There are many factors that go into choosing the proper online casino. In fact the decision to choose a particular online casino is probably the most important decision that a player can make. If they choose right they will be rewarded with a fair and enjoyable gambling experience. If they hurry their decision and choose wrong they may be punished by a lousy gambling experience, a loss of wagers in an unreasonable fashion, and in the worst cases, a loss of their identity and a lifetime of personal struggle. Sound a little harrowing? Well unfortunately the floors of the online gambling halls are littered with the hopes and dreams of novice players that rushed too quickly into a website that sounded enticing. It pays very well to take your time and choose the right casino.

Once the right casino is chosen, and one of the determining factors might very well be, a good initial bonus should be had. If an online casino does not offer a solid initial offering it might be an indication of the quality of service that the online casino provides. This is far from being set in stone and the fact that a casino offers a mediocre sign up bonus might simply indicate that their resources are elsewhere.

One of the best ways that a player can earn money on their gambling is through the use of an online casino’s rakeback program, if they happen to offer one. Rakeback programs are often times misunderstood, or not heard of altogether. Some players think of a rakeback as type of an investment program. A rakeback program allows a player to receive a percentage of the money back that they have wagered. This allows players to continue to finance their bankroll with funds that have already been wagered. This is something that is only found in the online casino environment and should always be taken advantage of. A player might see a 3% rakeback, for example, in one casino and choose to disregard this casino in favor of a casino that offers a $250 sign up bonus. The novice player might see that the sign up bonus is better but the more experienced online gambler will realize that the 3% rakeback will pay off many times over that of the sign up bonus. Rakeback programs were designed to encourage and reward customer loyalty.

While sign up bonuses are a great way to get started they should never be the determining factor in the search for the next great online casino. By searching for casinos that offer a good sign up bonus, and offer continuing bonuses and rakeback programs that reward loyalty, an online casino gambler will be able enjoy their chosen game without the worry of wasting money.

Ah Craps, what a lovely game. Walk into any Las Vegas casino and listen. The Craps area will be the loudest-unless the game has taken a turn for the worst.

A great Craps game will be full of shouting, high fives, and unbridled enthusiasm. But, it’s not all roses. There are some action spots on the Craps layout that are sucker bets. Sure, they can be fun to play now and then, but make a habit of it and you’ll lose a serious chunk of your bankroll over time.

Today, I’ll quickly dish out three Craps bets that you want to either stay away from completely or play in rare instances.

Big 6 and Big 8

These two wagers are to be avoided at all costs 100% of the time. Never, and I mean never, play these bets.

The Big 6 and Big 8 only pay even money-read that again. So, if you put $6 on the Big 6 and/or Big 8 and win, you’re paid $6. I call this the lazy man’s bet. Had you simply placed the 6 or 8 instead, you’d be paid $7 for a $6 bet.

By betting the Big 6 or Big 8, you’re losing 16.6% of your money each time you win! That’s a sucker’s bet for sure.

Boxcars

In the center of the Craps layout, there’s the 12 bet-aka boxcars, midnight, etc-and it pays 30 for 1. Sounds great right?

Here’s the problem. First, it’s a one-roll bet. You either win or lose on the next roll. Second, it pays 30 for 1, but there’s only one way in 36 combinations to roll a 12. You’re losing 16% on your action before anything happens.

In other words, if you made the wager 36 times-assuming perfect math play-you’d have $31 in your pocket. You would have lost $5. That’s each and every cycle.

I never make this bet, but it’s okay once in a blue moon if you just want to spice things up. Just realize that there’s a serious house advantage with this wager.

Aces

Just like with the 12, you can also make a one-roll wager on the Aces (2). It pays 30 for one as well and it’s the same deal-a bad wager.

Baccarat is one of those casino games that’s incredibly easy to learn, good on the bankroll, but played by few. Why is this? Did you know that betting on the Banker in Baccarat is the best bet you could make in the casino? Probably not. Most people don’t and perhaps that’s why most people don’t play Baccarat. It’s foreign to them.

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!

I’ll admit it. I like playing Pai Gow, but it can be lonely. Walk through just about any Vegas casino and you’ll do some work to spot the Pai Gow table(s). This “Americanized” version of an ancient Chinese game isn’t as popular as it should be.

Pai Gow is growing among gamblers, but in the real world of limited floor space, it still takes a backseat to Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, and even Three-Card Poker. I think many players stay away, because the name of the game confuses them. Pai Gow just sounds intimidating, but it isn’t.

I’ll submit to you that learning to play Pai Gow is fairly straightforward and simple. If you learn to play, I’ll bet that you’ll be having a lot of fun with the game right out of the gate.

The Pai Gow Table

Pai Gow is played on a table that’s similar to Blackjack. So, if you play Blackjack, this should make it more comfortable for you to start. The game has six seats for six players and the dealer spot, which is at the top of the table just like Blackjack.

Each player’s spot has three game areas, which are vertically one after the other. The first game area is where you put your wagers and this spot is on the top. Next, you have two areas for your cards. You see, once you get your cards, you’ll split them into two hands-this is where the magic happens.

The two card areas in Pai Gow are for your highest hand-bottom game area-and the 2nd highest. These are two hands that you’ll create. This is where strategy plays in and we’ll go over all of this in other Pai Gow articles on this site. Right now, let’s just concentrate on some simple basics and build a good foundation for enjoying this fun game.

Quick Play Information

I’m not going to run down play in detail here, but I will in other articles on this site. Let’s go over the general play flow of Pai Gow.

Pai Gow is played with a regular 52-card deck, like Blackjack can be, but there’s one change. Pai Gow uses one joker card. If you’ve played poker or video poker, you’re already set, because the winning hands work pretty much the same way-we’ll go over this and the couple of differences in another article.

Even though there are other players in the game (possibly), everyone is playing against the dealer-just like in Blackjack. You’re betting that your hands will beat the banker’s hands.

Ah, now here’s where we need to pause. I said the banker’s hand. Unlike Blackjack, players can get the opportunity to be the banker. As a player, you can accept or decline when it’s your turn to be the bank. But, again, I’ll go over this in more detail in another article.

Get Excited

I hope you’re curiosity is up just a little. Pai Gow is an exciting game to play and I’ll be teaching all the ins and outs on this site.

If ever there was a game that conjures up visions of rich players in rich evening attire gambling for rich bets it is baccarat. There are three common variants of the game but Punto Banco is the most popular variation found in North American casinos. A regular baccarat table is about the size of a craps table, is staffed by three casino dealers and can host about a dozen players.

Play revolves around to hands dealt for the ‘Banker’ and the ‘Player’. These names are titles for the dealt hands only and there is no real banker or specific player. Players place their bets on which hand they think will win. Hand scores are calculated by taking the face value for all cards worth less than ten, one for an ace and zero for tens and face cards. The value of hand is the total of the cards value but if it comes to more than ten you drop the first digit. For example, 8-ace-jack is worth 8 plus 1 plus zero = 9. But 9-5-5 is also worth 9 (9+5+5 = 19, drop the first digit = 9). The card suit makes no difference to value of the cards.

Players take it in turn to act as ‘dealer’ although this only involves turning over the cards. A player usually continues to act as dealer as long as the ‘banker’ keeps winning. The dealer starts by dealing two cards face down for the ‘banker’ and another two cards for the ‘player’. Depending on the totals the casino dealers may instruct the ‘dealer’ to deal another card. With all cards dealt winning wagers are paid out or losses collected.

A third card may be dealt to either the ‘player’ or the ‘banker’ depending on the following rules.

If either the Player or the Banker has 8 or 9 no further cards are drawn. If the Player has a total of 0-5, the Player hits a single card but stands on 6-7.If the Player did not hit, the Banker hits if he has 0-5, and stands on 6-7.If the Player drew a 2 or 3, the Banker hits if he has 0-4, and stands on 5-7.If the Player drew a 4 or 5, the Banker hits if he has 0-5, and stands on 6-7.If the Player drew a 6 or 7, the Banker hits if he has 0-6, and stands on 7.If the Player drew an 8, the Banker hits if he has 0-2, and stands on 3-7.If the Player drew an ace, 9, 10, or face-card, the Banker hits if he has 0-3, and stands on 4-7.

Essentially a game of chance, what it lacks in skill it makes up for in the size of the bets involved. In many casinos the minimum bet can start at $25 and dedicated players often wager hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a single game that gives baccarat its exotic atmosphere.