Here’s how simple Baccarat is. Each hand there’s three possible outcomes.

1. The Banker Wins.
2. The Player Wins.
3. Tie

As a player, you bet either Banker or Player. That’s it. You don’t have to know anything else to win and have fun playing Baccarat. Of course, it will be good if you understand the game more. As I mentioned earlier, betting on the Banker is the best bet in the casino. The house advantage is just 1.06% and that’s absolutely amazing.

Quick Layout Guide

The layout is pretty darn simple. You have a space for the Banker’s cards, a place for the Player’s cards, bank commission, your betting area and that’s it.

When the hand is about to start, you make a bet on either the Banker or Player and the Tie if you wish.

Payout

In Baccarat, winning bets on the Banker or the Player are paid even money, so a $10 wager is paid $10. And the ties are paid 8 to 1, so a $10 wager is paid $80.

One important note is the vig. All wins on the Banker, since that hand has a slight edge, is taxed a vig of 5%. If you win $5, you’d pay 25 cents as a vig.

Action

Keeping it simple, here’s how it goes. First, you and all other players make their wagers. You then sit back as the dealer does all the card work.

The Player and Banker hands each receive two cards. The Player is the first to act, which is why the Banker has a slight edge. If the Player is going to act, that hand is given one card. In Baccarat, each hand can have a maximum of three cards. Also, each decision is based on defined rules.

Next, the Banker takes a turn. Depending on what the Player has, the Banker will either stand or receive a card. Finally, all losing bets are collected and winning bets are paid.

Tracking the Game

If you’re playing in the real world, most tables provide tracking paper and writing instruments. Online Baccarat may have this built into the software. It’s a good idea to track hands, so you can pick up on trends.

Baccarat is one game where I’ll actually follow trends and then bet against them. Either way you play, Baccarat is a fun game with a nice, low house advantage. Give it a try!

If you look at the payout table for any video poker game you will see that it has five columns. The first column gives the payout if the player has wagered one coin; the second column gives the payout if the player has wagered two coins and so on. Let us consider a payout table for a simple video poker game called jacks or better. The payout begins with jacks or better with one coin for one coin wagered and five coins for five coins wagered. The second highest payout is for straight flush, which is fifty coins for one coin wagered and two hundred and fifty coins for five coins wagered.

The question that arises is if the payout is in proportion to the number of coins wagered how does it matter whether you wager one coin or five coins. The answer lies in the payout for the royal flush. The payout for one coin is 250 coins. In the same proportion the payout for wagering five coins should be 1250 coins. Look at the number for five coins for a royal flush. It is a whopping 4000 coins.

What do casinos gain by offering such a high payout? To understand this you must realize that video poker machines make money for the casino. Whereas individual players will win, over the day, month and year the total amount lost by players exceeds the total amount won by players. This is the reason why casinos exist. If the casino makes a net income of $X when players are wagering with 1 coin they will make $5X when players wager with 5 coins. Even after accounting for the occasional 4000 coin payouts the machine makes more money if players consistently wager with five coins. Hence the casino gives the attraction to players for always playing with 5 coins.

But why should you play with 5 coins if that makes more money for the casinos. You have nothing to lose, but something to gain. It is this high payout for a royal flush with 5 coins that gives a close to 100% return for the player. Playing with five coins instead of one will mean that your bankroll will get depleted faster. So play one-fifth the number of games and but play will five coins. Because if you hit a royal flush and you have wagered only one coin you will rue the day you were born.

RNG stands for Random Number Generation and it’s a technology that is used to imitate any other form of creating randomness like a shuffle or a dice throw. So, when a website tells you that they’re RNG is the best, they mean that they’re numbers are the most like a naturally randomly generated result, like me shuffling a deck. RNG, because it’s entirely computer reliant is also very safe as it isn’t susceptible to human corruption such as not being a good shuffler, or not giving a strong spin.

Now, in terms of slots this is really interesting. In the good old days there would be wheels inside the machine that would spin and give us a randomly generated result in the shape of images that lined up. Today however, our slot machines don’t have wheels, of course they don’t; apart from anything else they’re on line! So how do they create the results?

Most of our modern slots are categorized as ‘3 reel’, ‘5 reel’, or ‘7 reel’, but we’ve already said that there aren’t actually any reels, so what is this referring to. The modern slots have instead of physical reels, a sequence of images that may be displayed on virtual wheel. These sequences of images are far more numerous than was ever possible on slots with physical reels because there simply wasn’t enough space. On a video slot for instance, there may be a sequence of let’s say 147 possible positions which correspond to the symbols that appear on your screen. A computer using the RNG technology will spit out combination after combination of numbers. Each of these numbers will tell the virtual reel to go to the corresponding position on the virtual reel sequence. So, for example, on a 3 reel slot there will be 3 sets of sequences; each sequence will consist of 147 positions which in turn will be represented by a symbol on your screen. The RNG will spit out numbers, maybe 45, 98, and 138. The computer then knows to send the first reel to position 45 in its sequence, the second to 98 in its sequence, and the third to 138 in its sequence. This then gets represented on your screen with the spinning of a reel.

So now you now you know what RNG is and how they managed to fit all of those cherries into such a small space!

Walk around any Las Vegas casino and take a look at the Roulette tables. What’s the one thing that immediately stands out? Think for a minute. Got it? A different person is operating each Roulette game. So why does this matter?

It’s the dealer who spins the ball around the wheel. In the old days-and today in some lower-end casinos-the dealer would also spin the wheel. Today, it’s usually a machine that keeps the wheel going at a certain speed.

However, there isn’t a machine that spins the ball. This means that the ball is speeding along at a different pace for each dealer. If you play more than 40 minutes to an hour, you’ll also experience a dealer change and thus a change in the ball speed and outcome.

I have seen some people who can get to know a dealer’s pattern-since most dealer’s spin the same way all the time-and figure out what section of the wheel the ball is about to drop into by look at where the wheel was when the dealer started the spin.

Here’s another factor you need to think about. Unlike online casinos, the real world casinos use physical items. That wheel is a physical item that was manufactured. While they all have the same specifications, they are all a little different. Also as they are used, they tend to shift slightly-we’re talking physics here.

There was a famous Roulette team in Las Vegas that once made a living by charting the wheels. They’d watch lots of games and figure out if the wheel had any tilt, warping, etc. They’d also pay attention to the dealers-spin rate, etc. By putting those combinations together with a solid playing style and a little luck, they were able to rock n roll at the Roulette tables in Vegas.

Will knowing all of this make you a guaranteed winner in Vegas? No. But, it can help you score more wins and that just might make your playing time more enjoyable. And who knows. You may walk out of the casino a big winner. It’s a war zone out there. You have to utilize every piece of information that might give you an edge as you can.

This exciting game is now offered in just about every casino, both online and in the real world. It’s usually considered a party game, because, like Blackjack, everyone is playing against the dealer.

Caribbean Stud Poker is played on a Blackjack-style table and seats multiple players. If you’re playing the game online, you might be the only one playing-some online casinos are offering multi-player games now.

The layout for the game has three main betting areas. First, there’s the Ante spot, which is where your initial wager goes. Next there’s the Bet spot, which is why you bet to stay in the game-more on this later. Finally, there’s the progressive jackpot wager slot. When you drop $1 into this slot, you’re entered into the progressive jackpot.

Quick Game Play

In other articles, I’ll go over the game play and strategy in more detail, but for now, let’s run through the general game play of Caribbean Stud Poker.

Before the hand is played, you must enter a wager. The lowest betting limit I’ve ever seen in the real world is $5. You might find limits lower online. So, let’s imagine that you placed $5 on the Ante spot.

Next, you need to decide if you want to be entered into the progressive jackpot. If so, put $1 into the slot. You can’t be entered into the jackpot after the hand is dealt.

After all players have made these two moves, the hand is dealt. You’ll be given five cards. This game doesn’t have many big decisions. Unlike video poker, there are no draw cards, so these are the only five cards you’ll get. At this point, you need to decide if you think your hand will beat the dealer’s hand or not.

You can choose to fold now and lose your Ante wager, or you can stay in the hand and place a Bet wager. This new wager is equal to two times the Ante wager. So, if you made a $5 wager to start the hand, your Bet wager would be $10.

After all players have decided, the deal flips over his or her hand and bets are either taken or paid. At this time, any progressive winners are paid.

Time to Learn More

This article was just a quick intro to Caribbean Stud Poker. In other articles, I’ll go further into detail about playing the game, including progressive payouts, game decisions, playing strategy and more.

For now, I hope I’ve wetted your appetite for this fun game.

Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction under which a casino falls determines the governing body that controls its behavior and sets the laws to which it must adhere. If a casino is not operating under a jurisdiction it means that it is not operating under any law, and therefore you would not be protected by any law.

Encryption

Encryption, or SSL Digital Encryption as it is often called, is the means by which information is sent over the internet without being put in danger. The information is changed into a code, which will only get deciphered once it has reached its destination. A site that does not use this technology is not protecting your information to the best of its ability.

RNG

RNG stands for Random Number Generator, and this is a program that determines the outcome of all of the games on the site. The Random Number Generator of a site must be checked regularly by independent auditors in order to make sure that the games, and their outcomes are fair.

Auditors

A casino should be regularly audited by an independent accountancy or auditing firm. These audits should check the RNG and also the percentage payout of individual games and the casino as a whole. Some of these findings should be available either on the site directly or via request from their service centre. It is these auditing reports that ensure the fair play of the site.

Software Providers

The quality of the games available at a site is determined by the software provider, but it is also the software provider that will be responsible for the security measures of the site and the anti-fraud technology used. A reputable software provider therefore is a must not only to ensue quality of play but also quality of service.

Independent Standards Guarantee

Having to check all of these aspects is not necessary if the site carries the seal of approval from one of the numerous independent standards regulators that are in operation today. The regulators will evaluate the fair play, security, and behavior of a site and grant a seal of approval accordingly.

If you look out for these few basic things you will, I believe, in the long run find yourself with higher quality games, better payouts, and an all round securer environment.

Unfortunately, today’s Las Vegas is a penny pinching corporate environment. It’s not enough to simply go and play. You’ll go unnoticed unless you’re dropping tens of thousands in one spot. Casinos are huge places and no one in the Craps pit will know that you played $10,000 on video poker unless you do it right.

Your first step-before spending one dime in a casino-is to get a player’s card. I don’t know of one casino that doesn’t have one these days. You can get a player’s card from the redemption center. Just ask anyone that works for the casino and they’ll point the way.

A player’s card is basically a little credit card looking thing. They take all of your information (name, address, birth date, etc) and create an account for you. Once you have a player’s card all of your action is logged to that account. Aside from possible comps and bonuses, these cards are great for tax time. You’ll be able to get a print out of your wins and losses. And it’s a third party source, so it’s solid for the IRS.

Using the player’s card is very simple. Let’s say you are about to partake in some fun video poker action. Each machine will have a little card slot on the front. Just enter your card, wait for the confirmation that it’s accepted, and play. Remember to leave your card in the slot when you play and remember to take it with you when you leave. If you lose it, they’ll just give you another one.

When you go to the tables, it’s a little different procedure. You need to give your card to the dealer-who then hands it off to the pit boss. They’ll scan the card and then rate your play.

Now that you are “in the system,” you can ask for comps or earn them via bonus programs. Anyone can now pull up your account and see what you’ve been playing. There’s no need to prove it anymore.

As a bonus feature, most Las Vegas casinos give card holders discounts on shows, buffets and other products and services. It’s definitely worth the couple of minutes to get a player’s card for each casino you visit.

All you have to do is select which numbers you think are going to be drawn and make a bet. The big difference between keno and a regular lottery is that you get to choose how many numbers you predict will be drawn. You can place your bet on anything from just one number all the way up to fifteen. Depending on how many of your numbers come up you will make your winnings.

For each round you mark the numbers you are betting on on the special keno card that shows all of the numbers from one to eighty. You also need to mark you name and the total amount that you are betting if you are going to be on more than one game. The different bets have different odds on them depending on how many numbers you are betting on or other factors such as corner and side numbers. Not all casino give the same odds so it is worth shopping around. Keno is a real gamblers game in that there is no real skill involved on the one hand but on the other the winnings can by huge. If all of your numbers come up on a $2 bet for ten numbers you could be looking at $50,000 in prize money or in some cases even more.

While there is no strategy involved unless you believe you have extra-sensory powers that enable you to see into the future, there are some details you should be aware of. Firstly, you must cash in your winning card before the next game starts. If you have a winning then get over to the keno counter and claim it pronto. Most casinos will not hold your winnings for you from one game to the next and once a new game starts all unclaimed winnings are forfeited. Another important point to keep an eye out for are specials. Sometimes casinos run special promotions that although cost more have correspondingly larger pay-outs. If you want to make a special promotion bet you must mark in on your card by ticking the ’special’ box.

No matter how you play it the house advantage in keno is about 20-30%. However, it is a good idea to play additional games while you are waiting for the keno draw. Each game takes a while until all the tickets are in and if you are already in the casino you might as well try your hand at something that has better odds for winning like roulette or blackjack.

Moneybookers is very easy to use and set up and they cover a wide range of over 35 countries around the globe so you shouldn’t have any currency problems. Transactions are nearly instantaneous and they also offer same day payments. Like all e-wallets you must first register with Moneybookers using their online registration form. You can remain anonymous if you want to although by validating your account you gain a higher transaction limit. The more solid your verification details the higher it gets and if you struck it rich at a casino you want to be able to get to your winnings.

With its pan-global customers Moneybookers supports 12 languages although currently, there are no Moneybookers services to the US. This means that you cannot make a deposit to an online casino or payout if the casino is US operated so Moneybookers is not an option for US gamblers at the present time. This means that at present Moneybookers is not an option for US gamers. To open an account you can use all of the usual methods such as credit cards, checks, or wire transfers. Once registered you conduct all of your business by sending e-mail. To make a deposit or withdrawal from a casino you just send an e-mail. You can even send cash to other players that are using Moneybookers.

All of Moneybookers internet transactions are covered under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the European Union directives for e-money. Moneybookers is also authorized and regulated by the UK’s Financial Services Authority. Although there are charges for making withdrawals these are well below what you would pay in a bank and currency conversions are based on the daily exchange rates as published by the Central European Bank. All of your transactions are recorded and you can easily export a list of your transactions to your computer. This is a great way to maintain your own records of what goes in and out. They also have an online messaging center for customer service support.

An handy advantage to using Moneybookers is that you don’t have to give out your credit card or bank details every time you want to play at an online casino. All of you personal information remains with Moneybookers and all you send out is an e-mail. There are plenty of casinos that accept Moneybookers so you won’t be limited in finding places to play either. As its popularity grows more and more online gaming houses are expected to adopt this method.

Buffalo: Okay, it’s not an animal. When you make a buffalo wager, you’re betting on each of the Hardways and Any Seven. If you want to mix it up, you can make a Buffalo-Yo wager, which is all of the Hardways and a Yo (eleven) bet.

Buy: When you place a number, you can buy it. When you buy the number, you’re paying a 5% commission for true odds. You’ll rarely see the 5,6,8 or 9 bought. It’s almost always the 4 and 10. Why? Well, when you buy the 4 and 10 you get 2 for 1 odds rather than 9 for 5. Imagine you bought the 4 for $25. Each time the 4 hits, you would be paid $50. Your commission would be $1. The commission is off the bet not the win. Also, the commission is rounded down, as most Craps tables don’t have 25-cent cheques.

C and E: This is an extremely common wager on the come out roll. When you make a C and E wager, you’re betting on Any Craps and Eleven (Yo). It’s a one-roll wager. You can make this bet any time, but most people do it on the come out roll to protect their Pass Line bets.

Charting: If you go to the casinos in Downtown Las Vegas, you’re likely to see a charter. Charting is when you record the action of a table. Usually this is done on a notepad. Why chart a table? Many people who do it believe there are patterns in the dice-not true. Others do it on a person by person basis, because they believe people have certain patterns. If you play online, you can do this easily and without standing out like you would at a real table.

Change Only: IMPORTANT! If you do nothing else, remember this command. When you are at a real Craps table and you throw money down, it plays where it stays unless you say “Change Only.” Many unsuspecting people have thrown their money down expecting change only to see it gobbled up after it lost. Now, if you want the money to be a bet, just don’t say another word or say “Money Plays.” That’s the command for letting the money sit and play. The dealer shouldn’t touch the money.

Cheques: This is the official term for what many call chips. Let’s say you have a $100 cheque and you want a stack of $5 cheques, you would put down your cheque in the Come area and say “Cheque Change.” That’s the dealer’s cue that you don’t want it to play and that you want smaller cheques/chips.

That ends today’s Craps terms session. Next time we’ll pick it up with terms like cocked dice, cold table, coloring up, come out roll and many more.