Monday 29 September 2014

Top 10 Las Vegas Secret

Stick to gambling with your own
Avoid career gamblers, you will only lose. Photograph: Alamy

Don't go up against the locals

If you sit down to play poker and the dealer greets everybody at the table by name, leave. These players are locals. They play every day. They make their living off chumps like you. So ask the floor supervisor for a table change. Or rack up your chips and head to a different poker room. You want a game in which you're playing against other tourists. Drunk ones, ideally. Use the time change to your advantage: head to the poker room at 3am, when the clubs are clearing out. Try the Venetian. Its poker room is right below megaclub TAO. All those drunk, sexually frustrated guys pouring down the two-storey escalator? They're coming to play poker against you. You can beat 'em. You got this.
 Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 414 1000,venetian.com/poker-room

Drink for a buck at the Wynn

Exotic goldfish at the Wynn in Las VegasSee fanged goldfish at the Wynn. Photograph: Everett Kennedy Brown/EPA
Vegas casinos serve free booze to all gamblers. You don't have to sit down at a $100 blackjack table; they'll bring you cocktails at the penny slots. So, if you're planning to get plastered, do it before you hit the clubs. It'll save you $75 a night. You'll find the best complimentary casino drinks at the Wynn, as it offers gamblers free mojitos and brand name tequila. Just remember to tip your waitress a dollar a drink. Oh, while you're here, stop by the Koi Pond. (A Koi is like a big, sensitive, fanged goldfish, and a koi pond is the aquatic equivalent of a rock garden.) It's the most relaxing room in the Strip, but nobody knows about it – not even the locals.
 3131 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 770 7000, wynnlasvegas.com

Lose your money in style

The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas.
The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas.
The Cosmopolitan is the newest and swankiest hotel on the Strip. It's the one that looks like the Wynn, if the Wynn were bedazzled by Liberace. As long as you're gambling away your hard-earned cash, you might as well do it alongside the pretty and the powerful. Oh, and if you're gambling at the Cosmo on a Friday, Saturday or Monday night, do it at a table below the elevator that leads up to Marquee, the hottest club on the strip; this is the best people-watching spot in Vegas. More affordable people-watching destinations include Kokomo's Lounge at Mirage and the coffee shop at Wynn.
 The Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 698 7000,cosmopolitanlasvegas.com. Marquee, marqueelasvegas.com.Kokomo's Lounge, 3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 791 7111,mirage.com/nightlife/kokomos-lounge

Make new friends at the Circle Bar

Cherry Nightclub at Red Rock Casino, Las Vegas.Red Rock Casino. Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Features
Every casino has a Circle Bar. Usually right in the middle. This place, not the club, is where you want to make new friends. Couple of reasons: you don't have to pay a cover, and the turnover rate is high. So if you're being pestered by a drunk weirdo – this will happen – he'll be out of your way soon. The only casino-goers who never visit Circle Bars are locals. And you can't befriend locals. They come to the strip for business; they seem like they're on the strip to have fun, but that's part of their business. Best casino Circle Bars: Hard Rock's Center Bar, Mandalay's Eyecandy, and Venetian's Oculus.
 Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 4455 Paradise Road, +1 702 693 5000,hardrockhotel.com/circle-bars. Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 632 7777,mandalaybay.com/nightlife/eyecandy. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 414 1000, venetian.com/oculus

Bet the Pass Line

Play craps at O Sheas casino Las Vegas.Photograph: Alamy
If you want to gamble but don't know anything about gambling, play craps. More specifically, play craps and bet the PASS LINE. It's easy: you put your money on the table and somebody rolls the dice. If everybody starts cheering, you've won. If everybody gets quiet, you've lost. It's the closest thing to a 50/50 bet you're going to find (except for the DON'T PASS LINE. But if you play that, it'll piss the other players off). Head to O'Sheas, where the low-stakes craps tables practically pour out onto the strip, and where, if you crap out, you can take your final $20 and play beer pong against a team of just-turned-21 frat guys from Ohio State. Tell them you went to college at the University of Michigan – see what happens! 
 O'Sheas Casino, 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 697 2711,caesars.com/osheas

Act like a high roller (without rolling high)

Act like a high roller, Mandalay Bay
Casinos give free stuff to high rollers – that's no secret. But it's hard for casinos to track exactly how much a player gambles. So they estimate. One good way to make a casino think you're planning to gamble away a fortune is to take out a huge marker. If you plan to lose $500, consider taking out a $5,000 marker. That'll get the casino host's attention. And who knows, you might get offered a free room, a free meal, and free show tickets; or at worst, you'll feel like a big shot. A blackjack player who visits Vegas all the time recently told me that Mandalay Bay has been generous with room comps the past couple months. So give 'em a call and see what deals they've got going right now. 
 Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 632 7777, mandalaybay.com/nightlife/eyecandy.

Stretch your betting buck at the Sportsbook

In Vegas, sport betting is legalIn Vegas, sport betting is legal. Photograph: Rob Carr/Getty Images
Try as we might, we Americans just can't match our European counterparts when it comes to sports hooliganism. But what we lack in aggressiveness we make up for in financial recklessness. For us, betting on sport is like driving 10 miles over the speed limit. It's illegal, but everybody and their grandmother does it. In Vegas, though, sport betting is not illegal. The MGM Grand doesn't have the newest or the fanciest sports book on the strip, but it's consistently the most energetic. And isn't that what's most important? So if you go, go prepared to cheer. Even if you don't know which side to cheer for. Pick one.
 MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 891 1111, mgmgrand.com/casino/race-sports-book

Mix gambling and shopping at the right place

Malls within walking distance of the casinosMalls within walking distance of the casinos. Photograph: Hemis /Alamy
All the big casinos have their own boutiques. Few of these boutiques have reasonable prices. They're set up to gouge gamblers who just hit it big at the roulette table and can't wait five minutes to give back the cash. That said, a couple of casinos have great malls attached to them – malls with unique shops and reasonable prices. I'm thinking of the Caesars' Forum Shops and the Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood. Those malls also boast fake skies painted onto their ceilings, thus killing that pesky urge you have to go outside. 
 Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, +1 702 731 7110,caesarspalace.com/the-forum-shops. Miracle Mile Shops, 3663 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Suite 900, miraclemileshopslv.com. Open Mon-Thurs and Sun 10am-11pm, Fri-Sat 10am-midnight

Gamble like a local

Fremont Street East District, Las VegasFremont Street East District, Las Vegas. Photograph: Richard Cummins/Corbis
Las Vegans rarely gamble on the Strip: usually we play cards at a locals' casino or on Fremont Street. Fremont, also known as "downtown" hosts all the classic casinos – Binion's, Four Queens, El Cortez. They're not as fancy as their Las Vegas Boulevard counterparts but they do offer the cheapest table games in town and the most player-favourable rules. And as long as you're on Fremont, stop by the local hipster hangouts: Don't Tell Mama (piano bar), Insert Coins (video arcade bar), and Beauty Bar(local band bar).
• Binions, 128 East Fremont Street, +1 702-382-1600, binions.com. Fourqueens, 202 Fremont Street, +1 702 385 4011, fourqueens.com. El Cortez, 600 East Fremont Street, +1 702 385-5200,elcortezhotelcasino.com

Bring the excitement home with you

Gambler's General Store, Las Vegas.Photograph: Vegas Gary on Flickr/all rights reserved
Sure, your hotel will have a gift shop. And sure, that gift shop will sell playing cards, poker chips, and mini-roulette wheels. But if you really want to bring some casino action back across the pond, take a trip to the Gambler's General Store. A ten-minute cab ride at the most. They've got blackjack shoes, old casino tokens, multi-coloured dice – everything related to the gaming industry. Here in Vegas we call it "gaming," not "gambling"– clever, huh? If your friends are magicians or sticklers for authenticity do your souvenir shopping here: they won't be disappointed.
 Gambler's General Store, 800 South Main Street, +1 702 382 9903,gamblersgeneralstore.com. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm

Friday 26 September 2014

System Maintenance on September 29, 2014

Dear Player,




We would like to advise you that we will be conducting a System Maintenance on September 29, 2014 for 3­­ hours and 30 minutes­ starting 14:30 - 18:00 Manila Time.

During the maintenance, casino client will not be accessible on the aforementioned date and time.

On behalf of the casino, we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Casino Management

Tuesday 23 September 2014

Myths & Facts on Slot Machines

We often hear a lot of Myths regarding Slot Machines. Now just about everything that players believe about slots is untrue. Here are the most common myths and facts. It may help you next time you play online slot machines or at Genting.



Myth: Slot machines are programmed to go through a cycle of payoffs. Although the cycle can span thousands of spins, once it reaches the end the outcomes will repeat themselves in exactly the same order as the last cycle.

Fact: This is not true at all. Every spin is random and independent of all past spins.


Myth: Slot machines are programmed to pay off a particular percentage of money bet. Thus, after a jackpot is hit the machine will tighten up to get back in balance. On the other hand, when a jackpot has not been hit for a long time it is overdue and more likely to hit.

Fact: As just mentioned, each spin is independent of all past spins. That means that for a given machine game, the odds are always the same. It makes no difference when the last jackpot was hit or how much the game paid out in the last hour, day, week, or any period of time.

 
Myth: Machines pay more if a player card is not used.

Fact: The mechanism that determines the outcome of each play does not consider whether a card is used or not. The odds are the same with or without one.


Myth: Using a player card enables the casino to report my winnings to the IRS.

Fact: That makes no difference. If you win $1,200 or more they will report it either way. If you have a net losing year, which you probably will, at least the casino will have evidence of it. Such annual win/loss statements may be used as evidence to declare offsetting loses to jackpot wins.

 
Myth: The slot department can tighten my game with the press of a button remotely. Thus, you better be nice to the staff and tip them well, or they will use a remote control to have the machine take you down in a hurry.

Fact: There is now some truth to the myth that the odds of a machine can be changed remotely. Such "server-based slots" are still experimental and in a minority. Even with server-based slots, there are regulations in place to protect the player from the perceived abuses that could accompany them. For example, in Nevada a machine can not be altered remotely unless it has been idle for at least four minutes. Even then, the game will display a notice that it is being serviced during such changes. (source) Meanwhile, for the vast majority of slots, somebody would physically need to open the machine and change a computer chip, known as an EPROM chip, to make any changes.


Myth: The machines by the doors and heavy traffic flow areas tend to be loose while those hidden in quiet corners tend to be tight.

Fact: I've studied the relationship between slot placement and return and found no correlation. Every slot director I've asked about this laughs it off as just another player myth.

 
Myth: Slots tend to be looser during slow hours on slow days of the week. However, when the casino is busy they tighten them up.

Fact: Nobody would take the trouble to do this, even if he could. The fact of the matter is the casinos are trying to find a good balance between winning some money while letting the player leave happy. That is best achieved by slots loose enough to give the player a sufficiently long "time on device," as they call it in the industry, with a reasonable chance of winning so he will return to the same casino next time. If the slots are too tight, the players will sense it and be unlikely to return.

The kind of place you're likely to find tight slots are those with a captive audience, like the Genting Casino. So, if the slot manager feels that 92% is the right return for a penny game, for example, he is likely to set every penny game all that way, and keep them that way for years.

Thursday 18 September 2014

Winning Tips for Playing Baccarat

Just like most of other casino games, Baccarat is a game of chance, means you will win if you are lucky. But, instead of totally depending on your luck like most rookies does, there are a few tips you can follow to increase your chances of winning by a little, among then are:


1. Know your limits and don't ignore them! 

Before you start a Baccarat game or sit down at a Baccarat table, whether it is online or at a land based casino. Decide on how much money you prepared to lose, and stick to it. Don't spend anything above the amount you determined or increase the limit in the middle of the game. Know when to stop. Same goes on the opposite, stop if you won amount you satisfied with, don't push your luck too far, it often backfire.

2 Know enough to spot mistakes 

Before playing Baccarat ensure that you have the knowledge of the game an know the rules of it, two thing benefits from it, first, so that you don't make any mistakes. Second, so that you can spot any mistakes by the croupier or any player during the game (although these rary happens as everything is closely monitored).

3 Only play at reputable venues 

This may seem obvious, but it is very important to research the casinos you choose with regard to reputation, payout reliability, terms and conditions pertaining to bonuses and promotions etc. This is relatively easy to do as there are a number of both brick and mortar and online casino reviews available on the internet. Spending time doing this will go a long way to ensure that your experience is a pleasant one and all you have to worry about is having fun at the Baccarat tables.

4 Practice online for free 

Online casinos offer players "practice" or "free play" modes that allow one to grow accustomed to the game without paying for it. Play as often as you like or practice your strategies in free play mode until you are ready to play for Real Money. You have nothing to lose.

5 Games with fewer than 8 decks of cards are good if you can find them 

Baccarat games usually feature eight decks of cards, however, games with decks do exist and if they are available, rather play them as you have a better advantage of winning through the banker's hand on a game with fewer decks.

6 Mini Baccarat is good for beginners 

This game has the same basic rules as other Online Baccarat variations but has lower table limits and less players, so this is a good place to start if you are a beginner.

7 Betting a Tie is the worst bet for you 

Yes a tie bet or "standoff" has the biggest payouts, but it also a very rare result and has the highest house edge and that means it's the worst bet you can make.

8 Banker bets are Best 

The casino advantage on the banker hand is 1.09%, and the chances of winning are 44.6% making the Banker bet the best possible bet for you. And even though some casinos charge an additional 5% commission rate for winnings on this hand, you still have the most to gain by betting on it.

9 Don't bet against streaks 

Never bet against a streak of either the Banker or Player. After three consecutive Banker or Player results, stop betting until the streak breaks or bet with the streak.

10 Systems seldom work 

Again Baccarat is a game of chance, card counting and various systems do not work online.

Monday 15 September 2014

How To Win in Roulette

Before we talk about the strategy to win on Roulette, there are 3 known types of roulette. American, European and the "classic" French. We are mostly interested in the European roulette version, this is available everywhere, however we must know the differences. Why we do not play on American type of roulette tables is the fact that there is a field called the double 0, "00" which makes winning a bit harder. On a typical European table you will find 36+1 numbers, some of them are red, others are black and there is the green 0. This little green is the "number of the house", the casinos earn the most of their incomes with this field... (they say...). And there is no strategy for the 0, even not for 00 in roulette!

Bets and payouts in roulette (payout:bet ratio):
  • colour, red-black (2:1)
  • even-odd (2:1)
  • low-high numbers (2:1)
  • one of the 3 dozens (3:1)
  • one of the 3 rows (3:1)
  • on a number (36:1)
  • and certainly there are payouts for combinations of these above!!!
So if you bet 1 bucks on the red and you win you will get the 1 dollar back and another 1 as winning. That means you got 2 dollars and paid 1. (2:1)
Now you must be a bit more familiar with the roulette table, but let's see it live!

Description of betting in roulette, for each specific spot:
  1. We put on number 14 simply. We get 36 back on the 1 unit bet.
  2. We made a so called split bet on number 19 and 22. We get 17x of the chips if one of the numbers is the winner.
  3. This is a street bet (three line). We put the chips on the line between the dozen field and the number just near the field. The payout ratio is 11:1 if one of the 3 numbers in that line is the lucky winner.
  4. Corner bet is a harder one. We put on 4 numbers. Payout ration is 8:1 if one of the 4 numbers is the lucky winner.
  5. Double street (six line). 5:1
  6. Middle dozen. 3:1
  7. One of the rows. 3:1
  8. Even. 2:1
  9. Red. 2:1
  10. 1-18 "low" numbers. 2:1
That's all we need to know now before we want to start playing and develop our own roulette strategy. Now back to the main story on this topic, the strategy on how to win in roulette. Do note that the strategy below are just for guidance which maximize your chances on winning money in Roulette, there are no sure win strategies for the game.

The Martingale Strategy

This simple, yet effective betting strategy is used by most savvy gamblers and has been proven to work over the years. The idea behind this betting strategy is that you will always break even.

You start by placing a bet and based on what happens on this bet, will dictate how much to bet next. If you lose, you need to double the losing bet on the next spin. If you had bet $5 and lost, your next bet should be $10. You will continue this progression until you win. Once a winning bet is made, you go back to the original size bet you started with.

Double Street Quad

The goal of this strategy is to cover as many numbers of possible with as little money as possible. By using this, you will have nearly half of the numbers covered with very little money at risk.

To implement the Double Street Quad strategy, you will be betting a single number that is not covered on the double streets that you will betting on and place a bet of 1 chip. Next, pick 2 streets to place a wager of 2 chips on each street.

Lastly, choose a quad block of numbers that again, is not covered by the straight number bet and place one chip on this betting spot. You now have 6 chips in play and 17 of the 35 numbers covered in a game of single zero Roulette.

Five Quad Strategies

This Roulette strategy is much like the Double Street except you are only betting on quads or corners. Pick 5 blocks of 4 numbers to place a one chip bet on. Then choose a straight number, preferably one not already covered by one of the 5 quad bets and place one more chip on this number.

This strategy uses the same amount of chips as the Quad Street one, but you are now covering 21 numbers instead of 17. The odds of winning using his strategy are a tad bit lower, but it does have bigger rewards since the quad bets pay out a higher percentage than the street bets used in the Double Street strategy.

All of these roulette strategies mentioned are designed to give you a better chance at winning. These strategies use a mathematical formula to ensure you should at least break even by doubling your losing bets to recoup the previous one. With a little luck, using any of these strategies should show a nice profit in the long run!

Promotion & Bonuses

Of course, if you wish to tried out any of the strategies above, you can always maximize the profits by utilizing the bonuses and promotion provided. 

Thursday 11 September 2014

Tips on How to Win Online Casino Games

Comparing to Land Casino like Genting, Online Casino are a fantastic invention, you can play it anywhere, anytime and as long as you wanted, there are no travelling fees, noisy casino crowds or the frustration on waiting for a sit on the games you want to play in. But before getting into an online casino, there are a few tips on which online casino website you should be playing in.

Pick Your Online Casino

Make sure that you pick a legitimate online casino to play in. A legitimate casino is one that has fair games that offer a fair chance to win, and it is one that pays out your winnings promptly when you do win the casino games. So pick an Internet casino that is well-established and has a good reputation.

Always Accept Their Bonuses & Gifts

Many online casino website want to give you things for free. They will offer you welcome packages bonus, top up bonuses, promotions, and gifts. It's not a trick; they're simply competing for your business. So don't be shy. Take advantage of their offers and enjoy what they give you. Deep down inside, you know you deserve it. Register an account and deposit a fund to it.

Pick Your Bank

Before you start wagering real money in an online casino, research the various online banking methods and make sure that you use a reliable one. This is very important always pick the bank which is most convenient for you, best if you have online banking access to the bank you choosed, and be familiar with it.

Pick Your Online Casino Game

Now you had chooses the website and deposit the fund, it's time to decide what type of game you want to play. There are dozens and dozens of online casino games, and they all have their own rules and their own odds and their own casino game strategies. Don't get bogged down or overwhelmed. Simply pick one casino game to focus on and learn how to play that one game. Whether it's online slots or online roulette or online video poker or anything else, pick one game and make it your game. You can branch out later — there are a lot of great games in the online casino — but this is a good way to get started.

Learn Your Game

When you start out, read everything you can get your hands on about your chosen game. Look at the odds tables, read books, read material on the Internet, ask your friends for advice about the game. Knowledge is power. The more you know, the more relaxed and confident you'll feel. And the more relaxed and confident you feel, the better your odds of winning online casino games.

Manage Your Bankroll

When you're gambling real money, of course it's a lot more fun to win, but you must also be prepared to lose. What this means is: don't gamble with the rent money. Gamble only with money that you can afford to lose without heartbreak.

It is important to think about your bankroll before you jump into real-money online gambling. How much money do you have to wager? How long do you hope to make your money last? How much are you willing to lose? When will you get up from the game, even if you are winning? These are very important questions to answer for yourself before you begin playing. Then, it's important to stick with your decision as you play and not to get carried away by the fun of the game!

It is equally important to have a healthy attitude about your losses. Think of it this way: You're willing to pay money to go out to the movies or a show or a football game, right? That money is the price you pay for a few hours' entertainment, and it's usually worth it. It's the same thing with online casino gambling. If you play your favourite game for a few hours and you lose money, it's not a tragedy, it's just an entertainment expense. If you can maintain this attitude, you'll find that your losses will be bearable, and your wins will be even that much more exhilarating.

Sit Back & Enjoy!

Most importantly, remember that you are playing at the online casinos to have fun! This isn't an entrance exam to get into University. Your life doesn't ride on the next move that you make. With time and experience, you will learn what you like and will have fun playing. The journey is as much fun as the destination. Remember this as you begin to play and take the pressure off yourself. Enjoy online casino games today and join the adventure!

Wednesday 10 September 2014

BlackJack Basic Strategy

To use the basic blackjack strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.

 Other basic strategy rules.
  • Never take insurance or "even money."
  • If there is no row for splitting (fives and tens), then look up your hand as a hard total (10 or 20).
  • If you can't split because of a limit on re-splitting, then look up your hand as a hard total.
If you play a mixture of six-deck games, some where the dealer hits a soft 17, and some where he stands, and you only wish to memorize one strategy, I would recommend you memorize the one where the dealer stands on soft 17. The cost in errors due to playing the wrong strategy is 2.3 times higher playing a stand on soft 17 game, with the hit on 17 strategy, than vise versa.

 

Basic Strategy in Text

For the benefit of my blind readers, here is the above strategy in text form, when the dealer stands on soft 17 and surrender is allowed. To use the strategy, start at the top, and follow the first rule that applies.

 

Surrender

  • Surrender hard 16 (but not a pair of 8s) vs. dealer 9, 10, or A, and hard 15 vs. dealer 10.

 

Split

  • Always split aces and 8s.
  • Never split 5s and 10s.
  • Split 2s and 3s against a dealer 4-7, and against a 2 or 3 if DAS is allowed.
  • Split 4s only if DAS is allowed and the dealer shows a 5 or 6.
  • Split 6s against a dealer 3-6, and against a 2 if DAS is allowed.
  • Split 7s against a dealer 2-7.
  • Split 9s against a dealer 2-6 or 8-9.

 

Double

  • Double hard 9 vs. dealer 3-6.
  • Double hard 10 except against a dealer 10 or A.
  • Double hard 11 except against a dealer A.
  • Double soft 13 or 14 vs. dealer 5-6.
  • Double soft 15 or 16 vs. dealer 4-6.
  • Double soft 17 or 18 vs. dealer 3-6.

 

Hit or Stand

  • Always hit hard 11 or less.
  • Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4-6, otherwise hit.
  • Stand on hard 13-16 against a dealer 2-6, otherwise hit.
  • Always stand on hard 17 or more.
  • Always hit soft 17 or less.
  • Stand on soft 18 except hit against a dealer 9, 10, or A.
  • Always stand on soft 19 or more.

The above strategy will be fine under any set of rules. However, for you perfectionists out there, here are the modifications to make if the dealer hits a soft 17.
  • Surrender 15, a pair of 8s, and 17 vs. dealer A.
  • Double 11 vs. dealer A.
  • Double soft 18 vs. dealer 2.
  • Double soft 19 vs. dealer 6.