Archive for December, 2008

Dec
27

RealTime Gaming has been trying to give away a huge progressive slot jackpot on its Pinata Slot Machine for quite some time now. Nobody seems to want to take the money off of these online casinos, though. The company operates four different casinos, so you have a shot to enter any of them and win a jackpot that is now well over $1,000,000 and growing.

How long has this major online casino milestone been in the works? Really it has been about a year’s worth of growth already, and it jumped over the big million dollar mark this week for the first time. People who are looking to make a big splash can certainly go after what promises to be a pretty exciting jackpot.

Personally, I don’t care how many million dollar prizes they offer. Slot machines are bad for business if you are a gambler. They eat your money up quickly and you will find that the big hit usually never comes. It is a slow death and it’s not even a fun one. If you are going to give your money to the casino, do it by playing a fun game like craps or roulette.

Dec
27

Apparently being one of the top poker sites in the world just isn’t enough. In fact, if you are the people in charge at the PokerStars company, you have to try to smash all sorts of casino industry records. The popular site is seeking to do just that, leaving online casinos and land casinos alike in their dust. They are posting small tournament buy-ins this weekend in preparation for what they are billing a “Guiness Record Attempt”. The goal? Get 35,000 people to participate in one, huge, miserable poker tournament.

The idea sounds really nice for players until you start to actually think of the logistics of the thing. After all, with so many people entered, there is a good chance that the tournament payouts will be absolutely monstrous. So what’s the problem for players, you ask? You don’t have to be an online casino expert to understand that playing such a lengthy tournament is a good way to take up your entire day…or week.

The tournament is going to run for probably more than a day, meaning that you better be ready for a marathon session if you are going to play. The reward at the end of this record breaking tournament will be well worth it, but be aware that you will have to really earn your keep this time around.

Dec
25

If you have not been into the Excalibur casino in Las Vegas in a while, then you are missing out on one of the craziest new things that has hit Vegas in…ever. This is one of the only casinos that is willing to take a page out of the online casino book, and they are doing so with their poker room setup.

The city of Las Vegas has long been known for its vast number of poker rooms, where dealers deal the cards and everything is in plain sight. Computers? Leave those for the online casinos, because we have the real thing in Las Vegas. The Excal apparently doesn’t believe that, though, and they have eliminated all of the “extras” from their poker room, including dealers, cards, and chips.

How can you play without these three essentials, you might ask? They use a computerized system. Players sit at a table and they have a screen in front of them where all of the decisions can be made. They can do everything that a player could do with a normal setup, except that it is completely on the computer. Some players like this, while some hate it. Whatever the case, there is no arguing that this is not a crazy, incredible innovation.

I don’t suspect that this will take hold in Vegas at all of the rooms, but some rooms will try to gain an advanntage by having fewer employees and using these computer systems.

Dec
25

First and foremost, let me start by saying that I completely understand the elements of chance that go into any online casino operation. It’s completely obvious to me that when I bet in online casinos, I’m really just going to need to get lucky. But this is why I have my lucky numbers when I play roulette. The wheel spins fairly, and if you know what you are doing, you can make some money there. You better know your lucky numbers, though, or your trip to the casino won’t be any fun at all.

How do I pick my lucky roulette numbers in casinos? For me, it is all about going with my favorite athletes. You have to have some money on Michael Jordan, and don’t you forget about O.J. Simpson for one second. With numbers 23 and 32 covered, I move over to number 22. It’s Chris Clemons. From there, I go to the old traditional 12 and then to number 1. All of these numbers hold special significance for me. Somtimes they hit, sometimes they don’t, but I’m glad that I have some way to pick the numbers instead of just randomly choosing some numbers each time the wheel is spun. This way, I feel like I have at least a little bit more control than I actually have.

Dec
25

No matter how many new online casinos I find that I love, something still draws me back to Las Vegas. I work with the most reliable online casino in the world and one of the best poker sites around, but still I find that playing out in the Vegas really gets my blood rushing. Casinos out in the desert just have something special about them. If you have never been into a Las Vegas casino, then you can’t understand where I’m coming from. You have to have been there to truly know what sort of energy exudes from each of the properties on the strip.

All in all, playing out in Vegas is a lot like playing in my home game. There are some fair players, and the play is a lot of fun. Still, when you walk into the Bellagio and you see pros playing a few tables over, you can’t help but wonder why you didn’t get out to Las Vegas quicker. There is so much to see and so much to do that the online casinos really have no chance to compete at all. They don’t provide any bang for the buck when compared to Las Vegas in terms of overall experience. No matter how many special bonuses I get, my heart will be with Vegas poker, because that’s where it’s most pure.

Dec
25

Casinos have been losing money and as such, they have been trying to find ways to tighten up. If you are a Las Vegas regular, then you probably noticed that your casino has stopped giving out free drinks in the sports book. They are no longer even providing those free drink tickets for the players who bet money on the games. This is a new thing sweeping the market, and I think it’s one of the dumbest decisions that casinos can make.

There is a reason why people go to Vegas casinos instead of an online casino many times. it is because of the overall experience. If I really wanted to place a bet, I could do it on my computer. I could go to online casinos for my blackjack fix, too. I go to Vegas because they can provide something more. They can give me free drinks when I bet and they can make sure it’s a fun experience. If they start losing that a little bit, then they will see that more and more people respond negatively.

If Las Vegas books are smart, they will bring back the free drinks. Free drinks for anyone in the sports book seems to be a dumb idea, but they’d be wise to start issuing free drink passes for players with money on a game. Only one pass is not enough, either. I deserve to drink if I’m betting in your casino, as this is how it’s always been.

Dec
21

Online watchdog groups are really nice for the purpose of letting us know when online casinos go bad. In this instance, it wasn’t just one online casino that went into the tank, it was an entire company. Grand Prive has been added to the blacklist after they shut down their affiliate program and most of their other operations. If you are looking for casinos, then don’t plan on putting your money anywhere near this group.

Some of the online casinos that they run are Belle Vegas Online, Casino Grand Bay, Jackpot Wheel Casino, Road House Reels Casino, and plenty of others. Simply put, there are way too many options out there for you to be putting yourself through the risk associated with these. Not all of these casinos have been reported to have done their players wrong, but when a company goes belly up with as much force as this one did, you have to wonder about the viability of any of their projects.

You should be on the lookout for more casinos like this in the future, as you can get a head start on not being screwed over if you are smart. Common sense is the best defense against some of these companies, as you can often see them coming a mile ahead if you are careful.

Dec
21

One of the cool things about playing a game in a land casino is that, to put it quite simply, you are going to meet some absolutely extraordinary people. This goes for blackjack in casinos and craps and plenty of other games to boot. Though online casinos offer lots of really good positives, one of the things that you will never get out of these places is a sense of comeraderie. If you are really looking for fellowship and support in your gambling, you need to learn how to really play roulette.

It’s not exactly a good game based upon the odds and whether you play it in an online casino or on the Las Vegas strip, you are probably going to struggle to consistently make a profit. Still, it can loads and loads of fun. Lots of people play the game by just throwing some chips on red or black, or maybe going with odd every now and then. This is simple, but it’s really not the way to play. If you want to have the most fun, then you need to get off the side bets and throw some chips down in the middle.

There are plenty of ways to win, too. You can win 35:1 on your bet by hitting one of the numbers, and there is no limit to how many of these you can play. You can win 17:1 by middling two numbers and you can hit 8:1 by going with a chip that covers four different numbers. The best thing is, you can put money on all of these, so when you do have a winner, it ends up being a nice payday.

Dec
21

The latest returns out of Las Vegas say that the answer to this question is most certainly yes. I have seen some of these changes on the horizon and it looks as if the casinos are really starting to feel the pain in their pocket. It is pretty obvious that each casino is still going to bring in money, because, well that’s what casinos do best. But now you can find values at some of these places that you used to only be able to get when you played at an online casino.

It is common fact that online casinos will let you play for as little as $1 per hand. Who knew that in nice Las Vegas placed like the MGM Grand, there would be $5 minimums, though? You usually have to play for at least $10 per hand and in many cases, it’s a $25 minimum at all of the tables. That can make it really hard on the little guy.

The desperation is also hitting at some of the Strip’s nicest properties. Places like Wynn, Venetian, and the Bellagio are all offering $10 minimums, which is somewhat unheard of at those places. They are dropping their limits to attract the common gamblers, as many of their high rolling clients just don’t have the money to do it anymore. Las Vegas isn’t about to go away anytime soon, but things aren’t nearly as cheery in the desert as they have been in the recent past.

Dec
07

It is also my job to report back on the online casinos I visit. Some are good, and some are downright terrible. The latest online casino I visited is EuroGrand Casino and it is one of the better ones I have come across. This is one of the newest online casinos to grace the European gambling market.

The casino is based very strongly around its customer service. There are three tiers of customer loyalty. Unfortunately I have only just signed up so I am currently only on Low-Roller. The next stage I need to get to is Mid-Roller before finally (hopefully) reaching High-Roller. This is where I will be able to get into the top VIP rooms and really feel as though I am gambling with the big guns.

However, until I reach there, this online casino works quite nicely. The welcome bonus is currently set at 100% match of up to $1000. The casino is also open to many nationalities and its languages include English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Greek, Turkish, Russian, Korean, Chinese and Japanese.

With over 60 games to choose from, you will find enough to keep you entertained – more so than most of the other online casinos I have had to review.