Baccarat is essentially a game of chance and there is relatively little the player can do strategically to improve the odds. But you can improve your chances. Just follow these simple tips.
Playing Baccarat you have only a choice of three bets, but it does not mean you don’t have any options at all.
- Betting on the Player Hand - the house edge is 1.29%.
- Betting on the Bank Hand - the house edge is 1.01%.
- Betting on a Tie Hand - the house edge is 15.75%.
The house edge numbers mean that Banker hand wins more often in the long run. Even after paying a 5% commission it is still a slightly better proposition than betting on "Player hand". So, there is only one good bet to make - Bank Hand.
As shown on the Baccarat Odds, you can improve your chances by choosing the right game to play: you should look for the casino that offers the lower number of decks played and lower commission.
The best choice is the 6 deck card game with 4 percent commission on the winning "Banker" hand. And there are single deck baccarat tables in online casinos that are powered by Microgaming software.
And always remember about money management.
Enjoy the game! And good luck!
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US friendly
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Free 125% (get a 125% free bonus for $10-$100 deposit)
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Weekly $1,000 Awards.
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Established - 1999
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Payout - 97.43%
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Posted in: Baccarat
Tags: Baccarat, baccarat strategy, card game, table game
May 17th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Alex Spieler
Unlike most other casino games, blackjack is a game whose outcome is greatly influenced by the player, right from the moment the player cuts the deck of cards. The dealer is practically like a robot. He follows set rules and makes no decisions of his own. But the blackjack gives its advantage to the dealer. For example, if both the dealer and you exceed 21, the dealer wins.
Blackjack, like every other card game is a "game of chance". It means that you can’t win every hand or even every day. If you want to increase your chances, follow these simple tips.
Tip #1. Learn basic blackjack strategy and follow it no matter what your hunches tell you. Blackjack is a game of math. There are some links to basic blackjack strategy charts for different types of game:
- Single-deck Blackjack
- Double-deck Blackjack
- Four-deck Blackjack
- European Blackjack
Tip #2. Use a card-counting technique. This is the best way to win. It isn’t difficult to understand, but it takes time to perfect. Operated well, card counting reverses the odds. However, for those who play in high-street casinos, be warned: the better chance of success via card counting comes with a severe risk of being banned and facing a scary session with the gorillas below stairs. And card-counting technique doesn’t work online with blackjack.
Tip #3. Managing your bankroll is a key to being profitable in the long run. If you make it a rule to never sit down at a table with a bet size that’s more than 1/20 of your bankroll for that session, your money will last longer. And if you’re an advantage player, your risk of ruin will be reduced too.
WARNING
Remember, card counting does not guarantee you to win, the cards are still the luck of the draw. Card-counting, when done correctly, only maximizes your chances of beating the dealer, it does not guarantee you to win.
Half-post for interesting blogs:
Donald Mihailov wrote about follow-the-dealer blackjack strategy:
I got asked a common question the other day, “Is it a good blackjack strategy to follow the dealer and do exactly what they do?”.
The answer is …
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US friendly
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Free 125% (get a 125% free bonus for $10-$100 deposit)
-
Weekly $1,000 Awards.
-
Established - 1999
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Payout - 97.43%
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Posted in: blackjack
Tags: basic strategy, black jack, blackjack, blackjack chart, hot to win
May 4th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Alex Spieler
Jacks or Better Video Poker is the one of the most common video poker variations you will find in casinos. It is a great game to play if you are new to video poker or you have limited bankroll as it has a relatively low variance and full pay machines are quite easy to find.
As the name suggests the lowest possible hand is a pair of jacks or better (J, Q, K or A’s).
The payout tables vary from machine to machine, and are classified by the ratio of payout between the Full House and Flush hands. A "Full Pay" Jacks or Better Video Poker machine offers returns as detailed in the chart below, known as the 9/6 chart.
Jacks or Better, Full Pay
Hand - Payout
Royal Flush - 800x
Straight Flush - 50x
Four of a Kind - 25x
Full House - 9x
Flush - 6x
Straight - 4x
Three of a Kind - 3x
Two Pair - 2x
JJ, QQ, KK, AA - 1x
None of the above - None
This is the optimal pay table to look for. Jacks or Better machines with such pay table has a payout percentage of 99.54% when you play five coins per hand.
There are three common strategies for Jacks or Better Video poker:
1. Simple strategy. Using the strategy on a full pay machine will result in an expected return of 99.46%.
2. Intermediate strategy. Using the strategy on a full pay machine will result in an expected return of 99.52%.
3. Optimal strategy. "Full pay" designates the following pay table, per coin based on five coins bet, which returns 99.54% of money bet assuming optimal strategy.
To learn Jacs or Better it is best if you practice at home using video poker tutorial software like Video Poker for Winners.
| |
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US friendly
-
Free 125% (get a 125% free bonus for $10-$100 deposit)
-
Weekly $1,000 Awards.
-
Established - 1999
-
Payout - 97.43%
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Posted in: Video Poker
Tags: jacks or better, jacks+, Video Poker
