February 29th, 2008 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

I’m going to be running some special promotions in March, to say thank you to all of the many readers and visitors who are helping to make the Beatthecasinos blog one of the hottest casino-related websites on the Internet! Thank you ALL sooooooooooo much!

I’ve always believed that the very best offers should be reserved for those who’ve helped to make the site successful; who’ve visited often; who’ve got a real interest in the topics I’m writing about; who want to win and beat the casinos! And so, I’ve decided to make these special offers available to SUBSCRIBERS of our 100% FREE “articles by email” service only (initially, at least).

Our 100% free service (managed by Feedburner which is in turn owned by Google) will send you article updates from Beat the Casinos via email, once a day – but only when articles are posted. Every email you receive will give you the opportunity to unsubscribe. We are a no-spam provider – we hate spam as much as you do!

If you’re not already a subscriber (which is 100% FREE – and I promise not to overwhelm your inbox, or to ever sell your details), then NOW is the time to subscribe. Subscribe (FREE) by Email NOW. You’ll be sent a very special one off offer during the month if you’re on our subscription list. This will be sent on a random date during the month – so the earlier you subscribe, the more chance you have of receiving it!

You have nothing to lose, no costs to pay, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe (FREE) by Email NOW.

February 28th, 2008 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

I play casino games often, and I’m happy to say that I win during most sessions. (I’ve often remarked that if I wasn’t winning on a fairly consistent basis, that I wouldn’t play any more). Every so often however, I’ll experience a cold streak, an unlucky session, an odds-balancing correction, bad karma – call it what you will. When it happens, it hurts. It hurts my bankroll, it hurts my ego, it even temporarily hurts my perspective on life (occasionally). Let’s face it, nobody feels good on a bad day.

Knowing that these sessions can happen however, means that I’m not too surprised if / when they occur. I’ve also learnt (the hard way) over time that worrying too much about them when they do occur is harmful – and can lead to bad decisions.

To help out, I thought I’d share some of my hard learnt tips with you. If we all play better, and stress less, we’ve got a chance to really beat the casinos! That will make us feel good, right? We’ll be happy – and what more could we ask for?

Tip 1: Get back on the horse
If you give up playing after a losing session, not only will you feel defeated, but you also won’t give yourself the opportunity to get your lost money back. Just as when you’re a child and fall off a bike or horse, and somebody says “get back on the horse” or “get back on the bike”, my advice to you is this: “get back to the blackjack table”, “get back to the roulette wheel”. It’s only by playing that you have a chance to win or break even. (If you have a gambling addiction however, my advice is “run” – and NEVER return to the palaces of chance. I don’t want to be responsible for your downfall).

Tip 2: Are you playing the right game?
If you’ve read this blog for a while you’ll know that casinos offer “good bets” and “bad bets”. Good bets are those games with a house edge of about 2.5% or lower (the lower the better), whilst bad bets are all other games (such as slots, carribean stud poker, baccarat tie bets, craps horn bet, etc). The “good bets” do give you a reasonable chance of walking out a winner on any particular gambling session. The “bad bets” can also make you a winner – but the odds of winning are far lower due to the high house edge. If you’re going to be playing regularly, make sure you’re only playing games that give you a chance to win – or to at least moderate your spending to reasonable “entertainment” levels. Here’s some of my previous articles: “The best bets in any casino“; “The worst bets in any casino“.

Tip 3: Do you have the right bankroll for your game?
Every game can have swings and variations. You need to ensure you have a bankroll that can accommodate reasonable swings based upon a formula called “The Kelly Criterion”. This specific formula has been calculated to give players the greatest probability of winning, and the lowest probability of losing everything. The following are the recommended session bankrolls required for various games: slots 250 times your average bet (so if you play 20 lines at 5c, = $1 per spin, then you need a bankroll of $250); poker 100 times your average bet; other table games 50 times your average bet (so if you play 2 hands of blackjack at a time for $25 per hand, then you need a bankroll of $2500). I once wrote this article about “Money Management In Casinos” – you might find it helpful.

Tip 4: Are you playing the games well?
When you play your favourite casino game, are you playing the optimal strategy? For example, are you covering only a few numbers on roulette (good strategy) or covering every number for every spin (bad strategy)? If you’re playing blackjack, are you sitting on 15 against a dealer picture (bad strategy) or pulling a card (good strategy)? On Carribean Stud Poker are you betting with lower than a pair of jacks in your hand (bad strategy) or betting with a pair of jacks or better (good strategy)? It’s important that you play ANY game to an optimal strategy – otherwise you’re more likely to be giving your money to the casinos. There’s no excuse for bad play – there are plenty of books available to read (i.e. “Casino books worth reading“) and plenty of good internet sites to visit that can teach you about optimal gambling strategies. Or you can email me at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk and I’ll do my best to help you. Play well, or reap the consequences!

Tip 5: Play with a positive attitude
I’ve always believed you should play with a positive frame of mind whilst in any casino. We’re optimists right? All gamblers want to win. And now and again we actually do take the casino’s money home! Playing with a positive attitude not only helps you to enjoy the games more, but it puts you in a more stable frame of mind that will hopefully help you to better avoid making silly playing decisions. Go into the casino with the attitude of a WINNER. The moment you start thinking “I’m a loser” is the moment that you become what you think… so go in assuming you’ll win, and then don’t be surprised when you get that jackpot!

I hope you’ve found my tips useful. They’ve been hard learnt over my 15 years of play – and, in the long run, casino gambling has been PROFITABLE for me… hopefully you’ll get similar results when you follow my tips and advice. Good luck to you!

February 24th, 2008 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

Baccarat is a popular casino game that has been around for many years. It’s particularly popular in Asia, and in the large Las Vegas casinos where “whales” often play it for hundreds of thousands of dollars a hand. There are various versions of the game played: traditional or full-size table baccarat where the house takes a 5% commission on winning Banker bets, or the now more popular midi-baccarat which uses a blackjack table size, has no commission, but instead pays only half whenever the bank wins on a 6. The full table game has a house edge of 1.06% on banker bets, and 1.24% on player bets. The midi-baccarat game has a slightly higher edge. Note that the TIE bet should be avoided in either game (pays 8:1) – it has an edge of 14.4%!

Image courtesy skycityauckland.co.nz

How do you play Baccarat?
In Baccarat, the highest possible card total for either player or banker is 9. Tens and picture cards count as zero, and all the other cards count as their face value (i.e. aces are 1, 3′s are 3, etc). When a total over 10 is made (i.e. a 7 card with an 8 card) then only the last digit counts (in this example, 5).

1. You can bet on either the banker or the player to win, or on a tie. The idea is simply to bet on the side that WINS (has a higher score). A TIE bet means that both sides need to have the same score to win.

2. The dealer will draw the cards according to some rules, to determine a winner.

3. When the dealer has paid the winning bets you may place a new bet for the next hand.

Player Drawing Rules
If total of first two player cards is 0,1,2,3,4,5, then dealer draws a third card.
If total of first two player cards is 6,7 then dealer stands.
If total of first two player cards is 8,9 a natural, then dealer draws a third card.

Note: When a natural (a two-card 8 or 9) is encountered for either a player or the banker,no further cards are drawn to either hand.

Bankers Drawing Rules
When the first two banker’s cards total zero, one or two, the Banker’s hand draws a card. When the total of the Banker’s first two cards is three or more (but not 8 or 9, a natural), the outcome depends on the third card drawn by the player, as shown below:

Image courtesy wizardofodds.com

With the hands decided upon and finalised, the bets are settled.

Casino Barred’s Advice
Baccarat is a fun and entertaining game to play, and offers reasonable odds. In the long term it makes little difference whether you bet player or banker – although I tend to bet banker more often as it will statistically win more hands, giving you a lower house edge on the game. Avoid the TIE bet. Have a reasonable bankroll when you play – ideally 30 – 40 times each stake, to give yourself a chance to ride out any “storms”. Saying that, wins on one side or the other of more than 5 or 6 hands in a row are uncommon. They can happen, but they don’t happen often.

Find a land based casino you enjoy. Alternatively, if playing online, this game can be found at Virgin Casino and Betfair Casino. Playing at Betfair Casino is your better option, as it has Zero Baccarat – a special version of the game in which banker bets only attract commission of 2.75% (lowering the overall house edge on the banker bets to about 0.5% – almost half of what you’ll find elsewhere).

Have fun playing Baccarat – the game of whales and small fishes alike!

February 23rd, 2008 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

If you’re a fan of the William Hill Roulette game found on the ITBox Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT) in all William Hill bookmakers shops in the UK, then you’ll no doubt be delighted to hear that you can now play a very similar game online with Betfair Casino. Yes, rather than having to physically visit a William Hill bookies, you can sit at home in the comfort of your pyjamas, and play ITBox style roulette at your own convenience, and without getting pestered by the local homeless guys for change (trust me, I had that happen many times when playing at the bookmakers – William Hill, Coral, Paddy Power and others). Isn’t the Internet great? You can now beat the bookies from your own home avoiding all that travel and hassle!

The Betfair Casino version of this William Hill ITBox style roulette game is called Pinball Roulette. It’s a little different to the William Hill version in that the pinball area itself is a bit more interactive (with bumpers etc), but apart from that its basically the same game. The bonus also works a little differently – you can get up to 10x your winnings with the Betfair bonus version, whereas the William Hill roulette that I used to play had a maximum 3x bonus available. The wheel is made up of 37 numbered sections – so is a single zero (2.63% house edge) game. Payoffs for numbers are exactly the same as in normal roulette (i.e. straight up number is 35 to 1, split number is 17 to 1 etc). The roulette betting layout is the same as usual (see below) – but with wheel sections additionally easier to bet on by simply clicking on numbers in a line at the base of the screen.

When you press bet the screen changes and the pinball game begins. The pinball enters the playing field, and then bounces off nails and bumpers until it reaches its final destination at the base of the screen (a single number).

You are then told the outcome of your bet (just as you are in the William Hill ITbox version). You can either collect your winnings, or gamble them. If you choose to gamble, the playing field changes again and another pinball is released. If you’re lucky the gamble will result in a win of 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or even 10x your winnings stake (and if not, well, you took a gamble right?).

Pinball Roulette from Betfair Casino is a great game to play, and I believe it will be very popular. Don’t forget that Betfair Casino offer a match play casino bonus to new players, of up to £50 (terms and conditions of usage are on their website). Best of luck playing Pinball Roulette! A free-to-play fun version is also available at Betfair Casino if you want to practice (try doing that at your local UK high street bookmakers!!!).

February 23rd, 2008 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

Tai Sai, or Sic Bo as it is often named, is a chinese dice game where players bet on the possible outcomes of the roll of 3 dice. It’s a strategy game, a little like craps in part, where knowing the right bets to make can be a differentiator between winning and losing. The best bets on the table have a house edge of around 2.8% – not too far different from playing single-zero roulette. But the worst bets on the table have a house edge of around 47% – clearly you’ll want to avoid those. To help you ascertain which bets carry which edge, I’ve interspersed those details in the Bets and Odds section. Want to play now? You can play Sic Bo (Tai Sai) for real money at Genting Casino.

How to Play

1. The dealer covers the come and the 3 dice spin inside the covered dome.

2. Bet on any of the combinations that you think will win by placing your chips clearly in the area marked on the table. You can bet on as few or as many areas as you like.

3. The dealer will call “no more bets” and the cover of the dome is removed.

4. The winning areas will light up so you can see if you have won.

Bets and Odds
There are lots of ways to win on Tai Sai (Sic Bo) and the table may look confusing. Don’t worry, each area is clealy marked and you can ask the dealer for help if you’re not sure.

BIG and SMALL: This is a bet that the total of the three dice will either be small (4-10) or big (11-17). All big and small bets lose if a triple appears. Pays 1 to 1. (House edge 2.8%)

ODD and EVEN: This is a bet that the total of the three dice with either be odd (5,7,9…) or even (4,6,8…). All odd and even bets lose if a triple appears. Pays 1 to 1. (House edge 2.8%)

SINGLE DICE RESULT: This is a bet on what any of the three dice are going to be. If one of the dice comes up with your number, you win, and if two or all three dice come up with your number you win even more! On one dice pays 1 to 1; on 2 dice pays 2 to 1; or 3 dice pays 12 to 1. (House edge can be close to 8% – but depends on the three dice payout figure).

TWO DICE COMBINATIONS: This is a bet on what any two of the three dice will be. If the combination that you select comes in, you win! Pays 6 to 1. (Approx 16.7% overall house edge, depending on combination chosen)

FOUR DICE COMBINATIONS: This bet wins if three of the four numbers that you selected come up. Pays 7 to 1. (House edge not calculated – but likely 25% – 30% range)

THREE DICE TOTALS: This is a bet on the TOTAL of the 3 dice. Some of the totals pay 6 to 1, others more – right up to 62 to 1. Each casino may offer slightly different payout odds on each number. (House edge is from 9%-47% dependent upon the total chosen).

DOUBLES: This is a bet that at least two out of the three dice are going to be the same – a double. If you select a double that comes up, you win! Pays 11 to 1. (House edge about 11%)

SPECIFIC THREE DICE COMBINATIONS: Choose what the three dice will be. If you select the right combination you win 30 to 1. If the combination you select includes a double you win 60 to 1. (House edge not calculated but likely 15% – 25% range)

ANY TRIPLE: This is a bet that all dice will show the same number – a triple. With this bet you don’t have to pick what the numbers will be, so long as they are all the same. Pays 31 to 1. (House edge 11%)

SPECIFIC TRIPLE: This is a bet that all three dice will be the same – a triple. You will have needed to select the specific number to win BIG! Pays 180 to 1. (House edge 16.2%)

Casino Barred’s Advice
This can be a fun game to play – but you should only play it for small stakes, and for a small amount of time. To give yourself the most playing time available, stick to the low risk bets of BIG and SMALL, ODDS or EVEN – leaving all other combinations. Play this game at a reputable online casino, such as Genting Casino.

Play Tai Sai (Sic Bo) at the very popular Genting Casino (who have Genting Casino in Genting Highlands, and the Genting Resorts World in Singapore, and casinos elsewhere in the world like the Cirrus Casino in the UK), who will give you a VERY SPECIAL VIP JOINING OFFER if you join via How To Beat the Casinos. Use the banner below to get up to 1000 Pounds (or other currency) free match play casino money, when you join via the exlusive banner below. Don’t be an ordinary casino player – be a VIP Casino Player, and get your full entitlements and casino bonuses.