Playing Roulette at online casinos can be an intimidating feat due to the sheer number of variations that there are to choose from.

Each variant has its own game play structure and rules, some of which work to the casino’s advantage and others to yours. So it’s really important to know these things before you play.

With that in mind we’ve put together an article especially for you on things to consider when choosing between American and European Roulette. It’s definitely worth your time and could end up saving you money and increasing your returns!

Happy Gambling!

Play Deuces Wild at William Hill Casino Club

Deuces Wild Video Poker is amongst the most difficult variants of the game to master at any online casino. The high level of difficulty of this game is due to the fact that players are required to learn the correct video poker strategies for a large number of possible scenarios that may emerge due to the sheer number of Wild Cards that come into play.

Many of these game play situations are counter-intuitive or exhibit subtle nuances that are not immediately apparent even if you’re a seasoned player. Here we’ll take a look at these nuances and use examples to examine the types of straight flush draws that you may encounter due to the wild cards, and how to effectively play these for maximum returns.

Let’s start out by examining situations where a single wild is present. If you are holding four cards to a straight flush and one of these is wild, the other three cards are what we’ll call stand-alone cards. These stand-alone cards and their relationships to one another will govern the type of draw you are presented with. If all three cards have consecutive ranks, and if all three have a value of five or higher then you’re holding what is termed a major straight flush draw. If your cards are of lower value then you’re holding a minor straight flush.

So if you’re holding a hand consisting of a Two of Clubs, Six of Diamonds, Seven of Diamonds, Eight of Diamonds, and an Ace of Clubs, all three of your stand-alone cards (6, 7 and 8) are of consecutive rank and are of a value higher than five, so you’ll be holding a major straight flush draw. On the other hand, if you were holding a two of Clubs, Five of Diamonds, Seven of Diamonds, Eight of Diamonds, and an Ace of Clubs, then due to the fact that your three stand-alone cards are not consecutive, you’ll hold what is termed a minor draw. Similarly, if you hold a Two of Clubs, Four of Diamonds, Five of Diamonds, Six of Diamonds and an Ace of Clubs, then you’ll still have a minor straight flush draw due to the fact that not of your three stand-alone cards are valued at five or higher.

Being able to make this distinction is essential to a successful game of video poker as you will need to be aware of these values when making a decision on one of two ways to play your hand.

For the sake of example, let’s say you are dealt a Two of Clubs, Seven of Spades, Five of Hearts, Six of Hearts and Seven of Hearts you will hold a major straight flush draw BUT you’ll also have three of a kind. So which way do you play your hand? The general guideline here is ensure that you retain three of a kind over the minor straight flush draw, BUT you should always ensure that you retain the major straight flush draw above the three of a kind. This is a very easy way to play what would generally be a very difficult scenario as it takes into account the subtle nuances that set his game apart from any other Video Poker variant.

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William Hill Casino Club

Land based and online casinos generally offer a few roulette variants to players and in recent years in an attempt to offer even greater variety, many of these have added Mini Roulette games to their standard European and American roulette offering.

While it’s common knowledge that American Roulette games have worse odds than their European Roulette counterpart, not many players are familiar enough with Mini Roulette to know exactly what kind of payouts they can expect from the game and many don’t realise that it is one that is best avoided if you’re playing to make a profit. So next time you’re tempted to deviate from the norm, remember that ultimately European Roulette is still your best bet at the casinos. Here’s why…

If you wager $100 on a straight-up bet in a European Roulette game, the odds dictate that you will win $3500 one out of 37 times, and you’ll lose $100 36/37 of the time. This means that your winning value will equate to $94.59 while your losing total will be $97.30, which means that on average you will lose around $2.70 on this wager. This means that the house edge on this wager is 2.7 percent which is quite low in comparison to bets on other casino games, especially because no special skills need to be learnt to play this exciting game.

When playing Mini Roulette with its 1-12 numbered table and single green zero, the same straight-up $100 wager discussed previously will give you a 1 in 13 chance of winning and earning yourself $1100 and a 12/13 chance of losing your $100 wager. This equates to a winning value of $84.62 and a losing value of $92.31, giving you an average loss of $7.69 thanks to the much higher 7.69% house edge. All bets on this table have the same considerably higher house advantage.

From the above discussion we can learn the following three things:

1. You should always confirm the value of your bets and odds offered before playing a new game that you don’t know much about.
2. Avoid playing Mini Roulette altogether
3. If you want to play Roulette, always select the European Roulette game variant as this offers you the best odds of winning.

Even though it’s often nice to play a new game variant, it can be detrimental to your bankroll, so if you’re playing to win then follow the advice above.

Play Online Blackjack at Betway Casino

Blackjack is a great casino game but it’s often very intimidating for beginners, especially when played in land based casinos where one not only has to be mindful of the game rules and strategy but also blackjack etiquette that is associated with the game.

So if you’re starting out either at an online casino or land based one, it definitely pays to learn a few things about the game before you sit down to play. Let’s look at the 5 important things every beginner blackjack player should know:

1. Rules differ in each Blackjack game variant

Not all blackjack games are identical, so never sit down at a table expecting it to be the same as another. Some blackjack games offer players more favourable odds due the rules governing them and as such it is always important to read the rules of a game before playing and keep track of the following two important rules:

1. Look for games with Natural blackjack payouts of 3:2 rather than those with 6:5 payouts as these lower the house edge by 1.4%.
2. Look for games where the Dealer must stand on a soft 17, this decreases the house edge by 0.2%

These rules should be clearly indicated on any blackjack table, so there’s no excuse for not checking before you play.

2. Don’t touch your Cards

This rule only applies to land based casinos for obvious reasons but it is still very important to mention as it is heavily frowned upon in these venues and reaching for your cards as soon as they hit the table will incur a stern warning from the dealer and derision from other players. The reason players are not allowed to touch their cards is a precautionary measure employed by casinos to prevent cheating. So avoid touching your cards unless indication a hit.

3. There are Four (Sometimes Five) Game Play Actions

When playing blackjack you will be required to perform one of four basic actions as follows

• Hit: As for another card
• Stand: Keep your current cards/total and not draw any more cards
• Double Down: Double your original bet and be dealt one more card
• Split: If you are dealt a pair you can split the cards to form a new hand which requires an additional bet.
• Surrender: Some games offer the option for early or late surrender where you can surrender your bet in a bad situation and get half your wager back.

4. The Object is to beat the Dealer

Many beginner blackjack players make the mistake of thinking that the aim of the games is to get as close to 21 as possible without busting when the real objective is to beat the dealer regardless of the cards total.

5. A Blackjack Strategy card is essential

Playing according to sound basic blackjack strategy increases your odds of winning in this game. Basic strategy is easy to learn with the help of a blackjack strategy card which reveals the correct move to make in every hand you are dealt. So if you’re stuck on what to do with cards totalling 17 when the dealer’s upcards is an eight, then you can refer to the strategy card to find the right move.

Play a variety of Video Poker Games
at Titan Bet Casino

For the majority of players, when it comes to selecting a video poker game variant, payout rates are the deciding factor. While payout rates in video poker are generally very favourable in comparison to most other casinos games, often offering payback rates of 100% and more, this isn’t the only factor you should be considering when choosing your game.

It is important to be aware of the fact that many video poker game variants require complex strategy plays and are subject to higher variance than others. Not being aware of this could end up for a very miserable experience that ends up costing you more money than you make.

Here we discuss these two subtle factors and how they can influence your game.

Higher payout potentials often require more complex strategy

If you compare a game of 9/6 Jacks or Better and full-pay Deuces Wild side-by-side, you’ll immediately notice that Deuces Wild Video Poker features a 100.76% payout rate. Due to this fact, this games is one of the most highly sought after casino games in the world. While it is rare, some online casinos do offer it but if you sit down to play it you’ll quickly realize that the game play strategy is rather complicated. So in order to achieve the maximum payout rate you’ll have to be aware of how to play it correctly.

This is the same for most other higher payout video poker games like 10/7 Double Bonus Video Poker with its 100.17% payout rate. While it’s great to know that you can overcome the house edge in the long term, one also needs to consider how many mistakes you’ll make when learning and implementing these strategies in the initial stages of play.

For this reason, many experts suggest that players rather play 9/6 Jacks or Better games instead where a full house pays 9:1 and a flush 6:1. Full pay Jacks or Better games still offer a 99.54% return if perfect strategy is implemented and best of all, it’s not as complex as those required by variants that pay back over 100%.

Positive Expectation games have higher variance

Unlike Jacks or Better, certain games like Double Bonus video poker offer bonus payouts. In Double Bonus games you will be able to achieve inflated payouts on specific hands like Four Aces and four 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. While this does add a great deal of interest and excitement to the game, it does mean that there are also fewer small payouts available and as the variance of the game increases you may actually have to endure longer cold streaks and losses before a big win occurs.

Obviously whether or not this is an issue for you will depend on the size of your bankroll, but if you’re on a limited budget and are just a casual player looking for some fun, then bonus games are not always your best option. You’ll probably get more enjoyment and value for money out of Jacks or Better games with smaller, more frequent payouts which help you to expand and sustain your casino bankroll and enjoy gaming for longer.

If you’re still going to play the highest paying games

If you do come across a video poker game with a 100% or more payout rate and still want to play it, then keep two things in mind.

Firstly, ensure that you study the game rules and strategy well before you play in order to increase your odds of winning. Secondly, ensure that you have a large bankroll and apply sound casino bankroll management principles, especially if you’re going to play a bonus game. A general guideline is to have a bankroll of three to four times the value of a Royal Flush payout which at 4000 coins would equate to a sum of between 12,000 and 16,000 coins.

If you obey these two principles then you’ll be able to play high payout games with the best odds of maximizing your payouts.

Play Streak of Luck Slot at Europa Casino!

Slots and Video Poker are both machine based casinos games offering generous jackpots to those lucky enough to win. That is however where the similarities end and while you may be tempted to choose one in favour of the other without doing too much research, there are a number of differences that you should take into account before doing so.

Here we compare slots to video poker so that you can determine which of these really is the best and most suitable game for you.

Luck versus Strategy

Slot machines are governed by RNG’s which means that results from one spin to the next are completely random. They therefore do not require any strategic game play at all. The only real skill related aspect of playing these games is in their selection, which involves finding out which games offer the best payout rates before you play. Other than that though, no matter how fast or slowly you spin the reels or what game play options and choices you opt for, the house advantage remains stable.

Video Poker on the other hand is extremely strategy based and players are even able to lower the house edge by employing strategic game play methods. This requires a fair amount of time and effort in studying sound video poker strategy, memorizing it and playing accordingly. Also, each video poker variant has its own set of rules so you will need to adjust your strategy for each game that you play.

Play Jacks or Better Video Poker!

In-play differences

Slots are easy to play, all you have to do is select your coin size and number of paylines that you’d like play and press the “spin” button to play. Occasionally you’ll hit a bonus feature that leads to a second screen within the game where you’ll need to pick an object to reveal a prize or shoot something to win.

Video poker on the other hand is a little more complicated. In addition to placing your wager and pushing “bet”, you will be dealt a hand and will be required to select which cards to keep or discard. You will then need to draw additional cards. While it’s pretty easy to learn to play this game, it does require more action and thought on your part than slots do.

Payout Rates

Slot machine payouts vary widely depending on where you play. Land based casinos offer payout rates ranging from 85% to 95% while online slots generally range from 90% to 96%. While these aren’t the worst odds you’ll find in casino games, video poker is definitely a better option with some full-pay machines offering 100% and above returns.

Although rare, be on the lookout for full-pay Deuces Wild (100.76%) and Double Bonus (100.2%) games as these give you the opportunity to gain a long term advantage over the casino. If these games are not available then opt for full-pay Jacks or Better video poker which offers a 99.54% payout rate that is still superior to slots.

Jackpots

Both video poker and slots offer some generous jackpots but if you’re someone who dreams of winning a life changing amount, then slots are probably more your game as some progressive slots offer rewards that run into the multi-millions mark.

Video Poker Jackpots on the other hand usually pay up to 40000 coins for a Royal Flush and even their progressive variants only range up to the $250,000 mark. That said however, you do have more chance of winning these jackpots than you do the larger slots ones.

While you don’t have to choose one game of the other, inevitably most of us tend to just that. It does however pay to be informed of the differences between these two machine based casino games so that you don’t just pick one based on a whim but rather according to your game play preferences and objectives.

Put these principles to work at Jackpot City Casino

Bankroll management is a term that most gamblers are familiar with in one way or another but if you’ve never really paid much attention to implementing good bankroll management into your own casino play, you are doing yourself a disservice. Sound bankroll management can ensure that you are able to play the games you like for longer and with the best possible returns, which means that your online casino experience will be more enjoyable than ever before.

No matter what type of casino game you choose to play, there are two basic numbers that you should always consider namely the house edge and overall volatility of the game. If you are a highly skilled blackjack or video poker player then you will often be able to achieve payouts of 99% or higher which means the house edge is quite low. The volatility of both games is also low, with blackjack being slightly lower than video poker.

These factors are important because they will indicate how aggressive you can be with your bankroll when playing your favourite online casino game. Obviously the lower the house edge and volatility of a game, the more aggressive you can be with your bankroll by placing larger wagers. So if you’re playing games like blackjack and video poker that have both low house advantage and low volatility you can play an aggressive game and adjust your betting sizes as need be.

The next question you might as is “where should I start?” The answer is that if you are quite good at either blackjack or video poker, then you can apply the 300x rule. This means that you should be able to place 300 bets with your bankroll and should adjust the bet size accordingly. For example, if you have a $150 bankroll then you should play no more than $0.50 per hand. Keep in mind that in a game of Blackjack you may want to double or split cards and this will require additional bets you may want to add a little bit more to account so that you work off the 400x rule instead.

Also keep in mind that some variations of these games alter the payout rates and volatility quite considerably and you will then need to adjust for this. In video poker variants top heavy pay tables increase the volatility of the game you’ll need to adjust by playing more conservative bets. Likewise if you play a new blackjack variant that you are unfamiliar with, expect a higher house edge until you master the particular game and adjust your wager using a more conservative approach until you have done so.

Overall, making use of these factors when determining your bankroll management strategy is the best way to get the most out of the games you play.

Play a variety of casino games at Platinum Play

If you’re new to online casinos you would be forgiven for heading straight to the slot machines because everything else just seems way too complicated and intimidating. Even the classic games like blackjack, craps and roulette may seem too complex to play when your hard earned money is at stake.

Thankfully though, you don’t have to stick to slots forever and if you do have an interest in the table games, we’ve simplified them for you here so that they are easier to understand and play. Once you’ve learned more about the game you’d like to play, visit your favourite online casino and practice in Free Play mode until you feel comfortable enough to play for real money.

Blackjack

The thing that makes blackjack complicated is the strategy because there are multiple decisions that can be made on any single hand and this can be quite overwhelming when you’re new to the game.

The basics of blackjack are pretty easy and you can find a comprehensive overview of the game and strategy here. To give you a quick overview however, the aim of Blackjack is to get card values that total 21 or as close as possible to this number without busting (which happens if your values exceed 21). So you will be dealt two cards and you will then need to decide if you are going to stand, hit (take another card), double or split.

Once you’ve mastered the basic game actions (which shouldn’t take long), learn basic blackjack strategy using the standard strategy card which will show you which moves to make based on the hand/s you are dealt as well as the dealer’s up card (the card that you can see when they are dealt).

Play online using this and practice before joining any live games so that you are not staring at the card the entire time.

Roulette

Roulette has a bright and attractive table but there’s so much going on with the variety of numbers, words and wagering options that you may feel a little lost if you’ve never played this game before.

To give you a little more clarity, here’s a brief explanation of the table – the very outside boxes read 1-18, 19-36, Odd and Even and a red and black diamond. These boxes are known as “even money bets” and are categorized as low or high (the numbers), odd or even and red or black (which are self-explanatory). So if you want to bet on a colour you put your chips on either the red or black diamond or if you want to bet low you’ll place your chips on the 1-18 section (this means that you think the ball will land on a low number in this range).

Your other options are to place wagers on a single number – the entire range of numbers is featured in the middle layout of the table. And that’s pretty much the basics.

Baccarat

The majority of Baccarat tables you’ll find at casinos nowadays are mini baccarat games but playing online you’ll be faced with a wide selection. In Baccarat the table has multiple sections for players’ wagers and hands, and boxes for commissions on winning banker hands but all of this really doesn’t matter.

All you really need to know is that this game offers three different kinds of bets – the Player hand, Banker Hand and a Tie. You can pretty much ignore the latter Tie Bet as it’s a sucker bet and not worth playing at all. Betting on the banker hand is the best bet with a mere 1.06% house advantage and the player bet carries a 1.24% house edge. Simpler than you thought…isn’t it?

Craps

Of all casino games, Craps is probably one of the most confusing for those who have never played it and many believe that it was created just to trick players into losing their money on useless proposition bets (prop bets). Fortunately, you can ignore most of the craps table and begin with the pass line or don’t pass line bets.

When playing these bets if you bet on the pass line you’ll win when a 7 or 11 is rolled on the dice and lose if a 2, 3 or 12 is rolled. When betting on the don’t pass line you’ll win with 2 or 3, push with 12 and lose if a 7 or 11 is rolled. The person rolling the dice is known as the shooter and if he/she rolls any other number than mentioned this number will then become what is known as the “point“. If you’re betting the pass line you’ll be hoping for the point number to be rolled before a 7 so that you can win. And if you bet the don’t pass line you will want a 7 to be rolled before the point number

Once you feel comfortable with these types of bets you can then expand your repertoire and learn more in-depth craps game play strategy here at BettingCorp.com

Play online slots at Spin Palace Casino

Many casino games experts believe that the best slots strategy a player can apply is to never play slot machines at all. The reasoning behind this is that in comparison to other casino games, slot don’t offer the lowest house edge and that on average, online slots players face a 5% to 6% house advantage while land based casinos have anything between 5% and 12% edges on these games.

So while one can certainly see that slots are not anywhere near on part with table games like Blackjack (with its house edge of between 0.5% and 2% depending on strategic game play), Baccarat (1.06% house advantage), Craps (with a 1.36% house edge) or European Roulette (2.70% house edge), the experts are also not completely correct in advising us to say away from the slot machines. Here we take a look at why.

Sometimes you want to take a risk to win big

Slot machines offer players the opportunity to win life changing sums of money with a single spin of the reels with many progressive jackpots paying 7 figure amounts to lucky winners. While winnings in games like Baccarat or Blackjack can be highly lucrative, they will never quite match up to the massive jackpots on offer by slots.

Some players want to risk their money in exchange for the dream of making fast money and retiring early, so ultimately the house advantage doesn’t really matter as it is offset by the greater potential for huge financial rewards.

Slots don’t require complex strategy

In games like blackjack, mastering the correct blackjack strategy will ensure that you know the correct plays to make in order to lower the house edge to as little as 0.5%. But doing so does require a considerable investment of your time in learning and practicing blackjack strategy until it becomes easier to use as you play.

Regardless of the benefits of casino games strategies however, some people visit casinos in order to relax and enjoy themselves while they play. They don’t want to have to think about which moves to make and have the pressure of doing so at every step. For these types of players, slots are the perfect game because all one has to do is select a game with the highest available payout rate and manage one’s casino bankroll well in order to get the most out of a slot machine. The rest is all relaxation and fun.

Slots don’t have the lowest payout rates

While casinos do enjoy a substantial house advantage on slot machines, they are definitely not the lowest paying of all casino games, in fact that are worse games and even certain bets in the more “profitable” games that should rather be avoided. These include games like Keno which carries a 25% house edge as well as games like Big Six and Bonus Six, Tie bets in baccarat (14.42% house edge) and various craps wagers like proposition bets (up to 16.67%).

When you consider those figures, slots payouts don’t seem too predatory after all. If you’re really looking to lower the house advantage when playing slots, rather play at online casinos where the edge of 5% to 6% is on par with that of American Roulette. And remember, just because people are casino experts, it doesn’t always mean that they are 100% correct – always examine the facts before you take any casino advice, it could make all the difference in the world to your bankroll and overall enjoyment.

Play Blackjack Switch now!

If you’re a fan of Playtech powered Blackjack games, then you’ve probably noticed that Playtech powered casinos like Europa Casino have a number of blackjack variations, each with their own rules and challenges, offering hours of entertainment.

Blackjack Switch is a popular online blackjack game that is actually based on a manner of cheating in live Blackjack games when multiple hands are at play. Basically it allows you to switch your second card between two hands before you play any further for each. Switching is not a necessity but if you feel like one of your hands can benefit from doing so, it doesn’t cost you anything to take advantage of the option.

Knowing when to switch however can be difficult because it’s not always an entirely intuitive action because sometimes you have to sacrifice one hand to benefit another, so here we’ll discuss the optimal times to exercise the switch option when playing Playtech’s Blackjack Switch game.

In a game of blackjack you are able to sort your hands from the strongest to the weakest cards. The strongest hands consist of combinations that created 21, 20, 19, AA, 11, 10, 9, 18 and 8 – in that order. The objective when switching is to create the strongest hand possible so that you are guaranteed a win with at least one hand and you play a kind of freeroll with the other one.

While this seems quite simple, there are of course exceptions to every rule and strategy and in a game of Blackjack Switch if you are playing against a dealer who holds a seven or eight you will need to alter your game play in order to balance the value of your two hands as far as possible. Cards with seven and eight values are generally neutral and while they don’t always make for strong hands, you also won’t easily bust when playing against a dealer or vice versa. So if the dealer has neutral cards like these you will do well to play a more neutral strategy too.

When a dealer has strong cards, you will need to build the strongest hands possible to compete against his/her hand. If however you are facing a dealer with a weak hand you are able to sacrifice one of your hands by making it exceptionally weak if you are able to switch a card out to build an exceptionally strong hand because the dealer will have a better chance of busting overall if weak hands are held.

So whether you are facing weak or strong dealer hands you need to always attempt to maximise the strength of at least one of your hands, except in the case of neutral cards as discussed.