Casino Blog

Expected Value and All That

crapper — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:40:16 +0000

There’s a lot of talk about Expected Value, or EV, on different games at the casino, i.e., how much you’ll win/lose on average when playing different games. Of course, it’s extremely rare that these numbers add up in any single session, but over, say, a few thousand sessions you can usually count on the numbers to be roughly equivalent with the expected value.

After all, casinos are counting on this for their long-term profits. It’s highly unusual that players have a positive EV on any of the games at a casino, although it happens occasionally – especially if the player takes advantage of a good sign-up bonus.

However, surprisingly few players bother to check their expected return (winning chances) on different games, and often they choose a game with a poor payout percentage. If you plan on playing for a while with a limited amount of money, look for games with a tiny house edge (which is to say the least negative EV for the player.)

For example, most varieties of blackjack offer an almost negligible (short-term) house edge of 0.5%, whereas most slot machines will rob you of about 10% of each wager. Sure – to be reasonably drunk and waste a few bucks on slots has another kind of Expected Value, but if you want more quality time at the casino, my choice would be blackjack, and preferably with a large bonus on the side.

/Sprinkler

The Fascinating World of Slots

crapper — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:34:42 +0000

What is it that attracts so many players to online slot machines? Playing slots is hardly an exceptional experience, no matter how many so called ‘bonus features’ the software developers add to the mix, or what crazy theme is represented on the reels.

Neither is it the outstanding winning chances that draw people to these games – slots usually offer horrible odds compared to many other popular casino games. They are genuine cash cows for any casino; in essence, it’s like putting $100 in a change machine and getting $90 back. Who wouldn’t want more games like that on their property?

And yet, more and more people are spending hours upon hours at the virtual slot machines and new variants keep popping up all the time. Then again, to name them new would be a bit of a stretch – basically, it’s just the same old game as the day it was invented. But instead of fruits, the symbols on today’s slot machines might as well be animals – a crazy twist indeed!

So, the question of the day is why in the world are all these people playing slots? Actually, I have at least part of the answer right here:

Some lucky bastard just won the $5.5 million Mega Moolah jackpot.

I guess the remote possibility of taking home a jackpot like that could make just about anyone endure something as mind-numbingly boring as slots.

/Sprinkler

21 - A True Blackjack Story with a Hollywood Twist

Spinner — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:31:43 +0000

Lately, filmmakers and scriptwriters have more and more seized on poker as an appropriate theme for good stories and lucrative movies.

But poker isn’t the only game that has found its way to the screen; recently launched 21 builds on the ever popular game of blackjack.

You’ve probably heard the story of the MIT blackjack team before. One of its members, Andy Bloch, later became a poker celebrity. Their card-counting odyssey through casinos in the U.S. and Europe has been told many times in articles and books and televised documentaries.

Now it’s being re-told in the form of a big Hollywood production featuring Kevin Spacey as Mickey Rosa, the master mind behind the ingenious scheme of card-counting in teams.

According to the trailer, 21 The Movie was “inspired by a true story.” This probably means that the movie does not feed us the true story but something similar that has been “improved” to please movie goers.

True stories are hardly ever good enough to make good films; they need to be improved. But in the case of the MIT blackjack team, the true story is really strong in itself and improving it too much clearly risks making it worse.

Won’t an ambitious adaptation of this true story to the unwritten rules of Hollywood productions take its toll on the original story?

The trailer seems to confirm these suspicions. Not only does the blackjack team end up being roughed up by casino security workers, like in the true story; it seems a fierce conflict arises in the very heart of the team itself, pitting its members against each other in a fight that even results in a violent outcome.

As far as I know, this part of the movie is pure fiction.

But then again, why the hell not? Give it to us all guns blazing! We already know the true story, and we already love blackjack, so no harm has been done.

/Spinner

How to Take Vegas for Millions

admin — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:02:13 +0000

Whip up a card-counting system with a spoonful of Hollywood storytelling and you have the new Kevin Spacey movie 21. It’s (loosely) based on a true story about a handful of MIT students who became card counting-experts and took Las Vegas casinos for millions in Black Jack. So, how much of it is fact and how much is fiction?More…

It’s an exiting movie and clearly a must-see for everyone who’s remotely interested in gambling. The movie is based on the best selling non-fiction story “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions” by Ben Mezrich.

The book itself is not entirely non-fictional, but the card-counting system is real. It’s a variation of the techniques described in “Beat the Dealer,” written by Edward Thorp in 1962. It’s one of a limited few gambling “system” books that actually contain a working method of beating the house.

Of course, it requires quite a bit of skill and practice, and even when you master the system you have an edge of only about 1% against the house. As the saying goes – “it’s a hard way to make an easy living”. Then there’s the risk of getting caught; modern casinos are pretty good at detecting card counters, but then again, maybe that’s part of the thrill.

//Sprinkler

On getting rich despite having a computer

Spinner — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:31:04 +0000

Playing casino games on the internet is great fun, but some people actually manage to live without a computer altogether. It makes you think, doesn’t it?

There’s a really nice story circulating on the internet. It’s about a job applicant who gets rejected by Microsoft for not having an email address. He starts selling tomatoes and ends up a millionaire instead of getting stuck in the shitty job he had applied for – just because he didn’t have a computer.

Who knows, without a computer you might have done something useful with the time you spent spinning the reels in places like Casino Tropez. Like selling tomatoes. Maybe you’d be a millionaire now, too.

Hey, we all know that’s just a dream.

The little time you spent in a game of online blackjack would never have turned your destiny around in such a way. Besides, you’re probably doing something really good all those hours when you’re not gambling online. I bet you do. How about a thou? Just kidding.

Nothing wrong with a little diversion now and then, is there?

Besides besides, it’s also well known that casino games if anything can really turn your destiny around. Winning $5 million will certainly have an impact on most people’s lives, and winning a casino jackpot of $800,000 won’t pass without notice either.

So, what you lose by having a computer and an email address, you just might win back by placing an occasional bet in an online casino.

Winning may be against the odds, but not playing is against nature.

At least for this game lover.

/Spinner

Just a Few Tips Before You Sign Up

crapper — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:07:19 +0000

If you’re just getting started with online gambling, there are a few things that might be good to know before you sign up with an online casino or poker room. Are all online casinos trustworthy and responsible? Unfortunately not, but the vast majority of them are. I’ve thought of a few pointers that could help you learn what to look for and what to avoid.

I have gambled for fun (and occasionally for profit) at online casinos and poker rooms for several years now, and I have to say that I am positively surprised at how well most of these establishments work.

Personally, I have signed up with lots of online gambling providers, and had no trouble whatsoever with deposits and withdrawals. Some have not been as fortunate, however, I’ve heard of players who have won a lot of money, only to have it withheld by the casino for some bizarre reason.

So, how do you sort out the bad apples and pick a safe and reliable casino? One tip is to go with one of those who use one of the major software platforms, such as MicroGaming or PlayTech. A license to use one of these platforms is not handed out to just anyone. The software companies have a reputation to uphold, and impose pretty rigorous requirements on the operator.

Another good sign is the eCOGRA stamp. eCOGRA is a non-profit organization that exists for the players, and aims to ensure fair games and transparency. In the unlikely event that you should have any problems with a site that has qualified for an eCOGRA stamp, the organization will immediately step in and deal with the problem.

If you want to be absolutely certain that an online casino is trustworthy, check their track record. When you play at a well-known and established gaming site, there are very few things that can go wrong, short of a natural disaster. One good example in my opinion is 888 – with around eight million registered users and no reported problems, it has to be considered quite safe.

/Sprinkler

Mobile Casino Gaming at Casino Tropez

Spinner — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:13:14 +0000

Live casinos require that you’re there. If you live near one, that’s no big problem, but if the nearest casino is far away you’ll need some time off to go there. Besides, the costs for traveling and lodging add to the odds against you, strictly speaking.

This was the reality for decades and decades - then came online casino gaming. You could stay at home and still gamble it up now and then. Suddenly you didn’t have to spend an entire week or even a weekend at the casino, you could play an hour here and five minutes there.

Enhanced on-demand satisfaction!

But, then again, you can’t always sit around at home either, can you? What if you’re neither at home nor in a casino? Let’s say you’re in a train, out on a boat, or backpacking through the Rockies.

No problem! With casino gaming in your mobile, not even those activities will prevent you from throwing in a bet or two at occasion.

Casino Tropez so far has a range of nine games on the mobile platform. You can play slots games and card games, either just for fun or for real-money if you want the real thing.

Signing up is easy and you even get to keep your usual Casino Tropez user name. Game downloads is really fast and comfortable, so you can easily give this brand new thrill a try

To pretend that we’re living in the age of online gambling is no exaggeration. Mobile casino is the hottest fashion in online gaming today, and whatever will come next isn’t here yet. Don’t miss out!

/Spinner

The First $5 Million Jackpot

crapper — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:43:57 +0000

If you follow the news here at Casino Guide, you may have noticed that the Mega Moolah slot machine in the MicroGaming platform is at a record level - more than $5 million will eventually be paid out to one lucky winner.

Actually, Mega Moolah has kept on ticking, and no one has hit the record jackpot so far. Right now it’s closing in on $5.2 million – a massive amount of money by any standards and the largest online casino jackpot ever.

Even if the odds of hitting the jackpot is extremely slim, this is too good an opportunity to pass up, and the game is available at most online casinos that use the MicroGaming software platform. Personally I play at River Belle at the moment, a nice riverboat-themed casino from the reputable Belle Rock group, which also accepts US players.

The game itself is an enjoyable slot machine with a safari theme and lots of extra features. It comes with a Wild (lions) that doubles your winnings, and the scatter monkeys trigger 15 free spins where the wins are tripled.

It’s a fun way to pass the time, but right now the excitement definitely lies in the $5.2 million.

/Sprinkler

Al Pacino in Next Bond Movie

Spinner — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:13:42 +0000

Rumor has it that Al Pacino will be doing a role in the upcoming James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. Some claim he’ll take on the role as head of a terrorist organization.

Quantum of Solace is a direct sequel to Casino Royale, picking up right where it ended, when Mr. White was captured by Bond at Lake Como.

Whether this is a true rumor remains to be seen, considering that Al Pacino is not on the film’s actor roster at Imdb.com or Wikipedia. Possibly it’s just a brief cameo appearance, as suggested by other “safe sources”.

Craig vs. Kurylenko

Regardless, there’s no doubt that Daniel Craig will make a renewed performance as that secret agent what’s his name again.

At his side this time we’ll see Ukrainian Olga Kurylenko. She’s known from Hitman, a film based on the great computer game, which also gave birth to one of the best online slots games, if you ask me.

But the interesting question is not whether this or that actor will be playing a role in the next Bond movie. The question is:

Will there be any good gambling?!

The poker in Casino Royale was pretty high-stakes, and the long poker scenes were rather well received by the poker playing community.

When making a movie, it’s not easy to please the vigilant eyes of all concerned special interest groups; we’ve seen many examples of this.

If the gambling isn’t at least as good as in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace sounds like poor consolation for the special interest group called degenerate gamblers.

I bet it’ll be okay. What’s your bet?

/Spinner

Advantages of Gambling Online

crapper — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:06:42 +0000

Some people who are used to ‘live‘ gambling at the casino or in home poker games may still frown at the concept of playing online, but the fact of the matter is that the virtual tables can offer you more flexibility and perhaps even better profits than live ones. There is no risks of getting sugary drinks in your lap, and let‘s face it - people who don‘t shower much often carry unpleasant odors.

The most obvious advantage is the game variety; every type of casino game is instantly available, including every poker game imaginable. You pick your own stakes – everything from tiny micro-stakes to tens of thousands of dollars – there’s never any need to risk more than you intended. You can even play for free, for practice or just for fun.

Another perk of playing online is the bonuses. As far as I know, there are no live casinos that pay you complimentary cash just for visiting their tables. The online casino industry is extremely competitive, and this is reflected in lots of extra player value.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s also more secure than regular casinos and card rooms. Thanks to the competitive nature of the industry, there is much focus on security and all transactions are as safe as they can be. You don’t run any risk of getting cheated. All in all, in my opinion, the virtual gambling experience outshines the real deal in almost every aspect.

/Sprinkler