Thursday, August 28, 2014

Play Slots on the Safe Side!

Always Have a Plan When Playing Slots
If you sit down to play a slot machine without any thought as to a money management system, you are probably heading towards failure. Slot machines can be a lot of fun, but without much thought to how much money you are going to play usually ends in losing more than you intended.

Session bankroll
A bankroll is an amount of money that you intend to spend on gambling. Keep it separate from your other money and make sure it is money you can afford to lose. Anytime you sit down to play slots you should have a session bankroll. The amount of money you have for your session bankroll should also determine the denomination you are playing at. In other words, if you have a session bankroll of $10 you should not be playing the $1 denomination slot machines.

Also, use length of play as a gauge to your denomination and session bankroll as well. Although it’s impossible to predict whether a player will win or lose in a particular session, it is possible to make decisions based on averages. A good marker to use is 150 spins per hour. That means if you want to play for one hour you need to have enough money to spin 150 times. If a slot machine costs $2 per spin, you would need $300 to play for an hour. Again, that is just a baseline to give you a good starting point.

Win Limits
We have already determined our loss limit and that is our session bankroll. We lose that money and we are finished playing for that session. There needs to be a win limit set as well or else you will never walk away with any money. The most common is the double method. If you double your money, you put the winnings away not to be used and continue playing on the original bankroll. Each time you double your money, repeat the same pattern.

Make sure you have some type of money management system in place before you begin playing any slot machine.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

A Beginner's Guide To Online Slots

Playing online slots is simple and entertaining. On today's Internet landscape, there are many options and ways to play online slots. Here are a few ideas that you should consider when exploring slots online.

Research Payback

Online slot machines work by a random generator designed so that the game pays out a certain percentage of every dollar it takes. This factor is known as payback.

An online slot with 92 percent payback pays back 92 cents out of each dollar and keeps eight cents, making it's a game with a House edge of eight percent. If you can, try to find a game with as high a payback percentage as possible. Anything over 95 percent is good. Anything under 90 percent should be avoided.

Research Different Games

Players new to online slots will be amazed at the selection of games now available. There are online slots games with five, ten or 20 lines or more to play at once.

There are games with bonus games within the game. There are games linked to progressive jackpots and even games with animated storylines that reveal themselves as you play. Take the time to explore all the online slot options until you find the games that you really like.

Play the Maximum on Progressive Machines

A progressive online slot has a progressive prize pool that grows as you play. If you hit a very rare combination of symbols, you win the progressive jackpot. In the traditional linked progressive, everyone playing that type of machine pays into the same prize pool, so the prize pool can sometimes reach astronomical numbers.

However, if you do not play the maximum number of coins allowed per spin, you will not be eligible for the progressive jackpot. If you hit the rare combination, you will win a much smaller payout. Since the chances are infinitesimal of someone hitting the combination twice, you want to be very sure that you have all five (or whatever the maximum is) coins in play when playing a progressive machine.

Monday, August 18, 2014

4 Things to Think about Before you Sit Down to Play Poker


When I first started out playing live cash games in a casino, I would hop in my car and drive to the closest casino, sit on the first table that had an open seat and just play. Now that I am professional poker player, I put much more thought into every aspect of my sessions before I even walk out the door. When you break it down and look at how many different things can affect your profit margins, you will be surprised what you can achieve by making some minor adjustments when you play poker. I will list some things you should be thinking about every time you decide to go play a session at your local casino.

1. Are your physically and mentally prepared at this moment to play a session of poker?

I see so many players making this mistake, even before they start a session they are already at a disadvantage. Why you might ask? Because they are tired, hungry or just in a bad mood. If your tired and you start a session at 9:00pm, how do you think you are going to feel at 12:30am? I can guarantee that you will make mistakes and not play very well. I have seen some really solid players play really horribly due to fatigue. Sad thing is these players don’t realize it either, some of them are just stubborn or in denial. You should be well rested when you start a session and have a good meal in your stomach before you play.

Have you ever had a fight with your girlfriend/boyfriend and then decide to play a session? If you said yes then you are making another big mistake. Not only is your physical state important but your emotional state is extremely vital to playing solid profitable poker! When you’re playing poker, you want a clear mind so

2. Which local poker room do I want to play at?

Do you just go to the card room that is most convenient for you to get too? I must admit I am guilty of this behaviour at times. I hope you know table selection is important (I will get into that later) I also want you to know that poker room selection is very important as well. I now know that driving to a card room that  has more fish and more action might be a longer commute; but will make my wallet very happy at the end of the night! It amuses me when I go down to my local card room by my house and see the same faces sitting there playing with the same people everyday. I would casually mention to a local grinder that I know  “have you played at Fraserdowns lately? The action is crazy and there are many fishes willing to donate” He would respond “no it is just too far, I can’t be bothered driving 40 minutes out of my way to play there” I would always think to myself your not willing to drive 40 minutes if you could make an extra $300 to  $500 that night? I think some grinders just get too comfortable at their local card room and just don’t like change. It becomes more of a social activity to them rather then a money making activity. Let’s make one thing clear here, we play poker to make money! The rest is just a bonus. You want to play in a poker room
that has plenty of fish and lots of action.

3. Table Selection – Picking the right poker game

So you finally arrive at the casino and head over to the poker room. You let the poker desk know you have arrived and you either wait for a seat or they bring you to a table. When I walk into to a poker room, I like to scope out the action. I usually don’t even check in before I take a look at the tables too see what they are  like. I like to watch the action at every table so I can get a feel of the players and decide which game would be most profitable to play in. Like I mentioned in my opening paragraph, I used to just sit down at the first available table and just play. If there are 5 tables going, why would I limit myself to play on one table  without even looking at the other tables? Once you scope out the room and find a table that you like, then proceed to check in to the poker desk. They will most likely seat you at a table with the most empty seats, if this happens just inform the pit that you would like a table change to the table that you want. Table qualities  that I look for when selecting a table? Tourists; Drunk Players; Loud Table Talk; Lots of Laughter; Players with their girlfriends sitting behind them (explain this in a later article) Basically you want to sit down and play on a table that is having a good time and has lots of chips flying around.

4. Seat Selection

Now your in business, you just sat down at the table you wanted to play on. You got your chips and your ready to play! Now what? Do you just throw on your Beats headphones and grind away? I wouldn’t suggest that, I never listen to music when I play poker. That is a personal choice but I just think your missing out on too many tells by drowning out what is being said around you. The first thing I do is ask for the seat change button, hopefully nobody else has it and I will be able to move wherever I want when a seat opens. When I first sit down at a table, the first 30 minutes is very important. I can usually get a good feel of who the good players are, who are the fish that will donate to me and the nits that I will be able to bluff. Once I establish those things, I will usually position myself accordingly. It is best to sit to the left of the big stacks, I can’t explain why but the money seems to flow to the left on a poker table. I also try to sit to the left of the good players, I always want position on any other grinder that happens to be at my table. Position is so important in poker, I honestly cannot stress how important position is!

I hope these tips have been helpful to you, I feel the choices you make before you are even dealt a card can be very important. The little details that you might over look can make all the difference when it comes to poker. In upcoming articles, I will give you more insight and tips so you can become a better poker player.

Poker is a great game because we all can learn something new as we gain more experience. Good luck at the tables, may all of you never be drawing dead!

you can make the best decisions possible. I am not saying you need a Zen like mindset to play (Although that would be ideal) You do need to be in a good frame of mind to sit down at a poker table if you want to be profitable.



Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Playing Online Poker


If you love to play web poker then you should be very happy because there are a lot of variations of your favorite game that you will be able to find online. Thousands of players engage into online poker everyday and this means that you will always have someone to challenge and put your skills to the test. Because of the great number of people playing this game online, you will most certainly find some people there who are not that skilled and you will have an easy time earning a lot of money from them.

When it comes to playing web poker, there are many casinos you can choose from. All casinos have their own policy, payment methods and start up bonuses and also special events. Because poker is just a major trend in the world today, you should always target casinos that offer you the best payment and where only the weakest players are coming. This is a great thing when you’re playing web poker, as your chances of earning a lot will increase.

One of the most famous games of poker is Texas Hold em. You can either play it with a limit, no fixed limit or a pot limit. Almost every poker game that you will be able to see on television, will definitely be the Texas Holdem.

There are two versions when it comes to the Texas hold em poker. One of them has a fixed limit, while the other doesn’t employ one.

If you love Texas Hold em poker, then you will definitely feel very drawn to the Seven card stud web poker. This was practically the buzz before Texas hold em entered the scene. Playing it you will understand a lot of aspects of the online poker scene and you will definitely learn some new strategies you can use in your game sessions.

Another thing you should keep in mind when you are playing web poker is that keeping your cool is mandatory. Other players will notice when you’re nervous and will know what strategy to use in order to bring you down.

When you will engage in such a game at web casinos, then you should make sure to check the casinos that you want to play at thoroughly. You will find out that some casinos will offer a higher bonus, while others will offer a lower one. The players that will come and play here are your next curiosity and there must be a way you can find out about them. If Google will not lead you to any results, then don’t worry. You can always check the specialized forums and look there for answers.

Monday, August 4, 2014

What Online Casino Owners Know

Ever wondered what it’s like to have your own casino nowadays? Well, an online casino that is. Setting up a “real” brick-and-mortar casino would require millions of dollars in capital investment, plus tons of legal paperwork that would make one’s head burst.

An online casino is not much different, we suppose. It would still take a lot of money to operate, but the dynamics are different right? Well, some online casino owners have graciously shared their wisdom and experience on Reddit.com, a community/forum website graciously styled as the “front page of the Internet.” Here are some of the key takeaways that we’ve learned from them:

1. Wondering if that gambling site you have signed up for is legit? Poker-only online gambling rooms are easier to trust with money since players are only playing against each other with their own money- the room just takes a cut. For casino sites where there are a multitude of games that can be played (e.g. baccarat, slots, blackjack, roulette), there is a significant risk. The establishment basically depends on people depositing money with them and losing it through their games.

2. Most online casinos do not use or build their own framework for running the games. The rooms are basically just skins or API that is part of another bigger network. The online casino owners pay for the privilege of using the backend software, which are constantly audited and checked by a number of gambling regulating bodies.

3. “Can online casinos be rigged?” is one of the main questions that online casino owners answer all the time. Yes, there were online casino scandals that involved rigged games and “superusers” in the past, but these were very rare exceptions and not the norm in the world of online gambling. Online casinos earn a lot of money from the rake alone, so there really is no need to rig anything. Rigging makes players go broke and turns people away, making it generally a bad business practice for any self-respecting online casino to even consider.

4. The number one obstacle for most online gambling establishments right now is the increasing amount of legislation that is being heaped on the industry. The United States outlawed online gambling in 2006 (since legalized again just this year), halving the share prices of top online betting firms overnight.

5. Once upon a time, online casinos used to give very generous deposit bonuses to attract players. Unsurprisingly, lots of scrupulous players took advantage of these bonuses and made a living out of exploiting them whenever they can. These cost the casinos a lot of money- one online casino owner even reported that he lost 50,000 euros in the span of one month just from deposit bonuses alone.