Even the oldest table games can have new wrinkles, and roulette, craps and blackjack are some of the longest-running player favorites.

Regardless of whether you're playing at an online casino or a live casino, you're playing games with a lot of history.

Modern roulette wheels, complete with 0 and 00, were used in Paris in the late 1700s. Craps has evolved over the centuries and is said to descend from a game called "hazard" that was played by British knights in the Crusades in the 1100s. Blackjack had a number of European precursors, but its direct lineage seems traceable to vingt-et-un, or 21, in France circa 1700.

The games are still evolving, with new bets and side bets introduced almost every year.

Let's look at three recent additions. You won't find them everywhere just yet.  It takes time for new wagers to build a following and convince more casinos to give then a try. They spread faster in online casinos than in live casinos, which have different space requirements and investments in equipment.

For each of these options, here's how they work and how they affect your chance of winning.

CRAPS

Muggsy's Corner is designed to replace the Big 6 and Big 8 bets on the corners of craps tables.

Those bets can do with some replacing. They work the same way as place bets on 6 and 8, but they pay less. If you bet on Big 6 or place 6, you win if the shooter rolls a 6 and lose if the shooter rolls a 7. Big 8 and place 8 work the same way with 8s instead of 6s. Problem: Big 6 and Big 8 pay even money, but place 6 and place 8 pay at 7-6 odds provided you bet in multiples of $6. House edges are 9.09 percent on the "Bigs," but only 1.52 percent on the place bets.

With those numbers, there is no reason to bet Big 6 or Big 8.

If you take those bad bets off the table, what do you do with the space?

One potential solution is Muggsy's Corner.

Muggsy's Corner is a one or two-roll bet with a 5.56-percent house edge. That's the same as the edge on the field when both 2 and 12 pay 2-1

On the comeout roll, Muggsy's Corner wins if the shooter rolls a 7 and loses if the roll is 2, 3, 11 or 12. That's six ways to win -- six of the 36 possible rolls of two dice total 7 - and six ways to lose with one way to make 2, two to make 3, two to make 11 and one to make 12.

Winners on the comeout are paid 2-1.

If the comeout roll is 4, 5. 6, 8, 9 or 10, the Muggsy's Corner bet stays in place. If the next roll is a 7, Muggsy's Corner bettors win and are paid at 3-1 odds. All other rolls lose, so on that second chance there are still six ways to win but 30 ways to lose.

You'll average a first-roll win once per six times you make the bet and a second-roll win once per nine times. Overall, you'll win 27.78 percent of your bets and the house will win 72.22 percent. The 2-1 payoff on a first-roll win and 3-1 on a second-roll win mean your average return is 94.44 percent of your wagers while the house keeps 5.56 percent.

ROULETTE

A new bet called 2G's gives you a chance at a 350-1 payoff in two spins of the wheel. You win if the winning number is either 0 or 00 on consecutive spins.

Designed for a double-zero wheel, 2G'$ has a 2.77 percent house edge. That's a lower edge than other bets at double-zero wheels, where the edge is 5.26 percent on all wagers except the 7.89 percent on the five-number basket of 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3.

Judging strictly by house edge, 2G'$ is a rarity in being more favorable for players than the main game. However, there's a lot of volatility built into results. While a single-number bet will win an average of once per 38 spins, and an 18-number bet such as red or black once per 2.1 spins, 2G'$ will win an average of only once per 361 spins.

Here's the way it works. There are 38 numbers including 0 and 00 on a double-zero roulette wheel. To calculate the number of possible two-spin outcomes, multiply 38 by itself, and you get 1,444.

Four possible outcomes are winners:  0 on the first spin and 0 on the second; 0 first and 00 second; 00 first and second; or 00 first and 0 second.

Divide the four winners and the 1,444 total possibilities each by four, and you have an 1 in 361 chance of winning.

If you bet $1 on each of 361 spins, you'd risk $361. On average, you'd win once to collect $350 in winnings and keep your $1 bet. That would give the house a $10 profit for the sequence.

Divide the $10 house profit by the $361 wagered, then multiply by 10 to convert to percent, and you get a 2.77 percent house edge.

BLACKJACK

Match the Dealer has been around a little longer than Muggsy's Corner or 2G's and it's a little easier to find, though it's not a casino staple just yet.

It's a side bet to designed for either blackjack or the blackjack variation Spanish 21. Payoffs and odds can vary between the two games because Spanish 21 is played with multiple 48-card decks instead of 52, with the 10-spots removed.

You win if either of your first two cards matches the dealer's face-up card in rank. There's a bigger payoff if you match the dealer in both rank and suit.

In standard blackjack, payoffs on an unsuited match are 4-1 if the game is using two, four or six decks. The payoff decreases to 3-1 if five or eight decks are in play.

There's a bigger return if you match the dealer in the same suit. Then payoffs are 19-1 with two decks, 14-1 with four, 15-1 with five, 11-1 with six and 14-1 with eight.

Four and five decks are mainly seen in live casinos that use automatic continuous shufflers. In online casinos, four- and five-deck games are very rare.

House edges are 3.3 percent with two decks, 4.8 with four or five, 4.1 with six and 3.7 with eight.

That's better than many side bets but not as favorable as the main game where basic strategy can cut the edge to less than 1 percent.

That makes Match the casino dealer a bet for players who like the thrill of chasing a bigger one-hand payoff than you can get on the main game.

The same goes for Spanish 21, where blackjack basic strategy players also can cut the edge to less than 1 percent on the main game.

Spanish 21 is dealt with six or eight 48-card decks. With six decks, payoffs are 4-1 on unsuited matches and 9-1 on suited matches. Eight-deck payoffs are 3-1 if the match unsuited and 12-1 if suited.

House edges are 3.1 percent with six decks and 3.0 with eight, making Match the Dealer a bit better in Spanish 21 than in standard blackjack.

Either way, Match the Dealer gives players new ways to chase bigger payoffs as centuries-old casino games continue to add new wrinkles.

The one aspect of the game of blackjack that has garnered the most publicity is card counting. Countless number of books have been written about it; a host of internet websites and “chat rooms” discuss it; and card counting has even been featured in several popular Hollywood movies (e.g., Rain Man and 21). Nevertheless, most casino players really don’t understand what card counting is all about, which is why I developed this short true/false quiz. Get a sheet a paper and a writing instrument, and as you read each question below, jot down whether the statement is True or False. Then grade your quiz by comparing your answers to the ones at the end of this article. (There you’ll also find the details as to why a statement was true or false.)

Ready? Let’s get started. (Note: Give yourself one point for each correct answer.)

QUESTIONS

1. Card counting is illegal.
2. You have to be a mathematical genius to learn card counting.
3. In the movie Rain Man, a casino employee in surveillance is trying to figure out how autistic (actor) Dustin Hoffman is winning all that money playing blackjack. The employee says the following:  “He is not catching a hole card, he isn’t past-posting, and I don’t see him using a computer. But something is not right – you know there is no one in the world that can count into a 6-deck shoe.” Is the latter comment True or False?
4. Card counters don’t win every time they play.
5. You must have a tremendous bankroll to be a card counter.
6. Nowadays, casinos will take you into a backroom and beat you up if they catch you card counting.
7. The most important factors that a card counter looks for in a game is the percentage of cards dealt prior to shuffling, and the mix of playing rules.
8. The odds in blackjack are not static from one round to the next.
9. Removal of small cards (2 through 6) has a positive effect on a player’s expectation.
10. When the deck becomes richer in large cards, the card counter has the edge,  and he bets more.
11. Card counters lose more hands than they win.
12. There are many different types of card counting systems.
13. Card counters need to disguise their method of play.
14. Card counters use their count to vary the size of their bets and sometimes their blackjack strategy.
15. Card counters can enjoy a 10% edge over the casino.
16. Unbalanced card counting systems are easier to use than balanced card counting systems.
17. Many professional blackjack players play on blackjack teams.
18. The bigger the bet spread the greater the edge for the card counter.
19. Card counters can still win even when the casino uses a continuous shuffling machine.
20. Over-betting when you card count is a major downfall of most fledgling card counters.

ANSWERS

1. False. Using your brain when you play blackjack is not illegal; neither is card counting. (Note: However, using a concealed electronic device to aid you in card counting is illegal.) 
2. False. The movie 21 portrays card counting as an intellectually difficult task that can be learned only by top-level MIT college students with high IQs. That’s baloney. If you have average intelligence (meaning you can read, write, and can mentally add and subtract), you can learn card counting.
3. False. Card counting “works” in a six-deck game although there are some extra steps involved compared to counting in, say, a single-deck game.
4. True. The general public mistakenly believes that card counters win every time they play. That’s not the case. The edge a card counter has is very small and counters will, and do, experience losing sessions. However, over the long haul, they will win more money than they lose. 
5. False. If your bankroll is meager, you just need to play at a lower minimum bet size. What is important is that you have enough bankroll in relation to your bet size to withstand short-term losing streaks. (Remember, you can’t win every time you play.)
6. False. Although this has occurred in the past, nowadays this doesn’t happen anymore because several card counters have won large settlements from casinos for abusing their rights as a player. 
7. True. The percentage of cards dealt is known as “penetration.” The deeper the penetration, the more profitable the game will be for a card counter. Additionally, counters also look for a good mix of player-favorable playing rules. A host of good rules will also increase the counter’s edge; whereas, a host of bad rules may make the game less profitable. It’s a combination of the penetration and the blackjack rules that determine if a game is worth playing for a card counter.
8. True. The odds change depending on what cards were played (and removed) in previous rounds.
9. True. The removal of small cards (i.e., 2 through 6) results in the deck’s becoming richer in large cards (i.e., 10, J, Q, K, Aces). That’s better for a card counter because he is more likely to get a blackjack (and a bonus 3 to 2 payoff); his chances of drawing a big card when he doubles down increase; an abundance of large cards favors pair splitting; the dealer breaks more frequently when he shows a stiff 2 through 6 upcard; and the insurance bet becomes profitable.
10. True. For the reasons stated in the above answer, the card counter will increase his bets when the deck becomes richer in large cards.
11. True. Counters actually lose more hands than they win but they win more money than they lose, in aggregate. How do they accomplish this? They have a lot more bet on the hands that they win compared to the amount of money bet on the hands that they lose. It’s that simple.
12. True. There are dozens of different card counting systems that have been developed and published, with different  levels of complexity. The most popular is known as Hi-Lo. There are also entry level counting systems that are easier to master but give less of an edge compared to, say, Hi-Lo. Then there is a class of unbalanced card counting systems, also slightly easier to use than Hi-Lo. (For details on the different card counting systems. Click here.) 
13. True. In order to prolong their playing careers, most card counters camouflage the fact that they are card counting by how they bet and/or play their hands. (Although a new breed of counters has been using more aggressive play with little regard to camouflage.  For details, click here for one example of this style of play.)
14. True.  This is how counters get their advantage; they bet more when they have the edge and sometimes vary their playing strategy. (For example, if the deck is rich in high cards, they will bet more, and if they are dealt, say, a 10-6 with the dealer showing a 10,  they would stand rather than hit.)
15. False. The edge a card counter has is usually in the range of 0.5% to 1.5%.
16. True. With unbalanced card counting systems, you don’t have to convert the running count to a true count in multi-deck games. The most popular unbalanced counting system is known as K-O (or Knock Out). 
17. True.  Playing on a team reduces bankroll risk and increases profitability.  (Note: There are still some part-time professional card counters who play solo. For an example, click here.)
18. True.  Bet spread is important to increase the counter’s edge. In a single-deck game, a 1-4 bet spread is sufficient. The bet spread needs to be greater when the number of decks increases. (In a six-deck game, a counter will use a 1 to 10 or 12 bet spread, or higher, betting the minimum when he doesn’t have the edge then increasing his bets up to a maximum of 10 or 12 units or higher when the edge swings in his favor.)
19. False. Although there have been a few isolated cases of counters using very advanced techniques to gain the edge against a continuous shuffling machine (CSM), for the most part card counting doesn’t work when a CSM is used. (Note: With a CSM, the cards from each round are placed back into the shuffler where they are randomly inserted into the other decks of cards.)
20. True. The biggest downfall of most card counters is not having enough bankroll for the size of their bets they are making. Mathematical equations have been used to determine how much bankroll a counter needs to reduce the risk of going broke (known as risk-of-ruin).

If you scored below an 18 on the quiz and want to learn more about card counting, I encourage you to read Chapter 10 in my Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide. 

No, you can’t. Anyway that’s the answer I’d give if I were talking to you informally. However, there are a lot of if’s and but’s to this answer. Things never seem to be overly simple in the real world do they? 

So follow me on this, or you can skip to here:

THE GOOD LUCK FACTOR

Take the simplest of the but answers first: If a person plays one session or a few sessions at the game of roulette and has enough good luck to come out ahead and then goes home and doesn’t play again for the rest of his life, well, this person has beaten the game and has played the personal equivalent of the “long run.”

[Please note: The long-run is an ill-defined term that means a long time which means we basically have no clear idea of what the long run is. However, we do know that betting should be based on the probabilities as there are no short-run systems that can overturn the casino’s edge over the player.]

I actually know one person who did walk away a winner and he did it at three games in his one visit to the casino. Let’s call him Vincent. He won $10 at blackjack, $28 in craps and a whopping $160 at roulette. He didn’t enjoy casino playing for some reason (oh, his wife sure did!) so he retired with his win. (Talk about quitting while you are ahead.)

So winning at roulette and then quitting for good we shall call the short-term-long-term good luck factor. Very few casino players will ever have that because it tends to go against the human grain.

THE TWO FOLD ROULETTE SITUATION

Roulette is actually two different games in one. You have the wagering game; which just means what types of bets you make on the layout. To actually play you have to make a bet on the layout. These can be inside straight up bets directly on the numbers or various proposition bets on the outside of the layout. You have your choice of betting one or the other or both types as you play. So a progressive bettor can also be a straight-up bettor.

The second type of roulette game is to play against the wheel. That’s correct. The roulette wheel numbers are laid out differently than the layout numbers. The wheel numbers are generally a given number and its companion number across the wheel on the other side.So look for the number 1 and across the wheel will be the number 2. This tends to hold for both the American double-zero wheel (0 and 00) and for the European single-zero wheel (0).

Therefore, players who bet, let us say, the numbers 1 through 5 on the layout might think they are betting five numbers next to each other on the wheel. They aren’t. Those numbers on the wheel are not together; they are separated by other numbers. Those five numbers are only together on the layout.

[Please note: Why were the numbers laid out this dual way; one way on the layout and one way on the wheel? That was to protect the casino from having someone accidentally bet a string of numbers that were hitting because there might be something wrong with the wheel itself. Remember that wheels in the past were not perfect and grouping could occur because of that.] 

Almost all roulette players are layout bettors; they are rarely interested in where the numbers they are betting appear on the wheel. Historically, the casino is in good shape because roulette bettors are layout bettors.

Here are some of the classic layout roulette strategies:

• The Martingale 
• The Grand Martingale 
• The Paroli Betting System
• The D'Alembert betting system
• The Fibonacci betting system

Remember that these are all layout systems and thus they cannot give the player the edge. But, yes, they are fun to play yet that must always be in your mind when you play them. Don’t get lured in that they are long-run winners.

• Biased wheel play: The wheel is “off” and certain numbers are appearing out of all proportion to their probabilities. You will usually see several numbers in a group on the wheel doing this and you bet those numbers. Usually the player(s) attempting this strategy will log in hundreds if not thousands of spins to get a good record of the numbers that have been hitting. Some of the biggest known wins have come from this type of play. Is it easy to do? Heck no!
   
• Big number play: You check the scoreboard for maybe 60 spins to see what numbers are repeating. You bet these numbers. If they are repeating in such a way that they are basically next to or close to each other on the wheel than you might bet more money on them. This can be considered the “lazy-person’s” biased wheel play. 
   
• Dealer signature play: Can a dealer, probably a long-time, experienced dealer, select with a high degree of accuracy where he or she will land the ball on the wheel? Can this be done consciously and from practice over the years? Or can it be the result of routine and habit in spinning the ball a certain way each and every time? The dealer might not know what he or she is doing but he or she is certainly doing it.
   
• Visual wheel tracking play: Is it possible for a player to analyze where the ball will land based on the dealer’s spin of the ball around the top of the wheel? Some advocates of this type of play claim it can be done often and sufficiently enough to win them loads of money. You have to actually watch the ball and determine mathematically and by sight what will happen. I got nauseous trying to do this.
   
• Computer analysis of where the ball will land: Yes, this has been done in the past. It did work.

Do any of these still work? Well, I’ll give you some good news first: My wife, the Beautiful AP and I found a biased wheel at the Rio in the early 1990’s. I’ve written about this before. We discovered it totally by accident. When the pit boss realized what we were doing after a decently long stretch of time (for us!), he closed the table down.

Now, here is the bad news. Today’s wheels are far more sophisticated than those of the past. Biased-wheel play and big-number play were based on the fact that the wheels had imperfections in design and in the types and frequencies of repairs they needed. Some casinos ignored their wheels for prolonged periods of time.

In addition, the pockets were often much deeper than today’s pockets. The deeper the pockets the less the ball bounced from one to another. With today’s shallow pockets the ball will bounce far more than it ever did in the past. The shallow pockets help to keep the game randomized. 

Biased-wheel play could also be caused by some pockets on the old wheels actually being even deeper than the other deep pockets which meant such deeper pockets would catch the ball more readily. The numbers on those pockets would come up more than the numbers on the other pockets. You won’t find this on today’s wheels. The pockets are almost perfectly the same.

In the past, the bumpers along the inside of the wheel helped randomize the game. This is still the case. It is estimated that the ball will hit a bumper between 25 to 50 percent of the time.

So you have bumpers, shallower pockets and one more thing: The casinos check those wheels almost daily by computer. It would be rare; if not so rare it would be impossible, for the wheel to be “off.” 

What about a dealer hitting his aimed-for spot so it lands in the pocket of his choice? Not with those shallow pockets bouncing and careening the ball every which way. What about a player being able to see where the ball will land and what pocket it will stay in? Not with those shallow pockets and the bumpers too.

And finally, what about computer play? Can’t those computers of yours get you an edge no matter what type of new wheels and computerized checking that the casinos can do?

Not really. The computers have the same problem that a visual tracker has. Those new wheels are just too sophisticated to be beaten. And there is another thing. In the past, the people who have tried this are usually caught, arrested and are unable to play roulette in prison. Even using a cell phone at a table is not allowed. A word to the wise.

WHAT ARE TODAY PLAYERS DO? 

You can pretend to use the physical ideas of the past if you are fully aware that they will not gain you an edge but are fun to play. I would caution you not to over bet your bankroll – a tendency many players have when betting on multiple numbers.

If you do love betting multiple numbers then why not go to the outside of the layout and bet the propositions that you find there. Each column-bet has 12 numbers you can bet. 

You can even do a form of biased-wheel play, using the big-number technique, with the column numbers. Just one number is enough to get you to bet that column. You’ve given yourself 12 numbers that can win and you can pretend that you are going after your “big numbers” by betting this way.

Two things create a problem for players after a given time at the roulette tables. Part of the fun of casino gambling is the delicious anticipation when waiting for the next decision. When that decision comes you are either elated or unhappy. Then the anticipation sets in again and the process repeats itself. It goes like this: anticipation/decision, anticipation/decision.

As time passes most players start to play faster and faster. The anticipation is watered down and the player needs more action to keep his or her juices flowing. This naturally causes the player to bet more and more money than previously because of the new speed of play.

Drinking can also lead one to play faster and faster and to begin to make too many bets and/or poor betting choices. These are things that wise players avoid. Of course, that takes quite a lot of discipline.

[Please note: Roulette players who are waiting for other players to finish placing their bets will tend to make more bets because they do not want to wait any longer. This does happen when players have been playing for a good amount of time. More bets mean more money facing the house edge. So, interestingly enough, with more players at a roulette table, the game will slow down but the number of bets you might make will increase!]

LAYOUTS SYSTEMS

There are some layout systems which can be devastating to the player, for example the Martingale and the Grand Martingale, which are basically double up or increase your bet levels during previous losing decisions. 

The Paroli system or the parley system as it is usually called, means increasing bets as you are winning. This sounds good but keep in mind the term “as you are winning” has no meaning in a game where the casino has an edge. You won in the past and that fact is no indication you will win in the future, be that future immediate or long range. You are just giving the casino’s edge more money upon which to grind.

I will write about these systems in future articles but the bottom line is simple – they can’t beat the house. I do admit that they are fun to play and having a preset plan makes the game more interesting in my view.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

As long as slot machines have accepted wagers of more than one coin at a time, operators have tried to persuade players to make maximum bets.

In their day, the Trump Casinos in New Jersey and Indiana even had an anthropomorphic walking gold coin character called "Max Coins" urging players to bet the max for the highest paybacks.

Should players bet the max? Is betting the max the key to how to win on slots? Should you bet the max on any of online slots, video slots, three-reel slots? How do progressives figure into all this?

The answer differs from machine to machine and game type to game type.

Let's weigh some possibilities.

TOP JACKPOT HAS A BIG JUMP WITH MAXIMUM BETS

Slot players were first urged to bet the max when multi-coin games became common in the 1960s and '70. Back then, and all the way until video slots made a real impact, nearly all slots had three reels, most had only one payline, and nearly all had a disproportionately large jump in the top jackpot if you bet the max.

One that's been a favorite of three-reel players for a long time is Double Diamond Deluxe. One common version pays 800 coins for a one-coin wager or 1,600 for a two-coin wager if you line up three Double Diamonds.

However, if you bet the maximum of three coins, the jackpot doesn't show a proportionate increase to 2,400 coins, it makes a bigger leap to 2.500 coins.

If you bet one or two coins the jackpot is 800 coins per coin wagered. If you bet the max, the payoff is 833.33 coins per coin wagered.

Essentially, you're playing a higher pay table when you bet the max, so your payback percentage is highest when you bet the max.

That doesn't mean betting the max is a profit-making opportunity, nor is it a key to winning on slots.

One version common on 25-cent machines returns 92.6 percent to players. It calculates out to 92.5 percent if you bet one or two coins, but 92.7 on the third to bring the average to 92.6.

The house has an edge on every coin, and the house makes its biggest profit when you bet the max even though you're getting a higher percentage.

Other games with bigger jackpot jumps present a bigger gap between payback percentages for small and large bets, but on virtually every slot, the house still has an edge on the last coin and gets its biggest profit when you bet the most.

BOTTOM LINE

If there is a disproportionate jump in the top jackpot, betting the max brings a higher payback percentage but usually also can bring bigger losses because of bigger bets.

ONLINE AND VIDEO SLOTS

The most common configuration for online slots and video slots in live casinos is to have five virtual reels, though there are a few three-reel games and a few with six, seven or more reels.

Across those virtual reels are multiple paylines. The earliest popular video slots had five lines. Soon, lines were expanded to nine, 15, 20, 30 and more. Forty lines are common today, with 50 and 100 also in use.

Some games don't use traditional paylines. Instead, any left-to-right path that connects symbols on adjacent reels can form a winning combo. When there are five video reels, each three reels deep, there are 243 such paths, and the games are referred to as "243 ways to win" games.

Early in video slots' rise, game manufacturers tried the format that had worked so well with reel slots. They tried giving the top jackpot a disproportionate jump just like three-reel games.

Casinos found players weren't taking the bait. Many early 1990s video slots with five lines accepted wagers of up to five coins per line -- a 25 credit max. It was quickly established that a few players bet only one coin, most covered all the paylines but for less than the max, and that the average bet was between two and three coins per line.

Disproportionate jackpots were not doing the job of encouraging extra play. Slot makers adjusted their approach.

Today, very, very few video slots or online slots offer a disproportionate jackpot jump for a max bet, so there is no payback percentage advantage to betting the max.

BOTTOM LINE

Be sure to cover all paylines with your bets, but on most online and video slots there is no gain in payback percentage when betting the max.

PROGRESSIVE SLOT MACHINES

There are several ways to design a progressive slot. All involve taking portions of each bet and adding it to the jackpot or jackpots. The value of the pot keeps rising until someone wins it, collects, and the pot is reset to a starting value.

Progressives began on three-reel slots as extra incentive to chase the top jackpot.

Using the Double Diamond Deluxe example from above, a jackpot rise from 800 to 1,600 to 2,500 offers a small incentive to bet the max. But what if the jackpot is progressive, hasn't hit in some time, and the rise stands at 800 to 1,600 to 5,000 or more?

Now the jackpot adds much more to the machine's overall payback percentage, and you see a bigger gain when you bet the max.

Video and online slots usually involve multiple progressive tiers. We've seen two jackpot levels, 12 and any number in between. Usually, lower-tier jackpots are small, worth a few bets, and designed to keep you interested and fund a few extra plays. It's not until the upper tiers that you see jackpots of thousands of credits.

There are several variations of multi-tiered progressives:

SYMBOL-DRIVEN, MUST BET MAX TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR JACKPOTS

These are rare on video and online slots. If you see one, the payback percentage is highest when you bet the max, but the marketplace has mostly left such games behind.

SYMBOL DRIVEN, NO EXTRA BET NEEDED

Funding for the jackpot comes from lower paybacks on the basic game than on other similar slots. These, too, are rare, but if you see one, either make the max bet to be jackpot eligible or choose a different game. There is no point in settling for a lower payback percentage without being eligible for the good stuff.

SYMBOL DRIVEN, EXTRA BET REQUIRED

One of the problems designers face is that video and online slot players make wildly different-sized bets. How do you make a player betting 1 cent per line on a 40-line game eligible for the same jackpots and a player betting 10 coins per line?

One way to accomplish that is to make bets on the progressives separate from bets on the base game. You might see an option to bet 15 cents or some other amount to be jackpot eligible. That way, everyone can bet what they want on the main game, but they're betting the same amount on the jackpots.

Again, progressive slots usually have lower returns on the base game than other slots, so if you're going to play one of these games, make the progressive bet. If you don't want to make the extra bet, choose a different game.

MYSTERY JACKPOTS

These are the most common video and online progressives.

Parameters are set, and a random number generator chooses a number between them. The parameters could involve time, number of spins, total money wagered or jackpot size.

Let's say the parameters are jackpot size, and the jackpot must be at least $100 but no more than $250. The RNG will choose an amount between those parameters. The player whose wager pushes the jackpot to the amount selected wins it.

There is an advantage to larger bets on such games in that a bigger bet gives you more chances to push the jackpot to the designated total.

Let's say a penny is added to the jackpot for every 25 cents wagered. A player betting $2.50 will increase the jackpot by 10 cents, and each cent is a chance to match the RNG's number. A player betting 50 cents increases the jackpot by only 2 cents, so there's a smaller chance to push the jackpot to the needed amount.

Bigger bettors have proportionately more chances to win a jackpot than smaller bettors. But smaller bettors still have a chance at the jackpots and get the same payback percentage as bigger bettors.

BOTTOM LINE

If you're going to play a progressive, bet what it takes to be jackpot eligible. But with the exception of three-reel , single progressive games, that usually does not require betting the max.

The banker bet in baccarat is a rarity among casino bets, regardless of whether you’re playing online or offline. That doesn’t make it a profitable bet, though it does have a very low house edge of 1.06 percent.

The house gets that edge by charging a 5 percent commission on winning baccarat bets. If you win a $20 bet on the banker hand,  you get $20 in winnings, but you have to pay the house its commission, so $1 goes back into casino coffers.

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But what happens if your bet is less than $20? Then the commission is less than $1. How the casino handles that situation makes a big difference and could send the house edge soaring to 3.36 percent.

Over the years, many casinos have had live baccarat tables with $20 minimum bets, and even had yellow $20 chips for use in baccarat. Other casino games usually aren’t stocked with the $20 chips, nicknamed “bananas” by generations of baccarat players.

The trouble spot comes at mini-baccarat tables, where $10 minimum bets are widespread. Mini-baccarat, played at seven-player tables, usually is found on the main casino floor. Big baccarat, with seats for 14 players, more often is found in high-limit rooms.

Rules at mini-baccarat and big baccarat are exactly the same. You still have a choice of whether to bet on a banker hand or a player hand, and a high-house edge tie bet is available. 

The banker and player hands each start with two cards, and whether a third card is dealt is according to the baccarat rules posted at the table.

With a $10 bet on banker, a 5 percent commission would be 50 cents. That’s fine at casinos that have 50-cent chips or stock baccarat tables with coins to make change. It’s also fine online, where pays in partial dollars can be made electronically.

The problem is at casinos that post a minimum commission of $1. On a $10 bet, that’s a 10-percent commission, and that increase the house edge.

Let’s do a little arithmetic.

With all hands considered, banker wins 45.86 percent of the time, player wins 44.62 percent and 9.52 percent are ties.

If you’re betting banker or player, ties are pushes and you get your money back. Of the hands that are played to a hit/stand decision and money changes hands, 50.86 percent are wins for banker and 49.32 percent are wins for player.

That’s why casinos charge a commission on winning banker bets. Banker wins more often than it loses, and if the bets paid even money with no commission, the house would lose money. 

More than that: The game would disappear. Players would rapidly conclude the banker bet was the only way to go, and the house wouldn’t leave an unprofitable game on the floor.

Let’s run through an example using $10 wagers, first assuming the casino can make change for a 50-cent commission, then for a casino that charges a minimum commission of $10.

Assume you wager $10 per hand on banker for 1,000 hands, for a total risk of $10,000. With a bit of rounding, banker would average 459 wins, along with 446 wins for player and 95 ties.

You’d keep your $10 bets on the 459 banker wins and the 95 ties, for a total of $5,540.

Pre-commission winnings would come to $4,590, upping the total to $10,130. That’s more than your $10,000 in wagers, leading to the commission to give the house its edge.

A 50-cent commission on each of the 459 winners would total $229.50. Deduct that from the $10,130 total, and you’re left with $9,900.50. The house has a $99.50 profit.

If the house has a minimum $1 commission, then everything looks the same until commission deduction time. Instead of $229.50, $459 is deducted from the $10,130 total, leaving $9,671. The house has a $329 profit, more than triple the house take if it could make change for a 5 percent commission on a $10 bet.

Now we can apply the same exercise to the player bet. Any baccarat guide will tell you the player bet, with its 1.24 percent house edge, is one of the better casino bets overall, but not as good in baccarat as banker with its 1.06 percent edge.

No commission is charged on winning player bets. As noted above, player loses more often than it wins, so no commission is necessary to give the house an edge.

So let’s get back to our theoretical 1,000 hands, this time betting $10 per hand on player.

Again, you risk $10,000. This time, you keep your $10 bets on 446 player wins and 95 ties for $5,410. You also get $10 innings for each of the player wins for $4,460. 

With no deductions, the total on your side of the table after the trial is $9,870, and the house has a $130 profit.

Let’s look at all those average loss figures together for 1,000 hands at $10 a hand.  Banker bet, with the nominal 5 percent commission, $99.50. Player bet, $130. Banker bet, with a $1 minimum commission ramping up the effective fee to 10 percent on winning bets, $329.

Losses for a $10 player are more than three times as high if the casino doesn’t make change on the commission compared to the banker bet at the 5 percent rate. And losses are nearly three times as high on banker with the less favorable commission as on player.

If you’re a low roller at a mini-baccarat table with a common $10 minimum bet and a $1 minimum commission, the banker bet is no longer the most attractive bet at the table. Instead, player becomes a better choice.

Your best choice is to look for baccarat tables, online casino or off, where the house will make change and keep the commission at 5 percent for low rollers. But if that option’s not available to you, the player bet steps up as your best option.

Have you ever wondered why blackjack has been the most popular table game in casinos for the past 50 or so years? Its popularity arises for these four reasons.

1. You can reduce the house edge to less than 1%
2. You can reduce your monetary loss by taking advantage of comps
3. Learn when to bet more, and when to bet less
4. You can get the edge in blackjack tournaments by playing better than your opponents play

BOTTOM LINE

So there you have it, four reasons for blackjack’s popularity. Moreover, it is also an easy game to learn, and fun to play. Give it a try the next time you head to your favorite casino. (If you are a novice, I suggest you glance at the blackjack basics in my Guide.)

Today you will meet Roulette Ralph, a part time amateur mathematician, a full time roulette fan and a man who has given the ins-and-outs of gambling a serious consideration in his over 30 years of playing in casinos.

Roulette Ralph enjoys coming up with methods of play that can keep the house edge at bay but that also give players the charge or thrill they desire. After all, players play for just such charges and thrills. If they didn’t get those I am guessing players wouldn’t play. 

I enjoy reading Roulette Ralph’s insights and while I don’t always agree with him, I think what he has to say about roulette has great meaning for players. The bottom line for players is that they pick and choose how they are going to play. Some players follow strict methods and some players just throw caution to the wind and play helter-skelter. In the end it is the player’s choice.

Frank: How did you get the name Roulette Ralph? 

R. Ralph: I wish I could say that my fan club, if I had a fan club, or my wife gave it to me but that didn’t happen. I gave the name to myself. What the heck, I play the game, I love the game and it is a part of my gaming essence. I guess you could use the word “essence” to describe me in relation to the game. Roulette is many centuries old and it has a long pedigree. I like that because in some ways I am a part of history when I play the game.

Frank: Now today you want to take a look at a way to play. What’s is it?

R. Ralph:The Martingale.

Frank: That’s one of the most dangerous ways to play any casino game isn’t it? It gives the player small wins and a tremendous loss that destroys those small wins. It looks like a good system but it isn’t. Unless you have figured out a way to play it that doesn’t clobber you every so often.

R. Ralph: There won’t be any clobbering. As everyone knows, or most everyone knows, the Martingale usually calls for the doubling of one’s bet every time they lose a decision.

If we take a look at the roulette Martingale, we should stick to the even-money bets of the odd/even, the red/black, or the high/low. We know that the even-money bets are not really even-money in their percentage of appearances. The green 0 and the green 00 will sometimes hit and that means a loss on all of the even-money bets. What does that do to the house edge? It makes it 5.26 percent.

Frank: That means a loss of $5.26 for every $100 wagered.

R. Ralph: You bet $10, you lose it, then you go $20. If you win that you are now ahead $10. If you lose the $20 you then bet $40. If you win that you are now ahead $10 because you had previously lost $30. Lose that $40 and you bet $80 in order to win the $10. You would then go to $160 if you lose the $80. You can plainly see that you are going up and up but the win is always $10. 

The increases will stop when you hit the house limit on the amount you can bet on any one decision. That can be seven or eight wagers.

Frank: That happened to me at the old Sands in Atlantic City. I had a couple of days of those small wins and then the clobbering happened. It was a wakeup call to me to forget that system.

R. Ralph: As it should be. You don’t want to have that kind of risk with a hugely bloated bet. Now my method will forgo the escalation to the higher levels of the Martingale but will allow a string of decisions for the player to play. But, and this is a key, it will also cost less money overall than even playing a normal amount per decision. The total of my Martingale is a slim system. 

Frank: I never heard the term a “slim system.” What do you mean by that?

R. Ralph: It means you are paring down what you would bet as a total sum on your method of roulette play.

Frank: Okay, lay it out for us.

R. Ralph: Follow this exactly as I describe it. You cash in at the table, getting your special roulette chips. You will only bet those even-money bets as I mentioned. Let’s make the chips worth $10 each. Try not to look at the scoreboard while you are cashing in.

Once you have your chips, your game begins. Look at the scoreboard from this point now on.From this point, you want to see if any of the even-money bets hit three times in a row. You will hop on whichever it is that has hit. Or you would bet against whichever has hit. You are only going to bet one even-money proposition. If, let us say, a particular color comes up and also a “high” number three times in succession, you choose which one of the two you will bet. You do not bet both.

So let us say that a “red” has come up three times in a row. If you were betting $10 on “black” and using the regular Martingale, your bet would be $40 because you would have three losses in a row ($10, $20, $40). You would now be down $70 because of those three losses in a row. 

Except you actually have not bet anything at all. You are merely using the three hits to determine what to bet from here on in. An appearance of a 0 or a 00 ends the streak and you must start over. You have not lost a cent!

Now, chances are you might not get three hits in a row of any of the even-money bets, so you just wait. Keep this in mind please; even without betting you are still playing the game. You are in the action emotionally just by waiting for the event to happen. As obvious as this is to say, the casino has no edge on no bet wagered.

Okay, now you decide to bet either with or against the “red” even-money proposition after its three appearances in a row. Let us say you decide to bet against it by betting “black.” You put your $10 on “black.”

If “black” hits, you are now up $10. But if “black” loses you bet $20 again. If you lose that you are now down $30. Lose that and you bet $40. Lose that and you are down $70.

Frank: Get us out of the predicament concerning the fact that you also lost $70 on your streak up to this moment.

R. Ralph: You see the original bettor hasn’t lost just $70 because he is still using the traditional Martingale so he has gone $10, $20, $40, $80, $160, and $320 for a total loss of $630! Also he is not wagering only after three hits in a row; he is betting no matter what the sequence is. That makes it a lot more bets over time.

Frank: So what do you do at this point? Do you just keep going?

R. Ralph: No, you are finished for that sequence. You must wait for another sequence of three even-money appearances in a row to start once again. You don’t even look at the scoreboard for the next spin or you go to another table or you just grin and bear it if the streak ends with a “black” right after you took your pause. You are looking to play but at the same time you are also looking to protect your bankroll. 

Frank: Do you have a money-management strategy? You aren’t going to just keep playing and playing right?

R. Ralph: If a player just keeps playing they are asking for trouble. The casino edge is always grinding away. 

Frank: So money management for this method?

R. Ralph: The most you can lose on any one sequence is $70. If you were playing the regular Martingale the loss would be $630 so that becomes our maximum amount we use to play with – no more. But you can bet less than that if you want. You would have to lose nine sequences in a row to lose $630 – and chances are that is a real longshot.

Frank: That could happen though? 

R. Ralph: Oh, yes. It means you would lose 27 decisions in a row. That would be an amazingly bad streak and I doubt that would happen to a roulette player. But it could. Randomness can do some pretty amazing things but losing 27 decisions in a row, well, that would be somewhat farfetched. I wouldn’t discount it on a universal level but I would never bet on it happening in my play.

You can, of course, decide that you will only play a few sequences and that might mean you lose those few. But remember you only need one hit in any sequence to at least feel you are in the game.

Frank: Now some casinos will give you back half your bet if the 0 or 00 hits on an even-money wager. In the double-zero game, also called the American game, that is named “surrender” and in the single-zero or European or French game that is called “en prison.” This will reduce the house edge in half on those even-money bets. The single-zero game has a house edge of just 2.7 percent and that can be reduced to 1.35 percent if it has en prison. That is one of the best bets in the casino. On the American double-zero game the house edge is reduced to 2.63 percent.

R. Ralph: That’s true. It is always best to play at casinos that offer these types of rewards – I guess you’d call them “rewards” because reducing the house edge is always the best thing that can happen to a player. So rewards it is! 

However, even with these if you lose one of the bets in your sequence that sequence is finished. Playing this way will require discipline as the tendency of players is to get fully caught up in the game and sometimes to get so excited they don’t think of the consequences to their money.

Frank: Do you think reckless play is a problem at roulette?

R. Ralph: Absolutely. I think what happens, especially at crowded tables, the waiting to place the bets as the dealers clear the table of the losing bets and paying the winners, leads some players to think, “Oh, maybe I should make some more bets.” It almost becomes automatic. So you have to play just the way I say and do not add any more to the method.

Frank: Are there other types of Martingales that you might discuss, maybe in future columns?

R. Ralph: Yes. But everything I will discuss is discussed with the idea of not costing you too much money to the house edge.

Frank: And what about comps? Are you into getting comps from the casinos? Many players are interested in comps.

R. Ralph: Yes, some players are too much into comps. I am not opposed to getting comps. Why not get them? If the casino wants to give you a free or discounted room and a meal or two or three, that is just fine with me. But I won’t play for comps. They do not motivate me at all. They are just a part of the playing routine of the casinos. They aren’t why I play. I stick to my methods and whatever comps come my way I will gladly take them and thank the casino for giving them to me. But I never play for them.

Frank: Thank you Roulette Ralph. And to my readers: All the best in and out of the casinos!

Pick'em-style bonuses have been an attractive element of slot machines for more than two decades. In the United States, they date back to the launch of Reel 'Em In in 1997.

They add interactivity to the games by making players feel part of the action. You choose icons on the screen to accumulate bonus credits, and that makes you feel as if you have some control of your fate.

Online slots are perfect for the pick'em bonus, and so are video slots offline.  In terms of how to win on the slots, frequency of bonus events and the picks you make go a long way toward determining your results.

But is that control of fate real or illusion? That can depend on specifics.

Once you've made a choice or choices, does the screen then reveal the other possible wins? Then in licensed U.S. jurisdictions, your picks make a real difference.

But if the game just awards the credits you've won without revealing amounts hidden by other icons, it's possible your bonus was pre-determined and your choices were just for show, experience and that interactive feel.

For an example of a game where your choices make a difference, let's look at a long-time player favorite, Super Jackpot Party.

In the pick'em bonus event, disco music plays as you see a screen filled with animated, gyrating, different-colored gift boxes wrapped with bows.

At the center of the screen is a large rectangle where partiers dance to the music. That rectangle is surrounded by gift boxes -- two rows of nine each above the center rectangle, four rows with two boxes to the left of the rectangle and two to the right , then one more row of nine at the bottom of the screen.

When you pick a gift box, it shows either a credit amount, a multiplier to be applied to your next pick, a whack-a-pooper icon where you get a bonus within a bonus that plays like a Whack-a-Mole game, a dance icon that launches an extra bonus where credits accumulate while an animated character dances until he rips his pants, or a party pooper icon.

You keep making picks and your bonus credits rise until you pick a pooper. Pooper's end the round, though even then you get a chance to pick among five party icons to either get one last credit amount or a party saver that extends the bonus.

A random number generator sets the possibilities. It determines what credit amounts or icons are hidden in each gift box.

If you pick a box and it opens to reveal 80 credits, you win those 80 credits and pick again, regardless of how much you've already won. If the box you pick holds a pooper, then, unless you pick a party saver, your round ends. It doesn't matter if the pick is your first or your 20th, the pooper ends it.

Once your round ends, all the other gift boxes are opened to reveal what you would have won had you picked them.

This is important. In slot machines with random number generators -- the kind you see in Las Vegas, most regulated American jurisdictions, most tribal casinos and in online slots -- any advertised prize must actually be available.

If the screen shows a previously unopened gift box to hold a 1,000-credit prize, then that prize must actually have been available. It is illegal to show you that prize if it wasn't there to be won.

The game is showing you the possibilities that were set before you started picking. Your picks actually made the difference in what you won and what you didn't.

What if the machine doesn't show you the unexplored possibilities? Then it's possible that your bonus was pre-determined, because the game isn't advertising any prizes that weren't really available.

We can explore a real-life example here, too. In a long-running game called Outback Jack, three bonus symbols take you a map of Australia.  An all-terrain vehicle goes on a drive to one of six signposts. Each signpost bears the name of a different bonus event, and where the vehicle stops determine which bonus you'll play.

One bonus event is a pick'em called Nippy Surf. A surfer dude stands amid three possible conveyances for a ride on the waves: two surfboards and a big, pink inflated seahorse.

You choose the surfer's ride. The other two disappear, and while the surfer catches a wave, increasing credit amounts change from yellow to red. The longer the surfer rides, the higher the meter and the more credits you win.

Once the waves bring the surfer back to shore, you are awarded the indicated number of credits.

You are NOT shown what you would have won if you'd chosen the other board or the seahorse.

There is no advertised prizes other than the one you won. In such a case, it is legal for your bonus to be predetermined and to have the event play out for show.

That's the bottom line: If you're shown the prizes you didn't win after a round, your choices determined your bonus. If you're not shown what you missed, the prize could have been predetermined.

EXCEPTIONS

All that applies to games with random number generators, and that includes online slots in licensed U.S. jurisdictions.

However, some Class II slot machines and some video lottery terminals may predetermine your bonuses even if they show you all possibilities.

Class II games, used in some Native American casinos, are electronic bingo games at their base. They use slot reels and bonus events as user-friendly interfaces, but your results are determined by a bingo draw on a central processor that serves many games. 

Individual machines don't have their own random number generators and don't drive their own results. Even at bonus time, you get what the bingo draw determined.

"Video lottery terminal" is a catch-all term that can mean different things in different jurisdictions. In some states, VLTs have their own RNGs, and the "lottery" part is simply that they're operated by the state lottery.

But in New York state, results on VLTs are driven by an unusual system. It's as if each machine contains a virtual stack of scratch-off lottery cards, and when you spin the reels, you get the result that's on the next card.

That goes for bonus events as well as reel spins. Your outcome is determined by what's on that virtual card, so bonuses are pre-determined.

But as long as you're playing a slot machine with a random number generator, your pick'em bonus choices make a difference if you're shown all the possibilities at the end. That includes online slots as well as those in licensed casinos from coast to coast. You can be confident your picks matter.

New games are the lifeblood of online slots just as they are for offline slots. Players always are on the lookout for fresh bonuses, fresh intrigue and fresh interactivity, and new online slots are there to give it to them.

Naturally, there is overlap between the online and offline slot worlds, but each has its own needs, too. Some of the hottest online games won't be found offline.

 

 

With that in mind, let's check out four current online player favorites.

The Best Online Slots Are:

• Cash Noire
• Foxin Wins Football Fever
• Wheel of Fortune Hawaiian Getaway
• Sizzling Hot Jokers

Designed for online play by NetEnt, Cash Noire takes you back to the film world of hard-bitten detectives, dames in trouble and crime on the mean streets of the big city.

The lead character is a private detective named Tom Flint, and your task is to uncover the 13 clues that will unravel the mystery of how to get to a free spins bonus.

Besides the detective and the lady in trouble, reel symbols include a bank vault, guns, knives, matchbooks, whiskey, playing cards, a magnifying glass and a snake. The bank vault is a mystery symbol: once you have a screen full of symbols, all bank vaults transform into matching symbols.

It's a five-reel game, each four symbols deep, and it features cascading reels. On any win, the winning symbols disappear, remaining symbols tumble down into vacated spots and new symbols appear at the top to replace symbols that have cascaded.

If new winning combinations form, the symbols cascade again. You don't have to move on to a new wager until there are no winners and the cascade stops.

Each spin features a Crime Zone with three or more adjacent symbols outlined in red. If a winning slots combination extends into the hot zone, you unearth a clue.

If a bank vault lands in the Crime Zone, it duplicates itself onto all spaces in the zone. That creates a block of identical symbols and creates the potential for big wins.

When all clues have been collected and the free spins feature launches, the screen becomes a City Chase Map, dotted with potential chase locations. Symbols that land in the Crime Zone during the chase activate locations and add a multiplier -- the first location activated means wins are multiplied by 2, the second takes the multiplier up to 3, and so on, to a maximum 10x multiplier.

With the multipliers, your win potential is created when you're on the move through the city chase.

BOTTOM LINE

Overall, Cash Noire is a low variance game, filled with frequent small wins for extended play. The entertainment value is enhanced by the thrill of the chase.

This time Mr. Fox -- a wealthy, aristocratic character -- and fox pups are taken to a stadium setting for a football match -- or, as most Americans know it, soccer.

Football Fever has five reels, each three symbols deep and 25 paylines. Symbols include Mr. Fox in a striped referee's short, the fox pups kicking a ball in front of Mr. Fox's mansion, sports cars, a roll of cash, a pot of gold scatter symbol and the common A-K-Q-J-10-9 symbols for low-level pays.

Landing three scattered pots of gold on the reels launches a free spins bonus, where all wins are doubled. The round consists of 10 spins, and it is possible to retrigger the round with more pots of gold during the free play.

The free spins are the main bonus event, but there are plenty of extras during regular play. The referee Mr. Fox can pop up randomly and award you extra cash of up to 50 times your wager. A runaway leprechaun can appear out of nowhere, and catching the leprechaun also brings credit awards that max out at 50 times your bet.

The mischievous fox pups can create extra winners, too. Randomly, they'll pop out from behind a symbol and turn in wild, enhancing the potential for wins. Bigger bets bring the pups and wilds to more reels.

BOTTOM LINE

In all, it's a fun romp with plenty of extras to keep you engaged.

This one's a crossover from the offline world, with International Game Technology bringing its ever-popular TV "Wheel of Fortune" theme to online slots.

Wheel of Fortune slots have been the most consistently popular offline slots since the late 1990s. They usually don't have quite the same appeal online. Part of their offline appeal is the giant mechanical spinning wheel based on the wheel on the TV game show favorite.

Offline, the wheel is affixed to machine tops and can be seen from afar to draw in new customers. Online, there are no passers-by to draw in. Operator needs are different for online casino games.

The Hawaiian Getaway version of the Wheel seems to have bridged the gap. Online slot players seem to love it as much as the offline crowd.

The five reels, each three symbols deep, pay on 25 lines. The lowest paying symbols are A, K, Q and J. Bigger pays come from symbols outlined in white to appear as picture postcards. Those include Surf, depicting a surfer on the ocean, Lava, with a volcano scene, Aloha, with a beach, Hula, with a dancer, Tiki, with a statue, and Wild, with bamboo. A Wheel of Fortune logo is used as a scatter symbol -- winners don't have to line up on a payline.

All symbols are stacked and can fill an entire column. Lining up stacked symbols to win on all 25 paylines is a vacationer's dream.

Several "Moments" give you the chance to win big. The Big Kahuna Moment comes when you match three matching stacks of premium symbols on adjacent reels. Your stacks then lock in place for a respin of other reels with the A through J symbols eliminated. That brings a heightened chance at a big win that could be further boosted by a random multiplier of up to 10 times your win.

The Big Bonus Moment, triggered by at least six scatters, brings a spin of the familiar Wheel of Fortune wheel. You could win credits, free spins, jackpots or other bonuses. One extra-fun possibility is the Pointer Frenzy bonus. That one can award multiple spins of a Jackpot Bonus wheel and a chance to win any of the five jackpot levels.

BOTTOM LINE

There's so much in this game that online players are finding how much fun watching the wheel can be.

Developed by Section 8 Studios for 888 Gaming, Sizzling Hot Jokers has a retro look but with a modern hold-and-respin feature to give you extra chances to win.

It has five reels, each three symbols deep, and 10 paylines. Symbols include classics of the kind we've seen on slot machines for decades. Watermelons, cherries, lemons, horseshoes, bells, 7s and bars are right in the comfort zone for dedicated slot players.

In addition, there's a special symbol: the Joker. With his white-painted face and harlequin hat, the grinning Joker is a wild symbol that appears on reel 2, 3 or 4.

When the Joker appears, he expands top to bottom and holds in place for another respin giving you a fresh chance to build winners around the wild symbol.

If another Joker comes up during the respin, so much the better. With two of the three inside reels now being wild, you have a great chance to win, and both Jokers lock into place for another respin.

If on that second respin the third Joker appears, it locks into place for a third respin. With three expanded Jokers, you're guaranteed wins of at least four of a kind on every payline.

BOTTOM LINE

With only 10 paylines and fewer bonus features than most online or video slots, not every player will love Sizzling Hot Jokers. But when those Jokers come grinning, those who give it a go will be glad they did.

 

*Credit for the cover photo in this article belongs to AP Photo/Wong Maye-E*

Blackjack is blackjack: your goal is to beat the dealer whether you play in land-based or online casinos in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Caribbean, or any other part of the world. However, playing live blackjack abroad in a land-based casino has some differences compared to playing in the U.S.  The following table summarizes the differences. 

• Download Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

(Note: Peruse the table to compare the differences in rules before reading about the no-hole-card rule, which follows.)

NO-HOLE-CARD  RULE

With the no-hole-card rule, the dealer does not take her second card until after all the players have completed their hand. Some players mistakenly believe this gives the casino an extra advantage because the dealer is less likely to bust when the cards are dealt consecutively, rather than when the dealer’s second, and possibly additional draw cards, are dealt after the players have drawn their cards. 

Mathematically, it makes no difference in the long run whether the dealer takes her second card before players act on their hand, or she waits and takes the second card after the players act. The no hole card, per se, has no effect on the odds of blackjack, or on the basic playing strategy (so if you hold a 16, you play it the same way regardless if the dealer has a hole card or not).

EUROPEAN NO-HOLD-CARD RULE (ENHC)

What affects your odds and your playing strategy in no-hole-card games is when a player loses additional wagers made on splitting and doubling when the dealer’s second card gives her a blackjack. This occurs with ENHC and it increases the house edge by about 0.11 percent (rule dependent). It also requires a modification to the basic playing strategy. 

The following table shows the strategy differences for a multi-deck ENHC game (dealer hits soft 17 and players can double down after pair splitting), compared to an American game with the same rules. Essentially, the strategy changes occur when the dealer shows a 10 or Ace and include:

• hitting a hard 11 against a dealer 10
• hitting a pair of Aces against a dealer Ace, and 
• hitting a pair of eights against a dealer 10 and Ace.

The above modifications to the playing strategy, for ENHC, assume surrender is not offered. In a future article, I’ll explain the strategy changes when the latter is offered.

• Click here to read part 2 of this article