Online Casino Spotlight

Triple Ride Poker is a unique variation of the traditional five-card poker that is played at many casinos worldwide. In Triple Ride Poker the player starts the hand by placing three bets at their highest limit and decreasing those bets as the game unfolds. This reverse style of betting puts a unique spin on the game and gives players increased winning odds.

How Do You Play Triple Ride Poker?

To start a hand of Triple Ride Poker the player places three high bets on the table. The dealer then deals three cards to the player and two cards to himself face down. The cards dealt to the dealer are known as common cards and will be used to determine the player’s hand, essentially acting as part of each player’s hand.

Once all cards have been dealt the player will gauge their five card hand based off their three cards. If the player’s three cards show the beginning of a high five card hand the player will let their bet ride. If the player’s three cards do not show a high hand, they can decrease their bets.

Next, the dealer will reveal one of the two common cards. If this card helps the player’s high hand, they will let their bet ride. If the card hurts the player’s hand they can decrease their bet.

Finally, the dealer will then show the last card and the player will establish their high hand using all five cards. If the combination of the player’s three cards and the two common cards is the highest hand at the table, that player wins the round.

How Does Betting Work in Triple Ride Poker?

Betting in Triple Ride Poker works opposite of most betting in a casino. The player starts each round by placing three bets on the table. Since the player will have the chance to decrease these bets, they should bet as high as they are able initially.

Players are given three chances to lower their bets; once when the cards are dealt, and once each common card is revealed by the dealer. Players have the option to let all their bets ride or lower each according to the hand they are dealt.

Once smart phones left the corporate world and went off in to main stream society, a large variety of new applications were developed for the devices. Now smart phone owners can gauge the fuel economy on their car, schedule a lunch date, or level a house. People everywhere are asking, “Is there an app for that?” Harris Casino is right in line with the hundreds answering the call with their new poker app that allows people to play poker anytime, anywhere.

Harris Casino’s iPhone Application

The newly developed iPhone app lets poker enthusiasts compete in virtual World Series of Poker games. Players have a total of seven venues to choose from.

Once the player downloads the application to the iPhone or iTouch they start building a bank roll by playing in smaller poker games. When the player has reached a bank roll of $100, they can start competing in larger World Series of Poker games.

Players who play well can eventually win a virtual bracelet from Harris Casino, similar to the gold bracelets handed out during World Series of Poker Tournaments.

Players who utilize the Bluetooth on their iPhone can also compete against several other players within their Bluetooth range.

The Harris Casino iPhone and iTouch application costs $2.99 to download, and can be found at Apple’s website.

History of the World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker has been held in Las Vegas once a year since 1970. There are over fity-five events in the tournament and the highest participation was over 8,000. Millions of dollars in prizes are awarded to winners in the World Series of Poker tournaments, with the largest prize being over one million on the final day. That prize is awarded to the winner of the Texas Hold ‘Em competition.

In addition to prize money, the World Series of Poker also awards players with a coveted golden bracelet. These bracelets are a symbol for some of the best poker players in the nation.

iPhone – A Perfect Compliment to Virtual Gambling

The iPhone was created by Apple as a hybrid between a smart phone and their popular MP3 player, the iPod. The iPhone is the most popular smart phone for consumers on the market. It offers an advanced touch screen and highly developed graphics.

The iPhone allows owners to download small applications directly to their smart phone. These applications can do anything imaginable and provide a more customized feel to the phone.

Currently, the iPhone is the only smart phone to carry the World Series of Poker application developed by Harris Casino.

Due to their fast growing popularity, just about all casino software makers create gaming platforms with slots games.  One of the most unique variations is I-Slots, a collection of slots games developed by respected software provider Rival Gaming.  If you like to play slots online, you will definitely want to know more about what makes these games stand out from all the rest.

What Make I-Slots Different?

Rival Gaming’s I-Slots differ from other slots games in a variety of ways.  For example, each time a bonus game is triggered, you must play an entirely new game until the cycle is complete.  Other unique aspects are more subtle yet differences nonetheless.  When playing the bonus games, stories unfold and the outcomes ultimately determine how these stories proceed.  This is a factor that adds a higher degree of interaction to the game, hence the “I” for interactive in I-slots.  In addition to being more interactive than other slots, some of the bonus games are based on skill, which makes them more attractive to players who love a good challenge.

I-Slots Favorites

Based around a golf theme, Hole in Won has quickly become one of the most popular games in the I-Slots franchise.  It is also one of the easiest games to play.  The bonus games in Hole in Won take you through a nine-hole mini golf course.  Bonus points are accumulated depending on various factors, including the wager, number of scatters that triggered the bonus, and the number of strokes needed to put the golf ball in the hole.  Skill is also a factor because the ball must be aimed correctly in order to for you to sink it.  This is not as difficult as it may sound as you simply move the mouse to set the direction in which the ball will travel.  When the bonus is triggered again, you are taken to the next hole, and this process continues until playing all holes on the course.  Once all nine holes are complete, you return back the first one and start all over again.

Reel Crime Heist is one of the more exciting, yet complex I-slots games.  This game is based around an art heist masterminded by Remy and Rauol Mourchard.  Your role is to help them get away with it.  Reel Crime Art Heist offers five bonus rounds in a single cycle.  Each round consists of choosing the piece of art to steal, selecting the tools to pull off the heist, actually conducting the robbery and eluding the law, finding a shady collector to purchase the stolen merchandise, and selling the art without getting busted.  If the band of thieves are caught, they are arrested and you must start over from the beginning.  However, if you complete the heist in its entirety, you are rewarded generously with bonus credits and a virtual trip to Jamaica.

Where to Find I-Slots

You can find these popular I-Slots games and more at casinos powered by Rival Gaming software.  Some that come to mind are Superior, Club Vegas USA, and Cocoa Casino.  The good news is that each casino accepts U.S. players.  Have fun!

Fans of the hit HBO TV show, Sex and the City, got a surprise recently when the show made its way on to the casino floor in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. International Game Technology, a company that makes casino equipment like slot machines, created the Sex and the City game with permission from HBO, and several casinos across Nevada recently unveiled the new game on the floor.

Sex and the City- The Slot Machine

The Sex and the City game is one of many slot machines based after popular movies and TV shows. The trend is not a new one, and most casinos offer several games based on characters from hit shows. Sex and the City’s predecessor include Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Green Acres, and the Wizard of Oz to name a few. These games are extremely popular for the recognizable themes and fun-play.

The Sex and the City game feature all the main characters of the show; Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda, Carrie and Mr. Big. It is a modern style slot machine with several betting lines and an interactive bonus. The slot machine also has video clips from the show, voice-overs, and a soundtrack.

International Game Technology’s Multiplay

One of the most drawing features of the multi-progressive slot machine is the incorporation of International Game Technology’s Multiplay feature.

Multiplay is a technology offered exclusively by the slot-machine maker. In Multiplay, the player can play up to four games at once on the same screen. This means the player is betting more then usual, but there are also more chances to win. With four games running 30 pay lines a piece, it’s a hard thing to pass up.

Sex and the City Bonuses

On top of the Multiplay, the Sex and the City slot machine has attractive bonuses.

There are a total of five bonus rounds in the game that offer nine unique patterns. This is a far cry from the standard singular bonus round featured on most slot machines, and it is paying off. Most players are playing all four Multiplay games on every round in hopes of hitting one of the many bonuses.

The bonus games consist of Simply Fabulous, Hello Lover!, Change of Dress, and Perfect Present. While the games vary, they are all interactive. The bonuses either offer free spins or give the player a chance to pick prizes on the screen.

Overall, the Sex and the City slot machine is such a big hit for the casinos that one has to wonder if more HBO style games are in the works.

Pai Gow poker is a variation of five-card poker played at most casinos. In Pai Gow, six players compete against the dealer using a single card deck with one joker. Each player is dealt seven cards. The players must have two high hands for every round, one hand consisting of five cards and the other consisting of two cards.

How do you Play Pai Gow Poker?

In Pai Gow, the dealer deals seven cards face down to himself and the players. Each player arranges their cards in to one five card hand and one two card hand. The goal of Pai Gow poker is for the player to have the highest two card hand and five card hand. However, the two card hand can not go higher then the five card hand.

Once the cards are arranged, the players compare their hands to the banker. Traditionally, the dealer serves as the banker for the table, but a player can also serve as the banker. If both hands in the player’s deck beat both hands in the banker’s deck the player wins the hand. If only one of the player’s hands beats the banker, then the player must push and get their bet back. If none of the player’s hands beat the banker, the player loses their bet. In the event of a tie, all bets go to the banker.

How Does Betting Work in Pai Gow Poker?

Betting in Pai Gow is similar to traditional five-card poker. Each player must place an Ante bet. Often the ante bet will have a minimum and maximum limit set by the casino. While there are two hands in Pai Gow poker, betting is only paid out as one hand. The Ante bet is placed before any cards are dealt to the players. Once the cards have been dealt, players can raise their bet up to the casino’s maximum.

In some casinos, players are allowed to play as the banker in Pai Gow poker. Acting as the banker greatly increases the player’s winning odds, as any bets on tie hands are given to the banker.

In Baccarat, cards are dealt to the house and to the player. The card’s value is then added together to determine the winner.

How do I Play Baccarat?

To play Baccarat, the dealer will draw two cards face down to himself and the players. These cards are then added together at face value. At first, if the player or dealer received a total of 9 in the first hand no more cards are drawn. If no hand has a value of 9, then the dealer will continue to draw more cards.

There are exceptions to this rule:

• If the player has 6 to 7 no cards will be drawn.
• If the player has 0-5 he will draw one card.

After the initial hand has been established, the banker will then draw more cards to their hand based on the cards the player’s already drew:

• Should a player not draw a card, the banker will then draw at 0-5, or stand at 6-7.
• Should a player draw a 2 or 3, the banker will then draw at 0-4, and stand at 5-7.
• Should a player draw a 4 or 5, the banker will then draw at 0-5, and stand at 6-7.
• Should a player draw a 6 or 7, the banker will then draw at 0-6, and stand at 7.
• Should a player draw an 8, the banker will then draw at 0-2, and stand at 3-7.
• Should a player draw an Ace, 9, 10, or face-card, the banker will then draw at 0-3, and stand at 4-7.

Whoever has the highest hand based on the face value of the cards after the cards have been dealt wins the round. If the dealer and the banker have the same total of cards a tie is announced.

The value of the cards for Baccarat is a simple formula. Numbered cards are taken at face value. 10’s and face cards are worth 0. The Ace in Baccarat is worth 1.

How Does Betting Work in Baccarat?

Players must place their bets before the hand starts. The player can either bet on the player’s hand or the banker’s hand. If the hand wins, the player wins the bet.

Craps offers more betting options than most other casino games.  While some are attractive because of their simplicity, several more can prove to be very disadvantageous to the player, as is the case with the field bet.  This particular bet appeals to players for two main reasons.  First and foremost, unlike other wagers, this one can be made before the come bet, or after the point has been established.  Secondly, the bet is decided by a single roll of the dice.  After playing your bet, the dice are tossed and you either win or lose.  Despite the simplicity, this can be a very tricky bet, so it is important understand how it works before choosing to take it up in a game of craps.

Making a Field Bet

When playing craps online, the chips for the field bet are placed in an area on the table layout known as the “field box.”  You will notice that the box has the numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12 on it, with “2” and “12” being circled.  These numbers are circled because some casinos payout 3 to 1 on the 2 or 12.  If you place a field bet and the dice yields any number listed in the box, you win.  If not, you lose.  While this simple enough to follow, the bet can be very deceptive to the new player who does not clearly understand the odds.

Comprehending Your Chances

In the game of craps, the rolling of the two dice can yield 11 possible numbers.  What you need to realize is that only seven of these numbers will result in a winning field bet while four of them will produce a losing bet.  To the unknowing player, the chance of winning the bet is much greater than losing it.  However, you have to consider the many possible ways in which each number can be rolled.  5,6,7 and 8, which are the four losing numbers, can be rolled in 20 different ways, while the winning numbers can only be rolled in 16 ways.   So what does all this mean to the player?  It means that by taking the field bet, you are giving the house a significant edge of 5.55%.  In comparison to other wagers in online craps that have a considerably lower house edge, this would not be the smartest move for the savvy player to make.

Getting the Best Odds

Any player who wants to play craps online and gamble with the field bet should only do so at casinos that payout 3 to 1 for rolling a 2 or 12.  While this house edge is still much higher than other bets, it does drop down to 2.7%, giving you more of an advantage against the casino.  If you are intent on playing the field, this is the best way to do go as it can be acceptable for occasional bets at smaller amounts.

Poker dice is a relatively new game where players aim to tally up the most points by forming poker hands with five poker dice.  While this game is straightforward and simple, it can take some time for the new player to master.  However, it can be done, so here is brief rundown on what you need to know.

General Rules

Poker dice is a game that sees two players competing against each other.  The players alternate rolling the dice and hold any of the five they want keep for their point total.  The dice they initially discard are then rolled again.  The results yielded by the roll of the dice can either be scored on the scorecard as poker hands or single numbers.  Here is an example of how game play proceeds:

Let’s say you are player one and your first roll yields an ace, king, two jacks and a ten.  For the purpose of this example, you keep the two jacks and decide to roll the remaining three dice again and this time, yield four jacks and a queen.  At this point, you must decide where to total up your score.  In this scenario, you could fill in the Four-of-Kind box on the scoreboard, or mark the four points in the jacks section, both of which would give you a total of four points.  Once this is done, play is then passed off to the second player.  Player two completes the same steps and play continues this way until all 13 boxes on the scoreboard have been filled in.  Whoever scores the most points, wins the game.

Poker Dice Strategy

The highest score that can achieved in a game of poker dice is 56.  Keep in mind that winning is not always about scoring the most points, but beating the opposition.   For example, there may be times when playing it safe is the best option and others when your opponent has such an advantage that you simply try to maximize your score in hopes of getting lucky and pulling off an upset.  Although the maximum score is 56, the average score in poker dice is about 29 while 30 or more is considered good.  What this basically means is that it is very difficult to lose a game if you end up with 33 to 35 points.  However, if you are lucky enough to obtain the maximum score, must casinos reward you with a very generous payout.  Therefore, if the opportunity exists, go for it by all means.

Conclusion

Poker dice is such an extensive game that we have barely even scratched the surface here.   There are some games where you can apply the perfect strategy and the dice just will not roll your way.  Likewise, there are others in which no matter how many bad decisions you make, the dice combinations tend to favor you.  The key is to learn the basic strategies of the game and stick to them.  If you can do this and remain mindful of the odds, there is a great chance that you will fare well over time.

What is European Roulette?

European Roulette is a classic game found in most casinos. It is one of the oldest gambling games, tracing roots back to the beginning of organized gambling.

European Roulette is based on a small wheel comprised of different numbered pockets in corresponding colors. A ball is spun around the wheel until it lands in one of these pockets, determining the winning player for that spin.

European Roulette is similar to American Roulette, only the betting odds are higher. This version of Roulette offers a smaller number sequence; there are 37 pockets instead of the 38 found on American Roulette wheels.

How Do I Play European Roulette?

Each spin of European Roulette determines one game. Player’s will start each game by placing their bets on the table. Bets can be placed on an individual number, a sequence of numbers, or a color (red or black.)

Once all bets are placed the dealer will place the ball inside the Roulette wheel and spin. The wheel will come to a stop and the ball will land in a pocket. Depending on the player’s bet, if that pocket matches their number, sequence, or color they will win game.

How Does Betting Work in European Roulette?

There are several ways to bet in European Roulette. Players can bet on one number or as many numbers, sequences or colors they wish. The betting options for European Roulette include:

An individual number- A player can place a bet on one or several numbers on the wheel. Numbers range from 0-37.

A series of numbers- A player can place a bet on a sequence of numbers on the wheel such as; all the odd or all the even numbers.

A color sequence- A player can place a bet on a color, rather then a number, in European Roulette. The colors on the Roulette wheel are red and black.

The odds of winning are greatly increased by placing more then one bet on the table per spin. However, most players choose to place bets on numbers that are special to them such as their lucky number, spouse’s birthday, or an anniversary.

In the game of blackjack, the dealer draws their cards based on the rules that have been defined for that particular variation.  As you probably know, the actual rules can vary greatly depending on the casino you play at.  However, there is one thing that often remains the same regardless of the variant, and that is the rule which calls for the dealer to stand on a hard 17.  This simply means that the dealer either does not have an ace, or the ace is forced to be valued as 1.  The rules are different when the dealer has a soft 17, which refers to a hand with an ace valued at 11.  Most casinos require that the dealer stand with a soft 17 while others have rules stating that the dealer must take a hit.  Let’s take a look at some strategies for both scenarios.

Playing Defense

Having the ability to hit on a soft 17 benefits the dealer because of the probability of being able to increase the value of their hand.  For example, let’s assume the dealer has a hand comprised of a six and an ace valued at 11 for a total of 17.  After taking a hit, the dealer draws a five.  Now at first, you might assume that the hand adds up to 22, but this is not the case, as that ace is able to claim the value of 1.  The brings the hand total to 12, which allows the dealer to draw another card.  While a soft 17 doesn’t necessarily mean the value of the dealer’s hand will always increase, it does however, increase the probability.  For this reason, you must pick up a more defensive-minded strategy in order to combat the advantage a soft 17 gives the dealer.

The Offensive Approach

Now we will take a look at a strategy where the dealer is forced to stand on a soft 17.  Let’s say the dealer stands with their face-up card ranging anywhere from three to six while you have a total hand value of nine.  In this scenario, you are in a strong position where you should seriously consider doubling.  In a game where the rules allow the dealer to hit on a soft 17, your position would not be as strong and simply taking the hit would be the best option opposed to doubling.

Online casinos offer a wide variety of blackjack variants.  Therefore, you should make yourself familiar with the rules and how they impact the dealer before placing a wager.  You’ve got your blackjack games based on Atlantic City rules, European rules, Spanish rules, Vegas Strip rules, Vegas Downtown rules and a host of others.  If you really want to better your chances of winning, we strongly suggest that you avoid blackjack variants that allow the dealer to hit on a soft 17.  As you learned from this article, this particular rule gives the house a considerably higher edge.  If you do elect to play these games, just keep in mind that you will need to change your strategy accordingly to overcome the dealer’s advantage.