November 29th, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

My local casino has finally given in to “player pressure” to make its main casino floor table games more competitive, after trying unsuccessfully to make even more revenue from its loyal player base. About 8 months ago, the main gaming floor moved from 4-deck Continuous Shuffle Machine (CSM) blackjack to 6-deck CSM blackjack, and also raised the minimum stake on its Pai Gow dominoes game from $25 to $50. I predicted at that time that there would soon be less players on the blackjack tables (as the edge had moved from 0.38% to 0.54% – almost a 30% increase), and at the Pai Gow tables (due to the higher minimum). It does appear that I was right. In the last few months especially, I’ve noticed a real decline in player numbers at those tables on my visits. Tables which regularly had 4 or 5 players were down to 1 or 2 at best.

However, the casino powers that be have now seen the light, or so it seems. The Pai Gow tables have now returned to a $25 minimum ($2000 maximum) – and the tables are getting busy once again. The blackjack tables also seem to have more players now that the edge has been lowered. For me as a casino table games player, this is a good thing. I like a busy casino full of people playing (not just hanging around) as its a better atmosphere, and discourages idiots from bugging you all day / night.

Before I claim victory however, the change back to 4-deck CSM blackjack was not for the reason I’d hoped (wanting to give players a better deal). Instead, it’s in response to the casino getting HAMMERED by Perfect Pairs (side bet) players. Apparently, quite a few “syndicate” players were playing progressive style betting strategies on the Perfect Pairs bet, until it hit (the spread allowed was $2.50 – $100 which I’ve always thought too high), getting a 25-to-1 payout. And once they’d had that payout, they simply walked away from the game. Net result? The casino lots THOUSANDS of dollars on that side bet. Moving from 6-deck CSM blackjack back to 4-deck CSM blackjack will statistically reduce the number of Perfect Pairs generated – so the casino are clearly hoping they’ll retrieve some of those losses. As someone who doesn’t generally play Perfect Pairs, I’m just happy to see the base blackjack game become better. At 0.38% average edge, it’s worth playing again.

As I’ve said many times, it’s the casinos that look after their players and offer competitive games that will prosper in the long term. My only wish is that casino managers took that long term view rather than trying to screw down every last percentage margin possible, killing off their customers in the process.

November 29th, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

I’ve just received an email from Terribles Casino Las Vegas telling me about their very special 10x Points days in December 2009, on all Reel and Video Reel machines. The dates are December 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23 and 27. Terribles Casino Las Vegas are also offering 5x Points on Tuesdays and Thursdays this month. See their players club for details. I just thought you’d like to know about this great promotion!

November 23rd, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

I’ve noticed a trend with players lately towards the Playtech software casinos. Playtech casino software is (from my own experience) safe, and great fun to play – and many of the casinos offering Playtech casino games via a download offer around 150 exciting table and slot games to play. That’s a big variety of games you can play and win on! And some of these games are really great fun! Here’s a screenshot of Diamond Valley, one of the popular progressive slot machines.

Whilst there are a large number of casinos available online that use Playtech software, we’re selective about the ones we promote. I like to promote casinos that I’ve personally played in, and / or have great faith in as operators. By sticking to these tried and tested casinos, I can ensure that you have a positive experience when playing, winning, and getting your winnings paid to you. On this basis, the three Playtech casinos that I recommend are: Betfair Casino, Mansion Casino – $300 Bonus, and Casino.com – $200 Bonus. Rest assured you’ll have a great experience with any of these casinos.

Just some of the popular slot machine games available on the Playtech casino software platform are Alien Hunter, Beach Life, Bonus Bears, Chinese Kitchen, Cinerama, Desert Treasure, Diamond Valley, Diamond Valley Pro, Dolphin Reef, Dr Lovemore, Farmer’s Market, Football Rules, Forest of Wonders, Fruitmania, Funky Monkey, Geisha Story, Gladiator, Goblin’s Cave, Gold Rally, and Great Blue. And there are many more you can play once you’ve downloaded! There are also a wide variety of other casino games offered, including 21 Duel Blackjack, American Roulette, Baccarat, Blackjack, Blackjack Pro, Blackjack Surrender, Blackjack Switch, Carribean Stud Poker, Casino Hold’em, Casino War, Craps, European Roulette,Half Double Blackjack, Jackpot Darts, Jacks or Better video poker, Let Them Ride Poker, and Mini Roulette.

Here’s a very special Playtech casino bonus only available in this blog post: Join any of these three casinos via the links in THIS blog entry, deposit a minimum of $100USD, get your bonus and then meet the playthrough requirements. When you’ve done this, win or lose, send me your details at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk, and I’ll send you $10USD via Paypal (or if you have a UK bank account I can pay directly into that) as a thank you – for EACH casino you joined. This offer is UNIQUE to Beat the Slots blog, and is my way of saying thank you for supporting our advertisers. Act quickly and get your free money from me, win or lose, IN ADDITION to the bonuses that the casinos themselves give you for joining!

Join Betfair Casino, Mansion Casino – $300 Bonus, and Casino.com – $200 Bonus now!

November 23rd, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

Are the Irish Eyes smiling on you? There’s an easy way to find out: play the Irish Eyes Slot Machine at Virgin Casino. This great Irish themed slot machine has an expected average Return to Player percentage of a high 95.129%. With 5 reels, and 1 to 20 lines on which you can play from 1p to 2.50GBP per spin, you can win good sized payouts on the Irish Eyes Slot Machine - especially if you strike the Free Game Feature or the Pick and Win Feature.

The Free Game Feature triggers when 3 or more Scattered Lady symbols appear left to right. 12 Free Games are awarded during which all prizes are tripled – and the feature can be retriggered. (The screenshot below shows a 50GBP spin winning 1322.50GBP).

The Pick and Win Feature triggers when a Leprechaun appears anywhere on Reels 1 and 5 at the same time. You can pick one of the triggering symbols to reveal a prize (which can be up to 100 times your triggering bet). If you’re very lucky, you may also be awarded the chance to Pick Again. You’ll enjoy playing Irish Eyes at Virgin Casino – especially if you’re a new player with a 100% matchplay bonus available up to 100GBP! Play now!

November 22nd, 2009 by Beat Casinos, How To Beat The Casinos, www.howtobeatthecasinos.com

I saw today that the Paddington Casino in London has closed (on about 12 November, 2009). It’s very rare that casinos close down, so I can only assume it wasn’t generating sufficient profits for its owners (Ladbrokes). It was based in one of the London Hilton hotels (part of the Ladbrokes Hilton group), and only had a small outside entrance – so perhaps it wasn’t attracting many non-hotel guests. With Hilton hotels typically attracting a large American market, and with less Americans travelling to the UK / Europe, perhaps the writing has been on the wall for some time. Americans normally play a lot in land-based casinos – especially given their widespread online gaming ban in the USA.

Anyway, I’m sorry to see the Paddington Casino close. It was small (and beneath ground level), but comfortable, and it had good service. It had one of the first electronic texas hold-em poker tables I saw in the UK. It had low limit (3GBP) and high limit blackjack - although some of these tables were continuous shuffle machines if I remember correctly. It had complimentary bar service for players (one of the few in the UK that INCLUDED alcoholic beverages), and good free toasted sandwiches. But it didn’t have many other significant comps or casino promotions though (that I recall) – this might have been its downfall.

I’ve mentioned many times in my Beat the Casinos blog posts that as players we should play where we feel valued, where we get good comps, where we can access good promotions, and where we feel we at least have a decent chance of winning. In the London casino market, which is highly competitive, it’s inevitable that some casinos will not survive during a recession. Those that do survive will be those with good promotions, good free food and drinks for players, and good playable games (i.e. hand shuffled blackjack rather than continuous shuffle machines). In that respect only, maybe this casino closing down was a good thing.

Playing with reputable online casinos will always be better value for players, because online casinos have lower overheads so can afford to be more generous in their comp / vip programs and bonus packages. That’s why you can always get matchplay offers for new customers at online casinos – and why many casinos now offer monthly free bonuses / other bonuses for regular players. You don’t get food – but you can play from anywhere. If you’re playing at home, you can make yourself a sandwich. And there’s no travel costs.

RIP Paddington Casino, London, UK. It was fun to win from you whilst I had the opportunity.