The Basics of Blackjack

First starting out in France in the 1700’s, blackjack has come along way and is, perhaps, the most popular game of chance. With the advancement of technology, however, blackjack is not only popular in casinos, but online blackjack is one of the most popular forms of online entertainment. The individual that does not play blackjack is often the individual who simply does not know how to play. The fact is blackjack is one of the simplest games to play.

The goal of blackjack is to get the total points of 21 in the hand of cards you are dealt. The most important blackjack rule is to not go over 21 points. If this happens, you bust, or in other words, lose the hand. You must also remember that in this game, unlike many other games, your opponent is not the other players sitting at the table. Your opponent is the dealer and only the dealer.

Play begins with all of the players receiving two cards, both face down. The dealer, of course, deals in clockwise. The dealer then will receive two cards; however, one of the dealers will be dealt face-up. This is called the up card. This blackjack rule will vary according to the amount of decks being used, as well as vary from casino to casino. All of the face cards (Kings, Queens, and Jacks) are worth 10 points, the Ace is worth 1 or 11 points (whichever works best for the player), and all of the remaining cards are worth their face value in points.

In this original hand, if a player receives the first two cards and they are an Ace and either a 10 or a face card, the player automatically wins and the payout is 3 -2. This is called a natural or blackjack. If the dealer has the same hand as the player, however, there is a standoff. If only the dealer gets blackjack, he or she wins all of the player’s bets as is.

The following are some blackjack terms you should know when playing the game. Again, it is important to remember that a blackjack rules can vary from casino to casino.

Choosing To Hit or Stand

If you want to get a higher total, you will want to take another card from the dealer. The correct terminology is to hit or draw another card. For example, if you were to receive an original hand of a 4 and a 5, you would have a total of 9. You would want to “hit” the hand and even if you received a face card, you would not go over 21, otherwise called bust.

If on the other hand, both cards you receive are face cards, totally 20, you’ll want to “stand” or in other words, not take anymore cards and stick to your original hand. If you take a hit and you bust, your bet is lost.

The dealer, when choosing to hit or stand, has to draw when his cards total is less than 16. The dealer has to stand when he has 17, or more. However, this blackjack rule varies, as in some casinos, the dealer has to draw on a soft 17.

Splitting Pairs

When a players first two cards are a pair, the player has the choice to split them up and have two separate hands. The player will bet the same on each hand and play each separately. If the player has a pair of Aces, after they split the hand, if they get a 10 or face card, it only counts as 21 points, not as blackjack.

Double Down

With double down, a player has the choice to double his bet on the original hand and take only one more card to improve the original hand.

Insurance

When the dealer’s up car dealt is an Ace, the player has the option to take insurance. This is a bet that is only half of the original bet the player placed. If the dealer gets a blackjack (by having a face card or 10 facing down), the player would win the game with a 2-1 payout. If it is not blackjack, the dealer wins.

Surrender

While this blackjack rule is not permitted everywhere, the player, when the original hand is dealt, may choose to give up the hand and instead of losing the whole bet, the player would only lose the half of it.

Hard Hand

A hard hand is considered a hand without an Ace in it. For example, if you have a hand of a 10 and a 9, your hand is considered to be a hard 19.

Soft Hand

A soft hand, on the other hand, is a hand with an Ace. If you have a hand with an Ace and a 9, it is considered to be a soft hand. If you were to draw a 10 in your next card, you still would not go bust. However, your hand would then be considered a hard 20.

When you visit a casino, you’ll often find there are many blackjack tables to join. The game of blackjack, due to its popularity, is often the most sought after game, so you’ll find more tables of blackjack then any other game in the casino. To help you choose a table to join, you’ll often find a sign that states the minimum bet at the table, as well as any variations of a blackjack rule.

Blackjack Online

When playing blackjack online, the major difference is that you are playing against a virtual dealer. The rules are generally the same as casino blackjack and the cards are dealt using a Random Number Generator to make sure the hands are dealt at random.

Online Casino Gaming – Cyberspace Gambling

A new form of gambling started its success all around the globe in the 1990ies that people are talking about. Online casino gaming, online gambling, internet gambling, or cyberspace gambling. Doesn’t matter how you call it. It’s fun and exciting.

Nowadays gamblers from all around the globe are playing their favourite casino games online. Video poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, slots and many other casino games. Some casinos offer more than 200 different games with their free software download.

Also availabe are no download flash casino games. This games can be played without downloading instantly in your browser.

There are lots of classic casino games available, as well as video poker, online slot machines and progressive slots.

The jackpots are actually very high. Some people have won more than one million dollars from playing progressive slots. The latest payout was over $2.000.000!

Most woman like to play at bingo online. Cool are the 3D graphics that let your virtual self walk around in the bingo room and sit and play at the table. You also can chat with other players.

Men like live casino dealer games. Female dealers that you can chat with and watch via live web cam play baccarat, sicbo, blackjack and roulette in a multi player chatroom.

What makes online gambling also great is playing at an multi player poker room. Poker players can play against other players from all over the world online. What this makes so exciting is that players can qualify for poker tournaments via the internet.

Online qualifiers already play at championships like the monte carlo millions, the world poker tour and the world series of poker, the WSOP.

Relatively new are mobile casino games. You can play blackjack, poker or slots in your cell phone, pda, palm and many other wireless devices.

Sport book wagering online is possible, too. Bets on football, hockey, baseball, basketball, boxing, tennis and other US and european sports can be placed online. But not only that. The live odds can be watched in real time via an live sport betting line. Always updated.

Besides casinos run internet casino tournaments. Poker and slot players battle for real cash prizes.

Regardless if you are playing for big money at an high roller online casino or not for real money online casino gaming is a lot of fun.

Casinos offer a free casino sign up bonus to all players. Free extra money to play! The amount is depending on how much you deposit in your account by using one of the many online funds transfer services or your credit card. Online sports & race books also offer free cash bonuses as well as online poker rooms.

If you are interested in gambling online, looking for casino news, good luck sayings and more cool stuff please visit our website.

Online Blackjack Odds

Blackjack is one of the most popular card games played in casinos worldwide. It’s no wonder that the game of Blackjack has been studied by many gambling professionals. Through this intense study methods have been revealed which allow players to subtly increase their odds while playing the game of Blackjack. Many people think that Blackjack is just another game of chance, like a slot machine or roulette, but this simply isn’t the case. If you compare the odds of blackjack to other casino games that you will run into, you will find that the odds of blackjack are much better.

The blackjack card game is very popular worldwide, and some speculate that it may just be the most popular card game ever. Blackjack is enjoyed by people in nearly every casino worldwide, and even played by many religiously online. Blackjack websites have grown in number over the years, and can offer a convenient place to play or just go for a few practice hands.

What has made blackjack such a popular card game? One of the main reasons is that when blackjack is played properly, the house has an edge of a little less than 1%. When you compare this number to other table games at the casino, you can see that the odds of winning with Blackjack are much higher than anything else.

With these kinds of odds, why are casinos still making money with Blackjack and not losing it? Basically, it´s because most players who play Blackjack don´t play the game properly or well enough to make a good living off of it. It´s a shame that most players give up such a great advantage just with lazy playing.

The fact of the matter is that as a player, you can affect the odds of your Blackjack playing. Unlike real games of chance like roulette, the decisions you make during the game of Blackjack ultimately affects your odds and how many times you will end up winning your hands. It would be smart to research more about how to increase your odds at Blackjack. People have been increasing their odds in Blackjack for years, and thus their pocketbooks, too. Casinos try to spot out these Blackjack professionals, but it’s not like they can completely stop them since what they do is completely legal – it isn’t cheating in any way shape or form.

In Blackjack, instead of the game being based on a chance set of independent events, it is dependent on the cards that have been previously played. This is the main reason why it isn’t cheating, you’re simply making smart decisions based on the cards that you’ve already seen.

In a nutshell, the large cards left in the deck, yet to be played, favor the player. The smaller cards yet to be dealt favor the dealer. This is the main reason why card counting is important in Blackjack, and will increase your odds of winning more often than not. There’s many places with free information online that will help your Blackjack game. Take advantage of this advice, it can’t hurt.

Beginning Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the oldest and easiest card games to learn how to manipulate and one of the most rewarding card games any first-time casino-bound beginner can play. The simple conceptual rules leave much room for any novice to succeed.

A basic overview of the game can be taught in a mere fifteen minutes, however, the bulk of mastering it like a seasoned casino pro does come from devoting a strenuous effort to the discipline and strategy of this classic French card game standby. For beginning players though, it takes little more than controlling simple math principals like basic addition, combined with a cunning observation of human behavior and a touch of strategy to learn the card game of blackjack.

Because of the varying levels of chance and yet still the opportunity to employ strategic tactics, blackjack is the only casino game at which one stands a chance to truly outsmart and beat the house. Gaining a sharp rise in American player popularity in the 1960’s, blackjack, once called “21” based on the maximum card count total before a hand busts, is now one of the most sought-after card games in casinos worldwide. Another reason this game has sustained and increased in its number of players, is because of the increasing accessibility of online blackjack games. This card game is an “every man’s” game and due to its quick learning time and the advent of Internet gambling sites, there has been a modern revitalization of the game in both real-time and virtual environments.

There is a level of independence in blackjack, and perhaps that solitary sense that a player is facing off individually against the dealer might be part of the appeal. As each player tries to beat the dealer one-on-one, other players are simultaneously doing the same. There is both a social and non-social element to the game play.

Simply learning the ropes of the game is enough to get one started, however, devoting a few hours to attaining the basic strategies of card prediction and card counting is the key to having a higher payout and a better grasp of the more advanced techniques. A short time of practicing these strategic maneuvers will propel a basic player from a run-of-the-mill neighborhood poker night player to a player who would have a great edge in a public casino. If a player knows the more popular and assured strategies like card counting, which is mentally tracking the high and low cards of the deck, blackjack is much simpler to sweep than other card games. Although the house will always have a statistical edge, the component of player choice makes the game sway positively toward the player in a way that no other card game can.

As with most games, experience is another essential component in mastering blackjack play. The casino circuit is the best way to collect the practice needed to excel, because the environment is tense and the play is quick, which can teach a player to acclimate to the speedy wit necessary to win big. However, the online blackjack options and home play are also beneficial and probably more practical for most new players.

The benefits of mastering blackjack are more rewarding than most people imagine. The time invested in learning the game and blackjack strategy produces a feeling of exercising the mind while at the same time enabling a player to take home a little quick pay dirt – a great monetary reward for a few hands of fun card playing.

Casino Games For Female Gamblers

The ‘average’ online casino player is female, aged between 46 and 55.

The reason why is obvious, when you think about it – for years, land based casinos were male-dominated spaces where women, if they were allowed in at all, were seen as either waitresses, glammed-up escorts to ‘serious’ gamblers or blue-haired pensioners piling coins into slots.

With the advent of online gambling, that all changed. Now, women can gamble where and when they like, without the pressure – real or imagined – of feeling like an unwelcome outsider.

Surprisingly, though, the online casino industry has been relatively slow in picking up the opportunities offered by this demographic. Most of those online gambling sites that do focus on female gamblers tend to assume that all they want to do is play bingo and chat on online message boards.

Whilst there’s no doubt that many female gamblers enjoy those aspects of online casinos, there’s an entire group who are interested in more traditional casino games.

If you’re one of those gamblers, and you feel a little neglected by the marketing of casino sites, this article is intended to point you towards games I know you’ll enjoy!

First up is probably the most male-dominated game of all, Baccarat (pronounced Back-a-rah and also known as Punto Banco) As the game that introduced James Bond to the world in Casino Royale, it has always had an aura of class and glamour. Think of Bond girls in strapless black dresses, draped over the players as they gamble, and you’ll see how women are generally regarded by Baccarat players!

In traditional bricks-and-mortar casinos, Baccarat is often played in a separate room, out of the way of the ‘rowdier’ tables, as it is the game preferred by ‘high-rollers’, those high stakes players that get treated so well by the management. This is another reason why land-based Baccarat can feel so intimidating, for men as well as women.

Online, however, there are no such restrictions to playing Baccarat. Gone are the trappings of glamour and secrecy – and what’s left is a straightforward, enjoyable card game, with room for a little strategy.

I designed Fortune Palace (see resource box) to introduce players to game such as Baccarat. If you visit, you’ll see all the rules and bets clearly explained, an explanation of strategy for all levels of risk – and, best of all, you’ll be able to practice absolutely free, so you won’t need to chance any money until you’re familiar with the game.

The second game I’d like to recommend is one of my personal favourites – Sic Bo. Not many know of this game as it’s played mainly by Asian and Far Eastern gamblers. In fact, a lot of Western casinos fail to offer the game. Online, though, it’s one of the most popular table games.

Unusually, Sic Bo is widely regarded as a ‘game for women’ amongst gamblers. This disparaging attitude ignores the possibilities that the game has to offer. To describe it briefly, it’s a game played with three dice that has similarities with Craps and Roulette. I’m always amazed by how Roulette players look ‘down their nose’ at Sic Bo. True, the odds in Sic Bo are not exactly the most favourable in the casino, but it’s not as if Roulette is a guaranteed money maker! In fact, if you’re looking to try out a strategy on a close-to-evens chance bet like Red/Black, Sic Bo offers a very similar bet in Big/Small.

But that’s missing the point. The fun in Sic Bo lies in the betting permutations and combinations. Basically, there are 216 ways that three dice can be rolled – and you can place any number of bets on these possible outcomes. For example, you could bet on the overall total, on a pair, on a triple, on a specific number – the possibilities are numerous.

The way the board is laid out, the way the dice are rolled, and the way the results are presented all go towards the excitement and enjoyment of the game. For some fun in the casino, I think Sic Bo’s unbeatable.

Blackjack is a very popular game and it’s unlikely that you’re unfamiliar with it so I won’t go into detail in this article. All I will say is that I’ve devised a simple 3-stage strategy for Blackjack that is intended to take players from beginner to high-roller whilst still keeping the enjoyment in the game. If you’re a Blackjack player – or would like to be! – you might care to check it out.

Another unusual game we describe at Fortune Palace is Pai Gow Poker. This is a game I like to describe as Blackjack for Poker players. In other words, you need a basic knowledge of poker hands (don’t worry – Fortune Palace has a hand ranking chart for beginners!) but the game itself is a you-versus-the-dealer kind of game.

You’re dealt seven cards and you have to make two poker-based hands, one of five cards and one of two. The dealer does the same – if both your hands beat the dealer’s, you win!

It’s fast and exciting and a game that I know is very popular with female visitors to the site. The strategy can seem complex at first, but once you’re familiar with it it’s a game you can really get into.

A variation of the game is Bonus Pai Gow Poker. In that version, you can place a side bet that your seven cards will contain a significant poker hand (eg full house, straight). The advantage of this bet is that you win the wager even if you don’t win the two hands ie you get the bonus regardless of how you set your hands! If you’re lucky enough to get a Royal Flush, the bonus pays out a massive 8,000 to 1!

Sadly, not all online casinos offer the Bonus version. But if you’re playing at one that does (eg Spin Palace or Ruby Fortune) it’s worth checking out.

Roulette is possibly the most popular and familiar of all casino games. As with Blackjack, I’m sure you know most of what you need to know about Roulette, so I won’t go into detail here. But if you’re attracted by one of the many Roulette ‘systems’ available on the market, at Fortune Palace we’ve tested the most popular ones and give you our verdict. I won’t tell you here which work and which don’t – that would spoil the surprise!

The last game I’d like to introduce you to is Keno. True, this is a game similar to Bingo, which may seem to contradict the initial point of this article, but I feel it’s a game female players may enjoy. Put simply, it’s a cross between Bingo and Lotto, where you have an element of control over how many and which numbers you choose.

You mark the numbers on a card and then 20 balls are drawn at random. You win depending on how many ‘spots’ you choose and how many of those come up. Winning small amounts is relatively easy – winning big is relatively hard! But if you’re lucky enough to get 10 from 10, the payout is 100,000 to 1.

Keno is more of a ‘fun’ game than many others, but it has its charms and offers a diversion when you’re looking to relax between hands of more ‘serious’ games.

Overall, then, I hope this article has given female players a taste of the kind of games that are available to them and will encourage some to try their hand at online gambling.

Remember, in the past, casinos were a male preserve. Online casinos have made things much more democratic – everyone’s welcome and everyone’s treated equally.

Women have a right to play where and when they want – make sure you exercise that right!

A variety of offered products and/or services is one of main conditions to attract customers. In gambling business it is games first of all. Different places offer different games, but the leading ones are poker, blackjack, and roulette. Less popular and therefore rare in gaming houses are game of craps and baccarat. There are also about 10 special games in the world. However there are far more games in casino. Where do they come from? They appear due to different things:

1. Inventions
Every year about 2-3 new author games appear on international exhibitions. In the beginning they attract casino operators by their uncommonness very much, who examine them, read incomprehensible rules carefully and try to play these now-how. But their interest gradually disappears. In fact these games are not interesting and sometimes can be difficult to understand not just for an ordinary player, but casino representative as well. Also many games require special equipment. Even if the owner places a table for such game, the customers of casino will be disappointed by it: “Too difficult, boring, not interesting”. And frequently: “No chance”.

2. Casino inventions
From time to time the owner or employees of gaming houses invent quite interesting games. However, they have no future as well because of the above mentioned reasons: “I don’t want to spend money to learn new games”.

3. Innovations, based on the change of existing games
In this case, to think of a new game, it is enough to change the rules of already existing one.
So what makes gaming houses to introduce new games in a casino? Are modern players bored with original version of roulette, blackjack and poker? Not at all. Except some kinds of poker, that are popular nowadays due to really interesting innovations, all new games are only small marketing help in promotion actions of casino. They do not have any playing effect.

If a game is too complicated and casino wins a lot, players leave it at once. It is not interesting for the customers to play too simple and ineffective games. Far more attractive for them are games with the history, such as roulette, queen of the games; poker, having many combinations; intellectual blackjack, having as many or even more combinations as poker games. Besides, if an online casino offers bonuses in a form of free cash, these bonuses turn the house edge that normally exists in these casino games into a player edge over the house. That’s why online casinos started disallowing some games form qualifying for the wagering requirements on their bonus offers. Online casinos that disallow blackjack from their bonus offers lose a lot of good customers. There are still many casinos that disallow blackjack from the wagering requirement qualifying play, but a player should always look at which games these casinos do allow, and play only if the house edge will be small enough on the allowed casino games to provide good money value for the bonus.

There is an opinion, that for the majority of players it is not so important what to play. The main thing for them is an atmosphere of a game. For example, roulette – people are trying to get to the bottom of this game for ages. Naturally it is easy to join them and try your luck.

As a result it appears that the same games such as roulette, blackjack, poker are popular in casino, and all the rest ones keep manager happy that there is “a variety of games” there. That is not bad at all; the main thing is that both players and employees of casino are satisfied.

New Online Casino Games. Who Needs New Casino Games?

A variety of offered products and/or services is one of main conditions to attract customers. In gambling business it is games first of all. Different places offer different games, but the leading ones are poker, blackjack, and roulette. Less popular and therefore rare in gaming houses are game of craps and baccarat. There are also about 10 special games in the world. However there are far more games in casino. Where do they come from? They appear due to different things:

1. Inventions
Every year about 2-3 new author games appear on international exhibitions. In the beginning they attract casino operators by their uncommonness very much, who examine them, read incomprehensible rules carefully and try to play these now-how. But their interest gradually disappears. In fact these games are not interesting and sometimes can be difficult to understand not just for an ordinary player, but casino representative as well. Also many games require special equipment. Even if the owner places a table for such game, the customers of casino will be disappointed by it: “Too difficult, boring, not interesting”. And frequently: “No chance”.

2. Casino inventions
From time to time the owner or employees of gaming houses invent quite interesting games. However, they have no future as well because of the above mentioned reasons: “I don’t want to spend money to learn new games”.

3. Innovations, based on the change of existing games
In this case, to think of a new game, it is enough to change the rules of already existing one.
So what makes gaming houses to introduce new games in a casino? Are modern players bored with original version of roulette, blackjack and poker? Not at all. Except some kinds of poker, that are popular nowadays due to really interesting innovations, all new games are only small marketing help in promotion actions of casino. They do not have any playing effect.

If a game is too complicated and casino wins a lot, players leave it at once. It is not interesting for the customers to play too simple and ineffective games. Far more attractive for them are games with the history, such as roulette, queen of the games; poker, having many combinations; intellectual blackjack, having as many or even more combinations as poker games. Besides, if an online casino offers bonuses in a form of free cash, these bonuses turn the house edge that normally exists in these casino games into a player edge over the house. That’s why online casinos started disallowing some games form qualifying for the wagering requirements on their bonus offers. Online casinos that disallow blackjack from their bonus offers lose a lot of good customers. There are still many casinos that disallow blackjack from the wagering requirement qualifying play, but a player should always look at which games these casinos do allow, and play only if the house edge will be small enough on the allowed casino games to provide good money value for the bonus.

There is an opinion, that for the majority of players it is not so important what to play. The main thing for them is an atmosphere of a game. For example, roulette – people are trying to get to the bottom of this game for ages. Naturally it is easy to join them and try your luck.

As a result it appears that the same games such as roulette, blackjack, poker are popular in casino, and all the rest ones keep manager happy that there is “a variety of games” there. That is not bad at all; the main thing is that both players and employees of casino are satisfied.

Hollywood Casino

KWD : 26/519 = 5.00%

Hollywood Casino

Hollywood Casino Shreveport is the newest Louisiana casino. Hollywood Casino is located in Shreveport, on the shores of Red River in Northwest Louisiana. Hollywood Casino is a stationary boat casino and is open to the public 24 hours a day. Hollywood Casino contains 28,917 square foot of three-level casino gaming. Around 1,436 slots and sixty-three table games are available in Hollywood Casino for players. Hollywood Casino minimum bet for the slot machines is a nickel, then quarter then 50 cents. Other denominations are $1 and $5. You can play additional coins to increase your winnings.
Hollywood Casino has four restaurants and a hotel with a total of 403 rooms. Hollywood Casino website is www.hollywoodcasinoshreveport.com. Hollywood Casino sixty three gaming tables are further subdivided into 39 tables for blackjack, 6 tables for poker and the rest are used for three-card poker, Caribbean stud poker, casino war, craps, let-it-ride, mini-baccarat, Pai Gow Poker and roulette. Four restaurants at Hollywood Casino lets you choose from casual to fine dining options. A traditional American buffet serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Parking spaces at Hollywood Casino is available for 2,000 cars.

Another Hollywood Casino chain is found in Tunica, 36 miles south of Memphis. Hollywood Casino Tunica has 54,000 square feet of casino gaming. Around 1,600 slot machines and more than 35 gaming tables are provided. Three award-winning restaurants lets you enjoy casual to upscale dining. There are 494 luxury hotel rooms and a 123-space RV Park for guests. You can also avail of Hollywood Casino Tunica indoor pool, play the 18-hole golf course, go to the Safari Bar and use the Hollywood Casino Tunica convention facilities.

The third of the Hollywood Casino chain is the Hollywood Casino Aurora. Located in Chicago, Illinois, Hollywood Casino Aurora has a four-story pavilion that serves as the entrance to Hollywood Casino Aurora. Hollywood Casino Aurora has 1,150 slot machines, 24 gaming tables and live poker on a 53,000 square foot single level gaming area. Hollywood Casino Aurora has several excellent restaurants, valet and parking facilities.

The most popular table game at Hollywood Casino is blackjack. Because of that, blackjack tables are provided for non-stop gaming action. The object of Blackjack is to get as close to 21 without going over. Combine an ace with a 10 or a picture card and you have Blackjack. Blackjack is in the levels 1 and 2 of Hollywood Casino. There are eight crap tables provided for you to indulge in. Roulette is another games featured at Hollywood Casino. You can place your bet and wait as the dealer spins the ball. If the ball drops in your number, you win. That’s how simple it is. Caribbean stud poker at Hollywood Casino is played on a 21-style table. You get to play against the dealer. You can also make a side bet on every hand to win a Progressive Jackpot Payout.

Hollywood Casino requires guests to be 21 years old and above in order to enter the casino. A valid ID should be presented when entering the casino. This is in consonance with Hollywood Casino drive to promote responsible gaming.

You need an online casino directory

Gambling is a recreational way people use to forget about their daily problems and win money by playing in online casinos. Virtual casinos are found on the World Wide Web with the help of the online casino directory which is an index based on gambling related links.

Players remain loyal to their online casino if it has a good costumer service. Statistically, 78% of online casinos don’t take care of their costumers properly and, because of this, lose thousands of new players. Trust is also very important when gambling and many people feel that online casinos are only interested in wining money without giving any advice to players. As a consequence, they choose online casinos with better help service. Costumer satisfaction is very important so online casinos have to please the costumers by giving tips and advice on the game they play. If you own an online casino you should know that your casino is rated by the following aspects: security, payment method, variety of games and free bonuses. These aspects are very important for a new comer who is testing the ground by playing at many casinos. By improving them you will surely win more costumers.

As a new player in search of a good online casino, you should try to find one on an online casino directory where there are many links pointing to many casinos. You can try some in order and choose the best. It is said that gambling is a fast way to get rich, so people try to improve their gaming skills in order to win more money. Some of them even become pros and win large amounts of money without always basing on luck. For this they need a lot of practice and people often don’t have money to spend in pure practicing. However, some online casinos have free downloadable practice games and you can find them by searching an online casino directory. So, an online casino directory provides not only information about gambling, but also news about gambling styles, game reviews and about the gambling world in general.

Some games are easier to win at than others. Players should choose to play those games that offer them better odds of winning, like poker and blackjack. By improving the skills at these games one can be sure that he will not fail because these count less on luck. An online casino directory offers a big variety of blackjack and poker sites. You shouldn’t avoid searching for the best and remembering that the more sites you visit the more choices you have. Sites which are signed up on an online casino directory are more reliable and their administrators are permanently improving them because the competition is high.

Players should avoid being taken as bonus hunters; bonus hunters have multiple accounts and play large amounts of money taking advantage of the bonuses that online casinos offer for recreational use. If you are to be found being a bonus hunter your account will be banned and your access might be prohibited on the online casino directory. To avoid such a mix up you should give correct information about your credit card, make only one account and try to bet average sums. If you play big and win you will attract the administrator’s attention and lose their trust.

Why should you take into consideration an online casino directory? If you are searching for the best online casino and you don’t know where to start, browsing the online casino directory will make you succeed in finding what is best for you. An online casino directory is a fast way for new players and experienced ones to find appropriate casinos and accumulate more information about gambling styles. The online casino directory can give you useful information about games, tips on how to play games and important events that happened in the gambling world. What is more important than details like these? They are the ace up your sleeve.

Baccarat Made Easy!

I’m often asked about Casino games, and a common question is “What’s the Easiest Casino Game to Play?”

Of course, that’s a difficult question to answer, and yet an easy one to answer as well.

Let me explain….

First, “easy” is a relative term. What’s easy for one person may be very difficult for another person. Although I’ve written a book on how to make Craps extremely easy for the beginner as well as for the Professional Gambler, I will usually answer this question by emphatically stating – “Baccarat is the Easiest Game to Play in the whole Casino”.

“But”, they protest, “It looks like the hardest game to play”, or “it looks so intimidating”, or, “isn’t that James Bond’s favorite game?”.

Yes, It’s all of the above…. Unless you “just do it”.

So, let’s take a closer look.

On its simplest level, it’s ONLY a matter of making ONE decision: Bank or Player!

That’s it… there is no more…. You can play Baccarat by ONLY deciding whether to bet on the Bank or on the Player.

That’s it – you place your chip(s) in the little box or circle on the table marked “Bank” and you’ve bet that the Bank will win the next hand. If you place your bet in the space marked “Player”, you are betting that the “Player” will win the next hand.

You REALLY don’t need to know (or do) anything else… and you’re playing Baccarat!

There are other things to do if you want. I always insist that my students keep a running score (or record) of the outcomes of each hand in order to use my favorite betting strategies for Baccarat.

But, for those who want more… let’s look at the game’s other nuances and options.

There are two different tables dealing Baccarat: The Pit, and the Mini Tables. The Pit is cordoned off with velvet ropes, manned by tuxedoed dealers, served by specially assigned cocktail waitresses, pit bosses, and Casino Hosts. All of who are there to provide “extra” goodies to the Baccarat players. Usually, there is also a buffet spread there for the Baccarat players in the Pit. Talk about intimidating! What’s more, there’s a $100 MINIMUM bet enforced (except at one Casino on the Las Vegas Strip) on the weekends, and $50 on the weekdays and nights. Are you scared off yet? Don’t be, this can be a “bargain”.

The other way to play Baccarat is at the “Mini Tables”. The game is played the same way, but it’s in the main casino area, a sit-down, half-circle table (it looks like a “Blackjack” table) and there’s only one dealer.

These Mini Tables have similar betting ranges (low minimums) to the Blackjack Tables, depending upon the Casino, the day of the week, the time of the day etc.

The main difference is that the dealer handles all the cards here, whereas the players handle the cards in the pit.

But THAT is a crucial difference…. NOT in the way the game is played (they’re identical) but in the TIME it takes to play a hand. The single dealer at the Mini Tables blasts through the hands, and you must play many, many hands an hour.

But, in the Pit, the players handle the cards, and believe me, it’s an art form, and very interesting to watch how they handle the cards. Nearly ALL of them will bend (and I mean BEND) each of their two cards up to reveal – SLOWLY – the marks, or spots on the side of their card, and then do the same on the end of their card – then do the same ritual to their other card… and then they THROW them down on the table, face up for all to see, OR they rip them into two pieces (Yep, the cards are only used one time in the pit and then discarded by the Casino)… OR they have some similar superstitious ritual they do every time. Because of these rituals that are played out EVERY hand, it can take a long, long time to complete the hand, therefore, your number of hands per hour are way low.

The result of this is amazing: You could spend much more of your betting bankroll on a $5 Mini table per hour than on a $50 Pit Table!

For the purposes of this article, I don’t want to get into how the game is played. For one reason, you DON’T NEED TO KNOW because EVERYTHING is done for you in this game either by the dealer (at the Mini Tables), or you are TOLD what to do by the Dealers in the Pit. For another reason, it is complicated – so, don’t worry about it – Just play the game!

I must tell you however, that there are five bets that you can make during any given hand in Baccarat.

1) Bank (you’re betting that the Bank will win)
2) Player (you’re betting that the Player will win)
3) Tie (you’re betting that the two will tie or push – NO winner)
4) Bank AND Tie (You’re betting that the Bank will win, but hedging your bet with a tie bet in case of a tie)
5) Player AND Tie (You’re betting that the Player will win, but hedging your bet with a tie bet in case of a tie)

Those are the five betting opportunities in Baccarat. That’s ALL you can do – that’s EVERY betting proposition available… there is NO more – that’s it – NADA!

And without going into my strategies…. Let me tell you this:

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER (got it yet?) NEVER bet on a tie! Completely eliminate bets 3, 4, and 5 above, and you are left with ONLY bets 1 and 2…. Bank OR Player.

One thing to note: When you win a “Bank” bet, you must pay a 5% commission. There is NO commission on a winning “Player” bet. That’s just to even the odds because there is a “slight” advantage to the “Bank” bet over the “Player” bet.

See? I told you it was easy…. That’s all you need to know to play Baccarat!