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Always Read the Terms of Service- Part 2

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

Another thing you have to watch for is how a casino is going to manage its other bonuses. Not that they won’t benefit you, but you have to know what the details are on getting to them. For example, a good VIP bonus is great but if you have to wager to a certain amount you have to keep that in mind. Let’s say the casino offers 1 point for every $10 you wager. When you reach 100 points, you move up in level. You have to make sure that you are ready to commit to the casino to reach 100 points. This is why when you wager, you have to read the terms of service and make sure you can reach the qualification rigors. Another thing to look at is the gaming quality. You want to make sure that there are enough games of your style of preference to keep you busy until you get the return. If you love slots gaming that shouldn’t be a problem—there are enough slots games out there to make it worth your while. Most casinos know how lucrative slots are and they make a huge range of them available for their customers. On the other hand, if your game of preference is Keno, you may have a more difficult time finding casinos that offer it, and making enough points to move up in levels. Make sure you know what games you like and then find bonuses that benefit you for them.

The TOS is the contract you agree to with a casino. You have to make sure you read and understand the terms the casino is playing out. If you want to wager, then make sure that there is a sure-fire benefit for you in gaming. You want to make sure that you can benefit for the amount of gaming and type of gaming you prefer. There are a lot of gaming choices out there so be sure you know which you like the most. Find bonuses and specials that benefit you the most. The best thing about today’s gambling world is that there are enough gambling choices out there for everyone to find a true benefit. You may have to do a search if you like an obscure game, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find something that improves your gaming experience.

Always Read the Terms of Service- Part 1

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

If you find a new casino then you should always get into the habit of checking the TOS, or Terms of Service. Not that you have to read every word, but you should understand the basics of what the casino’s procedures are. Namely the most important topic in the TOS are how the casino pays out and how the bonuses work. It’s no coincidence that both involve your bankroll. Remember that next to online security, your bankroll is important. You want to do all you can to protect it continuously as you wager. A casino is well protected themselves; their operators know how to build specials and promotions that still bring them in a good return. No matter what, “the House always wins” is still applicable. Every good casino knows full well how to protect its revenue. That’s why you need to know how to protect yours.

One of the surest ways to protect your bankroll is to watch the bonus structures. You want to make sure that the bonuses are truly a benefit. For example, consider the match-bonus. Most casinos offer a match bonus when you first sign up. Let’s say they say “We offer a 100% match bonus of up to $1,000.” That means if you deposit $500, the casino will increase your account to $1,000 to wager with. Casinos play with the rules though. Let’s say you read the TOS. It may say that you get the bonus, but only after you wager $1,000. That means that you still get the bonus, but not right away. You may have to commit to wagering with the casino for a certain amount of time, or up to a certain amount before you actually get to take advantage of the bonus. The only way it benefits you is to stay at the casino for a long period of time. If you planned on just trying it, then this bonus isn’t as lucrative as you may have hoped. Always read the TOS and make sure that the bonuses and payouts truly benefit you. The fine print is what can turn things around into the casino’s favor.

Part two coming next.

How to Pick a Good Casino

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

If you are a new online gamer, the market can be intimidating. Don’t worry though. There are plenty of resources for new players out there and you can easily use them. First of all, one of the best casinos to start at is Platinum Play Casino. This is a casino that offers a lot of normal gaming, but in addition it has one of the best user-interface systems around. You don’t have to have experience here and to quickly pick up on how the games go or how the casino operates. If you do want a new casino, here is what to look for without question:

• Customer service. You want to make sure that the casino offers 24-hour and 7-day a week customer support. It should offer a toll-free number and email. The email should commit to getting back to any inquiries within 24 or 48 hours. You should know how long it is going to take to get your answers.
• Live-chat. This is a newer option that casinos are integrating into their business models. If you want to talk to someone immediately, you have a live chat option where you can click a button, get connected, and tell the operator your problem. They quickly fix it, or open a trouble ticket if they can’t, and you are sent on your way. This is a great tool and if you think you may need a lot of help at the beginning then opt for a casino that offers the live-chat option.
• Tutorials for games. This is another feature that can help you make sense of the casino you pick. A live tutorial will lead you through the games you want to play. It will give you game bubbles that explain exactly what to do and what is happening as you move through the game. This is a great game feature for anyone who is afraid of jumping right in.

New gamers shouldn’t be afraid of gambling because there are plenty of resources out there to help you get into the market. Test out some new-player friendly gaming tools out there and see how much fun you can have with online gambling.

The Different Bets in Roulette- Part 2

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

• The dozens bet. This is a bet that is made on twelve consecutive numbers. For example, you could make a dozens bet on the 13 through twenty-four numbers. The wagers pay out at 2 to 1. These are popular bets and a lot of new gamers use them.
• Column bet. This is just like it says—a wager on a full column of numbers. There are three columns of numbers and you have to pick one. This is the same as the dozens bet in that it pays out 2 to 1 also. Its another very popular wager in the world of roulette gaming.
• Red, black, odd & even bet. You just put your chip on the box you want to wager on, and that’s the bet. This is a simple type bet and probably the most popular of all wagers available.

These are the outside bets to understand. Remember that roulette is one of the most popular games around and that means that people are going to be playing competitively. You want to be ready with your own arsenal of experience and skill at the game. The thing to remember about roulette though is that although it is highly popular, it provides one of the biggest house edges to the casino. There is a reason why casinos built tournaments and huge events around the roulette tables! Not only are they popular, but they bring in huge dollars to the casino organization.

Finally, know that because of the game’s popularity, roulette is one of the most targeted games when it comes to “sure fire” systems in the market. Just browse a bookstore’s gambling shelf. You are going to find a huge range of “experts” who want to share their wisdom…for a few dollars of course. Don’t believe them. Roulette is one of those games that does have an element of skill to it, but there also is a huge luck element. Without luck you won’t get very far. For this reason you have to just practice what you can and then jump into the game. No one has a “sure fire” system for very many casino games—if they did, they wouldn’t have to sell their books to make a living, would they?

Rules of Gambling- Part 2

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

• Keep things quiet. If you win, of course you want to tell people- that’s what you came for! The truth though is that you can’t trust everyone in a casino. If you do win, try to keep it quiet and only let your friends k now. If you are playing online of course this isn’t an issue, but playing at a live casino can be more difficult. Remember that if you do feel threatened in any way, you can always ask security to escort you to your car. Of course if you have a big win, it may be more difficult to keep things quiet, but you can still get help leaving if needed. Plus some casinos automatically help you out as you are departing.
• Don’t play “just one more time.” Too many people believe that in just “one more bet” their luck is going to change. They can “feel it.” There is no such thing as predicting a good streak. Luck is luck! If you want to change your luck all you can do is move to another machine or game and hope. Most likely if you stick with a game in the hopes of it turning around, it isn’t going to work.
• Don’t let it all ride. We have all seen the movies where the players put their whole bankroll on one number and in slow-motion they end up winning the jackpot! It’s a great ending, but rarely does it happen in real life. It’s better to come up with a true-blue strategy when gaming. It would be great if every time you wagered big you walked away a winner, but it is rarely what happens. Just ask the millions of players who have walked in hopeful and walked out empty-handed. This is a horrible strategy and unless you have the big bankroll to lose, don’t even attempt it.

Overall gambling is one of the most popular pastimes of the world today. More and more gaming centers are opening up and offering great bonuses for gamers. Be sure to know what to do and what not to do though so you don’t wager too much. You want to have a good time and part of that means not losing everything you have.

Rules of Gambling- Part 1

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

If you have always wanted to test out gambling, then now is a great time to do it. The selections online are vast and you could play for hours for days on end and never repeat a game. Regardless of what game you like—slots, baccarat, blackjack, poker, video poker, roulette or Keno—you are going to find them in a good casino. Whether you are an online or a land-based gamer you are going to have to use your skills to pick the right games too. Here are some tips on what to do and not to do when gambling:

• Drinking and gambling. Just like drinking and driving don’t mix, neither do drinking and gambling. There is a reason why casinos keep bringing you alcohol as long as you keep gaming. They want you to keep having fun and keep funneling your hard-earned cash into their pockets. It’s a formula that has worked for decades…the longer players stay in a casino, the more money the casino makes. If you want to protect your own bankroll and stop yourself from making bad decisions, then lay off the free drinks. Or at minimum, learn to monitor them and pace yourself.
• Understand the rules. You’d be surprised at how quickly rules of a casino change. Casino operators assess their revenue streams a lot and make alterations to maximize their returns. You may be used to visiting a certain blackjack table one week and the next week see that it has a higher table requirement. You may be used to playing in a weekly poker tournament, only to find the next week it has a higher buy-in than normal. Casinos want to continue making money and they alter wagers to make sure they do.
• Set your bankroll. This is the most important thing to remember when gambling: set your limits and stick to it. When you are excited about a game or believe you are “getting lucky” that is NOT the time to start playing with your bankroll. You want to know how much you can reasonably afford to lose before you even step foot into a casino or log into one online. The casino makes it easy to wager…they have a huge range of funding options available. Set your limit and never change your mind at the casino.

Part two coming next.

The Basics of Roulette Gaming

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Everyone has seen a roulette wheel. It is one of the most recognizable symbols on the casino floor today. If you ever wanted to play, be sure to give yourself some time to learn the game. Remember that roulette isn’t one of those games you can just jump into. Sure it is “only” a wheel, but that wheel comes along with some serious wagers that you need to know about prior to dishing out your money! The purpose of the game is to pick the winning number that the ball stops on. Each pocket has a number and color. You can pick a number, a color or whether or not the final number is even or odd. There are a wide range of wagers about a casino’s roulette wheel and what you can win.

In the world of roulette there are try styles: American wheels and European wheels. The American when has thirty-eight numbers in it because of an added pocket labeled “00”. The European wheel has thirty-seven slots that are straight numbered from zero to thirty-six. If you are playing on a European wheel the house edge is 2.63, whereas on an American wheel the edge is 5.26. To get in on a game you have to purchase roulette chips and every player at a table has a different color chip to work with. After the game is over you have to cash in the chips because they aren’t transferable to any other games or tables. When you leave the table, the casino will exchange your roulette chips for regular casino chips. You can’t take roulette chips to the cash cage and redeem them so be sure to get regular casino chips. In the game of roulette there are a lot of rules to remember and it would do everyone some good to watch a good game, do some studying of the game and reading about it. Sure you want to have fun, but you also don’t want to lose everything you brought to the casino with you by not understanding the rules. Roulette is a wildly popular game so give yourself a chance to learn about it and then jump in and have fun!

Basic Tips for Playing Poker

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

If you are thinking of getting into poker gaming then you should take a few minutes to study the game. Remember that poker is one of those games that has an element of luck to it, but also has a strategy. This means that anyone wanting to win big or have a good game needs to pay some attention to honing his or her own skill as a gamer. This is what makes the game such a favorite. Unlike slots games, that are purely based on luck, poker comes with a lot of skill. The good news is that there are tons of places online where you can get a good poker education—whether it is playing in a “free play” tournament or just watching an online poker room, you are going to gain a lot of experience. Of course sooner or later you have to just jump in and try for yourself, but watching is a great way to get into the game. If you are trying to learn the game, then there are some terms you should know. Here are some important ones:

• Ante bet—this is the basic of betting and it means every player has to make an opening bet to get in on the game.
• Fold—it happens to everyone; you get your cards and have nothing worth wagering on. Rather than opt in and lose money, players can just fold and wait for the next round.
• Bet to call dealer—this is an additional bet that amounts to two times the original ante wager. If you think you can beat the dealer, this is a great wager to help maximize your own earnings.
• Bonus payout. If the game calls for it, you may be albe to take advantage of an additional bonus payout. The way to do it is normally to beat the dealer’s hand. Make sure you check, but some games are more lucrative than others and if you want to walk away with more cash, then play those games.

This is just the beginning of what you should know to wager. Remember that gamers spend a lifetime honing their skill as players. Don’t rush yourself, but put yourself in as many advanced gaming situations as you can handle. It is a great way to get used to the games and start winning with skill.

How to Research a Casino- Part 2

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

• Study the games available. Again this is easy with today’s internet. All you have to do is look at the home page of any casino and most likely it will have a listing of what games are available. If you love poker, then find casinos that specialize in the game and tournaments built around it. If you love slots, then find those. Casinos today are widespread and you are going to find a huge number of selections when it comes to finding what you want. Big casinos normally have a variety of games so take advantage of their roster of games. It is a great way to find your favorite games.
• Find out how a casino pays out. The bottom line is, how are you going to get paid? Sure you want a casino that gives you great options with games and great bonuses, but you also want to know what their deal is with payouts. Normally payouts are detailed in the website’s Terms of Service, or TOS, so be sure to at minimum skim it and find out what the rules are. This is also where you are going to find out about any fees incurred by withdrawing your money. Make sure you understand how much the casino is going to take out and if it is too much, move on. There are plenty of other casinos that have lower fee schedules.
• Compare all bonuses you find. Say you find three casinos you want to test out—they have the games you want, are secure, offer great histories of service to customers and have a good payout schedule. That’s great but the name of the game in the world of online gambling is: bonuses. You want a casino that has a start-up bonus that is lucrative, but also grows with you as a gamer. You want the casinos that offer you bonuses as you wager. A good VIP bonus can be the best advantage to picking a casino. Normally better casinos have a tiered program where you earn more points back as you continue gambling with them. This is one of the best ways of maximizing your gaming session.

Casinos today offer a lot to players, but some more than others. Make sure you know what to look for and know what your specific needs as a gambler are. You are going to find whatever you want in the market if you search. Take time to protect yourself so when you find a good casino you can relax and just enjoy your gaming.

How to Research a Casino- Part 1

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

There are new gamers entering the market of online gambling every day. The hobby is becoming one of the most popular in today’s world. Think about it—no longer do you have to go to a “real” casino. Now you can log into any number of reputable online casinos and play games from the privacy of your own home. All you need to gamble these days is an internet connection and a laptop or computer. There have been great strides in the market of online gaming in the past few months. Nowadays you can find casinos to wager at in a few seconds, but are they good casinos? There are rules to follow when gaming and here are some of the most important ones to remember:

• Check with your jurisdiction to find out what the rules of gambling online are. In today’s market things are changing on a daily basis. The rules for online gambling are up for debate throughout the world and that means gamers have to be on their toes regarding what is and isn’t legal. Also, remember that a state and a county can have very different rules. You want to check and make sure that you are not breaking the laws of either.
• Use the “free play” option with gaming. The trend in the market is for casinos to offer a free play option. This is where you can just go to the website and play without any money exchange. It is a great way to test games out and decide whether or not you want to invest in the casino. There are a lot of gaming options out there and some casinos are better than others when it comes to building games. Plus, remember that everyone has different preferences when it comes to picking games. Before you use up your hard earned cash, you want to make sure that you are playing at a game that you like.
• Research a casino before you jump in and play. This is easier than ever in today’s market—just look to blogs and forums about a casino. You should relatively easily be able to find information on a casino and read about any issues it has had any recurring issues among players. You can also read how the casino fixed the problems. This is a great way to study a casino before you take your chances with it. Today’s internet makes it easier than ever to share information—take advantage of it.

Part two coming next.