Sometimes there is a desire or need to stop playing the same high return, low variance games. It could be the current games are becoming difficult to locate, or the games are becoming “old hat” and boring. This article explores the options, benefits, and pitfalls of switching games.

Contents

1. The current situation

2. Issues with the current situation

Early on, play was fun and ultimately profitable when considering return of the game as well as comps such as room, meals, bonus point cash, etc. However, over time, a couple of things have affected playing satisfaction including:

3. Analysis

There are two separate issues – high return and variance.

• High return is the most important. High return combined with comps can make video poker play rewarding. Without it, I see no good reason to play.
• By playing hundreds of thousands of hands per year, the variance will not be as large a factor. By that I mean the results of an entire year will come close to the mathematical average. 

While I enjoy playing video poker, the major reason I play any video poker game is the return. The higher the return the better. Ideally, I will make money playing the game over the long run. Or, at minimum, my play combined with casino comps will be positive.

4. Options, benefits, and pitfalls

When pay tables are degraded to the point where one feels it is not worth their time (and expense) to play the game, there are three choices.

1. Find another casino that has a decent pay table for the game.
2. Find another game that has a decent return and learn to play that game.
3. Stop playing video poker.

Hopefully, the situation never deteriorates to the point where option 3 is the only option.
 
Option 2 is always worth a try. It is easier than learning a new game. Factors to consider when looking for a different video poker game are:

1. Return – The most important in my opinion. If the return (or return including comps) is not there, I don’t play the game.
2. Variance – While this factor is not as important as the return, it impacts bankroll requirements. 
   1. When the variance is high the player can be faced with very long losing streaks. 
   2. This can take an emotional toll that affects how the player plays. 
   3. This factor should not be trivialized.
   4. Playing tens of thousands of hands (or more) per year helps balance the highs and lows of variance. 
3. Complexity of the playing strategy – Simple strategy is easier to learn and, more importantly, easier to play properly when at the casino. Mistakes in strategy cost the player, so fewer mistakes mean higher returns.

Look for the high-return games with the lowest variance possible. 

• 8/5 Bonus Poker with a 99.11 return is a good choice if you cannot find full-pay Jacks or Better. The return is only 0.43 percent less than full-pay (9/6) Jacks or Better and the variance is still fairly low at 20.9 vs 19.5 for Jacks or Better. This game can also still be found in many casinos.
   
• Both full-pay Deuces Wild and full-pay Double Bonus poker have positive returns of 100.76 and 100.17 respectively, but are nearly impossible to find. If you do happen to find these games, by all means learn the strategy and play them. The variance is low – 25.83 for full-pay Deuces Wild and 28.55 for Double Bonus. The strategy for either is a bit more complex than for either Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker, however. 
   
• There are many short-pay versions of both of these games. Make sure you can live with the reduced return or return with comps. In most cases the variance and playing strategy complexity is similar for short-pay versions of these games.

The “excitement factor”

Even though there are high return, low variance games available, there are other reasons to consider playing a different game, even if you can get the same return from your current preferred games - the “Excitement Factor.” 

• Playing the same low-variance games can become a bit boring. The only real jackpot on a Jacks or Better game is the royal flush. Anything less than that is really just more hands to play.
   
• Games such as Double Bonus poker, Double-Double Bonus poker, and Triple Bonus poker add more chances for jackpot-sized wins. They certainly add to the overall excitement of the game.
   
• On the other hand, the return tends to be lower and the variance higher. Seriously consider the impact of both as well as strategy complexity when considering playing these types of video poker games. 

5. Summary

• Playing high-return, low-variance can become difficult or boring. The games are increasingly rare and there are very few jackpot-sized wins.
• There are more readily available games that are less boring.
• The player should be aware of all aspects of any game chosen and be prepared to handle each and every one.
   

A serious video poker player has to have an adequate bankroll. This article takes a look at long-term bankroll requirements for video poker.

Table of Contents

1. Long-Term Bankroll Defined

Simply put, long-term bankroll is enough money to play for an extended time. 

Years ago, when games with returns of 100 percent or more were common, a long-term bankroll could last indefinitely as it only had to cover the variance of the game. Over time (perhaps a very long time) the player would end up winning, or at minimum, breaking even.

2. Long-Term Bankrolls for Positive Expectation Games

With a positive expectation game, the only risk to the bankroll (other than mistakes made while playing) is the variance of the game. The bankroll has to be large enough to cover the losing streaks that will definitely happen. 

A low variance game has shorter losing streaks. A high variance game has longer losing streaks. That is exactly why a larger bankroll is required for higher variance games.

Let’s look at a couple of positive expectation video poker games and their long-term bankroll requirements. 

In each of the sample games and pay tables shown in this article, the games are played on a 25-cent machine and five credits per hand for a total of 1.25 per hand. If a different denomination of game is played, the bankroll requirements will change proportionately.

The results for each sample are broken into three levels.

• 5% risk of ruin
• 1% risk of ruin
• 0.01% risk of ruin

It takes a monstrous bankroll to guarantee it will never be depleted, so this article settles for one-hundredth of one percent.

Here is the information for two rare, but available, positive expectation games.

• Full-pay (25/15/9/5) Deuces Wild – Return 100.762 percent, Variance 25.83
  • 5% risk of ruin – $5,750
  • 1% risk of ruin – $8,850
  • 0.01% risk of ruin – $17,350
     
• Full-pay (10/7/5) Double Bonus Poker – Return 100.17 percent, Variance 28.25
  • 5% risk of ruin – $30,150
  • 1% risk of ruin – $46,350
  • 0.01% risk of ruin – $92,700

Notice how lower return and higher variance affects the bankroll numbers. The bankroll for the Double Bonus Poker game is over five times that required for the Deuces Wild game.

Variance is a huge factor in determining bankroll size.

3. Long-Term Bankrolls for Negative Expectation Games with Added Comps

As mentioned above, negative expectation games can be considered positive expectation games if the comps earned while playing are sufficient. 

Comps are stated as a percentage of the amount played. For example, if I played four hours at a rate of 800 hands an hour at $1.25 a hand, that would be 800 times four times $1.25 or $4,000. 

Suppose I received a lunch or dinner comp valued at $20, that would be 20 / 4000 = 0.005 or 0.5%. Any other comps received such as cash back or free rooms would also be calculated in the same way. 

Three examples of negative expectation games turned positive by comps are shown below.

• Full-pay Jacks or Better – Return 99.54%, Variance 19.51 plus 0.55% in comps for a total return of 100.09%
  • 5% risk of ruin – $38,700
  • 1% risk of ruin – $59,450
  • 0.01% risk of ruin – $118,900
     
• 8/5 Jacks or Better – Return 97.29%, Variance 19.32 plus 2.80% in comps for a total return of 100.09%
  • 5% risk of ruin – $38,100
  • 1% risk of ruin – $58,600
  • 0.01% risk of ruin – $117,150
     
• 9/6 Double-Double Bonus – Return 98.98%, Variance 41.98 plus 1.11% in comps for a total return of 100.09%
  • 5% risk of ruin – $86,100
  • 1% risk of ruin – $132,300
  • 0.01% risk of ruin – $264,600

In each of the above examples the total return including comps is 100.09%. The only difference is variance. That difference can be very significant.

 

 

4. Long-Term Bankrolls for Negative Expectation Games Without Comps

As shown above, long-term bankroll calculations can be made for positive expectation games and positive game returns plus comps. 

5. Summary

• Bankrolls large enough to satisfy long-term video poker playing requirements are very helpful in reducing stress. If a player is not worried about money while playing video poker, he or she can concentrate on playing correctly and enjoying the game.
• Return and variance both affect the size of the bankroll.
• Comps can be added to the actual return of a game and considered as part of the return.
• It takes a very large bankroll to approach a zero risk of ruin.
   

Zeroing in on slot machines with the highest payback percentages is a key to how to win at slots.

Unfortunately, only rough guidelines to which machines are the highest payers are available to the public. Online casinos don't advertise payback percentages on individual slots. Neither do live casinos.

You can use available information as an approximation of where to get the best deal, but you have to understand how percentages are calculated, what published reports tell us and what they DON'T tell us.

Before launching into explanations, there's one important point players with access to online slots should know. In licensed U.S. jurisdictions, paybacks tend to be higher online than in live casinos. Percent paybacks on penny machines might range from the mid-80s to low 90s in live casinos,  but often hit the mid-90s online.

That's not a guarantee of winning online. Your average results per dollar wagered may be better online, but there are ups and downs in every casino and on every machine.

Let's take a look at what it all means. First, a few things to remember:

• Finding games with high payback percentages is important in winning at slots.
• Online paybacks often are higher than live casino paybacks.
• If using published data as a guide, look for percentages broken down by coin denomination.

Theoretical Payback vs. Demonstrated Payback

Slots have both theoretical and demonstrated payback percentages. They're usually very close over a long term, but they don't have to be identical and can vary widely in short sessions.

If a manufacturer says a game has a theoretical payback percentage of 93.8%, that means the odds of the game will drive the machine toward a 93.8% return. 

It's the same as in table games. In double-zero roulette, the odds of the game will drive a bet on black toward a 94.74% return. But sometimes numbers with black backgrounds come up more or less often than average, and the return can be higher or lower than the theoretical payback.

It's the same on slots. Results are random and in the short term the payback percentage can vary wildly. Returns can be hundreds of percent and even more with a big jackpot. They also can be very low and you can lose money quickly. But in the long run, the odds of the game will drive the overall payback to something close to the theoretical return.

• A payback percentage based on real-world results is the amount a game pays out vs. the amount it takes in.

If over the course of a day $100,000 is wagered on a game by a succession of players and they are paid $90,000, then the game's payback percentage for the day is 90%.
 
Not every player will have been paid 90%. Some will lose more than 10%, some will lose less, and some will win money. Someone might even hit a jackpot and win big.

After all, if  no one won, no one would play. But over long periods of play, the casino will make its percentage.

• In losing sessions, the amount you've been paid often is more than you think it was.

 

 

Imagine you've started with $20 on a penny slot, and by the time you walk away you've lost all $20.

Players sometimes think that's a zero-percent payback, but it's not. Every wager is counted, and every payout is counted.

Try this sequence on for size: You start by making $20 worth of wagers, and you get only $12 back. Then you bet those $12, get a couple of nice combinations, and find your meter is back up to $18. You bet $18, have so-so luck and are down to $14. After betting those $14, you're down to $10.

Bet $10 and you're back to $12. Bet $12 and you're down to $8. Bet $8 and you're down to $4. Bet $4 and you're up to $6. Bet $6 and get $6 back. Bet $6 again and you're down to $2. Bet $2, lose that and you're down to zero.

You haven't just bet $20 and received no payback. You've made $120 in wagers and been paid $92. At any point, you could have left with part of your $20. Your payback for the session isn't 0%, it's 76.7%. You've lost all $20 not because there has been no payback, but because you elected to keep betting until it was all gone.

Payback Percentage

Not all slots in the same casino have the same payback percentage. This applies to both online slots and live casino slots. Different games can have different payback percentages. Games of different coin denominations can, and usually do, have different returns, with low-denomination games such as penny slots usually having lower returns than higher denomination games such as dollar slots.

Even games of the same theme and denomination can have different returns. You don't see this online, but in live casinos, you could have two identical-looking machines sitting side by side that have different odds of winning combinations appearing and different payback percentages.

• Some casino jurisdictions release broad payback data to the public in monthly reports, but some do not.

Every state has its own regulations on what must be in public reports. In the most detailed, payback percentages are listed for each coin denomination in each casino. You might see a chart with listings for paybacks on 1-cent games, 5-cent games, and so on for each casino in the state.

Others list paybacks in regions – for example, Las Vegas Strip,  Las Vegas downtown, Reno and other areas of Nevada. Breakdowns for individual casinos are not listed. Some states make no payback percentage data available to the public.

Payback data generally is not available for online casinos through state regulatory sources. If you see payback data for an online casino, it's because the casino chooses to advertise it.

In no case is payback data available for individual machines.

Casino Payouts

• Published data are casino-wide averages.

If a casino tells you, "Our slots pay 90 percent," that means 90% of all money wagered on all slots combined is returned to players in payouts.

That doesn't tell us anything about the returns on individual machines. The returns on individual machines can be all over the map, but when added together and averaged, can yield the casino's advertised 90%.

• A better guide comes from jurisdictions that break down paybacks by coin denomination.

Imagine published data tells you Casino A pays only 85% on penny slots but 95% on dollar slots, while Casino B pays 89% on pennies and 92% on dollars.

If you're a penny slot player, you might favor Casino B. If your bankroll stretches to dollars, Casino A could be your pick.

But there are no guarantees. Remember, not all machines, not even those of the same coin denomination or theme, have the same payback percentage. You might encounter high-paying slots and some real coin gobblers in either casino.

There is more than payback percentage that goes into choosing a casino. You might like online play where you can take the games with you, there's never a question of the games you like being occupied by others and the payback percentages tend to be higher than in live casinos.

You might prefer to be in live casinos, sharing the energy of other players. If you do, the ambience and amenities at different casinos make a difference.

But if payback percentages are a big factor in your choice, then understanding how they work is a key point in slot play.

I have no trouble following the rules of a given game because that allows the game to proceed smoothly with the least disruption. That is good for the players and it is also good for the casinos.

Not all players follow the rules of roulette. For some reason, some players get so into their betting styles that they can’t wait to put their bets on the layout. (“Sir, I have to pay off all the bets before you can wager again. Please take the bet back.”)

So, let me take this from the top. Here are the rules of playing roulette:

• Have your money in your hand before you sit down. You don’t want to be fumbling as you enter the game. You won’t win any friends fumbling around.
   
• Immediately put the money on the table and tell the dealers how much you want your chips to be worth. (“Make each chip worth one-hundred dollars.”)
   
• Now, when the chips come to you then you count them, just as the dealer did before he or she pushed them towards you. Second looks at everything is a good habit to get into. Sometimes dealers make mistakes, especially at crowded and boisterous tables.
   
• If you already have chips from some other table game then put those down in front of you and tell the dealers how much you want them to be worth. (“Make these chips into ten-dollar chips please.”)
   
• You can also play regular denomination chips at a roulette game. You do not have to cash in your table-game chips for roulette chips. This is especially true for anyone betting black chips or higher at the game. (Most roulette players like to play the colorful roulette chips.)
   
• If you are seated, pile your chips neatly in front of you on the table. Do not spill and sprawl your chips all over the table. Sometimes roulette can get crowded. (“Those are my chips here!” “No, they are mine!” “No, no, you are wrong sir.” “No, no, you are wrong madam.”)
   
• When the dealer removes the winning bets from the table and picks up the marker from the winning number that previously hit, then you can proceed to wager. And everyone else will be betting too.
   
• Be a relaxed bettor. Things can get a little hairy at a crowded table. Some roulette players think they have to make all their bets in a nano-second and they will shovel out their chips faster than the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). Such players will push other players’ chips out of the way on the layout. These players are annoying but, sadly, you will run into them at times.
   
• When the dealer says, “No, more bets,” she means “NO MORE BETS.” This is a very simple sentence but some players do not grasp its meaning. It means “no more bets.” 
   
• The players who ignore this sentence cause some problems at the table because some of their late bets have to be returned to them. That can cause small arguments between player and dealer. (“Why are you pushing back my bets?” “Because you made them after I said, ‘No more bets.’ That’s why.” “I did not.” “You did too.” “I did not.” “You did too.”) My advice is to be on the dealers’ side. Without them there are no roulette games. Don’t poke your nose into any confrontations at the roulette table. Pretend they don’t exist. Whoever is fighting, let them carry the load.
   
• After the “no more bets” call from the dealer, then just watch the ball spin around the wheel and bounce in the pocket and hope you have a winner. 
   
• Then repeat.

[Please note: Always be cordial and friendly to the dealers and the other players. You want to have fun, so the first thing is to incorporate that fun into yourself. No sense being miserable at a table. If you find someone who is truly irritating either switch tables or just ignore the antics of that person.]

Follow the Logic of Betting

It is important to know how you want to wager before you make your first bet. The worst thing at a table is to have little or no idea of how you want to proceed. This can be a troublesome situation. 

Thinking is a good thing, no doubt, but thinking at a table game such as roulette can cause you to hesitate and the game now becomes an internal war between “Do I do this?” or “Do I do that?” or “What the heck should I do now?”

I don’t think this internal debate makes the game more enjoyable. I think it detracts from the game. Why be wound up about how you should bet? Just wishing and hoping for a win is the most wound up any roulette player should be. Other considerations are probably a total waste of time and emotion.

Know beforehand how you are going to wager your money. Make it easy on yourself.

 

Straight-Up Betting

Most roulette players do enjoy betting directly on one or (usually) more numbers straight up. The payout for a winning bet is 35-to-one and that is a payoff that opens a player’s eyes quite wide. An inside straight-up bet has a one-in-38 chance of hitting on the American double-zero wheel and a one-in-37 chance of hitting on a European single-zero wheel. 

The benefits of straight-up betting are large doses of adrenaline when your bet(s) hit. That 35-to-one payout is a charge of electricity that flows through your body. Many roulette players thrive on such hits. 

The malefits (I invented this word!) of straight-up betting can be long losing periods. Long losing streaks are obviously downers of the worst kind. Yes, bad streaks are the big sorrows that can go along with the above great happiness of 35-to-one hits.

Big possible wins versus possibly long losing streaks? Your choice of how you want to play this. 

You have to understand the inner emotional workings of your winning and losing mindset. Can you handle those possibly long losing streaks? Does the big hit make up for them? As Polonius said to his son Laertes in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, “Know thyself …” This is great advice for casino players.

Proposition Bets

There are many other bets at roulette, bets that allow the players to have multiple numbers in play without having to increase the amount of their bets as they would with multiple straight-up bets. 

These are called proposition bets. There are many of these but today I’ll focus on just a few of them.

Around the outside of the layout, you have the three columns’ bets. There are 12 numbers in each column and if one of them hits, the payout is two-to-one. 

[Please note: There are 12 ways to win a column bet and 26 ways to lose a column bet on the American double-zero wheel and again 12 ways to win the bet on a single-zero wheel at European roulette also with 25 ways to lose. Obviously, the single-zero wheel has a lower house edge. If you can play that wheel without having to increase your bet then do so. The house edge on the American double-zero wheel is 5.26 percent and the house edge on the European single-zero wheel is 2.7 percent.]

The dozen bets are along the side of the layout. There are three dozens bets: 1-12; 13-24 and 25-36. A hit on one will win the player two-to-one, just as the columns bets will. The house edges on these bets are the same as on any other bet at the roulette game you are playing.

The benefits of the columns and dozens bets are noticeable. You do get to keep your betting amounts low as you go for multiple numbers and your hits will obviously be more frequent. A two-to-one payout is not spectacular but it is nice to get it. 

The malefits concern the desire of many players to make a big score. You won’t do that on these proposition bets. You can have great wins but such wins will be a part of a slow process. There will be no explosions.

Even-Money Bets

The even-money bets pay one-to-one. They are called even-money because of the one-to-one payout, not because they have a 50/50 chance of winning or losing. 

You have 18 chances to win an even-money bet at the double-zero American wheel with 20 chances to lose and 18 chances to win on the single-zero European wheel with 19 chances to lose.

There are three even-money bets:

• the high/low with the numbers 1-18 being low and the numbers 19-36 being high
• the red/black bet
• the odd/even bet

I enjoy playing these propositions because you rarely go into deep losing waters since the back and forth between the propositions usually means you win some and you lose some. Indeed, the house edge on these bets is the exact same as on the other bets at the game but the losing or winning is generally slower and that can give you more playing time.

[Please note: The even-money bets have a happy wrinkle at some casinos in the world. In America it is called surrender and in Europe it is called en prison. If the zero (0) or the (00) hits on the double-zero game, surrender calls for the player to get half his bet back. If the zero (0) hits with en prison on the single-zero game, the bet is not removed but stays up for the next decision. These two elements will reduce the house edges at both games in half! The double-zero game goes down to 2.63 percent from 5.26 percent; while the single-zero game goes down to 1.35 percent from 2.7 percent. The single-zero game becomes one of the best games in the casino because of this. If you are lucky enough to play roulette at a casino allowing surrender or en prison then the even-money bets are the ones to make. Doing otherwise would be foolish in my opinion.]

Money Management Rules

Obviously, the amount of money you give yourself to play the game is totally up to you. How you bet at the game is totally up to you as well. But some guidelines should be adhered to for all of us.

If you are going to play the inside straight-up bets then you must take into consideration that you might hit rather long losing streaks at times. You therefore must have enough money to play through such bad streaks.

You must have enough of a bankroll to weather any storms or (sadly) to get creamed if the bad losing streaks last a long, long time. You can win a lot of money betting straight up if your numbers come in but you can also lose a lot of money if the bad times just hang in there.

You should be aware of this and bet accordingly.

The proposition bets will have losing streaks as well but they will not be as bad as the straight-up variety. You have a better chance of going back-and-forth on the even-money bets than on the columns or dozens.

If you like to have many numbers working then consider those proposition bets as a good way to go. You do not have to bring a huge bankroll to the table when you play the even-money bets.

It is important to realize this point; your losing expectation will be the same for any bet you make at roulette but how you lose and how long it takes you to lose can be drastically different depending on the bets you make.

Straight-up betting tends to see the players betting more money than the players who make those proposition bets. I am guessing a kind of mania sets in as the players spread out on the inside layout. I think you can be more contained on the proposition bets.

Of course, we all have our desires and appetites and my advice might not fit all roulette players.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts that you have heard about the basic playing strategy and card counting in blackjack. However, I’ll bet the ranch that this isn’t the case with shuffle tracking. I’m about to change this.

Table of Contents

Note: I’m assuming you know the basic playing strategy and a little about card counting because shuffle tracking is an extension of both. I’ll also use the masculine “he” to refer to a card counter or shuffle tracker rather than the awkward “he or she.” (There are, in fact, some very good female counters and trackers.)

2. WHAT’S INVOLVED?

Here’s an example of a technique that shuffle trackers use to track the unplayed cards in a six-deck shoe game. I used this when I started Shuffle Tracking.

Suppose a shuffle tracker is card counting a six-deck game, and after four and a half decks are played, the cut (or shuffle) card comes out of the shoe. Let’s assume he has a very positive count at this point. What the latter tells him is that the clump of unplayed cards located behind the cut card must contain a high concentration of tens and aces.

What he does is carefully track this clump through the dealer’s shuffling procedure so that he can predict, with a fair amount of certainty, where this clump of high cards is located in the freshly shuffled stack of cards. He then places the cut card directly above this clump or zone of high cards so that it ends up at the top of the stack of cards.

After the dealer places the shuffled stack into the dealing shoe, he knows that the first zone of cards that will be dealt from the shoe contains an excess of high cards. Therefore, he will make large bets at the start of the round (and usually play multiple spots).

OK, now that you have the gist of shuffle tracking, let’s get into the nuts and bolts on what a shuffle tracker must learn and do to be successful at this skill.

3. CASINOS’ SHUFFLING ROUTINE

There are several different types of shuffling procedures used by casinos. Below is an example from the late Vinny DeCarlo, who was a casino dealer and floor supervisor, worked in casino surveillance, and was a skilled card counter. He also contributed articles to my Blackjack Insider newsletter, and authored the virtual book, How to Beat Casino Surveillance.

“The dealer removes the cards from the discard tray and separates the six decks into three piles on the layout. She starts the shuffling process by picking about a deck’s worth of cards (a grab) from pile one (far left), and a pile (grab) from pile three (far right). She marries these two grabs by riffling them at least twice, adding a strip (i.e., peeling off the top cards of a grab and sending them to the bottom of the grab/stack), and then another riffle (i.e., the act of joining two grabs together, aka a shuffle).

“She then grabs a deck’s worth from the middle pile and riffles them with the new stack. From there it’s random grabs and swaps (pulling cards randomly from the full stack of shuffled cards and riffling them together with added strips).” 

After reading the above, I’m sure your first thought is shuffle tracking is impossible. However, that’s not the case, although it is a difficult skill to master. It is possible with plenty of practice to track a target zone of cards through the shuffling to predict where they will be located in the shuffled stack of cards.

4. CUTTING THE SHUFFLED CARDS

The key to gaining the edge at shuffle tracking is to get control of the cut card so that you cut off everything that isn’t in your ten-rich zone and the first cards out of the shoe will be the player-favorable high cards. If you are playing heads up against a dealer, it’s a no-brainer when it comes to controlling the cut.

However, when other players are present, it becomes a crapshoot if they receive the cut card. You can ask the player if you can cut instead by saying something along the lines of, “I’m always lucky and win when I cut.” However, the better solution, and the one used by the majority of professional shuffle trackers, is to have a team of players on the table so that one of them will be able to control the cut.

7. CONS OF SHUFFLE TRACKING

8. CASINO COUNTERMEASURES

Casinos have not sat by idly once they learned about shuffle tracking (and how much shuffle trackers were taking from their coffers). Here are some of the measures they have taken to thwart shuffle tracking:

• The dealer will “plug” the cards that have not been played into the stack of “played” cards at various random areas.
• They implemented a more “complex” shuffling routine to ensure that the cards are more randomly mixed in a reasonable amount of time.
• They periodically change their shuffling procedures.
• They implemented automatic and continuous shuffling machines.

 

 

 

 

9. CAMOUFLAGE

10. CARD COUNTING VS. SHUFFLE TRACKING

Below is a table that compares the characteristics of Card Counting vs. Shuffle Tracking

13. SUMMARY

• Shuffle tracking is an advanced playing technique that involves knowing when slugs of high cards are placed into the stack of cards. Trackers then follow this zone through the shuffle so that you know where the zone ends up in the shuffled stack of cards. 
• A shuffle tracker must then control the placement of the cut card so that he will know with a great amount of certainty when this zone will be dealt from the shoe. 
• He then fires away with big bets in a ten-rich zone, which allows him to gain a sizable advantage over the casino.
• This skill requires a great deal of practice and works best with a team of players. 
• Shuffle tracking does not work with automatic or continuous shufflers or in online blackjack games. 
• It works best when a casino uses a relatively simple, manual casino shuffling procedure. 
• A player must be proficient in the basic playing strategy and card counting before attempting to learn and use shuffle tracking. 

Craps is the fastest and one of the most exciting casino games with over 50 bets on the layout. What follows is an explanation of the most common bets made by craps players, and the ones that are your best bets.

Pass Line

This is by far the most common bet made in craps. It is also known as a “line bet.” When the dice pass to a new shooter, craps players wagering on the pass line are hoping that the shooter will win. This occurs if the shooter:

• Rolls a 7 or 11 on the first roll (known as the come-out roll).
• Establishes a point by rolling a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the come-out roll, and then rolls the point number again before a seven.

Pass-line bets lose when the shooter:

• Rolls a 2, 3, or 12 (craps numbers) on the come-out roll.
• After establishing a point number on the come-out roll, rolls a seven before rolling the point number. (The latter is known as “sevening out.”)

What determines if a craps bet is good or not depends on:

• house edge
• average cost per hour

The house edge is a percentage of each bet you make that the casino expects to win. In the case of the pass line bet, the house edge is 1.41%. The latter occurs because when you make a pass line bet, you can expect to win 49.3 percent and lose 50.7 percent of the time. In other words, the rules favor the casino winning more bets than the player, which creates its advantage.

Another way to evaluate the “worth” of a craps bet is its cost per hour. In a well-managed craps table, the dice will roll about 100 times per hour. The number of decisions that occur on the pass line is 30 per hour on average. Assuming a player makes a $5 pass line wager, the cost per hour is $5 wagered times 1.41% times 30 = $2 (rounded).

Tip: Making a pass-line bet is a smart bet to make.

Come Bet

A come bet is similar to the pass-line bet except you make it after the shooter establishes a point number on the come-out roll. The come bet has the same win/lose rules as the pass line, meaning it wins if the shooter throws a 7 or 11 on the first roll after the come bet is made and loses if a 2, 3, or 12 are rolled.

If instead, the shooter throws 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, it wins if the number is rolled again before a seven appears and loses if the shooter throws a 7 before the number. 

The house edge for a come bet is the same as the pass line: 1.41%. The cost per hour is also the same: $2 (rounded) for a $5 come bet.

Tip: Making a come bet is a smart bet to make.

 

 

Odds Bet

The odds bet is the best bet in the entire casino; yet, you will not find it labeled anywhere on the craps layout. The good news is the payout odds for a winning odds bet are equal to the probability of the bet’s winning; therefore, the house edge is zero. The bad news is that you can’t make solely an odds bet; it must be made in conjunction with a pass line or come bet. 

After a point number is established on the come-out roll, smart craps players will back up their pass line bet with an odds bet. For example, suppose you wager $10 on the pass line, and on the come-out roll, the shooter throws a 4 as the point number.

You can then place another $10 in chips directly behind your $10 pass line wager (representing the odds bet). The shooter will continue to roll the dice until one of two events occurs.

• A 4 is rolled before a 7, in which case both the pass line and odds bets win. The initial $10 wager is paid at 1 to 1 (you win $10) but the $10 odds wager is paid at the true odds of making the point number. (In the case of a 4, it’s 2 to 1; therefore, you win $20 for your initial $10 odds wager). 
• If a seven is rolled before the 4, then the pass line and odds bets are lost.

For each point number, the payoff for the odds bet are the same as the true odds for the corresponding odds bet.

The odds bet lowers the total house edge on the combined pass line and odds wagers. All casinos allow single odds, but some also double, triple, ten, and up to 100-times odds. The house edge on the combined pass line plus odds wagers will decrease as the odds increase. (See table below.)

Tip: To take advantage of the odds bet, you should lower the amount of your pass-line wager in anticipation of making an odds bet. For example, suppose you wager $50 on the pass line. Your cost is:

• $50 times the 1.41 percent house edge = 70 cents.

If instead, you decrease the pass-line wager to $25 and then subsequently place $25 on the odds, the house edge on the combined $50 wagered is:

• $50 times 0.85 percent = 42 cents.

You are risking the same amount of money ($50) but at a lower cost (42 cents vs. 70 cents). Therefore, you should always take what you would have bet on the pass line, and put a percentage of it on the pass line and the rest of it on odds. If you want to increase the amount of your next bet, don’t add more chips to the pass line; instead, add them to the odds wager. That’s the smart way to take advantage of the odds bet.

 

 

 

 

Place Bets

A place bet is a bet that one of the point numbers will be rolled before the shooter rolls a seven. You can make a place bet on the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.

Some of the latter numbers are more difficult to roll than the other numbers. Therefore, the payoffs on place bets differ from one number to another – and the house edge is different.

The following table summarizes the house edge for a place bet on each number and the cost per hour assuming a $5 place bet (except $6 on 6 and 8 to facilitate an even dollar payoff), and 100 rolls per hour. (Note: The number of decisions per hour will be slightly different, as well: 30 for the 6 and 8; 28 for the 5 and 9; and 25 for 4 and 10.)

The house edge for a place bet varies depending on the number. You’ll get the lowest house edge (1.52%) and the lowest cost per hour by making a place bet on 6 and 8.

Tip: If you want to make a Place bet, do so only on the 6 and 8. 

Field Bet

The field bet is popular because of its simplicity: it’s a one-roll wager that either wins or loses. After you make a field bet it either:

• Wins if the next roll is any one of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12.
• Loses if any of these four numbers are rolled: 5, 6, 7, or 8.

On the surface, the bet looks good since you win if any one of seven numbers is rolled and lose on only four numbers. However, here is the rest of the story. The four numbers that the bet doesn’t cover just happen to be the ones you are most likely to roll.

You’ll win even money if a field number is rolled but most casinos will pay double (2 to 1) on either the 2 or 12. This yields a house edge of 5.5 percent. Some more generous casinos pay double on either the 2 or 12 and triple on the other. This reduces the house edge to 2.8 percent.

The cost per hour on a $1 Field bet (assuming 100 decisions per hour and a 12 paying 3 to 1) is $2.80. If the 12 pays 2 to 1, the cost per hour increases to $5.50. The reason the cost per hour is low for the field bet is that it’s possible to bet low amounts (e.g., $1) which is not the case betting on the pass line and come. If you wager more on the field, say $5, your cost per hour would be five times greater.

Tip: If you want to make a wager on the field, do so for $1 in a casino that pays 3 to 1 for either the 2 or 12.

There are several other common craps bets, and in a future article, I’ll describe them.

Creativity on slot machines didn't start with video and online slots, but modern formats sure have given innovation a tremendous boost.

There was only so much designers could do with three physical reels. The reels had to be small enough to fit inside a machine casing, limiting the number of symbols and narrowing design options.

Even so, just before the video and online age, gamemakers showed a creative spark by placing bonus wheels on towers atop three-reel slots and by creating "nudge" machines where symbols that landed just above or below a payline could be nudged up or down for potential winning combinations.

Even pick-a-prize bonuses, staples in online casinos and on video slots in live casinos, have their roots in the three-reel era. WMS Gaming used a "Dotmation" screen just above the physical reels to play a pick'em bonus on the original version of Jackpot Party. Video and online slots gave the game a big boost.

But the entertainment value and variety of things slot designers can offer really amped up with options tailored for video and online formats.

That boost in possibilities has led to features that have become player favorites. Here is a look at a few of those.

Stacked Symbols

Online and video slots aren't constrained by reel size. Reels can be programmed as long as a designer needs to make hit frequencies and payback percentages to come out within desired ranges, and to make the games fun for players.

Without physical size constraints, slot makers have been able to incorporate stacked symbols. The same symbol can be repeated, repeated, and repeated again and again so the same symbol can fill an entire column.

Match stacks across the reels, and you can fill an entire screen with the same symbol. When you do, you win the maximum payoff for that symbol on every payline. On a game with five reels and 40 lines, you win the five of a kind payoff 40 times.

There has to be a tradeoff for those big wins, and it's that wins on fewer lines are less frequent.  A stack on the first reel eliminates the possibility of winners with other symbols. With a stack of Ks on the first reel, you can win only with matching Ks on the second and third, while having K-J-9 on the first reel opens the possibility of wins on any of those symbols on fewer paylines.

But the possibility of big stacked wins is so popular that all major slot manufacturers have stacked-symbol games. Just for starters, Konami has its Fortune Stacks games, High 5 has its Super Stacks, Scientific Games has Big Green stacks.

Stacks don't work well with the size constraints of physical reels, so they're an online and video treat.

 

 

Hold and Respin Games

One of the most popular bonus formats around today, hold-and-respin locks special symbols into place. If you collect enough on a regular spin -- commonly six symbols -- they lock. Reels then respin, usually until three spins in a row come up with no special symbols.

When respins are finished, you collect a coin prize for each special symbol collected. The symbols usually are round, often representing magic orbs, coins or casino chips, and each is labeled with a coin amount or progressive jackpot you win on completion of the bonus.

If you succeed in filling all spaces with the special symbols, you also win the game's top jackpot.

Players have a good time, anticipating building rewards during respins. The format has been used to great effect by many game makers, with prime examples being International Game Technology's Wheel of Fortune Mystery Link where hold-and-respin can lead to multiple progressive jackpots. Konami Gaming's All Aboard features locomotives as the feature-triggering symbols, and Scientific Games' Cash Falls Ho Zhu extends the fun by locking symbols and enhancing big win possibilities on the main game.

Hold-and-respin doesn't work on a game with physical reels because any reel spins as a whole. You can't hold one symbol in place while the rest of the reel spins freely. 

That leaves hold-and-respin as a feature reserved for online and video play.

Fun With Wild Symbols

Wild symbols have been part of slots for decades, including on three-reel games. A wild symbol can be used to match other symbols. Do you have two bars and a wild? That's the same as three bars. Two 7s and a wild? That's three 7s.

Exceptions come when specified on the machine. Slot games might tell you wilds don't match bonus symbols, jackpot symbols, or other symbols.

Online and video slots can make wild symbols extra special. Some bonus events lock wilds in place so any time you land a wild on the screen, it stays there until the free spins are over.
Other games use expanding wilds, which can grow from filling a single space to filling a whole reel.

Still others use banked wilds. During a free-spins round or for a specific number of spins, designated symbols each put one wild on the bank. On the last free spin or on the last spin of a sequence on the main game, those banked wilds are added to the screen. If you've accumulated enough wilds, the big-win potential soars.

As with hold-and-respin, none of these options work on slots with physical reels. The symbols on physical reels are fixed in place. They can't be replaced by wild symbols, nor can the reels grow to accommodate extra wilds.

Online and video slot players can have a wild time that isn't feasible on traditional reel games.

Many online casino promotions sound too good to be true. Some are, some aren't. The only way to know is by reading the fine print. New online casino players are routinely presented with many types of bonuses and promotional offers. These include Match Deposit Bonuses, Multi-Deposit Bonuses, No Deposit Bonuses, FreePlay, and Free Spins offers, to name but a few.

Of course, one thing that all these promotions have in common are terms and conditions. Sometimes, you get lucky with easy-to-meet wagering requirements. But unfortunately, easy-to-satisfy T&Cs are a rarity.

Today, we've got Breaking News to share with you – 888casino is offering players in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and Canada an unbeatable new player promotion. Sign up and receive 88 Free Spins – No Deposit Required. This standout offer beats the competition hands down because the terms and conditions are incredibly easy to satisfy. Take a look at this latest promotion from 888casino:

• Register as a new player
• Claim your 88 Free Spins
• Play selected slots & scratchies
• Wager your winnings 1X

The 1X wagering requirement within 90 days ranks among the most competitive T&Cs available anywhere. Each Free Spin is set at £0.10 per spin (or C$ equivalent for Canadian players). That's £8.80 in Free Spins gifted to new players when signing up at the casino. This offer can't be used in conjunction with any other offers, and only one person per household can claim this offer. For detailed rules of this promotion, click here.

Game Contribution Percentages

Perhaps you have heard about game contribution percentages? This casino lingo explains what percentage of every £1 or C$1 contributes towards meeting the wagering requirement. Certain games contribute 100%, others are as little as 5%. The higher the percentage, the less real money you must wager to comply with the terms and conditions. For example, the 88 Free Spins Offer has a 100% game contribution percentage for the following games: slots, video slots, scratch card games, race, keno, diced, arcade, and other games that are not listed.

Poker table games, Triple Card Poker, Caribbean Poker, and Pai Gow poker contribute 20% (you would have to wager 5X as much as slots with these games). In contrast, all blackjack variants, video poker, power video poker, live casino games, roulette variants, baccarat, Hi-Lo contribute 10% (wager 10X more than slots).

If you decide to play Craps, you would have to wager 20 X more for every £1, or C$1 to meet the wagering requirements. That's because Craps only has a 5% wagering contribution percentage. However, the 88 Free Spins promo works because the wagering requirement is just £8.80 (or C$ equivalent in Canada).

What Type of Casino Games Are Available?

You will easily find the complete list of casino games for this promotion by clicking on the appropriate icon on the home page. In addition, you're welcome to decide how you wish to distribute your Free Spins for these games. As one of the world's premier online casino games providers, 888casino features an impressive listing of attractions for players. 

Interactive slots with wilds, scatters, bonus rounds, collapsing reels, expanding reels, in-game animation, and value-added elements are readily available. In addition, many award-winning casino games are showcased in grand style, including themed casino slots, jackpot slots, and Vegas slots.

Unlike other promotional offers, the 88 Free Spins promo doesn't cap your winnings. In other words, whatever you win is yours to keep once you've met the wagering requirements. Most every other Free Spin offer limits player winnings to a set amount. Low winnings amounts are typical when no deposit offers are presented. Plus, this Free Spins Promotion applies to scratch card games too. 

So, if you fancy your chances with scratch and match instant games, you can head over to 888casino's scratch card games and enjoy an exciting selection of games. Players appreciate transparency with casino promotions. This offer from 888casino is plenty generous. You sign up, you get 88 Free Spins valued at £0.10 (C$ equivalent) each, and you wager the value of your Free Spins 1X to cash out your winnings. No hassle. No-fuss. No tricky terms and conditions.

Register a new player account at 888casino UK, Republic of Ireland, or Canada to claim this unbeatable offer!

Suppose you glanced at your neighbor’s hand and wished that you could switch cards to give yourself a better hand. Of course, you wouldn’t do it because if you were caught, you would be in deep trouble. (Trading cards between two hands is a classic cheating maneuver.)  However, with the game Blackjack Switch, you can legally switch your cards between hands.

Table of Contents

1. MECHANICS OF PLAY

Blackjack Switch is played on a regulation-size blackjack table with a casino dealer. The game is usually played with six decks of cards although casinos have the option to use more, or fewer, decks. Each playing position has two betting spots, instead of one, and a player must make identical wagers on both hands and play each hand independently. 

The sequence of how the game proceeds is as follows.

2. PLAYING RULES

Blackjack rules may differ slightly from one casino to another. However, listed below are the most common rules for Blackjack Switch.

• Usually, six or eight decks of cards are used.
• The dealer must hit soft 17.
• Double down on any two cards.
• Split any two cards of the same rank.
• Doubling after pair slitting allowed.
• Resplitting up to four hands.
• The dealer will peek for blackjack with an Ace or 10 upcard.
• A player may make the insurance bet when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace.
• If a player switches to a blackjack, it counts as an ordinary 21 but does receive a 3 to bonus.

3. EXAMPLE OF A SWITCH

Suppose you are dealt the following two hands against a dealer’s 8 upcard.

You have a 13 (left) and an 8 (right). By switching the two top cards, you would have these two hands.

After switching, you have two more favorable hands of 10 and 11, and against a dealer’s 8 upcard, you should double down on both of them.

Being able to switch the top cards in your two hands is a very player-favorable rule. To compensate for this player advantage, there are two catches to this game.

4. THE CATCHES

5. PLAYING STRATEGIES 

6. SWITCHING STRATEGIES

Sometimes the decision to switch is intuitive, especially if the two switched hands are more favorable starting hands than the pre-switched hands. I gave one example above with the two starting hands of 8-5 and 6-2.

However, sometimes it is not so obvious whether you should switch. For example, suppose you are dealt A-A and 8-3. Switching would give you these two hands: A-3 and 8-A. Would you switch? (Answer: it’s better not to switch.) However, fear not because there are several published switching strategies for Blackjack Switch. They are:

1. A simple, and a more complex switching strategy by Cindi Liu are available on wizardofodds. The latter also has a color-coded strategy chart for switching.
2. Another simple switching strategy by Blackjack Hall of Famer Arnold Snyder, is included in his The Big Book of Blackjack, and in the “library” at blackjackforumonline.com.

Here’s a very brief summary of how the switching strategies work.

With Snyder’s switching strategy, you classify each hand as a Winner, Loser, Push, or Chance. For example, “any player blackjack and any hard or soft total that beats the dealer’s total (assuming a ten in the hole) is a Winner.”

Snyder gives the “rules” for classifying other hands into the above four classifications. By using his classification system, a player will be able to make a quick judgment as to whether his hand is more likely to win, lose, or push before and after switching. This sounds difficult, but Snyder has plenty of practice hands to help you learn this technique. 

Liu’s simple switching strategy ranks hands in order of strength. (For example, 21>20>19>AA, etc.) You then follow a set of rules such as, “Against a dealer 7 or 8, balance the hands, by making the weaker hand as high as possible, using the above scale of hands, if you can.”

7. BASIC PLAYING STRATEGY

Once you decide whether or not to switch, your next decision is whether to split, double, hit, or stand. There are differences in the basic blackjack strategy for Blackjack Switch compared to the traditional basic playing strategy due to the push 22 rule; specifically, there will be fewer situations to double down and split, and more to hit (even at the risk of busting).

You will find basic playing strategy tables for Blackjack Switch in the above-mentioned references.  You shouldn’t use the traditional basic playing strategy when you play this game; instead, you need to follow the basic playing strategy that is specific to Blackjack Switch.

 

 

10. CARD COUNTING

SUMMARY

• You must play two hands in each round with identical bets on both hands.
• You have the option to switch the top cards in both hands.
• It’s important to learn a switching strategy for this game.
• The basic playing strategy is slightly different from the traditional basic playing strategy and it should be learned.
• To compensate for the above player advantage by switching, when the dealer gets exactly 22, all player hands of 21 or less are pushed (except a player’s blackjack).
• A player’s blackjack is paid at even money.
• The house edge using a switching strategy and the basic playing strategy for this game can be as low as half a percent (even lower, rule dependent).
• The game is available in land-based and online casinos. 

Every year, hundreds of new slot machine games are introduced to the public. Some are innovative new themes. Some layer special creative new ways to play upon already popular themes.

Those games don't break through everywhere at the same time. A game released in Nevada may take months to reach New Jersey or Pennsylvania, new online slots may or may not reach online floors, and new live slots can take time to reach online casinos.

Regardless, when games resonate with the public, manufacturers will find a way to get them into other venues.

The following five games are new creations to watch in 2022. They have a chance to reach the betting public in a big way.

Wolf Run Eclipse (IGT)

Wolf Run has been a huge, long-running hit through the original game and a number of sequels. The howling wolves and outdoors imagery is appealing, while animation, video, stacked symbols, special wilds, and free spin bonuses keep players intrigued.

The latest in the series is Wolf Run Eclipse, with five video reels and 40 paylines. It's packed with new features including a progressive jackpot, four progressive free-spin levels, and a wheel bonus.

 

You want to see bonus symbols on reels 2 and 3, followed by a wheel symbol on reel 4. That starts a wheel spin that can bring you the linked progressive jackpot that starts at $10,000, or it could bring a flat five free spins, or one of the free-spin progressives.

If you win the Mini spins, you get at least five free spins and are guaranteed a stack of baying wolf symbols. The Minor bonus brings 11 or more spins and two stacks of wolves. For the Major, you get 11 or more spins with three stacks, and the Mega is special: a whopping 102-plus spins with three stacks of wolves. That'll get your credit meter leaping.

 

Cashnado (Everi Holdings)

The main attraction is a swirling green tornado of greenbacks that can bring a whirlwind of winnings in a hurry. But Cashnado, a five-reel, 243 ways to win system, comes with two themes -- Flash Fire and Super Strike -- and is loaded with features.

It's not a hold and respin game, but it does have circular symbols that hold coin amounts. Land a key symbol on the first or fifth reel and you win those coin totals. Land keys on both the first and fifth reels and the totals are doubled.

Sound effects give you warning when the big event is possible. You'll hear a voice intone, "Advisory: Cashnado Warning in effect," while the screen displays "Cashnado Warning."

When the display reads "Cash Grab Available Now," it's time to watch out. Then, if you land a Cash Grab Bonus symbol on the reels, the green tornado takes over the screen and blows around images of currency. Your job is to touch the currency for credit prizes and extra picks.

It's akin to the wind booths sometimes used in casino promotions. Players enter the booths and heavy duty fans blow cash around for lucky players to catch.

Here, the high winds are virtual, the tornado is green and you touch the screen instead of catching cash, but it's still a blast.

 

Monopoly Cheaters Edition (Scientific Games)

Monopoly slots have had a great run ever since WMS Gaming brought out the original editions in the late 1990s. Today, WMS is part of the Scientific Games family and Monopoly rolls on with new titles every year.

Monopoly Cheaters edition is great fun – doubly so if you've ever been tempted to nudge the dice to a different number. Not saying that you'd ever do such a thing in a friendly game, of course, but if you've ever landed on Boardwalk with another player's hotel, you know the fantasy of a switcheroo is there.

Here, cheating is not only condoned, Mr. Monopoly will help you along. 

In a five-reel game, you know it's cheat time when Mr. Monopoly lands on the first reel. A siren sounds and Mr. Monopoly spins the playing field end over end to add whole stacks of wilds, or he'll reject a losing spin shake the field and clone reels to give you winning matches. 

Other times Mr. Monopoly might bang his hand on top of the reels so old symbols fall off to be replaced by better ones or wave his magic hat over the reels to upgrade symbols.

After any of those cheats, he might also reach into his coat and grab some extra cash to drop onto your meter.

There are separate cheats for a Monopoly board bonus. When you reach the bonus, you pick an icon to determine how many dice rolls you get. Mr. Monopoly might help on the sly right from the start. If you're awarded three rolls, Mr. Monopoly might rewrite that for a bigger total.

As you move on the board, sometimes Mr. Monopoly will lose count in your favor, and you might move extra spaces to a more valuable property. 

What you see isn't always what you get, but the discrepancies are in your favor.    

 

Rakin' Bacon Deluxe, Pirate Plunder, and Golden Blessings (American Gaming Systems)

The original Rakin' Bacon game has captured players' imaginations with its Cornsquealious pig icon. Cornsquealious is back in two new games under the Rakin' Bacon Deluxe umbrella theme.

Pirate Plunder, naturally enough, is pirate themed and graphics filled with treasure chests, anchors, and Cornsquealious in a pirate hat. Golden Blessings is Asian themed and Cornsquealious wears a cap with a "good luck" symbol. 

Each game has its own free spin bonus. In a Pirate Plunder round of at least 12 spins, landing harpoon symbols adds rows of symbols to bring more chances to win. In Golden Blessings good luck symbols add more rows, and if you reach the maximum eight rows and 16,807 ways to win, you also win eight more spins.

As for the progressives in either game, you pick from a field of 12 Cornsquealious images, each hiding a progressive level. When you match three, you win the corresponding jackpot -- Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand.

That's the same mechanic used in the original game, but in the Deluxe games, some jackpot icons are emblazoned "BOOST." Land a "boost" among your winning icons, and your jackpot is boosted by its starting value. For example, if you're playing for pennies, the starting value of a Minor jackpot is $25. Imagine the pot has grown to $38, and you match three Minor symbols, with one carrying the "BOOST" legend. Then $25 is added to the pot and your win is $63.

Brilliant 7s and Prosperity Rising (Incredible Technologies)

Kicking off a new game family called UpShot, Brilliant 7s and Prosperity Rising feature pinball-style bonuses. They're five-reel slots and when UpShot symbols land on reels 2 and 4, you go to the pinball bonus.

On the panel below the main game screen, you'll see plungers and springs, the image of the mechanism used to launch balls on physical pinball machines. Five plungers are lined up horizontally, and you touch one to launch virtual balls on the main screen.

On the main screen, credit amounts move across the screen at different prize levels. The lowest is bronze, and you get one row of credit symbols moving left to right and one moving right to left. If a ball you launch hits a credit symbol, you win that award.

Not all shots will hit paydirt, but you get five shots at bronze level, five for bigger prizes at silver, three at gold, and finally one to hit a prize wheel where you can win a progressive jackpot.

There are five progressive levels and both games also have free spin bonuses. The UpShot bonus is the eye-catcher that stands out from the slot machine crowd.