Online Casino Spotlight

Slot machines are the most popular and frequented games at the casino. Most casino floors are packed wall to wall with various types of slot machines. While slot machines are often a place for beginners to get their footing, proper etiquette should still be followed at the 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.

Have you ever performed a Google search for an online casino? The results may appear endless. If you browse through them, you will notice that most look similar. They have a professional feel, offer many of the same games, and have bonuses or other incentives. How do you choose one from the stack? Choosing an online casino is largely based on personal preference, but there are a few tips that will help you narrow down your search.

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.

Before you can play any game of poker, you have to know your card deck. Knowing what each card means is essential to playing any poker game. Most games of poker use standard values for each card. However, their may be some variants to each game. For example, the Ace may represent a high card in one type of poker and a low card in another type of poker.

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!

Poker tournaments are a highly competitive, highly sought after event for serious poker players. Poker tournaments give a player a chance to compete against several players, practice their skills, and possibly win a lot of money. Some poker tournaments are so popular; they are aired live on television across the world. Most casinos host a poker tournament at least once a year, and some casinos host as many as one tournament a week. If you are interested in joining a poker tournament, you should know that not all tournaments are the same.

The Different Types of Poker Tournaments

Sit-N-Go Tournaments: Sit-N-Go Tournaments happen at one poker table. Six or more players play against each other until one person has collected everyone’s chips at the table. These tournaments typically move quickly and no additional buy-ins are allowed.

Free Roll Tournaments: Free Roll Tournaments are free to enter, meaning there is no buy-in a player must pay to sit at a table. Free Roll tournament spots are given out until every spot is full. Free Roll tournaments can last several hours.

Guaranteed Tournaments: Guaranteed Tournaments have a set minimum prize pool. This means a player is guaranteed to win at least that amount. Guaranteed Tournaments typically have multiple tables and low buy-in amounts, making them a good choice for beginning tournament players.

Freeze Out Tournament: In a Freeze Out Tournament, a player starts the tournament with the number of chips they bought and play until they are out of those chips. Players are not allowed to buy more chips and get back in the game.

Re-Buy Tournaments: In a Re-Buy Tournament, players are allowed to purchase another round of chips to keep themselves in the game. These types of tournaments typically have a large number of players and a high buy-in.

Satellite Tournament: In a Satellite Tournament, players are playing for a chance to enter in to a bigger tournament. No actual money is won in a Satellite Tournament. Casinos often host these types of tournaments a few weeks before a bigger poker tournament to weed out the best players and draw interest to their main event.

Which type of poker tournament you choose is up to you. However, remember that poker tournaments typically have a registration period and a buy-in amount. You must register early and be prepared to pay the full buy-in to ensure your spot at the table.

Want to try your luck at poker? Knowing the different poker hands and what it takes to get them is the first step to winning a poker match. Most poker style games will use the classic poker hands, or a variation, and knowing those hands will help you play any game.

How are Poker Hands Determined?

Standard poker uses a 52-card deck where each player is dealt five cards. From those five cards the player must make a hand. A hand is simply a series of cards, and in poker the highest hand wins.

There are some variations to this rule. Some games will only deal three cards, while other games will deal seven cards, and a few games will use a joker as a wild card.

Poker Hands from Worst to Best

High Hand: A high hand in poker occurs when no player has a winning combination. If no player can show a pair or better, the winner is sometimes determined by who has the highest card in their hand.

Pair: A pair in poker occurs when a player has two cards of matching rank from two different suits.

Two Pairs: Two pairs in poker occurs when a player has two cards of matching rank from two different suits, and two cards of another matching rank from two other suits.

Three of a Kind: A three of a kind in poker occurs when a player has three cards of matching rank from three different suits, or three of the same suit.

Straight: A straight in poker occurs when a player has a sequence of five cards. The sequence can be ascending or descending, but must go in order. The type of suit does not matter for a straight.

Flush: A flush in poker occurs when a player has any five cards from the same suit. The cards do not have to follow any sequence.

Full House: A full house in poker occurs when a player has a pair and a three of a kind in the same hand.

Four of a Kind: A four of a kind in poker occurs when a player has four cards of matching rank from any suit.

Straight Flush: A straight flush in poker occurs when a player has five cards from the same suit in a sequence. The sequence can be ascending or descending.

In poker, the highest hand wins. While a player should always strive to have the highest hand, it is possible to win with just a pair depending on the other player’s hands.

In tough economic times, people want to save money every way they can, and several people have started to take advantage of coupons. You can find coupons for almost anything, including your grocery, a car wash, a purchase at a major retailer, and even a casino. Casinos offer coupons for all sorts of benefits from free food to free money to play with. Best of all, these coupons are free and not that difficult to get your hands on.

What are Casino Coupons?

Casino coupons differ from comps. Comps are handed out at random by casino employees such as the pit boss or dealer and that player must use the comp almost immediately. Casino coupons offer more leeway. A coupon is printed on a piece of paper and can be redeemed by anyone as long as it is still valid.

What are the Types of Casino Coupons?

The most common casino coupons are free meals at the casino’s buffet or restaurants, or free drinks at the casino bar. If the casino has a hotel, they may have coupons for discounted or even free stay. If the casino is a resort and includes spas or golf courses, players can enjoy coupons for those areas as well. The most popular casino coupons however include free play. These coupons can come in two forms. Standard free play coupons work the same as cash; players redeem the coupon at the cashier’s desk for a voucher and can use it anywhere in the casino. The second form of coupon increases a player’s bet. The player can place a bet at a poker table in conjunction with their coupon to double their bet.

Where do I Find Casino Coupons?

There are several places to find a casino coupon. The easiest way is to book a stay at the casino’s hotel through a travel agency. Casinos often give entire coupon books away to patrons staying at their hotel. You can also find individual coupons for casinos printed in the back of tourism brochures and gambling magazines. You can also ask a casino employee about their coupons. Several casinos are happy to pass them out to patrons who ask for them. There are also a number of casino coupons for online casinos. Performing an internet search, or joining a number of mailing lists for your favorite casino are sure ways to access the many available coupons.

Casino coupons are a great way to save a few dollars or get some extra rewards at a casino. Before heading to the casino, do your research to see if you can find any of these coupons. Once you get there, remember that it does not hurt to ask- you may be surprised at what you get.

In the land-based casino environment, the serious gambler rarely shows their emotions, especially when intense games such as poker are involved.  After all, doing so could prove to be very fatal.  Players can let their guard down and relax a bit more when playing online.  This is because they usually play at home by themselves or in the company of family or friends who don’t mind seeing them get excited should they happen to score a nice payout.  If you are lucky enough to win money by gambling online, you have all the right to scream, shout and jump for joy.  However, if you are not able to control your emotions when playing at home on your computer, unleashing your excitement in the online world could lead to your downfall just the same.

A Fall From Grace

Online casinos are able to offer games with a lower house edge because their operating costs are much lower than land-based casinos.  This equates to higher payout rates and greater opportunities for the player.  Unfortunately, players tend to part with larger amounts of money faster online than when gambling in brick and mortar casinos.  The main reason – players get lost in their emotions and continue to wager when they should just sit back and enjoy their winnings.

Take the player who just cashed out big at an online casino for example.  After winning, they brag and boast to their friends, relishing in their good luck and all the money they won.  Convinced that today is their lucky day, they continue to gamble, now wagering with the feeling of invisibility.  Unfortunately, more often than not, the player ends up losing all of their winnings and may even dip further into their funds to hand over more money to the casino.  Desperate to get it all back at all costs, they keep gambling and continue to lose.  A good rule of thumb for online gambling is to never play more than you originally intended to bet.  If you do, you could find yourself chasing elusive winnings that only stand to deplete your bankroll in record time.

If the player in the above scenario would have kept their emotion under wraps and applied rational thinking to their subsequent wagers, the outcome would have probably worked more in their favor.  There is nothing wrong with showing a little emotion when you win money from betting online.  However, if these are substantial winnings, you may want to consider withdrawing them before popping the champagne cork and celebrating into the night.  The last thing you want to do is blow the money you won and lose even more by trying to redeem yourself.

The Moral of the Story

When it comes to gambling online, it is important to adopt the skill of being able to control your emotions whether you win or lose.  This is not as easy as it may sound so if you have never played at an online casino, you may want to practice with some free games before you even put up a wager.  If not, you stand the risk of losing a lot of money and taking the first step on the road to compulsive gambling.

A series of poker boot camps are being launched in locations through out the globe hosted by Vanessa Rousso. These poker boot camps are set to start in 2010. Thousands of poker enthusiasts are expected to attend, hoping to gain insight on how a poker star made her wins.

Who is Vanessa Rousso?

Vanessa Rousso is a 27-year-old poker icon. In the few years she has been attending poker tournaments, Rousso has amassed over four million dollars in winnings. Rousso was the first female to ever make it to the finals of the NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship, where she came in second place. In addition to being a poker super-star, Rousso is also a spokeswoman for GoDaddy.com, and had a two-page spread in Sports Illustrated’s extremely popular Swimsuit Edition. She has also hosted televised poker tournaments, and will appear on “Bank of Hollywood.” A television show produced by e-channel and hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

Vanessa Rousso is now turning her sights towards teaching the skills of poker. She hopes to give her pupils a winning edge by using a combination of hands-on and instructional training about high-level poker strategy. According to Rousso, “My biggest passion outside of playing poker is in teaching poker strategy. I love watching that light bulb go off in my students’ minds when they discover something new.”

What is the Boot Camp About?

Vanessa Rousso’s boot camp aims to teach already-skilled poker players a higher level of strategy. The boot camp will encompass two types of training; lectures and hands-on experience. The lectures will all be held by Rousso, and will cover some of her own personal game theories. The hands-on training will work as a series of poker game stimulations where players will be allowed to try out the skills they learned during the lecture series.

When and Where the Boot Camps are Held

Vanessa Rousso’s first poker boot camp is being held in the Bahamas, at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. Rousso has dubbed this set of the boot camp circuit, “Strategy Symposium Under the Sun.”

The second in the poker boot camp set is being held in Biloxi, Mississippi. Hosted by Beau Ravage, “Poker Tournament Theory Boot Camp & Tournament” will last two days.

Rousso is currently working on the locations of several more boot camps to be held throughout 2010. These boot camps will all be hosted by a different location so poker players from around the globe can participate.

Any lectures or classes on poker are an excellent way for skilled poker players to up their game. A series held by a world-renowned poker player, who has a long resume of poker tournaments under her belt, is definitely worth the trip.

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world, so naturally, many new players are attracted to the online version.  For several players, the big problem is choosing from the vast selection of different variants.  Others have a tough time adjusting to the rules of the internet world.  If you have a general knowledge of blackjack but are new to playing online, this article will serve as the introduction that will help you get started.

Online vs. Offline Play

When playing blackjack in a land-based casino, the rules pretty much remain the same regardless of the venue.  Blackjack payouts at 3 to 1, a tie pushes and the dealer busts if their hand goes over 21.  However, the rules of the game often change when playing online, which is typically done to give the house a greater advantage.  For instance, in many online casinos, blackjack pays out at 1 to 1, the dealer wins on a tie, and rather than the dealer busting with 22, the hand round results in a push.

Despite the disadvantages that come along with playing blackjack online, there are still some benefits that make the game attractive to players.  One popular variant is a game known as Blackjack Switch.  In this exclusive online variation, players begin with two separate hands and can exchange the second set of cards dealt should it provide them with an advantage.  The downside is that the rules of this particular variant are in favor of the house, so the player is more susceptible to losing money than winning.  Because the dealer is allowed to hit on a soft 17 in a game of Black Switch, the return to the player is greatly reduced.

Online Blackjack Variants and The House Edge

Another thing you should know about playing blackjack online is that different variants are played with a different number of card decks.  The number of decks typically ranges from one to eight.  This has a huge impact on the player because the more decks that are used, the higher the house edge.  So while the basic rules remain the same, you can expect a lower average return when playing blackjack with more decks of cards.  The house edge is also increased as a result of the restrictions imposed on tactics such as splitting and doubling down.   A classic example are variants in which the rules state that you cannot double following a split or only double if the value of your hand is between 9 and 11.  Likewise, there are variants in which you can only split once or twice.  In these games, the dealer is usually required to stand on a soft 17, but the player’s advantage is neutralized by the restrictions placed on splits and doubling down.

Conclusion

If you are a master at playing blackjack in the real world and want to take your skills online, your previous experience is only half the battle.  There are so many variants online that it can make it feel as if you are playing an entirely new game.  For this reason, it would be wise to read up on different variants and their rules before making a wager online.

A unique modern gaming version of traditional card poker is Video Poker. Video poker is played using a computer gaming system, similar to the advanced slot machines. In video poker, there is no dealer and no other players; just you playing against the computer. The computer will deal the cards and you will click your way in to the hand.

Video poker has become popular in recent years. You can find video poker machines at most casinos and other gambling establishments.

A Closer Look at Jacks or Better Video Poker

Jacks or Better is a five card game that follows the traditional poker high hand limits. However, in Jacks or Better a player has to have a least a pair of Jacks to qualify for the hand. Any lesser combination results in a loss for the player.

Playing Jacks or Better Video Poker

In Jacks or Better, the computer, acting as the dealer, will deal out five cards to the player to start the hand. Much like traditional poker, the player will decide to raise or fold based on their hand. If the player chooses to raise their Ante bet rather then fold, they are then allowed to discard up to four cards from their original hand. The dealer will then deal the requested amount of new cards to the player. After the second draw the player will try to make a Jacks or higher hand from the cards they were dealt. If the player has a hand with a pair of Jacks or higher, they are paid out for that hand based on a pay structure determine by the video poker machine.

Betting Options in Jacks or Better Video Poker?

In Jacks or Better video poker, a player must place an Ante bet at the beginning of each round to buy in to the hand. The Ante bet often has a minimum amount that will be listed on the video poker machine. After the Ante bet is placed and the cards are dealt, the player will have one chance to raise their Ante bet and move on to the next part of the round.

If the player placed, and raised, and Ante bet they will play through that round of Jacks or Better. If they end up with a hand showing at least a pair of Jacks, the player is paid out based on a pay structure. Pay structures for most video poker games are listed on the poker machine itself and the payouts ma be quite lucrative.