The average visitor to a large casino may be overwhelmed at the scope and scale of the gambling action taking place and unfortunately, this can cause some rookie mistakes. Knowing the ins and outs of casino gambling can help even complete newcomers increase their odds of winning big.

Know What to Play

The most important way to increase your chances of a big win is to play the right games. Casinos know that many people, and new gamblers in particular, find table games rather intimidating. Instead, these people tend to play the slots, because with a machine they do not have to worry about making a mistake the other players might notice. However, the simple truth of the matter is that slot machines are generally a bad bet. Even worse, they are a great way to lose a lot of money in a short period of time. Table games not only offer better average returns, especially for players who know what they are doing, but also take longer to play, which means that your gambling dollar stretches much further.

Don’t get lazy, better pare some time on searching for right casino to begin with. I’d recommend you look for well-established and time-proven Microgaming-powered online casino. The thing is, that Microgaming is widely-known and widely-honored casino software developer operating under UK Gambling Commission license recognized for its trustworthy and courteous service as well as top standards of security.

Know How to Play

Each table game has its own rules, which means that players need different strategies for each. In blackjack, for example, players will maximize their chances of beating the dealer if they always split pairs of eights and Aces, but never split pairs of 10s, fives, fours or face cards. Blackjack players should double down only when the odds are really in their favor, which is the case when the dealer is showing a value of eight or less and the player has cards worth either 10 or 11.

Blackjack players should ask for another card when they hold a soft 17, but refuse more when they have a hard 17 or more, no matter what the dealer is or is not showing. In some cases, however, players must consider the dealer’s hand more critically. If the dealer has seven or more showing and the player’s hand is in the 12 to 16 range, a hit is called for. In the same situation, if the dealer shows less than seven, players should stand. 

Play to the Best of Your Ability

Experienced gamblers know that emotion has no place at the gaming tables. Playing to the best of your ability means learning the strategies you need for your game of choice and then applying them consistently, no matter how much temptation exists for you to deviate. Winning big is really a game of numbers and averages; gamblers who are successful play the odds, time and again. They do not play their hunches.

Keep Your Game Face On

When it comes to card games, one of your most important assets is a “poker face.” Allowing your emotions to show is like broadcasting to the dealer and the other players whether your hole card or your entire hand is terrific or lousy. Other players will take their cue from you, cashing in their hands early if they think you have a winning hand. Whether the game is going your way or not, keep a neutral expression and give nothing away.

As you probably know, gambling in Canada is illegal if you do it in a place that doesn’t have a license to do that and this goes for online casinos as well. This means that most online casinos are owned by one or another Canadian province and they regulate their income, expenses and all other things. This means that players know what they can expect when it comes to rules and payment, but on the other hand, they are restricted to just players from that province. So, if you live somewhere else, sorry but you can not play.

Fortunately, the Indian reserves have managed to work around this problem. By opening a server on their reserve and getting some online casino, online poker or similar websites on them, they can allow access to a larger population of players than provincially owned online casinos. The problem here is the fact that they are often prosecuted by the Canadian government. In fact, the future of one the oldest gambling commission in the world, and the first that have started regulating online gambling in 1999, the Kahnawake Gambling Commission is under big question due to several lawsuits that the government has filed against them, since 2005, but so far, it remains on that.

As you can see, these two options are still not what we are looking for as they both have its problems. But, why stay in Canada, when you can visit any online casino? Unlike the players from the United States, who are often refused admittance to an online casino that is not operating from the US because their owners fear that they might have some problems with the US government, the Canadian players are welcomed in pretty much the majority of these online casinos.

When looking for a good online Canadian casino, you have to make sure that they will pay you. A lot of these online casinos are restricted to certain countries or geographic areas, so if you can’t be payed in Canada, forget playing there. Also, the payment needs to be prompt, so check if these casinos have several options for payment. The more options you have, the better.

Online security is always a problem, but especially somewhere where you have to leave your credit card or bank account number. A lot of online casinos lack in security simply due to the fact that they are not updated very often. If you notice that the website is not working very well, either that it takes an hour to get to the next page or that the links are broken, get out of that website, now.

These were just some things that you need to look for when searching for an online casino in Canada, but I guess that they could be used wherever else you might live with equal success. Now all you have to do is go out and find some good online casino to play your favorite game

Roulette is a favorite among casino games, universally recognized as one of the most exciting games in the casino. Perhaps it’s because so many people are often crowded around the table, anxiously awaiting that little round ball to stop in just the right spot. If you’ve never played the game, we highly recommend learning the real money roulette rules and giving it a shot.

Roulette Variations

There are several forms of roulette, the two most common being European and American roulette. For the purpose of these roulette rules, we’ll be teaching you how to play European roulette, but we’ll go ahead and define the difference between the two.

European roulette is favored because of one tiny difference. American roulette has a 0 and 00 on the wheel and table. European roulette uses only the single 0. For this reason, European roulette actually offers a slightly lower house edge. Taking the lowest house edge is always the best way to go in any casino game. Other than that, there is no difference in the actual roulette rules involved.

The Roulette Wheel Explained

First, we will explain the roulette wheel. The wheel contains all of the same numbers found on the roulette table’s betting diagram, back-dropped with the same colors, red or black, plus green for the 0. When all bets are placed, the wheel is spun in one direction. Then a small metal ball is tossed into the spinning wheel in the opposite direction. The ball bounces around the wheel until finally coming to a stop in a pocket. The number/color of the pocket the ball stops in determines all winning and losing bets.

The Roulette Table

This is where the real action takes place as players put their chips on the table’s betting diagram. The table depicts all numbers, 1 – 36, plus the 0. The bets in this area of the table are known as ‘Inside Bets’. The outer area contains more betting options, referred to as ‘Outside Bets’.

Roulette Inside Bets

We’ll now define all inside bets and their respective payouts. Inside bets tend to have the highest payouts, but the highest house edge to go along with it.

• 1 Number Bet – Pays 35 to 1: A wager on a single number.
• 2 Number Bet – Pays 17 to 1: A wager on two adjacent numbers.
• 3 Number Bet – Pays 11 t 1: A wager on a single column of 3 numbers.
• 4 Number Bet – Pays 8 to 1: A wager on 4 intersecting numbers.
• 6 Number Bet – Pays 5 to 1: A wager on two adjacent columns of 6 numbers.

Roulette Outside Bets

All outside bets and payouts are defined below. Outside bets have a higher chance of paying off, but a lower payout overall, ranging from even money to doubling your wager.

• 1st Twelve – Pays 2 to 1: A wager on the first dozen number, 1 – 12.
• 2nd Twelve – Pays 2 to 1: A wager on the second dozen numbers, 13 – 24.
• 3rd Twelve – Pays 2 to 1: A wager on the third dozen numbers, 25 – 36.
• Row Bet – Pays 2 to 1: A wager on the first, second or third Row of 12 numbers.
• Low – Pays 1 to 1: A wager on the lower half of the numbers, 1 – 18.
• High – Pays 1 to 1: A wager on the higher half of the numbers, 19 – 36.
• Even – Pays 1 to 1: A wager on any even number (except 0).
• Odd – Pays 1 to 1: A wager on any odd number.
• Red – Pays 1 to 1: A wager on any red number.
• Black – Pays 1 to 1: A wager on any black number.

When blackjack was in the sole domain of the land-based casinos, it was not an uncommon occurrence to see players make some of the weirdest gameplay decisions that seemed as if they almost wanted to lose the hand. This was sometimes put down to superstition or habits of a lifetime. Much as it may sound strange, these kinds of actions could be understandable, simply because playing blackjack in a land-based casino was like going into a war zone, and players needed all the luck and help from anywhere they could get it.

Thankfully, the development of online casinos has changed all that. Since the ability to play blackjack online for money has become available to lovers of the game, it is now possible to play in the comfort and security of your own home, without the interference of others, especially those who believed that they could play a certain way that defied all the logic behind playing this basically simple game.

Nowadays the blackjack lover is a law only to himself, and any superstitions that they may have developed over the years should be left behind. Playing blackjack online means playing purely with logic and good sense. Where live blackjack was all about emotion and intervention, online blackjack is all about logic and strategy. And no less exciting.

The geniuses who developed the blackjack software have done so using algorithms and complicated mathematical equations. These equations have been programmed so that the house has an edge, but much less of an edge than a land casino. On the other hand, in a land casino where the dealer played with four or even six packs of cards in the shoe, there was always the possibility of hitting a tremendous run where the cards all fell in the players favour. As much as they were exciting, they were almost always very short lived.

That’s why playing online blackjack is safer and more subdued. And there is no need to bring our superstitions and lucky rabbit’s foot to the table.

Online casinos actually date back to early 1994 thanks in large part to the passing of the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act passed by the Government of Antigua-Barbuda, a jurisdiction that still grants licenses to online gambling operators today. And now, online casinos have exploded in popularity. Convenience, excitement, variety of games, these are all reasons why millions of players get online and play.

There are three main types of online casinos that players can flock to these days. The first two are fairly common, available at most sites: so-called Instant Play casinos (also referred to as no download casinos) and Download casinos.

Instant Play casinos are often used by online operators to entice players as the games are free to try out and play. Players can test out some of the casino games before registering an account. Instant casinos are often limited to the number of games available to play.

Download casinos are usually the entire suite of games offered by the casino and can often include better graphics and sound. You just need to Sign Up at the casino website afterward it will ask you gently to download official casino client (basically harmless, well-protected soft) through which you might play. I won’t explain here about the other type of casinos – mobile casinos as they are basically the mobile version of Instant ones. I mean, casino operator do not create separate websites on different domains. Mobile casinos are mobile friendly and responsive versions of desktop casinos accessible from PC or Mac.

The third type of online casino is a more recent addition – live dealer casinos. These innovative new casinos offer players even more realistic play because they are actually playing in real-time, with real male or female dealers. A video feed lets players view dealers shuffling, raking in bets, tossing the dice and more. Players can even interact with the live casino environment via chat. Note, live casinos aren’t accessible in free mode for obvious reasons. But the good news is that there is one live game, to be more precise roulette game, which can try out for free. God bless NetEnt software! Click the following link to have fun in live dealer roulette and play for toy credits. It’s can be played on mobile, iPhone or Android, device

Whichever type of online casino you choose for sure you’ll get some great entertainment! Don’t forget to take advantage of the great cash bonuses online casinos give to new players!

Tips on How to Choose Online Casino
For the last 5 years, the Web has brought so many new casino sites that’s it’s getting really hard to choose an appropriate online casino that would be both safe and reliable. In fact today the biggest problem that online gamblers encounter is that they find it really troublesome to choose in which online casino they would deposit their money and play.

Experts of the iGaming industry estimate that every month online gamblers waste about 13 hours searching for a suitable real money casino. It seems as if online gamblers do not enjoy playing the same casino games time after time, they want something new –innovational designs, more no deposit or free money bonuses, special promotions and so on. The average gambler that plays at online casinos might utilize to the fullest a site in few hours of the game. He then withdraws his money and moves on forward to the next casino that catches his eye.

As it seems online gamblers are always on the move from one casino to the next and due to this fact they waste a lot of time in choosing the next online casino. Stick to the following guidelines which will help you to choose the appropriate online casino next time.

First, make sure that the online casino you chose has a 24/7 customer support service whether by phone or email. There’s no use in playing at a website that cares little for you in case you run into trouble.

Also, make sure that the casino offers more than 5 different payment methods. The more payment methods the casino offers the better. This is an important note so pay it your full attention. Remember, the casino that offers many payment methods is a company that is willing to do the maximum for you, to make the experience as easy and smooth and as simple as possible.

And one final note, read the Terms and Conditions section. You’d be surprised how much relevant information you can find there. Many online gamblers don’t bother to check the fine print and in return, they ran into trouble with their casino, which simply states that ”it was all there in the Terms which you were obliged to read, this is your responsibility”. If you feel lost even after you’ve red all these tips, do not hesitate and check out Casinomeister’s, a kind of opinion leader in the online gambling industry, list of Best Casinos 2016. Good luck, guys!

It’s quite hard to believe nowadays but video slots appeared in land-based casino halls just a little bit over than 30 years ago. Before that brick-and-mortar gambling establishments were filled with traditional slot machines with moving reels. To trigger the mechanism a player had to pull the arm and insert a coin. Such a technology dominated the gambling market for more than 80 years, therefore there is nothing surprising that people didn’t want to switch to unknown and ‘unreliable’ video slot machines once they appeared.

The very first video slot machine was developed back in 1976 by Walt Farley. He called his ‘child’ a Fortune Coin to attract visitors of land-based casino halls. Fortune Coin featured a highly innovative mechanism with an electronic screen. Outcome of every spin was determined by the RNG while all the moving parts were eliminated. Who knows what would happen with the Fortune Coin if it was not recognized by IGT company as quite promising. At that time, IGT (stands for the International Game Technology) was a private company unknown for the broad public.

IGT hoped to make a revolution in the world of gambling by introducing the Fortune Coin in the largest casino halls. However, visitors gave it a cold shoulder. They were used to pulling the arms of traditional slot machines and believed in better control over the moving mechanism. They didn’t trust the electronic screen that showed the final result and were looking for some catch.

The whole situation was saved by video poker machines that were also introduced in land-based casinos in late 1970s. These machines also featured a compute screen without any moving parts. However, video poker required a skill element along with an element of luck. People felt that they affect the outcome of the game and, therefore, can win more money. Virtual video poker machines became incredibly popular and helped gamblers to get used to the electronic screens of virtual slots. Since 1980s they didn’t lack any popularity. New IGT slot games appeared regularly offering most innovative and exciting features: bonus rounds and prize games, free spins, progressive jackpots and other perks.

The next step in the history of online casinos was certainly the development of online video slots. Online slots introduced in mid 1990 were based on the land-based counterparts and were significantly simplified. The problem was that personal computers existed at that time were really slow and lacked processing capacity. First online slot machines were really simple, featured basic graphics and limited audio effects.

As for the IGT company that placed a right bet on video slots back in 1970s, it is considered to be the leading developer of land-based slot machines nowadays. It has launched such well-known brands as Wheel of Fortune, Megabucks and Siberian Storm. Its progressive video slots are connected into nationwide networks with jackpots of several million dollars.

Blackjack is a popular casino game with a very low House Edge. House Edge or Casino Edge is the percentage of each bet that the casino expects to keep in the long run. In blackjack depending on the table rules, it can be less than 1%.

Here are some basic blackjack rules. Blackjack is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Casinos usually use up to 8 decks for one blackjack game. Blackjack played with single deck has a lower House Edge. It’s important to know the card values. The numbered cards have values corresponding to their number while the face cards have a value of 10. The Ace can either have a value of 1, hard value, or 11, soft value. The purpose of the game is to come up with a hand value higher that the dealer’s but not more than 21. Should the player’s hand be more than 21 the player automatically loses the game, Bust. In case the dealer has the same hand value as the player it’s a Push.

All winning bets are paid by the dealer at 1 to 1 odds. In blackjack hands that consist of an Ace and a face card are paid at 3 to 2 odds. In case the player loses the dealer will take his bet. Here are some basic blackjack actions.

There can be up to 7 players at a blackjack table. But even one player can play alone against the dealer. One player can also play multiple hands.

The player places a bet of $10. Dealer deals cards: two to each player and two cards to the dealer. First face up and second face down. We can see the dealer’s face up card is 6 and the player’s cards are 6 and 5 for total of 11.

The player has two basic options hit or stand. In my example player makes the decision based on dealer’s up card 6 and his card total of 11. Therefore player hits player receives a 9 for a hand total of 20. Then player stands, dealer turns over his card and it’s a King. Dealer has a hand total of 16.

Dealer then hits or stands depending on the table specific rules. In my case, dealer hits on 16 or lower and stands on all soft and hard 17. Dealer hits and receives 10, now he has a hand total of 26 which is more than 21 so dealer busts. Player wins and gets paid 1 to 1.

And here are some advanced blackjack actions. Player places bet $10. Dealer deals cards. First dealer’s up card is 5 and second card is placed face down. Player receives two cards – two Aces and has a soft value of 22 and a hard value of 2.

Player adds another $10 bet to split the two Aces. Now he has two hands. Player adds another $10 to each of the split hands to double down.

The first hand receives 5 for a total hand value of 16, the second hand receives a jack for blackjack. A player must always stand after double down.

Dealer shows second card it’s Queen making his hand worth 15. Dealer hits another card according to table rules dealer receives 5 for total of 20. Dealer stands. Player gets paid 1.52 to 1 for the blackjack and loses second hand with value of 16.

Player can also make another advanced bet called Insurance in case dealer’s up card is Ace. Insurance pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack but this bet only increases casino edge and it’s not recommended. Some casinos offer an option to surrender half of the player’s bet in case of not favorable cards. Surrender is recommended as it decreases the casino edge.

Video slots are the most loved and frequently played casino games in the whole gambling industry. Thousands of players are spinning the reels in online and offline casinos every day all over the world. But what makes this game, so simple and repetitive on the first glance, so popular? The answer hides in our psychology that is used by the slots creators to keep our brains entertained and make us play more and more. So what are the secrets that attract us to the reels?

Attractive design

Whether you play for free or make real money bets in online casinos, your brain is associating slot games with fun and celebrations. If you look at any slot, starting from the simplest 3-reel games created by small companies and ending with the fascinating 3D slots by industry giants you’ll see they are all full of loud sounds, bright symbols, and cool animations. Popular slot themes are all about the rich life or ancient treasures that you can reveal with just a single click. You can push the “Spin” button and immerse into the world of magic. This is so simple that you just can’t help playing slots again and again.

Casino layout

Slots are only existing in the special environment the casino created around them. When you play in an online casino, you see your favorite slots surrounded by other bright games and rewards announcements that make you spin that reels once again. Casinos are not allowed to tease you intentionally but the brain does this work anyway. If you are in the land-based casino to play some slots, you will also see that everything’s made to keep you inside. There are long curved paths to the slot machines that you’ll want to walk, the buttons that allow you order your drinks while playing and dozens of ticket-machines all around the casino hall so you don’t spend time waiting in lines.

No one around

You are playing slots all on your own, there are no people around that can watch you playing and judge your gaming actions like in any card game where you have other gamblers around the table. While playing slots, you don’t feel any emotional pressure and can just relax and enjoy the game.

Easy to play

Many popular casino games require at least the minimum skills. Whether you are playing blackjack, video poker or roulette, you need to know the rules, the betting options and all the possible actions you may need to take. But it doesn’t work this way with slots. All you need to know while playing the slot games is where the “Spin” button is and how to push it. All the rest will be done by the machine. Learn more about how slot machine works in this video. This is why the gaming process is very fast. You don’t need to spend hours to play slots as you can just make a few spins during your coffee break or before the bed.

Brain tricks

People that make slots definitely know the way our brain works. Playing slots activates the dopamine hormone that makes us crave for more spins and, accordingly, more rewards. Each time you are spinning the reels, your brain is waiting for the prize which can be the money, the bonus round, the scatter symbol or whatever the slot developers could invent.

Another trick is that in slots, small rewards are combined with the large ones with small losses hidden among them. The brain doesn’t recognize that losses as something bad this way and, according to the research, most of the slots players consider that losses to be “almost wins” which means you don’t stop playing when you lose — you even want to play more.

You have impact

Even though slots are pretty much teasing our brains, it doesn’t mean the players have no control over the games. The thing is, each time you spin the reels or make a bet, you give your vote for the slot you are playing and all these votes can decide whether the game will stay in the casino or will be replaced by the new one. So if you love the slot — play it to keep it popular in the casino and if you think the slot is bad or not rewarding enough — don’t spend your time and money on it as it can be replaced by the better game that can bring you your first jackpot.

There are tons of articles about the famous male gamblers — Hollywood celebrities, historical figures, and politicians. But when it comes to the women in gambling, it seems that there is zero information about them. The representation of women in gambling is a topic that no one really strives to cover and we are here to fix it.

Sexism in the gambling industry is just as widespread as it is in any other industry. Most of the online casino games have its target audience among the middle-aged men with the exception to pink glittery slots aimed at women. At the same time, women are considered to be highly addicted to gambling and offered to know when to stop (while we should all know when to stop, actually). We don’t want the story to look like it’s okay to play gambling games if you are a man and you are an addict if you are a woman so we’ve created our own list of famous women who gamble.

Alice Huckert

This lady, mostly known under the Poker Alice nickname, is hands down the most famous women in the gambling world. She was born in 1851 and by her 20s became very popular all around the USA. She was traveling from one casino to another playing poker and winning all the time. Alice was carrying a gun, smoking cigars and shooting anyone who tried to abuse her — this is why she was arrested a couple of times but has never got to jail. Alice had 3 husbands, 7 kids, and a pretty interesting life, we should admit. You can read the complete article about the Poker Alice story on our website.

Lottie Deno

Lottie was not such a badass as the Alice was but nevertheless became very popular in the Wild West due to her gambling skills. Lottie was a professional poker player who defeated even the most skilled male gamblers. She even gained the name “Poker Queen” after winning a poker round with Doc Holiday. Just like the Poker Alice, Lottie Deno made a pretty big fortune, lived a long interesting life and died at the age of 89.

Shannon Elizabeth Fadal

And now let’s move back to our times. Shannon Elizabeth Fadal is an American actress, model and….the professional poker player. She is considered to be “the leading celebrity poker player” and calls poker her second career. And both her careers are going pretty successful, to tell the truth. She played the leading roles in such famous movies like American Pie and Love Actually, released a bunch of other movies as the producer and won more than $235000 in poker. She takes part in the professional poker tournaments and plays together with other professionals.

Pamela Anderson

There is hardly anyone who has never heard the name of Pamela Anderson. She is a famous model, actress, and social activist and, surprisingly, a passionate gambler. Pamela Anderson is one of those women who may actually struggle with the gambling addiction as she can easily lose up to $250000 in a night. Some people even say she married her husband instead of paying the poker debts to him but those rumors about women gamblers are endless so you never know the truth. The fact is, Pamela is very much into gambling and knows how to deal with debts.

Gladys Knight

Gladys Knight knows everything about winning. This famous singer and songwriter who is also called “The Empress of Soul” won the Grammy Awards the impressive seven times. Besides her successful musical career, Knight also starred in several movies like Unbeatable Harold and Twenty Bucks. The fact that is not so known about Gladys Knight is that she has been fighting the gambling addiction for more than 10 years — she could spend a fortune on baccarat games and sports bets.

As you can see, there are many women in the gambling industry. Some of them do have problems with the gambling addiction, some of they don’t but so do men. Some of them are celebrities, some of them are badass women from the Wild West and some of them are housewives from the big cities and small villages. The thing is, we all love gambling games and we all should be treated equally regardless of the sex, age, and nationality.