Caribbean poker is played with three to five players at a table and one deck of cards. Each player is dealt a five card hand, with two chances to bet. The layout of the game is very similar to standard five card poker.

The inclusion of a progressive jackpot makes Caribbean poker a popular game at the casino. In a progressive jackpot the jackpot for the table will continue to rise as each hand is dealt.

How Do I Play Caribbean Poker?

To start a hand of Caribbean poker each player must place an Ante bet. The minimum amount of the Ante bet is determined by the casino. Each player must also place a bet towards the progressive jackpot if they want a chance to win the pot before the cards are dealt. This happens before every hand and ensures the jackpot will continue to rise.

The dealer will then deal five cards to each player. Each card is dealt face down. The dealer also deals five cards to himself, with one card being face up for the table to see. Players are only dealt one set of cards. After their cards are dealt they can choose to fold or remain in the game. If they remain in the game, a player must double their Ante bet.

The advancement of Caribbean poker is determined by the dealer’s hand. If the dealer has a hand that is Ace King or higher (based on standard poker hands) the round will continue. The player’s hand must beat the dealer’s hand to win the round.

If the dealer’s hand does not qualify, all players receive two times their Ante bet, and have their progressive bet returned on an even-scale.

How Does Betting Work in Caribbean Poker?

Players have two betting options in Caribbean poker; betting on the single hand and betting on the progressive jackpot.

In order to be considered in on a hand, the player must place an Ante bet. This bet has a minimum and is placed before any cards are dealt. After the cards are dealt the player has one chance to raise their Ante bet during the round.

Players also have the option of betting on the progressive jackpot. This bet is completely optional and does not disqualify a player from the round. However, a player must bet on the progressive jackpot for the chance to win it.

Loosing your ticket is the same as loosing your wallet.

For some reason, most people have an easier time keeping track of actual cash then they do their slot machine ticket. This could be due to the fact that the ticket is only one small piece of paper and it can easily get lost if placed in a pocket or tossed casually in a purse. Be sure to keep your ticket safe, those little pieces of paper can mean big money and there is nothing you can do if you lose one.

If you forget to redeem your ticket, you could loose your winnings.

If you walk out of the casino with your slot machine ticket in hand, forgetting to cash it out, you may be risking loosing your winnings. Most casinos have a limit on how long as ticket is good for, but typically, this range falls within thirty to ninety days. This is fine if you plan to visit the casino again, but if you were on vacation and leave with the ticket, you face some difficult times ahead. Some casinos offer a mail-in policy. If you mail the ticket in with all of your information, they will mail you a check equal to your winnings. However, not all casinos have this policy and some require that you show up in person to redeem a ticket.

Sometimes you may forget your ticket is actually cash.

The ticket system makes it easy for people to forget that they are playing with their money and not just “credits.” This can cause players to spend more then they intended, play a machine longer then they wanted, or go over their betting limit. Remember that your ticket is worth money and so are the amount of “credits” you see on the screen.

If you are careful with your ticket, the voucher system on coin-less slot machines may actually be a more enjoyable experience for you at the casino then the traditional slot machines.

The 4 Golden Rules of Slot Machine Etiquette

1. Do not play more then one slot machine at a time: We have all seen it, that slot player that is sitting at one machine while also playing the machine next to him or her. If there is several of that type of machine, or the casino floor is not too crowded, this is only a minor annoyance. However, on a packed Friday night when someone is playing both of the only kind of machine on the floor it can be down right frustrating. Playing more then one slot machine is not only bad form, but may get you kicked out of some casinos. In short, just don’t do it. Stick to one slot machine at a time.

2. Do not lurk around the slot machines: Another classic, while you are playing a slot machine you notice someone behind you waiting to jump on as soon as it doesn’t pay out for you. While it is perfectly fine to wait for a machine you want to play to open, standing around behind the person playing is considered bad form. It may also get you in trouble with the casino depending on their policies. If you do want to wait on a machine, do so from a respectable distance.

3. Obey the smoking rules: Most casinos still allow smoking on the casino floor. However, each casino is different and has their own set of rules. For example, some casinos do not allow pipe or cigar smoking. If you are going to smoke a pipe or cigar, verify that it is allowed with a casino employee before you do it. In addition, several casinos have started smoke free sections. These sections are not always clearly marked so pay extra attention the signs, and only smoke where you are allowed.

4. Do not sit at a machine unless you are playing: It may be tempting to sit down next to your friend and watch them play a slot machine, but if you are not playing that machine, you should not be sitting at it. When you are sitting there, a player will walk by and assume it is in use. Even worse, some casinos have a policy against this. If they notice you sitting there, they may kick you out.

Playing the slot machines at the casino is a fun pastime for pros and beginners alike, but following proper etiquette is just as important as it is everywhere else in the casino.

Original owner Andrew Tompkins sold Lady Luck to Isle of Capri casinos of Biloxi, Mississippi.  In the spring of 2005 Henry Brent bought the Lady Luck from Steadfast Cos. of Newport Beach, California.

Lady Luck Closes

The 743-room Lady Luck closed in February 2006, but in the time between 1964 and 2006 the Lady Luck was one of the premier casinos in all of Las Vegas.  When the Lady Luck closed it was downtown’s third-largest casino, sitting on 6.27 acres of land.  The closure meant the loss of 684 jobs.  The original plan was to close the hotel/casino for one year for major renovations, but those plans never came to fruition and the building was sold again in 2007 to the CIM Group, a California development company.  Despite the purchase, the company has allowed the property to continue sitting dark.  The interior spaces of the hotel were largely demolished in preparation for renovations, but no further action has taken place.

Future Plans

In July of 2009 CIM did begin tearing down a building skeleton at the corner of Fourth Street and Stewart Avenue, but nothing of note has happened since.  Part of a 2008 deal that CIM reached with Las Vegas City Council states that renovations to the casino must be started by December of 2009, however that deadline could be extended.  It is not clear if the deadline will be extended, but it is clear that city officials are not happy with the large amounts of debris and garbage that have piled up on the property.

CIM claims current economic conditions as the reason for the stall in renovation plans.  They say they do plan on forging ahead with renovation plans once the economy turns around.  At this point the empty building seems to have little chance of returning to its former iconic status.  The best bet for this historic building is a wrecking ball, as has been the case with so many hotels and casinos that made Las Vegas famous.

Bet within your limits

If you have $100 you are willing to spend on slot machines then the best strategy would be to stick with nickel or penny machines.  Consider that if you play a $1 slot machine at five credits per spin, you will be able to make 20 spins, maybe a few more if you hit some small wins.  Twenty slot machine spins will probably take about 10-15 minutes, so that is not very long if you are looking to kill some time.  Conversely, if you take that same $100 to a penny slot machine you can make 2,000 spins at five credits per spin.  If you are looking to kill time, those 2,000 spins will take about 12 hours.

Video versus Physical Slots

A physical reel can hold about 20 symbols and a physical slot machine cannot really accommodate more than three reels.  On the other hand, a video slot machine does not have these limitations. A video slot machine can theoretically have an infinite number of symbols and reels.  The Random Number Generator (RNG) in a video slot machine can, and is, programmed to give certain symbols a different chance of coming up that is totally unrelated to the number of symbols. For example, the slot machine might have one star symbol out of ten symbols, but the RNG might be programmed to only have that star symbol land once out of every 20 random spins.  The resulting consequence is that less likely combinations can be programmed.  Therefore, the less likely it is to hit those combinations, which allows the casino to be able to afford to pay out for them.

With physical slot machines progressive jackpots of six and seven figures are nearly impossible, but they are quite easy to program into a video slot machine’s RNG.  As with any gambling, spending big money can lead to big rewards, but remember with slot machines your money can disappear more quickly than with any card game, so choose your machine and denomination wisely.

What is Sega Games?

Sega Games makes video games for several consoles like the Playstation 2 and Playstation 3. Sega Games has produced over 900 video games in total, but the company may be most famous for their Sonic the Hedgehog games. Sonic the Hedgehog has been played on several gaming consoles and even had his own cartoon series. In recent years, Sega Games took a back burner to larger companies like Nintendo but has recently announced that they are branching out in to the casino world.

Sega Games Launches an Online Casino

It may seem like a big leap to go from video games to internet gambling, but it may not be for a company like Sega Games. Sega has launched two new websites, SegaCasino.com and SegaPoker.com. Both websites will host Sega branded games. Both sites will offer players the chance to win actual money.

SegaCasino.com

SegaCasino.com will feature both popular poker games as well as virtual slot machines. Currently, SegaCasino.com offers Blackjack, Roulette, and a few other poker games with plans to expand in the upcoming year. SegaCasino.com also hosts several virtual slot machines that are based around the Sega brand name. Players have the chance to win several bonuses that are exclusive to the Sega Company.

SegaPoker.com

SegaPoker.com is a poker room hosted separately from SegaCasino.com. The poker room offers players a chance to compete against each other and win money by playing Sega style poker games. The poker room is live action and can host as many as 30,000 players at a time. This will make the stakes high and the action live.

The Future of Sega Casinos

Sega hopes to cash in on the billions of dollars spent on online gaming in Europe each year. They have several plans to expand both SegaCasino.com and SegaPoker.com through the duration of 2010. At the launch of both websites, Sega will be hosting tournaments in their poker room and special incentives for the first players to join in on the action at SegaCasino.com

Tips for Success

Probably the most important tip would be to play with small chips and not risk much since the chances of winning and losing are exactly the same.  As any successful gambler is known to quote, “Bet with your head, not over it.”  Most importantly, never place all of your money on one spin.

If you have the option, always choose the European wheel as the odds are higher than the odds of American roulette (2.7%  to 5.26%).  A few casinos do offer European wheels, but you are most likely to see this option when playing Roulette on the Internet.

If you have the opportunity, use the En Prison rule which allows you to save the bet in case it landed on 0 for one more spin. Basically, if you placed a bet and the ball landed on 0 the bet will be kept for one more spin.  In the event your bet wins on the second try you will get your money back.  Conversely, if the ball lands on something else on the second try you will lose your money.  Again, it would be pretty rare to have this option in a casino setting, but if this option is available in a cyber setting be sure to take advantage of it.

Another subtle tip that could save you big money is choosing an actual table over an electronic one.  Many casinos now offer electronic roulette where the dealer drops the ball into an actual roulette wheel, but all of the bets and payouts are done electronically on the players’ screens encircling the dealer.  True, this may seem like a more comfortable atmosphere than a crowded table, but you will lose your money at a much slower pace at that crowded table.  The reason for this is that it takes quite a bit of time in between each spin for the dealer to clear the losing bets and then pay out the winning bets.  The more crowded the table, the longer the periods between spins.  On the contrary, with the electronic game there are no losing bets to clear and no winning bets to pay out; it’s just one spin after another.

Bigger Edge for the House

Roulette is an easy game to play and understand and therefore people flock to it.  Unfortunately, games that are easy to understand usually have the highest house edge.  Keeping that in mind, if you’re looking to get rich quick then roulette probably isn’t your game.  However, if you enjoy a slow paced table game, the comradeship of fellow gamers and free drinks then roulette is definitely for you. 

Both the Hard Rock Hotel and Planet Hollywood claim the new casinos are aimed to attract higher-end customers whose tastes and travelling are not affected by the recession. While high-end customers may be more inclined to travel to Las Vegas regardless of economic conditions, 500 rooms at Planet Hollywood, starting at $350 a night on weekends, may still be a huge void to fill.  It is true that places like MGM, the Wynn and Belagio have faired better in the recession than lower end establishments like the Tropicana, Hooters and the Stratosphere.

Low-End Casinos Hit the Hardest

Late night at lower-end Vegas establishments can sometimes resemble a ghost town more than an action-packed entertainment destination.  Things have gotten so bad that some weekday prices for a hotel room at a place like Hooters or Circus Circus have dipped to a range of $20-$25 per night.  Some of the promotions low-end places are running are almost unheard of.  For example, the Tropicana is currently running a promotion through January 30 that includes $50 in free slot play when booking a stay at $50 per night.  At the other end of the Strip Circus Circus is running a special that entails booking two nights now and receiving a free night on a return visit.  Even the higher-end New York, New York is offering a promotion where you book three nights and get the lowest-pricest night free.

Preparing for a turnaround

Each casino operator is hoping to be ahead of the curve if and/or when the economy turns around and tourism in Vegas begins to flourish once again.  The problem is that there is a fine line between getting a jump on the competition and making poor business decisions.  If and/or when the economy stregthens to a point where droves of people flock to Vegas again, they will have more choices than ever.  Combine the drastic increase in supply with the increasing popularity of Internet gaming and it becaomes clear that things don’t look too good for a drastic upswing for Vegas casino operators any time soon.

Five Tips for Picking an Online Casino

1. Use a referral: People rely on the reviews of their friends, family, and coworkers to help them pick everything from doctors to grocery stores so why not an online casino? If you know someone that frequents casinos online, ask them where they play.

You can also use the internet to get honest reviews from thousands of players. People love sharing their opinion. A quick search for the name of the casino and “review” will give you a dozen reviews from other players.

2. Find a casino with several gaming options: If you are a Texas Hold ‘Em player you don’t want to spend your time at an online casino that specializes in Omaha. Look at the games the casino offers on a daily basis, and make sure they have the ones you enjoy playing before you sign up.

3. Look for bonuses and incentives: Several online casinos offer bonuses and sign-up incentives for new players. This can come in the form of free play, or special games. Online casinos have to compete with each other just like brick and mortar casinos. You can capitalize on this competition; just find the online casino with the best incentives.

4. Make sure the online casino is safe: Most online casinos have a high level of security to protect both them and you. However, some online casinos may only appear professionally managed. Do your research before you give your personal information to any online casino. A quick internet search should give you enough information about the casino’s security to help you make a decision.

5. Choose a casino that suits you: Most importantly, you need to enjoy the online casino you choose to play in. Play around with the site to get a feel for it, if you do not like the way it is set up, move on to another one. Make sure you like the games and feel comfortable with the minimum and maximum betting limits. After all, it is your money and you should be happy.

While there sheer number of online casinos can seem daunting, you can find one that fits you perfectly with a little research. If you end up not being happy with the casino, move on to another one.

There are fifty-two cards in each deck. Each of these cards has a different meaning or value in poker.

Know the Suits

In each deck of cards, there are four suits. The suits are used to make a number of poker hands. Having five cards all of the same suit gives you one of the highest hands possible, a flush.

Spades: The spades are a black suit with a spade marking. The spades have number cards from two to ten and four face cards- jack, queen, king, and ace.

Hearts: The hearts are a red suit with a heart marking. The hearts have number cards from two to ten and four face cards- jack, queen, king, and ace.

Clubs: The clubs are a black suit with a club (or clover shaped) marking. The clubs have number cards from two to ten and four face cards- jack, queen, king, and ace.

Diamonds: The diamonds are a red suit with a diamond marking. The diamonds have number cards from two to ten and four face cards- jack, queen, king, and ace.

Know the Value of Each Card

Each type of card has a unique value in poker. Often, this value is universal across the suits. For example, if an Ace of diamonds were the highest card you could hold, then an Ace of clubs would also be the highest card you could hold.

The Number Cards: Each suit has number cards from two to ten. These number cards are worth face value and often go in pairs, three of a kind, and flushes.

The Face Cards: The face cards have a higher value then the number cards, and can in order of increasing rank. The Jack is the lowest face card, followed by the Queen, the King, and then the Ace. However, in some games the Ace can represent both a high and low card.

You have to know your cards before you can play any game of poker, but learning the types of cards and their value is not hard and you will be ready to play in no time!