May 28th, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

Ever wanted to play more than one slot game AT THE SAME TIME in your local casino? This is now a reality thanks to IGT who’ve brought out their new range of Multiplay Video Slot machines. This technology has now been licensed in 38 jurisdictions, so if the technology is not yet at your local casino, it’s probably not too far away.

Here are some details from the press release: “IGT announced that its MultiPLAY video slot has been approved and released in 38 jurisdictions including Nevada, California and Oklahoma, along with five additional pending jurisdictions. The MultiPLAY video slot is the only one of its kind in which players can choose to play up to four video slot games on the same machine – at the same time.

In addition to playing up to four video slot games on the same machine at the same time, players can hit four progressives sequentially or even hit four bonuses on one spin. Bonus rounds fill the base game screen, and play one after the other. “It’s the multi-hand video poker experience now in a multi-game video slot for the very first time,” said Ryan Griffin, IGT product manager for Standard Products. “And the flexibility, superior design and options provided by MultiPLAY Video Slots set it apart from all the competition.”

MultiPLAY Video Slots themes available today include Cleopatra MultiPLAY Video Slots and Wolf Run MultiPLAY Video Slots. A variety of additional themes are already in development, guaranteeing to keep casino floors fresh with new content. Another benefit is the screen layout with four equal-sized game screens, causing less eye strain and making it easy to follow the action. Plus, each game spins independently, allowing a clear understanding of each outcome.” Sounds pretty cool huh!

Want to see what the Multiplay video slots look like? There’s a picture of the Cleopatra slot machine cabinet here. Have a look. I’m going to ask our local slot machine supervisor to investigate getting these at the casino I play in – they look really cool!

Have you played these machines? Let me know of your adventures at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk so I can tell others about how they play, and what to expect!

May 28th, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

I see today that there is a Global Gaming Expo coming up in Macau very soon… in fact only a week or so away! Having attended similar events in the past, I can recommend them as a great way to spend a day or two. It’s a brilliant way, even as a player, to meet representatives of all sorts of casino suppliers, slot manufacturers, casino chains and the like, and acquaint yourself with all of the new games / tables / chairs / food options that will soon be in your local casino.

Ok, Macau is a fair way away for most of us (in terms of location), but its a great place. I had a great time fleecing some of the casinos there (e.g. the Sands Macau brings back good memories for me, for a start), and the staff are friendly. So you can go to the Global Gaming Expo by day, and play in the casinos at night! Great fun!

The Macau Global Gaming Expo is on from June 2 to June 4, 2009. There is a website for the event: www.g2easia.com. Have fun if you do go, and let me know your experiences via email at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk.

May 28th, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

Now I’m not a huge fan of poker. It’s not because I don’t like the game – I do. But I just feel its unfair to take money off other people in order for me to win. I prefer house banked games like blackjack and baccarat, played against large casino corporations, who can afford to lose a few thousand at a time. I like to take their money – but I don’t want to feel any guilt afterwards. Sadly, when you’re winning in poker, you are taking any money won from a fellow PLAYER rather than the casino. That sucks in my book – although I know many of my regular blog readers will have no issue with it. After all, gambling is gambling right?

Tonight I’ve been offered a seat at a VIP invitation only event at my local casino. There’s about 50 seats in all, and prizes for the top 3 players (I’m not even sure what they are – I think $500, $1000, and $2000 or something like that). I’m not expecting to win – but hey, if I get to the top table even, that would be cool. You see, because of my dis-inclination to win from other people, I don’t play poker very often at all. Maybe 2 or 3 times a year. So I don’t rate myself very highly as a poker player. I stick to blackjack and the other games I play well.

Anyway, as I believe that luck is a big part of poker, wish me luck! Perhaps if enough readers of this blog send good lucky vibes my way, I’ll do better than I expect! You just never know when it comes to gambling. I’m not superstitious, but I do think there are lucky and unlucky days, and lucky and unlucky cards. And honestly, where poker is concerned, I need as much luck as I can get!

Itching to play poker yourself? There are some EXCELLENT poker websites featured on my blog (look in the right hand column of the site) and many offer FANTASTIC sign up bonuses. So feel free to click on the adverts, and visit the sites. If you should end up joining and playing on one of those sites via my blog, let me know at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk as I’ll send you a very special gift as a thank you! And good luck to you when you do play – it’s only fair for me to send you luck, as you’re sending it to me! We’re a team! Let’s all continue to beat the casinos together!

May 28th, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

I visited Auckland New Zealand recently and visited the large SkyCity Casino that is in the middle of the city. Wow, it’s quite a big place. Nowhere near as luxurious as many of the casinos I’ve played in throughout the world (Monte Carlo, Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, London, Sydney, Melbourne and elsewhere), but it does have its own unique feel. The table games were reasonable with single zero roulette on offer, although the blackjack was fairly tight, using 6 deck continuous shuffle machines. If you’ve read my earlier blogs, you’ll know I’m not too keen on CSM’s.

But that’s besides the point… of this entry at least. I wanted to say that if you’re ever in that same neck of the woods, that the Sammys Bar at SkyCity Auckland is well worth visiting for cheap high quality food. Sammys Bar is named after Frank Sinatra, and has a jazz / Sinatra type theme throughout. It’s a bit of a secret, hidden at the back of the casino – but worth the walk. They offer lots of dishes including hamburger and chips, freshly cooked and tasty for $6.50NZD (about $3.50USD / $5AUD), egg muffin for about $3 NZD (really tasty, nice scrambled eggs on a toasted muffin), etc. I’m a big fan of cheap or free food in casinos – and this food is some of the best I’ve tasted in those environments. I tried the Deli and Fortuna restaurant there also – was not impressed by either of those… the food quality reminded me of a visit to the Gold Spike in Las Vegas quite a few years ago. But Sammys Bar is a winner.

Have you been to SkyCity Auckland, or one of its sister properties at SkyCity Queenstown, SkyCity Hamilton etc? Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk.

May 10th, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

I’ve been playing some slot machines at my local casino (including Show Me The Game, the new release of Geisha, and others), based on Aristocrat’s Viridian platform, and I have to say that I really do like them. They’ve got great stereo sound, good clear LCD displays, and importantly, that nice new feel about them. As a regular slots (and table) player, I often get bored playing the same old games, day after day. These new Viridian cabinets and game varieties are enjoyable, and for the time being at least, they’re appealing to me. That’s quite something. Well done Aristocrat.

Viridian slot machines (or at least the ones I’ve been playing) also include the “Player Information” (i) button. Now I no longer need to guess how high the payout percentage is on my favourite slot machines. Just one press of the button tells me the odds of hitting winning combinations, and also the long term theoretical payout / hold of each machine. Just knowing this information is useful – I switched from playing one favourite game to another for good the other day – because the old game I liked paid 91%, but my new favourite game pays 95%. And that’s on a 2c game denomination.

As our local casino players club adds about half of one percent in cashback, I’m playing a slot machine with a hold of 100% – 95% – 0.5% = approx 4.5%. For a land based casino slot machine, that’s pretty good. Factor in the free food / drinks I’m able to access, and it’s basically an “even money” proposition. As I’m part of my local casinos VIP program, my extra comps / days out / theatre and sports tickets actually puts me in the positive. Theoretically at least.

Online I do find better slot machine payouts – 96% – 98% is common – and I’ll continue to play online (as its been profitable for me). And of course you can get a great deal of free bonus cash when you join up to online casinos (see those adverts featured on the right hand side of my blog pages, for reputable places to play), which you don’t typically get in the land based casinos. But that said, 95% return on a 2c slot in a land based casino with full amenities is not to be sneezed at.

I’m not sure if all of the Viridian games will continue to be in that high paying range, or whether our local casino has just bought a higher denomination version as part of a promotional period, but if this payout percentage begins to be the norm on those slot machines, I’ll continue to play them! What are the slot machine conditions like in your local casino? Feel free to email me at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk with your thoughts, or leave a comment.